Winter

I would say winter is definitely here. The heating is on and we had minus 1 yesterday. Still have not got it as bad as other parts of the British Isles so am grateful for small mercies.

Winter time always means stodgy food and I do like to make the effort! So, out comes the breadmaker, the slow cooker and the oligatory searching on the internet for cheap and easy to follow recipies. I've bought new non stick frying pan and large saucepan. Worthwhile investments and next on the list is a non stick griddle pan.

The breadmaker is a new one. The old one decided to go up in flames! Not as dramatic as it sounds but wasn't happy as I had mastered the art of a good loaf.

My favourite soup recipe is cheap and easy to make. A few carrots and parsnips. An onion, leek and half a head of celery (hate the stuff but it is good in a soup). Throw all in a saucepan with a bit of melted butter and saute for a few minutes. Then I add 2 pints (or more if you like) of vegetable stock (or chicken/beef) and let it all cook. Not forgettingt throw in a bit of barley or soup mix. Once cooked blend it (I have to for the wife as she doesn't like bits). It comes out really thick and can be thinned ouy but adding more stock. This will feed 3 hungry adults 2 lunches.

Enjoy!

Silly Season...

Yes yet again it has come around. The nashing of credit card digits and will we get paid in time to buy everything. Still beats the feeling of oooh shite the next credit card bill is going to be awful.
Still winter has started and its getting colder so its at least being easy on the heating.

We went to Ireland (South of the border) for a very long weekend and had a great time. Sod all on tv in the evenings so we had to entertain ourselves. A few pub visits were enjoyed. So, driving around looking at the country side, walking on a beach (in brillant sunshine with a little chill in the air) and then we took my niece and nephew swimming a couple of times.

I've already started thinking about next year and the changes to make to meet the 'next' recession head on. Though I do think we are in the middle of one and its getting worse.

Still, I think its about the right time in the evening to have a beer so of I go.......

Every little helps.....

.....ok have seen we have a nice value in coupons towards xmas from Tesco. I don't normal do the 'get a quote and get points worth £xx'. Well this time I did cause I thought maybe the value of the points would be worth putting against the quote and it might be a decent price. OK well that isn't how it worked. Tesco were moer than £80 more expensive than our current insurer.

Oh dear! Ah well at least I've got my £12 to look forward too when the next voucher payout occurs.

This is wierd....

Ok apart from the weather which is unseasonally warm. I'm not complaining as I enjoy having the doors and windows open without the Mrs whinging its cold.

The wierd bit is the house, or rather our home, is becoming more and more organised. I'm doing jobs which should have been done months ago. Also, looking at what needs to be done next. Very strange as I'm usually a very very lazy git who does the bare minimum. After updating this I'm going to move the rowing machine....then the Mrs will have no excuses about not using it.

Juno was a bit of colour a few days ago. He's into fussy mode with his eating. So yesterday I boiled a chicken and cooked some rice. He loved it! Thing is I'm not doing the same every day. And yes he would starve himself if he could to demand the food he really really wants.

I suppose the next bit of planning for xmas kicks in soon. I've already bought the box of celebrations and after eights. I had a look at turkey crowns in the local wholesalers and they weren't worth touching. I think it will be get the turkey from the local farm shop again this year.
So that just leaves some booze, christmas pudding, cream and blah de blah de blah to pick up. This morning the Mrs was singing Christmas tunes.....I can feel the 'When can we get the christmas tree' whine starting soon......

Christmas

Ok...I think its safe to start talking about it now! I've made a list and started picking up bits and pieces. We have a budget of £50 each to spend on delightful little pressies. Looking around though all you get is stuff which collects dust. I may have to rethink and up the budget.

Apparently todays job is bleeding the radiators....note I its one i hate!

Todays protest in London

I had a bird's eye view of the helicopters, 4 in all, following the marchers. What I really noticed though was the quietness of Waterloo station. The politeness on the train to Clapham Junction and best of all I got a seat on the train from there relatively easy. Although the first seat I sat on....the chap on the inside, skinny git that he was, obviously thought he had huge man kahunahs and insisted on spreading his legs.

Home anyways and the Mrs tells me about Hera having a problem with her ear. She won't let me near it is the moan. Hmmmm now will she, Hera that is, let me near it. So, I get out the ear wipes and get on with the job. For good measure I do Juno's as well. Both perfectly behaved!! I still can't figure out how they reckon I'm Alpha in the house. Cause it usually the Mrs giving out to me the dogs are doign whatever and I have to then sort it out.

Anyways home and on the sofa..........

Pass......the password

Anyone else feeling a tad fatigued with passwords?! I am....even writing them down doesn't help.

Anybody feel like designing a security system? Which would possibly using a 'fob' to generate a secure number. The difference being you could link accounts or id or something to make 'one fob fit all'.

Its raining, heavily, and I could quite easily curl up cuddling a hot water bottle and sleep the day away. But no I have to go to work......just one little win on the lottery could make such a difference....the question is how much would it take to make a subtle life change?!

So many questions so little time...well about 12 mins on the battery life of my laptop....and Ijust realised I made the Mrs a cup of tea this morning and I got was you better change that alarm sound....blah blah blah....dulcit tones to start the day.

Have a good one!

Moods.....if you noticed them

So I didn't get a 'Good Morning' text from the Mrs this morning. Left it until mid morning before risking a text. A brusque response as recieved.....anyways long story short apparently we hadn't resolved the row from last night. I hadn't realised it was a proper row, must be my butch influence.
The crack up was I had only been winding her up in the first place. She is such a lesbian sometimes!!

Hmmmmm

Meself and the wife had a row last night. I can't tell for sure cause I was stiffling giggles at the faces she was pulling. I know I shouldn't wind her up but its too easy. Maybe it was offically called a 'row' then?!

Last night I commited myself to digging a trench in the garden. Mrs wants power in the shed and the cabling needs to go in the ground. It could go round the fence but thats a bit risky given what demon cats we have. The would claw through armoured cabling. Couple of power points and a light should keep her out of trouble.

I've made her up a money pot. I shouldn't admit to buying the odd lottery scratchcard but I do. I usually just get my money back (boring!) But last week the two I bought paid a few quid. £9 to be honest so have put it in a pot to go towards buying games or dvds. Well, the way I look at it is its extra money and lucky so we might as well do something different with it. I've also decided to put any £2 coins I get in there. (Is this the guilt of upgrading to an Iphone coming though......?

I I I

So, I've had an itch to scratch! Nothing to bad just been wanting to upgrade my phone as my contract expired in March '11. Sod all choices for phones and I want to get away from Nokia's. I opt for an Iphone 3, double my bill in doing so, which had about the best/cheapest options.

Before we went to bed last night the Mrs was having a whinge about the wardrobe in the back bedroom. For a few years I'd a few boxes of comics stored on it. Whilst the room is being decorated the wardrobe has been moved about with said boxes still on it. The wardrobe has ended up looking a bit 'forward'. I think one of the wheels is broken so shouldn't take much to fix it. I said I'd get it done....when?! was the response. I think there was a little 'strop' dance to go with it too. Considering I've been knocking off jobs at a reasonable rate the last few weeks found this amusing. Personally, I think it was a little mood cause its Sunday evening and we'd had a rather good weekend. Though watching 'Walton's movies' saturday and sunday night is probably not the wisest thing to admit to.

Today I also start my week of not eating rubbish. I'm also going to cut down on the carbs. Which should mean I'll be a cranky git by wednesday......ah the joys!!

Ah well

....another weekend over! The Mrs decided to have a lay in this morning. I'm not at that point just yet. I think when the weather is truly bleak and freezing I'll decide to stay put and watch a good dvd.

Up I got and was a bit industrious. Got the paper. Then sprinkled and scrubed a bit of Vanish into the living room carpet and gave it a good hoovering. Sofas then rubbed down with a special leather protector. I was on a roll so got out the mop and washed the hallway floor. The kitchen floor needs a good scrubbing and I couldn't face doing it all. So I attempted half of it. I used neat Cilit Bang and by gum the dirt sure did go with a bang! Then onto a job I've been putting off (well in my own head anyways) I put up the blind in the kitchen. Very happy with the result although using the right tools is always a plus.

Dinner as every a nice easy going roast. Today I attempted to make yorkshires and whoooo hoooo they were fabulous. Anyone wanting a decent Sunday Roast do make bookings in advance!! lol

The dogs have had bit of a delicate time with the fireworks going off. But thankfully they are happy to cuddle up and take the reassurance offered.

Christmas is coming......a lot quicker than I want but there it is. So, I've got a box sorted in the garage to start collecting up the goodies. 2 boxes of celebrations and a box of After Eights in there already. I've bought some 'special' cider for the Mrs. Now to think about the food for a few days and the best way of getting it all in given Christmas Eve is on a saturday this year. I am definitely of the opinion I DON'T want to be wandering/fighting my way round a supermarket!

And its Saturday....

..woo hoo Hera woke me up way to early. She was also bouncy and wanting company. Jumping on the bed (Hera not me!)and waking the mrs up wasn't a great idea. So, if a fit of nervous panic I said c'mon we'll take the dogs over the field for a walk. Instead the mrs says nah lets take them to the woods for a proper walk.

Eventually, Mrs got up (I've never known someone take so long to get up) and off we went. Within a couple of minute Mrs has seen 3 deer. I missed them cause was mucking about with the dogs lead. The dogs tend to ignore the wildlife so any passing squirrels, rabbits or deer are left to take things at their own speed. We met a couple of horses and riders too. We're good dog walkers, we get the dogs to stand to one side and let whoever it is walk by. I make a point of saying hello and if we get a friendly response then the dogs are even more chilled.

The woods were a bit muddy and yes the dogs managed to find a few puddles. We met a bloke who just popped out from the trees. Bit wierd, I had sensed someone was there so got hold of Juno. As the chap was happy and friendly Juno made a cursory bark and let him get on with it.

We also met a couple of lads on bikes. I'm sure they weren't meant to be in the woods. Must admit I wouldn't have minded having a go on the scramblers. Ah joys of wishful thinking in old age.

On a more serious note. Today I heard someone commited suicide, from another of our work buildings, by jumping from a blacony. It happened during the day in front of people who were woring there. Scary stuff. bad enough seeing the people who get hits by cars etc crossing the lights in front of our building. I know things are rough for people at the moment but its horrible to thing someone felt that low and powerless.

Back to our saturday evening. Homemade KFC, chunky chips and a milkshake. Yum Yum

Whats been going on?!

Well...I decided to take the mrs to London for a couple of days. What would you like to do?! So she comes up with an open top bus tour (which was really good despite the droplets of rain).

We had entertainment on the train with a First Class passenger giving out about paying £95 for her ticket and not having the tea trolley visit. I mean who pays that much money to travel first class on Southern.

Then onto Covent Garden for a wander....how many people....jez! So ended up in a Candian pub. The £8 for 2 pints of larger was bit of an eye-opener. Anyways on to Porters in Hentrietta St. Great food and atmosphere. So good in fact I'm dragging my work colleagues for our xmas festive mash-up.

Next on the agenda was The Ghost Bus Tour of London. I can't say it was a tour more of an experience. Thoroughly enjoyable and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Friday was funny. Neither of us weren't fit for much. I felt ill and my sinuses were going bananas. Mrs was wrecked from all the walking. Instead of visiting The British Museum we ended up stomping down Regent Street. Hamley's and National Geographic shops. Ok but nothing amazing. Then we got to Piccadilly Circus and found a wicked American clothes shop. Can't for the life of me think of what it was called. But Mrs reckoned she could have blown £1k easily.

So anyways a nice break and then back to being us. Having seen people on the tube and the business of it all I'm glad I don't live there anymore. I like our quiet haven.

Da Joys!

Today we or rather I found out the department has had a stay of execution in the latest round of reviews.

Wonder how long they will leave us alone for?!

Clare's Law

If you haven't read about this yet then do. It's an interesting campaign and is supported by Police.
Essentially its about 'Domestic Violence'. Clare was killed by a violent partner, who had a past and was well known to police. The argument is prospective partners should be able to go and check up a person's past with a view to protecting their future safety. A tricky one especially as Domestic Violence is not just about abusive men. Women can be just as bad.

However, it doesn't cover Passive Aggressive or other forms of abuse. Not that it ever could.

For anyone who's interested in the topic I would suggest reading Roddy Doyle's The Woman who walked into doors. Or maybe a viewing of The Kid. Hard watching but again, for me, very real and honest about the subject its portraying.

It is not someone's right to make another do as they wish......its supposed to be about accepting difference and cracking on with it. Supporting each other to be the best they can be.

So here it is.....

Merry Christmas......only kidding! Well think about it only a few pay packets to go and its well worth starting to stock up for winter now.

Frugal living is one of the htings I've been looking into lately. I've seen the extremes some people go to and I've run a few ideas by the mrs. Whilst we've gotten a bit more sensible with the shopping we haven't cut out everything. Like the few cans of Stella Cidre (yum yum on a friday night) or the chocolate bars the mrs likes. I'll be dragging out the slow cooker soon and making the most of walking in from work to find dinner made.

As its nearly time to put the heating on...we're busy deep cleaning the rooms, putting the flea stuff down (the good spray from the vets), steaming matresses and taking the opportnity to donate ot charity.

The cooking apple crop has been absolutely fantastic this year. Cue apple crumbles and apple tarts. I've stewed some apples and frozen it. I've also had a go at putting some into jars. If the jam jar option works then next year I'll do that rather than freeze. I've also bagged up apples and kept them in the garage.Hopefully, again I've done it right so later in the winter I'll break into them.

So, onto preparation for winter.....first buy is a 4kg bag of rice. The local farm shop sells 5kgh bags of spuds so that will be next. As for the cat/dog food getting it at bargain price can be a challenge.

Onwards and upwards as they say.......

What have I been doing?!

Not a lot is the answer......walking the dogs on the beach. Which has led to trying to figure out how to stop Juno being such a grumpy/protective git. I've dug out the dog whistle and its seems to have the same effect as his vibrating collar. So we shall see. But just in case I'll be taking his muzzle with us next time we go out.

I've discovered the joys of a local meat wholesaler. Lovely meat at reasonable prices. We're still going to the farm shop but for the run of the mill week day dinners you don't really want to be spending loads.

We've decided to have a change of lifestyle and start eating healthier. Its hard!! But I've discovered a vegetarian shop at the bottom of Waterloo 'High Street' that does the most delicious salads. I've tried to other local to work cafes salads but they aint as good. The excellent salad even had pink grapefruit in it and I enjoyed it.....noting I hate grapefruit.

Glad everything seems to be getting back to normal in London again. Was horrible seeing empty streets and seeing shops close so early in the day.

A couple of things I've learnt this week......

1. Britain has a Police Service not a Police Force

2. Britain doesnt have a constitution it relies on people agreeing in spirit to do things.....for example Q'ing for a bus.

Today with Southern Ral

6 hours to get home because of a water main blowing and a landslide on the tracks. Oh and yes getting office staff out to assist is great but remember they are office staff and if you don't give them decent information to go on they will get lynched by customers.

Suffice to say I didn't have a go at any of them!! Was well behaved.

FORTY!!

Yes, I've reached the grand ol' age.....go me!!!!!

Photography

I'm getting into it.....well attempting to anyways.....the picture of Stonehenge was taken from a moving car with a half decent point and shoot digital camera. The picture of Hera is taken with my new one.

Holidays

Ok, with the credit crunch in mind this years holiday wasn't going to be a lavish affair. With this in mind I suggested a trip to Ireland. A seaside resort of Kilkee, County Clare.

Booked to fly with Aer Lingus, £150 for the pair of us. Good service..clean plane....and stewards were friendly....O'Leary you might be making loads of money but you don't know jack about customer service. Next decision was where to stay. We looked at booking a cottage but my sister said no stay with her. Fantasico......us with her, her two kids. 2 other sisters turned up and one had her 3 month old son and 2 year old daughter in tow. What a mega mix.

2 minute walk to the beach, 10 mins to where the kids could go snorkling and hunting for starfish and crabs in rock pools. A few pubs.....restaurants and 2 milkshake shops.....heaven!

Her goodself has lost weight, gained a pair of Dubarry boat shoes and a liking for Lyons Gold Blend Tea.

Cliff of Moher weren't all that but it was a nice area, the sing along we had with the kids in the car was fab. Kilrush was a nice little town. Dolphin watching was entertaining. Suntan was also acquired.....and there was us expecting really horrible weather.

So, good break all round. Herself is now looking at houses in the area. Two stipulations are it must have central heating and decent internet access......oh and she's already requested an 8 mm wetsuit....gloves....boots....a boat and I think a jet ski was mentioned....

Avoiding the Mega Supermarkets

Ok so I've started trying to be more sensible,healthier and also shop locally. How do I do this?! I avoid supermarkets especially Tesco.

Here's where I'm getting my food from (its a work in progress so bear with)

1. Fish - supplied by Ocean Delights
www.oceandelights.co.uk

The local fishmonger was put out of business because of a Tesco arriving in the town

2. Meat - Chilley Farm
www.chilleyfarmshop.com

3. Twice a month I have a mixed fruit & veg box from:
www.abelandcole.co.uk

4. Local fruit and veg from a shop near the train station I use.

5. Pet Food comes from a local shop

6. Need to find somewhere else I can buy diet coke and Dr Pepper Zero

News Flash!!

A flash just for the Mrs cause she never pays much attention to what I'm up to or doing.....today I am fully clothed!! (Will wait to see the look of distain on her face when she reads that....lmao)

Ok I've still got a head full of snot and a rotten cough. I thought colds were only meant to last a few days. Anyways here's a picture of the 2 males of the house. Yes, Juno is at covered in not one but 2 blankets. He does so love his comfort.

Snot rags

Urgh I have the lurgies......really bad sneezing, coughing, wheezing chest....thanks be to whatever its a long weekend to recover.

The new manging director has issued a new bit of encouragement. Apparently with Retail its all in the detail. So we are being encouraged to go and challenge things we find wrong. Donkeys years ago thats what we used to do cause we had an immense sense of pride in what we did. The the big corporate took over and what we didn't wasn't good enough. Most of us are long timers committed to the job but without degrees etc. Now it feels like we're being asked to do more for less pay. Shame they destroyed the self created ethos when they did. But it does prove my research on the new md is correct.

Anyways cuddling the dogs and trying to feel better!

Spoilt Doggies

Jumping.....doggies

I have 5ft netting up round everything that the dogs needs to be excluded from. What happens.....they jump it!

Corr look at the curves on that

Ok, I don't often post pictures of buses but this one will be running in service very soon for Docklands (Silvertown). The joke with this picture is myself and a colleague managed to use very un-pc comments when viewing. Others scurried over thinking we were looking at something rude!!

The Dogs

The Garden

I'm spudgyin' back........

Ok, I deleted my other blog and a couple of weeks later am itching to write. The irony!

Life is fairly ok at the moment. I had a few months of my thyroid levels being low. Not fun...the pains, tiredness and anger issues (yes, I felt like ripping into people) were unbearable. I'm on a different dose of thyroxine now and its great. I don't feel like I'm permanently drunk and the pains in my legs have gone. Yes, it takes 3-4 weeks for the tablets to really level everything. Good start though.

I've set my potatoes. 3 lots in tubs and then 3 rows in the garden. I've also got butternut squash plants and onions on order. Still another patch of the garden to prepare for the plants. I'll post some photos when its looking a bit more organised. I've also been trying to re-grass the garden. Not the easiest with 2 large dog running round it.

The dogs are in great form. I've just had 11 days off and the bonding time was great. My first day back at work meant they sulked. Hera waited until I fell asleep before she decided it would be ok to have a cuddle. Minx woke me up!

Work is going on. Busy as ever. The restructuring is still going on but hopefully will be finished by the end of the year.