I think that it's boring trying to explain why there's huge gaps between blog entries, if not for me, but definitely for you, whoever you are reading this. The simple fact is life is very busy. I started a new job in October, back in the charity sector, but it's a more grown up managerial role as befits a woman in her thirties I guess. Bloody stressful but I think I'm getting my head around behaving like a mature adult during worktime.
Playtime has been taken up with lots of gigs, socialising and househunting. Yes, we are taking the even more scary grown up step of buying a house. No more renting as we've put an offer in on a lovely place in Brixton, which has been accepted. Now, things could still go wrong, so we're not getting over-excited and making lots of plans, but hopefully we'll be residents of SW9 in early 2010, hometown of Bowie, the Clash and er.. the Stereo MCs.
Otherwise, we're prepping for Christmas in traditional style, by leaving everything to the last minute, ordering everything online and spending lots of time in the freezing cold, not being snowed on. Bought a Christmas tree today, which doesn't allow for a lot of choice given that it's 5 days before the event. My suggestion of not bothering with a tree this year was met by Dave with the reaction of 'It's "Hug a Scrooge for Christmas Day" today' and then proceeding to hug me, and then enquiring whether this increased my Christmas spirit at all. It did. Actually, I think getting the Christmas edition of the Radio Times helped more. But don't tell Dave...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
She's got legs...
What is about spiders this week? They seem to be taking over England, and it's freaking me out. Now, I'm not the most green-fingered of people, and although I enjoy having a garden, I don't spend much time out there because of creepy crawlies. Every time I sit in the garden with food/drink, I immediately attract the attention of bees, wasps, flies. I don't like leaving windows open at night because it attracts midges, moths and mosquitos. I'm not an insect/arachnid person.
So last weekend, I figured it was time to do what I was good at - hacking things. I pruned back some of the bushes and vines in the garden so they stopped blocking the drains and pushing our crappy fences over. I was very good at it until I realised that spiders had taken over the garden with bloody huge cobwebs all over the place. I think if I fell asleep out there, I'd be spider food in minutes. I wouldn't mind if they were tiny little money spiders, but these are fat-bellied huge buggers the size of my hand.
I figured I was safe *inside* the house, but whilst having a shower yesterday morning, I felt a crunchy sensation under my foot. Yep, it was the biggest spider I've ever seen. I tried washing it down the drain, but its legs were so big that it got stuck in the plughole, with its legs hanging out. I'm just glad that I don't live in Australia, where the spiders are poisonous. Eek...
So last weekend, I figured it was time to do what I was good at - hacking things. I pruned back some of the bushes and vines in the garden so they stopped blocking the drains and pushing our crappy fences over. I was very good at it until I realised that spiders had taken over the garden with bloody huge cobwebs all over the place. I think if I fell asleep out there, I'd be spider food in minutes. I wouldn't mind if they were tiny little money spiders, but these are fat-bellied huge buggers the size of my hand.
I figured I was safe *inside* the house, but whilst having a shower yesterday morning, I felt a crunchy sensation under my foot. Yep, it was the biggest spider I've ever seen. I tried washing it down the drain, but its legs were so big that it got stuck in the plughole, with its legs hanging out. I'm just glad that I don't live in Australia, where the spiders are poisonous. Eek...
Monday, June 08, 2009
I walk the earth
I've been jetsetting again, this time for purely leisure purposes. We needed a holiday so booked a cheap trip to the Greek island of Lefkada for a week. I can't emphasize enough how wonderful the Greek hospitality is. It was a stark contrast from the fortnight we spent in South Italy last September. Weather was lovely, location was perfect, and Dave even managed to get me doing watersports. Most of all though, we completely relaxed, chilled out in the sun and ate a lot.
Think things would've been far worse had I stuck around in Blighty, as on arriving in Greece on Saturday night, I heard a voicemail message from my bank alerting me about some irregular activity on my account. I couldn't get in touch with them until the Monday - at which point I discovered that someone had managed to copy/steal my card details somehow and had spent over £1200 of my money. It would have been a complete nightmare if I was at home, as they cancelled my card and I'd have had to spend the week with Dave giving me some cash. Seeing as I was on holiday, with our stash of Euros it didn't make much difference.
I'm still without a card though, and the money hasn't been refunded yet, so even if I did have a card, I wouldn't have much money to access. Times like these, I need retail therapy. Ugh. Oh well, got a Dinosaur Jnr gig tomorrow night, and the Fall the night after - that's assuming I can get to the venue with the tube strike going on...
Think things would've been far worse had I stuck around in Blighty, as on arriving in Greece on Saturday night, I heard a voicemail message from my bank alerting me about some irregular activity on my account. I couldn't get in touch with them until the Monday - at which point I discovered that someone had managed to copy/steal my card details somehow and had spent over £1200 of my money. It would have been a complete nightmare if I was at home, as they cancelled my card and I'd have had to spend the week with Dave giving me some cash. Seeing as I was on holiday, with our stash of Euros it didn't make much difference.
I'm still without a card though, and the money hasn't been refunded yet, so even if I did have a card, I wouldn't have much money to access. Times like these, I need retail therapy. Ugh. Oh well, got a Dinosaur Jnr gig tomorrow night, and the Fall the night after - that's assuming I can get to the venue with the tube strike going on...
Sunday, March 29, 2009
London calling
It's coming up to a year since we moved to London, and to be honest, I've completely fallen in love with the place. I was ready for the crash and burn, and had even steeled myself against turning into rush hour tube commuter - becoming someone who ignores everyone else and hates the journey. Yeah, I get the tube in the mornings and evenings, but it's not that bad. I actually enjoy the time, as most days I manage to get a seat - perks of living on the arse of the Northern line I expect, and I use the opportunity to read. I get through about 2-3 books a month, which is more than I've been reading in years.
The main thing that I enjoy is walking around London. When I was based in central London, it was a novelty to get to know the 'above world' as most of what I had known of the city was through the tube. I started formulating a map of the place in my head - from Soho, Covent Garden, Trafalger Square, Embankment and beyond. Guess starting off life in the big smoke just as spring/summer kicked in helped.
Now, I'm based south of the river for work, and it's only just started getting warm enough for lunch time treks in the area, and I'm loving it so much more. There's not much to discover within Elephant & Castle, as exotic as it sounds. I got bored of just walking to and fro to London Bridge and Borough Market. So I've been exploring the edges in my lunch hour instead. All the way out to Waterloo and the South Bank, round the back of the Old Vic, down to Blackfriars, across to Westminister to say hello to Big Ben and now I'm getting to know Bermondsey and the Tower Bridge side of town. The guys at work think I need to write my own version of Time Out.
See, it's not so bad living in London when every day you get to see the Gherkin. Not bad at all.
The main thing that I enjoy is walking around London. When I was based in central London, it was a novelty to get to know the 'above world' as most of what I had known of the city was through the tube. I started formulating a map of the place in my head - from Soho, Covent Garden, Trafalger Square, Embankment and beyond. Guess starting off life in the big smoke just as spring/summer kicked in helped.
Now, I'm based south of the river for work, and it's only just started getting warm enough for lunch time treks in the area, and I'm loving it so much more. There's not much to discover within Elephant & Castle, as exotic as it sounds. I got bored of just walking to and fro to London Bridge and Borough Market. So I've been exploring the edges in my lunch hour instead. All the way out to Waterloo and the South Bank, round the back of the Old Vic, down to Blackfriars, across to Westminister to say hello to Big Ben and now I'm getting to know Bermondsey and the Tower Bridge side of town. The guys at work think I need to write my own version of Time Out.
See, it's not so bad living in London when every day you get to see the Gherkin. Not bad at all.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Little things that count
Last year we went to a lot of gigs of people we'd seen before, so this year we've made a conscious decision to try and see people we've never seen before. It's paying off well so far, as we saw Teddy Thompson at Shepherd's Bush a couple days ago. Dave bought the tickets, and I'd not heard anything of him before the concert. I loved it - he's got a gorgeous voice, a wicked sense of humour and great songs.
A country singer from North Carolina by the name of Tift Merritt was supporting, and it's a lyric of hers that really made me smile - "The only thing you can count on is your fingers" (paraphrased).
Trust me to take it literally, and I thought - well, you could also count on your toes - if you're wearing open-toed sandals or are barefoot. I'm sure the addition of these parameters may have ruined the simplicity of Ms. Merritt's song, which is probably the only reason why she left them out. I mean, I'm sure she wouldn't have discounted toes as being a perfectly valid way of counting, she seemed fairly intelligent.
I'm well aware she could have also mentioned calculators as a counting method too, but that would just be silly...
A country singer from North Carolina by the name of Tift Merritt was supporting, and it's a lyric of hers that really made me smile - "The only thing you can count on is your fingers" (paraphrased).
Trust me to take it literally, and I thought - well, you could also count on your toes - if you're wearing open-toed sandals or are barefoot. I'm sure the addition of these parameters may have ruined the simplicity of Ms. Merritt's song, which is probably the only reason why she left them out. I mean, I'm sure she wouldn't have discounted toes as being a perfectly valid way of counting, she seemed fairly intelligent.
I'm well aware she could have also mentioned calculators as a counting method too, but that would just be silly...
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Name Of The Game...
Oh god, I've been very sloppy at updating this blog, and this is my first post of 2009. So happy new year and all that.
Heh - cue blank mind, as I try and recall what all those things I wanted to write about was/were/is. So, I had a lovely Chrimbo, with some very nice pressies but we took down all the decorations last week, and even threw out our first REAL tree. Apparently, Merton council were going to come and collect it, but they must've missed ours, so we've got this giant dying tree in front of our house. It's not so bad that it's giant and DYING, but it's also NAKED, after being stripped of all its baubles. I can almost hear the tree tears everytime I leave the house. I'm a bad tree-mother, I am.
So, being the big planning type, the loss of Christmas isn't the end of the world, as I've been super-organised, and will be heading over to the Isle of Wight next week for a long weekend with 6 other of the Oxford bunch. We went to Whitby the year before, and that was a resounding success, well, except for Dave losing his job the day before. I'm sure it didn't have anything related to the trip to Whitby, but if someone else loses their jobs before we go, I'll take the blame.
Oh yeah, I remembered what I wanted to add. Been playing this name game with the guys at work. It's very addictive - it's about creating a name of a TV show based on a celebrity name - which sounds like it could be made in reality. You also have to include a TV listing type short description of the said programme.
So, here's a few to get you started:
Jo’s Defroster – Jo Whiley treks round the country defrosting people’s freezers with a range of mystery heating implements
Nelson And Ella – A series charting the secret time-travelling romance between Admiral Nelson and Ella Fitzgerald
Marian’s Tourettes – A documentary about sewer-mouthed Maid Marian, and the consequences of her tics with the Merry Men
Andi’s War Hole – Following last week’s trip through the tunnels of Vietnam, Andi Peters turns his attention to the Columbian FARC rebels in this hard-hitting undercover documentary.
Steve’s Bush and Me – Steve Buscemi takes a candid look at the Australian outback in this heartwarming battle against the elements.
Roger’s Fedora – World Tennis superstar Roger Federer takes a look at the latest headgear on this season’s catwalks.
Salma’s Kayak – Salma takes a perilous trip down the Amazon in her small canoe.
Charlie Chaplain – Prince Charles takes on a new lease in life when he becomes a priest in the army. See how he lends support to grieving widows in this hot new reality show.
Sarah Michelle’s Cellar – A candid look at the Buffy actress’ wine cellar. With a special guest appearance from Freddie Prinze Jr.
Johnny Debt – Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Depp takes you through the harsh reality of the credit crunch.
Michael’s Parkinson’s – Michael J Fox talks us through the harsh realities of this life-threatening condition.
Gwen Stef’s Army – This celebrity boot camp is B-A-N-A-N-A-S... Don’t miss it.
Huge Acumen – Hugh Jackman interviews a different genius every week
Jennifer Saunters – Each week comedy legend Jennifer Saunders struts around a new location in this fantastic new holiday show.
Mike’s Dyson – Even ear-chewing rapist mentalists get the domestic bug. Watch as Tyson teaches you basic maintenance and steering tips in this new daytime show.
Judy’s Dentures – Dame Judy Dench talks us through elderly issues, such as incontinence and self-hip-replacement, sponsored by Stannah Stairlifts.
Keifer’s Motherland – The 24 actor travels across his native USA all the way from New York to San Francisco on a moped.
Theroux The Keyhole – Louis Theroux takes a cheeky look at celebrity homes.
Rhys With A Spoon – Griff Rhys Jones plays some sea shanties using only a spoon
Heh - cue blank mind, as I try and recall what all those things I wanted to write about was/were/is. So, I had a lovely Chrimbo, with some very nice pressies but we took down all the decorations last week, and even threw out our first REAL tree. Apparently, Merton council were going to come and collect it, but they must've missed ours, so we've got this giant dying tree in front of our house. It's not so bad that it's giant and DYING, but it's also NAKED, after being stripped of all its baubles. I can almost hear the tree tears everytime I leave the house. I'm a bad tree-mother, I am.
So, being the big planning type, the loss of Christmas isn't the end of the world, as I've been super-organised, and will be heading over to the Isle of Wight next week for a long weekend with 6 other of the Oxford bunch. We went to Whitby the year before, and that was a resounding success, well, except for Dave losing his job the day before. I'm sure it didn't have anything related to the trip to Whitby, but if someone else loses their jobs before we go, I'll take the blame.
Oh yeah, I remembered what I wanted to add. Been playing this name game with the guys at work. It's very addictive - it's about creating a name of a TV show based on a celebrity name - which sounds like it could be made in reality. You also have to include a TV listing type short description of the said programme.
So, here's a few to get you started:
Jo’s Defroster – Jo Whiley treks round the country defrosting people’s freezers with a range of mystery heating implements
Nelson And Ella – A series charting the secret time-travelling romance between Admiral Nelson and Ella Fitzgerald
Marian’s Tourettes – A documentary about sewer-mouthed Maid Marian, and the consequences of her tics with the Merry Men
Andi’s War Hole – Following last week’s trip through the tunnels of Vietnam, Andi Peters turns his attention to the Columbian FARC rebels in this hard-hitting undercover documentary.
Steve’s Bush and Me – Steve Buscemi takes a candid look at the Australian outback in this heartwarming battle against the elements.
Roger’s Fedora – World Tennis superstar Roger Federer takes a look at the latest headgear on this season’s catwalks.
Salma’s Kayak – Salma takes a perilous trip down the Amazon in her small canoe.
Charlie Chaplain – Prince Charles takes on a new lease in life when he becomes a priest in the army. See how he lends support to grieving widows in this hot new reality show.
Sarah Michelle’s Cellar – A candid look at the Buffy actress’ wine cellar. With a special guest appearance from Freddie Prinze Jr.
Johnny Debt – Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Depp takes you through the harsh reality of the credit crunch.
Michael’s Parkinson’s – Michael J Fox talks us through the harsh realities of this life-threatening condition.
Gwen Stef’s Army – This celebrity boot camp is B-A-N-A-N-A-S... Don’t miss it.
Huge Acumen – Hugh Jackman interviews a different genius every week
Jennifer Saunters – Each week comedy legend Jennifer Saunders struts around a new location in this fantastic new holiday show.
Mike’s Dyson – Even ear-chewing rapist mentalists get the domestic bug. Watch as Tyson teaches you basic maintenance and steering tips in this new daytime show.
Judy’s Dentures – Dame Judy Dench talks us through elderly issues, such as incontinence and self-hip-replacement, sponsored by Stannah Stairlifts.
Keifer’s Motherland – The 24 actor travels across his native USA all the way from New York to San Francisco on a moped.
Theroux The Keyhole – Louis Theroux takes a cheeky look at celebrity homes.
Rhys With A Spoon – Griff Rhys Jones plays some sea shanties using only a spoon
Friday, November 28, 2008
A change would do you good...
3 months since the last post here, but once again I have a good excuse. Settling into a new job, a new house and a new city takes time. When the company you work for decides that they messed up on strategy and they're moving all their technical and CRM roles back to the States - that's when things change again.
So I had the choice to move to Dallas or fight to stay in the UK with redundancy looming over me if my reasons to stay were rejected. Moving to London was enough of a big deal - America's a whole other ballgame. Having spent a week in Dallas with the new job ensured that my decision was a pretty easy one. I said I'd rather just make it easy on everyone and take the redundancy package with no hard feelings, so long as my garden leave started from then on. Plain sailing from then on as my proposal was accepted, and I spent the second half of October searching for a job before the old job officially finished on Halloween.
I spent the next 2 weeks going to loads of interviews, and the day before Halloween, I was offered a really exciting job even closer to my house. I've started there 2 weeks ago, and things are very busy, but for the first time in ages, I'm loving what I do for a living. All's good, and the best thing - I'm not working with Americans. ;)
So I had the choice to move to Dallas or fight to stay in the UK with redundancy looming over me if my reasons to stay were rejected. Moving to London was enough of a big deal - America's a whole other ballgame. Having spent a week in Dallas with the new job ensured that my decision was a pretty easy one. I said I'd rather just make it easy on everyone and take the redundancy package with no hard feelings, so long as my garden leave started from then on. Plain sailing from then on as my proposal was accepted, and I spent the second half of October searching for a job before the old job officially finished on Halloween.
I spent the next 2 weeks going to loads of interviews, and the day before Halloween, I was offered a really exciting job even closer to my house. I've started there 2 weeks ago, and things are very busy, but for the first time in ages, I'm loving what I do for a living. All's good, and the best thing - I'm not working with Americans. ;)
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