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Hold the line please…
Nothing is guaranteed to frustrate one more, than sitting at the end of a telephone line, listening to the robotic voice giving one options… Here am I, wanting to order a few baby clothes for one of my soon to be born grandchildren. I log in to boots.com and am delighted to find that I have quite a lot of points on my Boots Advantage card. I can pay for the entire order using these points. What could be more satisfying? I load my basket and press: pay with points. I have done this before; it is relatively simple. The site goes through the motions and finally, asks me to…
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How very dare you…
The silver-haired lady, strode with a purposeful air across the hotel lounge. “My daughter’s parking the car – I want to find somewhere to sit and then we will want some tea,” she instructed a uniformed member of the staff who was manning the bar. The young man nodded at her politely. We three, Dave, our friend Lisa and I, had been sitting quietly on a pair of comfy sofas either side of a coffee table, by one of the great windows. We had been enjoying the view of the rugged cliffs and rolling waves of North Devon. It was certainly blowing a gale outside – quite unseasonal apparently, but…
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The Alternative World of Steam Punk…
Steam Punk may or may not be a familiar term to you. If you read one of my earlier posts, back in March 2012, Steampunk Goggles (the mind boggles) then you may well remember that I had no idea what it was until my nephew brought it to my attention. Asked to buy him a pair of steam punk goggles, I duly did the research and discovered a whole new world of which I had only been partly aware through television and film, until then. In that earlier post, I wrote: “One site I found claims that the Steampunk movement is about to move above ground. Has it been underground…
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Flossie’s Cunning Plan
I have a secret. You didn’t think dogs had secrets? Well, think again! There is a hole in the fence. I can squeeze through that hole. Exciting eh? I’d tell you exactly where it is but it’s my secret you see. I use it when I feel like going a bit further afield than the back garden. This morning, Charlie and I were let out to carry out our ablutions. Between you and me, I have decided that Charlie is a bit of a goody-two-shoes. “Come here Charlie,” and he’s there. “Leave, Charlie,” he leaves whatever it is he isn’t supposed to have. I should stress that this has not…
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Long live the bonfire!
If there is one thing guaranteed to light my fuse in a British summer – it is the emergence of garden bonfires. As soon as the first rays of sun bathe the land, so too, will the first wisps of smoke be seen above hedgerow and fence. That the bonfire lighters are mainly men, is immaterial but I don’t know many women who regularly take pleasure from piling garden rubbish at the bottom of the garden and setting it alight. My own husband has been known to create a charred, blackened mound in the middle of the lawn or on the patio in the middle of winter, before now. What…
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Garden capers, dried sausage and deer
While I was pottering in the garden this morning, a family of Deer ran across the lawn in the garden that backs onto our own. Flossie went mad of course, barking and jumping at the railings. I didn’t take much notice apart from making a weak attempt at telling her to be quiet. I was far too busy picking up chewed up flowerpots and the mangled remains of footballs not to mention the stuffing from Charlie’s favourite stuffed toy that was strewn from one end of the garden to the other. I didn’t become concerned until Charlie came running back up the garden, alone. I scanned the horizon and was…
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Eastenders : Does the Plot Hold Water?
Having just hit the 65,000 word mark, while editing a novel that has had me tearing my hair out at the improbabilities and twists and turns I had originally written into its plot, the characters leading me down blind alleys, despite my protests, I feel almost vindicated having watched Eastenders last night. Anyone who has not been caught up in the live “Whodunnit” frenzy of Eastenders, this past week, wont understand what I am talking about. However, if you haven’t noticed the tension mounting on social media, on the radio and just about everywhere you look, then you have missed something that has been quite amazing. I am not saying…
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A Step too Far
The trials and tribulations of Charlie Brown… The world is a strange and scary place for a pup sometimes. Charlie Brown is almost 6 months old … “a big dog in a small body” to paraphrase those who know the breed well. In the house, he is indeed a pocket rocket, living up to his pedigree title. As we relax after a hard day’s work, he zips from room to room, ball in mouth, only stopping to attempt to tease Flossie into playing as he passes. Sometimes she obliges. Sometimes she ignores him. Should I scold Charlie, Flossie is quick to distract him from whatever he has done to annoy…
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Sail Boats and other such things…
I just overheard an interesting snippet from a morning TV programme, “A research team has found that a 20 minute walk every day can add years to your life,” Leaving aside the fact that most people know this anyway or at least, suspect it, it was good to hear. Confirmation that something one enjoys is good for one, is always welcome. I have to ask though, was this research programme set up just to establish this fact or was it part of a larger programme and this gem just one of many conclusions reached? I should not mock. Where would we be without research? In caves, I daresay. After all,…
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Where did November go?
Well, really, where did November go? One minute I am watching my niece get married, on my birthday (the 1st of the month) and the next I am staring Christmas in the face. The last few weeks have been a blur and it gets no better as December moves in. The annual NaNoWriMo was barely attainable this year. Though I did manage to reach the target of 50,000 words – I do not feel a worthy winner since the first ten thousand had already been written. Still, as a personal goal, it was good. Next year I promise to give it my all. Could this little chap have had anything…
