Bleh

Good job I've got a day off today as I'm completely wiped out. I have a mean cough and sore throat and I just hope that's all it stays as.

Thank goodness for internet shopping. The lovely Sainsbury's just delivered our shopping so I can eat something nutritious while I flake out on the sofa and watch Buffy. Not having a car means that shopping either has to be done in carriable portions - which is fine usually, but for days like today which entail cat litter and washing power and other heavy things, internet shopping rules.

Although I'm so knackered I've only put the fridge and freezer stuff away so that means Foley is perched on a four pack of orange juice watching me type this. Sily cat, he likes sitting on things. Even if it's just a book on the floor he'll sit on that rather than the floor so he's slightly higher up.

Bleh, need to sleep. Laters.

I did have some deep thoughts...

...but they've all evaporated again!

So instead I will share a nice thing and a funny thing.

Nice thing: I was reading the Essex page on the BBC and followed a link to this article. I thought to myself, there can't be two European schools in Essex... and there aren't! Well done to the Anglo European School for getting into the Good Schools Guide. They're a new addition this year and I'm very proud of my old school and the people that have got it there. It's a great tribute to Mr Reed who sadly died suddenly last year. I'm sure he'd have loved it.

Funny thing:

It's time for a fashion tweak -- a small change here or there to keep things fresh.

That's part of my horoscope for today, and today I wore jeans for about the first time in 2/3 years! Last time I can clearly remember wearing them was the day we moved up here in 2002, and after circumstances in April/May 2003 (Georges and my Grandad's deaths, and me breaking my arm) meant I comfort ate and put on two stone (get up at 8am, open bottle of beer and tube of Pringles, play on computer for 15 hours straight, repeat for 2 weeks) my jeans would no longer fit and I kept talking myself out of buying new ones. But last week I went and bought some £9 jeans from M&S and today I wore them for the first time. It was weird, my legs felt all funny and I kept looking down at them to check they were mine!
I will wear them again sometimes, but not everyday, it was so nice having people go "Wow! You've got legs!". lololol

Right, I'm hungry (after feeling sick all day), lets eat something nutritious. Where's those Pringles....

There's a very scary man...

...in my house. He's all hairy and sitting next to me playing on the PS2. Hang on a minute...it's my husband! This is the first Saturday that we've spent together since the 10th of December. It's quite frightening knowing that I get to spend all day with him, thank goodness for computers or we'd actually have to have a conversation!

I actually get him for TWO days as the wrestling training is cancelled tomorrow due to the Wolves/Man U game. I can't remember the last time we spent the whole weekend together...think it was the summer last time.

I've been doing all sorts of things this week, but still haven't finished my cross-stitch project or read any more of Great Expectations. Think I'll have to work on those later. I've been thinking about doing some studying with The Open University. I like the idea of doing a few different courses (but I'm not going to try to do An Introduction to the Humanities again, I've started it twice!). I think the most likely courses will be Introducing Astronomy, Understanding Human Nutrition or Modelling the Climate. I do quite fancy the Discovering Science course but I think I'll start small. I also think that doing this course will possibly help in the future too! lolololol

In the last week I've had all sorts of deep thoughts about subjects including books, people, cats, trees, cars, housework, clothing, food, advertising, writing and various other things. However, these musings usually occur on the walk home and by the time I get online the coherent bits have blown away like smoke. I'll try for some deep thoughs on here one day soon, probably.

Right, where's breakfast?

Toe-day...

(I know, I know, baaaaaad pun).

Ahem, today my toe is....painful but not purple. Which is a shame really as it just hurts without looking spectacular. My boots fitted without a problem and Nurofen got me through the day at work.

Now I have painted all my toenails pink after soaking my feet for a little and it's all good.

Hmmm...

I think I've broken a toe.

I had a small collision this morning with the mattress on the landing (where it's been since we got our new bed in August) when one of the cats jumped on it and shifted it sideways as I was about to walk past.

The three small toes on my left foot are hurting like crazy, and while I think the little toe and middle toe are ok the second one in has gone a little purple.

I hope I can still fit my boots on tomorrow or work could be a problem as I have no other shoes!

OMG

I'm in love with a cushion.

Yay! Another day off!

That makes work sound awful, when in fact it's been quite fun. Hectic, but fun. But I still want more time to be at home and do home-type things. Now where did I put those winning lottery numbers....

I haven't been hugely productive today, unlike Sunday where I cleaned right through downstairs. Today I have done some washing, stripped the bed and thrown away a whole black bag full of junk that was tidily piled on the bookshelf (and really didn't look like a whole black bagful when it was on the bookshelf).

Also today I've been watching lots of Buffy. Buffy puncuates lots of odd points of my life, from watching it at odd points at uni, to watching the last episode snuggled up with Phoenix. Sky show various episodes throughout the day on Sky One and Sky Two and I tend to stick it on when I have a day off. I have series 1 and series 3 on video (very bad quality) and the dvd sets are something I've been meaning to buy for I don't know how long. I shall keep them on my wishlist with the Charmed DVD's and buy them when those numbers turn up.

Lovely, lovely Pami sent me my birthday pressie - a Cath Kidston needle-case. It may not sound exciting to you, but I LOVE it! It's all Cath Kidstony and cute and flowery and useful!

Yes, I know. I want to be a housewife in a shabby chic style house and watch Buffy and Charmed all day long. Hey, I'd have more time to update my blog, even though my sister will laugh at me.

Tired

I'm not used to working five days in a row, I do it one week out of every four at the moment and I'm always wiped out by the end of the week. If I did it more often then I'd get used to it I guess, plus this week I've still had the last dregs of the nasties I was fighting off before Xmas that then clobbered me last week.

Dunno what I'm going to be working the next few weeks. Poor old Campbelli has managed to tear her calf muscle at the back of one of her knees and so she's at home watching Emmerdale and other bad daytime tv for the next few weeks. This means that next week I'll be working Sunday with Bod and Chris is going to be reworking the rotas to make everything fit.

Poor little Campbelli (who may well be reading this in her quest for freedom from daytime tv). We miss her. (We do, honest, work's not the same without your filthy laugh!)

In other news Leyton Orient kicked some arse last Sunday - I was listening to the match after I posted and sending texts out when goals were scored and penalties missed.
As for Celebrity Big Brother I've managed to mostly escape watching it. I watched them all go in last week and I've seen about 2 of the evening shows but that's about it. I do feel sorry for Jodie Marsh though. Ok so she's famous for dressing in not a lot, but I so prefer her to "How big can I make my breasts go" Jordan. I found out the other day that Jodie Marsh is not only from Brentwood (where Phoenix's folks live) and went to Brentwood School (posh and private, Phoenix didn't go there thankfully) but she's also only four days older than me. So the people who bullied her at school are probably the people that certain people who bullied me at school were friends with (and mentioned every five minutes - "My friends from Brentwood School...", "Oh yes, Sophie, she's at Brentwood School". So just fuck off there and join them and leave me in peace!)
Ahem... anyway. I like her. She's doing stuff she wants to do and standing up for herself and if the "nation" prefers a transvestite (he soooo is) in a gorilla fur coat then it just proves once again how different I am from the "nation" (probably made up of all the bullies from both our schools).

Ranting? Me?

I just have never had time for people who spend their time trying to prove that they're better than you. So what you come in with your boyfriend in his Gap gear, wearing a mini skirt over your perma-tan and look down on me as I sell you a copy of Sharon Osbourne. I'm the one who gets to go home and snuggle with my husband while you have to go spend money you don't have on making yourself look "beautiful" so your Gap dressed sleazebag doesn't leave you for a younger, oranger girl. Not to mention the whole "I'm a better Pagan than you are cos I handmake everything and don't own a tv" thing.

lolololololololololololol

Go enjoy your Saturday, I'm enjoying mine!

Edited: Just nipped onto Mark's Blog and saw his comments about Jodie too! I also managed to find her blog via the fabulously useful Wikipedia.

Drool...

Phoenix is doing a wrestling show tonight so I suggested that I make a casserole and leave it in the oven on low so he could have some when he got in.

So, take one packet casserole mix, add tinned potatoes, tinned carrots, 1 medium red onion (chopped roughly) and some Tesco Value stewing beef (roll on payday).

Cook on gas mark 4 for 2 hours. Fill this time by writing in your blog and then being surprised when dinner is ready.

Eat with plenty of dribbling.

Turn oven down to gas mark 1 and put rest of casserole in to simmer until husband gets home at stupid o'clock in the morning in need of a nice meal.

(I would like to point out that ideally I would add some red wine and mushrooms and use fresh carrots and potatoes as well as slightly better quality beef, but it's a few days til payday so I used what we had in the cupboards!)

Monthly Goals

I've decided to add my monthly goals to the sidebar so that I won't keep chopping and changing them and so that I'm vaguely held accountable for saying yes I did them or no I didn't.

I took possession of some of the most beautiful notebooks in the world today. I'd ordered them before Xmas, some for me and some as gifts and I ordered them too late :-( But they're here now! I shall save one for a birthday instead of Xmas, and the other two I shall post as belated pressies instead.

The ones I got for myself are:

The foiled one, in the maxi unlined version,

The Morrocan Horses and the Indigo Sky Mares,

The Mirror Vine one.

They are even more beautiful in the "flesh" than seen on screen. I'm about to fill in my new diary and can't bear to use a biro in it yet so the turquoise ink fountain pen is out!

Memories....

...from last nights work do - I have some!

I limited myself to a couple of glasses of red wine at the restaurant and I was tipsy when we left, enough so I wasn't cold when we got outside, but not so much that I couldn't walk straight. Then at Blastoff I had a couple more drinks (and seemingly spend two hours just wandering around with Matt looking for other people).

Bod announced that it was all very Carry On Bookselling, Jamie flirted with everyone and I got Harriet and Tom pissed by topping up their wineglasses without them noticing.

But it was all jolly good fun and I even got a cab home (as ordered by both Phoenix and Matt - who escorted me home although it was completely out of his way) as opposed to deciding to walk back.

Due to the power cut we had on Friday (2 hours, we played Simpsons Monopoly by candlelight while listening to the wind up radio) and the fact I was out last night I had loads of emails, including these fabulous two.

FLYLADY: Clutter Scavenger Hunt; Under your Kitchen Sink
Our habit for January is keeping our kitchen sink clean and shiny.
When was the last time you looked under your sink? We are going to
grab a garbage can and start tossing.

Your Daily Horoscope Service
Discard those items from the past that really have no use for you anymore. Much as you like to surround yourself with objects of sentimental value, the time comes when it is necessary to look to the future, rather than dwell on the past. Time spent cleaning up and throwing out will release you from the past so that you can embrace the future...

Well I did the kitchen sink thing last week! I filled two blackbags with stuff from under there, including six tins of shoepolish, 40 watt lightbulbs, 2 old dustpan-and-brushes, and all sorts of random bits. This meant that I could fit all the cleaning stuff into a washing up bowl and fit some of our new kitchen gadgets in there until I sort out the worktops so they have homes.

But today, I am relaxing! I may do 15 minutes later on, but I am under orders to relax and recharge today.

Lurgy

Yes folks, I finally succumbed to the creeping lurgy.

I was too busy to be ill before xmas (work), too busy to be ill over xmas (family) and too busy to be ill over New Year (work). So naturally as soon as I have a couple of days off I'm straight on the Lemsip (I really want that mug now) and Buttercup syrup and I scare the cats everytime I sneeze.

I have just been cheered up by a notification email telling me about this very funny and true post on Mark Farley's Blog. The Da Vinci Code thing - soooo true, but we don't get the same class of religious nutters up here in Wolverhampton, just the man in the cowboy hat who thinks that Tim Henman losing at Wimbledon is a CIA plot.

I have been entertaining myself this morning by planning things I want to do this year.

These include reading one book a month that I wouldn't normally read (I think it's going to be Great Expectations this month), decluttering etc. a la FLYlady, and doing more cross-stitch as I get frustrated with the number of projects I plan to do that don't get done.

Projects planned for this year:

Finish the Oranges and Lemons cross stitch. I have to do the light orange at the top of the word 'Orange', do the ivy stuff on the right and backstitch round the words.

My main 'must-do' project is this footstool that I want to do for Rene as a birthday present. All the fabric and threads arrived today from Sew and So which means I can get started as soon as I finish the Oranges and Lemons one.

The other projects I want to do are mostly shown here. I got the fabric and thread for the Desperate/Domestic Zero/Hero ones too as they should be quick to do and I can do them in breaks from the footstool. The other ones will all just have to wait until I have time to do them!

Right, I'm off to watch French Kiss and finish that stitching!

Clicking round...

...on the BBC News site I found this story. I used to live in that road while I was in Canterbury (think it was Summer '99 until March '00). Can't tell from the picture if those houses were near the one I was in (no. 10), in fact all I can remember about the outside of my house (they all looked the same) was the fact it had a tree growing out the chimney - only a little one though.

I feel all blargh today again, yesterday was about the same but I made myself do things until I collapsed in a teary heap cos I was fed up. Today I am going to take it easier.

Baby steps!

Happy New Year!

Emily took this while we were opening pressies on the 25th, I'd just run out of Bucks Fizz.

Things here have been rather hectic for a while, what with all my silly shifts at work, trying to level up to 50 on WoW before going home for Xmas, going home, coming back and then more work.....

Roll on Tuesday when I have a day off!

Found a list of 100 things we didn't know this time last year on the BBC, lots of cool facts.

I bought myself French Kiss with some of my vouchers from Phoenix and intended to watch it tonight (he's at t'pub) but Love Actually turned out to be on so I'm watching that instead.

Now what's missing....

Oh yes, the all important list of presents received for Yule, Xmas and my birthday.

Well you're not getting the whole list, just my three favourite pressies (all purchased by the man I married).
1. A laptop. (Admittedly second-hand, but good enough for the stuff I needed it for).
2. £50 of vouchers - I've mostly bought books but did buy 2 films and CD too!
3. A HATSTAND!!!!!!!!!!!! I have wanted one for soooooooo long and now it's here and mine and Foley keeps climbing it!

Right, you should have enough here to keep you ticking over for a bit, I'm off to eat some chocolates, drink some very nice wine and watch my very soppy film.