Yes!!! For Yule my children....all adults now, clubbed together and bought me a Kindle.
I have always loved reading...from as young as I can remember.
On that tack...I don't recall exactly how old I was..but Mum asked me to keep an eye on the level of the water in the washing machine. All I clearly remember is Mum shouting a me because there was water overflowing and I hadn't told her that the machine was full. Another thing I know clearly is that this incident occurred before I started school! (In the UK....children usually start school at some point in the "school year" they turn 5) I started in the September after my fourth birthday, (July).
However, Oliver had talked through last time he was home ...IF I would welcome a Kindle. I said yes....because...all the classics are free, and when an author releases a HUGE tome...it won't be hard to handle on the Kindle.
And I love reading...so knowing that I could store reading on a Kindle was a plus.
I did receive other Yule gifts...Music, a book, a Waterstones voucher...you see a theme here?
And then my fridge died!
Why did my fridge chose 27th December to die?
Summer and Yule/Xmas are the two times of the year you need your fridge to co-operate.....and last night my fridge laid down and went into a coma...it hasn't died...the light is still on....but to all intents and purposes...My fridge is dead!
I am blessed with some very good friends who when I asked to borrow their mains cool box loaned me their "spare" fridge, with a no-pressure loan....they would like it back in Late February..plenty of time to shop around for the best buy.
So...although I have had a pretty disappointing closing months of 2011. I do have some really lovely people around me...and hope they will be there to push me, kicking and protesting, into 2012...where I think I should begin my search for that someone special....who wants to be with me.
I did think I had found him.....but a phone call on Xmas Eve...bitter/sweet made me see that my beautiful, strong Eastern European friend was not the one. I'll never forget him, and he will always have a special place in my heart...Tiz a really good job a person's heart can expand to accommodate the love they feel for the special people in their life...otherwise we would have people exploding everywhere...but there again..I am presuming people are as soft hearted as I am
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Monday, 26 December 2011
What did Santa bring you?
Amongst other things...I have two ...sorry three really best pressies.
1. A Kindle...Sam, Oliver and Edwin clubbed together and got me one
2.The latest Ozric Tentacles CD
3. a voucher to buy "books" for my Kindle
and a close 4th...A Waterstones voucher.
1. A Kindle...Sam, Oliver and Edwin clubbed together and got me one
2.The latest Ozric Tentacles CD
3. a voucher to buy "books" for my Kindle
and a close 4th...A Waterstones voucher.
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Peaceful December
I wish everyone who reads my blog a peaceful December..and hope January isn't too harsh
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Heading for another recession? RUBBISH!
They keep saying this on the news!
Why?
In many areas we never came out of the previous recession, therefore we can not go back into something we have not come out of.
Certainly in this area there has not been any signs of coming out of the previous recession.
So! news announcers, can you please take off your blinkers and look at the bigger picture...and all the bits you usually ignore around the edges before you make such sweeping statements?
By announcing the likelihood of "another" recession....or "double-dip" you are implying there have been better times in the interim. For the people on high wages this might actually be true, however for your average UK worker this is not true.
Just keep your mouths shut...haven't you heard the sayings? "No news is good news!" and "empty crates make the most noise".
In other words, if you don't have anything positive to say, why not just keep quiet instead of making meaningless noise which can cause people to worry?
Why?
In many areas we never came out of the previous recession, therefore we can not go back into something we have not come out of.
Certainly in this area there has not been any signs of coming out of the previous recession.
So! news announcers, can you please take off your blinkers and look at the bigger picture...and all the bits you usually ignore around the edges before you make such sweeping statements?
By announcing the likelihood of "another" recession....or "double-dip" you are implying there have been better times in the interim. For the people on high wages this might actually be true, however for your average UK worker this is not true.
Just keep your mouths shut...haven't you heard the sayings? "No news is good news!" and "empty crates make the most noise".
In other words, if you don't have anything positive to say, why not just keep quiet instead of making meaningless noise which can cause people to worry?
Pressure phone selling
I'm sure most people are aware of this..
A company will phone you up...9 times out of 10 when you are eating a meal, and claim they are not trying to sell you anything...they might be a company you deal with in one way or another....but then...they try to sell you something.
I know I have a strong accent, but I am fairly sure that "I am happy with my current provider" is pretty clear.
It was my mobile phone company trying to get me to change my home phone and broadband to them. AND.....when I said I was tied into a contract...they offered me a cash incentive to change my provider! :O
After I put the phone down on the the pushy salesman...I thought of another possible scenario....
PHONE RINGS
woman answers phone
"hello"
"hello....I'm from blokes'r'us"
"What do you want?"
"Are you currently in a relationship?"
"Yeeeeees......?"
"Are you happy with your current relationship?"
"Yes, in fact I have just entered into a lifetime contract"
"Lifetime contract?"
"Yes, we were married two weeks ago"
"Ah, well, we can offer you an up-grade!"
"Up-grade?"
"Yes, we can guarantee any relationship we provide for you will be more romantic, more loving, and will work out much less costly"
"But........I have only been married two weeks. I promised to stay with him until death do us part"
"Well, we can offer a cash incentive to free you from your contract."
"You mean like phone service providers offer?"
"Yes, exactly like that"
"But I've only been married two weeks!"
"Well...in that case we can offer you a sizeable sum...because breaking your contract so soon would carry very heavy penalties"
OK....at what point would you put the phone down..or would you take them up on their offer.
Is loyalty negotiable, and at what point does it become non-negotiable?
A company will phone you up...9 times out of 10 when you are eating a meal, and claim they are not trying to sell you anything...they might be a company you deal with in one way or another....but then...they try to sell you something.
I know I have a strong accent, but I am fairly sure that "I am happy with my current provider" is pretty clear.
It was my mobile phone company trying to get me to change my home phone and broadband to them. AND.....when I said I was tied into a contract...they offered me a cash incentive to change my provider! :O
After I put the phone down on the the pushy salesman...I thought of another possible scenario....
PHONE RINGS
woman answers phone
"hello"
"hello....I'm from blokes'r'us"
"What do you want?"
"Are you currently in a relationship?"
"Yeeeeees......?"
"Are you happy with your current relationship?"
"Yes, in fact I have just entered into a lifetime contract"
"Lifetime contract?"
"Yes, we were married two weeks ago"
"Ah, well, we can offer you an up-grade!"
"Up-grade?"
"Yes, we can guarantee any relationship we provide for you will be more romantic, more loving, and will work out much less costly"
"But........I have only been married two weeks. I promised to stay with him until death do us part"
"Well, we can offer a cash incentive to free you from your contract."
"You mean like phone service providers offer?"
"Yes, exactly like that"
"But I've only been married two weeks!"
"Well...in that case we can offer you a sizeable sum...because breaking your contract so soon would carry very heavy penalties"
OK....at what point would you put the phone down..or would you take them up on their offer.
Is loyalty negotiable, and at what point does it become non-negotiable?
Monday, 19 December 2011
Why don't most Americans speak English?
Well....it's not so much the spoken as the written English Americans speak that I have trouble with. They should admit they speak American, then English people would know to have a phrase book at hand when reading something written by n American author.
For example, in the book I am currently reading one of the characters keeps her laptop in her purse! That is one hell of a purse! (I do know that one)
But why sidewalk? What is wrong with footpath, it says exactly what it is..unless you live around Morecambe where it seems to mean cycle track...no matter how busy it is with pedestrians
One I am never sure of...why would someone have bangs on their head. To me a bang is what you get when you drop something heavy, or there is a crude slang meaning. But neither of these have anything to do with anyone's head.
Perhaps my American friend who speaks sensible English could help me out? Blue?
Why claim to speak a certain language, then change words as and when you like?
For example, in the book I am currently reading one of the characters keeps her laptop in her purse! That is one hell of a purse! (I do know that one)
But why sidewalk? What is wrong with footpath, it says exactly what it is..unless you live around Morecambe where it seems to mean cycle track...no matter how busy it is with pedestrians
One I am never sure of...why would someone have bangs on their head. To me a bang is what you get when you drop something heavy, or there is a crude slang meaning. But neither of these have anything to do with anyone's head.
Perhaps my American friend who speaks sensible English could help me out? Blue?
Why claim to speak a certain language, then change words as and when you like?
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
wow!
I now have over 50 followers!
Gosh!
This is just my blog....just my thoughts...sometimes daft, sometimes off at a tangent
Still is nice to know.
My "craft" blog only has three followers....and I really should update it
Anyway...thanks to you ...my "followers"
Gosh!
This is just my blog....just my thoughts...sometimes daft, sometimes off at a tangent
Still is nice to know.
My "craft" blog only has three followers....and I really should update it
Anyway...thanks to you ...my "followers"
Most smart people don't need to be told this.
Did that title make you wonder what I have to say?
My comment is in response to this story on Yahoo's homepage today. If you haven't time to read the article, it details how "the school run" can work out quite expensive.
To me the item must be targeted at the less smart people. Most car owners know that short journeys can create a lot of wear and tear on their car, that sitting in traffic burns fuel. Although...do you know..I don't think it is obvious to many people.
I used to attend St Martin's college in Lancaster, now the Lancaster campus of the University of Cumbria. It is situated on the South side of the city, Morecambe to the West/North West of Lancaster. One of my lectures finished at 6pm on a weekday, and I was asked why I drove around the Crook of Lune to get home, tracking out to the East and working my way then Westwards to Morecambe. The journey took around 20-25 mins. It could taker longer than that to get from the South side of Lancaster to the Asda roundabout in Morecambe, at peak times that journey can take an hour easily. I figured I was burning the same if not less fuel by my detour, causing less wear and tear on my car, plus it was a relaxing drive, compared to the frustrating journey of less than 2 miles between the two places I named.
The other thing the item states, is that exercise is good for you, and a 15-20 minute walk is preferable, as it is healthier.
I agree with all the points the article makes.
BUT...it doesn't go far enough. Most days I walk to work, as it is only a 15-20 minute walk, so all the arguments about wear and tear on my car still stand. One that it can't say is that it is better for me most days, as I have osteoarthritis, and if I can keep active it is better for me...for now at least.
One of the reasons I chose a house in Morecambe when I got divorced was it was close to my elder two children's school, close to plenty of shops, the promenade...and this might seem strange when you know I am a car owner, but close to a bus route and the train station. At this time of year unless you are going into Lancaster for a huge amount of shopping it is much less stressful to take the train or bus, and cheaper, because after you have sat in traffic to get where you want to be you still have to pay for parking. The local bus route to me runs every 10 minutes during the day, never long to wait A Bay rider ticket probably works out less than taking your car into Lancaster and parking it whilst you shop. The train is even cheaper, but not as frequent.
I seem to have gone off at a tangent, but my point is, the article, though informative really tells an intelligent person nothing they couldn't figure out for themselves. One last thing, the article doesn't say this, but...people take their children to school in the car, because of the amount of traffic on the roads...if they ALL stopped, the problem would go away, and it would be MUCH safer to walk.
My comment is in response to this story on Yahoo's homepage today. If you haven't time to read the article, it details how "the school run" can work out quite expensive.
To me the item must be targeted at the less smart people. Most car owners know that short journeys can create a lot of wear and tear on their car, that sitting in traffic burns fuel. Although...do you know..I don't think it is obvious to many people.
I used to attend St Martin's college in Lancaster, now the Lancaster campus of the University of Cumbria. It is situated on the South side of the city, Morecambe to the West/North West of Lancaster. One of my lectures finished at 6pm on a weekday, and I was asked why I drove around the Crook of Lune to get home, tracking out to the East and working my way then Westwards to Morecambe. The journey took around 20-25 mins. It could taker longer than that to get from the South side of Lancaster to the Asda roundabout in Morecambe, at peak times that journey can take an hour easily. I figured I was burning the same if not less fuel by my detour, causing less wear and tear on my car, plus it was a relaxing drive, compared to the frustrating journey of less than 2 miles between the two places I named.
The other thing the item states, is that exercise is good for you, and a 15-20 minute walk is preferable, as it is healthier.
I agree with all the points the article makes.
BUT...it doesn't go far enough. Most days I walk to work, as it is only a 15-20 minute walk, so all the arguments about wear and tear on my car still stand. One that it can't say is that it is better for me most days, as I have osteoarthritis, and if I can keep active it is better for me...for now at least.
One of the reasons I chose a house in Morecambe when I got divorced was it was close to my elder two children's school, close to plenty of shops, the promenade...and this might seem strange when you know I am a car owner, but close to a bus route and the train station. At this time of year unless you are going into Lancaster for a huge amount of shopping it is much less stressful to take the train or bus, and cheaper, because after you have sat in traffic to get where you want to be you still have to pay for parking. The local bus route to me runs every 10 minutes during the day, never long to wait A Bay rider ticket probably works out less than taking your car into Lancaster and parking it whilst you shop. The train is even cheaper, but not as frequent.
I seem to have gone off at a tangent, but my point is, the article, though informative really tells an intelligent person nothing they couldn't figure out for themselves. One last thing, the article doesn't say this, but...people take their children to school in the car, because of the amount of traffic on the roads...if they ALL stopped, the problem would go away, and it would be MUCH safer to walk.
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Perhaps I don't like him so much now
Jeremy Clarkson made some unforgivable remarks about public sector workers.
He's roughly the same age as I am...but I would hazard a guess that if he wished to retire tomorrow he would have ample funds to do so.
Meanwhile, due to the "chancellor's" thing on Tuesday, I now have to work until I am 68 until I can draw my pension, and then it is only projected to be around £4000/annum. Gilt-Edged? only if you can live off a £1/week..maybe £2 occasionally. After paying utilities bills, and buying food, there will be no money left for luxuries.
As I said in a previous post, my wage was frozen over two years ago. I am currently weighing up my options as to my car. The insurance is due in early February...My wage was frozen, but prices of food, etc were not...so much so that...as I touched on...I am wondering if I can afford to keep my current car, as the insurance is something else that has not been frozen.
I bet Jeremy Clarkson doesn't have to think twice about keeping his current car...or "downgrading" in order to afford the insurance, and consequently keeping his car...or maybe cars, on the road.
I wish people on high wages would think, then think again, and maybe think a third time before opening their mouths on subjects they know little about.
P.S I did e-mail the Top Gear team when they kept classing cars as women's cars..offering to drive the cars for them..I didn't even get a jokey reply!
He's roughly the same age as I am...but I would hazard a guess that if he wished to retire tomorrow he would have ample funds to do so.
Meanwhile, due to the "chancellor's" thing on Tuesday, I now have to work until I am 68 until I can draw my pension, and then it is only projected to be around £4000/annum. Gilt-Edged? only if you can live off a £1/week..maybe £2 occasionally. After paying utilities bills, and buying food, there will be no money left for luxuries.
As I said in a previous post, my wage was frozen over two years ago. I am currently weighing up my options as to my car. The insurance is due in early February...My wage was frozen, but prices of food, etc were not...so much so that...as I touched on...I am wondering if I can afford to keep my current car, as the insurance is something else that has not been frozen.
I bet Jeremy Clarkson doesn't have to think twice about keeping his current car...or "downgrading" in order to afford the insurance, and consequently keeping his car...or maybe cars, on the road.
I wish people on high wages would think, then think again, and maybe think a third time before opening their mouths on subjects they know little about.
P.S I did e-mail the Top Gear team when they kept classing cars as women's cars..offering to drive the cars for them..I didn't even get a jokey reply!
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