How do you like your toast?

Apparently how you like your toast is a clear indicator of what class you are.
Really?   I hear you say.
OK, let's ask...How do you like your toast?
Warm, and buttered whilst still warm?
OR...
Cold, hard and cracking when you butter it?  (or inedible as the survey said)

Well....How do you like your toast?

Apparently working class people like their toast warm, with butter melting into it, the upper classes prefer their toast cold, hard and inedible.

What I think is the actual difference here is that working class people sit in the kitchen where the toast is made, and therefore have access to yummy, edible, warm, buttered toast whilst the upper classes sit in their breakfast rooms awaiting delivery of their toast from a distant kitchen!

This is one instance where although we might be worse off financially, at least we know how to enjoy our toast....so if you are upper class...use your Sat Nav and find the way into your kitchen and have a taste of what you have been missing!

Overheard yesterday.

Isn't it funny how people who wear lots of make up, or have really greasy skin, are the ones to say that water is bad for them.
The person I heard saying this yesterday went on to say that some people can be allergic to water!
Now, I don't know if that is true, but I suspect a bad reaction to water is through not using it often enough.

Resolutions? An update

I thought I'd have a look at my list of non-resolutions to see how I am progressing with them so far

I have read Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White and Boris Pasternak's Dr Zhivago, and am currently reading Villette on my Kindle, so the read one classic book this year has already been completed.

I am still trying my best to eat healthily, although it did stumble slightly when I kept getting viruses.

I have made some of my own bread and will continue to do so.  I have also decided it would be good to try at least one different recipe per week.  Today I cooked a chicken and mushroom gougere.  I have never made choux pastry before so that was definitely a first.

I have been making dents in my wool stash, but did have to buy a ball of wool to complete something which I thought I had two balls the same , (enough to finish, ) but when I looked in daylight they were totally different. But the stash is diminishing.

I have only made a skirt so far from my fabric stash, and not done any more on the patchwork.

Entrelac knitting is going to be my next project in knitting.

The pot garden is being tidied slowly.  I bought mini tools suitable for using in the pots, but the extended cold spell put me off trying to weed, as frozen earth does not give up weeds readily

The kitchen, I think, is a summer project.

All in all, I feel I have managed to keep pretty much to the promises I made to myself back in January.

Happy Birthday

I would just like to wish Queen Elizabeth a happy birthday, and may you have many more.

It always surprises me

What does?   I can hear you asking yourselves now.
When someone asks my age and then doesn't believe me when I answer.
I know that I do look on the young side for my age.
I always have.
I remember visiting my brother on his ship when it docked in Liverpool, not long after he'd joined the Royal Navy.  Back then he was on a weapons tester, HMS Penelope.  We went down to his mess, and were introduced to some of his crew mates.
I remember one asking Ann, my younger sister, how old she was.  She answered 14, so the sailor asking turned to me and said, "Well that means you're 12 then" (Obviously Chris' had told them that his sisters were two years apart in age.)
At age 23 I had a 16 year old boy chatting me up and asking me out, he was shocked when I told him my age, his Dad was teaching me to drive, so he presumed that I'd just turned 17.
At that time I'd also got on a bus and been asked if I was half fare. So shocked I aid no and paid full fare.
Since then I have had my age underestimated several times.
The latest was today when I was walking Shadow and Spark, this man started talking to me, and asked my age, when I answered, he said he wouldn't have put me any older than around 35.  To convince him I told him that my daughter is 26 in June.
Ah, well!   I wonder what will happen when I'm old enough to get OAP fare on the bus, will I have to carry something stating my age?

Trying to be positive

No wonder I was feeling so down.  Virus return has clogged my head up with mucus, and nothing seems to be shifting it.
But when your head is clogged with mucus it gets in your nasal passages, and throat, and makes it harder to breathe.  Not a good thing for someone with asthma.  Yesterday, it took my voice away, well almost.  My niece has been trying to encourage people to not use their voices for one hour.  I think I did more than that, as it was hard work to talk until later on.
It's eased over night, but is still making me light-headed....there are people who I know who would argue that I am light-headed anyway.  Cheeky mares/stallions/geldings?
I think maybe an early night tonight will make me feel much better.
Last night I put Ylang ylang, patchouli and lavender in my vapouriser and had a relaxing sleep... Two of the oils are said to lift your spirits as well, so that might account for why I feel much happier in myself.
I did look online for a natural decongestant remedy, and I'm not sure I really want to try the one that came up top.  It said to thinly slice an onion and sprinkle it with two tablespoons of sugar.  Then leave it for 1/2 hour and take some of the resulting liquid as and when necessary.  Another suggested honey in place of the sugar. I don't like honey at all the smell of it makes me queasy, so would using it do the same?  I don't know.  I think I might give it a try....apparently you can use the same onion over a longish period of time, just put the mix in a sealed jar in the fridge, adding more sugar if necessary.
Does anyone know if this does actually work?   If so, please could you let me know

Negative energy

I won't go into the causes of the ton weight of negative energy in my life right now, but I sure could do with a skip full of positive energy to disperse it.

A little research

I have just been looking through the last 200 of my posts.  There were two that came out top
The top one was referring to a previous post, which hadn't had as many "reads".
However, the second one was about me buying a birthday card for Mum last year.
I'll be honest, I don't know if this year will be any easier, (Mum's birthday is late October,) but I will try my best to be sensitive.
Mum and I are sort of in the "same boat"....Mum lost Dad when he died early on the 17th February 2012.  I lost my "partner" on the 26th August 2010.  OK, he didn't die, but apart from very short phone messages, I have not seen him since then
The difference is...I am still relatively "young", and could possibly find someone else...but how do you replace a man who treated you like a princess?  Especially when all you feel like is some sort of frog?

Joined Twitter

I just joined Twitter.
I'm not sure if I'll ever tweet, but I was invited to join by a distant cousin.  One of my son's is on there.  Possibly something he was encouraged to do as part of his illustration course, as he was encouraged to start a blog.

And why doesn't Blogger's spellchecker recognise the word blog?

Sad Saturday

Edwin went back to Uni this morning.  
Well, actually, his Dad picked him up, they dropped his stuff of at the halls of residence, then went up to Hadrian's Wall.
I striped his bed and washed and dried the bedding.  Now it's fresh as a daisy for when he comes back again at the end of the semester.  Becki was here as well, but she has gone to see her Grandad on her Dad's side.
Yeah! It's quiet, there's no one else here and I can please myself exactly what I do, but do you know something?  I'd rather have other people here.

On that topic, perhaps I should update you how disastrously the trying to find someone is going.
Over half term I eventually met a bloke for tea and a chat.  Snow had stopped us meeting once, and I was nervous, so I took a few days to contact him again. He took even longer to get back to me.  The upshot is, I think he was seeing who else he could find, and keeping me in "reserve". I'm not being anyone's second best.
And today I just logged into the site and got a pop-up asking me to chat to a certain user. I had a quick look at his profile....it looked OK so I accepted the invitation, within two messages, he'd switched on his webcam, no warning and was rummaging in his underpants, no sign of his face.  So, I've blocked him. 
I do seriously wonder if there are any normal people on dating sites any more, as this is the second time I've had someone be "over familiar" with me.  I really don't know what is wrong with these men.  They put on their profile that they are looking for a serious relationship, yet obviously just want , to put it crudely, a quick thrill.

I really don't think I'll bother, maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to meet someone in the same way I met my lovely Lithuanian friend...who knows?

What do you think?

Apparently each and every MP will be paid the sum of £3,750 to attend Margaret Thatcher's funeral!

My first reaction, as I'm sure will be the same for many others is...I'll go if you get paid that much...but what I really want to know is exactly WHERE the funds for this are coming from?  I sincerely hope it will not be the tax payer.
For £3,750 the people who disliked Maggie could have a damned good party, maybe even get an entertainer, (see my previous post.)
If anyone should wish to attend Maggie's funeral they should do so under NORMAL employment restrictions.   That is where I work, if the deceased is a close relative you have the day off with pay, nothing more.  If you wish to attend the funeral of a friend, you lose a day's pay, or take a holiday...Just why is it MPs get to distort the rules so much they are no longer recognisable as rules?

Yet another "news " headline?

Well, I heard this one on the radio yesterday, and today it has made Yahoo' home page.
What this time?  The cost of children's parties.
Over the last 50 years the children's party industry, I suppose that is the correct name for it, has grown beyond all recognition.
My best childhood friend's birthday was the day before mine, and I always got an invite to her birthday party.  She was an only child and her Dad was a builder and property repairer.  So...the well off end of the the working class, or normal middle class.
Her parties consisted of a "finger" buffet, jelly, ice cream and a birthday, and children's games.  such as pass the parcel, musical chairs, etc, and we would have some playtime in her garden, which boasted a proper swing. To me, and most of the kids invited, they were posh parties.  But if you read the article, and have heard about this story elsewhere you will know that practically all children these days expect a party, and expect to invite the whole class.
I suspect this practice came about by parents aping the parties of the better off in their children's circles.  After all if you read a novel about "Yummy Mummies" in Chelsea, or anywhere else, they always mention how competitive the parties get.
Why can't people live within their means?
We found one year that a "venue" party was the cheapest option, I'm only talking about around 15 years back.  I priced up several options that fitted the budget for Edwin's party, and found out that a football party for ten children at the local football club was the best deal. 
What did they get?
I think it was an hour and half football training before a lunch of chips and either sausage, fish fingers or pizza, then a sweet. I provided the cake, homemade, of course, and then the birthday boy was kitted out as the club's mascot for the day's match and all the children then watched the match.  It was around 5-6 hours long, the birthday boy also got a programme with his name in it as mascot for the day.  How much did this all cost?  Back then it was £50 for 10 children....Oh and I got to watch the match for free as well, (as did my daughter.)
It is more expensive these days as you can find out here.  But I would hazard a guess that it is still excellent value for money.
But all in all, why bankrupt yourself to give your child a party, that is just basically parental one-upmanship?  Sell the idea of an exclusive party for just a few friends as the more tasteful way to go, also, you will probably not have to sit down with a stiff drink afterwards, as less children means less chance of unpleasant bickering breaking out.

Baby milk rationing?

I've just read this story on the Yahoo homepage.

Now, I have three children of my own and for the first few weeks they were all breast fed.  Two of them had, unfortunately, to be put on formula.
From what I can gather the rationing of baby milk here in the UK is to prevent bulk buying which is then sold on to China, of all places. 
I don't think anyone wants to prevent Chinese babies from being fed, they are just making sure that babies here in the UK, and their parents, don't find themselves faced with a shortage.
It does say that producers of baby milk for and in the UK are trying to step up production for export.  I don't know if the problem is anywhere else besides China, but Chinese formula milk has been found to be contaminated, resulting in six infant deaths since 2008.  I know that is a small number, but there may be babies who have had their health affected by the contamination, even though it has not resulted in their death.
To me 6 deaths, even spaced out over 5 to 5 and 1/2 years, is six too many.  Deaths should not be the result of ingesting a manufactured product, which SHOULD be safe, given is is for babies.  I hope the Chinese government are investigating how this could have happened.

RIP Maggie

She was one of the most famous women of the 20th Century.  Love or or hate her, she certainly shook up the UK
When she said something, she meant it.  Maybe many women thought she might fight the side of women , but she never represented anything, in my opinion, than her own party.  She didn't seem to mind whose feathers she ruffled in getting what she wanted.
She had to be like that as she was a very strong woman, who unfortunately didn't seem to be bothered whether women loved her and what she stood for.  She could have been a great feminist figurehead, but she was just a very strong politician who happened to wear a skirt.
She was the first UK woman PM, will she be the only one?  Time alone will tell, but I don't think there have been any female politicians as forceful as she was before, and as far as I can tell there still aren't.
Like I said at the start, love her or hate her, you could not fault her for standing her won ground.
We could do with a few more strong politicians in this country, is she the last of that kind?

A simple thank you would have done.

Anyway, I went shopping  to Aldi the other day.  The one near me has traffic lights to enable customers to use the car park. I was sat in the queue to get out for around 10 minutes, and the lights didn't go green once.  I've seen this happen before, but never been sat in the queue.  I got out of my car and looked where the front car was.  Sure enough it was around 6 feet away from the white line.  So I walked to the front of the queue and pointed out to the driver that he wasn't over the sensor that trips the lights, essentially, the lights didn't know there was anyone waiting to use the junction, so they weren't changing to green.
Did the man say "Thanks" or anything else similar...no he muttered something like, bloody sensor should be further back, I should be over it.  Why not "thanks I wondered why the lights weren't changing"
I found it very rude and totally unnecessary.  Mind you I didn't fancy sitting there all day waiting for the lights to change, I don't suppose the others in the queue wanted to either, but I was the only one who bothered.

Strange pet for the circumstances

Is it just me, or am I correct in thinking that this particular pet is a strange choice.
Someone I know is around 20 weeks pregnant, and has got themselves a pet python. 
To me it seems a very strange choice of pet to have around a small child, unless it is never under any circumstances to be taken out of it's vivarium.
My reasons for thinking it is a strange choice.
1)snakes eat live prey by swallowing it whole
2) Pythons kill/immobilise their prey by squeezing
3) unlike a dog I don't think a python, or any type of snake will respond to verbal commands, as a dog does.  Therefore, if your snake gets hold of something it is unlikely you would get it back unharmed.

All I can say is, snakes are not obedient pets and I hope nothing untoward happens.

In control of our economy?

Just read this article.
I wondered, when did the lunatics get to take over the asylum?
If you read the article, it argues that our chancellor is completely out of touch with real life.  Showing disregard for things when he sees fit.
Should such a man be in control of the economy of the UK?
I know that the chancellor of the exchequer is a doubled edged sword for most who hold the post, because although it is a cabinet post, it is also possibly the most hated post, by the electorate.   It doesn't matter who lives at number 11 Downing Street, whoever they are, sooner or later they will make tax savings, etc. which will make people unhappy.  The only people who are possibly happy in the country right now are the millionaires who got a tax cut that they probably didn't even need, and possibly will not notice either.
I'm not particularly political, and just wish that politicians could get together and run the country for the good of the country despite party differences, but that will never happen. 
Although this government seems to be hell bent on increasing the gap between those who work for a living, and those who don't have to, into a crevasse that wouldn't look out of place in a glacier.
Yes, everyone gets a vote, but the politicians don't always keep their word when they are elected, which to me is gaining the post under false pretences.  I'll leave you with that thought.

Benefit changes

In their infinite wisdom?   our government has made certain changes to the benefits system here. 
Some I find difficult to get my head around.  Like the friend I have who suffers from Arachnoiditis, and has had his Disability Living Allowance taken away from him.  Even though he could become paralysed with no warning at all.
Many people are complaining about the so called "bedroom tax". 
I did wonder exactly what the "bedroom tax" was, so I looked it up.  Basically the government are saying that people existing on benefits can not expect everyone in their household to have a separate bedroom.
Now from an in all fairness viewpoint.  Why should families on benefits, and not working, have the luxury of separate bedrooms for everyone in the household?
My Dad worked right up until his early retirement, paid his taxes etc.  Didn't claim any benefits at all.  My sister and I shared a bedroom right up until my sister got married. We would have loved a room each, but Dad didn't earn enough.
I'm sure there are families where both parents work...or in the case of single parents....the parent works, and work very hard, but can only afford to have shared bedrooms for their children.  So why should they subsidise people who don't work?
Although the bedroom tax seems harsh, it only applies to people who are on housing benefit...in other words...the state puts a roof over their head...so why should they have better than the lower paid hard working people who claim no housing benefit?
And what prompted my deep thinking about this subject? 
I have a niece who has not worked since she left school pregnant at 16.  She has three children, one of which is disabled in some way....yet she has a roof over head  paid for by the state...a mobility vehicle, again, paid for by the state, she has a much better standard of living than I have, yet she is  dissatisfied with life.....
She hasn't spoken to me for 8 years because I wouldn't take time off  from a job I had just started....in order to look after her middle child., but that is another story.  I'm not jealous of her in any way, but can see exactly what the government are trying to achieve in her case.

Are we decent?

Well, I am. On the very odd occasion I have had to go out with my nightwear on, I have covered it up with day time clothes, a skirt and a coat covering a night dress, or pyjamas.  ( I do tend to wear long skirts)
But around where I live I have recently noticed young women, and some not so young, walking around in what is quite obviously their nightwear.
Why is it obvious, because no one walks around with teddy bears on their trousers, unless they are less than two years old.
And I do have a pair of the boot variety of slippers, but I don't walk around outside in them.  I can't walk so far without my insoles, and the floppy nature of the slippers would not support my ankle enough.  The people I see out in these have usually trampled them sideways, or the backs down.
And these people usually are wearing an obvious wraparound dressing gown, you know the type, the style that used to be just for bathrobes, but is now almost universally used as a dressing gown.

After seeing more than one on several concurrent days, I mentioned it to my Mum when I spoke to her.  She said, partly in jest , I think.  "perhaps it's a new fashion trend."
So I looked online, and yes, it was started by certain famous women around two years ago, but they were wearing silk pyjamas that were too pretty to sleep in, as lounging daywear.  I did find a picture of a certain male person wearing silk pyjamas and silk dressing gown...All I can say is I am glad I wasn't about to eat, as the sight turned my stomach.

So... I came to the conclusion that ...yes there is a fashion trend for wearing your pyjamas in public, but what the people around here need to get their heads around is....the PJ's should be pretty and not have the ..."just crawled out of a jumble sale reject pile look" about them.  Oh, and the pictures I found...the pretty PJ's were dressed up further by heels and jewellery.
There might be a very valid reason for these young women to have been outside in their nightwear, but unless it was a matter of life and death, they really should have got dressed before going out.

Just a conclusion

And my conclusion is, that spending a lot of time on your own makes you introspective. 

Yes, I've come to the conclusion that I think about things quite deeply and I wish I didn't at times.