What is VAT..that's Value Added Tax...for?

After doing my shopping yesterday I thought carefully about which items had VAT added and which didn't.
I did working in a supermarket in the dim and distant past, when items were priced with a pricing gun. White for no VAT items, orange for items that included VAT.
When working on the checkout as well as inputting the price on the tag, you hit the relevant button.
VAT is only supposed to be paid on so called "luxury" items, and indeed one widespread supermarket chain picks up the VAT on a very controversial item......BUT I thought, and remembered from pricing items...pet food has VAT payable on it! Perhaps if a dog/cat/rabbit...(go ahead...substitute the animal of your choice,) was to go in and buy their own food...would it STILL be liable to VAT?
I would love to see my dogs go and buy their own food..and maybe get money knocked off.
Is this VAT fair? Like the other one the supermarket picks up...perhaps it should be questioned....as should several other VAT liable "products"! Who knows?
I would love input.

Free review copy

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I love reading.
On Wednesday the postman brought a parcel that I wasn't expecting. :) Always a good thing. Inside was an advance copy of The Gallow's curse by Karen Maitland. I started reading it yesterday, and I will post my review on Waterstones when I have finished it. All I will say is so far I keep picking it up when I should be doing other things.

A little sad today

I'm still recovering from the flu, chest infection mostly gone. It doesn't sound like a kettle when I breathe now!
This weekend my sons are staying here rather than going to their Dad's as they usually do, as he has Flu. I was feeling OK until I started tom prepare the veg for tea, it brought back getting meals ready with my "someone special". I miss him so much, I suppose it's the closest I'll get to knowing how someone who is bereaved feels when they lose someone very dear to them.
I am lucky I had the year that I did with him, and if he never returns, at least I had a very happy year.

Happy New Year!

We are now in 2011!
I am noit going to make resolutions that I will break within the first week...what I am going to do is make several promises to myself.

1. I will try to complete at least 12 large projects over the year. Knitted/cross-stitched or other craft
   
2. I will start and complete smaller projects as takes my whim, and yes! I will not leave them unfinished.
   
3. I will try my best to keep up-to-date with my blogs.
4. I WILL definitely make a butterfly for the butterfly effect project, [see button]
5. This one is the most difficult, I will try to see the positive side of things....for example..my "someone special" has gone back to his "homeland". We are still in touch, but because of network coverage, not as much as I would like. I will remember that we never fell out, he treated me very well, and that I love him very much. He has said he will probably return, but is unsure when.
   

What we all got for Xmas, but didn't want!

Things are fairly quiet here, as I think we have all had, or got the flu.
What a lovely xmas gift! It certainly wasn't on my letter to Santa, and you can't return it cos you don't want it.

Quiet Boxing day

Yesterday I had a very quiet and fairly tense day.
I was woken by Samantha, and then Oliver brought me breakfast in bed. [A sausage butty]
But then they said that during the night at least one of the dogs had eaten a chocolate reindeer. As the dogs are not that big I was understandably on tenterhooks for the rest of the day.
I suspected it was Shadow who had eaten it, as she is much more mischievous. Also I had woken in the night to her crying, and she was sat at the bottom of the stairs with her chin on the first step.
I carried her up and she seemed happy enough.
When I walked them my suspicions were confirmed, it had been Shadow who had eaten the reindeer, as her muck smelt strongly of chocolate, and there were bits of silver paper in it.
She is still a little subdued today, or was. I just caught her swotting Spark's nose to try to get him to play.
We are usually so careful keeping things the dogs shouldn't eat away from them. It was Oliver's reindeer, I suppose he forgot about moving chocolate from the floor. It was enough to have killed her, and I think if Spark had eaten it I would have had a much worse situation to deal with, as his stomach is quite delicate.

Unhappy

My someone special may not be coming back to the UK. If he does he said it will possibly be summer .