It's been a fab Sunday though, to be fair... weather like early summer here.

Every day is flashing past... rather too quickly for my liking.

Good morning my grumpy pals

I've been quiet because I have had nothing nice to say, and if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing. But there is only so long that I can say nothing for ... although some might argue that all my posts essentially amount to a lot of words and lots of nothing, but I contend that that is a whole different sort of nothing. Perhaps I should write a treatise on nothing.

Speaking of treaties, we have chocolate cake and custard in the fridge and it's been there 2 days, that's how bad life is when even chocolate cake and custard won't make things better

Young Plum is off school today with a sore tum, I suspect it's more a case of "I didn't do my homework" tum rather than a medical issue. it's the second Monday in a row that she has had off. Foul play is suspected. She denies the homework accusation but I might have a word with her teacher to see what happens on Mondays to see if I can work out if anything is going on or whether it is all just an unfortunate coincidence.

Another rainy day here. It looks like the wet season got here a bit late but it finally turned up which is all well and good apart from the fact that it's virtually impossible to dry the clothes. I'm still having to wash by hand, I'm just waiting for the sink to go wrong and then I'll be down to the river with the washing stones! Actually we don't have a river or washing stones but that is a problem for another day

Well I better shuffle off and start doing washing and dishes and ironing and all the stuff that i have no option other than to do on a wet weekday stuck indoors with a poorly plum.

Pssssst - I might just read my book But don't tell on me

Bonjour all!

Plummie, good to "see" you
We worry when you're not around, y'know.
Is it a good book?

I've been and dropped the car off for its tyres checked, so am awaiting news of a stiffish bill later... *sigh*

And it's Monday. Deep, deep joy...

It is a most excellent book .... probably. Just started Robin Hobb's Ship of Magic. Having a bit of trouble getting into it but I'm sure I will as I loved the Farseer Trilogy and the Tawny Man Trilogy. I think I'm just sulking because I miss Fitz I didn't really read much today hopefully tomorrow with young Plum back at school I'll get some peace and quiet. She'll be 10 next week - I'm totally staggered, but at least this year I've saved up money for her birthday so I won't feel like the crappy parent that I felt last year. Mind you, it all worked out in the end with the advent of DangerPup the Destroyer.

Hope everyone is doing well and keeping your collective chins up and fighting the good fight and all that

Onward grumpy soldiers marching as to war.......

Hey, good choice, Plum! In fact I'd go so far as to call it a *brilliant* book.

Trust me - you won't miss Fitz for long, and the concept is so brilliant you'll get dragged right in there. Enjoy!

...with a plate of tea-cakes
Going on before...

evening all....and good night to antipodean plum

I went away to Burnley, via Leeds, on the train. The Pennines are scenic. I had to get up at ten to five in the morning.

I miss those happy days - Saturdays used to be the entire focus of my week planning my escapades round the country. I usually drove though.

Today even the ducks wouldn't venture out.... HUGE rain! YoungPlum and I ventured out to school, luckily it was merely raining on the way to school but she was suitably togged up in rain jacket and welly boots which they will insist on calling gum boots ... pfffffttt! Anyway, the school crossing guy mocked her sensible attire but on the way back he conceded that any parent would have been sensible to dress their kid like that as the heavens opened! I have no rain jacket or wellyboots and i had to traverse a fast flowing river of water about 4 foot wide and a foot deep to get from the pavement on one side to my car on the other and one of my flipflops got washed away, so I was galloping along with my brolly up, clutching YoungPlum's wellies trying to catch my flip-flop which was floating downstream faster than I could gallop in the foot deep water. I must have looked like a complete loon to any passerby .... as no-one would have seen my flip-flop and would just have seen a sopping wet old lady galloping along in a deep puddle ...... ahhhh bless they must have thought I had a kangaroo loose in the top paddock!

Well I'm home now and all dried out. It's hugely noisy though but I like the sound of rain on a tin roof!

Hopefully that is the excitement over for the day! Although maybe not, as today is a day for chocolate cake and custard .... I might even have it for my breakfast Time for me to wish you all goodnight and go forth to read my book - I'm looking forward to getting "dragged right in"

Plum, please will you come over here and give my English class some lessons on writing to describe

You've started my day off with a smile...

Oh Plummy, you don't half paint a picture.

My day's been less exciting but possibly more stressful. But it all worked out in the end. Well, almost... Mama's decided that the care worker who is supposed to be keeping an eye on her slaughters pigs and won't be allowed in again for that reason. Truth be told, she hates the idea of carers (nothing wrong with her, see, so what are they coming for???) and this is yet another excuse for keeping the door firmly shut. It's frustrating because she certainly needs the help but I do admire her creativity.

"Slaughters pigs"?????

You've got to give her full marks, there, haven't you?
I know it's not funny as a situation, batty, but that *did* make me smile!

As this has been doing, all week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iae-kvXu0k8

Geeklol...

I'm generally grumpy anyway.

Spent the whole morning disconnecting various electrical devices plugged into a socket due to overload shutting down the power, and it appears the socket itself is buggered.



Was browsing the Virginmedia BB forum.

FAO malaikah.
If you can get Sky unlimited/Sky LLU, it is truly unlimited. No throttling or download limits. £15 a month. £10 with Sky Talk and £7-50 with Sky Talk and Sky TV.

Sorted out your lock yet?

My thoughts entirely. How's that novel coming along, Plumster?

I misread that as 'her daughter's pigs' at first

Brilliant


Never

Nice to see you here anyway.

I've had a nice day catching up with work colleagues who visited me with cake today. I love them, I really do. Still very grumpy about what's going on, but there's a sad sense of inevitabilitly about it now In the great scheme of things, there are many worse outcomes in life.

No grumps from KJ.

Darn sarf is nice.

Isn't Plum a Chelsea fan? She should be happy tonight!

I watched it on and off. I even cheered a bit for Chelsea

That piccy is pretty KJ

Is it nearly the weekend?

Thanks.

It's time to 'let bygones be bygones', pretty much. I'm out of forum wars nowadays and I just want a quiet life.

It's time to move on, isn't it.

Indeed. Although some of it was quite entertaining at times

KJ - fab pic, but slightly vertigo inducing

Amica - almost .... not that I'm in any rush for weekends at the moment, as they're bringing me nearer to my return to work date

True.

I just got fed up with the needless bickering in public and in private (behind your back) and I want no part of it any more.

I am totally ecstatic! I thought we might pull it out the bag though - never underestimate the power of a temporary manager who is popular with the players following the sacking of a manager who wasn't so popular. It just seems to get players to up their game. Sadly it rarely lasts, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!


Awww, you, handy and Bats are too kind - glad I made you laugh though, It was just a ridiculous situation to be in!

My novel isn't coming along at all Sadster I do sometimes think about writing but never get beyond that. I still wouldn't know where to start, other than at the beginning

DestructoPup is deep in the doo-doos again with HWMBI, she's really not that bad but it gets under his skin. I have to do some garden reconstruction this morning before her crimes are discovered! She just sent the coffee table flying with all that was heaped on top going here there and everywhere. I think she just has no concept of her size, she was lying underneath it, rolled on her back and pushed her legs up and voila - chaos reigned supreme! She did look a tad sheepish ... which isn't easy for a dog, unless it's a poodle Luckily it's only me at home so order can be restored, I should really take the opportunity to clear the table, perhaps her actions were a criticism of my slovenly ways

Still raining here, who would have thought that rainforests need rain! Actually as I've said before, it never really occurred to me before I came here how much rain they get. At least it's always warm rain though.

Batty, your mum has a wonderful imagination, just a shame that it's manifesting itself now and in the way that it is. It's hard not to smile at some of her antics but yet there is an underlying sadness to it all. There is only so much you can do and whilst it is frustrating, you are doing all that can be done and so you should be proud of yourself. All you can really do now is keep plugging away and mop up the fall-out from her antics as and when they occur! How does your mum feel about chickens? Perhaps tell her that she got it wrong, the carer doesn't slaughter pigs, just the odd chicken and only for personal use

We didn't take it particularly seriously so no hard feelings and you're more than welcome here. I mean that.

plummy - I do sometimes try and influence the confabulations so I'll take the chicken idea and run with it if she brings it up again. Having said that, I don't think the carers have much of a chance. The only time she lets them in - and that's not often - is when she thinks they're canvassing politicians. She brings them in, makes them a 'cup of tea' (hot water with a splash of milk) and then tells them what needs fixing with the world. You have to feel for them!

Anyway, I'm off to Ikea. I may be some time...

That's good to know.

Woot for Ikea, batty! Not too many candle-holders, now!

Sad - glad your mates down there are looking after you!

Amica - getting closer!

KJ - just been playing with that lovely pic! fab



Plummie - the beginning is a *very* good place to start, so I'm told...
Seriously - as a bit of a scribbler meself, I'd recommend getting yourself either a big notebook or a blog (livejournal is quite useable) and just jump in there.

If you got a blog we'd all read and comment, and then getting the feedback makes one want to write more. Go on... I dares ya!

jra - we're all getting past forum wars on here. Pop in any time

Mr Sad's gone down to the pub. Kind of tempting to get an early night

You know me so well. I went with the boy and gave him strict instructions about what I wasn't allowed to buy, whatever I said once inside. He pretty much had to frogmarch me out... but I did get 100 tea lights for FREE for getting the Ikea family card so it's all good.

Ma update - she's moving to Durham, because people are more honest there, apparently.

Why aye...