Movers and Shakers

Dear Readers, you find me typing while on the dog-and-bone to my ISP, Talk Talk. I've been on hold for just under a million minutes. The recorded message keeps shouting 'Thank you for your continued wait!' and sounds like Davina McColl. I keep thinking she's actually the customer service person and I jump to attention every 30 seconds.

I am trying to arrange a change of address for my ISP. What's that, you say? A move?! Yes, indeedy. More will be revealed later. It involves myself and Nice Man and it'll be good once we get passed the nitty gritty. Today's nitty gritty involves sticking my head into the back of cupboards (at my current, soon-to-be-'old') flat and finding packets of lentils or self-raising flour marked best before Jun '05. There is a fleeting temptation to keep them, but '05? Come now...

More of today's To-Do's involved throwing random possessions in blue plastic Ikea sacks (socks/books/flowering cactus) and getting ready to plead (when I finally get through to Talk Talk's home-moving helpline) that their requirement of BT reactivating the existing phone line at the new address (ie flicking a switch in an exchange box somewhere) is reasonable, but the fact that BT are then charging £124.99 for this honour, sounds to me like they're taking the mickey. Jeeze, that was a long sentence. And perhaps unnecessarily so! I'm warbling...

Wish me luck.

-C

Pleasing Party Aftermath

Oh, how lucky I feel to have a surprisey party thrown for me, and even better, it coincided with my 40th birthday. Nice Man made me wear a scarf tied around my eyes as I walked in to a mystery destination (yikes) and lo, a room full of people were singing Happy Birthday. Happily still, they were my nearest and dearest and they did place kisses on my cheek and give me presents. Nice Man sang with his guitar and John McCusker got his fiddle out and Heidi Talbot sang this melodic swooper of a song. I tried to chat to everyone at least once, so it was a bit hectic at the time, but in the aftermath, well, it was a pleasing mass of general loveliness. I'll write some thank you cards soon.

PS - I found a tank-top in a bag and I don't know if it was a present for me without a gift tag, or some one's knitwear gone AWOL. I'll wear it, if its owner can't be found. Black and 'V' necked, it's a utility classic to be applauded.

-C

Lychee Birthday to me

I was 39 years on this earth before I tasted a lychee. Initially I was wary - once peeled they looked uncannily like eye balls or pickled onions. Yesterday, in the supermarket, I bought a plastic tray of them for a mere £1 and tonight, on the eve of my 40th birthday (see how I dropped that in?) I peeled and savoured several of them in a row and thought how lovely they were. I will tell you if 'life begins at...' in my next post.

-C

Island Hogmanay - part 2

Well, Nice Man and I spent a second Hogmanay on Islay and had a great, battery-recharging, nature-loving time. We took a day trip to Jura, where I lost my fake-fur hat. There are 6000 deer on Jura and less than 200 people, so if any one spots a deer wearing a deer stalker...

-C