Decision time

Despite the migraine I have been trying to decide whether or not to make some New Year resolutions. Do I need to? I ask myself. But, lacking concentration due to 'brain pain' I don't seem to get an answer and I still haven't made any decision but at least I have another twenty four hours in which to do so.
In the past I have either played safe by making none at all, or I have only made 'weak' ones that I wouldn't have broken anyway. Sometimes I wonder how many people actually make one or two and how long is it before they break them, so perhaps I should really go for it for 2011.
The biggest success I have had was not a New Year's resolution but a snap decision I made when I had decided on the date I would retire. I knew I wouldn't be able to afford to smoke once I did retire so I made an appointment to see the nurse at the surgery and after smoking on and off (more on than off) for forty or so years, I gave it up. What surprised me was how quickly I managed it too but that was mainly down to the fact that the patches kept sliding off because the weather was so warm so I only used them for about four weeks. I did use the lozenges too but again, not for long because I decided to use ordinary sugar free chewing gum instead so I am now hooked on that! Chewing the gum does have it's advantages such as keeping gums and teeth healthy and strengthening the jaw but the disadvantage is that the sweeteners used can have a laxative effect too!

A garden full of squirrels

First there was one, then two, then three and now there are four! These little furry creatures have cheered me up no end today as they played chase around the garden. I got up later this morning due to a migraine which is the result of not much sleep and also the thumping beat of music from next door which went on all day yesterday. Sometime next week the council will be installing recording equipment in my house so that they can gather evidence to prosecute the neighbours as they seem to ignore the letters.
Anyway, as I was having breakfast I was looking out of the window and noticed there were two squirrels outside tucking into the sunflower seeds. Then I saw another on the peanut box but I have had three during the very cold weather so I was surprised to see a fourth one dangling upside down by one of his back legs and raiding the birds' wire peanut cage.
During the very cold snap they would stay around the garden all day keeping their eye on the food but over the last two days it has been much milder, in fact it's almost tropical today so I think the warmer conditions have aroused their natural instincts as they seemed to have other things on their minds! A lot of people say they are just rats with fluffy tails but I disagree with that. They are little bundles of of fur with fluffy tails that seem to enjoy life to the full especially when they are chasing each other round the garden playing 'tag' or 'hide and seek'. Then there's the antics with the peanuts. One will dig a hole to bury the peanut and while he's getting another, the second squirrel will be digging up the one that's just been buried!
After fun and games and a good game of chase they will sit up along the top of the fence and have a wash then sit there like little ornaments with their front paws clasped across their tummies, heads down having a nap! I know they are not an idigenous species because the native British squirrel is red and lives in conifer forests up in the north of England and Scotland so if these little fellas had not been brought over from the USA then I would not have a lot to watch in the garden!

Not for me, thanks!

I haven't been sleeping too well for the last few days due to a combination of arthritis and sciatic pain and now the lack of proper sleep is catching up on me. My eyes are very puffy, I find it hard to concentrate and every move is painful so today I decided to go out to get some fresh air and get some more milk.
The weather is much milder now as all the snow is gone and last night we had a lot of rain too so I put on my hat, coat and gloves and set off. The local newsagents is still closed until tomorrow so I walked across Castle park to the shopping centre. There were lots of people about loaded with carrier bags from various stores taking full advantage of the sales but to be quite honest, I can never understand what people see in them.
Perhaps it's because I have rarely found anything I liked, or found clothes and shoes in my size. Usually the stuff they have on sale is either too big, too small, rubbish that has been brought in specially for the sales or things that I paid full price for a week or so before. Not only that, even the sale prices in the posh shops in the new shopping centre are way out of my reach. Neither can I understand how people here can afford to spend so much right after Christmas because I know that most of the wages around here are not high yet people seem to have an endless pot of money. Perhaps I should ask them their secret, maybe I'm missing out on free money. More than likely they've maxed out their credit and store cards which means they haven't really got any bargains but will end up paying several times as much for their goods!
Anyway, I bought my milk and walked home but I'm still feeling very tired so I think I'll have an afternoon nap when the washing machine has finished it's cycle.

Thawing out

We were lucky this year to have snow on the ground for Christmas and the sun was shining too which made it look very seasonal, but last night the thaw started and now most of the snow has gone. There hasn't been any sunshine today it's just been a very grey, gloomy day so where the snow has melted everything looks as though it could do with a jolly good wash.
I don't mind the snow or when the weather is very cold, as long as I am well wrapped up and moving around I am quite happy. This year I have even worn the snow grippers that I bought last winter and they are great for walking on the snow when it has been packed down by others walking on it. They give me a lot more confidence knowing that I am a lot less likely to slip and fall and end up breaking a few bones so I can go out to do the shopping when I need to without worrying. The other advantage is that my back doesn't hurt so much because I am not constantly bracing myself against slipping and using every muscle just to keep upright.
The weather forecast is for some rain and drizzle this week and the temperatures are supposed to stay above freezing for the most part, especially in the South West. Last week they had been forecasting heavy snowfalls for yesterday and today but the wind has moved around so we have been spared that for now at least.

Peace after the storm!

A very Happy Christmas to everyone! I have now returned to normal (if there is such a thing) as Eden is at home so I am now on my own once more. We had a very busy two days at the end of the week doing the last minute shopping on Thursday and yesterday we spent the entire day baking.
This morning Sarah's boyfriend collected us and took us back to Sarah's where I helped her to cook the Christmas dinner for everyone. We all had a really good day together and then I was brought back home at teatime. Now I am in the process of planning my week but I will miss Eden because she has been such good company this week and we have had a lot of fun together.
Never mind, I will have a lot of things to keep me busy before New Year's Day and I will have to get out for a few long walks to get rid of some of the excess calories that I have consumed!

Hooray for the brave farmers!

Despite the freezing weather the farmers' market was open for business as usual today. There were a few casualties that did not arrive because some of the more rural areas around are still having difficulties getting in or out of their villages.
Thankfully, the large fresh chicken that I ordered was there waiting and I was able to buy plenty of excellent local apples and some conference pears too. A lot of the vegetables still had the frost and snow on them and how they ever got the carrots and parsnips out of the ground, which is like iron, is beyond me.
There was plenty of poultry and locally caught game to choose from as well as the fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and meat. Last week I tried some Christmas pie from Frocester Fayre, one of the farms that I regularly buy from and it was so delicious that I ordered a small one for today. It is made with hot water crust pastry and has layers of pork sausagemeat and minced pork with a layer of turkey breast, apricots and fresh cranberries followed by another layer of the pork mixture then topped with the pastry crust. The pie is well seasoned with herbs and the only reason I don't make it myself is because I would be the only one to eat it and also I would have to collect a lot of ingredients too.
There isn't a market next week so fortunately I have stocked up enough fresh supplies to get me through into the New Year. These people deserve a medal for producing such wonderful food and especially for turning up in all winds and weather to ensure we get the very best from within a thirty mile radius of where we live.
Many thanks and a very happy Christmas to all our farmers!

This is 'plan B'

My Christmas plans have had to be changed because of the freezing weather. I will absolutely NOT drive if there is any chance of snow or ice so the plans that I had made to take Eden home on Christmas morning and stay for Christmas dinner have been shelved.
Eden was quite upset when I said that she would have to go back home with Sarah tomorrow or maybe the train on Thursday because she didn't want me to be on my own on Christmas Day and neither did she want to miss Christmas with her sister and brother and of course, Sarah. I did tell her she could stay with me on Christmas Day because I had a turkey breast joint in the freezer and would have a few other treats too so she wouldn't miss out on anything that we would normally enjoy at Christmas. She spoke to her Mum and eventually came to a decision that she would stay with me Christmas Day and Sarah would come over with her boyfriend to collect her on Boxing Day (he's used to driving in very bad conditions so it's not a problem for him).
Well, with the decision made I told her I would put 'plan B' into action because you always have to have a 'plan B'. So today we went shopping and bought some crackers to put on the Christmas dinner table and as I hadn't made puddings or cake this year I was tempted to buy a slab of iced fruit cake with marzipan in Marks and Spencer, that is until we saw they had a small decorated Christmas cake at half price which was only £1 more than the slab. With the crackers, cake and a box of clementines we are all set. I've already got a small pudding, nuts, fruit, sweets and all the other treats so tomorrow we'll be off to the farmers' market (hopefully) for the fresh vegetables and a couple of other bits and pieces.
We're both looking forward to having a really great Christmas together.

More seasonal pictures!

'Sitting on the fence with cold feet'

The squirrels know where the food is and like to sit on the fence after they've eaten just to make sure the birds don't eat it all. Today I put out a special treat for them, some sweet chestnuts that I had in my mixed nuts.

Below, the silver birch on the school field is graciously wearing a winter cloak as are the trees on the car park of the homestore. The trouble is, they don't stay this way for long because as soon as the sun breaks through the snow melts and drips off the branches very quickly. They look so beautiful in these pictures.

'The Jews Graveyard'

I hope this one's not too sombre but it has an eerie calmness about it.

A snowy day

The Christmas trees in the garden centre look very seasonal.

This morning there was a fresh fall of snow which made everything look so clean and fresh. After feeding the birds and giving them some fresh water, Eden and I went to get the paper before having breakfast and we took a few pictures.

Later we went to finish the Christmas shopping but it was very wet and slushy in the centre. I hate it when the cars churn up the roads into black slushy rivers.

Buffet for the birds

We had a really hard frost last night as well as a light covering of snow so this morning as soon as I was up I went out to do the birds' food and water. I cleared off the bird table because this is something that needs to be done regularly so that no one gets an infection and also because the squirrels sit on there. Then I got the various foods out.
As some of the birds are ground feeders I have been putting small amounts of food onto the patio stones but this morning because of the snow, it had been covered up. I found a large flowerpot saucer in the shed and decided to put the food on there. This would be easy to pick up every night and put on the bird table especially as we may get a considerable amount of snow tonight.
I put small handfuls of grated cheese, mealworm crumble, suet and insect treats, sunflower seeds and mixed seed for smaller birds onto the saucer then placed it on the patio while I put some more in smaller amounts on the bird table. While I was doing this there were a couple of hungry birds tucking into the bird buffet on the saucer.
The hanging feeders will be due to have a clean out just before Christmas and I will also need to check the hanging fat treats and clean out the squirrels' nut box. Even though I know that there is a good selection of foods for all the birds and squirrels I still worry about them getting enough to eat and a warm place to sleep. I'm going soft in the head!

Misleading adverts

With Christmas fast approaching there seems to be the usual glut of misleading advertisements on the television and the worst ones are those for perfumes. Without exception, every one of them shows women as ultra glamorous women under the age of 30 who have the perfect figure and look as though they have just emerged from a beauty salon.
They are usually dressed in designer evening wear and the effect of the perfume has them rolling around on the floor as though they are in the middle of an orgasm or they are scantily dressed and draped around the neck of some bloke who looks as though he's swallowed something that tastes foul.
Trust me, I have tried some of these perfumes and they certainly have never affected me as they do these models and neither have they ever attracted a male of the species!! The men's 'fragrances' are portrayed by young men who always look angry and I often feel that they are too much in love with themselves to be bothered with a woman and if they did they would probably not pay her much attention.
It's a great pity that they don't give us more information about the perfume such as what the main notes are or the price, or maybe even real women in proper clothes wearing the perfume instead. I know that advertising doesn't influence me when I buy perfume and it never has, I go by the smell.

A Christmas carol story!

Last night the choir from the local church came round singing carols and they were a delight to hear. I always used to go to the door with money but they don't collect, instead, for the last couple of years they have given out warm mince pies with a large dollop of brandy cream!
About nine years ago it was a bit like the wild west round here as many of the families in the council houses were well known to the local constabulary and this included some of the young lads who were always in trouble. One evening, right at the start of December, there was a knock at the door and when I opened it, three of these lads who were about ten years old were standing there singing 'We wish you a merry Christmas'. I told them that it wasn't a proper carol, they were far too early and I wasn't going to give them money for that pathetic performance! Then I told them that if they wanted to earn money for carol singing they could come back at 6:30pm on the Saturday before Christmas and sing two verses of three proper carols and I would pay £10 whether it was one person, two or thirty two!
Several times during the next couple of weeks I saw them huddled together in various places holding sheets of paper and trying hard not to be seen. Obviously they had some carol sheets from school and were practising hard. Then two weeks before I had told them to come there was a knock at the door and when I opened it I told them they were still too early and to go away and practice a bit more.
On the Saturday before Christmas I had Eden with me and I told her the boys were coming round to sing some carols to us and duly at 6:30pm there was a knock at the door. There were only two of them so I asked where their friend was only to be told he had been 'grounded'. Then they started to sing the first carol and didn't do too bad a job but I did ask them to sing a little more loudly for the next one which they did. When it came to the third carol they didn't seem very sure of the tune so I stopped them and said we would start from the beginning and I would give them some help. So there we were, all singing the last carol and at the end I told them they had done very well and gave them ten £1 coins and they went off quite happy.
I hope I they learned that you have to earn money and not just expect it but they never came back the next year!

Conspiracy

Well, I've managed to make the effort and I have written out all my Christmas cards so when I went into town today I thought I would get some stamps in the post office. I always go out fairly early, but this morning I think everyone must have taken a 'duvet day' or 'sickie' from work in order to do their Christmas shopping because it was extremely busy everywhere.
When I got to the post office the queue was well out of the door so I decided I would get the stamps in Wilkinson's. The girls on the checkouts there have been trained to ask everyone if they would like any stamps or top ups and as I needed some more suet treats for the birds and a few other bits and pieces, I could easily get the stamps too. However, when I got to the checkout and asked for a dozen second class stamps the girl didn't have any in her till and when she asked the other assistants, they too only had first class stamps as they had all sold out of the second class ones.
The cost of the first class stamps was more than I wanted to pay especially as most of my cards were only going about five miles so I thought I would try in one of the card shops. Eventually, after trying in no less than three cards shops, I managed to get some in the fourth and that was their last lot. It's the same every year, second class stamps become like gold dust from the beginning of December so next year I will have to write out my cards before the end of November and buy the stamps to put on them.
Perhaps the post office restrict the number of books that the shops are allowed to buy so that people have to go to the post office and queue for ages just to make them look busier than they actually are!

The wrong sort of Christmas break!

One evening this week I had a telephone call from Eden to say they had a 'situation' and needed my advice. It turned out that Amber had been coming down the stairs and slipped on the third one from the bottom and fell awkwardly on her foot so consequently was in a lot of pain and they wanted to know what was the best thing to do.
I'm used to diagnosing over the phone for Sarah, when the children were small she would ring up to say one or the other had a rash so I would ask her to describe it and then advise her over the phone. Being a nurse in the past sometimes has it's downsides but I think that's where they got the idea for NHS Direct!
Anyway, I asked Eden if she could gently move Amber's ankle, then each toe but it was obvious from the yelling in the background that it was very painful. I said that she would need to keep her foot up and pack it with something out of the freezer but Sarah had done that so I told her I thought she would need to go to casualty at the local hospital and would have to have an X-ray. From what Eden described it sounded as though Amber may have broken a small bone in the foot but without seeing her I couldn't be sure but I did say she may need a plaster cast up to the knee.
A little while later Eden rang to let me know that they had been to the hospital and Amber had been given crutches but she would have to go back in the morning for the X-ray. The following evening they rang again to say that she hadn't broken anything but when I spoke to her she was still in a lot of pain.
Today when I spoke to Eden she said the hospital had rang because the X-ray had been sent on to the RUH at Bath and Amber had broken a small bone in the foot so she had to go back to be plastered. Amber now has a cast to the knee, just in time for Christmas!

A message to the protesting students

Most decent civilised people would have felt as disgusted as I did at the wanton violence and destruction of property that occurred during yesterday's demonstrations in London. We are lucky to have a democracy which allows people to demonstrate peacefully but yesterday's demonstration has probably alienated a larger proportion of the voting population against the 'students' than those 'students' who have vowed not to vote for the Liberal Democrats. I sincerely hope that the government does not do a U-turn on the increase of tuition fees and perhaps they should make an additional annual statutory charge to all students which could then be kept by to pay for any damage caused as a result of violent demonstrations in the future.
Not one of those involved in yesterday's demonstration gave a thought to the thousands of pensioners who have worked hard all their lives and paid taxes which have allowed these students to receive a free education, free health treatment and a lot of their parents have probably received state benefits in the form child benefit, tax credits, housing benefits and in the past, income support for single mothers. Not only have these pensioners funded all this for you but many of them now have to try to live on the breadline because there have been no real increases in the state pension for many years and many are also paying tax even now on very modest occupational pensions. Meanwhile you continue with your hedonistic lives at university and you haven't paid a penny into the pot and I know from the last job that I had, many of you doing non-academic degrees never will. Instead, you will probably end up squatting in somebody else's property, more than likely dabbling with various substances, legal or otherwise, while claiming jobseeker's allowance and being too scruffy and smelly for any employer to want to interview you let alone employ you. Trust me, I know, I've seen it all.
The damage done to property yesterday comes to hundreds of thousands of pounds as does the bill for policing and all of this has to be paid by the taxpayer. All this at a time when many of the people in this country are going to have to do without many services such as schools, hospital facilities, libraries, care for the elderly etc. I could go on.
Those of you responsible for the disgraceful violence yesterday do not deserve a university place. If you think the fees here will be high then I suggest you find out how much it would cost you in the USA, especially in any of the ivy league colleges.
Oh, and one more thing, I noticed that there were quite a few spelling errors on some placards so perhaps you also need basic skills tests especially as many ten year olds can do better than you.

Trimming up

This year I'm finding it a bit hard to get in the mood for Christmas with some of the issues that are going on, but after doing the cleaning today I decided to put up the Christmas tree. Usually I have one in the front room, a smaller one in the dining room and I also trim down the bannister rails on the stairs. As I won't be having Sarah and the grand-children here on Christmas Day because I am going over to their house for Christmas dinner, I have only put up the tree in the front room.
It's been quite a traumatic few months and the biggest worry is not knowing when I will be lucky enough to get somewhere to live that is closer to Sarah and the grand-children. I'm on the council housing list but there is no way of knowing exactly where you come on the list especially with the strange way that they operate.
Anyway, I have made a bit of effort and I have bought a couple of Christmas presents which are already wrapped so tomorrow I must sit and write out the cards.
Hopefully next year I will be more settled and relaxed and living nearer to Sarah. I will also make sure that I start preparations much earlier because I would like to make a Christmas cake and puddings which I haven't bothered with this year, it's only Eden and I that eat them.

Powerless

For the last two days I have had problems with my electricity supply which hopefully has now been rectified. Because the situation was so dangerous yesterday evening when the electrician called, he told me that he was unable to touch the piece of equipment involved and I would have to put in an emergency call to the power supplier. He spoke to them and explained what the problem was then advised me to switch off everything except for one light. I was told that it could be up to four hours for them to attend the call out and if there was any smoke at all, I was to call the fire brigade immediately.
Fortunately, two men turned up about half an hour later, switched off the supply and worked at rectifying the problem. They had almost finished when a further two men arrived to see if they were required. The reason two lots turned up was that one lot are responsible for the supply to part of the equipment and the others are responsible for the other part (if that makes any sense!). Eventually the lights were back on and they all left and because it was too late to cook, I had a sandwich instead of the usual cooked meal.
This morning I woke up and looked at the clock and the time was about 4:30am so I turned over and went back to sleep. When I woke again I looked at the clock but it was black which meant that the electricity was off again so I stumbled out of bed, found the torch and looked at my watch. It was seven o'clock. I pulled on some clothes and came downstairs to phone the supply company again but the phone doesn't work without the power so I had to fumble around looking for my mobile. I made the call and once more I was told it could be up to 4 hours before someone would attend. Great! I couldn't have my early morning cup of tea and that makes me grumpy and have you ever tried putting in contact lenses by torchlight?!
An hour later the first man turned up and he looked in the box and found the problem was in the same place. He told me that I would keep getting this unless they changed the box because the connections were dodgy so he would have to ring someone to come and do that. As he was telling me this his phone rang and as he was speaking to the person on the other end he explained what he was doing and said what else needed to be done. Then he turned to me and asked if I would be in for the next hour or so because the other person could come around to change the box when he had finished the job he was doing which was not too far away.
Anyway, this guy got the power back on so I could have a cup of tea and he left. A short while later, two other men turned up and they did the necessary work so I hope I don't get any more problems. I hope that the neighbours weren't counting because I had eight men through the front door last night and this morning. My reputation will soar!!! :D

Snow, ice and Christmas shopping

On Friday I went to pick up Eden because most of the snow had gone frome here but there was still a covering where she lives. After we got home in the evening, it rained quite steadily for an hour or so but the forecast was for freezing temperatures overnight. We had planned to got to Tesco early on Saturday but I told her I wouldn't do that if it was icy because I made that mistake last winter and found Tesco's car park was like a giant ice skating rink as they don't salt or grit it.
When the alarm went on Saturday morning I looked out to see that there was ice sparkling on the road just as if someone had sprinkled glitter liberally over it so I set the alarm for an hour later and climbed back into my warm bed again. When we got up we decided to got to the paper shop to get the paper and after breakfast we could go to do Eden's Christmas shopping because hopefully it would be better underfoot by then. We slithered and slid to the paper shop and back, fortunately we both managed to stay upright, then we had breakfast.
By the time we went out most of the ice had gone and it didn't take us very long to buy small gifts for her friends especially as I had made her write a list beforehand. Luckily the shops were fairly quiet as I suppose the icy conditions had kept people away until later. We got home in record time and decided to dash to Tesco before lunch. It had just started raining but at least it wasn't freezing as it hit the ground so the car park at Tesco, although almost full, wasn't frozen as it must have been earlier. Tesco was packed but we got the shopping done so that meant that we wouldn't have to go on Sunday as I hate Sunday shopping unless it's an emergency.
Eden wrapped all her presents after lunch and wrote out her cards. When we woke up yesterday morning to freezing fog outside we were glad we had decided to do the grocery shopping on Saturday and enjoyed a leisurely morning in the warm.

Yippeeeeee!

I'll bet there aren't that many people who jump with joy when they receive their electricity bills, but that's just what I did today. Mine is paid every month by a direct debit but since the start of this very cold weather which has come much earlier this year, I must admit that I have been very frugal with the heating just in case there is another long, cold spell in the New Year at the time we usually get it.
The reason I was so happy is that I have built up quite a bit of credit and so the electricity company want to reduce the payments. I rang the customer services and asked them to keep them at the same level because it means I can turn up the heating without having to worry about having a huge bill at the end of the next quarter. Besides, the temperature is supposed to drop to an all time low tonight so I will need all the storage heaters on. It will also mean that I can put on the fan and convector heaters in the evenings when the temperature gets low because by the evening, there isn't any heat left in the storage heaters.
The lady in the customer services sounded a bit surprised to have a happy customer on the phone for a change but at least I can look forward to a warm Christmas and snug winter without having to worry about the cost of turning on additional heating.

What's on the menu today?

With the weather being so cold and temperatures due to dip to their lowest tonight, I make sure that I get up early to put a good selection of food out for the birds and squirrels. At least we've been quite lucky here because we only had a light covering of snow yesterday but the temperature has remained below freezing with the wind chill making it much colder.
On Saturday I went into the garden centre to get some food for the little robin and the dunnock because they both quietly hop around the garden and prefer to feed on the ground. I already buy a special seed and insect mix which has the husks removed so is 'ready to eat' and this is in the hanging feeders but I also put some on the bird table. Then I add some sunflower kernels which are quite expensive, enjoyed by both birds and squirrels, so I bought some special insect suet treats which are intended for the birds, but also enjoyed by the squirrels. Of course there are the peanuts for the birds in a wire feeder and the squirrels have them in their nut box.
I know that quite a lot of birds, including the robin, enjoy cheese because of the fat in it so I got some of Tesco's value grated cheese and the squirrels are even having some of that. The other tasty morsel that they are all enjoying are some currants which are past their best that were given to me by the old man round the corner, but the birds and squirrels are eating those too so it must be the sugar.
With such a vast menu I get the usual birds and also a few others such as a pair of magpies and the wrens. I'm glad they know where to come for a good feed and fresh water even if I do have to go out two or three times during the day to thaw out the bird bath and refill it. Yesterday, one of the squirrels had a really good feed then sat on the fence post at the top of the garden in the sun with his front paws folded on his chest, his head down, then he went off to sleep for a while!