Coffee and chocolate

ani_26

Hmmm, i don't want to intrude in your diary, and i have'nt read wordsmiths wise words, as i read very few diaries now, because i'd like to post, but feel i won't be welcomed, so i don't want to encroach on any ones diary, these days, for fear of saying the ' wrong thing ' , or at the very least, not conforming to the norm, but this has made me think.

miggy

Mud dried up, has been replenished. I think the blackbirds have been having fun with it.

My neighbour tells me there aren't any house martins round here, just swifts and the occasional swallow. All these years I've wished swallows came here and never seen one, but he reckons they're here, and he's knowledgeable.

Anyhow, something's appreciating my mud.

I had a guilt trip after staying on the computer so long this morning and spent the afternoon gardening and chatting to neighbours. The garden looks neater for a haircut and the removal of the blue bit that ought to protect the trampoline springs but has been detroyed by weather. I've also folded up a big plastic sheet that had been left out to protect the rabbit run in wet weather and also because I couldn't be bothered to put it away. I felt a bit bad that there was a little puddle of water in it and now there isn't, so where will the wild things drink? I put out a plant saucer of water for them instead.

And guess what fell out of the plastic sheeting?! (Look away if of a nervous disposition). A toad! A real, live toad! I have never seen one up here and I'm the sort of person who goes a bit daft over close encounters with wild animals. I quite often talk to neighbouring frogs, birds and so on, so I had to pick this little fellow up and admire him - even if he did then wee on me! Who'd be an animal lover? I went and shouted for my neighbour (not the frog, the chap who knows about wildlife) and he duly admired the critter but advised me against putting him in a nearby pond, as apparently they are territorial so he would just spend the next however-long finding his way back (toad not neighbour).

Long story short - toad re-released into shady bit of garden and lawn mower not allowed anywhere near.

One thing I'd never realised about toads - the eyes were amber-coloured with a horizontal pupil - like a cat's but the other way along.

Nature notes over - oh, apart from that I tidied the front hedge.

NSD as far as food goes: I found half a jar of pasta sauce and some salmon in the freezer for tea - yum! In the evening we went to DD's Drama exam which was entertaining (cost £9 for three of us). I wonder if I can manage an NSD tomorrow, too? I ought to get some shopping for mum but can I get away with not spending on us? I think we need bread...

miggy

Further nature notes: in the interest of preventing DS's pet newts from starving, our neighbour donated some worms from his compost heap. I didn't exactly clean out their tank but I changed it round a bit and added some grass as they seem to like to explore it.

And the sickly goldfish is swimming a bit better - did the addition of extra aquarium salts a couple of days ago help, I wonder?

miggy

ani_26 wrote: »

Hmmm, i don't want to intrude in your diary, and i have'nt read wordsmiths wise words, as i read very few diaries now, because i'd like to post, but feel i won't be welcomed, so i don't want to encroach on any ones diary, these days, for fear of saying the ' wrong thing ' , or at the very least, not conforming to the norm, but this has made me think.

I'm sure Wordsmith wouldn't mind you looking in! She was very amusing about her dog this morning, I hope he's alright after what she wrote about, though!

And I love having visitors, so don't worry about turning up here. You know where the kettle is.

I meant to say - I bumped into one of the people on this morning's list, this evening. I asked her round for coffee, we arranged a date - then later I realised I'm double booked and I'll have to sort out something else (sigh).

miggy

Miggy is half way through the document on the ins and outsof Power of Attorney, which she has been avoiding all week. The rain is keeping the mud going. Miggy has washed her hair and if she goes out to see mum (which she said she would) it will go all frizzy. :rotfl:

Miggy has not sorted out tea yet... will let you know.

Not that she ever engages in displacement activities.

miggy

I am proud of myself! I finally got out of doors (not too frizzy, thank you) and ran mum's errands - yes, not only her shopping but also the Power of Attorney to be registered at the Bank! It's done! It could take about ten days but maybe not, and then I've to remember to go in and sort out her card and cheque book.

I also remembered to get her some clothes hangers which is useful.

I've spent all sorts of bits and pieces for her so in a minute I need to record those and hopefully file a few more pieces of paper for her.

Oh, such a relief!

I manged to spend exactly £7 at the supermarket from our budget but that means we're still okay this week. I only went in for bread...! I bought a couple of garden plants for me, one for mum, and an assortment of reduced-price sandwiches which are now in the freezer for people to take to school and work.

miggy

The above-mentioned filing has uncovered a few unexpecteds - for instance, the TV licence people are chasing mum up for her house having no licence - despite the existence of a letter from them stating that her licence has been transferred to her new address. Obviously they get suspicious of licence-less houses and the licence follows mum not the property, so I had better ring them up and cross-reference for them. Quite how I prove there's no one there, I haven't worked out yet but I'll see how it goes. (Just noticed I can do this online).

Readers' Digest are chasing her for a payment I've already sent them.

A magazine subscription is offering her another magazine subscription (thus proving what I suspected: paper breeds).

Her former newsagent says she owes them a fiver - I thought there was nothing outstanding there and certainly I've not heard from them since January so another thing to chase up.

Hey ho...I was a bit cross that I hadn't noticed till after closing time on a Friday but that gives me time to get the papers in order and my head round all the bits and pieces.

miggy

I don't know whether I've mentioned our ongoing water saga? Nothing to do with mum this time: we seem to have a penchant for things to do with water not working properly (nothing to do with mud, toads or guttering, either).

The inflow pipe for the toilet cistern developed a leak! Not something we can deal with so a friend has had a look for us and it will cost around £50. I hope he can do it tomorrow as otherwise we'll have to fit his visit in around my nights as I need to sleep through the mornings.

Then there's the immersion heater. Three times it's failed in a couple of months and DH has had to replace bits on it. Today he found out why. He'd been overriding the pre-set temperature limit as he likes HOT water. Apparently there's a very good reason for it being set at whatever it is. Some water tanks are being installed directly above bedrooms and people had had their water on very hot. Enough said? So we now have yet another element for the tank and hot water again, and DH isn't going to reset the temp as they are temperamental and that's why the other ones failed in a matter of weeks.

In addition, DD accidentally flooded the shower: the first we knew of it was water dripping through the kitchen ceiling. This has happened a few times with various of us, probably because the shower curtain doesn't always hang right. The wallpaper over the kitchen door is ruined but is it worth putting it right when we know it will happen again? We just haven't come up with a solution for our impromptu waterfall.

But the sickly goldfish has got into the habit of swimming normally around this time of night - when food is due. Any clues on this one?

ani_26

Readers Digest, blimey does anyone still subscribe? Whatever happened to people's friend? Neither of these have i ever read, they are just familiar brands :rotfl:

No idea about the goldfish. Now thats a pet/ friend, i could have? Not touchy, feely enough, though.

Hmmm, thats supposed to be the good thing about not having your own property, you don't have to worry about the cost of repairs.


Have a good day / weekend xx

miggy

Reader's Digest, People's Friend - both being kept going by mum!

Goldfish - no, not very good in the touchy-feely stakes but strangely relaxing. I once found my most worldly-wise, techie, gadget-brained offspring in a room with a lit fish tank, watching it like a TV. And clearly enraptured. My fish tank is next to the computer and late at night the fish queue in the corner nearest me until I give in and feed them.

But not cuddly. I imagine you are a dog person but I haven't decided what breed. (People seem to choose breeds that somehow suit them. The rest of my family - those that are bothered - would like either a Jack Russell or a Yorkie. I would prefer a cat).

Where was I? Yes, plumbing - fixed! Yippee! And he hardly charged us anything. No more jugs to fill the cistern.

NSD today, back on shift tonight. Spent spare time last night reading Gordon Ramsey's autobiog, as bought at car boot in the morning. Easy reading but am still waiting for osmotic improvement to my cooking.