Today it has started snowing outside, large thick flakes falling slowly at the moment. I had to finally wash my one remaining non motheaten cashmere sweater, which is the only thing which keeps me warm. Today I ordered two more from Lands End. They are £70 which seems a lot, but worth every penny to me. Unfortunately they didn't have any more neutral colours, so bought a kind of blackberry colour and a black polo neck one. Even if these get devoured by moths they will see me through the winter.
Suddenly remembered that not only do I have to go to the hairdressers on Saturday, but have a party on Saturday night. It is my birthday on Friday, so in view of all these outings, and lunch at the Ivy on Sunday, will spend a quiet birthday evening at home and watch TV. Not much chance of weight loss, either this week or next. We shall see. Just hearing about a potato marketing guy in America eating nothing but potatoes every day for a month. He is feeling healthy, his cholesterol is down and he has lost weight. Might make a good plan B, though a rather tedious one - no added cream, butter, fat, oil etc.
Day off today, which is just as well, but back to work tomorrow for a couple of days.
Romy bought me a birthday present from Bluewater. I have been good and left this unopened though I suspect I know what it may be. Very naughty of her.
Since I have been overfeeding Kook, his mood has improved considerably and he has bitten me less, though I felt a light, playful nip on the leg when I got up this morning. Perhaps he is like a man, and becomes evil when hungry. Blood sugar levels, probably.
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Monday Morning Chill
Thought I knew it was very cold on Saturday evening, I started noticing draughts everywhere. I could not understand this, and when I went to bed upstairs it was particularly cold, despite leaving the heating on all night. All was revealed at 11am on Sunday when I went out to get the papers: the main front door had been wide open since 8.30pm the previous evening. The second time this has happened. Not a good idea in this area, quite apart from the weather. I rang my upstairs neighbours bell later and mentioned this, and they were very apologetic. Oh well. I suppose I should be grateful I was not murdered in my bed, which is near the front door.
Call from Dorothy on the way to the hairdressers last night. Seems the assessment was very good. Dorothy has been reading my blog and says I go on too much about food. I may take to drink, though I have been trying to do this all my life without any great success. Maybe not, too many calories.
Finally, Wagner has left the X-factor. With Katie Waissel. The others are all pretty good. Rebecca is my favourite because of her modest manner and excellent voice. We shall see.
Must organise a shopping delivery today. Hibernation has a very definite attraction in this weather.
Call from Dorothy on the way to the hairdressers last night. Seems the assessment was very good. Dorothy has been reading my blog and says I go on too much about food. I may take to drink, though I have been trying to do this all my life without any great success. Maybe not, too many calories.
Finally, Wagner has left the X-factor. With Katie Waissel. The others are all pretty good. Rebecca is my favourite because of her modest manner and excellent voice. We shall see.
Must organise a shopping delivery today. Hibernation has a very definite attraction in this weather.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Cheery Sunday News
Nervously climbed onto the scales. Amazing - despite quite a difficult week I seem to have lost 3lb. Still just over 15 stone, but another week or so and I will have lost at least two stones. At one point I was well over 17, maybe even more, and not so long ago, so calorie counting, however inaccurate, is working. Just a matter of sticking to it, which is hard in cold weather, but obviously not impossible. This has rather made my day after last week's setback. Must remember not to become complacent.
Just had a long chat with Nibby who has told me about something called Yupo which is a kind of plastic paper. You paint on with with watercolours, then can do all kinds of effects, blotting, drying, layering and polishing, and apparently it is totally fantastic. She says there's a demonstration DVD by someone called George James. Sounds exciting. I feel another purchase coming on.
Just had a long chat with Nibby who has told me about something called Yupo which is a kind of plastic paper. You paint on with with watercolours, then can do all kinds of effects, blotting, drying, layering and polishing, and apparently it is totally fantastic. She says there's a demonstration DVD by someone called George James. Sounds exciting. I feel another purchase coming on.
Bloody Cold Outside
It is. Last night, I dug my old Belling electric fire out. It does make strange noises which I seem to recall from the old days of electric heating - kind of buzzing noises coming from the coiled wires on the elements, which should probably be alarming but are oddly comforting, and the warm glow is rather good. I normally only drag this out in extreme weather when there is thick snow outside, but last night it felt so cold, despite wearing a thick cardigan. I suspect my central heating is a little inadequate. Anyway I left it on constant all night, so this morning the house is slightly less cold.
Yesterday I went to Borough market, clutching a painting of Richard, the proprietor of The Rake, done from a photograph several years old. A few people had admired this so I assumed it wasn't completely unflattering. Richard was nowhere to be found so I left it with an employee at his beer stall and scarpered, just in case it was less flattering than I had imagined.
I purchased some more smoked paprika and some of those rather good salted Marcona large almonds for Christmas. I did a little shopping at Sainsbury's on the way home, and noticed they had some very pretty tiny iced fruit cakes with silver stars on top. Excellent for a couple, or a small family who don't want to be left with the usual excess after Christmas.
Despite emailing, my niece has still not sent me her address. I hope this arrives before Christmas. She must be very busy with two small children and a new house. I shall see if Nibby has it. Nibby always pretends to be a completely disorganised artist, but is very hard headed underneath it all. Falling on her feet is her specialty, whatever happens to her. I am the reverse of this, pretending to know what I am doing when I haven't a clue. Oh well.
Yesterday I went to Borough market, clutching a painting of Richard, the proprietor of The Rake, done from a photograph several years old. A few people had admired this so I assumed it wasn't completely unflattering. Richard was nowhere to be found so I left it with an employee at his beer stall and scarpered, just in case it was less flattering than I had imagined.
I purchased some more smoked paprika and some of those rather good salted Marcona large almonds for Christmas. I did a little shopping at Sainsbury's on the way home, and noticed they had some very pretty tiny iced fruit cakes with silver stars on top. Excellent for a couple, or a small family who don't want to be left with the usual excess after Christmas.
Despite emailing, my niece has still not sent me her address. I hope this arrives before Christmas. She must be very busy with two small children and a new house. I shall see if Nibby has it. Nibby always pretends to be a completely disorganised artist, but is very hard headed underneath it all. Falling on her feet is her specialty, whatever happens to her. I am the reverse of this, pretending to know what I am doing when I haven't a clue. Oh well.
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Lost Punters - and Found
Bluewater was a bit of an adventure. It was a cold day and around ten people, including our trustee helper, didn't turn up. When we arrived, we all went our own ways and did some shopping. Romy had arranged separate transport for a punter in a wheelchair and her helper, and they managed a satisfactory shopping trip.
I had intended to restock with Lapsang tea, since the local Tesco does not stock this. However, I became quite carried away and purchased masses of clothes and some Christmas presents. When we came to leave, a couple was missing, so Romy rushed around to all the exits in case they were at the wrong place, but no luck. The centre management refused to put a message out on the loudspeaker, so leaving messages at customer 'helpdesks' we had to leave, half an hour late. Later that evening I had a call from Romy to say that they had been waiting outside Marks & Spencer at the other end of the shopping centre, and had then moved to House of Fraser, after we left. They managed to get back by bus and train, and rang Romy in the evening. I had been imagining all kinds of mishaps, so was glad when Romy rang with the good news. I suspect that Romy had burned off the calories we consumed at lunch by rushing around in search of our missing punters.
I bought a very silly Santa playgro with a hat and a white teddy bear for the baby upstairs, but will give them these with receipts in advance of Christmas. That way they can either change them for something more sensible, or the baby can appear as a mini Santa at gatherings in December, and will no doubt bump into many other mini Santas. He will be too young to be irritated by seeing others in the same outfit, hopefully.
I had intended to restock with Lapsang tea, since the local Tesco does not stock this. However, I became quite carried away and purchased masses of clothes and some Christmas presents. When we came to leave, a couple was missing, so Romy rushed around to all the exits in case they were at the wrong place, but no luck. The centre management refused to put a message out on the loudspeaker, so leaving messages at customer 'helpdesks' we had to leave, half an hour late. Later that evening I had a call from Romy to say that they had been waiting outside Marks & Spencer at the other end of the shopping centre, and had then moved to House of Fraser, after we left. They managed to get back by bus and train, and rang Romy in the evening. I had been imagining all kinds of mishaps, so was glad when Romy rang with the good news. I suspect that Romy had burned off the calories we consumed at lunch by rushing around in search of our missing punters.
I bought a very silly Santa playgro with a hat and a white teddy bear for the baby upstairs, but will give them these with receipts in advance of Christmas. That way they can either change them for something more sensible, or the baby can appear as a mini Santa at gatherings in December, and will no doubt bump into many other mini Santas. He will be too young to be irritated by seeing others in the same outfit, hopefully.
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Old Age
Here it is. Here. Me. I could never stand old people. Grumpy looking, slow, ratty and a bit frightening. I have always done my best to avoid them. I did quite like a few old people such as my grandmother, and a couple of great aunts, but generally, just no.
I am now getting what I deserve. What I have tried to ignore, but has been inevitable since the day I was born, is now very much here. And now. I am bloody OLD. Really old.
I had just been getting used to, at first, being no longer young, but young middle aged, then middle aged, then late middle aged, etc. I suppose I have been old for nearly ten years but, with the purchase of my mirrored screen which shows my incredibly large body, my undoubted haggard, wild, staring OLD face and wild, staring old hair have been equally revealed to me. Damn, damn, damn.
An approaching birthday is yet another spiteful reminder of the inevitable. Perhaps Kook has turned against me because he, like me, is not keen on old people.
Now I may start thinking about wearing crimplene, having a perm, wearing transparent plastic rain hoods which I shall keep handy in my bag. The list is endless. I shall start by baking. I have long had it in mind to make a batch of those wonderful nineteen fifties cakes, Jap, or Japonaise cakes. These are absolutely delicious, rather like large sized macaroons sandwiched together with coffee icing. In fact I could make mini ones the size of macaroons. I shall now try and organise myself to make a batch of these, and give them away to someone who would like them.
The other day, I was reminded of my friend John, who once told me that the most irritating thing about being old was being patronised by younger people. I have discovered the truth of this. When presented by a group of older people, young people have a huge tendency to decide that the poor old things all have Alzheimer's, as well as being deaf. We are talked to as though we are about five years old, which is intensely irritating. If I had the strength, I should probably become a geriatric thug, and give these younger idiots a good kicking. Oh well.
I am now getting what I deserve. What I have tried to ignore, but has been inevitable since the day I was born, is now very much here. And now. I am bloody OLD. Really old.
I had just been getting used to, at first, being no longer young, but young middle aged, then middle aged, then late middle aged, etc. I suppose I have been old for nearly ten years but, with the purchase of my mirrored screen which shows my incredibly large body, my undoubted haggard, wild, staring OLD face and wild, staring old hair have been equally revealed to me. Damn, damn, damn.
An approaching birthday is yet another spiteful reminder of the inevitable. Perhaps Kook has turned against me because he, like me, is not keen on old people.
Now I may start thinking about wearing crimplene, having a perm, wearing transparent plastic rain hoods which I shall keep handy in my bag. The list is endless. I shall start by baking. I have long had it in mind to make a batch of those wonderful nineteen fifties cakes, Jap, or Japonaise cakes. These are absolutely delicious, rather like large sized macaroons sandwiched together with coffee icing. In fact I could make mini ones the size of macaroons. I shall now try and organise myself to make a batch of these, and give them away to someone who would like them.
The other day, I was reminded of my friend John, who once told me that the most irritating thing about being old was being patronised by younger people. I have discovered the truth of this. When presented by a group of older people, young people have a huge tendency to decide that the poor old things all have Alzheimer's, as well as being deaf. We are talked to as though we are about five years old, which is intensely irritating. If I had the strength, I should probably become a geriatric thug, and give these younger idiots a good kicking. Oh well.
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Wednesday
Met Romy for lunch yesterday and a visit to Sensational where Romy purchased a couple of things. Kept falling asleep all evening - I was definitely designed for hibernation.
Read a rather creepy bestseller by Sarah Waters called The Little Stranger. I am still thinking about purchasing a Kindle.
Going into work today, and a trip to Bluewater tomorrow. Must do some household shopping on the way in as I have run out of bread, milk etc.
Have been doing some fairly awful sketches of the Kook reclining on my bed. He nipped me twice again this morning, having materialised at 5am. Despite all the food, he is clinging to his bad habits. Defeated by a cat, that's me.
Read a rather creepy bestseller by Sarah Waters called The Little Stranger. I am still thinking about purchasing a Kindle.
Going into work today, and a trip to Bluewater tomorrow. Must do some household shopping on the way in as I have run out of bread, milk etc.
Have been doing some fairly awful sketches of the Kook reclining on my bed. He nipped me twice again this morning, having materialised at 5am. Despite all the food, he is clinging to his bad habits. Defeated by a cat, that's me.
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