Today I had every intention of doing all the things I was supposed to do, but somehow after vacuuming twice because it hadn't been done for a while and doing some washing and walking the dog I slipped into wanting to write, and so spent the whole afternoon writing and rewriting the beginnings of a short story.
I was brought up short and sharp by the doorbell. It was my Beloved's new employee needing things from the office. Boy was I pleased I'd at least vacuumed! I'm beginning to think that if I'm not careful I have leanings towards being Gordon's answer to Miss Haversham.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Monday, 30 May 2011
Retirement beckons
I did get out to bowls yesterday, and realised that my new found bowls mate (his wife was sadly ill so couldn't make it) was struggling. He's only just begun to play this year. So we spent a pleasant hour in what felt like a force 8 gale, getting to grips with the basics. We decided we'd have another go today. And so we did, which was fine and I was finding getting him back to basics also allowed me to adjust my game too. I was doing brilliantly. Then tonight we both went to bowls and it was as if the last 2 practice sessions had never taken place.... back to the drawing board for both of us I fear.
However, bowls aside, today I really enjoyed myself. I was still up at around 4 this morning as was reading a novel (The Slap, and very good it is too), and just didn't feel sleepy. Eventually I went to sleep only to be woken by a morning call from my Beloved. It was 8.30 am! I made the decision that, as I'd got up so late and really didn't have a whole lot on, today I wouldn't work at all. This included housework. I know the house needs a good clean, but what the heck, will another day matter? I think not.
And I had the best, most relaxing day I've had in a while. The dog and I went walking, I went into Edinburgh for a bit, I read some more, I adjusted a poem I've been working on, I answered emails and watched TV as well as going to bowls.
I could get used to this.
However, bowls aside, today I really enjoyed myself. I was still up at around 4 this morning as was reading a novel (The Slap, and very good it is too), and just didn't feel sleepy. Eventually I went to sleep only to be woken by a morning call from my Beloved. It was 8.30 am! I made the decision that, as I'd got up so late and really didn't have a whole lot on, today I wouldn't work at all. This included housework. I know the house needs a good clean, but what the heck, will another day matter? I think not.
And I had the best, most relaxing day I've had in a while. The dog and I went walking, I went into Edinburgh for a bit, I read some more, I adjusted a poem I've been working on, I answered emails and watched TV as well as going to bowls.
I could get used to this.
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Goodbye Mrs No-Mates?
I haven't played bowls for almost a month. It's partly down to work and being away on a Monday, when it's club night, but it's also down to the awful weather. I'm a fair-weather bowler at the best of times.
However, tonight I'm supposed to be playing with my new found pals from the village, who just started bowling this year. At last I have a couple who actually want to practice with me and I've suddenly become 'Mrs No-Mates' no more. They've been away for 3 weeks holidaying on the West Coast and are only just back. I got a phone call yesterday to see if I wanted to go bowling tonight, and the answer was a decided yes. All going well until I opened the blinds this morning to rain.
I checked the weather forecast and it said sunny intervals... well not here there aren't! Still there's quite a bit of the day to go before the bowls date is supposed to take place, so I'm hopeful I might actually get to fling a bowl before the day is out.
Meanwhile my Beloved is off to France, where he's expecting sunshine and warmth. Looks like the temperature will be in high 20's while he's there, which will be a real shock to his system. Still as the weather people don't seem to be able to predict what's happening here, it'll be interesting to see what he's actually faced with when he gets there. He's off marking the London to Paris route for a Charity bike ride for the company he works for and is really looking forward to it. But before that he has to attend the Mind, Body, Spirit show in London for his own company doings, and meet up with his business partner for hours and hours of chat. At least that's what they usually seem to do when they get together.
So that's me and the dog on our own for the next week. I'm not expecting my Beloved to be back before next Sunday and even then it might spill over into Monday depending on train times. Good thing I've got my new friends to play with then.
However, tonight I'm supposed to be playing with my new found pals from the village, who just started bowling this year. At last I have a couple who actually want to practice with me and I've suddenly become 'Mrs No-Mates' no more. They've been away for 3 weeks holidaying on the West Coast and are only just back. I got a phone call yesterday to see if I wanted to go bowling tonight, and the answer was a decided yes. All going well until I opened the blinds this morning to rain.
I checked the weather forecast and it said sunny intervals... well not here there aren't! Still there's quite a bit of the day to go before the bowls date is supposed to take place, so I'm hopeful I might actually get to fling a bowl before the day is out.
Meanwhile my Beloved is off to France, where he's expecting sunshine and warmth. Looks like the temperature will be in high 20's while he's there, which will be a real shock to his system. Still as the weather people don't seem to be able to predict what's happening here, it'll be interesting to see what he's actually faced with when he gets there. He's off marking the London to Paris route for a Charity bike ride for the company he works for and is really looking forward to it. But before that he has to attend the Mind, Body, Spirit show in London for his own company doings, and meet up with his business partner for hours and hours of chat. At least that's what they usually seem to do when they get together.
So that's me and the dog on our own for the next week. I'm not expecting my Beloved to be back before next Sunday and even then it might spill over into Monday depending on train times. Good thing I've got my new friends to play with then.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Achievements
The time has come for my final submission for my current OU course. It's supposed to be at OU Headquarters by 12pm on 2nd June. As said somewhere in here before it's 50% of the marks for the whole course, so it's literally pass or fail time. In all honesty I've not done as well as I'd have liked on this course... my marks come within a 2:1 band all the way through (so far) and I feel I've not really progressed much. But I've put a lot of effort in, especially with this final piece. Anyway, I finished it and sent it on its way last week.
A few days before I sent it off 4 folk in my tutor group asked to read it. I duly sent it to them and I got one reply, with, I have to say, some very nice comments. Well today I get a phone call from another who I rate really highly and she tells me to make some changes. I do. This included putting footnotes in, and rather than manually, as I've been doing before, using Word. I've been using this computer programme for years and I never knew I could do that - still a new skill is a new skill. So I sent it off again. Then I'm just about to put the piece away forever, when I realise that the footnotes have sent the spacing AWOL. I then readjust and send it off yet again.
It made me think though. This is the first time this course has allowed electronic submissions to be made for the final piece of work. Prior to that you had to snailmail them in. In a funny way I really liked it when, once sent, that was it, sent for good.
I'm already 3 submissions down and there's still 5 days to go. I'm now keeping my fingers crossed that no-one else decides to comment, or I may well be heading for the resubmission record, something my Beloved thinks I've already achieved.
A few days before I sent it off 4 folk in my tutor group asked to read it. I duly sent it to them and I got one reply, with, I have to say, some very nice comments. Well today I get a phone call from another who I rate really highly and she tells me to make some changes. I do. This included putting footnotes in, and rather than manually, as I've been doing before, using Word. I've been using this computer programme for years and I never knew I could do that - still a new skill is a new skill. So I sent it off again. Then I'm just about to put the piece away forever, when I realise that the footnotes have sent the spacing AWOL. I then readjust and send it off yet again.
It made me think though. This is the first time this course has allowed electronic submissions to be made for the final piece of work. Prior to that you had to snailmail them in. In a funny way I really liked it when, once sent, that was it, sent for good.
I'm already 3 submissions down and there's still 5 days to go. I'm now keeping my fingers crossed that no-one else decides to comment, or I may well be heading for the resubmission record, something my Beloved thinks I've already achieved.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
My alter ego
Having now become used to me in this wig, I'm now thinking of getting another just so that my alter ego has an alter ego of her own...you never know when it might come in handy!
Monday, 23 May 2011
The report
What a lovely wedding!
She Who Must Not Be Named, Bassman, my Beloved and I set off for Inverness to meet up with a former colleague, Anne and her man, John. They were staying the night at another friend's house, Lizzie's, as Lizzie is currently in Australia with her love for 6 glorious months. Champagne was drunk, which I knew was going to be a bit of a mistake for me as these days I seem to feel drunk on the tiniest bit of alcohol, but I also don't seem to have the capacity to say 'No'. After that I was absolutely starving as we'd had nothing to eat after our porridge breakfast and it was nearing the time (2 pm) when the actual service was supposed to start.
Off to church, feeling slightly pissed, hungry and I'd forgotten to go to the loo before I left Lizzie's house. Some people never learn!
The bride looked gorgeous (but our Tracy would look gorgeous in a bin liner) and Pat the Police was in a kilt, looking pretty good too. One freaky thing was that the best man turned out to be my ex babysitter from some must be about 16 years ago. A slight shock.
Over an hour later I was still in the same state when the service finished, only more so, so a quick trip to Lizzie's for a toilet stop, then to the supermarket to buy a sandwich before heading to the reception. SWMNBN, Bassman, my Beloved and I sat in our car in Tesco's carpark as the rain started, chomping our sarnies, while I sobered up a bit. And then it was reception time.
The reception was held at Ness Castle Lodges, a beautiful spot on the banks of the Ness, and it was fun to catch up with people I hadn't seen for a couple of years and some for even longer. Food was good, speeches were funny and then there was dancing. Now my Beloved hates dancing and I love it. I managed to get him on the dance floor for a quick spin around, and then he decided that was it. By this time (almost 10.30 pm) SWMNBN and Bassman wanted to go. She had to get a flight to Shetland the next day and was beginning to feel a bit headachy, and both Bassman and my Beloved had had enough of being social... and me? Well of course I could have gone on for quite a while longer, which I probably would have regretted the next day, so all in all it was a good thing for us to leave when we did.
Yesterday, my Beloved and I left SWMNBN and Bassman to their own devices before she had to leave for Shetland and went off to stay our last night with my very old friend Rosemary and her husband, Nasir. Rosemary was the very first friend I had in Inverness when I moved there in 1986. So a pleasant afternoon and evening were spent with them. Nasir is a wonderful cook, with curries being his speciality, and he made us one of his dhaal numbers, which was great. Lovely food, lovely wine, lovely company and lovely memories as we ended up looking at old photos of us and our children when they were still in the cute stages.
This morning we awoke to storms. I had a meeting to attend and that went fine, after which my Beloved and I wended our way back to the Borders, being blown and buffeted by high winds and tearing rain pretty much the whole way down.
Tonight is supposed to be bowls but I'm not sure that I'll bother... too windy, too rainy and too tired. Not the best combination.
Ok... well finally I have an admission to make. When I was in London I bought a wig. I'm sure you're all thinking you've got to be joking, but it's true. And very good it is too. I decided I'd wear it to the wedding after it got SWMNBNd's blessing. I was a bit neurotic about it and kept fiddling with it, but people kept coming up to me, telling me my hair looked fantastic and when did I have it done etc etc! I really wasn't sure how to react to that at all, but had promised my Beloved that I'd say nowt. I'm sure if I'd had a couple more wines I would've probably taken it off but luckily we left before that happy event happened. I'm still not convinced that people didn't guess, but what the heck, it was fun and I didn't get hat hair, and I could swish it from my eyes, so what more could I ask?
p.s. for Lizzie... I forgot to take the jacket, but I promise to pose in jacket and wig and post the pic in the next day or two. Watch this space!
She Who Must Not Be Named, Bassman, my Beloved and I set off for Inverness to meet up with a former colleague, Anne and her man, John. They were staying the night at another friend's house, Lizzie's, as Lizzie is currently in Australia with her love for 6 glorious months. Champagne was drunk, which I knew was going to be a bit of a mistake for me as these days I seem to feel drunk on the tiniest bit of alcohol, but I also don't seem to have the capacity to say 'No'. After that I was absolutely starving as we'd had nothing to eat after our porridge breakfast and it was nearing the time (2 pm) when the actual service was supposed to start.
Off to church, feeling slightly pissed, hungry and I'd forgotten to go to the loo before I left Lizzie's house. Some people never learn!
The bride looked gorgeous (but our Tracy would look gorgeous in a bin liner) and Pat the Police was in a kilt, looking pretty good too. One freaky thing was that the best man turned out to be my ex babysitter from some must be about 16 years ago. A slight shock.
Over an hour later I was still in the same state when the service finished, only more so, so a quick trip to Lizzie's for a toilet stop, then to the supermarket to buy a sandwich before heading to the reception. SWMNBN, Bassman, my Beloved and I sat in our car in Tesco's carpark as the rain started, chomping our sarnies, while I sobered up a bit. And then it was reception time.
The reception was held at Ness Castle Lodges, a beautiful spot on the banks of the Ness, and it was fun to catch up with people I hadn't seen for a couple of years and some for even longer. Food was good, speeches were funny and then there was dancing. Now my Beloved hates dancing and I love it. I managed to get him on the dance floor for a quick spin around, and then he decided that was it. By this time (almost 10.30 pm) SWMNBN and Bassman wanted to go. She had to get a flight to Shetland the next day and was beginning to feel a bit headachy, and both Bassman and my Beloved had had enough of being social... and me? Well of course I could have gone on for quite a while longer, which I probably would have regretted the next day, so all in all it was a good thing for us to leave when we did.
Yesterday, my Beloved and I left SWMNBN and Bassman to their own devices before she had to leave for Shetland and went off to stay our last night with my very old friend Rosemary and her husband, Nasir. Rosemary was the very first friend I had in Inverness when I moved there in 1986. So a pleasant afternoon and evening were spent with them. Nasir is a wonderful cook, with curries being his speciality, and he made us one of his dhaal numbers, which was great. Lovely food, lovely wine, lovely company and lovely memories as we ended up looking at old photos of us and our children when they were still in the cute stages.
This morning we awoke to storms. I had a meeting to attend and that went fine, after which my Beloved and I wended our way back to the Borders, being blown and buffeted by high winds and tearing rain pretty much the whole way down.
Tonight is supposed to be bowls but I'm not sure that I'll bother... too windy, too rainy and too tired. Not the best combination.
Ok... well finally I have an admission to make. When I was in London I bought a wig. I'm sure you're all thinking you've got to be joking, but it's true. And very good it is too. I decided I'd wear it to the wedding after it got SWMNBNd's blessing. I was a bit neurotic about it and kept fiddling with it, but people kept coming up to me, telling me my hair looked fantastic and when did I have it done etc etc! I really wasn't sure how to react to that at all, but had promised my Beloved that I'd say nowt. I'm sure if I'd had a couple more wines I would've probably taken it off but luckily we left before that happy event happened. I'm still not convinced that people didn't guess, but what the heck, it was fun and I didn't get hat hair, and I could swish it from my eyes, so what more could I ask?
p.s. for Lizzie... I forgot to take the jacket, but I promise to pose in jacket and wig and post the pic in the next day or two. Watch this space!
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Getting ready for the wedding
So here we are sitting in She Who Must Not Be Named and Bassman's lovely cottage on The Black Isle, in our wedding finery, waiting for the off.
My Beloved and I arrived here last night after having to stop on the way up yesterday to collect my lottery winnings...yes, for the second time in my life I had 4 numbers on the lottery and this time I won £80, which is £10 less than I won previously, about 10 years ago. Still a win is a win and I'm very grateful for it.
Then we went off to Sutor Creek, a lovely bistro in Cromarty and had a delicious meal, then it was off to bed as we were really tired.
This morning I was handed my copy of Eilean Dubh, Bassman's book (along with his colleagues), which is absolutely beautiful and, if you haven't already bought a copy, you really should.
So now we sit and wait until it's time to go. Will report more after the event.
My Beloved and I arrived here last night after having to stop on the way up yesterday to collect my lottery winnings...yes, for the second time in my life I had 4 numbers on the lottery and this time I won £80, which is £10 less than I won previously, about 10 years ago. Still a win is a win and I'm very grateful for it.
Then we went off to Sutor Creek, a lovely bistro in Cromarty and had a delicious meal, then it was off to bed as we were really tired.
This morning I was handed my copy of Eilean Dubh, Bassman's book (along with his colleagues), which is absolutely beautiful and, if you haven't already bought a copy, you really should.
So now we sit and wait until it's time to go. Will report more after the event.
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