Woo Hoo!

I apologise to Boofy for being on my blog when I SHOULD be working but.....

as some of you will remember Mum's cancer has spread and she is back on chemo and has a hormone tablet everyday. And on top of this she has Herceptin.

She has been a bit down lately as she has been off of her food and felt run down (a symptom of the tablets we think, its listed under side effects).

Anyway she has JUST been to the Specialist who is very pleased with her progress. She has to continue the chemo for a bit BUT she can leave off the tablets! She is well chuffed.

Think she deserved some good news for Christmas after spending last year in Hospital

Its an exciting life.

I woke up at 3:35 yesterday morning. Obsentively this was for a "comfort break" but of course I turned on the radio. There was no reason to turn on said radio. England were 59 for 1 and some 90 odd runs in front at close of the fourth day, the game was meandering to a tame draw.

"Giles plays back"

Gi...? what its only half three how can..... my half asleep brain tried hard to compute.

"He's edged it caught behind England 98 for 7"

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went back to sleep waking in time to hear our total abject humiliation.

Sigh

That said it wasn't a bad day. The follow-up PSL meeting went well (it perhaps helps if you can talk!!) and I came home and wrote all my Christmas cards. Well all bar a few as I ran out so I need to get somewhere with cards I approve of. Yet more excuses to go birding at the weekend! It was a bit of a shock to run out. If you want a card then you'll need to email me your address won't you.

Kate mentions Hogwatch and the Times survey to vote for icons for the environment and posts the link to vote for the Hog. You are urged to do so. I was sent this last night by the blogger Hog mafia and have already voted.

We've arranged our Christmas lunch. What do you mean we're late? Well we get two hours credit for Christmas lunches and normally if you don't go you get 2 hours credit for "christmas shopping" but not this year so we're going for a team pizza!!
Probably the only thing we could all agree on anyway and all us poor local government officers could afford.

Turning Pages

Why is it that some books you struggle with and others fly?

I have been reading the 11th book of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series. I had read 350 of the 800 pages but I was plodding. Some of this is due the writing. The series badly needs editting to remove the padding. What was once entertaining has become stodge.

On Sunday however I left it around my folks. I don't like having two books on the go but I wanted to read something and picked up Mercedes Lackey's Arrows of the Queen. A light 320 page coming of age fantasy in her Heralds of Valdemar series. As I write I've read 219 pages and I should finish it before tomorrow evening.

Unlike the Jordan this flies and I want to pick it up. Its not stunningly well written. I expect the writing is at the Mills & Boon level (sorry Sharon couldn't resisit it ;) ). Indeed many fantasy novels are quasi romance novels. But Lackey doesn't pad she doesn't try to be more than she is. She tells her story and gets on with it and as such I want to turn the page instead of feeling I have to.

10 things I'd never do

I have been tagged by Sharon J. I have to list 10 things I'd never do.

1. Get a tatoo. Ok when you are 22 they may looks cool but there are going to be a lot of grannies with tatoos one day.

2. Get an ear ring.

3. Wear a pony tail.

4. Be cruel to an animal

5. Stop reading books. This is a physical impossibility.

6. Appear in a reality TV show.

7. Desecrate a church

8. Become a vegetarian.

9. Buy a porn mag.

10. Smoke.

if any one wants to join in......

And Boo has a song named after her!!

Since Boo is obviously jealous of my finding a song for CP ........

Cherrypie has a song named after her!!

Whilst browsing you tube I came across this song named after Cherrypie

Living Icons

The culture show on BBC 2 is trying to find the great living icon.

The original list of 10 is now down to 3.

Anyway 10-4 goes

10 Vivienne Westwood
9 Kate Moss
8 Alan Bennett
7 Kate Bush
6 Stephen Fry
5 Michael Caine
4 David Bowie

the top 3 are Sir Paul McCartney, Morrissey and Sir David Attenborough.

Needless to say I've voted for Attenborough.

Pete likes a Celeb TV program shocker

As a rule I hate Celebrity based shows BUT I have a weakness I like Strictly Come Dancing. The show is great fun and the work and effort put in by both the celebs and the pros is amazing. Its what used to be called Family Entertainment.

My own thought is that Louisa Lytton will win. She's young and in Eastenders but I hope she gets kicked out becuase her partner, some loud mouthed Italian, irritates the hell out of me.

Emma Bunton is very good and consistent and both Mark Ramprakash and Matt Dawson are good.

But as time goes by though I'm warming to Carol Smilie!! Firstly she comes across as a very genuine person BUT god the woman looks good!!

Shallow ? Me ? ;)

STOP PRESS: Carol is out!! Emma was in the bottom two AGAIN!! Matt had to go.

Ilford to Brentwood via uh Manchester

This had me in fits of laughter. An ambulance transferring a patient twelve miles between Ilford and Brentwood, a journey of some 12 miles or so, ended up in Manchester 200 miles away.

A fault on the Sat Nav meant they got sent Oop North for an 8 hour round trip!! A spokesman for London Ambulance Service said

"We believe that the crew, who had not been to this particular hospital before, followed the directions given by the navigation system, without manually confirming their destination."

"We understand that they reached the outskirts of Manchester before realising they were heading to the wrong destination."

The patient is fine by the way.

Christmas Cake Recipe

As we've reached December I thought you might appreciate a recipe for a Christmas Cake.

Vodka and Red Bull Christmas Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
Lemon Juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle of Vodka
1 can of Red Bull
2 cups dried fruit

Method:
1. Sample the vodka to check the quality
2. Take a large bowl, check the vodka again
3. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and mix with a little red bull and drink
4. Repeat
5. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl
6. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again
7. At this point it is best to make sure the vodka is still ok
8. Flavour with red bull to taste
9. Try another cup – just in case turn off the mixerer
10. Break two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit
11. Pick fruit off floor
12. Mix on the turner
13. If the dried fruit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver
14. Shample the vodka to check for tonsisticitity, flavour with a little Bed Rull
15. Next ssiffft two cups of salt. Or something – Who giveshz a shi**
16. Throw a pinch of Bed Rull over your shoulder
17. Pick up the can, mop the floor
18. Check the vodka
19. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts
20. Add one table
21. Add a shpoon of shugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find
22. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over…
23. Don’t forget to beat off the turner
24. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the vodka and kick the dog
25. Fall into bed