115 posts from 2007

Have a fabulous day tomorrow everyone and I truly hope you enjoy yourselves.

Me, I get to spend Christmas day with sinusitis, an eye that is still partly swollen from an allergic reaction and now, my nose seems to have sprung a leak - great way to meet KT's sister's boyfriend's folks when we all go to KT's folks for the day tomorrow!

But seriously, love n stuffs to you all and big hugs to anyone that needs then. I had planned to write more and to add little gimbles and wotsits and Christmas Lurve, but my face is killing me and I still have a little bit of wrapping to do, the comp is playing up and it really is quite uncomfortable sitting here with a wad of loo roll stuck up my nose.

Are you the kind of person who will go and knock on someone's door when you see they've left their headlights on, or their keys in the lock?

That's the kind of people we are. We've told people they've left their dome light on, their headlights on, left keys in car and house doors, shopping outside in the rain - even their car radio on. All of the long standing neighbours here have done something silly or been forgetful and have thanked us and said how dappy they've been.

Sometimes it would be nice to think that the people you live by would show you the same courtesy. We've been shown that we're wrong to hope for that twice in the past week.

The guy who left his radio on (he also has three other things on the list up there, a couple of them twice) is a long time neighbour of KT's. His wife can be quite sharp and mean-spirited, so to go and knock on their door to let them know isn't something pleasant as she always demands what you want and kind of implies that you're being nosey by coming to her home. Well, she wont have to worry about that anymore. Last week the girls went to the van to get something that they'd left in there by mistake and accidentally left the dome light on. Not one person knocked and told us. Last night at about 5.40pm, H thought she was going to collect something with KT and as she was getting into the passenger seat was told she was actually getting it from the rear of the van. It was damp and cold last night so they rushed back in and neither of them realised the passenger door had been left open. This morning, KT and the girls went out and when he came back in, KT was fuming. All night long, for about 14 hours, that door had been wide open and not one person had told us.

Now, you might think why would anyone have necessarily have seen it was open or maybe you would think that they wouldn't know where the owner of the van lived. KT has lived at this small block of flats since they opened - he's the only person who has and everyone knows him and the van. The van, which on it's own is distinctive, is parked in a bay marked with the flat number. Even if the neighbours, many of whom have lived here for two years or more didn't know which flat to knock at by knowing our faces, they should know because of the number on the bay. As for why would anyone notice it with yesterday being a Sunday and maybe people don't go out, well that doesn't wash either. Anyone who lives here has to walk past our van to get to their flat. There's no way round that. They have to. The forgetful guy with the mean wife is a milkman who therefore has to be up early. There is always someone up and the lights on by the time he comes to deliver next door's milk, as he did this morning. We know it was him as he has a very distinctive style of driving into the car park and it often made us wonder why he doesn't tip up and send milk flying. At least twice last night, the front door of the flats was opened and someone went out then back in within minutes. Whilst I was getting ready for bed there was a whole group of people walked past the bathroom window, outside which, is the van. They didn't let us know either.

'Scuse the language, but in future, sod the lot of them... sideways. 

KT and I have been taking his sister to physio after she managed to attack some of the ligaments in her ankle and have been taking the opportunity for the three of us to do a small shop each time after.

Yesterday we thought we might visit the Lidl close by and off we tootled. Now I may have mentioned before how wide disabled spaces and end spaces without some kind of barrier (concrete post, planting, raised kerb with no ramp, bins, signage etc.) can be at an absolute premium and as we need one with plenty of space at the side for a ramp and then an extra couple of feet for the wheelchair to get out as well, that parking for us can be be a right royal pain in the backside.

Imagine then, heading into a pretty full carpark and seeing just two disabled bays empty - the rest seem to be full of 4x4's and other big chunky vehicles that it looks as though you would need a step ladder to enter and exit. (Why, I ask myself, if you are able to climb in and out of these huge cars, would you even consider taking a space that is meant for people who are unable to walk more than a 100yards or so?) So, we head towards the free bays and just as we are about to park in one, an old geezer, on his mobility scooter, zips in front of us and parks in the bay. There is a flipping great wide path in front of him, with more than enough space for a league of scooters and still room for pedestrians to get past, but he'd decided a parking bay was what he needed! Grrr!

At KT's request, when we got out I took some pictures to show how dappy it looked parked there... you can even see that there is a large amount of space on the pathway. When we came back from shopping, he was gone but here were two cars parked close by without badges in disabled bays. KT complains so bitterly about it, I keep imagining him stalking carparks and taking photos of all the offenders!

Emma Clarke - I guarantee as a Brit with a telly or radio that you will have heard her voice. You may not recognise it on the spoof ones, but check out the Create-Your-Own-Voiceover page.

I've suggested an alternate version of the spoof below for Americans *nods*

Residents-of-london

This past Saturday evening we took the girls, along with Del and Luke to The Spa see FADOS (Felixstowe Amateur Dramatic and Opera Society) perform Terry Pratchett's Maskerade as an early Christmas present. It was KT and I's first visit there - we couldn't get a disabled seat when the girls performed there with Heaven 2 Earth last Christmas - as he doesn't actually need a seat it was quite frustrating to have to miss the twins sing.

Maskerade was very well performed, with most notable performance going to Nanny Ogg (she was brill). Walter Plinge was lovely and dopey until he became the opera ghost and Sargeant Detrius, although quite enthusiastic, was thoroughly hard to understand - a thick oriental accent does not work well with people who can't hear properly - but he did have a pretty fantastic smile!

I'd have liked to have throttled the couple two rows back who decided to hold a rather loud conversation midway through the first half though - J sat at my side huffing away!

I'm officially old. My eldest child turned 18 yesterday... and KT reckons I've got two grey hairs.

Ringtones: What's yours and how often do you change it? 
Submitted by enrico.  

The Captain Pugwash theme, otherwise known as 'The Trumpet Hornpipe'.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them

For The Fallen - Laurence Binyon

There was quite a threat from flooding yesterday as an extreme low front met the high tide and people were evacuated in case the floods of 1953 were repeated. Luckily, there was only minor flooding. Some say we were as close to repeating 1953 as just a few centimetres worth of tide. I've never see the sea quite so high here, nor have I seen the pier look as though the sea is ready to engulf it before.

Which person from your past, who you've lost touch with, do you wonder about the most? 
Submitted by ancora impara.

With the re-emergence of Take That, I quite often wonder what happened to a pal called Sam Tear. She was absolutely smitten with Mark Owen and she with another friend called Andrea would hunt down where the boys were staying to get a glimpse of them. Her greatest triumph was getting a photo taken with Mark one time.