Tuesday, January 01, 2008




Monday, no Tuesday 1st January 2007, sorry 2008

So, another Christmas over with.

I think I shall just sit on the bus with Lenny.

The pictures represent the start and the end of my seasonal festivities.

The socks are the best Christmas present that I have ever bought. There was a website, in Switzerland, where you see pictures of around twenty Grannies. There were all sorts of pictures of Grannies. Young Grannies, Old Grannies, Big Grannies, Small Grannies. You had to select a Granny that you most liked. You clicked on a picture and then you were taken to a screen of the different designs you could choose. And this Swiss Granny would knit you a pair of socks for Christmas!

How fantastic!

So Rita, our favourite Swiss Granny, knitted a pair of socks for my common-law Mother in Law (Is there such a term?). Now, you have to bear in mind the whole transaction was completed in German, I felt ever so proud of us for doing this; GCSE German was only taken as a subsidiary subject whilst doing my A-levels over 17 years ago. So with the help of the Collins Gem German Dictionary (now in colour), my common-law Mother in Law has a pair of socks knitted by Rita.

Before you ask how I came across a site with Grannies on it, I read about it in The Independent.

We spent last night at Ann and Alex's (Alex and Ann would just be wrong; see above). Ann is Liz, of Liz and Les fame's sister, and Alex is her husband. They recently got married in Las Vegas, as Alex is a big Elvis fan. We had a stag/hen do in a great place in Scotland earlier on in the year. A place called Assynt House, with Graham and Liz (you know I think Liz and Graham might work here, hmm) as excellent hosts. It was a great weekend. So last night, felt like a bit of a re-union. The parachute in the picture was a present from Liz and Les. You stick it on the end of a champagne cork, and your champagne cork comes down on a parachute; brilliant!

We found it on the windscreen of Nick's car when we picked it up at 4 p.m. this afternoon, with a post-it note from Alex:

'Don't forget your parachute'.

Good work all round I would say.

So let's sit on the bus.

The onions went for £5.07. They were won by Barrynormal. There was a brief flurry of bidding on Christmas Eve (I think everyone was excited), but Barry has won the onions. I wonder which charity will be £5.07 better off.

The Fostering Network wanted a Media and Communications officer. Charity.

Women & Theatre wanted a General Manager. APD 15/10/07.

The Ecologist:

'The world's leading environmental Magazine needs someone to manage our website. If you:

Have experience editing copy
Can repackage and source copy
Can develop audience interaction and UGC
Can compile a weekly newsletter
Are able to re-launching a website

Please e-mail your CV.'

Honestly, am I able to re-launching a website? Can these people not write properly? I was just about to apply when I saw the .org website. These people needed to be told, but hey ho.

Hounslow Council wanted:

Finance Manager

Customer Relations Manager

Marketing Officer

All passed their apply by dates.

The Wall Street Journal wanted a Commissioning Editor - Special Sections.

Special Sections?

APD 5/10/07.

My sister, Alison; you remember the one with the Cindy doll, has given up smoking for the New Year. I sent her a text message at 6.00 p.m; still not had a fag. Come on Alison, you can do it.