I went to sunny Wokingham for a girlie night in with Kim complete with
Thai food take away, catching up on gossip and DVD and minus drink as
Kim has given it up for Lent.  Always a nice way to spend an
evening, even better to find there is no hangover the next day.



As somebody pointed out before I left work it would be sunny Wokingham if wasn't pouring down with rain.



The trip down the M4 was made more exciting by a lovely quirk the
windscreen wipers decided to adopt along the way. While the passenger
wiper arm went along its helpful business of clearing water away the
way wipers do, the wiper arm on the driver's side decided it was bored
with going back and forth, back and forth and back and forth. Since I
have a low boredom threashold myself I could understand why. Whoever I
can't say I was impressed with the way the object decided to take on a
mind of its own and try to wipe the driver's side mirror and then stop
dead in its track.



If you saw a loony driving down the M4 yesterday with the window open
to try and put the wiper back in its place it was me... Everytime I put
it back into place it would stop and sulk for a while and do nothing
which did not do much for visibility (I am very grateful for that rain
repellent stuff Him Indoors insists on putting on the windscreen and
for the fact it was proper rain which slided off with momentum rather
than drizzle). Then it would do the trying to wipe the side mirror bit
again. Made driving interesting.



I was most glad it was not raining when I drove back.



Him Indoors has booked some time in his busy Saturday schedule to give
the wiper arm and its bolt a stern talking to. I gather it will involve
a spanner... the wiper arm had better be afraid, very afraid.



On the plus side it gave me an opportunity to discuss suitable
replacement cars with The Boy on the way to Christine's this morning
(he is thinking a purple and orange VW beetle or a kit car, anyway
something he and Him Indoors could tinker with so they can do more boy
stuff together). I quite fancy the idea of a Traction myself. I think
Him Indoors has something more sensible and reliable in mind, a newer
small car however, at around 1,000 miles per year I think I'll stick to
the current one and not bother replacing it when it starts failing its
MOTs. Depreciation, insurance, tax etc buy you quite a few taxi rides.
2.3.05 18:59


Careless words cost lives...

Him Indoors has spent some time on the car working on a temporary fix on the windscreen wiper.



The Boy decided where his loyaty lies and decided to rat me out
to Him Indoors and told him what might have caused the serated fixing
in the arm that attaches to the mechanism to get "ground smooth".



So I have been duly told off for forgetting to de-ice the windscreen
before switching the wipers on and putting strain on the wipers as they try to get unstuck.



The worst thing about it, I can't even be horrible to The Boy for
grassing on me. On Wednesday he made me breakfast (my son will make a
lovely husband) and today he handed me a handmade mothers' day card
which looks like it took quite a bit on of effort on his part (crafts
are not really his thing).
4.3.05 19:38


little snow pleasure

Being the first person walking on fresh snow and looking back at the footsteps.



Realising the route I take in the morning must be little travelled as
my footsteps were the first on 3 separate pavements this morning.
4.3.05 19:42


Interview meme

So  Peter J is aking the questions today.



City or Country?


City everytime, I am a townie born and bred and while I enjoy the
occasional trip to the country I know I could not live there (did once
and did not enjoy it much). I need the sounds and smells and sights of
the town to feel at home (I find it difficult to sleep without the
background noise). I also like the illusion of anonimity of big cities.





What is your favorite song to listen to to make you happy when you're down?


When I am down happy songs make me feel even worse so I rely on songs
which reflect the sort of "down" I feel. I'd like to type profound
choices. Alas when I am down the taste takes a dive too and I also
listen to those when I am not down. So there's breathe (a little
deeper) by blameless for the "I feel sorry for myself because my social
life sucks" moments; Last Goodbye or Lover you should have come over by
Jeff Buckley for the "I feel sorry for myself because I want more love"
moments; tremolo song and can't even be bothered by the Charlatans for
"I feel sorry for myself because my life is going nowhere" moments and
if I feel really really down in the dumps, so down I am not even sure
about what makes me feel bad I put a truly bad French song on the cd
player and press the repeat button. The song is called Tous les cris
les S.O.S. by Daniel Balavoine, and generally after the 12th repeat I
decide I don't actually feel THAT bad.




If you could spend a day living someone else's life, who's would it be?


Probably Karl's
so I could see if I would find the consequences of making different
life choices would have been easier to live with than the consequences
of the choices I made. Or Tom Reynolds'
so I could give his job a try though knowing my luck the first job
would probably involve an eye injury of some kind (I don't mind blood
and sick but I dont "do"eyes).




Favourite place in the world?
Not
sur I have travelled enough to answer this but here we go - London is
pretty hard to beat, followed by the Brecon Beacons. I also like Rouen
and the Normandie coast between Cherbourg and Carteret for obvious
sentimental reasons.





If you could have a meal with any one person from history, who would it be?

It would have to be Leon Blum. I'd have to ask him what he based his
decisions preceding the Second World War on and if with indsight what
he would change about his course of action and would he still let Spain
down?



Feel free to ask questions of your own and to request. I'll be glad to oblige.
6.3.05 19:35


today was clumsy day

Number of items dropped and/or broken today 7.
7.3.05 18:57


No male bonding today

The Boy was sick last night so we had a repeat of "there were 3 in the
bed and the little one said" where I was stuck between two human hot
water bottles. The Boy was his usual fidgety self and slept fine. In
the morning he decided he was well enough to go to school so I couldn't
skive.



A few little things though showed that he is not quite back to his usual self.



Tonight he has not been more than a few inches from me all evening when normally Him Indoors is his partner in crime of choice.



When I picked him up from after school club I did not have to call him,
he ran to me and asked for help to put on his shoes. He asked if he
could get on the back of the bike but instead of holding on to my hips
or the saddle, he leaned against my back, wrapped his arms around me
and put his hands in my fleece pockets.



When we got home he hovered around me in the kitchen, bringing me
ingredients and utensils as I cooked, giving approval to recipe choices
and smelling spices, peeling carrots and grating them ready for the
carrot and fennel seed buns.



Afterwards he asked for a playstation partner and mde a big effort not
to beat me by too high a margin so I would keep playing with him.



I must be a terrible mother... part of me wants him to stay sightly
under par a bit longer. I am enjoying this new find mummy clingyness.
8.3.05 22:23


Red Nose Day Meme



Troubled diva is planning a blogger's disco and he is letting bloggers play dj.



The playlist so far looks better than any club I have been to for a long time with something for almost everybody.



1. Dragostea Din Tei - O-Zone. (mike)

2. Get Right - Jennifer Lopez (asta)

3. Wild Dances - Ruslana (sarah)

4. Panic - The Smiths (Pam)

5. Yeah (Crass Version) - LCD Soundsystem (Hg)

6. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead (Tina)

7. Fascinating Rhythm - Bassomatic (Vaughan)

8. The Prophet's Song - Queen (Clair)

9. Disco Inferno - The Trammps (Gordon)

10. Kiss Me - Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy (Chig)

11. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson (ModSue)

12. Oops Upside Your Head - The Gap Band (lathbud)

13. White Man In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash (thom)

14. Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry (Graybo)

15. Voodoo Ray - Acid Brass (Lyle)

16. Woolly Bully - Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs (birdman)

17. Do Ya Think I'm Sexy - The Revolting Cocks (Green Fairy)

18. Filthy/Gorgeous - Scissor Sisters (pink)

19. LFO (Leeds Warehouse mix) - LFO (elisabeth)

20. Stay With You - Lemon Jelly (Larkin)

21. Shack Up - A Certain Ratio (jonathan shipley)

22. Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones (Mr.D.)

23. Delilah - Tom Jones (Joe)

24. Too Drunk To F**k - Nouvelle Vague (Karen)

25. Common People - Pulp (Pete)

26. Ask Me (Danny Krivit re-edit) - Ecstacy, Passion & Pain (Adrian)

27. C'est La Vie - Chuck Berry (rachie)

28. Anxiety - A Guy Called Gerald (bedsit bomber)

29. Billy Boola - Gavin Friday & Bono (Caroline)

30. Seven Deadly Finns - Brian Eno (Marcello)

31. Witchy Is A Punk Rocker - The Ramones (Blue Witch)

32. Hey Jude - The Beatles (Dave)

33. PlAnarchy For The UK - Sex Pistols (NiC)

34. My Way - Nina Hagen It's My Life - Talk Talk (timothy)

35. Heroes - David Bowie (Simon)

36. And I Will Cry - The Little Rabbits (Anne)

37. Ace of Spades - Hayseed Dixie (pixeldiva)

38. Love Shack - The B-52's (nayf)

39. What Is Hip - Tower Of Power (jo)

40. Tainted Love - Gloria Jones (adhoc)

41. The Feeling's Gone - The Appolinaires (James)

42. Vienna - Ultravox (cyberevolution)

43. Groove Is In The Heart - Deee-Lite (Karen)

44. Disco 2000 - Pulp (andre)

45. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult (Mr McMuffin)

46. Crash - The Primitives (Inspector Sands)

47. Jump Around - House Of Pain (Kirsty)

48. Being Boiled - Human League (dave)

49. Blame It On The Boogie - The Jacksons (Em˛)

50. Chocolate Jesus - Tom Waits (Simon)

51. Take On Me - a-ha (Southern Bird)

52. My Way - Sid Vicious (bad bunni)

53. Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band (Smacked Face)

54. Give Up The Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) — Parliament/Funkadelic (Jerry)

55. Eight Miles High - Leo Kottke (Mystic Mog) (*)

56. Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson (Gary Flood)

57. Our Lips Are Sealed (12" version) - Funboy Three (hedgerow)

58. Kongas - Anikana-O (carlozz)

59. Tonight - Easyworld (Gary)

60. I Am The Resurrection - Stone Roses (Andrew Brown)

61. How Soon Is Now? - Tatu (T.(formerly Dragon))

62. Absolutely Fabulous - Pet Shop Boys (Joe Stalin)

63. Where It's At - Beck (quin)

64. Never Understand - The Jesus And Mary Chain (Ben)

65. Groovin' With Mr. Bloe - Mr. Bloe (quarsan)

66. Teenage Kicks - The Undertones (stressqueen)

67. Cool For Cats - Squeeze (Kat)

68. The Snake - Al Wilson (Anna) (do go and read this one; it made me smile)

69. Eberneezer Goode - The Shamen (Nathan)

70. Caroline - Status Quo (Andy)

71. Come Dancing - The Kinks (Miss Mish) (and this one; a necessary corrective?)

72. Lust For Life - Iggy Pop (la peregrina) (* - provisional)

73. If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman (Daisy)

74. Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations (Hobbes)

75. From New York To L.A. - Patsy Gallant (Fozzy O)

76. Love You Madly - Cake (meg)

77. Prince Charming - Adam & The Ants (MsShoes)

78. Let's Stay Together - Al Green (ansy)

79. 9 Volt - The Fierce Lime and his Pony-Tailed Assassins (Jim)

80. Birdhouse In Your Soul - There Might Be Giants (Alan)

81. Step On - Happy Mondays (stroppycow)

82. Deceptacon (DFA Remix) - Le Tigre (Dykes And The City)

83. Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealer's Wheel (harriet)

84. You Came - Kim Wilde (newplanet)

85. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Sylvester (Angie)

86. Bright Yellow Gun - Throwing Muses (Richard)

87. Only You Can - Fox Glow - Rick James (looby)

88. Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go) - Wham! (Nigel) (*)

89. Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc (april)

90. Cân Megan - Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci (Deiniol ap James)

91. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor (zed)

92. I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (Neil)

93. Chunga's Revenge - Gotan Project (KW)

94. Don't Stop Till You Get To Bollywood - Bollywood Freaks (Tim)

95. Born Slippy - Underworld (Paul)

96. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston (soulfire)

97. Love To Hate You - Erasure (The Observer) (!!!)

98. 1999 - Binary Finary (stephen)

99. Bliss - Muse (Mark)

100. Girl From Mars - Ash (Chick)
10.3.05 21:36


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