Time

Time is flying by really quickly this year, and yet at the same time dragging it's heels.

What do I mean by that?

Well the days are getting longer, and the sun is definitely getting warmer (when you see it that is), but the temperature seems still to be as cold as the depths of winter. Here we are in virtually in the middle of February and this morning I was outside at -3 degrees C defrosting my car to go to work yet the sunshine was bright enough to dazzle.

The children are just starting their half-term here, 6 weeks after returning to work, meanwhile I have been at my job for the same amount of time and it has flown by. I am looking around for more permanent work as this is only temporary until the Summer but I am ever hopeful the right job will turn up for me. The one thing it has taught me is that I can fit in to a new team quickly and pretty much do the job without feeling like a fish out of water, which is something you never really know until you do it; and after nearly 30 years in one employment I will admit to having doubts.

All we need now is for the house to sell, so we can buy something down here and move out of the caravan into our own space. Not only that we plan on having a dog, torn between a German Shepherd and a Belgian Shepherd. SOH likes the idea of having a shepherd dog, I like the idea of having a big dog after years of little jack russells and it won't remind me of Sam quite so much. We saw a 4 month old Belgian Shepherd called Hudson at Pool market a week or so ago and he was absolutely gorgeous but we have to wait for the right circumstances.

A Visitor is Expected

Zeltus is on his way over to the Back of Beyond from La Belle France for a flying visit as he has an interview locally on Wednesday, I will be working so won't be able to do much in the way of hospitality other than to provide bed and board but at least the house is now almost finished in terms of decoration so at least he won't be in a complete mess.

He is coming over by bike, and ferry, around about 600 miles in total but at least it is an overnight ferry.. I am hoping he will manage to get me some of the cheese that I like, the walnut coated variety which is a special of the Perigoux region; I am ashamed to admit that the last one I tried to take home ended up being confiscated at Limoges airport... if only I had put it in my main suitcase it would have survived but that's life.

This weekend saw a friend and colleague come over and help me take down the stuff which was stored on high in the shed, out came various items including - two plastic dogbeds, half a dozen demijohns, winemaking equipment, a deep fat fryer, pressure cookers (2), jam jars, bead seats, telescopic tripods for cameras, cool boxes (2) and assorted dust and spiders cobwebs.. thankfully now that is done the rest of the shed will be easier to manage.

I also managed to finish painting the study/3rd bedroom which was the last of my big painting tasks, now it is just the little fiddly bits and gloss work to be touched up... and hopefully then I can relax a bit more.

Its always nice

Its a good feeling and nice when things get their MOT done and they get through it with no work needed.. Max my beloved motorbike had his 3rd MOT today (was it really 6 years ago that I purchased him - the time has gone by so quickly) and he got through with flying colours...

I am now free of car/bike hassle until January when Tax becomes due on the car, and then April when the MOT is due on that but I am hoping after paying for all the work last time that I wouldn't need to do too much more.

Of course this time last year, I was looking forward to a long and challenging ride down to the South of France, this year I might be going to Suffolk to the National Rally instead... oh how the mighty have fallen actually I have plans that might include a holiday in the sun but it does require the house to be sold and if there are enough pennies in the pot then I am going to have a break and am considering Cyprus... should still be warm enough in Oct/Nov time shouldn't it?

Any other suggestions welcomed... I want a beach, soft and sandy, don't mind if it is quiet as long as there is a bar to have a drink at, don't mind self-catering but happy to do full board or even half-board.

Dog Day afternoon

Have been busy entertaining Zeltus's two Parson Russell Terriers, Judy and Charlie. Because it is cold, but bright sitting outside is not an option so I am staying in the kitchen which gets the best of the morning sunshine and kept company by Charlie sitting on my lap adding to the warmth factor. Judy instead preferring her own company and staying in the cold living room.

At some point in time in the morning yesterday, Judy started shaking and we had no idea why until much later in the day when she squealed with pain on being picked up. However this morning she seems a lot happier and there will be no need for the vets but her exercise is going to be curtailed so I will be walking Charlie alone today.

Almost finished the book I brought with me, Elizabeth Buchan - Light of the Moon. If you like tales of WWII and the resistance/soe exploits this is for you, it is a novel but draws on some of the experiences of the people of the time. Another book Between Silk and Cyanide is written by Leo Marks and he was involved in the work of Violette Szabo, this isn't easy to get hold of this book but a very good read if you do find it.

Hopefully today will be a little warmer, and I can get out in the garden for a while

St Andrews Day

You can find out how Scotland celebrates it National Day...click here But Scots across the world from Sydney to Toronto will also celebrate their heritage, with everything from a concert to a Ceilidh.

If I had to choose where I would like to be today, it would have to be the town of St Andrews, Fife.. When I worked at Balmoral I had friends who were at St Andrews University and was invited to visit them. We had a great weekend, and they took me on a tour of their town including the cathedral

Apparently St Andrews got it's name from legend, when an angel appeared to a Greek monk named St Rule or St Regulus and warned him to remove the bones of St Andrew to ' the ends of the earth ' for safe-keeping. St Rule removed a tooth, an arm bone, a kneecap and some finger bones from St Andrew's tomb in Constantinople and brought them to Scotland. Shipwrecked, he came ashore on the east coast of Fife and built a chapel there to house the relics and later removed to the Cathedral.

My weekend was marred only by a rail strike which meant travelling back on a monday afternoon rather than on the Sunday, and to while away the time I spent a few hours in lectures with my medical student friends and even understood the lecture on ketones, though I was thankful not to be asked any questions by the lecturer.

One farmer has cheered up some people by dyeing his sheep blue in celebration of the day.

Happy St Andrews day to all of those who live in Scotland, or to those who wished they did.

Time to think of Calendars

I always have a calendar at home, for SOH and my appointments, and at work for information.

This year, at home I have Scenes from Wales, and at work I have a calendar showing different quilts - and comes with a booklet for making up the different designs (this is way out of my league).

Whilst I was perusing the various different bits of the Mail on Sunday I came across this calendar, the water-skiing westies.. and immediately thought of Sally-Ann, who has Cornwall beside the Sea blog, as she owns a westie called Hamish.

Now I don't know if Hamish has been waterskiing, or even wants to but I think that something like this would be a must for all West Highland White terriers as it is humourous as well as scenic.

I would love a calendar of Jack Russells, but can't find anything half as amusing and I might just have to try and get a copy for the office as SOH-Dad has already brought us a calendar of Cornish Scenes for home.

The Mundaneness of things

I had a busy day on Saturday, doing three lots of washing and a whole heap of ironing, not to mention cooking a full roast chicken dinner for SOH who was busy working. He had left at 3.50am in the morning and got home just before 6pm so he was in need of some much needed hot refreshments.

The reason for such a mundane day was that we had had 3 weekends where we were away, or busy with Rugby, American Football, Work, Committee meetings/AGM etc that we haven't had the time to catch up with the mundane things that make life go more smoothly.

So Saturday was my catchup day, and I did feel better now I have got things more under control and now we can turn our hands to the other things like the garden which needs some tidying up and leaf gathering not to mention rosebush trimming before we get too much colder weather (though you can't get much colder than when the snow is laying on the ground).

the Summer Solstice - how was it for you?

Ours was very wet and very windy and didn't seem to be like summer at all... in fact it could well have been an early Autumn gale striking at the very heart of the English Summer.

I love watching the sun rise in the morning, and generally I like to be up early for the longest day, but not this time. Cold wet and generally cheerless, the wind whistled through the trees at the back of the house and all I wanted to do was to curl up on the sofa and watch the rugby, so at 8am SOH and I watched New Zealand beat England convincingly it was as though the England team was wearing concrete boots.

Ah well now that the earth has tipped back on towards the winter solstice the days after may calm down and offer us just a hint of Summer.. it would be nice, but then again it may be just another damp year.

Friday

Just some randomness because it is Friday... so the following are facts about Friday

In the majority of countries with a five-day work week, Friday is the last workday before the weekend and is, therefore, viewed as a cause for celebration or relief. In some offices, employees are allowed to wear less formal attire on Fridays, known as Casual Friday or Dress-Down Friday.

TGIF = Thank God It's Friday is closely followed by POETS = Push Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday.

The origin of the name Friday comes from two paths, one Frigg (from the Germanic Translation of Venus) the other fron Freyja hence the German name for Friday = Freitag or Freyja's Day.

In some cultures, Friday is considered unlucky, especially Friday the 13th. This is particularly so in maritime circles; perhaps the most enduring sailing superstition is that it is unlucky to begin a voyage on a Friday. In one myth a Royal Navy ship (HMS Friday) was laid down on a Friday, launched on a Friday, captained by a Captain Friday, and was never heard of again. Source : Wikipedia

The use of the Gregorian calendar and its leap year system results in a small statistical anomaly, that the 13th of any month is slightly more likely to fall on a Friday than any of the other seven days.[1] The figures are 688/4800 (43/300) which is .1433333..., being just slightly greater than 1 in 7.

After the United States acquired Alaska from Russia in 1867, Friday October 6 was immediately followed by Friday October 18, adjusting to the adoption of the 1582 Gregorian calendar changes by the British colonies in 1752, and the shifting of the International Date Line.

Fridays in History

• Black Friday (1869), the Fisk-Gould Scandal (24 Sep), a financial crisis in the United States
• Haymarket affair (11 November 1887), four Chicago anarchists executed in the pursuit of an 8-hour workday
• Black Friday (1910), a campaign outside the British House of Commons (18 Nov) of the Women's Social and Political Union the Conciliation Bill which failed
• Black Friday (1919), the Battle of George Square (31 Jan), a riot stemming from industrial unrest in Glasgow, Scotland
• Black Friday (1921), the announcement of British transport union leaders (15 Apr) not to call for strike action against wage reductions for miners
• Black Friday (1939), a day of devastating fires in Australia (13 Jan)
• Black Friday (1944), a disastrous attack by the Canadian Black Watch (13 Oct) near Woensdrecht during the Battle of the Scheldt
• Black Friday (1945), an air battle over Sunnfjord (9 Feb), the largest over Norway
• Hollywood Black Friday (5 October 1945), a riot at the Warner Bros. studios stemming from a Confederation of Studio Unions (CSU) strike leading to the eventual breakup of the CSU
• Black Friday (1969) May 13th Sino-Malay race riots in Kuala Lumpur
• Black Friday (1978), a massacre of protesters in Iran (8 Sep)
• Edmonton Tornado (July 31, 1987), a tornado touching down in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
• Black Friday (1982), the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands, sparking the Falklands War
• Black Friday (Maldives) (2004), a crackdown in Maldives, Malé (13 Aug) on peaceful protesters

...And there have been a few others in recent times such as the stock market tumbles, governments crashing due to public opinions... but I didn't want to drag the tone down here.

Here it will be the bank holiday this weekend, and as ever the weather has changed to rain and cooler... sigh... never mind at least people don't go rusty :-) but gardening is likely to be curtailed in favour of dryer activities.

Wednesday

Anyone else finding today really hard going, and have no idea why? Read on :

Courtesy of Wikipedia
Wednesday is the third day of the week in most western countries and the fourth day of the week in the Christian calendar, between Tuesday and Thursday. The name comes from the Middle English Wednes dei, which is from Old EnglishWēdnes dæg, meaning the day of the Germanic god Woden (Wodan) who was a god of the Anglo-Saxons in England until about the 7th century. Wēdnes dæg is like the Old Norse Oðinsdagr ("Odin's day"), which is an early translation of the Latin dies Mercurii ("Mercury's day"), though Mercury (the messenger of the gods) and Woden (the king of the Germanic gods) are not equivalent in most regards.

According to the Hebrew Bible, Wednesday is the day when the Sun and Moon were created.

An English language idiom for Wednesday is "hump day", a reference to making it through to the middle of the work week as getting "over the hump."

So there you are, even if you feel fine you have put in the majority of work for the week. Makes you wonder if statistically more crimes/accidents occur by Wednesday - if anyone knows perhaps they might care to comment.

Next week you will know why you don't feel as bright on a Wednesday morning but by the evening you will be able to look forward to the anticipation of the weekend and a chance to relax and chill out before it all starts again next week.