Site Meter

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Good, The Bad And The Rest

Today I am feeling lazy. Too lazy to construct paragraphs. So I will sum up my week in a series of good and bad points. Obviously, being the sort of person that I am, I will start with the negative:

Bad Thing - Having wisdom tooth ripped out leaving me sore and naive :(

Good Thing - Jakers reading my mind and knowing that an omelette was exactly what I
wanted for dinner :)

Bad Thing - Rotten taste in my mouth due to aforementioned extraction :(

Good Thing - Off sweets, chocolates, biscuits and desserts for over a week and feel
great :)


Bad Thing - Off sweets chocolates and biscuits and a new and interesting sweet shop
has just opened :(

Good Thing - Successful driving lesson. 10+ roundabouts conquered :)

Bad Thing - Still shit at changing gears and general driving :(

Good Thing - Going round to Jaker's friends' for authentic Peruvian cuisine :)

Bad Thing - General annoyance at work :(

Good Thing - Tomorrow is Sunday :)

Monday, October 17, 2011

Riddled

This is day five of no sugar. That is, no sugar in the form of sweets, chocolate, biscuits or desserts. I allow myself yoghurts and maple and pecan granola and fruit. It hasn't even been that difficult. I've had a couple of dreams of eating chocolates but in the dream I am disappointed in myself. I don't wake up in the morning disappointed that I have no sweets.

Yesterday Jakers and I headed out to Nellybert's for a little woodwork project. Last week I called into an old fashioned DIY type store in town. I thought it was Herbison's but that is the shop on the opposite side of the street (long closed now and nobody seems to remember what kind of shop it was). I called in on the offchance that he might sell bits of wood. Apparently not, and apparently I was a total eejit for even thinking so. He said to try a timber yard or B&Q both of which I scoffed at being no use. He then reached up to a shelf where one lonely, dusty box sat. It was some form of wooden shelves. It was no use but I noticed the many tubs of rat killer on the shelf below. I laughed and told the shopkeeper I wanted the wood for my rat cage. I was just about to leave when he went out the back and came out with a plank of wood.

'Would that be of any use to you' Says he.

'Oh aye, that would do the job alright. What will you take for it? Says I.

'Och, a pound will do' Says He.

'A pound? Sure take two for it.' Says I.

'Oh no, no, a pound will do.'

And with that I marched up the street with my plank of wood under my arm.

When I got home I showed it to Jakers. He asked me how much it cost and I told him, proudly, that it only cost a pound. Jakers was disgusted. I was ripped off. I paid a pound for an old dusty shelf that had fallen off the wall. And it was riddled with woodworm.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Farewell Sweet Friend

After many years of abusing my body with various things I have decided that it is time to give up one of my worst vices. You would think that smoking would be the obvious choice, and it will happen some day, but for now I plan to rid the evil sugar demon from my blood. Some people might be surprised to learn that sugar is just as hard to kick as heroin. Only joking, but it is as hard to kick as nicotine.

When you're addicted to sugar you never feel thirsty. I've often worried that my poor brain is dehydrated. I don't feel stupid or anything but it can't be good for me never being thirsty. Even when I'm in hot countries.

So last night I decided that me and sugar were not a good combination. If I merely had a 'sweet tooth' it would be ok but, unfortunately, I'm going to have to be an 'all or nothing' kinda girl when it comes to sweets. It's gonna be hard. Really hard. I'm the girl who dreams about sweets then wakes up disappointed because I have none, the girl who trawls around restaurants asking them if they will serve me dessert only, the girl who orders sweets online, I was going to be the auntie who let her niece try all the best sweets. Sweets and sugar have been such a massive part of my life for so many years. How will I ever cope? I also feel bad that I got Jakers hooked on the stuff. And him a purist who doesn't drink booze and only eats his dinner from Marks and Spencers.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Why It's Rude To Point

Oh, the perils of working with the general public! Picture the scene: A lady is sitting at one of our computers in work, picking some photos she would like printed. A man is at the other computer picking out a picture of his dog to put on a mousemat. The lady is sat at the computer with her back to the display wall. Behind her is a picture of Judy when she was a pup. The man decided on his picture and I took his details. As he was leaving I commented on what a lovely dog he had and pointed at the wall whilst asking "Would you like to breed your dog with that girl there?" But to the woman sat at the computer, who didn't know there was a piture of a dog behind her, it looked as if I was pointing at her. Fortunately everyone found it funny.

It was Jakers birthday on Friday. We were meant to go for a Birthday lunch but I slept in 'til 3 O'Clock so we went for dinner instead. During our meal we discussed, at length, how they had made the walls in the restaurant, where to find a sheep herding mongolian breeder (this is an ongoing private joke, which I am pretty sure no one else would understand) and we also pretended we didn't know each other and made up ridiculous answers to the standard first date questions. I think I enjoyed the banter ust as much as the food.

On Saturday morning I woke up ridiculously early, (apperently adults can't oversleep without paying for it the next night) but had a lovely day perusing the town and losing at bowling. Saturday night we rocked up at the Dreen Road for Jakers' Birthday celebrations. It was a bit of a sausage fest, as Bert so charmingly put it, but it was a great wee night with much guitar playing, singing and merriment. Dougie found it particularly good fun to accompany the dogs in some good ol' fashioned barking.

I then woke up on Sunday afternoon at 3 O'Clock (perhaps I am still a teenager after all). After a lovely week off I relished the last few hours of Sunday lying around being lazy. And now that summer is over I'm back to working 4 days a week. The difference in my pay is barely even noticeable and the extra day off a week is much more useful. So when I woke up this morning with a small groan I reminded myself that I only had to work 2 days and then I had another 2 days off. Woo to the Hoo!

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Making People Smile

Today I feel great. And not just because I'm off on holiday again. The reason I feel great is because I did something that made at least 3 people happy. When mum and I were clearing out the attic I came across a lot of old negatives. I called into work early on several mornings to scan and print them. The photos were of Bert, his mum and dad and extended family.

A lot of the photos featured a young Bert between the ages of 0-12. He seemed to have a grand old time on his farm with the hens and goats and tractor rides. They were very sweet photos. Very natural and wholesome which is something that is almost lost in today's modern photography (teenagers posing with tongues sticking out and 'Jordan pouts'). Amongst some of my favourites were Bert on his little trike, on which Pearlie had stuck on an 'L' Plate, Bert on his rocking horse, Bert and his father on the tractor, Bert hugging a hen in the lawn, Pearlie and Johnny sitting in the stacks of hay while a baby Bert played with the dog, Bert and the dog in the boot of the car. I could go on but there is just too many. The dog, although it wasn't always the same dog, featured in nearly all of the photographs. It is no wonder Bert is such a big fan.

There was a particularly lovely one with Bert in the arms of his father at the seaside. Bert is probably not even a year old and he's clutching onto his dad's tie. I got this one blown up and framed for Bert. I remember Johnny well. I, too, used to go for rides in the tractor with him. He was a kind, gentle man. Just like Bert.

I stayed at mum's last night and sat in with Pearlie while we looked at all the photos together and she told me who everyone else was. Her memory is as sharp as a tack. It was a nice way to spend time with her. And it also pleased me to know that she would get great pleasure going through them with her niece and her sister.

Work has been pretty tough lately with one thing and another but getting those negatives scanned has made me realise that the job I do makes a lot of people very happy. Selling photos is a buisness and there will always be buisness politics but I know that the people who leave our shop and show their photos to everyone are spreading much more happiness than the shops who are selling clothes. I'm sure you've never bought a pair of jeans that has put a smile on anyone else's face but your own.