AndyBlog

Pretty, pretty dinner

Completed successfully. Thanks TL

Picture framing, without Robin.

This is one of those postings that is based entirely round a picture, rather than a theme which is illustrated by the picture. Thankfully, it is a slightly amusing picture - so maybe you can, at the very least, squeeze some small fillet of enjoyment from it, on that level alone.

In order to flesh it out, I should point out that I decided to usurp Robin's authority and sit on his, or possibly Karen's seat in their shop which is in an indeterminate place somewhere not entirely far away from Leeds, or Huddersfield, or Batley. Neither Robin, or Karen were there to greet us, but we were informed by Angela that “Bree” (not sure of the spelling) could be summoned from “Out Back” at a moment's notice.

Always comforting to know.

TL and myself were there to commission the framing of a picture that we had recently bought in Whitby. Robin is the inveterate Al Stewart fan and IBM computer programmer whose wife runs this excellent arty establishment. Do drop in, assuming you can find it, and buy a virtually limitless number of mirrors - or perhaps one of the many original paintings on show. Walking round the place is a bit of a treat, especially if you have strong views about art. Personally, I don't know much, but I know what I hate.

What makes it better, is the adjoining cafe, where it is possible to get a cup of tea and a cake to break up the browsing experience. What makes /that/ better is the classy simplicity of leaving the place without paying for either picture frame, or refreshments.

So, some would say, a successful day. I, myself, don't look at it that way. I feel sorry for Angela, the owner of the cafe, that she has missed out on the revenue we could have provided for her. I feel sorry for Brie, Bree or maybe even Breigh, because our picture, being 59“ wide, was too wide for the framing supplies they had. She assures us that they will diligently hunt for exactly the right piece of art board. I believe her.

I just hope that we've all learned something form the whole unhappy saga, and that the various friendships and business relationships can be safely repaired - maybe with the simple transference of small or large amounts of money.

If anyone wants to kick me, for any reason, I'll be in the North-East for a while.

Of mice and men, and other mice...

I heard the little rustling sounds last night, and thought nothing of them. I heard them again today, and slowly it dawned that as I was residing in the infested house, I was hearing a mouse.

And yet, without even a whiff of peanut butter (deep respect, Tim), the rodent had carefully and thoughtfully trapped itself, deep within the bowels of a packet of Rice Crispies.

Soon after this picture, it made a bid for freedom, thankfully unsuccessful. I would have liked, on one level, to be the macho man that quickly dispensed with the little chap, but I simply cannot kill in cold blood.

Instead, TL drove our friend out to a layby, some 1.01 miles away, leaving it there to make a new life for itself. This is based on the tip that most mice can manage to come 'home' for up to 1 mile. Liz's extra 100 yards would have been more than enough to demoralise the little chap.

It is strange, on another level, to note that the discovery of this tiny rodent in the Thompson household would have heralded the joyous re-discovery of a friend, or maybe provided a new cage-fellow for those currently managing to successfully cling to life in their self-styled rodent menagerie-cum-hospice.

Ah, the twists and turns of life.

And we're back...

Just to say sorry for the lack of pictures at the moment, and from the outages yesterday and the day before.

TypePad, our hosts, are having serious problems which are taking some time to resolve.

Thanks of your patients.

Amarylis - The Legend Continues

So here we are. December is upon us, and Amarylis is ready to do her thing.

Yes, she has had a quiet and, I hope, productive summer - blissfully unaware of the drama that has raged around her. Now, it is time for her to perform again - if she will.

Those of you who are new to all things Amarylis, please scroll down and take a look at my earlier shots of her this year, just after last Christmas. There is a nice little slide-show for you to enjoy.

The big question is, will she flower again?  I am told that this is a hard feat for a plant which has already flowered, so it would be great if it happened.

Already the leaves are going yellow and dying, this is the first stage. I have now removed what water there is, and I will let the bulb dry out and rest a while. With luck, shoots will appear and we will, once again, enjoy those amazing flowers.

Excited?  Well, I am.

It starts here.

Spanking Achievement

Sorry, Rebecca.

Spank The Monkey

I have spanked the monkey at 272mph

How fast do you spank the monkey?

http://www.linkworld.ws/funny/monkey/

Really, really, really useful...

Every so often, I discover a web site and I find myself thinking: “How on earth did I not know about this before?”

So it is with this one.

It's hard to imagine a more universally useful or smashing web site anywhere on the internet. It rivals Google, although it does not in any way seek to replace it.

eHow gives you clear Instructions on how to do (just about) everything. That's it. No gimmicks, no fuss.

I bet you're all old hand with this site and that I'm the last to know about it, but I have been amazed by its breadth and the sheer helpfulness of the articles.

If you have not tried it, please give it a go and see what you think. Better still, let me know here.

http://www.ehow.com/

A common cold

I have, and have been having a cold for the last few days. Over a week even. This picture is not of me, in case you are wondering.

I have resisted the temptation to describe myself as “dying from flu” or “half dead with pneumonia”, because I believe that the common cold has been undersold in recent years, leading to it almost ceasing to exist.

A cold, the employee reckons, is far too trivial to need to be off work for. Most bosses laugh in your face for a cold, whilst regaling you with brave stories of how they constantly come to work just about every day with a cold, or something much worse.

I believe this could be a reason for the demise of the cold. It is simply not seriously ill enough to demand respect. In a society which constantly needs to dazzle and which thrives on superlatives, the common cold is simply not sexy enough.

So, we see a rising scale of illness, in which the cold does not get a look in. Instead, there is a superlative scale, which has to be observed and decoded accordingly:

Cold ---------- Flu  ( “Barely conscious, hallucinating ” )

Stomach bug ---------- Gastroenteritis ( “Awful case of it - both ends” )

Under the weather ---------- Depression ( “I hope I don't do anything...” )

Hangover ---------- 24 hour bug ( “I can't keep a thing down, no colour” )

Influenza ---------- Pneumonia ( “We've alerted the hospital” )

So, I hereby take back the cold as a valid ailment. I have had a cold, and am still having it. It's made me pretty miserable these last few days, and I do apologise to those who have tried to talk to me and found me unresponsive etc.

One final note - this basket of used tissues is not mine, I just found it on the internet. It is there to symbolise my own metaphorical basket, which is also full of soiled tissues. My tissues were soiled as part of a causal link between nose leakage and nose wiping. Nothing else. Honest.

What would you like?

Simple question now.

What would you like for christmas that you know you can't ask for?

Maybe it's too big, too expensive, or just too impossible for whatever reason.

I'd like Number 11 Argyle Terrace. :)