Wet and very very wet

I was shattered last night and too busy at work to write about my weekend, my lunch was filled with a trip to Ripley to return a pie dish to Frizbe and watch Andy and Frizbe's Dad work away on shelving for the shop while I supped a quick coffee. Anyway by the time I got home and thought about writing something I had read Julie blog and thought that about sums it up in every aspect, apart from I didn't have drive home home through the snow, so to avoid repeating things read here for my weekend.

I'm now still waiting for the wool to dry, the cloak in particular seems reluctant, its spread tent like over the back of chair and radiator but after a full day is still sodden in places, last night the parts on the radiator were almost foaming with the escaping moisture, the purple robe I wore below took the next brunt of the rain and as dried, but layers below seemed to remain relatively dry, my car on the other hand is still very damp inside.

I also managed to tread in some dog poo on Saturday along with Julie and few other players which was messy, dog owners please bag your poo even when its in the grass next to the path.

Here is photo of the snow, (it was whiter but by time of the photo it had started melting) while it lasted. The photos bit bleary but was hand held, through a steamed up window, in the dark.

Just to say (or repeat) good company, fun weekend, shame about the weather, Jasmine even managed to spend almost all evening on Julie knees, which seemed to make Julie happy, espcially since cats are always a topic of conversation when she visits. Did stop her knitting though.

Jamine below helping to dry my cloak (click for larger image)

Communication failure

Its surprising how much communication relies on people being on the same wave length; then again it could be my hearing or the sales girl’s speech, or a deep desire for cake.

I asked for a warm Cornish pasty from the bakery stand behind the girl, "the one at the back" and she replied with “Cream tart”, I said “no the Cornish pasty” “Yes” she said ”Cream tart” as I realised we where failing to communicate so listened harder while I reached over and pointed at what I wanted “Crinkle topped” hmm obvious once you understand the Cornish pasty terminology.

Snail overtook car

Spend I did, bought wonderful gifts I did, enjoyed my weekend I did.

This Saturday I went with my friends Jock & Bridgette to the Original Reinactors Market at Coventry, determined not to spend on me, unless I saw the tall Gandalf hat hat I failed to purchase at the other fayre 2 weeks ago. Well I succeeded, and purchased 3 Christmas gifts, and actually did not feel tempted, I did see several nice things that would have been great if not for being a pound short of hundred and looking like they should have been valued at fifty, until you look at the work content and your realise that hundred quid is probably a bargain. Ran into lots of people I know, from Staffords or Buckinghams and other places including Ghost who I had not seen for couple of years, plus Tee, Paul Hadfeild, Andy, Emma, Daren, Rachel, Catherine, Tom, and others, nice to greeted enthusiastically

After the market we went into the outskirts Coventry for a meal at pub, they specialised in pies which were good value and tasty, before driving home to see Jasmine. Talking of which Jock is the worlds slowest driver, regularly overtaken by electric milk floats (Not kidding) and with a unnatural instinct to stay in the slow lane of the motorway no matter what, even behind the lorry struggling to get up hill at 40mph, he's never had a accident, so I should have no complaints, but when you are a passenger and you can see you need to pull out into another lane 10 hours before the driver it can be irritating, no other driver in world is as slow.

Anyway Sunday I went with my other friends Julie and Dave to Birmingham Exhibition Centre, when I say other friends I do have more than 2 sets of friends even if most have Children to look after 1st before me.
Back to the point this was Christmas shopping outing a new place to visit for me, not the NEC that is been there plenty of times but the event Hobby Crafts and Crafts for Christmas so I was not sure what to expect.
Well Hobby crafts is basically a big gathering of everything you need to make, stamp, glitter and decorate your own Christmas, birthday cards & tags with the odd knitting, sewing, embroidery, bead stand, of course you could also do beaded, sewn or embroidered cards, I didn't see any knitted cards, but perhaps I missed them. At the side of Hobby Crafts was a Artist hall, which sold pencils, paints and other arty stuff, a place which actually served tea that wasn't too bad, and also a cat walk fashion show, which consisted of models dressed in cloths decorated in cards, gift tags and wrapping paper. I do mock it wasn't that bad, a eye opener into the world of card making and I bought 3 or 4 presents from there, but no card stuff.
The other hall was Crafts for Christmas which was a smaller version of Chatworth Country fair, but free of mud and sheep dogs and selling the gifts at the time of year you want to buy them, so I bought another 3 or 4 gifts from there, Dave bought a walking cane flute which was interesting. All in a very worthwhile visit, nice clear roads in both directions, good company and bit of inspiration from Julie, who I can now blame, when my mother thinks I fell my chair and banged my head when buying her, her presents.

Having examined my hoard from this and previous shops I think I'm about 75% there with Xmas shopping, still my dad to do, my nephews, one of my brothers and a couple of friends.

Good film

On Tuesday night I went to see "Stardust" a fantasy film at the local Odeon cinema, my friend Ste described it as Fantasy chick flick, personally I disagree I thought it more a light hearted fantasy in the same vein as the Princes Bride, anyway I really enjoyed it.



Based on a book by Neil Gaiman

Bushey tailed cat

Last coughs of my cold, I wish, I'm never sure if the worst part of a cold is the initial headache, feeling tired, the follow on running nose, sneezing, eyes watering stage or the recovery when it turns to a horrible dry cough, I can live and function with a cough I guess, even if it make sleep hard.

Anyway this weekend I was slowly recovering from my cold, but still did the shopping rounds and ironing. On Saturday I went round to my friends Ste & Debbie for a meal and jolly nice meal it was. Debbie stole a Jamie Oliver recipe card from Sainsbury's with Chicken, rosemary, cherry tomatoes, bacon, some very nicely done potato wedges and various other bits which I couldn't get enough of. The stater was nice too, and then we finished with a very, very rich, shop made orange and chocolate pudding, one spoon would have been sufficient to fill you.

By about 10pm however my cold had caught up me and I was feeling decidedly drowsy and uncommunicative, so by 11 I left and not too soon, it was a short 20 minute drive home but long enough to have been feeling quite dizzy.

Tonight I was supposed to go to my brother Roberts house for fireworks, but Jasmine had gone very bushey tailed (her tail had expanded to the thickness of her body) and wouldn't leave my lap with all the banging and fizzing outside, she was not a happy cat, so I stayed in and watched 'Nacho Libre' which was quite a funny DVD.

Angry Men

I’m struggling to concentrate since I have a cold, which is at the dribbley, sneezey stage, so I’m writing this which I hope will make sense when I read it back.

This week I’ve had a driving nightmare on the way home from work possibly due to dark nights and snarled up traffic.
On Tuesday I was queuing on a main road and driving slowly so I was not stop starting all the way up the hill, when the car behind jumped the queue and made up a place, swerving past me into the small space I had left for no good reason. I hooted him (I admit several times) for the very cheeky manoeuvre and he objected to this. He showed his bad mood by stopping in the middle of the road putting on his hazard lights then when I tried pass him he shot forward then proceeded to slam his anchors on several times, which you can imagine did not go down well, not wishing to escalate the situation I however did nothing more. However at the next bend he pulled over, letting me pass, shot out between me and the car behind me and followed me home, I decided not go home not wishing to meet a road raged maniac outside my house so drove around the housing estate until he gave up. Not pleasant, next time I will keep my displeasure at being overtaken to myself.

Then Thursday I watched in disbelief when after letting someone out of a side road, I moved forward, but someone else decided they wanted out this side road as well and could not wait their turn, spun their wheels shot out causing me to brake, did a u turn around me and then had stop for traffic coming the other way blocking me until someone on the other side of the road let him out as well.

Its now Friday and I’m still not sure I’ve recovered from Tuesday, I’m still expecting a car to turn up behind me and a man with shotgun blow me away for daring to express my displeasure.

Ripley and Coventry

Well this weekend I started my Christmas shopping without the real intent to do so.

On Saturday I went over to Andy & Heathers Chimera shop in Ripley to play a 40K game with Dave.
Julie brought Dave up and we had lunch at my house before going to the shop full of kids all waiting to watch us play. Orks v Eldar, it took over an hour to set out the terrain and figures with kids circling us and terrain tables being knocked. Still we got a game in, and learned the latest rules as we went along, although we had trouble with a rulebook which had bad printing errors repeat and missing pages. By 5.30pm we decided to pack in and only one kid left, the rest had already returned home, he helped us pack away by heaping the terrain in a big pile.
While at the shop Saturday I also purchased a couple of games as Christmas presents.
After closing I went to local pub with Julie, Dave, Heather, Andy and their children, which wasn't a bad place, then went for a coffee, exchanged star wars ring tones and left for home.

Sunday on the other hand was a planned shopping visit.
I went to over to Coventry to Julie and Dave's to pick them up before traveling to the National Living History Faye at Warwick Exhibition Centre, where I hoped to be inspired to buy Christmas presents.
I was and bought a few unusual gifts as well as leather armour for myself, something I was not intending to buy, but Dave said why don't you try it on, and that was it, Julie suggested I try on tall grey wizards hat which suited me, and I nearly purchased that, but somehow resisted, which is most unlike me and hats.

Dave found a nice store selling children's crossbows, which he decided to test by firing a cork across the aisle at some armour, a risky move with passing pedestrians. The crossbow however had other ideas and not being designed for corks, the cork flew completely over the armour stand into midst of the exhibition centre landing who knows where Since people were selling delicate glass goblets the store holders looked very concerned, me and Julie hid behind Dave and pretended not to know him. The cork we found later in the middle of an aisle, I distracted people while Dave bent to tie his shoe lace and pick up the cork to return to the Crossbow stand.

While there we ran into Tom and Gail, Jeff and Lucy before returning Julie's home having spent few hundred pounds between us.

Another long day, I hit an accident which left what the matrix sign called congestion (I called stationary traffic) between junction 24 and 29 which made the hour trip some 2 hours.

Nice day and now have started my Christmas shopping at least one month earlier than usual; October is not a Christmas shopping month in my book.