wolfette

another summer with the jetstream sitting over England again instead of being up to the north of Orkney. Another wet summer.

This morning dawned bright and pleasant but my body was telling me different, so I didn't take a coat - but did take a brolly. Mid-morning the heavens opened. Over my desk at work is a high glass pyramid atrium roof, so we could watch the water hammering down. Said glass roof has, from time in the past, decided to leak, but today it held - thankfully, because this was the kind of rain that soaks you to the skin in 30 seconds.

By midday, however, it had dried up - still looking overcast but it stayed dry while I went out for lunch. Mid-afternoon it started again, but by 4pm it was dry again. I left at 4.30 and the sun was out again - painfully bright - but with a heavy dark cloud heading over. As I got off the bus I thunder started rumbling ........ but the rain didn't start till I got into the house.

So the trick to avoid getting wet - take a brolly. Mine didn't get unfurled all day!

We've done most of the grocery shopping today, but had to go to Asda because Dalry Road is blocked off due to the big fire in the pub last night. Got home and realised there were a few things I needed from Lidl - which is along Dalry road - so I thought I'd walk down there, and take the camera with me while I was at it (the incident is still ongoing according to the BBC news).

Stepped outside the front door and the heavens opened. So we'll just have to live without those few items.

will be Lost in Space on tv. Can't be bothered going out to see a movie I'm not enthused about anyway, and there was a Dr Who marathon on Watch that I was watching - it's now finished and the above named movie has just started.

it was a perfect day for photography today - so I went for a walk. I started just walking along the canal path, but somehow I ended up walking all the way into town and into Princes Street Gardens from the rear entrance. The fountain is looking fresh and lovely and I ended up taking about 30 shots of it. Seeing me with a camera in hand, busy shooting, a couple of English tourists handed me their camera and asked me to get a shot of them in front of the fountain.

In Highlander we'd have a montage.

:-(

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
To call upon a neighbour and to say:--
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."

And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
And then you'll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:--
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the
time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:--

"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!"

Rudyard Kipling

oh Ianto.

two themes from history/mythology.

Never pay Danegeld. Once you pay Danegeld, you'll never get rid of the Danes.

The princess always gets kept out of the dragon lottery till the end.

KEEP THE DOOR SHUT WHEN NOT IN USE

A six-week-old kitten has been saved after being trapped in a washing machine for a 30-minute cycle.

I was beginning to think that coat was part of the same "lazarus spell" as the rest of him.

or maybe it is.

I got a text on my mobile today. Actually I got several texts. My "neice" (daughter of an old friend) is in town and wants to hook up. (scary thought - she's 18 now and I remember when she was a teeny baby).

So there was a flurry of texts back and forth as she announced her arrival and we arranged for her to visit me.

Now I've noticed before - her age group send texts. My nephews and youngest sister are the same. My age group call each other. My calling plan includes 400 "minutes" of air time (and "download data" for internet browsing, but I have to pay for texts), her PAYG works out cheaper to send texts. So that was 5 texts by each of us, taking about 20 minutes of time as we each read and replied, whereas a single 2 minute phone call would have covered the same info - and cost me less.

hmmmm

A Jack/Ianto sandwich, filling thereof - discuss.

:-)

new recruits?

:-)

(and I am NOT a cockroach!)

I grew up cooking pancakes on a girdle, but when I left home I was informed - especially by my Mother-in-Law - that I had the word wrong, as had my mother, who I learned it from. Obviously what we meant was a "griddle"

No, I meant a girdle. Says so on the pan.

From out and about

Even emblazoned with Rabbie Burn's, Coca Cola is not "Scotland's Other National Drink"

From out and about

(and especially NOT at that price)

was woken up this morning VERY early (about 6am) by Dakota doing his "wow wow wow - I got a sore tummy - wow wow wow" chorus, followed by the occasional "uurp" up chuck routine.

He seems to be feeling better now - well, he's stopped upchucking and yelling. His temperature seems fine, he wasn't lethargic while this was going on - little bugger wouldn't sit down - but he's settled down for a sleep now. I suspect a bigger than usual furball. He's very prone to furballs.

However I loaned my pet-carrier to L downstairs a while back to get her two to the vet. I need to either get it back or buy a new one.

so I decided to try my hand at making some sort of oaty fruit snack bar. After browsing around the 'net and reviewing a few different recipes, I finally found one I liked the look of (mostly) and adapted it a bit. Turned out soft and a little sticky but delicious. The original had a lot more sugar.

Ingredients

· 125g dried apricots

. 50g dried pitted dates

· 150ml orange juice

· 50g butter

· 75g runny honey

· 50g sultanas

· 50g ground almonds

· 75g sunflower seeds

· 25g sesame seeds

· 75g Demerara sugar

· 175g porridge oats



Directions

· Heat oven to 190/375/Gas5

· Line 5x10 tin with baking paper

· Simmer apricots and dates in the orange juice uncovered for 20mins or until apricots have softened

· Whiz in food processor to thick smooth pulp, return to pan and add sugar, butter & honey

· Cook over low heat for 5 mins or until sugar has dissolved

· Stir in remaining ingredients, spoon into tin, press down well and bake 15 mins

· When cool remove from tin and discard lining paper; cut into 14 squares before it cools completely

in fact I said it would probably thunder and rain immanently. Hubby eh'd at me ("maybe you're right - but not for a while".) Wrong.

Five minutes later the heavens FELL. Hailstones, rain, thunder, lightning - and the satellite ceased to get a signal. Reminds me of the daily thunderstorms we got in Florida every afternoon at 4pm.

Fortunately it didn't happen when I was walking home from the cinema - even an umbrella wouldn't have helped.

and many more of them