Philistine

This week I'm making DVDs for a new cookery series which is starting in January, so last night I decided to tart up the chocolate pudding and cream with a little grated orange peel trimming.  OH peered at it and said, "What's that?  Carrot?"

How tasty is your skin?

They're back.  Bugger.

To insects I have the tastiest skin on earth.  They especially like the bits of my legs just above the top of the sock line.

Five years ago I got well and truly bitten by horse flies. And before I knew it, they'd turned into leg ulcers.   I went through I don't know how many hospital (dis)appointments before they gave up and I was referred back to my local GP practice nurses (where I clearly should have stayed all along).

And then I had to have triple layer bandaging, which seems to take up half your life.  Half hour appointments, twice a week.  To be honest, it was quite a good chat time.  My main nurse I'd known for years via school, so we just had a good natter. But it does take up quite a lot of your life. 

And the big problem with triple layer bandaging is that the only shoes that fitted were my black Crocs which are a bit on the big side - and NOT AT ALL SUITABLE UNLESS THE WEATHER IS DRY.

So far I have been wearing the compression stockings I still had from last time, but tomorrow I may get told that's not enough.  Fingers crossed, eh?

Oh, and I have antibiotics against a possible infection I have.  To be taken on an empty stomach, or at least two hours since last food.  And no food for another hour after.

So you have to take these meds at a predetermined point within a 3-hour slot.  I'm writing timings down, but it's doing my head in.  At least I seem to be eating about a third of my usual amount because I'm never quite sure where I am within this timescale.  Add that to the fact that the antibiotics might make you a bit "squitty" - and well you're not going to eat when you'll be in a situation where you can't rush off to the loo ...

Counting the pennies

Cheesy Wotsits.  For those of you who know what they are.

On offer in the Co-op for £1.59 a 12-pack of Wotsits.  On the shelf below a 6-pack of Wotsits.  Cost?  £1.61.

Now why would I want to pay 2p more for half the quantity?

Lucky I'm good at maths.

Wahey! The day of the red-trousered philanthropist!

Well it's happened.  Bristol now has a mayor - and he wears red trousers!

For years we've been dogged by the crappiest council in the country.  They hate cars.  Intent on introducing controlled parking zones.  Let developers cram too much housing into too small a space without thinking about all the associated cars that brings, or the infrastructure needed for all these extra people. 

Every year they are surprised by the number of children seeking school places that they didn't know would be applying.  For goodness sake, these 4 year-olds didn't just spring out of nowhere.  They were all born somewhere and they're all known to health visitors and doctors.  Couldn't they just ask them how many were on their books? 

Similarly with secondary schools - well nearly all of the would-be new intake come from existing primary schools, so you know where they all live and where the schools need to be.  God help us if they ever needed rocket science.

They make it impossible to park in town.  They let FirstBus run a really awful bus service, too expensive, buses don't go where you actually want to go - and then wonder why Cribbs Causeway shopping centre (which is actually in South Glos) attracts all the shoppers.

So yes, finally, we have someone in control who can think outside the box and who actually GETS THINGS DONE.

Not much to live up to, eh?  Go, get 'em, George!

(Oh and because of the mayoral elections, we have the highest PCC turnout in the country which now has also gone to the independent on the second count with twice as many votes as her contender)

How many days to Christmas?

With nearly six weeks to go, the trees are on sale already.  Lucky they're growing ones in pots.  Any for sale round your way yet?

Wow! Gromits!

Last year here in Bristol we had Wow! Gorillas in which 61 gorillas were decorated by artists and placed around the city. 

Some of them arrived by boat.  A gorilla flotilla.  They were great fun, and a lot of photos were taken with them.  Every time you saw one, you smiled.

Now it seems we shall be sporting Gromits next year.

Which reminds me of a day back in 2005, when I was walking back from school and saw what was obviously a huge fire in the distance.  And that afternoon, when the wind was blowing gently in our direction, all the ash came with it.  The top of our black dustbin was thick with it.  And then we discovered where the fire had been. 

It was a bit like when it's been snowing and there's a blanket of snow over everything.  Except this time it wasn't snow, it was Gromit's ashes.

In other news, we've voted for the man in the red trousers.  Let's hope he wins.

Coming to a multi-storey carpark near you....

Sunday night in Cardiff was cold and raining, but a lot of fun was had here . 

You can see my daughter coming second at 3' 17".  For once, not much mud.


(Apologies for the advert on the front, you'll have to click and close that)

And here's another one in which she features (the moody looking girl on a high-viz bike at 55" in)