Advocado

These are the result of 2 stones I planted during Wimbledon fortnight. Survived frosts too..

It worked...!!!

Excuse the kitchen floor!!

Mousetrap...

The longest running show...

So now I am

mobile blog friendly; smartphoned; digitially unchallenged; DVD'ed and MPthreed.

Not sure I would have believed such things when I was 14 - yes a mere 20 years ago...

Its magic? Crazy the leaps we are taking? Crazy the way we have made one almighty mess of our planet - but hey I can send photos from my mobile phone to a website... so I sit here in lavish dressing gown luxury and pinch myself in wonderment.

I am a generation when a spacehopper was an advance in technology. One step up from owning plimsolls.... Shall I try another photo now?!?!

New toy!

It wasnt all bad ...

HEY KIDS!! I sent this picture from my phone - which would explain the lopsided nature of said picture!!! A picture of trafalgar Square the Friday of the Christmas weekend... there were carol singers by the tree and the quietness here compared to the bustle on Oxford Street stirred the festive senses.

Next time I'll send a picture which is the right way up!!! :-)

3 Dead Mice

Yes folks - I think judging from the size of tonights kill I have started working my way through the kids.. or whatever they call baby mice...

... and as if to compensate for this morning's disappointment of finding the Northern Line running ok - they decided instead to suspend it at 6.15pm... which was nice so I walked a lot this evening - which was good as it got the blood circulating and it helped warm me up better than I had felt all day..

Northern Line...

suspended north bound from Morden to Kennington... erm no it wasn't not when I got to the station, having had warning text, heard it on travel news and changed my attire to be ready to stomp to Wimbledon. As I left the house it was snowing - so I was really looking forward to a day of straggly hair and damp clothes. I got to work at 9.33am. Relaxed and having read of the birth of Rabbit's daughter. Aah.

Big news in office! We're having a desk move! Again! Not sure of exact date but I am going right to the other end of the room! Wa-hey - back where I began! Like fashions I suppose - wait long enough they come round again!

Innit!

When you think of Phil Mitchell?! I think about violence. And baldness.

Whodunnit?

I really have no idea. (back to 5 days!) Has she run off with her ex? Did her hubby do it? And her Dad and Mum are a bit suss...

Oh well no doubt when my neighbours wake me at 11.55pm (AGAIN! I could even hear parts of their conversation - rather ironically 'Its very annoying' Mmm tell me about it love) I will have some time to ponder these theories and others... just I need with 4 impending interview tomorrow and a further 4 on Friday! Joy! And then I'm asked what I think I am worth... ooh the answers I could give! Sabbatical for 5 months to write my masterpiece maybe?!

Dream on Karoona! Night - I'm off for a Harrods dressing gown snuggle! :-)

Five Days...

Spooky and thus far gripping - so I'm to my sofa now for episode 2... byeee!

Keep warm everyone! (I know I will - I got a rather lovely belated pressie today - a proper Harrods dressing gown - bliss! Thank you Mr Squeezy Fish xxx)

Brr!

Typical! the one night I get home earlyish (ie before 7pm) and Blogger is upgrading so I can't post! So these are my note pad notes - I'll transfer them over shortly! I hope! (here they are!)

Well so much for tropical January huh! This morning snow paved the streets of London and all tube lines bar one was delayed! Hooray the northern line with its depth and heat was running as normal! Not so lucky for many others - though I suspect the walk did them good! So we have had a rather warm start to the year. Winds to halt the day to day flow and now snow. Welcome to 2007!

I on the other hand have been waging war with my mice. Sunday was the last straw - I could hear them moving and squeaking after I got back from storm trooping walk to Clapham Sarf. Out came the Little Nipper traps and some strategic planning. The perishers were taking the choccie bait and moving the traps as far behind the fridge and freezer as possible. So I was now in need of getting results. Sunday evening I planted the traps. Monday morning the trap had indeed disappeared. When I returned Monday pm, post my weekly shop, it was time to remove the freezer again and see what was behind. Nothing. But a torch and me peering behind the fridge revealed trap and dead mouse. Sprawled on its back. Dead. I jumped in horror. The beady black eyes catching mine. A moment of triumph followed, which was then tempered by thoughts of 'Oh God what I have done? And worse what do I do with it now?' So plastic gloves to the fore I eased the trap and mouse out and peeled back the catch. Into a plastic bag it went and into the bin. But the image kept haunting me as I ate my tea and washed up. Tuesday night no joy. Bait gone but no mouse. So last night a much smaller piece of choc. This evening there was another dead mouse waiting for me. I never realised quite how large they are.


So its 2-nil to me. Unlike Gills last night.

Swansea 2 - Gillingham 0

Oh well the Swansea hex is over. Well done Swansea Jack... I 'look forward' to the crowing...NOT!!!

Weekend

Started well! Tops night out Thursday with Lisa - a belated birthday feast at the Turkish restuarant Tas Pide on New Globe Walk. Got home in one piece despite the fact wind had delayed most of my colleagues until 1am.
Friday - new work related gadget - a SmartPhone no less! CV reviewing all day and straight to pub at 5.30pm. A place I stayed in until 11.10pm. Oops! 5 pints of Shepherd Neame Porter - lovely!

Saturday morning I thought I felt ok - oh how wrong I was. Oh well a few extra hours in bed does no harm! Well at least Chelsea lost!

Sunday up with the lark. Washing out. Breakfast feast and then a power walk to Clapham South. My initial aim was Balham but I had got such a pace going I just kept going! Home in time to hear Arsenal beat Man U. Not that I care about the Prem - but nice to know its not a total runaway prize this seasn. And then stuffed mushrooms for tea whilst watched 'Trek' - crocs n hippos vs the wilderbeast!

Pity Monday arrives too abruptly...

Wind..

Soya milk?

Okay seriously though what has happened to the weather? Where has the cold bleak January gone that we know and love? It's ridiculous, I am walking around in my summer tops and wearing only a mac to fend off the rain. Scarf and hat merely for comfort and to save wind swept hair. Something is not right and its all very well for those in power to say we need to stem the tide BUT we knew this back when I was doing Geography GCSE's & A-Levels... bit late to listen now - some 16 years down the line?! Grr.

AND other notable comments - umbrellas. They are USELESS in the wind! So stop using them, breaking them and then leaving them near waste bins. Take them home and deal with them. Or just stick a hat on! Doh!

As for Big Brother - I watched in horror last night. The first time I switched on due to the general media furore. The foul language and play ground bullying were disgusting to watch. Ashamed to be English as it all seemd too real. I mean why else do right minded people avoid confronting such behaviour? Because that's the sort of response you can expect. Frightening that we have stooped so low.

Doom Dong...

Doomsday Clock - about to move - so that's ok then...

Bugs n Boots

Yesterday it was books - today boots - but in a show of self restraint I was merely picking up 3 pairs which I had finally put in for re-heeling! Aah! In other boot news I wore my 'motor-cycle' tan boots today (the most comfortable footwear I possess) with my sleek looking black dress and someone commented on how great my boots looked. Needless to say as I bounced down 5 flights of stairs the zip went wafty! Fixed now though - phew!

As for reading on the tube home - arses I'm afraid, no seat going spare and I refuse to be thrown around while I try and co-ordinate balance, turning pages and concentrating on the page as opposed to inertia and movement. So no Rabbit Run for me this evening. But I did end up in a carriage with a bloke on who I am sure was in my year at Leicester Uni - which in itself is not odd but the fact I was also sharing a carriage with him last week is. He still had his wheelie suitcase and got off at Tooting Bec. Third time I ask the question 'Oih, (Grr.) did you used to go to Leicester and study law, (Grr.) mate?' I'll let you know how that little tale unfolds.

Did get home to find a postcard on the doormat - from Australia. On the front an old style poster urging people to go out to Australia to see the Ashes matches in 1932 (and this tour lasted from September to March! Take note ECB). Some jovial Aussie then telling me that it was a memento of the 5-0 drubbing! And there was I looking forward to seeing him back in the UK tomorrow. Not so sure now! Freaky bearing in mind I dreamt about said fella last night (a rather odd dream in which my parents also featured and some mass gathering of people and for some reason I was up on a balcony far away in the corner) and was considering whether he had actually left Oz as I walked from tube to home.

So tea. Spicy vegetable tagine followed by apple & banana fritters - lush city! Who said eating well had to be boring?! And so to some TV.

Judge John Deed - discuss. What the hell is that all about? How close to reality is it? The nepotism and general deceit by those in seats of justice - all a bit worrying. And what has Mrs Mills done to her hair and why do her and Deed keep denying that they have a thing going on? Blimey remove that dynamic from the plot and they could see twice as many cases.

Is it a full moon tonight? I have heard the squeaks of mice, just now there were enough emergency sirens to suggest a major heist and now 2 cats are tearing strips out of each other in the back yard.

The big question of the evening - will my neighbours be moving furniture until midnight again this evening? I have started keeping a journal of noisy incidents. My lack of sleep is driving me to minor madness - okay perhaps more outwardly evident madness and I am slightly perturbed by the furniture which has appeared in the front garden coupled with the new table and chair ensemble which was sighted in the back of their Volvo. For one split second I thought they may be storing such items while they had a nice thick carpet and underlay installed in their front room - yet I suspect I am being too optimistic and in actual fact it's more stuff to irritate their downstairs resident....ie ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grr.

Another Grr. moment (well I know how much a known admirer loves them) Match.com without a prior notice take the next instalment of cash from account so I can make it happen... well match.com it ain't happening in cyber land... why would I converse with people online when I have a loyal following awaiting my every word on my blog?! Far more rewarding. So I cancelled my subscription and for the short while I was online at match.com I had 2 people email me?! Crazy crazy world. And on that bomb shell I am going to bed in my air raid shelter - you can hear it coming but you never know when that moving chair is going hit.... ttfn

Gloomy

Not sure why. Yesterday was one of those days. I lie - the weekend was one of those weekends.

I think my brain and soul had had its appetite whet by an unforeseen possibility. The truth of which means that Karoona has to finally bring herself into the real world and consider her practical options. The realistic options. As such the idea itself was great - in my mind! The idea of moving to somewhere slightly bigger and yet not so far from where I currently am really appealed. My own space to do with as I pleased. Anyway by the time I had finished my rough n ready research yesterday I begun to see that home ownership is not such an easy trot. I really need to talk to some IFA to get the full details of what are possible for me - but my excited dream state of Friday was soon quashed. It all seems within grasp and yet so far. And do I want to forgo having a life just to put myself in a place of security?

Never mind - at least it has got me focused on looking - be it at mortgages/new flats to rent or indeed ways of increase my income streams. So that in itself can't be bad.

I had some success yesterday though - WW weigh in - got myself back below 11 stone and that cheered me and of course it was pay day.

In a fit of gloomy joy I went to the bookshop. It's where I end up if I am feeling down or indeed up! My mission: John Updike's Rabbit series. Having just finished the wonderful 'Rabbit is Rich' I had tried to start Nabokov's 'Lolita', and indeed got 30 pages in, but in my mind I was still in Mt Judge with Harry and Janice. And I knew there was more of Rabbit's life to read about. And the nagging voice in my head wouldn't let me forget about it. So I hit Waterstones on my way to Waterloo and joy of all joys they had in the rest of the series. So I am now the proud owner of ‘Rabbit, Run’, ‘Rabbit at Rest’ and ‘Rabbit Redux’. I have started reading part of a series in the wrong order but that doesn't seem to matter. This morning a delayed Northern Line train gave me 45 minutes to meet Rabbit in his 20's. It felt great to be back! I think it’s the richness of the way Updike writes is what has got me so invovled – he makes seemingly simple things like coming home so vivid and interesting. I feel like I am there, a fly on Harry's shoulder. And so on a day when the rain is falling and my mind is elsewhere with domestic and financial issues it is kinda nice to know that this evening I can lose myself in Mt Judge and the life of Harry Angstrom.

My week ahead...

Bold New You!
Mercury enters Aquarius and your money sector on Monday, KAREN, and you may start to spend considerable time thinking of ways to boost your financial status. On Tuesday, Mars and the Moon enter your own sign, and your energy and drive, along with your assertiveness, should rise. You may begin to surprise your associates with the bold new way you stand up for yourself and your beliefs. On Wednesday, one of your siblings or close relations may have surprising news, and you should be very happy to hear what he or she has to say. On Thursday, the New Moon in Capricorn may give you a brand new start in an area of your life you had almost given up on, whether in your personal or professional life. You should feel more revitalized and motivated than you have in a long time. You could also feel very content with your life and start to count your blessings, thanks to Venus conjunct Neptune in Aquarius. On Friday, you might learn of a good way to consolidate your debts. On Saturday, a new love may waltz into your life. On Sunday, your artistic urges may increase by 100 percent, and you might start writing a novel, poem, or short story. cf of Astrocenter.. lets see how it shapes up!

Gillingam 0 - Doncaster 2

I wish just wish I had stayed at home.

I should have known. The tube was running so I jumped on the 219 bus which went nowhere fast so I bailed out at Tooting Broadway and walked to Balham, weaving cat like between the Saturday shoppers, dawdlers etc. In my many sitting at football in the cold layers I was by the time I got on the 13.13 Southern service to Victoria sweating like a pig (sorry for the harsh picture but that was how I felt). Victoria was suspiciously quiet and the queue for tickets short but I still missed the 13.33 to Ramsgate by 1 minute. So I jumped on the slow train. Arrived at Gillingham at 14.43 pegged it up the road and into the ground. No Donny Dog.

A tight first half - we were not exactly brilliant but we held our own. Second half we came out fighting - plenty of chances - a ball over the line which was not given. The ref making several weird and wonderful decisions and all the bluster & determination of Jarvis going begging. How many misses? How many balls floated past the post?

The afternoon was kept loud by a Scouser called Adam (Tranmere supporter who had to ring his mum to tell her he had had a pie and was feeling better, nowt like sharing your hangover country wide) sat behind us with his mate and girlfriend. They knew an amount about football, sadly perhaps not quite the right amount. So all game we had a running incorrect commentary. And I can't abide fans calling players by their first name. 'Ooh Ian's having a mare. Come on Matt.' etc etc. Its just so wrong for so many reasons! Even the twins were looking back at these cretins with disgust. I kept quiet for the first half - still wondering how it took me from 12.30 to 14.55 to get from CW to Gillingham.

So back to business. They scored. Soft first goal. Inevitable second. The Gills seemed to lose heart at this point. But at least the fans were a bit more vocal.

A leisurely wander back to the station only to discover the trains back to London were delayed... oh joy. So I read the programme. Scally seems set on moving the ground to another site and I still don't quite get his arguments. To me it makes little sense when we only had over 6,000 there today. Hey ho - no doubt I will return to this theme in due course.

So the Donny Army marches on and frankly I am not sure with I should feel dishearten or rather mildly annoyed.

Transfer Windows

make me nervous...

It's not as if GFC can afford to bring in a top notch goalie (though it would be nice) or secure Mr Beckham post his Madrid career (which again would be quite pleasant, for so many reasons) so the only thing we have to look forward to is loan signings or the non-departure of our key young hopefuls (oh and of course off loading some of the more donkey ridden members of the squad).

So far promising and butch Ben Chorley has been secured on loan til the end of the season. But other than that - no real news. Plenty of rumour, but no news.

So will Jarvis stay? Will Mulligan go? Will Brill (not the best surname if you are beaten 4-1!) keep with us til May? Or can we get Jack fit? never mind Jill (Gill)!

It really is a time of many questions. A pre Christmas high followed by a Post Christmas and New Year low. The key question as ever is - can we win and will the team picked play out of their skins to ensure they win? Can we pick oursleves up from conceding 7 goals and no clean sheets? Tomorrow will start to tell us some of the answers. So if certain players are on the bench or totally absent a few more questions will be asked - not only of those not playing but those playing. Can they score? Defend? Pass? Kick? Run?

But it's a game of two halves and also a season of ups and downs. Not over til fat lady sings and all in all ... it needs power and pace to be successful. As Liverpool proved this week. Nice one Mr Hansen. Sorry didn't mean to mention ANY Premiership clubs (grr.) but it has been entertaining to see Chelsea held and Liverpool outed by ascendent Arsenal. But I digress. The key note of this is to say I am looking forward to my footie tomorrow provided I can avoid T.T.T (Tim the trepasser - or maybe tit for short) and provided we win and the crowd around me isn't too painful.

Up the Gills! Down the Rovers (and no it isn't a Corrie reference)

Wonder if Donny Dog will be there?