Monday 31 March 2008

The Sun'll Come Out...

...Today!

And yesterday in fact. It's a bit gorgeous out there. I even went so far yesterday as to open the sun roof.
It's a Summer milestone. The next one to be achieved is flip flops. That's a sure sign Summer is close by. It's also a sign I need to remember to keep my toenails painted and find all my toe-rings.
Which are less trouble than toe-rags.

I think I'm going to compile a list of Summer songs and make a new CD for the car, just to help with the advent of more and more sun.
Submissions welcome!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello! I realise this is totally un-blog-related, but I just wanted to greet you generally and this was the quickest way I could think of. Clever aint I? Bet you wish you was clever like what I am? Hope you are well?

D x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

Hello Hello!
I was just thinking about you and wondering how you were!
Incredibly busy would be my guess!
I think I've used a surfeit of exclamation marks! But why stop now!
Clever? What's that then? I have Sky tv, it sucks the intelligence from me one cell at a time.
I'm really rather splendid at the moment!
The sun is out and Summer is coming. Fancy a picnic?

xxx

Anonymous said...

I'd absolutely love a picnic actually - haven't had one in years! Busy - yes, you could say that. How nice to be thought of...

x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

I haven't had a picnic in years, and I do covet an old picnic set complete with wicker basket. One day I will win at the auction!

You're always busy! Such is modern life!

It's good to catch up a little!
xxx

Anonymous said...

Indeed, "antique picnickery is the bestest picnickery" as Dickens observes in his famous 'Tale of Two Midsummer Night's Picnickeries and a Funeral.' Probably.

Anyway, tis true I am oft busy, but this fact alone argues for the fact that I should take some time off in order to eat and drink outdoors, from the contents of an old basket, whilst seated on a blanket. Probably.

Yes, it is good to catch up - I can't wait til I'm the same age as my brother, for instance, who is currently 5yrs older than me. I shall then teach him the lesson I promised to when he ate my last Spangle without permission (Christmas 1975 - lest we forget).

x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

Can one still obtain Spangles?
Do you remember the Dinosaur Egg sweets or is it just me??

I will be holding you to picnickery. Will you be bringing the Pimms? It's always Pimms O'Clock I believe. I could be tempted off the wagon.

I just read The Eyre Affair and I think they mentioned that exact Dickens novel now I think on it...

xxx

Anonymous said...

No. One cannot obtain Spangles for love nor direct debit anywhere in the whole, wide world any longer - and that is why he must pay...

Dinosaur eggs? Were those the one's with the incredibly high meat content? (Jurassic pork?)

Pimms? Afraid not, old chap(ette), one doesn't drink, you know. Alcohol is actually one of my pet hates - in fact, the consumption of alcohol is responsible for so much violence in the world that everytime I see someone consuming it I have an overwhelming urge to snatch the bottle/glass from their hands and glass the life out of 'em with it! Anyway *cough...errrr, yes an alcohol-free picnic would be very nice...hmmmm.

I've never read the 'Eyre Affair' nor have I actually ever heard of it before, but I'm sure that the Dickens novel in question is probably referred to in its pages many times. I did telephone ex 'Hi-De-Hi' funnyman, Paul Shane to confirm this, but he was out. Yes. Probably.

x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

What about Pacers? Am I the only one that remembers them? Damn it my candy memory is possibly just imagined!

Jurassic Pork? That sounds really, really mouldy!
My vegetarian sensibilities are queasy.

Another one on the wagon?! I'm almost the only tee-totaller that I know. It's funny how little I miss it too.

I found The Eyre Affair at a book sale somewhere and was attracted by the idea of having pet Dodo's as shown on the cover.
I thought Paul Shane was dead.
Oops.

We had snow here the other day, it's really a bit rare for a picnic isn't it? There's nothing for it, I'll have to get a chimney sweep in and have a picnic in front of the fire.
xxx

Anonymous said...

(Sorry - had to pop-off to London there, halfway through our conversation). Anyway: Pacers - yes, I remember those blighters alright. Being 'on the wagon' implies that there is, was, or could be, a time when I am not on the aforementioned 'wagon'. This is not the case. My detestation of alcohol is absolute and I wouldn't touch it at gunpoint. Now, some people imagine this has something to do with religious observance, which it actually doesn't (drinking is absolutely fine - drunkeness is the sin). So, although I am not mounted on any metaphorical, horse-drawn contraption designed specifically for those who like alcohol but wish they didn't, I can be counted amongst the general number of non-consumers. In other words, yeah, I'm tee-total alright love.

Paul Shane is dead!!?? No wonder he didn't answer!! Guess that makes him 'Low-De-Low?'

Yes, we had snow too. Hmmmmm, so let me get this straight....
First there's the suggestion of the picnic...then the subtle attempt to ply me with alcohol...then 'it's too cold outside, why don't you sit down with me on this rug in front of my roaring fire?' I suppose that next you're going to notice I've dropped a bucket of water over myself and should remove my clothes so you can dry them in front of a candle in the conservatory (sounds like cluedo - I'll be Colonel Mustard, if you don't mind?). Yes, I know your game, lady! (what was your address again????)
By the way, those flowers in one of your more recent posts are absolutely gorgeous. I love flowers.

Totally off track: I was stopped by a group of about 10 American women on Saturday afternoon, on Belvedere Street in London, a few yards from the entrance to the Eye. 'Sir, can you tell us where the entrance is to Waterloo Station?' Now, I knew it was fairly close, but I couldn't quite get my bearings, and I was in a bit of a rush, on foot, over to Westminster, so I replied, 'I'm sorry, I don't.' To which came the answer, 'Only we're not English and don't live in England.' I said, 'How ironic, I am English and I don't live in England either, and yet every practically every single person I've met today is non-English and lives right here in London.'
The upshot of this thought and statement produced two effects in me:
1) I realised how glad I am that I don't live in England.
2) I have never stopped a person in London in the last 15yrs, to ask for directions, who didn't turn out to be a foreigner. Are there any English people in the capital city of England???

Shalom. x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

Oops. Paul Shane is not dead. I checked IMDB, and wikipedia. Maybe since there's no more hi-de-hi, it just feels that way.

I saw Su Pollard once, not far from my house. It was quite a surreal moment.

I am afraid I used to be a drinker. There is photographic evidence, unfortunately which backs up this assertion. Whilst not a party girl exactly I did imbibe. I don't miss it at all, which I would never have believed. I am genuinely happy to sit in the pub and have soft drinks, a fact some of my friends are still astounded by!

You can be Colonel Mustard if I can be Miss Scarlet. It's obvious but I like it. And the scarlet refers to both my hair and the current colour in my cheeks upon my subtle plans being discovered!

I love flowers too, I have this book - The Cutting Garden - it theorises that normally we don't want to cut the flowers in the garden for fear of ruining the look of the garden, so to have a specific cutting bed. Which I think is an excellent idea, there's nothing like fresh cut flowers, they do make a house a home.

My sister lived in London! She's English! But now she lives in Bristol so doesn't count I guess.
I do so hate London. I'm sure I've said that before. It's my bumpkin blood. I like that I have ducks outside my front door or apparently nesting in next doors lawn. London is just scary and mean.
But, I do love England. I love my village and I love living here. I just would like more land. A touch more self-sufficiency and I'd be happy as Larry. Who WAS Larry? And why was he happy?
I need to know!

Flibbertigibbet said...

I was so totally just scrolling down, I don't know how that turned into me clicking publish.
Premature publishing.

Except it's thrown me so much I can't remember what I was going to say. Oh well!

xxx

Anonymous said...

Haaaa! Excellent! (There must be quicker forms of communication via the internet?) Errrrrr.....what was I going to say? O yes! Scarlet woman indeed!

Cutting garden sounds great...yes, it does...*mind wanders dreamily...

London - I hate it too. Bristol, however, is my second favourite place in the world after Rome. I do so love Bristol. I'm there very regularly and never tire of it somehow. Even if it is in England!

I would love to find your 'Cliff Faces' painting - why don't we combine our research skills and go on a quest? We shall be called: 'The Fellowship of the Rocky Visages'.
No, seriously, it would be great to find it. I really did like your post about it today. Let's scale Mount Improbable and locate the Cliff of Faces! I will still be Colonel Mustard, and you have no choice but to remain a Scarlet woman (what was that address again??)

*Larry was a Cornish painter who was pleased to know that you thought at least one of his pieces wasn't total crap.

**Probably.

***PAUL SHANE LIVES!!! (He just doesn't answer his phone).

x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

Your names absolutely kill me. Brilliant!

Quicker. Well I believe icq is now out of favour and msn is the choice of the kids in the know. But I'm out of touch, so there might be a whole world out there. Is Facebook the place to be?

I remember you loving Bristol. I'm sure I must be missing something. When my sister gets moved I do intend to visit and maybe I'll have a rethink.

I would dearly love to find that painting and then proceed to beg and plead with its owners to let me have it. I'd swap it for a lovely bunch of fresh-cut flowers!

This scarlet woman can be located at: The Sticks, The Middle of Nowhere, Lincolnshire ;) Or just plain Dunston.

I wish I had Paul Shane's number. That could be fun....
I wonder how tired he is of people saying 'Hi-de-hi' when he answers the phone. I'd never tire of it. But I'm puerile.

xxx

Anonymous said...

Dunston? Is that not the name of a large monkey from Hollywood? Talking of Hollywood, I am good friends with a number of people from famous Hollywood families. Brad Pitt's brother and I are very close pals, for instance. Yes, me and Arm go back a long way. I was once acquainted with a woman who suffered from a terminal illness, was a nymphomaniac, and made her living by hand-making carpets, who also claimed she was a Hollywood star: Sick, Horny Weaver.

Facebook is not something I'd have anything to do with - it just feels 'dirty' like daytime TV.

Is there any way of you verifying exactly where in Cornwall you were when you saw the painting? Funnily enough, when I was a kid, I remember going on Holiday to Lyme Regis and seeing fossilised dinosaur dung in a little museum there.
That's something we share in common, because I've never forgotten that either: you saw 'cliff faces' and I saw 'rock faeces' - not too much difference. That is a true story, by the way.

You like my various identities, eh? Now I'm all self-conscious...

O, by the way, a friend of mine has set me a puzzle/task. I have to come up with five famous singers/bands with herb-related names. So far I've come up with two: my current identity and 'Elvis Parsley' (do you think I could get away with 'The Cumin League and 'Elaine Sage??').

x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

I do believe that Dunston checked in. Was it with Mr Eastwood? Or was that a different Orang?
I get my Orangs confused.

I have the giggles. It's not pretty. Have you ever seen The Money Pit? There's a scene where the bath falls through the floor and Tom Hanks laughs, I do that laugh. The kids I nannied called it the donkey laugh. Very attractive.

I have to have some vices you know. I don't drink, smoke, do drugs... so Facebook is probably one of them! I get to play Scrabble online and to play Scramble too, it's good for the brain! That's my excuse anyway! I do love my words.

I rang my Dad, we always went to Mevagissey, because I loved it so much there. I still do really. A piece of my heart lives in Cornwall. So my painting can't have been far from there.

Seriously, you make me laugh so much, I'm going to do my third blog entry of the day and embed a video of the laugh in The Money Pit, just so you can be reminded of it or see it for the first time.
We don't have to search for rock faeces too do we? I feel strangely squeamish at the idea.

I've been sitting here listing herbs in my head.
Is Cumin a herb or a spice?
And what is the difference?
I always have a lot of questions.
I am totally out of inspiration! Does your friend often set you challenges such as this?
If it were just food, I could offer you the genuine Fiona Apple or Chipolatas. (I love the chipolatas!)
It doesn't help that my taste in music is so bizarre.
But I'm like the Elaine Sage one.

I have typed a lot and should probably shut up now. I'm sitting cross-legged in my chair and I'm beginning to think I might be stuck this way.

Stephanie
x

Anonymous said...

Don't ask...

Mevagissey, eh? We have our first clue! Now, how do we proceed? Does it require research via the net etc, or is a field-trip in order?

I am so shattered. Had a bad weekend too. Went to visit someone in an old people's home on Saturday. When I attempted to leave they told me to 'stop being silly' and put me to bed.

Anyway, how are you, Stephanie?

Regards,
The Thyme Bandit.

x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

Dill Collins? That's a good one!
Excellent mind you have there Sir!

*Jumps around waving arm in air* I vote for a field trip. I still love Mevagissey, even if it's not quite the same as it was...

I used to work in a nursing home. Mum owned a number and let me tell you, working with folks with dementia is an experience. So many memories... Rescuing chewed up cactus from the mouth of a toothless old lady who had taken off her clothes to clean the windows. I kid you not. Or when V. used to sit on me. I had to lay on the floor until someone would come and lift her off me. It was one hell of an experience.

I'm really rather splendid. The sun is out and I've got lots on the social calendar :)
Off to see Iain Banks and John Hegley next week as it's a book festival here so that should be really good.

Got a walking festival starting the week after so I will doubtless be crippled following that.

I have a question. I've been having a debate with a friend. Should you adjust your language in order to make everyone happy? I like longer words - but not words I think of as unusual, just staples, like penultimate, dichotomy, procrastinate, etc. My friend says that sometimes five words are better than one. I disagree. I love the other words - what do you think? I'm interested for your input as a fellow logophile!

So, what have you been up to?

Stephanie
xxx

Anonymous said...

Field trip, eh? How did I know?

Are the festivals now over? Haven't had time to read your recent blogs to catch up with your exploits.

Was your question, as you pose it initially, concerned with adapting language to audience, or, as you go on, are you asking whether I think language should be employed more as a constant banquet or a red cross food parcel? Should it be woodchip and emulsion or canvas and oils? I'm not sure, precisely, which the question is - or even if it's actually either?

What have I been up to?

Work, in a word. I have been so snowed under - still am. I'll be giving revision seminars for classics today. Homer and Sophocles are on my menu.

I am soooo tired...

It's almost a year since I, unsuspectingly, emailed you about 'that book' and you enclosed a strand of hair in your reply. Sounds almost romantic when you put it like that, doesn't it?
Amazing where the simplest of things can lead, is it not?

By the way, we have now moved on from herbs to spices - any suggestions? (Paprika Johnson?)

Scientology - it's the only cult with a spice-related founder.

Me.
x x x

Flibbertigibbet said...

So?? When is the field trip? I demand adventure!

The walking festival is just started, I've done two walks thus far with about another 9 planned - depending on how the legs hold up. Or hold me up.
I do have two music festivals coming up too, one in June, and one right at the end of July. I could do a little dance I'm so excited.

My question is, let me see, how I can phrase this so that it makes sense in a place other than just my mind.
My friend suggested that instead of saying penultimate I should always say 'next to last'. That instead of using one word that many won't understand I should dumb down.
That seems wrong to me. Especially when words like penultimate for example, seem relatively simple to me.
Should we use the longer words whether people understand what we're talking about or not?

Goodness! I can't believe it's been a year! I have recently been sorting out my pc and moving all my pics to online storage, I found said photograph of hairy book and had a chortle to myself.
It's really super to still be in touch! I'm genuinely happy about that, I enjoy the messages.

My brain just does not work this way... I am so tickled by the names.
Although the word Paprika, as i might have previously mentioned makes my sister and I, in duet, shout "Thank you, thank you, you've made me the happiest spice in the world."
Everyone always looks at us as though we have lost our minds, but it entertains us.
Yes. I need to get out more. I know.

When will work calm down? Do things not improve for the summer holidays?

Stephanie
xxx

Anonymous said...

Help! I'm stuck in March!

Flibbertigibbet said...

Is March a better place to be stuck than July??
~Strikes pose a la The Thinker~