Song Of The Week XXXXIV

I was being organised today. I got up, I did my chores, I spent a few hours out at my barn having a sort out. I knew it was going to be heavy work so, despite the freezing temperatures, I left my coat at home. After moving box after box after box I headed home again, unlocked the front door into my conservatory and went to open the main door into the house.
The handle failed.
It failed miserably.
I was stuck in my conservatory.
That handle has been iffy for a while but it's only ever failed from the other side, the side where I can repair it.
Now I was stuck the wrong side. Mifford and I looked at each other through the window.
I kept turning the handle but no joy. It was kaput.
I rang my rental agency, they found me a locksmith. It was about 12.30pm and they said he'd be there between 3 & 4. So, the choice was either sit in a conservatory with no heating or head out for a bit.
I headed out, I met Harriet, we ordered a little lunch.
My phone rang, alerting me to the fact the locksmith was at my house.
Of course he was.
So, I dashed home.
I got stuck by not one, but two trains when the level crossing gates dropped.
The level crossing in Lincoln is an abomination. It's on the High Street, it stops the entire centre of town. For every train. It's a work of genius.
I finally make it out of town and am stuck behind someone who reads the 60mph sign as 40mph and dawdles frustratingly in front of me. I mutter (scream) choice swear words - I keep favourites for just such occasions.
I finally make it to my wee village and there sits Mr Locksmith, I run, I apologise. He is apparently unconcerned.
As I pull out my keys to unlock the front door he says "I wouldn't worry about that door". I don't really listen and promptly unlock my front door. Only it's then locked.
Turns out, he got a little bored waiting and let himself in. Figured he didn't really need a key so might as well fix it instead of waiting for me to get home.
Instead of being concerned by this am instead extremely pleased that the house is very tidy and his first impression would have been that I am very clean and tidy person! Ha!
I did however ask how long it took him to break in.
Apparently it took 20 minutes, which surprised me, I had totally imagined Mission Impossible timeframes and it taking just seconds. Am very proud of front door and its ability to hold unwanted visitors at bay for so long (whilst realising and ignoring fact that real burglar more likely to just give it a good kicking).

Anyway, I'm finally getting round to this weeks song.
I'm in a really happy mood at the moment so I'm going with something that just really makes me happy.
Oh and, for good measure, I'm sure it's obvious I'm a fickle creature with many a Celebrity Crush, there's another one of them on here. Oh and I was there for this too! Bloody brilliant!

Shooglenifty - Tammienorrie:

So, my Celebrity Crush? That would be Angus. See the dude with the fiddle and serious beard? Yeah, him.
I stood at this festival with Harriet, she turned to me and said "Is it weird that I fancy him?" No, it's not, not to me anyway. Oh and he's really sweet too, signed my CD and everything at a different gig, even though I'd clearly danced like a lunatic right in front of him. At a seated gig. Well there were like a dozen of us that got up, I was in lunatic company.

Inked

I made the appointment.
Three weeks today I'm going to get new ink.
Oh yes.
I'm quite excited, it must be a decade since I got my last tattoo.
Not that I'm covered in them, I only have three very small designs so far, despite having had a number in mind for a while.
This might be the year of ink!

I lied by the way. I'm really fricking excited!
Must. Get. Life.

Bangs And Sadness

It's been a strange start to the year. Since Christmas, whilst I haven't personally received any bad news, a number of my friends have. It's difficult to hear of people having tough times and it leaves you feeling very helpless, for there are never the right words to make it better.
So, I'm sending out all the good vibes and wishes that I can muster.

On Saturday I killed a pheasant. I didn't even see it as it ran straight to the side of my car and underneath it. It breaks my heart, there are so many of them around and I've always been a little amazed in all my recent years in the country I've only had close calls.
I'll always feel a guilt about it that I can't shake.
All the way back in 1998 I ran over a squirrel and I've never forgotten.
A few years before that, a rabbit.
I remember each incident vividly and probably always will.
What's curious is that whilst I do feel guilt, it's swift and less severe if I kill ants and flies. Is it the fact of their numbers, their ability to annoy without even trying? The same is true of slugs and snails, I avoid killing them if at all possible, I don't want to kill them, I'd prefer to live and let live.
Maybe I'm sensitive or maybe it's the vegetarian in me.

On a sunnier note, I was watching TV earlier today and a scene made me laugh so hard I cried. Watching Ty Pennington (another Celebrity Crush - of course) insert a detonator into a stick of dynamite, under careful supervision, before placing it in a hole so that he would be able to blow some granite away from the wall of the mine. He was visibly nervous and not keen on the idea as he slowly slid the dynamite into the prepare hole, at which point his supervisor leaned in and very loudly shouted "BANG!". I swear I've never seen anyone jump like that, I sincerely wish I could find it on youtube. I'm giggling now, just remembering it.

Some years ago (more than I like to admit) my best friend at the time, Sarah and I arrived at my house after school. No one was home, we went into the hallway and I stopped her.
"Shhh, do you hear that?"
Sarah: "What?"
Me: "That!"
Sarah: "I don't hear anything"
Me: "Shh, listen carefully"
Sarah: "But...."
Me: "Shhhhhhh"
We descend into absolute silence. I scream "BANG" and proceed to fall about laughing till I hurt as Sarah nearly collapses from terror.
I'm a little evil sometimes.

Song Of The Week XXXXIII

I was wondering which song to start the New Year with.
I wanted to find something positive, maybe there's a song out there about resolutions but my mind has forgotten it. It does that sometimes.

I finally came up with this song, which isn't at all positive, it's about relationships ending and remembering how horrible the person you were with was. And yet, it makes me laugh every time I hear it.
It's just brilliant, no really, it is, don't just take my word for it, have a listen!

Hayseed Dixie - Keeping Your Poop In A Jar:

Ah it makes me warm inside.
Oh and just for the record, you can't see him, but I have another, yes another, Celebrity Crush on Jake. I think it's the facial fuzz, it's cool!

Happy New Year!

2009 has begun.
I can't believe that nearly a decade has passed since there were cold sweats about the millennium bug.
Time flies whether you're having fun or not!

I went into town and into one of the pubs there to celebrate New Year, the as it got after 11pm I started to wonder how warm my cottage was at that moment. My mind wandered to my bed and I remembered how terrifically warm it is under my duvet.
Finally midnight rolled around and I, very lethargically, didn't rise from my chair, but watched a small crowd gather in front of the TV and cheer as they counted down into the New Year.
I'm like Scrooge, but I didn't mean to be, I was just tired!
Which reminds me, back here I said that my lovely doctor wanted to do some blood tests. I was quite convinced I was fine, turns out I was wrong.
I have pernicious anaemia. Which I'm perversely pleased about, not that I want to have something wrong with me, but I'd just been feeling so tired, cold, lethargic and lacking in any motivation that it's good to know there's a reason for it and they can fix me!
I'm actually looking forward to getting my injections of B12 to sort me out and regain some of that energy!

I haven't made resolutions, but have resolved to have changes.
Which isn't quite the same thing, at least not in my crazy mind.
There are a lot of things I'd like to do, one of my local venues is having some brilliant gigs and showing some world cinema films, so I'm trying to decide if I'm going to be brave enough to go on my own.
It's easy to say it here, but I'm quite a nervous and shy soul at times, so I might eventually balk at the idea. It just seems such a shame to miss out, for lack of accompaniment.

Oh! I must mention this, last night my computer refused to play ball and got stuck halfway through a shutdown so I pressed my finger to the power button, at which moment Mifford got up from rubbing herself into the carpet and pressed her nose to my finger. She was obviously a bit full of static from the carpet rubbing and we both got a shock and both shot back at speed. I felt a little guilty as she looked up at me with a "what did you do that for?" look in her eye. A shock to the nose must really smart!

My bathroom radiator is boiling hot at the base and lukewarm at the top, so I have been trying to bleed it. I have bled every radiator in the house and they are all fine, but this one refuses to play ball, so I frequently open the valve just in case a little air escapes. This morning I opened the valve and it made a funny noise, not quite like air escaping, so I leant in to put my ear to the valve at which point a loud miaow escaped. I naturally swore and leapt back before peering in to discover Mifford at the base of the radiator hidden under a towel. Of course.
She does it on purpose.

Christmas And All That Went Before

It has been a while!
I have been both poorly and busy. Which is not an ideal combination.
Christmas came at a very inconvenient time to be fair.
I managed to pick up a mean cold/cough type of bug and was laid out for a whole weekend. On the upside I got through lots of lovely television that I had recorded on the hard drive so it was a good use of time really.
When's all said and done though, I'd rather the snot monster went next door in future.

Anyway! It is a testament to what a good girl I am that I was very lucky at Christmas, Santa looked fondly on me.
In fact our whole house appeared to have been good all year judging by Santa's kindness.
All manner of lovely gifts had my name on them, I've been able to reduce the size of my wishlist somewhat and am very grateful!
I'm also planning to finally get some new tattoos done, which is quite exciting, although it'll take time as the tattooist is renowned for being booked up for ages and ages.
What am I saying? I'm really bloody excited about getting them done and talking to the tattooist about some designs I have in mind that I haven't been able to draw up myself.

I'm just taking a moment to jump up on my soapbox.
This morning I popped downstairs, remembering the men were coming to empty the bins and that I had several sacks of recycling in the boot that needed to go into my bins.
I ran downstairs and upon going outside realised that someone had moved my bins which I though was odd. Thinking little more of it, I opened the boot and took out the sacks. I hauled them to my bins. Opened my bins, which I knew to be virtually empty and discovered them to be full to the brim. It's just bloody rude. Everyone has their own bin, so why the hell do they think they have the right to fill mine up too? I hope they get nits. And other itchy ailments, preferably ones I won't catch. They're going on the list.
But seriously, how hard is it to knock on my door and ask if I mind them shoving all their crap in my bins. Maybe I should give them a key so they can use my fridge if they run out of room in theirs?
And breathe.

I've just finished reading The Llama Parlour by Kathy Lette.
What I most regret is that I'll never get back the time I wasted on that book.
What I also regret is that I am also hating the current book I'm reading, but after 300 pages I still feel an obligation to finish it, despite the fact the central characters are two of the most shallow women I've ever read about. There were a few funny lines at the beginning, but now I just hope it bucks a trend and there's a terribly unhappy ending. I can but hope.
I need some fire bricks so that I can put a grate in my fireplace, so that I can make kindling from these 'novels'.

As a belated Christmas gift to the world I am giving you these:



I admit I have a celebrity crush on Adam Savage. I can't help it. He makes me laugh!

And that has to be my favourite explosion.

Now I have to think about New Years Resolutions......

Here Comes The Bride

Not me. Obviously. No one is that crazy. Well a small handful might have asked. I only said Yes once though, before I changed my mind.
Anyway, for a change, I digress.

A friend of mine is getting married.
We have been discussing alternatives to the wedding march.
What should be her music for the aisle walk?

Today we toyed with The Kinks - You Really Got Me.
I was late out of the house because I was contemplating the lyrics to The Air I Breathe by The Hollies.

Most Bob Dylan has been contemplated, along with a bit of Elvis and Chris Isaak. To be fair, the latter might have just been an excuse to watch Wicked Game on youtube, along with a number of his other videos. Just for research you understand, ahem.

So here's my question, what do you recommend for that walk down the aisle?
If you need to suggest more Chris Isaak songs for me to view, that's just fine too.