Ten Things Currently Visible From ChickPea's Window

1. Raindrops
2. Loads and loads of beautiful red cottoneaster berries
3. More raindrops
4. A recently cut hedge – tidy for the winter !
5. Rain on the windowpane
6. Trees turning all the wonderful hues of autumn
7. Raindrops dripping off the cotoneaster
8. Grey clouds
9. Puddles
10.Even more rain…………

Much too much rain recently........

ChickPea finally got outside today without needing brolly, macintosh or wellies ……… And the lawnmower came out to play too, much to Mr Mutt’s astonishment and the chooks’ surprise. The lawn itself is of multiple genetic inheritances – mostly meadow and wild rambling couch grass (as in ‘kooch’ rather than as in ‘sofa’ ) – and was nearing the length which would require a scythe……… but not quite……… and by assaulting it from every angle imaginable she got it got whittled down fairly well (TH doesn’t approve of this method – he likes to approach it from East and West, and so get A Lawn With Lines – but ChickPea has no such scruples – short is her requirement !). And then the chooks got out for a while on a Nematode Hunt, and Mr Mutt went off with ChickPea to rescue TH from The Big Box, alternatively named ‘Employment Environment’……….

Such was today’s excitement.

‘To Blog - or Not To Blog – that is the question’………

PS. Have you visited Risotto recently ? - do you know where Mr Heron is strutting his stuff ?

Talk Like A Pirate Day

Yup – no kiddin’ ! Today is “International Talk Like A pirate Day” ! ChickPea heard it on the BBC (Radio 4, at about 9am) – so it MUST be true !!

Avast, shipmates ! Shiver me timbers, but we need to get a grip here and sort out landlubbers from crew and make the place shipshape ! So wot’s to do ‘ere, then, wastin’ time on yon elekteronic gadjit an’ wearin’ out the sofa. Climb the riggin’ – an’ get hunkered down to business – else there’ll need to be some walkin’ of the plank………

Ooooeeeeee !

Sorry………. But wot fun ! ChickPea has just outwitted the gremlins that have been haunting her ‘Hi !’ ……… That big blank bit has actually had words in it for weeks n weeks……… Dunno why they wouldn’t show. Anyway – she appears to have dunnit………..at last.......

Tuesday 16th September, 2008

…..and STILL raining. Rain on rain on rain........

Mr Mutt is bored of paddling round the park and the chooks are well fed up of pretending to be ducks. ChickPea has finally given up thinking this is summertime and is accepting that her glums and lousy sleeping may be ‘SAD’-related, so she spent much of this morning in front of the ‘SAD’ light. We’ll insist she repeats this for the next few days and we shall see what happens…..

Dunno if it’s related, or not, but it is certainly high time she flexed the fingers and got back to the blogosphere……. All this rain an’ traipsin’ doon the Jobcentre isn’t doing her a lot of good. But she also toddled along to an employment agency a few weeks back – heard nuthin' - and then got a phonecall about 12.30md today asking if she wiz available to work this very afternoon………

So, wot the heck – off she scampered, and spent the next 30mins changing ‘Euro’ prices on shoes to ‘££££’ prices, and the next five and a half hours changing black plastic coathangars to fancy wooden ones, and trying to make the new coats and clothes involved look just perfect for someone to buy tomorrow when the shop opens for the first time……. She knew it’d be tiring – and she’s not sure she wants to do the same ever again – but the astonishing environment of a new clothes shop sorting itself out the day before opening is a vignette not previously encountered. The progress over the six hours was really quite, quite remarkable. Organized chaos. The ‘boutique’ for tomorrow was emerging steadily from the apparent melee of today.

And rather good to finish an hour earlier than expected……….. and GREAT to find that TH had cooked ChickPea her supper for when she got home. Now, bath and bed……….and if she doesn’t sleep well after all that………..

In Leith the Sun Shines

Mr Mutt takes Time Out

Mr Mutt Goes To Leith

Well….. ‘went to Leith’ , as in ‘yesterday’ might be more accurate.

TH was scheduled to be in Leith (by Edinburgh) for an hour or so related to work, so, taking pity on ChickPea’s recent Miserable Maud-like Mood and Mr Mutt being stuck with said person, TH gathered up some spare flexi-time, filled up the car (after getting the exhaust fixed…… you should have heard it…… ) - and then away they all went. Sunshine on waking up in the morning had already turned cloudy by the time they left, and thereafter to rain…… again. But as they trekked along the M8, clouds thinned, bits of blue appeared and the sun peeked thru. Wonderful !

A late breakfast had happened, so a shared round of sandwich at The Malt Whisky Society provided a most acceptable ‘luncheon’, and then TH went off to work, and Mr Mutt and ChickPea went off to saunter around and see the sights of Leith. Clouds amassing and departing meantime, the sun was a welcome but intermittent visitor, and Rain – astonishingly – didn’t arrive. So Mr Mutt and ChickPea basically toddled off doing the Leith River Walk (not at all like The Lambeth Walk, not least no cassocks……) for as far as they dared and back again, given not-knowing-where-the-next-bridge-was, it-looks-like-its-coming-up-to-rain-and-the-car-is-way-back-there, and not-many-people-around-I wonder-if-this-is-wise……….

And had a good time. And didn’t fret about not doing household chores/looking for a job/applications for a job/etc. Tho Mr Mutt did have to contend with His Own Frets (the ‘why-do-I-have-to-sit-here’-fret and the ‘what-if-she-goes-off-and-leaves-me’-fret).

TH had a successful time, Leith harboured a fine Turkish Café for an afternoon coffee with stickies once he re-joined the walkers, and then they all rambled off again to make room for supper – most ably provided by T.M.W.S. again, in The Vaults. (One floor up – no – I don’t understand either ….) Haggis, neeps an’ tatties to remember for all the right reasons, followed by The Finest of Summer Berries Crannochan and Choicest of Cheeses. (‘F’ the cholesterol diet….)…….

All Part Of Life’s Rich Tapestry.