The Adventures of an Emergency Handbag

This weekend I had two days of idle bliss planned - nowhere I had to go or be in particular and a whole lot of rather indulgent reading on the agenda! 

But at 1.30 on Saturday afternoon I got a call, an emergency handbag call requesting my presence that evening as a 'work-do-date'. And far be it from me to disappoint a friend in need: so 2 hours later I found myself driving with my friend A into the wilds (maybe not so wild) of Hampshire to stately home,Tylney Hall.

Gorgeously frosty surrounds made this morning's post-brekky stroll around the grounds (you know, the stroll you need to put a spring in your step after the 'night before') absolutely delightful...beautiful clear skies and a slight mist made it all look a bit ethereal...and we were also fascinated by a few of the more frozen aspects of our little meander!

How's that frozen fountain?  And the frozen puddles? Pretty cool eh?

So despite the short notice and ensuing lack of sleep that followed, it was another fab adventure for this last minute 'date'...you might want to stay tuned for another Emergency Handbag Adventure coming to this blog sometime soon...ish!

Email Giggles: the Purina Diet...

I was going through my emails last night, deleting all the dross and things I haven't gotten round to following up on (or even reading in the first place) so that I can have a clean email box start to the week, when I came across this 'story' forwarded by one of my friends. It made me laugh out loud so I thought I'd share it with you all to get your week off to a good hearty start....

Yesterday I was at my local CO-OP buying a large bag of Purina dog food for my loyal pet and was in the checkout queue when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had, an elephant? So, since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in hospital last time, but that I'd lost 2 stones before I woke up in intensive care with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms. I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in queue was now enthralled with my story.) Horrified, she asked me if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's a**e and a car hit us both.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.

I'm now banned from the Co-op. Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of daft things to say.

Hope this gave you a laugh for the day....personally I can't wait to 'retire' and embark on this kind of irreverent behaviour...maybe I could squeeze in some practice in the meantime!?

Tee hee....

A Welcome Break to Welcome....Matthew

Tonight I glanced up from my alternating bursts of reading (see my previous blog), tea with the neighbour, and chores to find that I have a new giddayfromtheuk follower and as I'm a well-brought up sort of girl, I just wanted to say...

...Matthew, welcome to my Peanut Gallery!

(Back to the book now....talk to you soon peeps...) 

Five Greatest Warriors...It's Finally Arrived!

Quite some time ago now, I told you about this amazing Australian author, Matthew Reilly, and what cracking good reads his books are, so much so that when I heard his next book in the Jack West series was coming out, I was inspired to read the first two, Seven Ancient Wonders and Six Sacred Stones, again.

The day has finally come...the day I have been waiting all those long months for...

My 'Five Greatest Warriors' has arrived!

(Actually twice but that's a long story for another blog...)

So bye for now...will check back in when the last noble deed is done and the world is safe from Armageddon... 

A Fetish For Cowboy Boots...

In the last two weeks, I have become completely addicted to Ashes to Ashes. 

There.  I've said it.

It started out as casual viewing over Saturday night pizzas with J and the kids (movie choices always seem to degenerate into an argument so we went with this) and has ended this weekend with me 'n' J watching all eight episodes of season two.

Not in one sitting mind - but it was two episodes Friday night, two episodes Saturday lunchtime, three episodes with dinner last night and the season finale over breakfast this morning! 

Plot twists flew thick and fast and combined with great 80s tunes (a particular fave is Gene revving the Audi Quattro to the intro of Duran Duran's Rio) and great characters, this heady mix had us rivetted/riveted to our seats! (Riveted...is it one 't' or two...hmmm I can't decide.)

Season 3 started filming last November and will hit TV screens in the UK in Spring 2010. I cannot wait. What will Alex do? Who is Gene Hunt? Can Chris' dress sense get any worse?  What is the wipe-clean wonder fabric that Alex's white jacket (entirely unsuitable for police work I would have thought but hey, this is the 80s) is made from? Will Shaz do more than make tea? And will Raymondo get himself a girl?

Seriously, for me this is just the best mix of 80's nostalgia trip and police drama and I love the whole slightly off-centre supernatural-ness of Alex's dual life. If you are like me - fascinated by a puzzle and tempted by a little voice in the back of your head saying 'what's it all about?' - go on and get your cowboy boots on.  It's Ashes to Ashes time...

A Park About Politics....

So it was announced at the end of last week that car parking charges are to be introduced to Richmond Park.  All I can say is 'thank God it's over!'

The issue of car parking charges for Richmond Park has been used by politicians, most recently Zac Goldsmith, to wave the flag of 'we are the voice of the community' and general 'defender of the everyman' and I am heartily sick of it.

Sick of sensationalist flyers being pushed through my letterbox.

Sick of emails (trying to be inflammatory) requesting my signature on a petition.

Sick of unrelenting requests to attend rallys to demonstrate against this.

Not one party has delivered anything on this issue other than sensationalist rubbish.  Where was any understanding demonstrated about the massive cost of upkeep to Royal Parks which all of us are free to use?  What about the preservation of a wonderful, natural space for people to enjoy?

Don't get me wrong.  I think there are a multitude of issues here and living near Kingston Gate, I do wonder whether we will have a return to careless (and sometimes ridiculous) parking exploits in the surrounding streets and whether any parking fine revenue raised (and there will be!) will be added to the coffers for the upkeep of the park itself.  But I am tired of the grand-standing and the lack of substantive information on this issue particularly given one MPs 'soap-box' stance on this following their move from Green to Tory party MP for the constituency.  

My hope is that MPs will now focus on issues for the community, ones that will make a real difference to people living in the borough rather than the ones who may (or may not) visit it.  We have just come through one of the most difficult economic periods in the last few decades and I would like to see a focus on responsible economics and community values...

Let's see who delivers.

A Mid-Work-Week Blog....

With some surprise, tonight I have found myself in front of my computer at home on a school (aka work) night and I can't wait to have my say....

Um....


Er....


Hmmm....


Zero, nothing, nada...


Oh wait!!


Nope...sorry...false alarm...


Sigh....and it's only Thursday.


Here's a snow picture I took this week instead.

For The People By The People

There has been some exciting news on the work front this week. 

(No I have not been offered an amazing, multi-million pound job which involves travelling, eating and laying about - btw, how do you get one of those?)

We have launched a new site in our localpeople.co.uk network - kingstonpeople!

It's a website for the people of Kingston but the great part of it is that it's written by the people of Kingston so we get to bang on about politicians (who was that brave man from the Lib Dems braving the icy conditions on Windmill Rise yesterday to knock on doors and garner party support?), snow (how pretty, annoying, inconvenient, cold it is), transport (train delays), road works (including the question to grit or not to grit), and art (Out of Order, The Rose Theatre) as well as our fave (and not so fave!) places to eat, drink, shop and generally frequent...

So you can all go on and find out about the place I love to live in!  You can even register yourself and bang on about Kingston too...

Yay!  I am excited....

2010...Born To Be Alive...

Happy New Year folks!!!  Sorry there has been a bit of a void in your giddayfromtheUK fix...only 4 blogs for December!  Shall endeavour to 'pull my socks up' but hope you know I was thinking of you anyway...

Well we are 3 days into 2010 and after last year's run of death, illness and hard times for me and my nearest and dearest, I have found myself wondering what this year will bring and where we will find ourselves this time next year...in 2011!!!!  Gulp!!

And then I heard a blast from my past that blew all of that away and left me feeling inspired and, quite frankly, 'kick-ass'.  

In 1979, I danced to this over and over in my pre-teen bedroom (I was ten!) and in 1982, a small group of 12-13 year-olds ventured on stage at the George Jenkins Theatre in Frankston (Melbourne, Australia) to perform the first of many Monterey High School Variety Night dance routines to this disco classic. 

And 30 years on, it is still the greatest disco track ever...and a fitting theme for the year ahead.

So sit back peeps, dial up that volume and take a trip back in time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H12wNmn87KM

Yeah baby...