A Farewell to Esk

By meddler on October 16th, 2007
Posted in General | 3 Comments »

 

Eskarina my longest surviving pet (18 years?) has shuffled off this mortal coil. In true Esk style she bit and drew blood of the vet in her final moments, that’ll teach ‘em.

Facts on Esk

Esk was named after a Terry Pratchett character, an apprentice witch named Eskarina.

She was a shared purchase by me and my then boyfriend Matt for our first home away from our parents. I was 19 years old.

Esk was semi-feral when purchased, as became apparent when she lived under the cooker for the first week only coming out at night to eat.

She weirdly loved raw potato and was once caught trying to carry one as big as her head out a transom window.

She was a ridiculously fierce hunter, to our horror she once ate an entire season of baby birds from a crowded tree..after first waiting patiently for them all to hatch. When she caught something it was to EAT and often would only leave the flight feathers or feet.

She once saw off an alsation from our street because he came near our bin.

She used to run after you, down the street crying, till she got to her borders.

She used to LOVE big blokes, presumably because they were like Matt. She particularly loved sitting on their shoulders (like a baby being winded) and would occasionally bring her head round to headbut you affectionally or lick your eyeball (ouch).

For many years she was somewhat crochety with folks and would often do the “man trap” trick. She would wait at the top of the stairs, and when they came for the loo she would roll over and show her delightfully fluffy belly and then *snap* all the pointy bits were engaged for a full on scrag of the poor visitors hand and arm.

In her past 18 months in Shetland she has had a new lease of life, she was friendly and never hissed or lost her temper. She was affectionate and content and not even sheep could phase her.

I looked after Esk as long as I would have done a child. I had known her longer than I have known all but 1 of my friends.

She will be sadly missed.

The Slaverin 2007

By meddler on August 31st, 2007
Posted in General | 4 Comments »

Ok so the Gathering this year was the year of the Munter.

Gone were the swarms of vestigial winged goths and in their place herds of fishy-wapped heifers, displaying acres of lard in the baking sun. But we endured.

I cannot get my links to the photobox to work so you will all have to set up Facebook pages and link to me!

Renovation update

By meddler on July 16th, 2007
Posted in General | 3 Comments »

Ok then so the living room is almost finished - needs just the window surround completing and a mantlepiece and maybe some shelves. hard to believe when we had to take it right back to the stone …

Steve was very brave and learned how to do plasterboarding. This pic is after he had spent a good 2 hours hammering the concrete out of the fireplace and then we had to cart it all out to the garden.

These are taken a week later towards the end on dad and Uncle John’s vital visit. As you can see they don’t earn the name “The Huricane Goldsmith Brothers” for nothing.

 here is the living room now. And honest Steve is happy, just not showing it particularly on this photo. Note how we can fill a place with clutter within HOURS.

Here is the kitchen at the end of Dad and Johns visit -

Steve has since painted the cupboards so I need to update that soon.

Still to do - Kitchen to finish, bedroom, hall and bathroom. So stay tuned to another exciting installment of … the money pit.

Cinema Japes

By meddler on June 13th, 2007
Posted in General | 4 Comments »

Here are a selection of the wierder habits of fellow cinema goers that I have encountered over the years -

• Bring yourself a packed lunch wrapped in 6 plastic bags!
• Bring along your snot-ridden typhus infected children… and no tissues
• Chat to your mate throughout. Because you have paid £5 to have somewhere private to talk.
• If your seriously ill child starts to spew, have a fit or scream…let tham sit there doing what they are doing while you shout “are you alright?! Are you OK?!” Only when they have emptied their stomachs or screamed for 10 minutes is it appropriate to take them out of the cinema.
• Allow your phone to ring, and then answer it…repeatedly
• Go to a midnight showing of Lord of the Rings with your 4 month old child, saves on babysitting costs eh?!
• Take a toddler to the cinema, to shut them up give them a pacifier…that makes a POP noise every time they suck. (It’ll be fun! Just like travelling with Donkey from Shrek!)
• You have a bad cough? An ideal time for a cinema trip!
• Want to meet with your gang mates?…the cinema is a great venue.
• Sit in the middle of the row, depite having bladder problems.
• Sit happily chomping popcorn through your child having an emotional breakdown watching the ending of King Kong.
• Tell your mate loudly what happens next.
• Tell your irritating chav mates to F*** OFF!! Every time they anoy you. If anyone complains about the noise deal with it responsibly and calmly by telling them to F*** OFF!!

Renovations

By meddler on May 22nd, 2007
Posted in General | 9 Comments »

Ok I promised you some pictures…but this needs an advisory warning - the following may contain images that the viewer may find disturbing.

We will start with the lovely and progress to the evil…

this is our view southeast and the next to the northeast

the view from the “patio”

and now for the horrors within -

the delightful bedroom

bathroom

and kitchen…we have a tiny kitchen so a great idea is to paint it dark blue!! What do you mean NO?

the pinnacle of horrid - the living room. YUK!

Electrician is in now, so it will get to a decent state eventually!

Here is the link to the full album of pictures…

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/5646489

I will take more pictures of the rooms as they improve…keep praying for us! LOL

 

 

 

DIY fun…

By meddler on May 16th, 2007
Posted in General | 6 Comments »

Sam’s DO’s and DONT’S of DIY

1)      DON’T make “adjustments” to power-tools. I.e. just because the screwdriver bit FITS into the drill it will not make a power-screwdriver…it will produce a splendid hole making tool, especially if you forget to take it off the hammer setting.

2)      DON’T over-estimate your skills. For example - measure carefully the width of carpet required at one end and cut merrily away, you will NOT manage to cut it in a straight line.

3)      DON’T presume a tack will fix something heavy (and fragile) to the wall. Also don’t presume that using a raw-plug is unnecessary in an old crumbling plaster wall.

4)      DON’T be too idle to find the right tool for the job, a glass paperweight has been proven not to be a good hammer

5)      DON’T leave liquids opened, if they have to stay open – let someone else hold it…in another room.

6)      DON’T presume “it’ll be right when it’s finished” stop right there and run away and hide.

7)      DON’T guess dimensions, get someone to measure it for you who understands numbers and “maffs” and all that.

8)      DON’T say “how hard can it be?” or “it’ll be easy” because you once saw someone talented and with all the correct tools do it on a make-over programme.

9)      DON’T presume that a dusted off surface will replace the “apply to a clean, grease free surface” that the manufacturer recommends.

10)  DON’T get giddy holding a powertool and just “try it out.”

DO buy a lot of filler, various glues, wallpaper and textured paints in order to disguise your handiwork.

But there are many like me…check this out for proof -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0×8kml-afs