In The Pink

Our heating has packed up just in time to coincide with a particularly cold spell in Blighty! Actually that is a slight exaggeration. Our heating is on its way out and all downstairs radiators have stopped working, the bedroom and bathroom ones still work so I am going to bed soon! We live in a rented house. It is a private let and so assistance is a little slower than is desired but we have reported the problem to our land lord and some one is coming round to give us a quote on Thursday night. Hopefully the landlords will approve the cost although due to symptoms I fear the problem may be significant. We probably should have raised the matter earlier, like in the summer! We moved in during May and noticed a bottle of heating system sealant in the airing cupboard! We have a nasty suspicion that the radiators need flushing out due to sludge that has built up over a period of years. This house has been rented out for some time and I don't think much money has been spent on its upkeep...

I took lots of sunset pictures in Hastings on Thursday night. I finished work at about 3.45pm. At this time of year light levels prevent safe tree inspection after this time as trees become silhouetted against the sky therefore masking defects. I jumped into my car, headed for the beach and arrived just as this was starting. This is one of my favourites.

My Mum ( AKA Bowledover ) is extremely gifted in a variety of crafts and has recently made two sheep, Shaun and Shirley, inspired by Shaun of 'A Close Shave' by Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit. I just had to post something to direct people to have a look at them as they are just amazing. I do not think she will be taking orders as I know these have been a personal project however please pop over and have a look, they are...well they are perfect and I can hear them bleating as I look at them! Image Credit: WG Popcorn

I have spent too many hours over the past few weeks trying to maintain an Internet connection and then finding that when I can get on line my computer crashes every 5 minutes! It has been most frustrating. Sometimes I cannot get a connection all day but the next day it will be fine and with no explanation. We have asked several technicians who also cannot explain the issue and similarly cannot tell us why our media player is faulty, despite several hours of conversations and upgrades instigated by Microsoft themselves. I have a friend who uses a Mac and swears blind that all of our problems are Microsoft related. We have of course thought about switching but getting a Mac seems to fall into that category of something you have to save up for, even if it is worth it. There are of course a whole heap of other operating systems available and my sister has recently switched to one I had not previously heard of and having gotten past initial differences is getting on brilliantly with it. Doe...

It was a dark and stormy night, and the captain said to his mate, 'Mate, tell us a story.' and this is the story. It was a dark and stormy night, and the captain said to his mate, 'Mate, tell us a story.'...you get the picture! Well it is a very dark and very stormy night, we have snow forecast for the weekend, and the sound of the wind outside put that little ditty in my head. Is ditty the right word, or does a ditty have to have a tune? Anyway the next little ditty has a tune. When we were kids my Dad used to sing or recite us bedtime 'dittys' including that top one which always made us laugh. I am sure he used to put on a pirates voice although that could just be my imagination. It seemed as if he did and it added great atmosphere to the moment. Shortly after remembering 'It was a dark and stormy night' I found myself humming this one which I have not thought of for years and was a favourite of mine. I'll tell you the tale of the Nancy Lee, the sh...

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I have been tagged by Retired and Crazy to post 6 interesting things about myself. Well here they are however if you have another moment to spare the answers that Retired and Crazy posted to this and another meme make for a really good read! I do so love finding new bloggers! Anyway, here they are, read 'em and weep! 1. I frequently dream of vampires, and have done so since childhood. They normally have romantic connotations although I have never ended up a vampire yet! (I have only had one vampire dream with David Boreanaz in it, much to my disgust!) 2. I almost always have a tune playing in my head, a sort of soundtrack to thought. Mostly a pleasant addition to life however occasionally distracting when plagued by a duff song! 3. I would like a beard, and if I could would grow a really long one like the Gibbons boys from ZZ Top ! I would stroke it for dramatic effect and twiddle it between my fingers during moments of high concentration. 4. I love all weather, and all weather ...

The Stripper This is one of my comedy favourites from Morecambe and Wise.

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On 9th November 2007 Miriam Makeba passed away shortly after finishing a concert. In his condolence message, former South African president Nelson Mandela said it was fitting that Makeba died doing what she did best - singing. I believe in celebrating life, and death is a part of life. I have had my moment of sadness, now I am going to put one of her brilliant albums on and dance all night! Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata Miriam Makeba - Amampondo Miriam Makeba- Mbube Miriam Makeba- When I've Passed On

In the summer I was out and about checking on these new trees that have been planted along the main highway into town. It's part of my job to make sure they are doing ok, and replace any that have died or been vandalised. I also have to check that the mowers have not bashed into them and damaged the stems. It is avoidable however every once in a while someone hurries their job and a tree gets damaged. These sun glasses were on the ground so I stopped to grab a shot. I left them to be reclaimed or re-homed. To join Sky Watch Friday or see other Sky Watchers click here

I went to see Porcupine Tree again last weekend....awesome. Last night I dreamt I auditioned for the band and got in! It was one of those dreams where you wake up and smile, I loved it. My fella is very envious!

Today is my Mum's birthday, just, it began 4 minutes ago actually! At this moment my Mum and Dad are preparing to travel back from holiday. I hope to be delivering presents and celebrating with my Mum on Sunday but in the meantime here is a little something to say... Happy Birthday Mum! Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues Eddie Cochran - Three Steps to Heaven

I have just seen Cyndi Lauper on the Graham Norton show. She was so very lovely and sings with as much passion as ever. This clip is from March 2007. I may have to check out her new album, it is a dance album apparently which made me hesitate but the performance she gave tonight sold it enough for me to check it out. If you have a moment listen to this, it is beautiful and powerful.

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I have learnt to type one handed, which is a little slow as I when I type with two hands I only use one finger on each hand, but my beautiful dog Buddy has taken to sitting beside me at the PC, leaning on my leg, and making sure he gets a good belly rub! Neither Buddy or Roxy are very demanding dogs so when they ask for a cuddle we like to give it! They always return the favour. I have discovered a new drink which is relaxing, soothing and very tasty. My Mum bought me some Pine Honey a while ago which I had not heard of before. I like normal honey in drinks but I do find the taste a little...dense. Pine Honey is full of flavour but much lighter and I have taken to adding a couple of spoons to a cup of chamomile tea. It really hits the spot!

Do you know it's funny. I have been planning to come here all day to have a rant. It's been sometime since I have blogged, just normal life stuff taking priority, and I had in fact recently realised that my blogging habits would have to change for a while to fit everything in. It seemed ok, I think blogging can come in stages anyway. However, today I really wanted to come here and air a grievance. There is some stuff kicking off that's not too pleasant and I knew venting here would help. I know it might not make great reading for anyone else but I think blogging is sometimes primarily about self anyway. Expressing yourself in many ways and then through other peoples blogs and kind comments realising, or remembering, that you are not on your own. I do try not to blog about grim things here but this time I am going to vent. Anyway I digress. The funny bit is just coming here has lifted my mood so much, and remembering 'The Worm That Turned' (which is probably not an a...