NYE

Tonight we're having a bit of a gathering, nothing epic- We had planned to go to a party with the Wrestling guys in Bedfordshire, but we decided that it wouldn't be very fair on poor Marley as she's not the biggest fan of the fireworks.
She was fine on Bonfire night, but I think most people went to bigger displays, whereas over new years they're more likely to have fireworks in their gardens. She's also not lee on shouting, and we seem to get more than our fair share of shouty drunks on the street outside the house.

Initially we'd thought it would just be Traff and I have a few drinks and bringing in the new year but we've ended up with some company!
Cue the BBQ bacon, Smores, Sparklers and testing out the new waffle maker!

Marley saves the day

I completely freaked myself out at about 2am and thought someone was in the kitchen (they weren't).
But I got up and put the light on. And then marles got up and walked next to me downstairs yowling the whole way.

I guess she knew I was freaked out but I was surprised she was so protective.

The only intruder was a slug who we granted clemency.
Marley had a half scoop of biscuits for being brave.

I know it sounds stupid but she definitely had my back. Honestly we must have both been woken up by the wind blowing stuff over in the garden so it wasn't anything to be freaked out by.

The howling she did when we went to investigate would have shit up the most hardened criminal. I was impressed.
Marley is always noisy but when she started her yowling she made me jump!

Afterwards she just whinged that i'd woken her up but she was good in an emergency!

Bike delivery

I had a few jobs to do yesterday, the most pressing was to deliver my mountain bike to Tracey, as she's keen to go cycling with Ray in the new year but her bike is in Yorkshire and she'l have to wait for a relative with a much bigger car to bring it down.

Theoretically cycling to hers really isn't an issue- I know the route now because I'd ben cycling over to feed Albie. Actually my easy bike ride turned into a series of challenges.

Fisrtly, the shed lock has seized because of the cold weather, so I ended up taking the door off with a screwdriver to get the bike in the first place.

And then, there were spiders.

That all dealt with I  started my cycling, but to try and make up time, instead of taking the main cycle path I thought I'd cut through Mannington Rec. This was the first mistake. It was too flooded and muddy to cycle and when I got to the low bridge the stream had burst it's banks and had flooded the path. It was so dark it was difficult to tell what was stream and what was flooded path.

Once I got onto the cycle network it was fine, but by that point I was already muddy to the knees, flithy and soaking wet. 

I felt like I was on GTA and you get points knocked off for the state of the car after delivery.

Tracey was happy thought and didn't seem to mind that I was filthy. She made us a really awesome lunch and we watched "Rachel"- The book Daphne du Maurier write after "Rebecca". It was pretty good actually but I now feel like I should read the book.

I spent the evening trying to de-glitter my nails and watching the end of Victoria with Marley. So all in all it was a good day!

The day of nothing

Today the hairy faced one and I did nothing.

Marley has been very anxious and clingy since we spent the night away in south wales, we realised we have only left her once since she came here, and that was with SJ and John popping over and giving her far too much food and attention.

She followed us everywhere yesterday and watched us sadly every time we left the house by sitting In the window and crying, like a puppy in a 1950s pet shop window.

Today we were not even allowed to use the bathroom without her supervision.
Traff is away wrestling until new years eve from today. He had to pack his suit case, and Marley knows what suitcases mean!
She wouldn't let him go!

I had planned to do lots of chores, like going to the bank, and the supermarket, but she hasn't left my side all day.
She even sat on my lap for a full 40 minutes. It was extremely awkward for both of us as she really doesn't like human contact. She has spent the whole day less than a meter from me. Mostly shouting.

The best thing about the whole situation is that I'm powering through the ITV series "Victoria". It's really very good! I wish I'd started watching it much more recently.

Drinkies & bowling

Roz, Tracey, Vicky and I went to Shaw ridge for very delicious cocktails, followed by drunk bowling!

We had an ace time, I sucked at bowling both with and without the bumpers up!

The dressing table

My tidying up mission on the 28th (in addition to the mountain of laundry we had amassed over christmas when I took a break from chores to be a charming hostess for my Grandmother). I'm very excited because in my new job I will be allowed to wear some of my make up to work! yay!

(Although some of the wilder urban decay shades will still not see much light of day!).

I had a slight drunken incident (using amazon prime) on christmas day... I ordered an awful lot of items (£70!!). I order new make up brushes, new mascara, a pencil skirt, and new shoes for work- which were very sensible. I also manager to order 13 lipsticks and a massive shelving unit! With all that new make up I thought I had batter make some sensible order and space for them!

It looks good, no?

Although after tidying up and organising everything, I can safely say that the mascara was required, but the lipstick definitely wasn't.

Make overs all round!

Jay's

We had a brilliant catch up with the lads on the 27th! We went to Jay's with Josh and Trist for a very civilised (For a change!) evening of delicious Chinese food, too much alcohol and rather unusually, the dulcet tones and inspiration on Bob Ross. I think we should have a drinking evening where we follow one of his painting tutorials- it'd be hilarious! but that is a plan for another time.

We met Jay's Dog Ripley for the first time- and she is extremely sweet and well behaved. She kept bringing me old socks as a present!

It snowed a little on Boxing day here- but as you can see it showed an awful lot more in South wales. It was a pretty view to wake up to!

Boxing day

Boxing day was a slightly mad affair. We went to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Didcot for a buffet lunch.

My Mum and Ray met us there and then we drove my Nan home. All very good until there was a forecast for heavy snow! then it was a slight race against the weather!

Crazy!

Christmas day

This has been our first family christmas in a very long time!

My Nan stayed with us- which is a large part of my "radio silence" in the run up to the big day..I've been cleaning!

Our house has honestly never been so remarkably clean and tidy- or as organised! I managed to fill 6 of our 7 recycling boxes before christmas (I'm certain I've already explained the recycling box saga.. we started with 3, it's all got extremely out of hand and now they all take up the whole front garden. urgh, saving the planet does take up more space and look unsightly.)

My Nan seemed to enjoy herself, she kept saying it was all very cozy. We spent christmas eve here, we watched miracle on 34th street.

I had planned to go to midnight mass, but we ended up drunk on prosecco and in bed by 10:30!

Chrismas day was a pretty low key affair. Traff and I fed Marley at 7:30 am (Even she has a lie in on special occasions!) and then exchanged presents with Traff in bed. He did an awesome job! I have a possessed cat mug, drag queen colouring book, new slippers and my sugar tong bangle! He was paying attention!

He had an array of manly underwear and new PJs ( all from M&S of course!).

We did a big fry up for everyone and by the time we were all washed, fed and dressed it was 10:30am- by the time we fed Albie and drove to Chippenham it was gone 11am.

The boys went to the pub, The ladies watched old cinefilm from the 1950s and we had a very impressive lunch made by my mother- Who makes the best Christmas dinner going!

Marley's new toy

Merry Christmas!

£1.50 dominos pizza

Too much of a bargain not to share! Dominos lunch time walk in deal:
£1.50 pizza

I have no regrets.

I may have changed my mind tomorrow but for now I am delighted.

Alice's birthday

The singing bones

http://singingbonespodcast.com

I started to post this on FB, then realised that all of my most creative friends don't really do social media, so I'll post the link here!
:)

Hans Christian anderson fairy tales. Definitely not for those of a weak constitution!

Something a bit interesting to take in over xmas, rather than the drivel on the TV!

Albie's affection

I should point out that prior to cat sitting for Albie, I was a little disappointed that Marley is so shy. I love her to bits but she's still so afraid of people. she's not cuddly. She doesn't fight you if you pick her up but she wouldn't choose to sit on you or anything.
Sometimes she sleeps on me at night time, and recently she's started to sleep on Traff, but only if she thinks we're already asleep.
She'll let you sit next to her on the floor sometimes and on the bed. but sometimes she just freaks out.

On Monday I woke up to her sat on my face which was a critical anomaly and will never be repeated.

So, Albie's enthusiasm for human company confuses my brain.
She makes an adorable hat, no?

The Christmas holidays... The last ever Christmas holidays!

OK, so, we're one week into my last ever christmas holiday!
This week has gone insanely fast. I've done loads, but not that much worth writing home about. So you'll have to excuse how completely mundane this is.

On Saturday, We went out for lunch! I actually have really missed hanging out with my school friends. We don't do it often enough.
This has to be a 2017 resolution. Although, I doubt we'll be welcomed back to the Barley Mow any time soon after the boys' writing and drunk rendition of "Fritzel the musical". They lack taste. and moral direction.
Maybe we'll just leave them at home next time!
That side, the musical was shaping up to actually be pretty good.. if very tasteless.

On Sunday we did chores. this seems to be a side effect of being adults now. Sunday is the day when we change the bed and towels and hoover. such edgy and interesting lifestyles, no?

On Monday, I met up with Tracey, just hung out and caught up on news. Her cat Albie is a food stealer, we made fancy salad and had lidls pasta for lunch and spent the whole time fending the cat off.
It was a work out in itself!

On Tuesday, I met up with SJ. We were supposed to go for waffles as theres a brand new waffle house that has opened only a road away from my house! Waffles!
I saw it when I was driving to work last week and was so distracted that I did almost crash.
We were excited, then we got there and realised that they only open in the evening (Who wants waffles in the evening?!!) and they don't open on a Tuesday. Fail on both counts.
We ended up eating a pancake stack at Ed's easy diner and drinking 3 coffee each as it's free refills.
Honestly, I do not learn.
I cannot drink 3 cups of coffee. One is a bit of a stretch. Honestly, I almost died!

On Wednesday I walked 10 miles. 10. I genuinely thought my legs were going to fall off! I walked over to Tracey's to feed Albie, which was quite a bit further than I'd previously realised- because I always get really lost using the cycle paths and just end up stumbling around woodland in the dark, so I didn't appreciate that even when you get it right, it's still pretty far.
Then in my infinite wisdom I decided to walk from her house to Town to met Ray and my Mum work lunch. That took a whole hour. It was the most well deserved panini I've ever eaten.

In the evening they came over and we did nails and had fancy lidls pasts for tea. I know it sounds like a weird thing to be excited about but it was so good just to have time to spend time together and actually talk.
We live our lives like ships in the night!

On Thursday, I had another moment of idiocy. I had an appointment in old town, so I decided to cycle there then cycle straight to Traceys. 8 miles later and muddy up to the thighs I did have some regrets about my decisions. I ended up drying my trousers on my bike on the waiting room at the Osteopaths!
I had to buy new trousers!
It was a disaster!

On Friday, Ru Paul's drag race day! and paperwork, but that is boring and not very festive so we won't talk about that.
Albie was extremely cute too!
I was like Cruella de Ville with her on my head as a hat. she's so cute and fluffy but so much smaller and more easily excited than Marley.
This has definitely reinforced my love of that cantankerous twat. She shows her affection by lying on the floor somewhere near you and blinking slowly at you. So much better! It's been quite nice to be able to have a day to relax.
Well, relax sort of.

In addition to petting animals and socialising, I have also done a complete ton of housework. If you're planning to visit, come now!
It's tidy!
I've chucked out so much junk- 4 recycling boxes and they only took our boxes on Thursday! we haven't even dealt with the wrapping paper mountain yet! We need more recycling boxes! (I'm sure I wrote about the recycling box debacle, were we started with 3 but now have 7). Even more please!

I've properly cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, oiled the worktops, descaled the taps etc, sorted the linen cupboard and bought new linen, hoovered everything, which was thankless because as fast as I hoover the cat makes more hairy mess. or Traff. or both. So much fucking hair!

This is all in honour of my Nan staying for christmas.

It's very stressful. It will be lovely, and at least I've had a whole week to sort the house out.

Lunch @ the barley mow

Final day

Friday was my last day of teaching. To be honest, it was weird as I has obviously known for 6 months that I was going. It was a relief to be able to finally finish and move on elsewhere. Teaching is so crazy and i've been so busy I just haven't had a chance to even think about what my new job might be like!
So now I am anxious and excited.

2 days to go...

3 days to go...

Today it's bioviewers, in all their 70s slide viewing glory!
These for images are:
Top left: human embryonic development
Top right: cross section of plant ovaries
Bottom left: mitosis in cells
Bottom right: the structure of bones.

4 days to go...

Making metal salts.

5 days to go..

..the snowy view from my office!

Sledging!

Snow!!

Marley woke us up because it is snowing. She's quite upset about it. Whenever one of us leaves the bedroom she guards us!
She's been watching it out of the window really carefully.