I really must do something about getting a tree; I've never had a real one, and don't particularly want one, but I'd like a little* artificial one that can be folded away and tucked under the bed or somewhere. And white lights - I think coloured ones make the Baby Jesus cry.
As for when they come down - tree on 6th January, candle-bridges at Candlemas.
* There's a corner of the living room that would accommodate a 3- or 4-foot tree if it's not too wide, with a conveniently placed power point.
I took a trip out to Sainsbury's earlier and bought ingredients for mushroom pâté, which I ought to whizz up now I've got my food processor; there may also be the manufacture of SOUP for supper.
I’m not sure whether our decorations will survive this year, as our younger cat (now aged one) loves shredding things, chasing things, hiding things behind the laundry basket and climbing trees. We haven’t got any of the decorations out yet. I think I’ll start with the least fragile ones and see how it goes.
My wife being from Northern Parts, and today being my saintly namesake's, we shall be killing a HAGGIS tonight, washed down with some of Scotland's Other National Drink (mind you, She-who-must-be-obeyed might also consume some of its Official Drink - I'm not so ken on it).
Today could have been a better day. My son, my niece, her baby and her partner all have Covid19 and all have a fever, except the baby - who has a rash and runny tummy. 🧐
Hopefully we didn’t get it off my son as he tested negative the day after we left. Of course, we are both imagining symptoms now. 🙄
Oh, yikes @Boogie . I hope they get better soon and you and Mr Boogs are ok.
I had a foray to our local shops, thinking they'd be fairly quiet as a lot of them aren't open. Bad move - everywhere was quite busy and from around 3.15 started to fill up with crowds of non-socially-distancing school children. I was quite successful with what I bought but very nervous and edgy by the time I came home.
I guess going anywhere with people around is going to feel risky for some time to come.
Hope you are OK @Boogie and Mr Boogs too, and all the other family members recover well.
We have another buyer for our house and have put in on an offer for a place where we want to moved to. Unfortunalty someone else who isn't in a chain has also put in an offer, so I think we may well lose out. Our second choice has gone, so do we go to third choice or do I send husband over to look at more places on Wednesday (he's staying with his mum in the area at the moment).
A successful working day, I got all the work done I needed to do, including some study, and can now devote the whole of tomorrow to get a draft of my assignment to my supervisor. And I got a blog published on an academic website, one of my main objectives for the year (I'm a scaredy cat who is afraid to talk about my research in public).
I could really do with going to waitrose this evening as we haven't been in 3 weeks. We tend to go around 8pm when it is quiet.
I may be able to get the heap of someone's stuff that is on my work in progress chest moved so I can put the tree on it. I have some useful boxes for the stuff, so it will be easy to get the work out when needed. I hope.
My wife being from Northern Parts, and today being my saintly namesake's, we shall be killing a HAGGIS tonight, washed down with some of Scotland's Other National Drink (mind you, She-who-must-be-obeyed might also consume some of its Official Drink - I'm not so ken on it).
SOUP made, and partially consumed, along with bread and some CHEESE, mushroom pâté made and cooling in the fridge.
Memo to self: next time you're buying butter, check that it's not the "lighter" version - it's a bit rubbish.
I have dishes set out ready for tomorrow's breakfast, have acquired change for the bus and hope I'll wake up in time to catch the appropriate train ...
I have dishes set out ready for tomorrow's breakfast, have acquired change for the bus and hope I'll wake up in time to catch the appropriate train ...
<eek>
I think you can use contactless on Lothian buses now.
In the days when I had to pay bus fares I found a monthly card worth the outlay.
I need to find our council tax bill by tomorrow for proof of ID when I register Dragonlet 3. It names both of us so should suffice for proof Mr Dragon also exists. (Also need to remember she was the other hospital site to her older siblings.) Although most bills are paperless, I studiously ignore the council's exhortation to do the same with that one because having official paperwork for both of us is useful when we probably average out at a DBS check a year between work and club roles.
I need to find our council tax bill by tomorrow for proof of ID when I register Dragonlet 3. It names both of us so should suffice for proof Mr Dragon also exists. (Also need to remember she was the other hospital site to her older siblings.) Although most bills are paperless, I studiously ignore the council's exhortation to do the same with that one because having official paperwork for both of us is useful when we probably average out at a DBS check a year between work and club roles.
Can't you now have a 'rolling' DBS which means you don't have to keep applying for new ones? I'm sure I've just signed up for one!
Tea was a vegetable curry with baked fish, followed by raspberry and cream finger doughnuts after the trip to Waitrose, where we bought loads of Christmas foods and booze.
My wife being from Northern Parts, and today being my saintly namesake's, we shall be killing a HAGGIS tonight, washed down with some of Scotland's Other National Drink (mind you, She-who-must-be-obeyed might also consume some of its Official Drink - I'm not so ken on it).
Irn-Bru or Buckfast
Glad it wasn't just me that wondered that, though I guess Buckie is more a weegie peculiar than a pan-Caledonian tipple.
Hope you are happily enjoying finding out about your new job @Piglet , and now know important things such as where the loos are and where the tea and biscuits are stashed. @boogie, hoping your son makes a swift recovery.
I didn't sleep well, so was woken much later than usual getting up time by an estate agent asking for my date of birth to guard against money laundering. That seemed an odd enough start to the day, but then the postman knocked with a giant Christmas card from my mum's care home with a picture of her underneath a Christmas tree. Not quite sure where to put it.
This afternoon I'm having a skype conversation with my best friend. Loads to catch up on.
I need to find our council tax bill by tomorrow for proof of ID when I register Dragonlet 3. It names both of us so should suffice for proof Mr Dragon also exists. (Also need to remember she was the other hospital site to her older siblings.) Although most bills are paperless, I studiously ignore the council's exhortation to do the same with that one because having official paperwork for both of us is useful when we probably average out at a DBS check a year between work and club roles.
Can't you now have a 'rolling' DBS which means you don't have to keep applying for new ones? I'm sure I've just signed up for one!
Pob lwc Mochyn! (Good luck Piglet!)
You can't normally transfer work to volunteering and vice versa, and Guiding, who expect one every few years, won't accept the update service at all.
Tired this morning, which is unlikely to improve as I am busy writing all day and have a meeting this evening. I'm already finding it difficult to concentrate, and now a huge group of school kids in fluorescent yellow jackets have turned up in front of my house to practice their cycling proficiency! They are very distracting.
Hope you are happily enjoying finding out about where the tea and biscuits are stashed ...
That was one of the first things my boss showed me ...
I'm currently having a cup of coffee; I haven't really Done Anything yet, as my boss is at a meeting all morning, and I've still to arrange for training on the computer system before I can do much.
I'm trying to familiarise myself with names and functions of the members of the team, and some of the paperwork I'll be dealing with.
Travel was just fine - the train wasn't too busy, and I had no trouble finding the right bus.
My experience of NHS induction involved several courses to sit through and traipsing round the hospital for them and ID cards trying to find places that they don't put on the map.
The most important things to deal with in any new job is where to find the tea/coffee items and how the tea/coffee supply is organised, and how to use the photocopier.
Regarding Christmas trees, you can get some very nice fibre optic ones. We have a small one which sits on a table, but you can get quite large ones too.
@helix said I live on my own and I am afraid I am very dull when it comes to lights and decorations as I don't see the point. I wish that I could find the enthusiasm but I can't!
Helix, you are not alone! Last year I decided Christmas cards are decoration, but then I did put up some lights, just round the fireplace (no fire) at the last minute! This year my daughter is coming to share my Christmas dinner, so there will be two of us. I will think of you, Helix, and maybe you could find someone to share with, even if its only for a coffee or something?
Wishing you well, @Piglet, and hoping you keep Covid-free, @Boogie
Piglet - I envy you that commute. The train is so much better than driving, especially when you cross the bridge. You might like to contemplate it as you do so, with some helpful notes from an essay that was written some time ago:
The first of the River Forth bridges before it widens into the Firth of Forth is geographically now the second bridge, being downstream of that which is in fact the historical second. The third Forth bridge was, and remarkably, still is, the third crossing; an elegant and useful railway bridge. However, since the original fourth Firth of Forth bridge is no longer there you may subtract 1 from each of the following downstream bridges if you wish to consider them on a historical basis, and thus the fifth of the Firth of Forth bridges becomes the fourth of the nine (eight) Forth bridges, and so forth. This is of course, the most famous bridge, the railway bridge always known simply as the Forth Bridge, though now geographically the eighth in order along the Firth due to the demise of the first fourth Forth bridge. This is slightly complicated by the fact that it is located immediately furth of the seventh of the Firth of Forth bridges - the adjacent road bridge - while the eighth (or ninth) bridge is upstream of the seventh (or sixth) bridge.
Sounds like the Second Severn Crossing (aka Prince Charles Bridge) which followed the Severn Road Bridge which followed the Severn (Rail) Tunnel which followed the (now demolished) Severn Railway Bridge - not to mention other bridges at Gloucester and further upstream, nor the various ferry crossings at Aust or New Passage ...
You're right - I don't need to cross the bridge, which is almost a shame, as it's such a spectacular view (although there's nothing to see at that time of the morning at this time of year anyway).
First day done and dusted - no problems with the commute apart from the time of day, and while there's still a lot to learn*, I'm feeling better about it. My boss seems very nice, and a couple of the other midwives told me she's very relaxed and accommodating, for instance if you need to be flexible about working hours.
I might ask her about that - I had a very long wait at the bus stop after work, which made me think I'd probably just missed one; I think I'll check out the times so that I can time it better. If it was just a case of cutting a few minutes from my lunch-break (which was a fairly short affair anyway) it would be worth it.
* A good bit of tomorrow's going to be taken up with online training in the various systems I'll have to use - mostly the patient records system, and a bit of Elfin Safety. Apparently there are questions at the end ...
The most important things to deal with in any new job is where to find the tea/coffee items and how the tea/coffee supply is organised, and how to use the photocopier.
The most important first thing to find is where the loos are!
Both of those were pointed out very early on! The tea/coffee arrangements are slightly interesting: they don't have a kettle, but instead a "scalding hot" tap by the sink.
I may invest in my own coffee jar (or teabags) - the stuff in the (apparently) communal drawer wasn't awfully nice.
The last time I worked for the health service (thirty-mumble years ago), part of my job (what seemed like a ridiculously large part of it) was devoted to making and delivering coffee and tea for the whole department twice a day, keeping the supplies topped up and collecting money for it from the staff.
There was one particular manager who was always very reluctant to pay his dues; I don't know why, as he was presumably quite well paid, but getting him to pay up was like getting blood from a stone. Eventually my colleagues suggested I should leave him out of the tea-rota, which I did, but he just came and helped himself anyway, with a bit of a harrumph! (He'd also be the first to complain if his tea was late). No pleasing some people!
It doesn't look as if that's likely to be an issue here - I hope!
Glad it went well, @Piglet . Thank you for letting us know.
If the Elfin Safety is anything like the ones we had to do at work the questions are often multiple choice and you can have as many goes as you need to at it. Sometimes there are pictures where you have to mark, say, the fire hazards and they're quite jolly. It can pay to take notes as you go through the training, just to save time at the end - you don't want to have to be redoing it, that gets tedious!
The weather was brighter today and I went for a walk with a friend and we had a good chat which was really nice.
Glad the first day went well @piglet. I think sorting out work times so that travel so that it works for you sounds sensible. I recently did a whole load of on-line training for a charity I volunteer for. It was rather enjoyable, but then I like quizzes. Hope the computer system is intuitive.
My day continued to be slightly odd. I dropped a load of bumf off at the solicitors to do with the house sale and met the guy dealing with it. He looked about nineteen, but I assume he knows what he's doing. On the way back I passed the charity book shop where I volunteer and got dragged in to price up some books ahead of tomorrow's re-opening. Then this afternoon my skype call to my best friend was interrupted by an estate agent to tell me we didn't get our offer accepted on the house we wanted. She has one coming to the market she think's we'll love, but doesn't have the pictures yet. Years ago an estate agent told me I'd love a Victorian house they had for sale with original features. I never knew they had brick fireplaces with a slot for your video recorder in Victorian times. Therefore I'm not dashing up to see it on Thursday. I'm sure something will come up, and we may set up some viewings and go up for the day next week.
Comments
Seriously, though - bad luck. It's so easy to exceed 30mph without noticing...
As for when they come down - tree on 6th January, candle-bridges at Candlemas.
* There's a corner of the living room that would accommodate a 3- or 4-foot tree if it's not too wide, with a conveniently placed power point.
I took a trip out to Sainsbury's earlier and bought ingredients for mushroom pâté, which I ought to whizz up now I've got my food processor; there may also be the manufacture of SOUP for supper.
A year old cat.
I DO recall the utter destruction That occurred in our home That Christmas!
😅
Stupidly we introduced catnip into the proceedings As Well......
(Happy memories though🤗)
Today could have been a better day. My son, my niece, her baby and her partner all have Covid19 and all have a fever, except the baby - who has a rash and runny tummy. 🧐
Hopefully we didn’t get it off my son as he tested negative the day after we left. Of course, we are both imagining symptoms now. 🙄
I had a foray to our local shops, thinking they'd be fairly quiet as a lot of them aren't open. Bad move - everywhere was quite busy and from around 3.15 started to fill up with crowds of non-socially-distancing school children. I was quite successful with what I bought but very nervous and edgy by the time I came home.
I guess going anywhere with people around is going to feel risky for some time to come.
We have another buyer for our house and have put in on an offer for a place where we want to moved to. Unfortunalty someone else who isn't in a chain has also put in an offer, so I think we may well lose out. Our second choice has gone, so do we go to third choice or do I send husband over to look at more places on Wednesday (he's staying with his mum in the area at the moment).
A successful working day, I got all the work done I needed to do, including some study, and can now devote the whole of tomorrow to get a draft of my assignment to my supervisor. And I got a blog published on an academic website, one of my main objectives for the year (I'm a scaredy cat who is afraid to talk about my research in public).
I could really do with going to waitrose this evening as we haven't been in 3 weeks. We tend to go around 8pm when it is quiet.
Irn-Bru or Buckfast
SOUP made, and partially consumed, along with bread and some CHEESE, mushroom pâté made and cooling in the fridge.
Memo to self: next time you're buying butter, check that it's not the "lighter" version - it's a bit rubbish.
I have dishes set out ready for tomorrow's breakfast, have acquired change for the bus and hope I'll wake up in time to catch the appropriate train ...
<eek>
I think you can use contactless on Lothian buses now.
In the days when I had to pay bus fares I found a monthly card worth the outlay.
(No, I'm not wearing the little skirt. (a) no one has wants to see me in a cheerleader's outfit, and (b) it's bloody freezing.)
@Piglet best wishes for tomorrow!
Good luck Piglet!
I need to find our council tax bill by tomorrow for proof of ID when I register Dragonlet 3. It names both of us so should suffice for proof Mr Dragon also exists. (Also need to remember she was the other hospital site to her older siblings.) Although most bills are paperless, I studiously ignore the council's exhortation to do the same with that one because having official paperwork for both of us is useful when we probably average out at a DBS check a year between work and club roles.
Can't you now have a 'rolling' DBS which means you don't have to keep applying for new ones? I'm sure I've just signed up for one!
Pob lwc Mochyn! (Good luck Piglet!)
Not even M. lver?
Tea was a vegetable curry with baked fish, followed by raspberry and cream finger doughnuts after the trip to Waitrose, where we bought loads of Christmas foods and booze.
Glad it wasn't just me that wondered that, though I guess Buckie is more a weegie peculiar than a pan-Caledonian tipple.
That's none of your business
My son texted this morning and his fever has dropped today. I’m anxious for him.
@boogie, hoping your son makes a swift recovery.
I didn't sleep well, so was woken much later than usual getting up time by an estate agent asking for my date of birth to guard against money laundering. That seemed an odd enough start to the day, but then the postman knocked with a giant Christmas card from my mum's care home with a picture of her underneath a Christmas tree. Not quite sure where to put it.
This afternoon I'm having a skype conversation with my best friend. Loads to catch up on.
You can't normally transfer work to volunteering and vice versa, and Guiding, who expect one every few years, won't accept the update service at all.
That was one of the first things my boss showed me ...
I'm currently having a cup of coffee; I haven't really Done Anything yet, as my boss is at a meeting all morning, and I've still to arrange for training on the computer system before I can do much.
I'm trying to familiarise myself with names and functions of the members of the team, and some of the paperwork I'll be dealing with.
Travel was just fine - the train wasn't too busy, and I had no trouble finding the right bus.
Regarding Christmas trees, you can get some very nice fibre optic ones. We have a small one which sits on a table, but you can get quite large ones too.
Helix, you are not alone! Last year I decided Christmas cards are decoration, but then I did put up some lights, just round the fireplace (no fire) at the last minute! This year my daughter is coming to share my Christmas dinner, so there will be two of us. I will think of you, Helix, and maybe you could find someone to share with, even if its only for a coffee or something?
Wishing you well, @Piglet, and hoping you keep Covid-free, @Boogie
The first of the River Forth bridges before it widens into the Firth of Forth is geographically now the second bridge, being downstream of that which is in fact the historical second. The third Forth bridge was, and remarkably, still is, the third crossing; an elegant and useful railway bridge. However, since the original fourth Firth of Forth bridge is no longer there you may subtract 1 from each of the following downstream bridges if you wish to consider them on a historical basis, and thus the fifth of the Firth of Forth bridges becomes the fourth of the nine (eight) Forth bridges, and so forth. This is of course, the most famous bridge, the railway bridge always known simply as the Forth Bridge, though now geographically the eighth in order along the Firth due to the demise of the first fourth Forth bridge. This is slightly complicated by the fact that it is located immediately furth of the seventh of the Firth of Forth bridges - the adjacent road bridge - while the eighth (or ninth) bridge is upstream of the seventh (or sixth) bridge.
You're right - I don't need to cross the bridge, which is almost a shame, as it's such a spectacular view (although there's nothing to see at that time of the morning at this time of year anyway).
First day done and dusted - no problems with the commute apart from the time of day, and while there's still a lot to learn*, I'm feeling better about it. My boss seems very nice, and a couple of the other midwives told me she's very relaxed and accommodating, for instance if you need to be flexible about working hours.
I might ask her about that - I had a very long wait at the bus stop after work, which made me think I'd probably just missed one; I think I'll check out the times so that I can time it better. If it was just a case of cutting a few minutes from my lunch-break (which was a fairly short affair anyway) it would be worth it.
* A good bit of tomorrow's going to be taken up with online training in the various systems I'll have to use - mostly the patient records system, and a bit of Elfin Safety. Apparently there are questions at the end ...
The most important first thing to find is where the loos are!
I may invest in my own coffee jar (or teabags) - the stuff in the (apparently) communal drawer wasn't awfully nice.
The last time I worked for the health service (thirty-mumble years ago), part of my job (what seemed like a ridiculously large part of it) was devoted to making and delivering coffee and tea for the whole department twice a day, keeping the supplies topped up and collecting money for it from the staff.
There was one particular manager who was always very reluctant to pay his dues; I don't know why, as he was presumably quite well paid, but getting him to pay up was like getting blood from a stone. Eventually my colleagues suggested I should leave him out of the tea-rota, which I did, but he just came and helped himself anyway, with a bit of a harrumph! (He'd also be the first to complain if his tea was late). No pleasing some people!
It doesn't look as if that's likely to be an issue here - I hope!
If the Elfin Safety is anything like the ones we had to do at work the questions are often multiple choice and you can have as many goes as you need to at it. Sometimes there are pictures where you have to mark, say, the fire hazards and they're quite jolly. It can pay to take notes as you go through the training, just to save time at the end - you don't want to have to be redoing it, that gets tedious!
The weather was brighter today and I went for a walk with a friend and we had a good chat which was really nice.
Hoping the @Boogie household remains Covid-free.
My day continued to be slightly odd. I dropped a load of bumf off at the solicitors to do with the house sale and met the guy dealing with it. He looked about nineteen, but I assume he knows what he's doing. On the way back I passed the charity book shop where I volunteer and got dragged in to price up some books ahead of tomorrow's re-opening. Then this afternoon my skype call to my best friend was interrupted by an estate agent to tell me we didn't get our offer accepted on the house we wanted. She has one coming to the market she think's we'll love, but doesn't have the pictures yet. Years ago an estate agent told me I'd love a Victorian house they had for sale with original features. I never knew they had brick fireplaces with a slot for your video recorder in Victorian times. Therefore I'm not dashing up to see it on Thursday. I'm sure something will come up, and we may set up some viewings and go up for the day next week.