cheddar part II

Rather chuffed with these 'thirds' pictures.
Amazing weather at Weston and a huge, empty beach to scamper round!

Managed to catch a bit of the sun on my pasty face making

me just a little frecklier!

cheddar part I

What a FAB three nights away. I could have stayed longer. The weather was mostly clement, the site was great, my pitch was perfect, the beach was enormous and I had a lot of fun. On the left you can see a quick snap of the gorge which is really stunning. It was the first place I thought of when I was deciding to go away for a bit. On the right you can see my pitch from the other side of the river. Next to all the bigg tents for grown ups my little two man tent was miniscule.

My pitch was right next to this pretty river. It was shallow enough for the hound to go in and drink and cool off and was teeming with little fish. On my first or second day there I saw a kingfisher zip down low across the water. There was a resident wren and a pair of collared dove creaking their wings late into the evening. Monty spent most of his time on the lookout for other dogs daring to be on holiday in the same location as him.

The best afternoons were spent on Weston-super-Mare beach. It was mostly overcast but warm. Monty turned loopy lurcher for hours leaping back from those very scary waves then running headlong into them to chase other dogs before he realised he was in up to his belly!

a few more santa pod beauties for ya

beasties

i have been munched by some evil parasitic low lifes and i now look like an illustration from a medical journal.

colours of summer

colours of summer
Originally uploaded by unkempt woman.

A photo from an e.friend's flickr site. thought this was worth sharing. i'm a sucker for great colours and pattern.

Strange light

This evening, just before the lightning started there was an eerie pink/yellow light and some stunning clouds that i just had to stand on my wall and snap.

releasing my inner mutant

Mutant, cannibal and narcissist.

Only some of the gems that didn't make it to my c.v.

Audi pardner

You've heard of road rage, now I bring you road flirt!! Does this exist already or did I just witness a first.

I'm driving home and this TT behind me gives a tiny flash. I wonder if he thinks I'm not going fast enough. Unlikely. A mile or so further on he flashes and I look in the mirror to see him waving at me. I only know one person with a TT and it really doesn't look like them, I assume they must have mistaken me. He flashes again. So I wave back and give an exaggerated shrug to indicate I don't know who he is. He then waves some more and playfully indicates leftrightleftrightleft. I turn my hazards on and off cos I figure I might as well have a bit of fun on the way home from work. He toots. I give the royal wave out the window. He flashes his lights. I slow right down and spray water from my screen all over his car then accelerate. I can tell he's having fun messing around and I'm laughing too but wondering who on earth this guy is. Anyway, this goes on for about 5 miles then when we get to Bedford, I turn left at the round about toward the retail park and he goes straight ahead down the bypass, giving me a wave...

I'm just laughing a lot at this point and wondering if he takes that route home regularly.

I'm just heading up past the retail park and beyond the railway bridge when who should come shooting past the other way but the guy in the TT! He's obviously bombed up the bypass, come off at the next exit and torn round to come past me the other way. He's flashing and waving and I'm just creasing up!

Of course I'm intrigued and hoping I might see this mystery man tomorrow!! He has a distinctive registration plate so I will keep an eye out when I park from now on.

If any of you know anything about this you have to tell me!!!

BUG JAM 20

Madeleine had a fun day out at Santa Pod but has been pestering me for her own jet engine since we got back.

No can do. People waiting behind us at the lights might complain.

I got very jealous of some beautiful new bugs,

some fabulous restored bugs

and some golden oldies...

There was no shortage of the quirky, groovy and plain show off!

I have so many more pics than these but I have to stop blogging at some point this evening. Anyway, in brief, it was a fantastic day and I never thought I could get so stoked on cars. To be fair, I didn't think it possible for a bug to shoot 20 foot of flames and be out of sight in 6 seconds.

another day in paradise

me: Hello, can I help you?

customer: Oh, I was going to ask him (points at colleague)

He looks like he'd know more than you.

more festival pics

French Market

Novel ways to cross the river.

The guys in the raft race were pelted with eggs by their 'friends' on the embankment!

Bedford River Festival

Every other year Bedford goes crazy and thousands of people crawl over the river area buying, selling, entertaining and having fun.

After a parade of lit up boats on the river there is a fireworks display.

This year, mini-me was old enough to go on his own and meet up with mates for the evening.

(i strongly recommend clicking on the first picture and hovering over it until the enlarge icon appears and viewing this picture at its largest.)

author cloud

http://www.librarything.com/authorcloud.php?view=kumquat

check out my author cloud! apparently a free account will only let you bash in 200 ISBN numbers so although my 'cloud' isn't entirely representative of my hundreds more books, it does give a pretty fair impression of who i most buy and read.

geek heaven

are you often regarded as slightly geeky? something of a nerd when it comes to detail? do you often find the thought of writing a list more rewarding than the actual task? do your friends think twice about inviting you out when they know you'd rather sit at home and alphabetise your filing cabinets? THEN LOOK NO FURTHER!!! this could be the link you have been waiting for...

http://www.librarything.com/

Sweet mother of pearl, I think I've died and gone to heaven.

van eyck

Discussed the Ghent altarpiece over dinner tonight as I'm sure everyone has done at one time or another. Quite a triptych.

HOW RUDE

it would have been funny if we hadn't all been so seething at this pompous customer.

i join the conversation as he's looking down his nose disparagingly at my colleage and saying "you don't know what it is do you?"

ebooks

he's come into a bookshop to buy an ebook. yes folks, you heard right. i stepped in - i couldn't help it, the man was a fool and he was trying to belittle my staff - and i told him what an ebook was and that he would have to find them online. "well," he replies, "i don't have internet access". i point out that internet access is required. he responds; "well that's no use to me is it?" no sir, i'm thinking, and that's because you're a laughable buffoon who thinks he can belittle girls behind a counter with insisting they bring him the impossible, oh excuse me while i just go and consult the tooth fairy about this one. in fact i say "then i don't think we can help you any further on that request". NEXT he moves onto maps. again he asks for something that doesn't exist and looks at me with disdain as i show him what is on offer. "well that's a street map, not exactly a map is it" On and on he goes with his rudeness until I decide to hack him down as politely as i can given that i want to blow my nose on his tie and say "That is the extent of our range I'm afraid".

what makes people like that?

i mean take this blog entry for example, not a hint of vitriol or invective about it!

to infinity and beyond

if i were lucky enough to have synaesthesia, i would describe today as having been mid to dark grey and set to some haunting strains of Mahler.

"Wouldn't you just die without Mahler?" (Trish in Educating Rita)

Anyway.

Today i bought a tent!!!!! I am excited to the point of becoming a complete nerd about this. I also bought a kettle, stove, bed and lamp. I'm going to take myself off for three nights next month while mini-me is doing other stuff and brave a holiday alone miles from home. I am alternately feeling empowered and terrified! Lurching between thinking this is a completely bad idea and i could sit at home in the warm and dry feeling sorry for myself and beaming at my own desire for self reliance and explorer spirit. at the moment i'm mostly feeling stoked but this may be the after effects of retail therapy. (giggles) I bought one of those uber cool pop out tents that you literally take out of the bag, hold at arms length and hey presto you have a fully working home. dead cheap it woz. they love me in milletts!

summer

evening in the garden.

the man who said he would come back today when perhaps the moon was in a different phase and would make book buying easier for everyone concerned even though i was trying to tell him over and over again that we would be able to give him pretty much exactly what he wanted, didn't.

Loon.

Excuse the double pun.

:)

low flying elephants

mum's the word

a penguin carrying a flag.

i'm saying nothing.

paddling

you can't beat it can you? had a fabulous time with mini-me and the hound down at the river. monty dog went loopy lurcher at being able to get into water that wasn't deep and scary for him and belted along like a nut. i just laughed and laughed with the pleasure of seeing him having fun. perfect.

saturday

enjoyed the simple pleasures of 140 minutes on the M1/M25 to see my sister today, walk round the lake with the dog and chill out chatting.

met up with mates for hot pizza and cold beer in a warm pub garden under a purpleblue night sky. watched then applauded an original hunter-gatherer carrying 5 pints of beer like a champagne pyramid fromt the bar to his table.

developing a strong liking for corona beer with lime and friends who will distract me from real life with chatter about human beach tents and stories of big dog's escapades on the underground. however much a hero he is i will never forget his classic line; 'lady you're so fat you've got your own atmosphere.'


"hello little dwarf, what are you doing down there?"

drool

last night KA friends cooked me dinner, brought it round and spent the evening with me! mini-me offered to make pudding for everyone. in the event i made it but it's the thought that counts right? i made fresh raspberry and cream eclairs with sticky icing. they were awesome and i'm going to be making them a lot this summer i think. it will be my standard cook if i'm invited out.... Yes this is a hint to everyone, haha! Damnit they were great, you missed a treat there...

like this but with pink icing,

stuffed with cream

and fresh raspberries sticking out!!

climbing up

Most of you know what's been kicking off here but for those of you who don't, basically Mr K left me on Monday. Ouch etc. Be reassured that I'm not going to use my blog as either a site for vitriol or as a public couch session. It hurts enormously. That's obvious. It's going to take a long time to adjust but God is still good and there are always opportunities for beauty and positivity. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and offers of help and friendship.

interval

There will be a short break in broadcast while Kumquat gets her head straight after the detenation of a life-bomb.

Normal service will be resumed shortly.

history lesson

Probably first used in the latter half of the sixteenth century, Netsuke are miniature Japanese sculptures

dating from the Meiji period.

Without pockets in kimonos, the Japanese would carry money, medication or other small items in sagemono pouches threaded through their obi, or kimono sash.

Netsuke were used as a toggle at the end of the obi and

would hang down below the waist.

They were originally made from natural materials such as wood, gourd or stone.

Later, ivory and bone was used.

Many of them are hateful looking pieces of kitsch

reminiscent of pottery whimsies.

Others are grotesquely erotic or faintly sickening, sentimental disney-like creatures with big eyes but enough of them are beautifully crafted for them to have caught my eye.

Whisky

Sat down and watched some world cinema with mini-me this evening. It was very funny in parts but mostly bleak and touching. I thought it wasn't bad but when I asked mini-me at the end he replied; 'honestly? ... I thought it was pants."

london town

...and so on to another day in the big smoke. hob-nobbing with the very highest at leadenhall market for lunch before whizzing over to euston to discuss company branding. (it will be introduced for absenteeism initially!)

a very funky outfit where the staff all look happy and relaxed swirling across the rubberised floors in their swivel chairs. sitting up to groovy clover leaf tables, mooching around their macs and generally playing with colours and words. in one fell swoop looking to all the world as if they own your soul but still want to be friends.

nice to see you again phillie. was flattered gill asked my advice. hope tomorrow with 'he-who-is-not-JR' goes well. you'll be fine, just have a top 40 promo stuffed in your back pocket and name drop. it'll be a breeze!

oh and phillie, explain to gill that cut and paste doesn't actually mean scissors and glue ;) heh heh.

my first regional meeting!!!!!

YAWN

That about says it all. I thought it was going to be a hotbed of radical ideas and burgeoning new thinking and I was bitterly disappointed. (snort!)

216 kept running out to throw up and got greyer by the minute,

poor chap.

everything by comparison was crushingly pedestrian.

given the absence of all things 'touchy feely', the whole experience was rather cold and intimidating.

but drinks afterwards put paid to that. even so, no gossip of any weight to feedback. even the boy wonder at 429 seems to be improving.

'no ships nor nobody drownded, fact nothing to laugh at, at all!'

Did you know that the sign '&' is called an ampersand? This is the kind of revelation that keeps geeks like myself happy for hours.

So anyway...

Here's a question to which I need a wholeheartedly

English, eccentric response.

It has come to my attention that those who are really getting on in my company have something in common. A decidedly outr hobby. Clearly I need one.

Your suggestions please.

It can be anything as long as it isn't going to cost me an arm, a leg, a marriage or a spell in prison! Although something with a risk element wouldn't be beyond my consideration.

Do your worst.

My destiny is in your hands.

reasons why I always (feel the need to) win

If it hadn't been for the fact that Mr K landed on 'free parking' 5 times and collected millions of pounds, I would have won Monopoly. Technically then I think you can say that I won. At least the moral victory is mine and has nothing to do with Nicci being too sleepy to buy property and mini-me being an air head and spending more time counting his money than noticing when he should be collecting rent. No connection at all. Ergo, I win. Right?

what goes 'bing boingg bingg boinggg'? This isn't a joke! We think it must be frogs indigenous to Manton Heights only where they can be heard binging and boinging at night all through the summer.

Had a fab BBQ with Scotty and Nicci where the evenings highlights were seeing 3 lads in a freezing cold pool giggling like a bunch of girls at how cold it was, painting the decking while the grub was a-cooking and oh what was the other thing...ah yes, winning at monopoly.






Technically.