Today I've mostly bin...

[Bunnylump]

I'm SO glad I have a husband who can do all this sort of thing! Although I should perhaps mention that MY boiler is now 28 years old... cobbler's children and all that...

Bike course sounds great, Gill. Glad you're enjoying it and making the most of it.

[LAT]

Yes that bike course sounds great.

Today I've been packing, flying, eating, unpacking, walking ... and trying to understand a very complicated lighting system in our hotel bedroom in Lisbon.

We only decided last weekend to book ourselves a short break here so I've hardly had time to get excited about it before I had to start getting ready.

edit - forgot to mention drinking.
including a free port with our coffee,

[Laura]

Today, I've bin becoming a home-owner, or a third of a home at least! We got the keys this afternoon, and we have 10 days of painting, cleaning, organising and shifting boxes, before the real big move-in next Tuesday. I'm worn out already. And I'm going to be paying back my parents for the rest of my third for quite a number of years!!!!

Gill, I'll PM you the new address for future correspondence!

[clvrlad]

congrats Laura


my day sort of started in sydney
woke up early sorted everything out packed etc
left luggage with the hotel flight not till 10pm ish
went around sydney till about 4pm
then cos we weren't really busy and didnt wander too far decided to stop sitting in a bar and go to the airport.. thinking duty free area to wander through
then cos we couldn't check in (even if the screen said we could no one behind the computers to send our luggage through)
got through check in just over three hours before the flight
then customs about an hour before they started loading the flight we managed to get through customs
as we wandered round the duty free they started shutting them up

[clvrlad]

we got to china fine nice food ok breakfast
arrived at 4am local time no duty free open
sat waiting for 4 hours
got on sat by the emergency door
fed and watered twice on a 12 hour flight
straight out through customs then on to the underground
all the way through london at 4pm on the underground with cases
finally arrive at Canada wharf ive planned to grab the free ferry across the thames to the docklands hilton
whilst getting my map out of my bag to work out where to go some one stops and asks if where ok (yep in london someone being helpful)
"oh the hilton its over that way over the bridge you cant miss it" so off we go
wrong hilton £20 taxi ride later were at the right hotel

fed nicely
of to bed early
i wake 3 hours later and cant get back to sleep (like now)
we have breakfast (not admitting how many times i went back to the buffet)
then jumped on the bus straight to Victoria coach station every thing went fine coach left on time
course thats without mentioning the road works on the m1 and the a1 and being back 2 hours later than scheduled
so missed a friends band playing in town


oh yeah early start tomorrow
hope it goes better

[gill216]

Sounds like the nasty fairy got you too.

OH has been nice and blagged a lift back to nearly home to go and collect the post that I should have been collecting on Friday. The post will contain details of whatever I have to do and wherever I have to go and however much I will have to pay to go on a speeding awareness course instead of accumulating 3 points and a hike in insurance premium. It might contain a post office card telling me my useless phone has been repaired and returned to me. Not holding my breath. I think I will continue using the ancient one anyway.

On the brighter side, I should have a straightened car on Tuesday and grandsons other grandfather is still with us. There must be hope for him. I don't understand why they would give him dialysis when he has a heart problem but they are going to do it again for another 72 hours.

[MBH]

go on a speeding awareness course instead of accumulating 3 points and a hike in insurance premium.

Been there - done that Can't say it changed any of my thoughts about my own driving ability (although some will say that's just because I'm a MAN)

What I can'tt figure out is if this relates to cycle training or getting hit in a car park while (presumably) not moving OK - not a laughing matter but the comments do connect some dots

[LAT]

Funniest thing I ever heard about one of those courses was when a friend went on one a couple of years back. During the tea break it became apparent to everyone else that one man and woman were having quite an argument. It turned out that they were husband and wife but neither had told the other they had been caught and were going on the course!

[Scurra]

At least they hadn't each tried getting the other to "take their points".

[gill216]

What I can'tt figure out is if this relates to cycle training or getting hit in a car park while (presumably) not moving

I wasn't even in the car at the time when it got bashed, I was in the shop the fella that hit it had just left. I dont think he should be driving. He asked if I'd settle privately as he had another accident recently and his insurance premium had already shot up. I'm fine with that. Got the car back this afternoon and OH took hm the invoice so he could repay us. He asked if he could have a lift to the bank as he'd since driven his car into the side of his own garage.

The speeding thing was back in September. I was too busy gassing to friends and never saw the man and his speed gun but my friend did. I wasn't that far over either but obviously wan't paying attention. That's quite scary actually. What if it had been someone stepping out into the road

[giraffe]

The man who ran into the back of me a couple of weeks ago wanted to settle privately, but he said he would get his friend to fix it. Coupled with the fact that he didn't know his own address, and that my car is new enough to still be under warranty I wanted it repaired properly by a reputable person, so I said no. If he wants to pay his insurance company back presumably he can do that to keep his premium down. The repair cost about £1500 though, so I would have thought it was cheaper to pay a higher premium.

[gill216]

my car is new enough to still be under warranty

Mine is only just a year old too but the guy was happy for it to go to a garage of my choice. Looking for the silver cloud, at least neither Colin or I put the first dent in it. No arguments over that one. If I'd been in the old tatty one I wouldn't have cared.

[Bunnylump]

Just don't speak to me about cars. Service (3 weeks ago), new tyres (yesterday), Disc brakes and brake pads (today), insurance (last week)

Well, as all of today's puzzles seem to be either incomprehensible, about maths or about video games, and I still can't get any further with my remaining PB ones, I think I'll make my Christmas cake instead. I can do those.

[LAT]

I can't even do that!

[Bunnylump]

Why not? You just put it all in a bowl and stir it up a bit, then put it in the oven for hours and hours. Even I can do that!

[giraffe]

I gave up on Christmas cakes years ago. They just don't seem to cook through, they burn on the outside and even after 7 hours in the oven are raw on the inside. Plus I'm the only one who would eat it round here.

[Bunnylump]

Well, I have a secret weapon known as Dibble... Although this year he's off to Moscow in the new year so he's only got a week to eat it!

[Bunnylump]

OK so I have decided that I'm REALLY sad. I have no children at home and yet I didn't think twice about mutilating my hand by carving a giant pumpkin (which is currently glimmering away on the steps at the back of the patio with nobody to see it.) Although I did make an industrial vat full of pumpkin soup... I also had to make a giant, emergency apple tart because the wind blew down so many Bramleys in the garden the other day. Good excuse, eh? I reckon we've had our 5 veg a day about six times over today!

We have only had four lots of trick or treaters this year. But they mainly seemed to be teenagers!!

[LAT]

We haven't had any - but then I think I can only remember once having any trick-or-treaters in the 28 years we have lived here!
It's obviously too scary for them down our end of the road!

[giraffe]

We didn't get any and it's a few years since we had any. I suppose it depends on the ages of the neighbouring children. Most of our neighbours are older than us. I can only think of one family with children under 6th form age in our road.