50 ways to leave your lover

The husband has bought another drumkit. This time it is a real one, as opposed to an electronic one.

The little drummer boy

A quick pictorial catch up of my world over the last few weeks.

Here are the drums....




Not as big as you might have thought, but I am informed reliably informed that size isn't everything, as long as the operator is fairly skilled.
And yes, they are situated in a book (and CD/DVD) lined study. Are the family men amongst you asking how that jammy begger gets his very own personal playroom? Frankly, I ask myself that sometimes, especially as he is actually downstairs hogging the telly, watching football, and not even luxuriating in his own private kingdom.



In fact, just to rub it in, here is another shot of aforementioned booklined..etc etc...

If you zoom in Kev you might be able to recognise some of the filums...



Last weekend, as mentioned over at Mrs P's, we went to a wedding, with picnic on Box Hill. We were friends of the groom - he and I were at uni together...indeed we graduated 20 years ago this year, so took the opportunity for a reunion shot.





No shots of the actual service or the official photos you might notice. That's because we weren't there. Shan't go into too much detail for fear I will be overcome (again)with the need to go downstairs and point out a couple more home truths to the man of the house. (Actually, can't do that - I'm still not speaking to him) Suffice to say that if anyone says anything about women and their inability to handle directions I shall be round forthwith and shove a bat up your nightie.

Multi-tasking.....don't get me started.......

D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

The husband has bought a drum kit.

Ain't no mountain high enough

I'm here..I'm back...got back from Salt Lake City about a week ago, and straight into school hols. Oh, and the obligatory jet lag. When I'm wide awake at 4am, listening to the husband snoring like a stuck pig, I write the most witty blog posts in my head. Unfortunately they have disappeared by the time I finally wake up. So, sadly, y'all just get a few photos and a rather dull recap of what I did in Utah.

View of mountains as we flew in to SLC.




The SLC Temple and snow.



In the Family History Library - one of my Irish relatives - fourth from bottom.



And just for Kevin - a picture of the clean sidewalks!

I was actually on a work trip, but there aren't any pictures of those activities. Maybe a picture of me not understanding the functional specification my colleague was proposing, or me punching the air when the customer said" sure - go ahead and invoice us" would have been more exciting?

Sweets for my sweet

It's obviously the 24/7 librarian bit of me, but as soon as I read Mrs Pouncer's reminiscences on the Caramac bar over at Kevin's Commonplaces I felt the urge to google and see what I could find....



Thanks to the wonder that is t'interweb you can learn about Caramac,
Buy Caramac..and..um...well, actually, I'm not sure why you'd want one of these.

Take all of me

I have inadvertently got an award - simply by being one of the first five folks to comment on Scarlet's blog. I get to post the award picture, which is nice.



However, I also have to list 10 true facts about myself. I did something similar a few months back at the behest of Kevin. As I am not a very interesting person it is going to be tricky to find more to say about myself, but here goes....taking more than a little inspiration from Scarlet's "truths":

1) I am not ginger either. No, seriously. I really am not, but I always wanted to be. I love red hair. Then my daughter was born ginger, or orange, as she likes to call it. Be careful what you wish for.

2) I have two scars under my chin, both about 1 cm long, parallel. Both childhood accidents - one from slipping in the public swimming pool and banging my chin on the edge, and on from hitting my chin on one of those 70s standup ashtray things.

3) In my job I get to visit lots of buildings and organisations that many people wouldn't get access to. I didn't go to the Lloyds of London meeting, but I have been to the Bank of England and the Lebanese Parliament, to name a couple.

4) I too got Unclassified in my maths O level, despite a home tutor as well as regular maths lessons. I was supposed to retake it the following january but didn't even bother to show up. However, it has been one of my many hang ups about my lack of academic prowess. Despite doing (and passing) statistics as part of my degree, I eventually took an OU maths course a couple of years ago, and PASSED! It was one of the happiest days of my life.

5) I am crap at sport. I was always one of those sad ones picked last for teams along with the fat girl. I was on the arts side - but I was always picked for the school play, so that was good!

6) I am a glasses wearer because I can't really get on with lenses. I have several pairs.

7) I have never been to a Cure concert. I did, however, dress as a pirate for a Bow Wow Wow concert.

8) I am a voracious reader - cannot be without a book anywhere. My dad used to help me with my reading when I was younger by getting me to read hymns - that's left footers for you!

9)I have never been a contestant on a game show, but my husband was a contestant on a radio music quiz. He was knocked out in the first round, but we had great fun at the recording, and had drinks and nibbles with Ned Sherrin.

10) I went for a riding lesson once with a horse mad school friend. I fell off, and thought it was hilarious. I wasn't a horsey type. As with the sport, I was too busy doing plays, doing dance classes or reading a book.

Imagination

When we had the kitchen re-done we couldn't afford a smeg, and with a small child, I needed more freezer space, so we got this:



It's retro, it matches my cupboards and it only cost about 300 quid. And the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice I'm giving you a glimpse of my bush.

Sadly, my lovely fridge is covered in magnets - another feature and benefit of having a small person living in my house.

Here is a close up of the magnets if anyone is interested:




Close ups of my bush available upon request.

The ghost in you

It's 4.23am, and I can't sleep. Woke up to go to the loo, and then started puzzling about this....Since September we have lost the following:

* One blue school pinafore, possibly unworn.
* One long sleeved t-shirt, pink with flowers, from GapKids..fairly new.
* Two..yes two..school cardigans..blue sweatshirt material..badge with white rose of Yorkshire and a dove. Again, newish. Gone missing together.

What the f*** is going on? All these items have gone missing in the house. It's not a big house. Five bedrooms (oh stop...one is so small most folks have extended the bathroom into it - I use it as my study), kitchen, living room, etc....

The cardigans are the most recent item to go missing - sometime over the last nine days (It has been half term) I've checked all the obvious places, even been reacquainted with the bottom of my ironing basket, which is a rare happening.

So what do we think? Ghost? Do ghosts steal things? Very large rats making a nest?

I'm going to try to sleep now, after I've checked to see the results of the Oscars (oh did I mention husband with a head cold, snoring like a ..well, like his usual self actually), but I'll keep you informed.

You don't have to take your clothes off

My husband and daughter are away, so I thought I would try my hand at stripping. I am actually quite pleased with my performance. I wonder if I could be a professional stripper for a living? What do you think? Would you pay me to strip at your place?

Before....

After....

Kick over the statues

And how did the residents of the elegant spa town of H*rr*g*te celebrate the snowfall this week? By building an large snow sculpture of a knob on the main roundabout, of course. I approach it from an odd angle (as the actress said etc etc) and announced to my 5 year old that some had done a person sitting on a horse...til we got closer. Later, on an beer crisis trip to Waitrose my husband spotted people having their photo taken next to it. We may lose our position as the UK's 4th best place to live over this.

Meanwhile, a bit o'SWP early 80s nostalgia for you...

The Lebanon

[Yes - that is a song title - Human League]

Anyway, well done to the lovely Ms.SB and to dear old Kevin - you were very close with your guesses as to my work destination last week - what with the temperature up in the high teens, the haunting sound of the call to prayer, and the bullet holes in the walls of most public buildings, I could easily have been in Hastings or Cleethorpes. But I was, in fact, in Beirut. It was jolly nice too....I'm always partial to a trip to that neck of the woods. Gorgeous scenery, lovely people and fab food. Except for the pickled turnip, served at lunch and dinner. Sharn't miss that.

Eeee..it's all glamour my life. Next week, it's Liverpool, Sheffield and Birmingham. The trip to Swindon got cancelled, which is just as well, because I don't think I could stand the excitement.

Where do you go to my lovely....?

See if can guess where I'm going this week (for work) based on this: [KEVIN - you can't play!]

An independent republic since 1943, ?? is a compact country of 10,452 square kilometers with a population approaching four million. Located at the meeting point of three continents. In winter, the high peaks are covered with snow, and in summer, their limestone slopes glimmer white in the distance.

From the hotel the sea is just a short walk away as are the shopping areas.

In these shoes...

This has been a funny old week, chez Robinson. The husband got a promotion..sort of...long story..the short version is that he lost his job back in 2005 in a re-org, and so was given another position in the organisation (it's Civil Service), which was two grades lower, except he still got paid at his old grade, but with no annual increments (you still with me?).

Occasionally he got "matched" to other jobs at his grade, which he had to be interviewed for, even if he didn't want them...he never got them, but still had to go through the prep, and then the letdown.

Anyway, this week he was interviewed for a senior role within his own department, back at the old scale and he got it. It is an ideal role, and his colleagues are very pleased for him.

(Keep going, there is a point to this)

I, meanwhile, have been waiting for a similar-ish decision at work since early November. I thought it would all happen this week, but no...in fact it got even more complicated. So I have been happy for husband, but feeling increasingly ill-used by my own organisation.

Anyway, this is the point.....and the ladies will understand....

Something had to be done.....so, shoes have been purchased....red shoes....and suddenly the world seems a brighter place.




Although, slightly scarily, I find the strapline for the manufacturer is "The footware of universal youth culture fashion."

And, of course, any excuse to bung a Kirsty track in..

""

Pretty in Pink

Shamelessly jumping on the Jukebox Monday bandwagon-

There has been some pointless nonsense in the papers about girls and pink recently.

But back in the good old days we knew that is was OK to be pretty in pink.....

January...sick and tired...

Better late than never, a christmas and new year post.

Christmas was very nice chez Robinson, not least because it was mum's turn to do the cooking honours. We had the stepchildren (or rather, step adults, as they are 28 and 31). Laura was a poppet, in good spirits as Santa seemed to have exceeded her expectations.

And what was stuffed in my stocking, I hear you cry. Well, books mostly. At least three female friends and acquaintances were given bracelets by their other halves...two even went out and chose them without being told which ones to buy. The husband has been informed of this, and hopefully has stored this information away for future reference. [God, I am an ungrateful witch, aren't I?]

Mostly for Kate's benefit, here are the new acquisitions on the LibraryLizzie shelves (not in any order...not even Dewey):

Redemption Falls.
The rain before it falls.
Nul Points.
It's not a rehearsal.
Kenneth Williams unseen
The blackest streets
The suspicions of Mr Whicher
Egg dancing
Austerity Britain
Perfumes
Dry store room 1
Call the midwife
Who do you think you are?

I know I haven't included the authors...that's to make you click on the links. And I'm sure there is at least one more book...possibly two...

New Year was fab - down in Christchurch. Grown up (ish) dinner party and a game of Piss Artist, which me and my team mate Nick won!

Now, everything is over for another year. The decorations are packed away, and I have got viral laryngitis...which is apparently better than having the bacterial kind.

Back at work with the same old annoyances. Clearly certain colleagues didn't think "stop pissing off Librarylizzie is a big way" was worthy of a new year's resolution. My resolution? To try not to let certain colleagues piss me off....

Santa Claus is coming to town...

Merry Christmas one and all. (Is it me, or is Santa getting younger?)

There's an angel floating round this house

10th Oct 1959 - 18th Dec 2000: Justice for Kirsty

God save the queen

I had a day's leave on Wednesday, and my best friend V was off sick, so we had a nice long gossip on the phone. I had the telly on. Jeremy Kyle was finished so I channel hopped and found the opening of parliament. V and I were somewhat surprised to see, in amongst all the pomp amd ceremony - a woman proudly holding a santa hat on a stick.



Turns out it is actually the cap of maintenance. Clearly we learnt bugger all at our London convent school. Well, except the rhythm method (and no, that has NOTHING to do with music)

Walking in a winter wonderland

Today didn't quite pan out as expected. I expected the usual dull work day, although I was due to take Lauar to school as husband is in London...but then it snowed. Boy, did it snow. Up early, and tuned it local radio (who were doing a stonking job) and finally at 8.05am, like almost every other school in the area, the announcment came that laura's school was closed. She prompted got dressed,and raced outside to enjoy it to the full...




By 9.30 we had built a snowman, and had a snowball fight!





Laura declared this to be the best day in her life ever.

However, for this 5 year old it got even better. Look what happened later...



She lost her first tooth.

Make it magnificent tonight

Prompted by Scarlet's Jukebox Monday Blondie track, here are my two favourite tracks:



Not filmed by me....and be warned, the sound is shocking....but I was there. I'm one of the heads bopping up and down in about the third row, right in front of the stage.




And here is she is again.....I don't care what she injects into her face....this is one of the most beautiful women on the planet.