susys running away to sea

"The rigors (sic) of an expeditionary lifestyle"

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

My beautiful eldest granddaughter

Monday, July 30, 2007

Diamonds are for never

Following my registration on a boaty site for crewing, I was contacted by a foreign sounding/slight Aussie twang overlay gentleman, offering me the chance to sail up the Barrier Reef and out towards Samoa, where, he said, diamonds have been discovered. He said he'd been given a handful (or maybe even more) of these diamonds - what an incredible getrichquick opportunity, no? The smell of rats wafted along the phone lines. Wishing to save his phone bill, among other reasons, I declined his kind offer to enrich me.

Anyone else come across this amazing chance for once in a lifetime untold wealth?

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Chicken Runs

I'm in charge of the hens, with son and his gf on holiday in Spain. So of course, what happens, but one of the hens decides nip down to the shops after dark - did no-one tell her 24 shopping hasn't reached this village yet?


Of all the meat shops in all the world...

When I (accidently) caught up with her the next day, she was outside the butcher's shop and they were feeding her bread - stuffing her in advance?

Anyway, was I going to catch her, when I had a lunch appointment? Nope. I left her there, adding touches of sage and onion to her bread, went out and stuffed my face (beef pie), then came back with sheets to throw over her. Of course that worked a treat - lure her on to the path with grain, hurl the sheet - no problem.... except she's a darn sight faster than I am, and scuttled back into the undergrowth quick as you like. I managed to lure her out with food well enough, but she's fleet of foot, guzzled and raced off again. So much for cornering her.

In the end, she forced herself so far into the undergrowth, she got stuck. I was able to grab a wing feather, and with much scratching of my hand, able to work my way gingerly up her wing, then get her neck, and pull - gently!! At one point, her neck did get wedged in the fork of a branch. She pointed this out to me rather noisily, and just in time, at which I extracted her without damage, popped her into a box, and carried her home. How pleased she was to see her sisters again! How they asked her about her adventures! How they all went around the enclosure perimeter, picks and shovels over their backs, in their tireless attempts to tunnel out of Colditz.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Poo!

My eldest daughter in Chile is astounded at the quantities of excretions her new baby is capable of producing - and miffed no-one thought to mention this would happen.... I've just sent her this email:

"I remember your uncanny knacks of piddling into a brand new nappy, before I even got the plastic pants on, so I felt obliged to change it yet again, cos I KNEW you were wet and I would feel guilty if I didn't. And the even better one - being able to bypass the nappy ENTIRELY and crap down to your toes. Just remember that one, chum.. and that all nappies had to be dunked and wrung out in the loo, then washed, then dried. How ecological was that? Actually, probably not very .. but the dispoooosable nappies were useless.

Give Isabella my love and a big knowing grandma's revenge grin.. hehehe!!!!

luv muv xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Saturday - so far

12.00 am My head hits the pillow
2.30 am Woken by son and his mate stumbling through the front door. Sounds of drunken revelry
2.45 am No sound - son and his mate passed out
2.46 am I sleep the sleep of the sober
5.45 am Woken by dog wanting a pee
5.55 am Dog agitating at door, groan, roll out of bed, open garden door, head hits pillow again
6.00 am Woken by dog jumping on my shins, scream loudly, head hits pillow yet again
6.01 am Awake
6.02 am Still awake, knackered
6.02 am Still awake, knackered, reading
6.03 am Snoring
6.45 am Woken by dog snoring
6.45 am Give up, get up, wander into sitting room. Body on sofa - son's mate, still drunk. Suggest he tries out the bedroom upstairs. Get propositioned by son's mate. Oh so reluctantly turn him down.
6.46 am Take kettle to sink. Sink full of amorphous pink debris. Delicately sniff. I'm right. Son's mate has puked in sink. Impressed by his thoughtfulness and aim.
6.47 am Decide to pass on the cup of tea

How's your Saturday so far?

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Whose a lucky girl? Fingers crossed

I should have some money soon-ish - I've already spent it at least ten times, but one thing will be a car again and a trip round the country catching up with old and new best friends. Cabin fever has struck and I'se stircrazeee!!

Itchy feet

Next year is another one for running away. This time - unless I get a better offer - will be a RTW air ticket to join the dots of places and people to visit. So, on the list so far is, in no particular order:

Sydney, Australia (friends)
New Zealand (N & S islands)
China, Mongolia, Tibet (holidays, organised and other)
India (rendezvous with a friend)
Namib desert (because I want to go to a desert)
Chile (again - daughter)
Peru (ooops mountain sickness, but Macchu Pichu natch)
Easter Island (because son got there ... hehe)
New Jersey, US (brother)
Rhode Island (Jack, last yrs skipper - but he might be in
Florida
Nova Scotia (friends)
Newfoundland, fingers crossed (friends)
Vancouver (beautiful)
France (week's holiday - solo canal barge hire, to see if I can do it by myself)

OK - that's the rough idea. Got any suggestions about running order/accommodation ideas/other places to visit fitting in this outline itinerary?

(PS - Alaska)

soirees musicales

Over the last couple of weeks I've been to:

Open air production of Nabucco by Verdi at Holland Park, London + champagne (3rd row)
Open air classics concert in the grounds of Girton College, Cambridge + strawberries and wine (random chairs on lawn)
Pat Metheny, acoustic jazz guitar + band at the Barbican, London + Mexican restaurant (2nd row)
Songs from the shows singalong at the local school (village arts festival)
Songs from the shows - a much better sound! - at the local church + wine (village arts festival)
The Crofters - folk music at the local church + two glasses of heaven knows what red wine vinegar and they had an extra member singing with them from the pews (village arts festival)

Good, eh!

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Computers, pah! (2)

Extract(s) from a posting on a Forum:

Hi everyone - my laptop is on a go slow when I want to use the internet - like the dear ole dial up days. Why? and what can I do about it? Help help please.

Susy x


Lots of helpful suggestions later (it's a wireless setup):


Errr - I found out the problem..

I was getting this onscreen message: "son.downloading.enormous.files.exe" ....

S x



Computers, pah! (1)

Yesterday, I was using my laptop on battery (slobbing on the sofa, watching the telly at the same time). When it came to the end of the battery life, I took it back to the dining table, and plugged the mains connection into the back of the lappy, sat down, and happily started using it again. After a few minutes, it went 'PING!' and died on me. Horrors! What to do? Life without the laptop?

"TI-IIIM" I sat there, mourning the corpse of the dead laptop, yelling for my son. I wish I could say he rushed to my aid, but truth is, after about 10 minutes, he ambled by. He glanced in my direction, then bent to insert the plug in the socket on the wall, and flicked the switch ....