My car’s engine is apparently knackered, and I’m going to have to replace it.

Bearing in mind my requirements, which are:

1. inexpensive to run,
2. reliable,
3. something Piglet can travel in (her crate currently rests on the back seat, which isn’t ideal),
4. something that’ll let me nip up to the Lakes/Scotland from time to time, but won’t be used much, and
5. inexpensive to buy,

does anyone have any suggestions about what I should replace it with? I have a pal from the running club who works with and knows a lot about cars, and he’s going to have a look around, but I wondered what y’all think.

*cries a bit*

I read this elsewhere and thought it sounded pretty scrummy *g*

Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

* 2 cups flour
* 1 stick butter
* 1 cup of water
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup of brown sugar
* Lemon juice
* 4 large eggs

* Nuts
* 1 bottle wine
* 2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the wine to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the wine again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it’s best to make sure the wine is still OK. Try another cup… Just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner.. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the wine to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the wine. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don’t forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the wine and wipe counter with the cat.

Phew! I’ve finally finished writing it up. Hopefully somebody will enjoy it

If you take a look and find anything broken then please do let me know, so that I can fix it ♥

Bobs and Rose have made a speciality of going the extra mile on the service front since their business opened a few years ago now, but every time they come up trumps it brings a big smile to my face.

I bought a NeoAir just before the Chally, and it was wonderful until quite recently, when it suddenly ‘blew’ (Bob tells me that’s the technical term), with a couple of chambers beginning to merge into one. It still works but I was concerned that the problem might get worse, so I dropped a line to Bob to ask whether T-Rest would still be willing to exchange it at this stage.

Almost instantly I got a friendly email back telling me that this had been an acknowledged problem with the first batch (I had the last one of Bob’s first batch), and telling me also that they’d stick a replacement in the post for me that very afternoon. They did, and the following day my shiny new NeoAir arrived, complete with bag of Jelly Babies (consumed immediately–yum!) and a lovely little keyring with folding bag and hand-written note from Rose. Rose rang today to check that all was well, but I was out and so I missed her.

I know that many of us around here consider Bobs and Rose to be friends, but it’s clear from reading testimonials all over the web over the course of the last few years that Bobs and Rose provide this level of service to absolutely *all* of their customers, and every single time. I have no idea how they manage to keep it all together between the two of them, with all the other demanding stuff they get up to, but I do know that every time I think of adding something interesting to my backpacking kit backpackinglight.co.uk is the very first place I look. Long may they continue!

Thanks again to both of them ♥

Reading the 2010 Chally notes now available on the Chally site, I’ve just realised that I almost certainly forgot to sign out from Torridon last May… I have absolutely no recollection of having signed anything!

(Shhhh…. don’t tell Uncle Roger!)

*slinks away, embarrassed*

Another favourite tune. What an energetic recording!

I’ve been meaning to learn this for years. Must drag out the guitar and get to it!

I v. much like the Colin Reid version too, btw, but can’t find that one on YouTube. Here it is to listen to with Media Player or whatever.

However, here’s Colin playing Music For a Found Harmonium; yet another of my favourite tunez. Such a great arrangement! (Looks like he’s changed a bit since I drove to Birmingham years ago to ask him to show me how to play a tricky bit of one of his own compositions!)

And here’s the truly wonderful Penguin Cafe Orchestra playing the original. Sigh…

Eek!

Word on the street is that Challenge Application results are now making their way to successful applicants via email…

Fingers crossed, y’all!

Peeps,

I’m thinking of brightening up some of the paintwork around the house e.g. window ledges, door frames etc.

They’re currently painted with gloss paint. How should I go about it? Should I rub it down with sandpaper first? And do I need to apply matt paint before new gloss? Oh, and is there such a thing as paint that doesn’t come with the puke-inducing lingering overnight smell?

It’s all so complicated…

…has just occurred, chez nous.

While I was at the pet shop today, buying food for Piggly, I also bought her a couple of the chews that she particularly enjoys.

I’d forgotten about them until about 5 minutes ago, when–noticing that she was slumped around on the floor beside my computer, looking terminally bored–it occurred to me to go and get one, as P loves to chew them while I’m messing around up here.

So, I told Piglet I was going to get her a really lovely chew, and it was most odd! She behaved as though she’d actually understood precisely what I’d said, leaped up started bouncing around excitedly. She then followed–well, *led* more than followed–me downstairs to the pantry, bouncing up and down, drooling and panting at me with delight, and now she’s happily established on the floor again, attempting to gnaw her wee teethies away to little stubs.

I know it’s only a small thing, but it did seem odd that she reacted with so much excitement to what I’d said. I talk to her all the time, but generally she just shrugs and turns away unless I’m actively proferring something edible (or a picture of her boyfriend, Buster the Cairn terrier).

I wonder whether she somehow picked up on the mental image of a chew that my thought had created in my mind…? Yeah, I realise it sounds nuts, but then it’s not so very long since most peeps thought the earth was flat, remember… And There are more things in Heaven and Earth, etc etc etc Oh, and only a few months ago I’m sure I spoke to somebody who still didn’t believe in ghosts!

*is shocked*

p.s. And don’t forget all those stories of the cunning wee dogs who apparently leap out of their beds and dash to the window a few minutes before their peepses turn into the drive…