test please delete

[NickFitz]

Chicken casserole out of the freezer for tea, which was very nice

[NickFitz]

Juts a modicum of entertainment tonight, as I could do with an early night: a bit of Seinfeld, and some more of The West Wing. The latter featured the President ordering a Federal government shutdown, so quite topical. However, it made the President look like a strong and determined man who knew what he was doing, rather than a spoilt petulant brat who's completely out of his depth and desperate for attention, so a bit different to current reality

Goodnight all

[original PM]

Well wfh today - although I think 'have the laptop turned on and occasionally checking it' may be more accurate than 'working' but such is life.

Happy Xmas for tomorrow everyone!

[DaveB]

New arrival yesterday at Chez B.

We were't expecting to get her until after Xmas but things worked out and on Saturday we brought home Ebony, a two and a half year old Staffie bitch from the RSPCA rescue centre near Doncaster.

It's been a good 5 years since we lost our last dog, also a Staffie. We'd been thinking about it on and off for the last year or so and ended up driving past the rescue centre purely by chance a couple of weeks ago, and decided on the spur of the moment to stop and ask about their adoption process.

We ended up seeing four lovely dogs who for various reasons weren't right for us, including a beutiful 7 month old husky pup who was absolutely gorgeous, but would happily drag MrsB down the road behind him and clear the six foot fence around our garden in a single bounce.

We were about to say thanks but no thanks and leave when the chap showing us the dogs suggested one last one that wasn't "on the books yet" as she was a new arrival. He disappeared and then came back with a gorgeous little brindle bitch who clicked with us on the spot. She'd been handed in by owners who had a large number of dogs and needed to regain some control over their lives. It wasn't said explicitly but the impression was it was a case of surrendering them voluntarily or having them removed under a court order.

She doesn't appear to have been abused or badly treated, she knows her basic commands and is house trained, but she hasn't been spayed and has had at least one litter of pups. She is extremely submissive and given her size and behaviour she was probably at the bottom of the pecking order in her old home.

She has settled in almost immediately, is gaining confidence by the hour and is currently sleeping off her breakfast under my desk, snoring gently. The only thing missing is that she hasn't found her voice yet. Anyone who has owned a Staffie will tell you that while they might not bark much, they have a wide vocabulary of snorts, grunts, rumbles and grumbles, and will generally insist on having the last word in any "conversation".

[DoctorStrangelove]

Morning.

Greyish.

Warmish. 16.5 deg in the living room with 8.5 deg in the laundry room.

Sunless.

Precipitationless.

Road very quiet again.

[NickFitz]

Morning denizens

Sunny out

Chilly too, though, with lingering frost on the old stable roof; about 2°C out there, apparently

And I'm feeling much better, with the thermometer reporting temperatures at or close to normal from both ears, and in any case down in double digits

Still a bit bunged up respiration-wise, but I daresay that'll sort itself out eventually

[original PM]

Back after nipping out to get the last last minute shopping...

It's quite a nice crisp day or will be once the last bits of most n fog clears.

It's probably a bit early for eggnog.

[DoctorStrangelove]

It's alright for some, I've got to go to Swansea this evening.

And again tomorrow.

[DaveB]

Cold and Crisp with a hint of frost and mistiness this morning, made for a nice walk with Doggy.

Doggy still not sure about going for walks, don't think she's ever been actively walked before.

Good with the two others we met on the way. A quick sniff and then blanked them, typical Staffie.

More than happy to be made a fuss of by other walkers, typical Staffie.

Picked up speed once she recognised where we were and which way home was.

[NickFitz]

It's alright for some, I've got to go to Swansea this evening.

And again tomorrow.

Presumably there'll be food, though?

But yes, the most annoying thing about Christmas is having to go somewhere. I'm quite looking forward to it, but at the same time I can't wait to get home on Boxing Day; it's the best bit

Picked up speed once she recognised where we were and which way home was.

See, DogB feels the same way