Monday

One of the blogs that I had a link to has announced that it is going private. If you want to read it you need to email requesting access.
This is one of my pet peeves. When I started blogging a few years ago a blog I followed announced that she was going private and I sent an email to request access. But after a short while she gave up on the private blog as she got fed up of not having that many readers. Hhmmn. Also I had access to it and she didn't know me from Adam. There I was another blog I used to really like but she used to do private entries. To read certain posts you had to have a password - and I kept forgetting mine...and I stopped reading it. Too much hassle.
So I won't be bothering to request access. I think for a private blog to work, the blogger needs to send out invites to the readers that they want to read their stuff.
But then perhaps I'm jealous - as sometimes I feel I'm writing a totally private blog...

Dilemma Resolved

Well after much humming and hahing we have gone with the dining chairs rather than table and chairs. Here they are . I think that they will go very well with the table and won't over power the room. Who knows once we get these babies delivered I might be able to tempt Mr Robbo to sit at the table and we can share romantic candle lit dinners for 2...
STOP PRESS: We are finally going to decorate the bedroom . Yaay! I'm opting for a warm light raspberry type to make the room lully and cozy. I mean a tone of pink, but if I say pink I don't think Mr Robbo will go for it.

Make up

This morning I was reading an article in the Sunday Times Style section about wearing make up every day. Even the woman who wore make up said that if she has a stay at home day she doesn't bother to wear it. As if wearing make up is a bit guilt inducing. In my team at work (3 women and one man) I'm the only one that wears make up. The other day they were talking about how they don't bother to wear make up for work (they used the words "don't bother" I'm not being judgemental) and the bloke said his wife never wears make up. Although I'm a bit cynical when men say that - she could well be and he just hasn't noticed.
I wear make up EVERY day. I think it makes me look prettier and I feel better about myself. I wear foundation, concealer, mascara, blush and lip stick. Sometimes I dab eyeshadow on or eyeliner. The only time I don't wear make up is when I've got a cold.
People have commentated on my clear skin - that's the foundation baby!
I first got interested in how people think about make up when an acquaintance told me he didn't like women wearing make up. I think he just didn't like me, but that is another story. His wife never wore make up and I wonder how much that was her choice.
Please don't think I'm a make up Nazi. If you don't want to wear it that is fine with me. it is just interesting that such a small thing can push so many people's buttons.

Funny Song

Cliff Richard is on my I Pod!

Yep its true! I've got a lot of Van Morrison on my i pod and was listening to Whenever God shines his light, and thought who he is dueting with? And then I realised. Actually it reminded me of what a good voice Cliffie has got and I might down load some of his stuff. Especially Wired for sound- I used to love that!

Dilemma

We inherited our dining table and chairs from my parents,. My parents are so posh that it wasn't their main dinning table and chairs but the one that was in the garden room. Yes my parents have a garden room. At least they don't call the conservatory the serre. ( I once worked with a very posh lady who referred to sitting out in the serre, and when I asked what that was she said "Its the conservatory". She didn't like the word conservatory. She also thought call one's grandmother Nanny was awful. I think its lovely. nanny is much more cuddly.) Any how it is made out of pine and you can collapse the chairs and stick'em in the middle storage bit. It is just the right size and I like the wood but I HATE the chairs. They are not that comfy to sit on and I just don't think they look that good. But I really like the table. I want to replace the chairs but keep the table. But i want them to be good, comfy chairs. Looking at the prices I wonder if I wouldn't be better off buying new table and chairs. Also I'm worried that the getting lovely new chairs will make the table look not as good. Its a dilemma. There is also the added worry that when the Robbos buy any furniture Mr Robbo thinks that unless it falls apart, they is no need to replace it. He was shocked and dismayed when I told him I was getting fed up of the settee.

Fantastic!

I was talking to my sister's eldest yesterday. He had just had his hair cut. "I look fantastic". Phew, I thought when was the last time I thought I looked fantastic? I remember when I was about 3 I had a pink fairy dress and I used to cry when I had to take it off. I think I looked fantastic in that. But since then...on a really good day (for example my wedding day - hairdresser, make up done and the most expensive item of clothing I've ever worn) I thought I looked quite pretty.

Monday

Further to the post below - I forgot to mention the wind chimes.
Just finished reading How to cook for a ghost by Hope Mcintyre. I was looking forward to it as I had enjoyed the first 2 in the series. I read till the end but had guessed the murderer and the thing about Max's wife quite early on. And Lee is getting on my nerves now. I don't know if that is the author's attention, but she is irritating. In fact I didn't like any of the characters in the book, which is strange given that I really liked the first 2 - How to marry a ghost and How to seduce a Ghost. And what grown woman is called Gussie? Gusset more like.

Treasures or clutter?

I think that people can be divided into people that like their house strewed with trinkets, ornaments, bits and pieces; and those that regard such stuff as dust collectors. I suppose that they are right- they can be a bind to dust and I'm always scared when I clean my Nao dancers. Steve keeps well away from "my ladies" and I don't blame him. Actually Nao is my guilty pleasure, I have loved those figurines since Mum bought one from Queens Street market. It was of 2 girls, and Mum had got them cheap as one poor girl's head had broken off. Dad glued it back on. I can't remember how old I was but I must have been younger than 10, because it was in the 70's. I thought it was the most beautiful thing. As I got older and my - shall we say - artistic taste changed - I still love Nao. I especially love the ballet dancers. Its funny really because normally twee things live me cold - Cherish Teddies, crystal ornaments. I have three Naos, a big Isadorsa Duncan like dancer (v.scary cleaning the huge scarf she is twirling), a reclining ballet dancer and a little girl pushing a barrow with a puppy in it. Steve bought me that one , I think he was getting a bit fed up of the dancers.
Aside from the Nao stuff, the house is strewn with photo frames, candle holders, paintings and house plants. There are greyhound figures (suppose to be Tommy and Penny) , my bridal crown is on display, various little boxes that I don't keep anything in, a mother child bronze, a Buddha, the wedding cake decoration held in a sheer box, champagne corks with 50p pieces stuck in them(isn't that supposed to be lucky?), a wooden bowl holding various stones, a blue decorative bowl, a big green glass bowl on the table, an empty champagne bottle Steve won (well it was full when he won it). A stack of decorative boxes I bought in Bali, a fancy box holding chop sticks that has a carved frog and gekko on it (again from Bali). I don't like over head lights, so I have three Tiffany lamps in the living room and side table lamp in our bedroom. And I'm not going to bother to mention the books and DVDs we've got. Or the cushions and throws.
That is quite a lot of stuff isn't it?

Big clean

Since I've been working in London Steve does the majority of the cleaning. Which is fantastic. But on Saturday mornings I run the place over with a duster. Give the kitchen a quick wipe down. I may clean the fish tank.
Today as well as those jobs I bleached the thingy that you put in your kitchen drawer and store your cutlery in. What is that called?*A cutlery holder? I was shocked by how manky it was. The Robbos must have excellent immune systems. We do keep the house clean-honest! , but some things just get over looked. As I had all the cutlery out I bleached them as well, and in a fit bleaching also added the mugs.
Then in a cleaning frenzy I pulled out our big bed and cleaned away all the dust bunnies. I say dust bunnies but dust monsters is more like it.
Now I don't need to do all this. Steve polishes and vacuums during the week and if I asked him to do bleach the cutlery and mugs he would. I think cleaning the house for me, is like Tommy peeing up against stuff on our walks. I'm marking my territory.

*A cutlery tray. It is called a cutlery tray. I was making a cup of tea and it suddenly came to me.

Facebook friends

This Facebook thing can you make you feel well left out. All my Facebook friends are real friends. That is I know them in the real not virtual world. There is one girl who I consider a good friend. We don't meet up that much, but I thought it was because we're both busy doing the stuff you have to do making a living, blah blah blah. Now, thanks to Facebook I realise she rarely returns calls, meets up because she is too busy going out with all her other friends. So I now I consider her a good friend I used to have.
Still I shouldn't feel too bad. My mum hasn't even got round to accepting Angela ( my sister, her daughter) as a friend yet. That is just harsh!

Yikes.

I was reading Duma Key. I was all alone in the house. It was dark. I had got to the bit where Edgar sees the little twin girls on the stairs. I should I say Edgar sees the little dead twin girls ...and I heard children's voices at the front door. I nearly wet myself before I remembered that the Little Dudes were due round.
Stephen King - you write some scary sh!t!

Romance

I was reading the Most Romantic Film Moments on 'tinternet and was amazed to see that Shrek wasn't on there. The bit where Shrek tells Princess Fiona she is beautiful, being tears to my eyes every time. He doesn't say "you are beautiful to me" which would imply , yeah you're big and green but I like you. He simply says she is beautiful. *happy sigh*

Whoops!

As I was polishing - the speaker fell off the stand and banged against the plug socket and now the plug socket is hanging off the wall. Sh!t and double sh!t. I'm going to have a husband with the hump when he gets in.

Question.

We went round our friends last night. I asked them if they would rather be a vampire or a werewolf. And they did not think it was an odd question and had an answer straight away. They would rather be vampires. Maddie wondered why I'd rather be awerewolf -all that hair! I suppose vampires are sexier, but I still stick by my choice.

Vampires and Werewolves.

We were watching Underworld last night. Well I was watching it and Steve was playing on his DS.
"What would you rather me a werewolf or a vampire?" I asked.
Steve actually looks up from his game and stares at me "I don't know". Steve said it as if that is the most stupid question he has ever been asked.
"You don't know?" I suppose that is the difference between a Buffy fan and a non Buffster.
Well I'd rather be a werewolf. Because a. I like dogs and wolves; b. In The OtherWorld series werewolves have super fast metabolisms and can eat loads; and c. I find the blood thing with vampires a bit icky. Really I'd like to be a Were greyhound, but I don't think that they exist.
I felt a bit sorry for Michael Sheen who was it. He and Kate Beckinsale used to be a couple, but she went off with the director. Imagine you're both got in a job in the same film, and you're thinking "Oooh that will be good, spending more time together" and she runs off with the Director. I mean I could be wrong, Michael might have been going off Kate anyway.

10 years

The Robbos have been married 10 years today. I think that has been the fastest 10 years of my life. We celebrated by having a v. delish lunch at an Italian restaurant.
Even better, Mum came out of hospital today, after her eye operation. We popped into see her and she looked surprisingly well. When she had the operation before (about 5 years ago) she looked like she had been punched in the face. Today her eye looked a bit swollen. The wonders of modern medicine.

I always said that Tommy was a tiny Greyhound.

Your Ideal Pet is a Little Dog

You're both high strung, hyper, and cute. You're one of the few people who can get away with carrying your little dog in a little bag.

What's Your Ideal Pet?

Ha! ha! ha!

Mum had an operation today. She had it under local. I was talking to her tonight and she was laughing uproariously at all my jokes. I told my sister that I thought she was high. Angela said that Mum has seemed normal to her. Could it be that I am funnier than I think I am?

Brrr and Hmmm

Brrr - Today is been the first day I've been out since Sunday as I was laid low with a tummy bug. Good job the people at work know me - because to ring in sick when London has come to a standstill with snow is a tad whiffy. Like my bathroom was, but we won't go into that. Feel loads better but am shattered.

Hmmm - agreeing to disagree. There's this bloke that me and my friend both know. And he is a very clever sex pest. By clever I mean, he does/says something and it totally wrong foots you . You're left thinking - have I taken this the wrong way ? Have I imagined that? After this happened to me twice I thought - oh no you don't sunshine and I have avoided him ever since. My friend says that apart from that he is a nice bloke. Buttocks to that, I say. I think he uses his nice bloke persona to lull you into letting your guard down. She just can't see it.