And another thing

Something else that has really gotten my goat - one of my friends is grieving for a cat and it isnt as though this cat belonged to her it belonged to someone else. Its only a cat...so I cannot understand this weeping and wailing by both mother and daughter. The cat had been ill for sometime and was dying of cancer and yet its owners knew that it was dying but rather than being kind and putting the poor thing out of its misery, they let it struggle on in pain, getting thinner by the day until it eventually died at the weekend. Now there is a massive outpouring of grief which surpasses that displayed around the world for Michael Jackson - and for what? a cat!

Don't get me wrong I am not heartless but simply cannot understand this over sentimentality - yes, if it was a child I could understand but it wasn't..it was a cat.

Earlier this year a good friend of mine had to put her dog to sleep, he was old and developed problems with his back legs, as well as having cancer. Jake was an ex police dog and had belonged to my friend for some years (she used to be a police dog handler). Jake was a massive German Shepherd - but he was a working dog and didnt take too kindly to retirement either. Sure my chum was upset but she cleared his things had her car valetted so it no longer smelt of dog but I don't ever recall this huge outpouring of grief and she certainly didnt weep and wail like my other friend. It hasnt put my friend off having another dog - she has another German Shepherd puppy called Jess (although she admits to calling her Jake occasionally). Her cat Rastus was also put to sleep recently - that old cat was 28, had no teeth and was going bald but again no huge show of grief.

Why is it that the people who actually own the animals that are put down to stop them from suffering, soon get over their loss and move on to other pets and yet those who don't display more grief and put on more of a show?

After making a comment, I was told "oh you don't understand" - call me cynical but I do understand, my grandma's dog died when I was small (I was told at the time that he had run away when in fact he had been put down because he had kidney failure), the pet cats also died (although I am sure the kittens were assisted on their way by grandma and a bucket of water), the budgie (I was scared of him) died, my goldfish died, the school rabbit Zebedee who was staying at mine during the school holidays also died and mum had to go and buy a new rabbit that looked the same so the other kids didnt get upset. There was no song and dance from me I just accepted that death was part of life and that all things die eventually.

Is that being heartless? Or is it being realistic?

It seemed like a good idea at the time

And so the saga of the website goes on..I have been looking at the proof and have comments to make about it because on some pages the text is squashed up at the edge leaving volumes of white space. Then I have the hassle of my email address as sponsalis will have to point at a blueyonder account which isnt ideal but if I want a cheaper website then its the price I have to pay. I shall be looking at using a different email server so that it looks as though emails are being sent from the business rather than a home account - again this will cost but not much its just a case of deciding which host is best and I can only do that by reading up on them all.

Sometimes, I wonder if its worth all the hassle? I am not in the mood for it because it is very humid today and I just can't concentrate on anything. I don't know if I mentioned yesterday but my previous provider had sent me an email but for some unknown reason had sent the email to themselves but when they eventually sent it, I nearly fell off the chair as they wanted to charge me £1050 plus VAT just so that I could amend pages myself rather than pay their rip off charges.

I need to hurry up and finish my final assignment so that I can receive my diploma and have a shiny new logo to go on my shiny new website - again the weather is dragging me down and I cannot get motivated at all.

Earlier today, I was watching the tennis but had to switch it off because I couldnt stand the noise of the women grunting like a bunch of warthogs fighting over a prized truffle. Why can't they act with some decorum, back in the 60's/70's we never had to listen to any grunting. Tennis has changed - no longer do they drink Robinsons squash which used to be dispensed from under the umpire's chair, the women grunt and all play seems to be boring baseline stuff. I know times change but I cannot understand why the players have to be the way they are if the women aren't grunting then they are very manly in appearance and I sometimes wonder if they shouldn't be playing in the men's tournament instead. Going to Wimbledon these days is just like going to a football match with banners waving and chav-like behaviour in mexican waves and catcalling - bring back the old days when people had manners and there was none of this loutish behaviour. Guess I am turning into my mother - I am getting old and becoming more and more intolerant...I know I am a grumpy old woman!!

The tale of the missing email

Well I feel slightly embarrassed because I have fired off a letter to the web company and posted it, now I have spoken to them since - it turned out that the quotation was sent only it wasnt sent to me as the woman sending it sent it to herself - I am still waiting for it to come through. I explained that I was moving a) because I didnt get the quote and b) I could have content management free for 12 months and for £99 thereafter - MRS can't compete with that as they wanted to charge me over £1000 for contact management. Maybe I will use them again in the future - then again, maybe not.

I Must be a Witch...

I wished for rain and so it is here - pouring down like someone has turned on the tap, it sounds lovely hitting the leaves, the grass and the roof and already I can hear that the gutter has overflown again (why the landlord didnt put up some guttering with a cover over it to stop the leaves I don't know because we are surrounded the trees the gutter is bound to be full of them.

My roast has gone in the oven - I figure that I can eat it hot in a sandwich or slice it and have it cold.

Its too hot for....

Its just too hot today - my brain has turned to mush because of the heat and my fuse has shortened considerably so now I am too quick to lose my temper.

I have been out and about today - to the post office to deliver a parcel and again this afternoon to visit the bottle bank as I had a ton of coffee jars to dispose off - that's my bit done for the environment today (yay).

The washing machine man is coming round on Wednesday afternoon to see if he can fix my errant washing machine - the spin cycle is too frenetic for words and instead of clicking off it speeds up and is way too fast and won't switch off unless I actually turn the machine to off.

My chap (is he really my chap after all, I chucked him out) contacted me today by text so I rang him and thought it odd that the fone has a foreign ring tone. Now I knew that he was going sailing over the weekend because I had asked him to come up and pick up a key to my flat seeing as he is supposed to be looking after me when I have had my op because its not good sense to be on my own after a general anaesthetic but he said that he was going sailing. Well, it turns out that he has had a week off to go sailing and there are only 3 of them on this boat - he has known for months, years in fact that I have had a hankering to go out on the civil service boat Sea Essay again but have I had an invite - have I heckers like! Well, he called me this afternoon and I am afraid I was rather short with him because to say that I am a little cheesed off is an understatement - once again this is another holiday that he has had where I havent been invited!! and yet he has moaned and whined about how he will have to have flexitime to come and stay with me. I am absolutely incensed but I cannot ring him because his phone is switched off!! He cannot understand why I am so peeved because he claims to have told me that he had a week off - I only heard him say weekend not another bloomin' holiday!! Sorry for whinging but he makes me so cross especially as he is trying to get back into my good books. I hope he falls in LOL. Guess, I am in the wrong job - I should become a civil servant as they have tons of holidays, far more than the average joe.

I have a lot on my mind at the moment too as I am worried about my dad whose kidneys are failing (he has congestive heart failure) and so he could go at any time - guess I am lucky that I have had him for as long as I have because 3 years' ago we were told that we would be lucky if he lasted until the winter.

Things havent been all bad today, as I rang the Post Office to say that I had moved (I moved ages ago but never told them about my insurance) so we discussed adding business use to my insurance and I have saved myself over £130 on the price I was quoted by the insurers used by FSB (who have since been told that I no longer want their insurance). I also received £50 of capital bonds today from More Than Business - thanking me for my valued custom. Oh and I had a call about my website it is being moved..so soon I will have a nice smart new one that I can amend myself. This afternoon, I have typed and posted a letter to my current webhosts advising them why I have changed hosts - due to their lack of customer service, I shouldnt have to wait weeks for a quotation.

Its more than sticky this afternoon - the sky is very dark, it is extremely close and we have already had a few cracks of thunder, in fact I braved a trip to the postbox to post the MRS complaint letter, I only got dripped on once or twice but you can tell the sky is brooding and trying to decide whether or not to dump a load of much needed rain on our heads. I just wish we could have a damn good storm and clear the air a bit. Its too hot, I have a joint of beef that needs roasting and I just cant face turning the cooker on.

Sunday Part 2

I thoroughly enjoyed my morning in Kings Norton and have found a lovely but cheap cafe within the St Nicholas' Place (Merchants House and Old Grammar School). I will definitely be going there again because although I admit that I was being a bit greedy only spent £5.50 - pot of tea (enough for 3 cups), hot cornish pasty with salad and strawberries and cream.

This afternoon I headed over to my parents whom I haven't seen since Easter. We had a good chat and mum gave me some new potatoes that she went and dug up for me (I was hoping that the tomatoes would be ready but they weren-t :( ). Dad is becoming more and more frail and apparently now his kidneys are packing up but there is one thing that I am thankful for - he is still here when 3 years ago we were told that he wouldn't live to see the winter. I feel bad for not visiting as mum was telling me that she had had a bad fall in the garden and hurt herself - I told her that she was too old to be skipping along walls. Mind you she did tell me off for not buying a new car especially as I had been offered £2250 for my old Yaris - maybe I will go and see if this offer is still on and go and buy a new one (for the cheaper car tax).

Mum's have a funny way of commenting on your appearance too...I know I have put some weight on (not helped by me not eating half the time or eating too much bread), she asked me today if I was pregnant (I bloomin' well hope not and anyway it would be an immaculate conception - eek), so the time has come for me to go on a proper diet and eat proper food. To help me eat properly mum gave me her George Forman Grill which is massive because dad had talked her into buying a large one when really they needed a small one so it has only been used four times and since then has been gathering dust in the garage.

Mum's garden looks gorgeous - I am really proud of her, hopefully I can earn enough money to employ someone to help her (I know its a third of an acre but its a lot of garden if you're 70). Funny thing is with mum - I haven't told her I am self-employed for fear of her shouting at me, she has this wondeful ability to make me feel as though I am 5 years old! She scares me. One of the first things she said to me today was to tell me about a blue box that is kept in the bedroom that contains 2 wills and 2 lots of funeral arrangements - I jokingly said that I had already decided on the music for hers "Bat out of Hell" by Meatloaf to which she said that she didnt want a funeral and that I must adhere strictly to the instructions given. I find it strange that my mum should have had this organised already, I wouldnt be surprised if she had already paid the undertaker too. Mothers..hey, they're strange creatures.

Another Hot Networking Day

A wedding planner's work is never done LOL Yes, I know its Sunday but needs must. I got up super early (blame the heat) and headed off to get some petrol (I haven't filled my car for 2 months), picked up a newspaper at the same time and headed off to Kings Norton.

I wandered around for a bit admiring the church yard and the church as I was waiting for the wedding fair to open at 11am. As the rooms were still being set up I set off across the churchyard to The Old Grammar School - this beautiful tudor building won (along with its sister The Saracen's Head) the Restoration Programme that used to be on the BBC. The building has been restored well and now has its own civil license for weddings. The downstairs room was laid out for a wedding breakfast - the long table looked stunning in the small room, whilst the upstairs room (accessed by outside steps) was laid out in register office style so that you can be married there. The Old Grammar School is a wonderful building and yet the ground floor rooms are younger than the upstairs ones. A lot of wood has been recycled and the panelling upstairs comes from old cupboard doors. There is an extremely old desk complete with old graffitti (schoolboys never change), the legs of the desk came from the old church and the legs themselves date back to the 12th Century.

Then it was back across the churchyard to The Green where the Old Saracen's Head (also known as the Merchant House) is situated. This building has also been lovingly restored and has a new annexe which was paid for by the group who have been trying to raise money for years to restore the old place. Its a lovely mix of modern with the old timber framed building.

The fair itself was rather small but I made some good contacts and tasted the most divine chocolate cake imaginable but then it was made by a company that just makes bespoke chocolate wedding cakes. I dare not visit the suppliers website for fear of spending too much money by buying sticky chocolate brownies.

Am in desperate need of a cold drink or at least an icecream so I will be back later...maybe I will be able to load up some photographs.