Get Me Coffee... NOW!!!

Urgh... it's 20 past 8, and I'm here at work already... all on my own, all day...

Boss is away at the moment, swinging on a rope somewhere off an oil rig, and our store flunky has taken his kid away to see The Tweenies or some other such freaky kids' show (at least, he SAYS it's for the kid, but I'm sure it's more for him... it's certainly about his intellectual level).

So I've had to come in at 8o'clock, and I can't go out at lunch time or anything. I'm here 'til 5.

And, as an insult, the radio is playing MIKA's "Relax, Take It Easy"... Bastards!

It's a miracle that either Viki or me got to work this morning... especially Viki. Neither of us heard our alarms. I just remember suddenly thinking "Oh, shit" and checking my watch - which said 07:00 (well, actually it said "the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 7", because I don't have a digital watch). Instant panic! Viki's bus leaves at 20 past 7!!!!!

I still don't know how, but I got a text at 22 minutes past 7, saying "I'm on the bus!"

Don't think either of us is awake yet, though.

*Gulps coffee*

It's going to be a looooooooooooooooooooooong day!

It's Just Been Pointed Out To Me...

... that I haven't blogged any of the good stuff that happened today, and that's why I sound so psychotic.

So I'll tell you that I met Viki (who is on holiday today and tomorrow) when I went home at dinnertime, and we went to Starbucks for takeaway coffee, and then across the road to a shop for bacon & tomato ketchup rolls (2 each) and then we went to the Museum Gardens for the first time this year and had lunch on a bench there in the sunshine.

Yes, the sunshine... It's a beautiful day in Orkney today!

Oh, and last night I took Viki a walk up the road from our house to show her the woods and the burn at the Willows, and then up the back of my old infant school and primary school, to my old grammar school, before going back down the road past the woods again and home.

The night before that, we went a walk out to Weyland before tea.

I love that the evenings are getting lighter and the days getting longer again.

Pleh!

It's too early... I'm at work already... and first thing I did was put the kettle on!

And I think I'm coming down with a cold... my left nostril is all bunged up...

more animals

Pleh!

My Weekend...

Has been pretty damn good, thank you very much!

It's amazing the difference just having 2 days off can make!

Yesterday morning I had a nice lie-in... getting up around about 11o'clock... and then kicked about the house for a bit. Blogged, pottered on the computer, listened to music... Bliss!

Then in the afternoon, I had a wander round the shops, not really buying anything. At 5o'clock, I went to get coffee for me and my brother (as I usually do on a Saturday, but it's normally after I've had a shit day at work) - Americano for him, and a nice latte for me. And I got chips for myself, since I hadn't really eaten yet. Stayed with him until he went out about 7pm, and I headed up to Broad Street for an open-air concert by Kirkwall City Pipe Band and Orkney-born musician, Ivan Drever - "Ivan On The Apron" (The Apron is the raised, paved area in front of the Cathedral, from which you go down the steps onto the Kirk Green).

Here is a photo of Ivan with a few members of the pipe band helping him out:

It lasted from 8pm til just after 10, and was fantastic... A lovely evening (with the exception of the midges hanging around), standing outside the majesty of the Cathedral, as the sun went down, with hundreds of people, from toddlers up to grannies and granddads in wheelchairs, and no trouble at all... no pushing, no drunken louts, no swearing or heckling... Just the best way to spend a Saturday evening.

Then home, via my brother's to pick up the bags I had left there, and a nuked chicken korma while I watched a DVD - "Stardust", which was brilliant, even if I'll never be able to take Robert De Niro seriously in a gangster film again (if you've seen "Stardust", you'll know what I'm getting at). Wandered off to bed, not at all shattered like I usually am on a Saturday, at about 2o'clock this morning, after the film was done.

Another nice long lie-in today. Got up, changed the dressing on my leg (which the nurses seem to think is slowly getting a peedie bit better) and did the same as yesterday... listened to music and pottered around on the computer.

But then came my first disappointment of the weekend (unless you count not winning the lottery last night)... I went a wander round the corner to the street, thinking I would get a coffee from Starbucks - only to find that they've decided it's "winter", and they aren't opening on a Sunday any more! Not til next summer! So I had to come home and make my own latte... and - let's face it - a spoon of Nescafé Gold Blend in a mug of milk just isn't the same!

So now, here I am, pottering on the computer again. In a sec I'm going to cook the spring rolls I've got for my tea, and then a bit later I'll have a chat with Viki on MSN, if she's around.

All in all, it's been a good weekend!

It's Saturday... It's 4 O'clock...

And I am going to lock the door and gtf out of here!

I've got an appointment with a latte from Starbucks!

Maybe catch you later if I'm about...

A Weekend O' Woe...

My weekend actually started with a bit of excitement - I came home after doing my shopping and there was a "We tried to deliver a package, but your letterbox wasn't big enough" card from the Post Office... and immediately I got excited:

"Ooo! Someone's sent me a parcel! I'm not expecting a parcel! Wonder what it is?"

So, Saturday morning (starting work at 8am, so up at the back of 7) I phoned the Post Office about 10 to 8 to find out their opening hours - and they said the sorting office was open already. Gathered all my stuff, got a taxi, and got it to wait at the Post Office til I collected my goodies - and then up to work (about 2 minutes past 8) - costing about £4.

And what was my wonderful, unexpected surprise? 2 free energy saving lightbulbs from Hydro Electric! Whoopee-doo(!)

So, opened up at work, and went to take one of my anti-biotics, which I'd put in my handbag the night before... hadn't I? Well, no, I hadn't actually! So I had to close for 15 minutes at dinnertime, get a taxi home, get it to wait until I grabbed my tablets, and then take me back to work (I wouldn't be home again until after 8pm coz I always visit my brother after work on a Saturday to watch "Doctor Who" with him)... costing me £5 this time!

Was actually a reasonably busy day at work compared to the last few Saturdays.

Closed up at 4o'clock, did a few messages, and then headed at the usual time (just after 5pm) to the local Starbucks for me & brother's Saturday coffees... only to be told that - due to it being the arty-farty St Magnus Festival here this week - they were closing early before re-opening a bit later for "The Festival Dining Experience" for the arty-farty Festival goers!

So, feeling more than a little pissed off, I headed down to my brother's (I'd been there already after work to drop some stuff off, and he hadn't been home)... only to find that, in amongst the stuff I'd dropped off, was the spare key I had for his house... which was now locked inside his house, coz he still wasn't home!

At this point, I was severely hacked off, just wanting a seat and a coffee. Why didn't I go home? Because the key for my house was on the same ring as the key for his house... locked inside his house!

So I had to wander up the street a wee bit to the nearest bench and sit there and wait for him to come back from the job he was doing up the street... sat there for about 20 minutes looking (and feeling) like a numpty!

Did eventually get a cup of instant coffee at his house, and saw "Doctor Who" (not as disappointing as the last few weeks).

Decided to treat myself to a house special fried rice from the Chinese round the corner for my tea, before falling asleep on the sofa and wakening up about 10 to 3 in the morning. Dragged myself through to bed.

And I've been really lazy today... Just spent most of the day in bed, resting my gammy leg. It seems to be helping too... no wet bandage today, but my leg is a bit itchy. Not even had anything to eat until about half an hour ago... just rested with Harriet for company.

Don't think it'll be that long before I'm back in bed either... I don't get the chance to rest my leg any other day of the week, so I'm making the most of it.

Bloody Hell, Folks

I don't know what it's like where you are, but in bonny Orkney tonight it's cold enough to freeze the cassocks off a brass monk, and everywhere is covered in a layer of lovely, sparkly - and very, very slippery - frost!

Seriously, the roads and pavements are like a skating rink! It was slippy when I went to work this morning, it thawed a bit (where the sun shone) all day - and as soon as it got dark down came the ice again... meaning it was already slippy when I finished work at 5pm.

And, speaking of roads, I wish I could line our roads department up against the wall and shoot the whole bloody lot of them... Remember I told you on Monday that they road men were digging up outside the house again? Well, they've turned the bit outside my house, going up to a housing scheme, into a no-through road! There's a big square in front of the house, and they've put a kerb right across it - effectively cutting my house off from the rest of the street (I'm the top house). It means now that to get to the taxi in the morning, I have 3 choices:

1. Go down the road a bit.
2. Go along the road a bit.
3. Get the taxi to go down my road, along another road, up a road, round a corner, along a road, round another corner and down a bit to get to the parking space outside my house.

I'll take a photo once they've finished so you can see how bloody stupid the idea is. I'm actually glad Dad's not here anymore, because there's no way he'd have been able to walk the distance out or down the road to where the taxi would stop... and I'd bet that at least 90% of taxi drivers wouldn't go the longer route to get a 90 year old man to his gate!

And all this because somebody complained that the road is "dangerous" for kids playing - despite the fact I've not heard of any accidents in the 20+ years I've lived here... and despite the fact that there's a big sign on the wall a bit above my street that says "NO BALL GAMES" - so they're not MEANT to play there!

Grrrrrrrr.

Work was boring as hell today. In the office, catching up on what I can't do when I'm in the shop... and it's flipping cold in our main building (the shop's lovely and warm because the heating needs to be on to keep the paper dry - no such luxury in the electrical bit). Boss buggered off for a while at lunchtime, then mid-afternoon, then decided he'd go home 10 minutes before 5o'clock, and leave muggins to close up. So I didn't get past Starbucks for my usual XL gingerbread latte with cream - and I'd had no coffee all day, because every time the boss went out, he "forgot" to buy milk! So, no caffeine, and no warm liquid to warm me up... Is it any wonder I'm a little wound up?

Tomorrow I plan to do as little as possible. Not heard from my friend yet, but I suspect tomorrow's not going to be ideal for balloon-releasing either. I don't think it's going to be windy enough... and if it's still freezing, I'd rather not venture too far. I've no desire to start 2008 with any broken bones, thank you very much!

Right... I'm off to (possibly) treat myself to a Sky Box Office film. I kinda fancy seeing "Hairspray" - just for the absurdity of John Travolta in a fat-suit and frock. It might be funny... But, on the other hand, it might just be cringeworthy. Oh, what a dilemma...

Okay, see ya!

Since I'm Here Anyway...

I might as well fill you in on my Saturday...

I arrived at work on time (if the boss is reading this), but a little bit after 8am (if he doesn't), and worked really, really, really hard all day... didn't I, Viki & brother David? ;-D

Closed up at 5pm, did the till ready for Monday morning, and then down to Starbucks for my reward... one extra large caramel latte with cream - yum (but I bet not as good as you could make, Julie).

Spent a bit of time down at my brother's and watched a bit of "Top Gear" - I really like that now. This time they were making amphibious cars, and it was so funny watching them.

No real shopping tonight, coz we did it last night, but had a quick look round Lidl to see if anything caught my eye. Nothing except the afore-mentioned bottle of rum & lime which is now calling out to me from the fridge!

So, now I'm home... trying to decide whether to watch "Memoirs Of A Geisha" which I've not seen yet, and which is sure to be a weepie, or to find a comedy I've watched already, or to see if there's anything on any of the satellite channels... which there's probably not.

One last post to make, and then I'm offski!

Busy, Busy, Work, Work...

Bloody hellfire, it's been busy at work today!

I was down in the shop to start off with, because our shopgirl's been away for a few days, and the boss' wife wasn't able to come in today... and for the first hour or so, it was quite quiet - and then it wasn't! And, for some reason, every body wanted photocopying done - or printing off a memory card... funny how you get days when everybody wants something that you're never usually asked for, isn't it?

Then the boss came down and let me go up to the office and do the wages and banking... and then it was back down to the shop for the rest of the day - and another couple of folk who wielded flashdrives at me and said "Can you print something off that, please?"

It was busy this afternoon too - I only just managed to get a minute to phone off an order, and it was 5o'clock before I knew it... but I wasn't stressed-out busy... I actually quite enjoyed it. All the customers were friendly and in a good mood, didn't mind if they had to wait, and I guess that's half the battle. Being polite (on both parts) costs nothing, and leaves the person on the receiving end with a smile.

But, still, today was a 3-coffee day! (The number it takes to get me through... 1 is a good day, 2 is getting a bit tougher, and 3 means my day's been bedlam... and a no-coffee day is a Sunday). We've got a cafe that has Starbucks' coffee here (it's not a Starbucks as such, but it sells their coffee under licence or something), and it's my major undoing... I just love their coffee - my personal favourite and "usual" (that's bad, isn't it... when you can walk into anywhere and say "I'll have the usual"?) is a vente (about the size of a bucket) latte with cream... in summer it's either raspberry (don't knock it til you've tried it) or caramel flavour, and in winter it's gingerbread... Come on then, what's your refreshment of choice?

Counsellor tonight... and no major issues. I seem to be riding a bit of a wave at the moment, where nothing has really changed, but I guess I'm not letting it get to me the same. The problems and feelings are still there, but they're turned down a bit.

Well, I guess that's about it. Shopgirl should be back tomorrow, so I should be back in the office.

Catch you tomorrow, no doubt...

From A Friend... I Don't Know Why She Thought Of Me!

You Know You're Drinking Too Much Coffee When . . .

· You answer the door before people knock.
· You ski uphill.
· You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
· You just completed another sweater and you don't know how to knit.
· The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
· Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
· You can type sixty words per minute ... with your feet.
· Cocaine is a downer.
· You don't sweat, you percolate.
· You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
· Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
· Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.
· You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
· You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
· You don't get mad, you get steamed.
· You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.

Right, just off to put the kettle on!