Hello!

I'm sorry I've had to put this blog to sleep for a while.

I was off work ill for a while, they decided they didn't want me anymore and now I'm at a new place and don't get much chance to go online.

Hopefully I'll be able to revive it and actually have something to say in the near future.

I have an interview on Friday for an admin job at Border TV (a permanent position) so please keep your fingers crossed for me.

I will try and drop by as often as I can. Hope you are all well

A Strange Practice

As I walk to work there is one street that is nicer than the rest to wak along. The buildings are beautiful red sandstone Vicorian townhouse terraces (much grander than the worker's terrace that I live in which probably used to house about 10+ people when first built), the street lies in-between two busier streets of commuters, it is tree-lined and peaceful. There is a church and you can hear the birds singing.

Most of the cars on this street however are not merely parked - they have occupants. It seems to be an early morning ritual that people pullup on this street and sit and listen to the radio. Both sexes do it. Some read newspapers AND listen to the radio - a feat I'm not sure I can manage.

I wonder why it is that they do this - are they trying to get a good parking space before the mad rush fully begins (although the street is a disk zone limited to 2 hours) or are they simply getting out of the house to avoid the problems there. The car is their private sanctuary in which they can indulge in the pleasures of Radio 4 and The Telegraph.

I'd like to thank AQA...

I WON!!

Yep that's right - ME!!

Not only are they sending me £100 but also a copy of their book and a t-shirt for me and Vince. So of course I'v already linked to their site in this blog but to use my mum's phrase of "back-scratchy and all that" here's a link to my story. The woman I was corresponding with was so lovely too. You can also see a picture of me holding the things I bought with the tenner. It's just a shame they didn't put the URL of my blog on the page.

I am definitely going to buy a beanchair - I don't know whether I'm going to get the paint. It seems a bit boring. I might treat myself to some nice summery clothes or some Benefit makeup. I just don't know and the possibilities are endless...

The School (Hit and) Run

Teenagers are a total pain in the arse and seem to have no regard for their own safety. It doesn't seem to matter whether they're on foot or on a bike - but the menace is definitely worse on wheels.

As I am walking to work, so too are teenagers walking to school. They cross roads when the man is red and cross at the last possible moment before getting run over. If a motorist beeps their horn at them the kids often glare, shout abuse, make rude gestures and on one occasion I saw a lad kick a car (it was stationary at the time).

They do a similar thing on their bikes - they'll whizz round corners on the pavement nearly knocking over pedestrians and rush across roads without checking if anything's coming. There have been several times when I have seen lads flying round corners on their bikes, not looking to see what was coming and nearly crashed into a car that was approaching the junction.

It's a wonder more children don't die on the way to and from school because they behave so recklessly. There was recently an accident involving one of those mini moped things where two teenage lads collided with a school bus and were very seriously injured. But they just don't seem to care and they keep on leaping into the roads.

The Karen Curse

I seem to have a blog curse, especially when it comes to Mutterings and Meanderings' blog (see my link list). There will be several comments clocked up, I will add my thoughts on the subject and then no one else will say anything. I kill off the blog. The blogging equivalent of tumbleweeds roll by.

Now I know why I get so few comments on my own blog - because everything I say is deathly dull.

Those lovely people at AQA

I sent off my lottery winning story to AQA to let them know that they'd aided me in winning a tenner.

Today I got an email back saying that they liked my story and did I have any photos to accompany it - such as of my new umbrella?

I had to email back and say that I'd try my best as I didn't have the internet at home, only at work. Vince will have to take a photo of me with said umbrella, I'll put it onto a floppy disk and send it to them tomorrow.

They said they would let me know in the next couple of days if I had won the competition!

WOO HOO! £100 is almost mine!

Lottery

There is a wonderful text service called Any Question Answered (AQA) which kind of does what it says in the title. It is a bit pricey as it costs you £1 a pop, but if you're really flummoxed or are too lazy to look it up in an encyclopedia/online or like me, don't have the internet, it's a very good service. It's also quite fun to ask them daft stuff if you have a spare quid.

I decided to ask them what the most drawn lottery balls were. AQA said: 11, 17, 18, 21, 42 and 43.

They also said that the most overdue balls for a winning draw were: 2, 14, 20, 27, 36 and 41. They're quite good at giving you a little bit of extra information. They also wished me good luck.

I therefore entered two lines on Satuday and won £10 on the overdue numbers line! So I don't want to waste a quid so thank you AQA :) So far I have spent £4 of my winnings on a new umbrella as my old one had turned inside out and it was raining on my lunch break today.