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LiveJournal do nothing I can't do just as well
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[Older Entries] 2002 2003 2004
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| Oct 11, 2006: Waterfalls!
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Upstairs' loo blew during the night! If we switch our bathroom extractor fan on we get an indoors water feature, and a right waterfall is gushing out of the overflow pipe above our front room window... not good. Boy went up there this morning and he says she was stood by her cistern emptying it out with a mug as it was filling up. I wonder how quickly she'll figure out there's a tap she can turn off?
This may be really selfish (well, it is) but this means she's not gone to work, meaning I'm going to have to break out the earplugs in order to get any studying done - noisy cow.
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| Oct 08, 2006: Wildlife Alert
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We have a secluded car park at the back of our building which our front room window gives us a lovely view of. We also have a fox living in the hedges all around it. My motorbike lives in said car park under a rain cover which smells vaguely of wee. I've always blamed the neighbourhood cats, but I've just looked up from the computer to witness our very own Foxy McFox lifting his leg against my little red bike :o/
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| Sept 11, 2006: Look What I've Bought
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A hat. I like my hat.
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| Aug 29, 2006: A Road Trip
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So we left at 8.30am on Sat and got back at 7.45pm Monday. We covered 466 miles in three days. Off on an adventure we were. Decided to stick the bike on the ferry and go visit my Dad & Co, which was cool. I got to patch things up with my brother, see my granddad, go riding with my other brother and meet my sister's boyfriend. And now I've come home to find that the Uni has given me an unconditional place on the Librarian course. Although how I'm ever going to find the tuition money I know not!
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| Aug 10, 2006: Did You Know This?
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A butterfly rests with its wings closed and a moth lands with them open. It's an easy way to tell a butterfly from a moth.
I learned that today.
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| Aug 07, 2006: Gah Dentist
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One of my teeth started aching last night so I went to the dentist this morning. Cavities. Fillings that need replacing. Plaque that needs removing. Expensiveness. Potentially, pain. Argh. I have to go back tomorrow for treatment.
He decided to guilt-trip me for not having seen a dentist for a long long time. I guess having a lovely regular high income and the full NHS privileges that come with living your whole life in your own country make it difficult to understand that there are people out there that don't fit in the bureaucratic round holes and for whom health care classes as a luxury.
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| June 24, 2006: Shiny
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Mine!
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| June 16, 2006: A Sign
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So we all went to the pub for lunch today because it was someone's birthday at work. I made my own way back to the office because I needed to nip into the post office, and I took a wrong turn, and and and I came across this place and now I'm all excited like this *bouncy bouncy jumpy jumpy* and I have a smile up to my ears like this *smiley smiley grinny grinny* and I can't believe I didn't know about that place!
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Also last night I signed up to a Swedish meet-up group in London, and I'm going to start studying again because my old Uni in Sweland are doing the course I always wanted to get on online.
I may one day be a Swedish librarian yet
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| June 5, 2006: Mmmmmmmmmmm
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I'm soooo tired of being screwed around by the authorities/utilities. I really am.
Last year the Council took �160 out of my account they had no right to, and then took 3, count'em 3 months to give it back. I was on �800 a month at the time!! Can you imagine the stress that put me under?
This year they have failed to take payment for two months' worth of Council Tax despite me setting up the Direct Debit in plenty of time! And when I rang this morning I had to beg and plead so they wouldn't make me pay all the arrears in one go. �234. Like I can pay that upfront! NO! I can pay as per my instalment plan, no problem, but not in one big lump! Not due to their own damn mistake! NOOOO! Grrr. So for the first time in my life I've had to ask for help paying a bill. I feel dirty, and it's not even my fault.
And the water company still haven't charged me for our water usage despite my being on the phone to them 5 times since we moved in. This is going to be so painful when it comes through. I want to pay a bit every month rather than twice a year but they still haven't set that up. And I've been trying to pay my standing charge bill for two days with zero luck due to "technical difficulties"
Rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant.
Rant.
Do ignore me. I'll go make myself a cup of tea.
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| May 28, 2006: Mmmmmmmmmmm
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So I'm one of those people who would write down a phone number and not the person's name. Stupid you might call it, I say it's exciting. Anyway I'm just working my way through my notes for here, and on one page I wrote down this address, and I haven't a clue why I would have done that.
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| May 28, 2006: A Terrible Suspicion
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I think I may officially be old and boring. I've got to get out of this country. It's not doing me any good.
Gone are the days when I used to have something to say. And I'm sure that's a wrinkle under my eye. I'll be getting grey hairs next.
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| May 28, 2006: A Blast From The Past Pt 2
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In fact I've brought my Yahoo Messenger and my MSN back to life too. Hurray for broadband! They are all such fabulous tools of procrastination.
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| May 17, 2006: A Blast From The Past
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I've just resurrected my old ICQ account. It's been years since I've used it. I used to really like ICQ. I'm on 162644863.
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| May 7, 2006: Emotional Englishness
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"Sven is a rubbish coach. He's got no passion."
Bit of a funny thing to say, when the English are quite possibly the least passionate of all nations on Earth. Except when it comes to football. And then they're so not used to the emotional upheaval that it has to degenerate. Sad.
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| May 7, 2006: Wrong
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Blackcurrant Jaffa cakes are just wrong. They'll never work. Lemon & Lime Jaffas I can understand. It's still citrus fruit - and lemon works great with dark chocolate. But blackcurrant, no. We're in berry territory there. Wrong.
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| Feb 28, 2006: First Day
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First day at the new job today. Boss is quite intimidating, but I'm told she's a sweetheart and she would probably laugh in my face if I told her I find her scary. That's reassuring. I guess.
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| Jan 16, 2006: I'm Out Of Here
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And on that note, I am leaving a job I love because I can't live off the pay. I will miss bookselling immensely and I'll never be so good at anything else, but heck, I want to be a homeowner one day.
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| Jan 11, 2006: You Deserve Much Pain
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According to the BRC, or British Retail Consortium, retailers in this country could not afford an increase in the minimum wage (currently �4.51 an hour I believe). This is because increasing shopworkers' wages would cut retailers profits by that much and, particularly in this current situation of dismal retail sales, it could cause many businesses to go bust.
Just want to point out that �4.51 an hour is not even a survival wage. I mean, I'm on �5.57 and I still cry when my bills come in. �10,427 a year it works out as. That ain't much compared to the 60k a director makes. Maybe a little redistribution of riches would possibly not be quite so hard on the profits?
Just want to point out that despite retailers' fearmongering with their employees this year's Christmas sales were significantly up on last year, and that that growth is partly due to cut margins. If you can cut your profits to make more money (sort of) then surely you can cut your profits to pay people decently?
Just want to point out that if shopworkers were paid a more decent wage they would probably stay in the industry to make a career out of it, thus the industry would have experienced people working in contact with the public, thus better customer service and better sales, as well as happier staff who do not leave jobs they love simply because they can't survive on the wage, thus lower turnover, thus less turnover-related costs.
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| Jan 1, 2006: Put That in Your Pipe
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If you get reincarnated, do you have to be reincarnated into something that is born as you die, or can your soul jump back and forth in time?
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| Dec 25, 2005: Things to Ask For in a Bookshop (All Genuine)
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Excuse me but do you sell...
An easel. Stamp albums. "Disabled Access" signs. That "open/closed" sign you have on your door. Digital cameras. L-plates. Clipframes. Communion Bread. An instruction manual for my microwave, model BLAH. Plastic thingies to hang posters with. Shoes. Laminating pouches.
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| Nov 15, 2005: Here's one for you
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If you're in the water and there is a storm, how close to you does lightning have to strike the water for you to get shocked?
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| Oct 15, 2005: Book Hoarders Anonymous Please Help Me
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I have finally had a count of my to-read books. Anyone I've asked to take a guess so far has been miles off (those people don't know me at all!!!). I will say it quietly as it is rather scary...
Final count--> 60.
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| Oct 4, 2005: Flipping Blooming Squirrel!
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That's it for the sunflowers. He ate them! Grr. Grrr Grr Grr. Looked like a crime scene when I got home. He's chewed them clean!
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| Sept 27, 2005: Job Town Here I come
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Yep I'm part of the work force again. Went in for an interview at 11am today and never left. I'm a bookseller again which is obviously a step back but it probably won't be for very long and until then I intend to thoroughly enjoy not being accountable for schtuff any more!
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| Sept 14, 2005: Pesky Squirrel
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I planted some sunflowers in pots on my balcony (I scored the seeds from Gordon The Gnome but that's another story entirely) some weeks ago. They are now tall and proud and most pretty. And my pride and joy. Sunflowers are my favourite flower. They are a touch of beauty in the otherwise dismal town of Watford - twinned with Novgorod and Nanterre and surely that says it all.
But I digress.
For the past couple of days a cheeky little bugger of a squirrel has taken to visiting my balcony (BIG French windows - not a shy squirrel) and trying to climb up my pretty flowers. He's already broken one. Clean. Grrr. Stupid vandalizing rodent. Isn't there a Special Squirrel Force I can report him to? Shooing simply doesn't do the trick. If he's going to take up residence in my flower pots he could at least introduce himself. I ain't lending him a cup of sugar that's for sure.
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| Sept 14, 2005: Today I Have...
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We shall see... fuck all because despite assurances that they would have a reply for me by Monday, it is now Wednesday and I'm still bloody waiting!!!!! Combined with PMS this is one unhappy bunny!
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| Sept 10, 2005: Today I Have...
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... had an interview at Ottakar's. We shall see.
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| Sept 9, 2005: Oh And Also
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And for some reason I started doing SuDoku. I feel v. sad but it keeps me amused, and I so have no attention span that something that manages that is always precious.
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| Sept 9, 2005: Holiday!!!! Pt II
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It's all done!!! Glorious glorious holiday! It was all so nice and sunny and pretty and clean! Then we came back and we got shaken about on trains, couldn't talk to each other because of how bloody loud they are, and when we got on the Met Line (last leg of the journey home) there was a dog turd in the coach!!!!!!!!!!! Attention all English folk, I don't know how you put up with all this.
Then the next day we went food shopping and Boy got angry in the supermarket because bags of crisps contain mostly air (in Sweden they contain crisps!)
I bought:
- A Uppsala Uni hoody
- A Uppsala Uni t-shirt
- 24 books
- two bags of food
- 3 CDs
And at the zoo the wolves were out so I saw real wolves for the first time ever, and wolves are one of my favourite animals. All v. exciting.
I'll put pics up v. soon.
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| Sept 4, 2005: Last Day At Work Pt II
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It went okay, but God I had no idea I was so popular and that didn't help!! I got flowers, loads of cards and loads of chocolate from lots of different people. The idiot boss wasn't working so I didn't get to tell him exactly what I think of him in my exit interview, which is a pity. One of the last things I did was to send an e-mail to our area manager telling him what's been going on, and I hear that's triggered a store visit and some bother for idiot ex-boss, which is a bonus and I can't wait to hear what happened!
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| Sept 3, 2005: Last Day At Work
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... today. I am closing the store and then that's that. It's a strange mixture of upset and relief. Right now I'm writing a covering letter to send with my CV to three branches of Ottakar's and a Waterstone's. I hit a real low in the whole job-hunting thing a few days ago but I won't be broken. So there. I'm going to be a bookseller again and yes it's a step down but it's also a whole lot of fun selling books and who's to know, I might get promoted again eventually...
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| August 18, 2005: Today I Have...
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... been told nearly a week later than he said that he doesn't want me. Grrr.
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| Aug 18, 2005: Shock And Amazement
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OH MY GOD!!! MY PASSPORT IS ALREADY READY!!! That's 24 hours! I'm so impressed!
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| Aug 17, 2005: Holiday!!!!!
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In a bid to make the holiday happen, I have planned every day of it. I figure now I can't possibly not be able to go because of the passport debacle!!! Call it denial. I call it.... denial too.
Tuesday - we get there, we meet Mum and Viking Boyfriend (I really like him!!! He's so nice!!!), we wander around the purtty city of Stockholm for the umpteenth time, we're not tired of it!
Wednesday - we take a train to Uppsala, home of my heart. We wander around the old hang-outs. We look around the University, the Park, the city centre, everything, maybe we give my ex-students a bell and go for coffee. We have tea at Storken overlooking the city's main square. We go to Studentbokhandeln (tis a bookshop) and I purchase mucho Uppsala Uni memorabilia, I should have done that before I left really! I leave in tears probably but hey.
Thursday - we go to the zoo and open-air museum of Skansen in Stockholm. I make Mum and Viking Boyfriend a nice dinner. My mum hates cooking.
Friday - we fly home, but not before stocking up on Swedish food, books, music, comics, the works.
There. Now I can't possibly not happen.
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| Aug 17, 2005: Disaster Strikes And Strikes Again
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Okay so not only is my new boss an arse. The bloke from Books Ets hasn't rung me yet so I still don't know if I have a new job. So I still don't know if I can buy a bike. Then when filling out my application for a provisional driving licence I noticed my passport is now expired. And I'm three weeks away from going on holiday. Okay great. The consulate in London didn't have any available appointments to get a new one before next Wednesday so that would have left me with a grand total of 13 days to get a new passport. Needless to say as the prospect of my Swedish holiday was fading there was much crying.
Glimmer of hope though, I decided to spend my day off today at said consulate in London to try and cry my way to an appointment sooner. Like, to buy myself an extra week if you're following me. And it worked!!! I got there and within 20 minutes they had sent my application away!!! The bloke said how long it takes will depend on how quickly the authority that issued my old one checks the application and gets back to them, but it could anything from a day to three weeks and most likely I will have the new one in time to go on holiday. I feel less bummed out now.
And they were all very nice there. I take back everything bad I've ever said about the French.
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| August 9, 2005: Today I Have...
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... had a job interview for the exact same job I'm doing now but in a different shop. Went v. well. Now we play the waiting game.
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| August 3, 2005: Today I Have...
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... received a reply from Ottakar's saying they are looking into whether they've got anything for me. Hopeful I guess.
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| August 2, 2005: Today I Have...
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... applied for an assistant manager job at Ottakar's. I'm hoping that working for a smaller company I might get better treatment. Also their shops are nicer than Borders. Loyalty aside.
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| August 1, 2005: Today I Have...
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... applied for a job at a Books Etc branch. I'm quietly confident as I'm more than qualified for it. More books and less evil-corporation feel might be what I need. Keeping in mind that Borders aren't a bad company to work for at all. Overall.
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| July 31, 2005: Today I Have...
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... handed my notice in. In fact I am tired of being taken for a ride. I've been doing three people's work for weeks now, with no money or recognition. I should have been on a much-needed holiday this week but had to go in anyway as no one would cover for my three jobs. Now I'm being asked by our idiotic new boss to sacrifice my weekends, which I can't help notice he's not doing... So I've had enough and I'm leaving. So there.
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| July 9, 2005: Borders Watford Give Abi A Good Soaking
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So yesterday afternoon we had this signing at work with Abi Titmuss. Halfway through it a waterfall came down on top of her!!!!!! Some silly women had broken all the taps in the toilets which are right above where she was signing her book. It wasn't a planned attack I hasten to add.
She was sweet about it though I hear. Nice lady.
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| April 2, 2005: Momentous
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Today is the day John Paul II finds out if he's wasted 84 years barking up the wrong tree. For his sake I hope he wasn't, although for mine I shouldn't as being a defected Catholic I'm probably heading straight to Hell if he was right. There's a certain magnitude to staking a whole life on such a bet.
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| March 27, 2005: A Shocker
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It's Easter and I'm not getting any chocolate! I'm not mentioning my 20-pound trip to Hotel Chocolat last Monday you'll notice. Oopsie. I am however making a roast. Without mint sauce or stuffing, that's a shocker for the Man - I did relent on the roast potatoes though, I'm not all evil.
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| March 27, 2005: Culinary Frustration Pt II
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Am I the only one here who has noticed that English people eat like three-year-olds? The poor things have no food culture whatsoever. They just don't eat for enjoyment. I can't come to terms with this one-meal-a-day-only thing, for example. I don't see what's so wrong with a hot lunch and a hot dinner, both just as substantial. Everybody else does it! And sandwiches are boring.
An English person's idea of adventure in the realm of food is a Sunday roast. On this note, ever noticed how all the traditional roasts (Christmas, Easter) have exactly the same trimmings? Not very party-like, having the same stuff whether it's Christmas Day or any old Sunday.
This is not to say there aren't any gems in traditional British cooking.
But oh how dull.
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| March 25, 2005: Culinary Frustration
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I wanted to make cr�me caramel today but Man has eaten all the sugar and drunken all the milk. Possible sugar-junky cat parentage.
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| March 20, 2005: Not Bloody Fair
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I can't believe this. Every time I'm on holiday I get ill. First day off work today, I have a cold. Will probably have it all week. Sod's Law.
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