memory v well read . . . .

list-making: is the only way i can remember anything! i have lists of 'to do in the house' - and 'in the garden', lists of people to phone, lists of 'to do at work', lists of 'to read', lists of knitting projects, lists of 'to do this week', lists of 'to do this year', lists for when i shop, lists of things other people shoud do, lists of lists and even lists of lists of lists (well that one is a bit of exaggeration).

and today i had a list of things i had to do in my lunch break

and i suddenly remembered a book i had once read in which the maid servant (it was set in victorian times) was unable to read but managed to buy everything on the shopping list her 'mistress' gave her because she committed it to memory (fortunately the lady of the house always read it out to her before she went)

and i began to wonder if it was a little like when people are blind and they use their other senses more which then become more acute

and then i thought that perhaps having a poor memory is actually because i read so much and has nothing whatever to do with old age

so perhaps having a good memory is in inverse proportion to being well read - although of course it does make it difficult to remember the plot and the characters!!

so now what should i do? stop reading so much and improve the memory? or carry on reading and use that as my excuse?

. . . . and i will be back with a more sensible post another day . . . . if i remember

number plates

pootling along getting ready for work this morning, when the phone rang and it was fran - waiting for the police!

her car number plates had been stolen during the night and she was thus unable to drive and had to wait for the police to arrive so she could make a statement. i had been wondering all day why someone would bother to steal the plates - after all they would be pretty easy to spot!! - and thought perhaps it was just one of those things people stole these days - well i have to admit to 'nicking' the odd beer glass or striking tube poster in my youth! but then someone told me that the plates are stolen, put on a same-model, same-colour car, driven into the congestion charge part of london, filmed on cctv and then the unfortunate car-owner gets the bill! so it was just as well fran had phoned the police since at least she would be exonerated from any possible blame over mis-doings caught on camera - but it is still a darned nuisance for her having to sort out and pay for new plates - what a pain!!

sunday morning . . .

it's been a busy week!

monday and tuesday - spent most of both evenings on the phone but did manage to book our hols in austria in june - hoorah!!! - feel mildly euphoric as i managed to book the hotel in german - and they appeared to understand me!! - hope i haven't booked a week for 6 in july rather than 5 nights for 5 in june hahaha

wednesday - reading group at my house - had been reading 'the river' by tricia wastvedt for which everyone bar me gave very high scores - i had been annoyed by the loose ends and the way in which the story hopped around from past to present (well 1987/1990 at the end) although i did think it was very well written and certainly atmospheric. it was a good evening with 100% turn-out - a first for the group! wish my sitting room weren't so small!!

thursday - to london after work to see 'we will rock you' which i enjoyed so much - it was a great evening - lovely meal in good company at garfunkel's before the show and the show was tremendous. i had been expecting a queen tribute band so was surprized to find it was in fact a musical. it was hugely enjoyable - very funny - and the girl who played scaramouche (hannah jane fox) was outstanding! boogs would have loved it!!

friday - oh dear can't remember!

saturday - to o and g's for lunch - they are both in good spirits and looking forward to our hols (o phoned the hotel and - oh joy! - i had booked what we wanted!) - then eric and janey fetched up mid-afternoon and we sorted a few more details - then i had to leave as i was going to a quiz night at sacred heart, bushey. we won!!! - it was an excellent quiz (it would still have been good if we hadn't won!) with wonderful food and had a lot of fun and laughs on our table. we all won a bottle of wine (which was nice) but - even better - we won the catenian trophy to take back and keep until next year!!

p.s. dr.(!!)rich graduated this week!! i am very proud to have such a clever s-i-l! he looks wonderful in the photo on the family blog . . . . congratulations!!!

a fantastic week-end . . .

. . . started on friday at just after 8.00 p.m. when stella rich and the pies arrived - much earlier than i had been expecting them - hoorah!!! - it was lovely to see them again and the pies seemed so happy to be back. we had a little snackette with them, took them up to bed and then chatted for while before turning in ourselves

saturday . . . was brilliant!!

janey, eric and catherine arrived soon after breakfast - which meant more coffee, 'breakfast pastries' and general admiration of and cooing over the pies. then e,j c and i zoomed off to the junction, caught the train to london and met frances and steve for even more 'snacks' at the stage door coffee shop. the matthew bourne production of 'edward scissorhands' was superbe!!! - many of the others finding it even better than 'swan lake' which we had seen last year (i still prefer 'swan lake' however!). the dancing was exceptional, there was lots of humour - so much in fact that we all felt we had 'missed' a fair amount since there was always some little piece of 'business' somewhere on stage to raise a smile - and the overall quality of the production and staging was breath-taking. we met fran's friend aeron and her friends in the foyer afterwards and had a quick chat with them before heading off for 'the fish shop' on st john's street. wonderful fish and chips and great chats and laughs among the 6 of us, then we all set off home-ward. home soon after 9. rich and kezia had gone to the pantomime, jago was asleep so i had nice long chat with stella before r and k arrived home. they had had a terrific time at 'cinderella' with much shouting of 'he's behind you' in good old panto tradition. k had thoroughly enjoyed it - her first visit to 'the theatre' - but was exhausted and soon went off to bed.

sunday . . . was 'recovery' day - we were all shattered!!

s r and the pies packed up and went off to jackie's soon after 2 and i followed for the cwl 'afternoon tea' around 3. the cwl ladies are always so lovely - i don't know why i don't go to the events/meetings more often - too little time i suppose??

nothing good on tv this evening - as per usual!! - so i'm off to make a hot chocolate and continue with my book

quandary!

i am feeling really guilty today!
i did most of my christmas shopping in st albans this year - on a saturday, when the street market is also on. the market is 'buzzy' and fun and i even managed to find some presents there. one of the stalls sold various 'accessory' bits and i bought myself 4 differently coloured scarves for £10 - a bargain as i thought! i have had compliments every time i have worn one - which is nice. today, however, i noticed the label and realised that it was produced in a country where is it quite possible that the workers are poorly paid and being expolited. and now i could kick myself!! particularly as i had already turned down some remarkably cheap ear-rings on another stall since the stall-holder was unable to tell me where they were from and i feared that they had been produced in some far-eastern 'sweat shop'.
so how would i know if it would be better to buy and at least keep the workers in work, or boycott and possibly eliminate the exploitation? i am not sure if anyone reads this, but if you can help i would surely like to hear from you!!

trisha and company

had an enjoyable 'girly' supper at trisha's yesterday with danuta, jackie and ruth - it was lovely to chill out with them - ALL my friends are such fabulous cooks!!! had to leave early-ish as i was the only one having to go in to work today - boo hoo!!
work dragged! went out lunch-time though and collected my new specs - its been 2 years since my last presciption and i hadn't realised quite how much my eyes had deteriorated in that time - ah me!! tempus fugit!!

you say you wanna a res-o-o-lution . . .

2006 already and no time for resolution-making!
so here's mine - hastily decided upon as the clock struck 3 this morning: no more time wasting, no more procrastinating and as little worrying as i can reasonably get away with . . . and now it's public i suppose i had better at least start . . .
but before i do . . . just a quick update on yesterday and so-far today:
fabulous evening at jane and dave's: super meal, great company and plentiful laughs; a grand a-singing of auld lang syne as the clock struck 12 to welcome 2006; back to den and jon's where i stayed over along with janey and eric - lovely time and d and j so very hospitable; lunch at the clarendon and then home to find frankie and a cup of tea, a message from o and g and catch up with on frankie's news.
so now for my resolution: i'm off to read '365 ways to change the world'.
see ya! . . . .