I saved 2 Sqft ;)

My Mum has a head like a football

Well... That's not entirely true, but she did when she woke up on Monday morning! I'll explain:

Over the weekend, she was complaining that her legs hurt, not her hip, which she has seen the doctor about. The bottom of her legs. I said "You should tell the Doctor about that, he could probably sort it". She gave me the sort of look which is usually reserved for child murderers! By Sunday evening, she was announcing that she'd had enough and wished it would all end.

On Monday morning, she woke up looking like the Elephant man. 'Strange' I thought to myself, what the hell's caused that? Well it turns out that all the complaining about her legs etc over the weekend translates as "I have toothache!"

We called the doctor out and she swiftly announced that she's not 'authorised' to treat dental problems and that Mum should see a dentist, at which point I exited stage left rather rapidly because Mum has the WORST dental phobia I have ever seen. She hasn't seen a dentist since 1982! I've been nagging her for years that she needed to see a dentist, her teeth are shocking! I've been telling her for years to go and see a dentist who is good with phobias, or to see the doctor about something to calm her down so she can go. She wouldn't and she told basically told me to mind my own business. I warned her something like this would happen, which of course is why she claimed that it was her legs hurting over the weekend.

Anyway! She has an appointment with the dentist at the hospital today and the doctor has given her some Diazepam to take beforehand. This should be interesting. The dentist told me on the phone that she might need to go to Raigmore to be treated as she is an anaesthetic risk, so she is currently sitting in bed pouting and complaining that Raigmore is too hot and the food's no good.

If I'm perfectly honest, it would be nice for me if she had a little stay in Raigmore as I don't get any respite. Unfortunately, my luck doesn't run that way, so she'll probably get sent down there for one or two days which means I'll spend all my time driving down and back and I wouldn't be surprised if a major component falls off my car just for good measure!

Kittens!!

Oops! I can't believe I forgot to mention the kittens.

Domino has given birth to three squeaky wriggly kittens. Yay!!

They're all healthy and I haven't looked to see what sex they are yet.

Hubby's travels

He's at it again, wandering about with his rucksack on. This time he's walking just over half of the West Highland Way and then possibly continuing along the Great Glen Way.

I dropped him off at Inverarnan yesterday at about 5pm. I don't think he walked much last night, just settled down in his tent to get a good kip before he started. Anyway, he's done 20 miles so far (not bad for an old fart, eh?)

 

Caithness Sunsets

I was out doing my posey photo taking bit again tonight. I do love the sunsets here.

Mr Puffin and the Sunset

Sounds like a children's book doesn't it? I went up to Duncansby head with the kids yesterday, we've discovered a new beach so we went there first and I sat watching the Fulmars drop shellfish on the rocks while the kids played in the sand dunes. I took a few photos, but nothing I'm that pleased with. When we moved on up to Duncansby head itself, we headed straight for the geo where all the birds nest. It's manic, like a council estate for those of the feathered persuasion!

Anyway, we were puffin spotting, I stood there for ages and didn't see any puffins, as soon as I turned away Rachel shouted "There's one!" It took me a couple of minutes to figure out where she was pointing, but she was right.

 

I was sat in the kitchen looking out at the sunset last night for a while before I gave and went out to try and get a photo of it. I've tried it before and the results have been crap. I'm obviously getting better though (a bit anyway) cos I took these

 

Oops!!

Our Domino is pregnant again!

Honestly, that cat is such a tart! My fault really. No! I don't mean I got her up the duff you numpty! I mean that I was supposed to get her fixed, I just kept forgetting. Let's see if I can remember after this lot eh? With any luck she's been off playing hide the sausage with the big grey fluffy tom again. Her last kitten was gorgeous (Pyewacket). At least if they look like that, they should be easy to home. I'll try to remember to post pics of the kittens when they're born, provided she doesn't get out and give birth somewhere we can't find them of course. I'm expecting the  patter of tiny paws any day now...

Wednesday...

What is it about Wednesdays? They really are rubbish. Well, mine are anyway. Can't be arsed is the order of the day (even more than other days!). It was worse today because it was a gorgeous day, I was sat looking out at it all afternoon thinking that I really should get outside, getting dressed didn't happen again today either. It's my dressing gown's fault, it's far too comfy!

Hubby and the kids went off to Dunnet beach and ran up and down the sand dunes. Tired me out just thinking about it. I was going to walk Zander down to the harbour, I had every intention of going and then it was too late and I hadn't managed to shift myself.

Anyway, we had a phone call today about the kidnapped dishwasher, it was showing up on their system as unfinished business or something. Apparently (allegedly) they're going to chase it up and if it can't be fixed soon they'll give us a new one. Hmmm.... We'll see! I refuse to get my hopes up on that one.

I have another blog now too, I don't know whether to duplicate everything or what to do , I only got the other one because I can send to it straight from my phone (a rather spangly and posh N95, but I don't like to brag... much) although typing up a blog on my phone is a pain compared to just typing it on here.  The other blog is here, it's even got a nice smiley (well, almost) picture of me on it. Just what you've always wanted.

We're waiting with baited breath (sort of) for BT to upgrade the broadband at our local exchange, at the moment it's on the exchange activate scheme, which means that our top speed is 512Kbps. They're upgrading it to full platform ADSL, so we might get 2meg out of it when they're finished! It's amazing how excited I get about that, when you consider that before we moved here we had an 8meg connection. Anyway, there were 2 Open reach vans parked up outside the exchange the other day, so we got all excited thinking that our speed increase was imminent, then the broadband went off. Aaargh!! That meant a few hours of Solitaire and Mahjong. Well, it was either that or talk to each other... ;) Turned out that whatever it was they'd done down there, our binatone router now can't connect, so we've had to go back to the BT home hub. No speed increase so far, in fact our upstream speed is now only 96Kbps. :(

Anyway, here's a picture that Hubby took today on Dunnet beach. Those tiny stick people are the kids. :)

Yay!! Hubby fixed the hole in the ceiling!

Months ago (sometime last winter) we had a leak in the kitchen roof during a heavy rain storm. Hubbykins had to cut a hole in the ceiling and another smaller one in the wall to find out where the water was getting in and sort it out. Of course, after he fixed the leak, we were left with the holes in the ceiling and wall. Flippin' draughty they've been too!

Well, out of the blue the other evening, he fixed the hole in the ceiling. A quality job too.

He's Grrrreeeeaattt!!!

 

Quality workmanship, eh?

Kidnapped!!!!

Or should that be dishwashernapped?

My dishwasher went in for repair under the guarantee early in February, I haven't seen it since! We only bought it in about September so if they keep going, they will have had it as long as we did. My guarantee is merrily running out while it sits in the repair shop too.

The thing is... what can I do? I sent a very polite email to the repair shop enquiring about the welfare of my washer, but after that my hands are tied. If I get at all shirty with them they might decide to hang onto it for even longer, or kick it about? I don't know.

I think that when I do get it back, I'll be asking for a 'time credit' on my guarantee.

 

If this keeps up, I'll have to offer a reward for it's safe return and put up posters all over Caithness...

 

 

Have you seen this dishwasher??!!

 

Grrrrr...

It's my birthday!!

It's my birthday. Yay!! I think... Do I really want to celebrate getting older? Ummm... Nope! But, then again, it's an excuse to get somebody else to do the washing up and everyone has to be nice to me for a day

Actually, it's been really good this year. Hubby bought me a car, so I have my bit of independence back and I'm not stuck indoors when he's working away. I've had lots of birthday wishes sent by my new friends on Caithness.org. I have to keep reminding myself that they are real people whom I happen to never have met, otherwise I tend to think of them as virtual friends which is only really one step away from imaginary friends! and from there it's on to madness....

I was sung happy birthday via MSN messenger (Thank you Rob) and my family wished me happy birthday from Ireland, also via MSN.

I had 2 happy birthday texts (Thank you Martin and Kirsteen)

So.... All in all a good birthday so far, Thank Goddess for modern technology, otherwise it would have been one card (Thank you Mary)

Grant is arriving today for his spring visit, so there's another birthday treat. I fully intend to have a few drinks this evening, so it'll be nice not to be doing that on my own. Makes me feel like an old lush! Mind you MSN tends to come to the rescue there as well, just find a friend who is logged on and having a drink, et voila, I'm not drinking on my own... I'm having a drink with a friend (who just happens to be 500 miles away)

Anyhoo, time's a wastin'! I'm half way to 70, so I can't sit here typing twaddle all day. I've got bungee jumping and abseiling to get on with... or maybe just another cup of tea...

Wick River Side

 

8th March

Taken on the 8th March

Flippin' Cat!!

 

  Welcome to the wonderful world of Pyewacket! Whenever you open the fridge, he jumps in. If you're in the kitchen making something to eat, you daren't turn your back for a second or he'll be off with anything tasty you have left on the worktop! When you're sitting still you can't move your fingers or he'll take that as an invitation to chase/bite/claw them. When you're sitting still you can't keep your fingers still or he'll take that as an invitation to chase/bite/claw them. He likes to snuggle in bed with you (whether you like it or not) and then when he decides you've had enough sleep, he bites your toes (Martin had to be scraped off the ceiling twice last week!) He meows to get outside and then immediately meows to get back in. If he's outside for any length of time he yowls at the door and when you open it, he rushes to the litter tray whilst giving you a filthy look (OMG! I nearly had to pee outside!!!)

He follows you to the loo and if he gets in, he tries to climb on the loo seat behind you, he also drinks from the loo and leaves puddy paw prints all over the seat.

He likes to wait until both dogs are in the kitchen and then he struts in, spots them... turns into a bog brush and hisses. Does he run back out? No, don't be daft, he stalks slowly across the kitchen to see if he can get close enough to get a swipe at the poor dogs.

He likes to browse the web, he loves to edit and/or delete my documents and most of all he likes to wander across the keyboard when I'm chatting on msn or posting to a forum. I now leave a trail of messages which start out well, but end with sbjlsfrgip;h['y!!

But, he's cute and fluffy and lovely and when he's tired he snuggles down into a cute, furry, purring, cuddly lump in your arms and all is forgiven....... until next time!

Hens

On the 1st of March  I picked up four more hens, they were from a farm which supplies organic free range eggs to supermarkets.

Lets just say they're interesting looking creatures, I'll let ya know when they start looking like our other hens. At the moment they look almost oven ready!

Wick High School

 

The parent council has recently opened our eyes to the dilapidated state of the school buildings.

More info and the presentation shown at the recent meeting can be found here.

Zander's winter warmers

Well! We wouldn't want her getting cold now, would we? :)

Pye on guard duty

With his own little sentry box :) that cat is obsessed with boxes and bags. He'll spend hours in them!

My snowman

Stunning eh?! ;)

Snowballs :)

We went to Inverness on Friday and while we were there we decided to go snow hunting, so we drove about 20 miles south and look what we found :)

Pyewacket

Posing as usual