TGIF :-) 230207

Hi Friday peops

Last Saturday up Kinder Low was great - dunno why they call it that - when in my opinion it is 'Kinda high'.. in fact it was 2088 feet - which officially makes it a mountain - the only one in Derby - a whole 88 feet of mountain - under 2000 feet is a 'Munro' apparently - affectionately known as a 'Marilyn'! There was a bit of snow left on high (see pics) - so there was the inevitable snowball fight - Eva (in yellow) and Martin going at it like a good 'un!

I took it steady with my knee being crook - as it was a bit of a rocky clamber - so I waited till there were two perfectly flat rocks to slip, trip and fall over - right on top!!
Sunday was busy - delivered Flips' Red Arrow cake for his 14th birthday (see pic), then did a spot of fire breathing with a colleague from work - Peter - rekindling - get it?? our old skills - as we haven't done it for ages - good giggle - definitely hot stuff! Then, cos mom was poorly I dragged him along to see Alex play for the CBSO Youth Orchestra - four pieces - one modern piece of weird stuff composed by some bird who was in the audience - good job she wasn't sitting by us -ahem! Also some Walton, Tcahiky and Korngold - very relaxing....
We've had a laugh at work about the fire breathing too - showing everyone videos from our mobile phones - like the Fire officer - just as he finished his lecture - he was quite rude - no sense of fun! No-one believes it is us - normally 'sensisble folk' you SPICERs know what I mean about dropping it into the conversation.... then strangely enough continuing with the fire theme,

on Thursday Peter invited me to lunch - no expense spared - down to Betty's corner cafe - 5 minutes before we planned to meet 'in clandestine fashion' to avoid any gossip - the fire alarm goes off - the entire staff have congregated in Reception area to see us off.... I'm miffed because I think it is an exercise and am not going to miss my bacon buttie/hot tottie opportunity - so ask my Boss if it's OK to leave - as I walk out of the Centre the fire brigade arrive - it was real .....another prosthetic leg melting we think!
Rest of the week I have been surrounded by bits of Gerry & Jane's wedding cake - no pressure now - only 5 days left to finish it!!!! Fortunately I have finished the flowers - just a few Ranunculas, Paeonies (OK mom I knew how to spell it really!), Veronicas and Ivy & Eucalyptus - then I have built a replica Shropshire cottage with the bride & groom and kiddlings together with three horses (which look more like Aardvarks I think....) and a Gyrocopter! Pics on the Blog next week!
Other news is that Waseem's book is out today 'Good Morning Afghanistan' - Eye books are the publishers - Google for that too folks :-)
I'm off out with Ray & Jax tonight to see Phil Collins tribute band - looking forward to that - hope you all have some nice weekend plans.
Love Kimmie x

TGIF :-) 160207

Hi Friday peops
Well last Friday turned into a right old snowy disaster! Total chaos in Brum - turns out the whole city was gridlocked - Sharpie was 3 hours into her 30 minute journey home from work at the QE, and I happened to text her and discovered she was only down the road - half way home - so (the weak willed thing) I mentioned wine - and next thing I know I have a lodger for the night - with her age n' that, her bladder wouldn't have made it all the way home - so it was a charitable thing I did :-)... So we settled in front of the TV and found an 'apt' film on 'Teleport' - 'ICE AGE' - the sequel - it is funny - mind you the two bottles of wine probably helped! At least Sharpie made it 'home' - poor Ness sent me a weary e-mail over the weekend - as she didn't manage to escape from the Maternity Hospital - so worked the late shift Friday, then the night shift and following day shift!!
Lee thinks we are big wusses here - cos in Massachusetts at the same time it was -8 degrees, and last week was apparently -19 degrees, and can be - 36 with the wind chill - which is a little warmer than Antarctica which can be -89 degrees - I was 'bath reading' again - the National Geographic last night....it's amazing what you can learn in the bath.... nuff said
This week I have mostly been doing cakes.....and have finished a 'Red Arrow' for Philip - I spent Valentine's evening icing it so it filled with love :-). He is 14 on Sunday - I'll post a pic on the Blog next week - after he's seen it - he's off in France at the mo' skiing (hopefully! - it will be a bit ironic if we had more snow than him!) - mom and I are off to see Alex in concert at Symphony Hall on Sunday - so we'll fly the Red Arrow over at the same time. I am also in the middle of Gerry & Jane's wedding cake and have managed the peonies, veronicas and eucalyptus so far - as well as iced both cakes - so making good progress - these 12 hour days are doing me good - I've lost weight cos I haven't got time to eat in the evenings!
Off to Derbyshire walking tomorrow - giving Eva a lift if I can make head nor tail of her directions - "Am not too far away from the Minworth Asda... if you come from Birmingham on the A38, turn left towards Asda, straight over that island that's the entrance to Asda, then it's second exit on (can't remember exactly - I think 2 or 3 small islands with 1 entrance and 2 exts (second exit sometimes means straight, sometimes right, just keep using the second exit), the next island has 1 entrance and 3 exit... third exit, thensecond left (straight after bus stop, only a couple of hundred yards or so after the roundabout), first of two tall buildings on your right... " and on Sunday got a work colleague coming round to do some fire breathing - as you do - as long as it isn't windy.....so may have some pics of that on the Blog next week too!
Thought I'd finish with some Valentine's 'Lonely Hearts' ads (thank you Margaret) - after I heard the news on Valentine's day that Thornton's reckon that 50% of their customers who bought chocolate hearts this year bought two or more and had different names iced on them!! It's good to know that there is so much love in the World :-D
Have a fab weekend
Kimmie x
Apparently real ads from Scottish lonely-hearts columns.Grossly overweight Buckie turf-cutter, 42 years old and 23 stone, Gemini, seeks nimble sexpot, preferably South American, for tango sessions, candlelit dinners and humid nights of screaming passion. Must have own car and be willing to travel. Box 09/08
Aberdeen man, 50, in desperate need of a ride. Anything considered. Box06/03
Heavy drinker, 35, Glasgow area, seeks gorgeous sex addict interested in pints, fags, Celtic football club and starting scraps on Sauchiehall Street at three in the morning. Box 73/82.
Bitter, disillusioned Dundonian lately rejected by long-time fiancée seeks decent, honest, reliable woman, if such a thing still exists in this cruel world of hatchet-faced bitches. Box 53/41
Ginger-haired Partick troublemaker, gets slit-eyed and shirty after a few scoops, seeks attractive, wealthy lady for bail purposes, maybe more. Box 84/87
Artistic Edinburgh woman, 53, petite, loves rainy walks on the beach, writing poetry, unusual sea-shells and interesting brown rice dishes, seeks mystic dreamer for companionship, back rubs and more as we bounce along like little tumbling clouds on life's beautiful crazy journey. Strong stomach essential Box 12/32
Chartered accountant, 42, seeks female for marriage. Duties will include cooking, light cleaning and accompanying me to office social functions. References required. No timewasters. Box 23/45
Bad-tempered, foul-mouthed old bastard living in a damp cottage in the arse end of Orkney seeks attractive 21-year old blonde lady with big chest. Box 40/27
Devil-worshipper, Stirling area, seeks like-minded lady for wining and dining, good conversation, dancing, romantic walks and slaughtering dogs in cemeteries at midnight under the flinty light of a pale moon. Box 52/07
Attractive brunette, Maryhill area, winner of Miss Wrangler competition at Framptons Nightclub, Maryhill, in September 1978, seeks nostalgic man who's not afraid to cry, for long nights spent comfort-drinking and listening to old Abba records. Please, Please! Box 30/41
Govan man, 27, medium build, brown hair, blue eyes, seeks alibi for the night of February 27 between 8pm and 11.30pm

TGIF 090207 :-)

Hi Friday peops
Last Saturday I was invited to celebrate SPICERs Andy & Becky’s marriage – a lovely ‘do’. Becky looked like a princess in her winter white fluffy bolero – and the groom looked radiant too – fab atmosphere – and the icing on the cake - so to speak - was that Sue drove, and in a sense I drove too - everyone bonkers (with the drink) talking for England! I’ve put a photo on the blog…. See if you can see the whites of my eyes! Thus I was a little delicate on Sunday…. when I was baking the bottom tier of Gerry and Jane’s wedding cake – more SPICERs – notice I haven’t referred to you as ‘Old SPICERs’ this time …. Sorry Gerry ;-)
I have been asked to do a couple more wedding cakes later in the year too and because I am never very good at costing them - out of curiosity I thought I’d try and measure how much gas I used up in the cooking process – what with all the oven pre-heating and stuff …. so I turned off the central heating and gas fire so I could be well accurate – and took a meter reading….. then an hour later went to read the meter again – and the dial hadn’t moved…. and then I remembered…………I have an electric fan oven :-/
I was so excited when I woke up yesterday and it was a white out, time for ‘Gadget Girl’ to try out her new magic shoe jobbies – ‘Ice Grippers’ – advertised as ‘magic spiker street crampons.’ – anyway – they were so ‘magic’ that while I did my ‘Captain Scott’ impression and fought through the blizzard – they indeed stayed cramped on....to the street - on some ice somewhere between here and work… so that’s good isn’t it!! I am guessing when the snow melts away there will be dozens of these spiker straps scattered along the roads!
I left work early yesterday and walked to Bournville - absolutely gorgeous – like a Winter wonderland – I walked the route that dad would take us as kids – and passed his waterfall (on the blog) and people were all chatting to each other and moms, dads and kids were in the parks building huge snowmen and rolling balls of snow everywhere – really great atmosphere – y’see all the schools closed – Health & Safety – how on earth did we survive the 60’s!!! AND AND _ What are all those mums going to do when the new ice age arrives? “Dear Teacher, Sorry for little Johnny’s absence from school last week, but my Toyota Rav, which I bought to negotiate the streets of Birmingham couldn’t negotiate the glacier at the bottom of the road…(I promise to learn how to put it into 4 wheel drive) so little Johnny doesn’t miss school next week….”
Well, it’s snowing while I write this – I’ll post a view from my window on my Blog – how ‘live’ is that! …. and as per….despite the warnings I have just had to drive home at 10mph cos the gritters have boobed again – and my poor little pink thing has gracefully skated all the way home – she did me proud!. The radio is on with stories of 15 mile jams and more... and all roads in Brum gridlocked – one static caller just said that a lorry plough has just cleared the snow from the outside lane of the motorway northbound and it all came over to the southbound side, then a plough lorry on the southbound side went along and sent it all back over!!! Nuff said……
Kimmie x

TGIF :-) 020207

Hi Friday peops
Late getting on tonight to say TGIF cos my Norton Antivirus found some adware - yeah but no but yeah but - what is all that about? Do you remember the days when we used to talk to each other and know what we were on about? Adware???? I just want to speak to the outside world..... apparently my blog has been well received - had a few messages left....
Had a fabulous girlie night in with Junie & Sharpie last Friday - to celebrate Sharpie's 39th birthday for the umpteenth time - and after demolishing two bottles of sparkly hit the sack at 1030pm - it's great getting old - we loved it - I was up with the larks and carting the old uns off to the Farmers' Market the next day where I've stuffed my freezer so full of Ostrich meat every time I open the freezer door the legs are waving at me - much like that duck in the US which wouldn't die - aaarghhhh..... can you imagine?!

Well, Aunty Joyce's cremation ceremony went OK - lady vicar - very nice - got all the places where dad and Aunty Joyce grew up wrong - but at least she got the Country right.... cousin who organised it complained that it was a bit "Goddy" - well I expect that was because she chose hymns and bible readings when we all know Aunty Joyce preferred the Goons???? It was great to see my third cousin (twice removed) and her mom - and thrice bemused by the family gathering - New Zealand daughter arrived in all her glory and showed off it's family mansion photographs - but like I pointed out in my usual subtle tones - even my cabbage patch garden can look amazing with a fish eye lens......dad was pretty choked really - but I think even he envied the thought that actually Aunty Joyce was up there with Aunty Cath having a ball - cos I hadn't realised it was Aunty Cath's birthday - so even I envied the thought that I was missing out on a right proper family reunion up there and having to suffer the one down here - bugger again!! Me and Tracy were distracted by a helicopter flying over when the Vicaress was being Goddy and a man walking his Collie dog in the distance - your mind wanders doesn't it - we both apparently had the same evil thought about how funny it would have been for the rotor blades to have shuddered to a halt and the chopper come down and disrupt the Goddy bits.....

Today's Friday afternoon zzzzzzzzzzzz meeting was actually not as painful as usual - but laugh!!!! First off, we... (well me actually...) adjusted the office clock so we could all leave work 10 minutes earlier... which also meant that the Boss left 10 minutes earlier for meetings etc - which seemed like a good fun idea at the beginning of the week ... but actually as my (rather clever office 'young thing') Nicole pointed out - it also means that unless we perch up there during the day and twiddle it back - the Boss thinks we are all late every morning..... bugger!!

We had a major incident this week - a fire broke out again - apparently 15 minutes after I left work on Wednesday.... in the Prosthetics Department again... not a melting leg this time - but some silly sod left a bun in the oven - the microwave oven - and it set alight. I admit I never had a hand in writing the new fire procedure which must apparently state that if you discover a fire, you must OPEN all the windows and try and fan the smoke out using handy copies of 'Hello' and 'OK' magazine....it gets worse.... when the fire brigade arrive - someone thinks they are strippograms arriving to surprise one of our girlie staff members who happens to be leaving that day!!! You couldn't invent it could you?

Well, good weekend ahead - I have a Red Arrow birthday cake to work on - and a SPICE wedding reception to celebrate Andy & Bex splicing the main brace. Some old SPICERs have announced their wedding at the end of the month and may want me to do their wedding cake too - so the house will smell gorgeous....

Hope your house smells gorgeous this weekend too.....
Kimmie x