Is your journey really necessary?

"Heavy snow hits much of England" says a news headline on my homepage, so I turn to read more here and, guess what? It has actually snowed in Wales and Scotland as well, not that you would know, of course, unless you live in those areas. If it's happening in the south-east, we get to hear about it ad infinitum and I sit here watching BBC Breakfast and wondering, not for the first time, why it is that everything grinds to a halt as soon as the white stuff puts in an appearance. We knew this was coming days ago, the Highways Agency maintain that they have extra officers out and gritters have been working through the night and "Everything is under control, folks!" People in Russia, Scandinavia, Canada and other places where snow is a common occurrence, must be laughing their socks off at us.
What I am really amazed at, however, is that there is no bus service in London at all. That is not to say the buses are not running. According the the item on the link above, the passengers have been standing at the bus stops for lengthy periods, only to see empty buses sailing past. Is it too simplistic to wonder why, if they are on the roads at all, they can't actually do their job and convey passengers from A to B? Can't be the wrong kind of snow. Maybe it's the wrong kind of passengers.

An adoption is announced

Paddy (Reserved)


· Border Terrier Cross
· Approx. 5 - 6 yrs
· Male
· Small Size
· Moderate Grooming Requirement
· Moderate / High Energy Levels
· Re-home

Description

Paddy arrived at the rescue underweight and a little nervy; gradually he is gaining weight and developing his personality.
He has a calm nature and is generally quite placid. He desperately needs an owner who has time to give him some much needed TLC. Once he has gained condition, confidence and his true terrier nature develops he will need a moderate to high level of exercise and mental stimulation to satisfy his needs. Paddy needs to be in a calm environment with no young children so that he can have the space he needs to adjust to family life.

There's a whisper that this little fellow may soon be coming to take up residence chez Jennyta. How about that!
PS. Anyone looking for an animal to rehome in North Wales, just head over to this site and take your pick.

National Shed Week

I think someone on Radio 4 said, on Sunday, that this week is National Shed Week. If this is true, it will probably be of great importance to Younger Son.
When he was in his teens, YS was very keen on animals, so eventually we had 13 rabbits, various mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, chipmunks, chinchillas and probably many other small furry creatures that I have now forgotten about. (Notice I am not including the water snake in this, as that belonged to Elder Son.) Oh, and then there were the fish, lots of them in the huge pond that he constructed, so huge that I had to tread water whenever I hung out the washing.
However, the link to National Shed Week is that YS had three of them. Birthday and Christmas presents tended to be shed-related for a few years and, as well as providing homes for the multiplicity of small animals, they provided a valuable opportunity for him to learn and develop carpentry, building and electrical skills.
So, I hear you surmise, he's probably got his own pet shop by now. Well, actually no; he works in an office. But he does have an allotment, presumably with at least one shed on it.
Funny how things turn out...

Chickens

Elder Daughter has acquired some hens, three to be precise. They are ex-battery rescue hens, but although their feathers are a bit straggly in places, they are not in bad shape. Some arrive so badly pecked and plucked that they have to wear little woolly jumpers until the feathers grow back. These have names too, and personalities, apparently...
Meet Babs, Bette and Talulah, the Mother Cluckers! (Her wording, not mine, ;))

Northern Rock bonuses

Northern Rock employees are apparently about to receive large bonuses, for having met targets for repaying the £26 billion loan from the government, which of course, translates into the £26 billion loan from you and me, the poor, benighted tax-payers. They deserve this, it is said, because they have 'worked exceptionally hard in extremely difficult circumstances.' I'm sure they have, just as I'm sure lots of people in other jobs throughout the country have, even to the point of agreeing to reductions in their hours so that colleagues would not be made redundant and being forced to take weeks, even months off work in order to avoid losing their jobs.
Once again, this is an example of how banks and other financial institutions appear to lead a charmed life, with no consequences no matter what actions they take.
Call me naive, but I, in my simplicity, would have thought that those members of the public who have chosen to save their money with Northern Rock since its nationalisation have played at least some part.

Gas bills

So British Gas are about to graciously reduce our bills by 10%. Good of them considering it is now (hopefully) near the end of winter and that a few months ago they increased them by an eye-watering 35%.

Spring on its way?

New Year is the time for new resolutions, a fresh start, kicking oneself into shape. Well, that's what they say. I tend not to make New Year resolutions as I either forget them or decide they're a bad idea within weeks or even days. However, I had decided to take myself in hand exercise-wise before Christmas and for me, that means mostly doing more walking. I have a couple of problems with this, though.

1. The weather at this time of year - not always conducive to my faltering motivation.

2.. I need a dog to walk with. It's nearly three years now since Lucy died and I do keep wishing I had another now. Dog rescue centres are few and far between around here but I'm not rushing and I'm hoping it will happen sooner or later.

Anyway, back to the walking. One day last week, when the weather was fine, bright and sunny I decided to walk the almost-five-miles there and back to the chemist. You see, it just takes that first step - well, getting out through the door - that's after you've heaved yourself off the sofa. Easy, really - and well worth it, trust me! This is what the route to Coed Poeth looked like.

Oh, and it's uphill all the way.