Watching TV

For some time now, Keith has been wittering on talking about getting a new, bigger television and I have been equally enthusiastic about not getting a new, bigger television. Our house is small, was my argument and I don't particularly want to have to sit on the stairs or out in the garden to watch telly, so I was quite happy with our 'compact' 20 inch TV.
However, the weekend visit to Kathy's reignited his wish to be the owner of a new, bigger television and, being as it is his birthday today, I finally gave in (cheap present on my part as he was paying!) and we popped down to PC World/Dixons/Curry's and, half an hour later, arrived back with a rather large package.
In no time at all (certainly a lot less time than the installation of the heated towel rail which was been waiting to be installed in the bathroom and still resides in the study - but don't let's be small-minded here), it was up and running.
"Of course, it is only a 32 inch," said Keith as he settled back to watch some boring war thingy, "Not as big as Kathy's."
"Oh, I'm sure it is," I said from out there on the stairs...

In which I get it wrong again!

Hi, folks, Paddy here. I'm with Jenny and Keith at Kathy's this weekend. Kathy has a  lovely, long garden with lots of interesting smells but, sadly, no hens at the moment, which was rather disappointing as I had been looking forward to catching one.
Yesterday, I was very good and so I was allowed to roam around the garden without a lead. Jenny is a bit dubious about this as she says I could get out onto the road or jump over the back wall but no-one took any notice of that.
"He'll be fine!" they said.
And so I was, until this morning, Keith and Kathy let me out in the garden and, suddenly, there was a delicious smell of cat in the air. I followed it, but it led to the gardens behind this one and, before I knew it, I had jumped over the wall and down into another garden. The cat got away, of course - it's so annoying how they always manage to do that - and I was trapped. This garden was much lower than Kathy's and I couldn't jump out, nor could I get out the other way as the gate was closed. I could hear Keith and Kathy and then Jenny and Mark wondering how they could get me out and I don't think they even knew which garden I was in. Eventually, Keith got in the car to drive round and see if he could spot me and Kathy and Jenny walked round to the back of the other houses and crept in and out of people's back gardens till they eventually found me. I don't think they were very pleased at having to do this at 8.30 on Easter Sunday morning and they certainly weren't very pleased with me when they got hold of me.
Now, I'm just lying here, trying to be patient, waiting for my proper walk...

Hailstones like golfballs


Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Sheffield, Kathy's back garden, to be precise....

Looks like the barbecue's off!

Jesse the Jack Russell

I did try to get Paddy to look at this little terrier in the hope that he might pick up some tips, but to no avail.

Ah well, back to the drawing board!

Curiouser and curiouser

On the agenda for this morning was a trip to a garage to get something on the alternator of the car fixed - or something like that...
And here it is. No it's not a farm, it's a garage. Well, actually, it is a farm but it's a garage as well, hence the hens. What's more, it's on the local industrial estate. Well, we like to keep things rural here.
We brought Paddy too, to meet the nice collie who lives there.

But then, something strange happened. The other dog was not at all anxious to make Paddy's aquaintance but 'shadowed' him as we strolled up and down. Here she is, peeping out at him from underneath one of the cars in for repair. Even more strange, Paddy took very little notice of her, almost ignored her, in fact.


He didn't even bat an eyelid at all the hens roaming around. I'm beginning to wonder if he is sickening for something!

Xbox Mania


This was the state of play (excuse the pun) on Saturday. Since then, three more Xboxes have arrived.
Thankfully, they have been housed in the van.
This is Paddy, looking somewhat perplexed at having been moved, cushion and all, from his little corner by the television. He wasn't impressed.



Mae'n heulog heddiw!

We had a long walk this morning, Paddy and I, as it was such a lovely, sunny day and it would have been a shame not to make the most of it. That's not to say that hips and knees weren't beginning to protest a bit by the time we got home, which made me think that maybe I'll have trouble there in future years, but by then, Elder Daughter will be a well-established consultant in 'Care of the Elderly' as they call it these days, so that's all-right!
I spotted a couple of orange tip butterflies, which I don't recall ever having seen before, although they seem to be quite common. I was just about to attempt a photo when White Van Man came steaming up the lane and the moment was lost.
Ah well, David Bailey was never in any danger from me...

Plaster board and dust

So, we're still no further forward on the British Gas smart meter front and I've given up making non-existent appointments with them...