(no subject)

Winter, it seems, checked into the office this morning, presumably to get some paperwork done ahead of coming on shift in a couple of months’ time. Late middle October is still definitely the Autumn show, but the winds Winter brought with her for her day in the office will have those leaves down post-haste. It wasn’t raining, but I considered bringing my coat to work for the first time since last Spring, but settled in the end for just my scarf.

A wise choice: once on the Tube train it didn’t take too long to overheat.

There have been colder mornings recently, but they have all been bright and sunny and the cold has been that of a clear overnight sky and the frost that wasn’t quite. Proper Autumn weather. Today’s grey skies and gusting winds, though warmer in the lee of buildings, betokens the chill coming that at this stage is more psychological than real. This time next week will be even more of that: unless I miss my guess next Saturday night we slip back into Greenwich Meantime for the Winter and it will be dark by about 5.15 in the evening.

I travelled much of the distance today sitting next to a Polish (or at least East European) woman who, if my nose can be believed –and I think it can- sustains herself by eating ashtrays marinated in patchouli oil for as living. What with the long, rustic maxi skirt, all it needed was a blast of Mud or Suzi Quatro to be 1974 again.

By and large it has been a pleasant weekend for me, doing very little other than mucking about on the computer, eating, sleeping and watching telly with My Girl. In fact, other than Furtle nipping out to post some parcels on Saturday morning, neither she nor I left the comfort of The Carpathia after coming in from work on Friday. We had no need to. I had hoped to see drjohnsilence sometime on Sunday on one of his occasional trips over from the US, but it was a working weekend for him and although he hoped to keep the Sunday free, I guess from the silence of the phone that he didn’t manage it. Next time, perhaps.

I find myself oddly unmoved by the news that my sister’s marriage appears to be sailing at full steam into a reef. I feel a little sad for her, who for the second time in her life appears to be the blameless party as a feckless husband ups sticks to leave. I guess the constant barrage of unwelcome news from home since the Summer of 2006 when Dad first fell ill has left me somewhat detached about it all.

Edited to add: Having cunningly deleted the relevant emails, I cannot confirm or refute romney's assertion that I was waiting in a week early. Tra-la.

(no subject)

Winter, it seems, checked into the office this morning, presumably to get some paperwork done ahead of coming on shift in a couple of months’ time. Late middle October is still definitely the Autumn show, but the winds Winter brought with her for her day in the office will have those leaves down post-haste. It wasn’t raining, but I considered bringing my coat to work for the first time since last Spring, but settled in the end for just my scarf.

A wise choice: once on the Tube train it didn’t take too long to overheat.

There have been colder mornings recently, but they have all been bright and sunny and the cold has been that of a clear overnight sky and the frost that wasn’t quite. Proper Autumn weather. Today’s grey skies and gusting winds, though warmer in the lee of buildings, betokens the chill coming that at this stage is more psychological than real. This time next week will be even more of that: unless I miss my guess next Saturday night we slip back into Greenwich Meantime for the Winter and it will be dark by about 5.15 in the evening.

I travelled much of the distance today sitting next to a Polish (or at least East European) woman who, if my nose can be believed –and I think it can- sustains herself by eating ashtrays marinated in patchouli oil for as living. What with the long, rustic maxi skirt, all it needed was a blast of Mud or Suzi Quatro to be 1974 again.

By and large it has been a pleasant weekend for me, doing very little other than mucking about on the computer, eating, sleeping and watching telly with My Girl. In fact, other than Furtle nipping out to post some parcels on Saturday morning, neither she nor I left the comfort of The Carpathia after coming in from work on Friday. We had no need to. I had hoped to see drjohnsilence sometime on Sunday on one of his occasional trips over from the US, but it was a working weekend for him and although he hoped to keep the Sunday free, I guess from the silence of the phone that he didn’t manage it. Next time, perhaps.

I find myself oddly unmoved by the news that my sister’s marriage appears to be sailing at full steam into a reef. I feel a little sad for her, who for the second time in her life appears to be the blameless party as a feckless husband ups sticks to leave. I guess the constant barrage of unwelcome news from home since the Summer of 2006 when Dad first fell ill has left me somewhat detached about it all.

Edited to add: Having cunningly deleted the relevant emails, I cannot confirm or refute romney's assertion that I was waiting in a week early. Tra-la.

Fud

Now here’s a question that I hope that you, my only reader can help with.

As you will be aware, Yours Truly is trying to trade his “buy one, get another free” physique for that of a svelte racing snake. So far, the none-too-strenuous not a diet regime I am adhering to is not overly burdensome. I am limiting myself to a single Mars Bar each week as a treat, and replacing lunch at work with something suitably vegetabloid. Snacks are provided by apples and bananas.

I have discovered that I like carrot sticks and low fat hummus and have scoffed a fair amount of that recently. Now I realise that there is a fair dollop of oil in hummus, even the unleaded stuff, but I figure that if that is my midday meal, I am not doing so bad. The thing is, it risks getting old. I am looking for alternatives; something tasty, cheap, easy to acquire, not taking hours of preparation and which I can fool myself is good for me.

Any suggestions?

Fud

Now here’s a question that I hope that you, my only reader can help with.

As you will be aware, Yours Truly is trying to trade his “buy one, get another free” physique for that of a svelte racing snake. So far, the none-too-strenuous not a diet regime I am adhering to is not overly burdensome. I am limiting myself to a single Mars Bar each week as a treat, and replacing lunch at work with something suitably vegetabloid. Snacks are provided by apples and bananas.

I have discovered that I like carrot sticks and low fat hummus and have scoffed a fair amount of that recently. Now I realise that there is a fair dollop of oil in hummus, even the unleaded stuff, but I figure that if that is my midday meal, I am not doing so bad. The thing is, it risks getting old. I am looking for alternatives; something tasty, cheap, easy to acquire, not taking hours of preparation and which I can fool myself is good for me.

Any suggestions?