Hurrah and huzzah

Yay, my car went through it's service with no extras to pay for. We have enough money left to get a new tumble dryer and I can get rid of the monster that rages in the kitchen. Honestly the noise shakes the foundations of the house!!! Lol.



Not that particular machine though :)

Living in the shadow of the Pennines and on marshy ground I need all the help I can get to dry our clothes! So pleased. Small things please simple minds. ;)

Radar cat

Lolcats and funny pictures

How cute is that?

Our kitty can hear a can of tuna or a pack of ham being opened from miles away. She often sleeps on top of the boiler in the kitchen. When I start to open a can her head pops up like ET - how can she tell what I'm opening? - tin of pineapple [no response, cat lies like dead] tin of tuna [radar ears pop up and the meowing starts before she's even opened her eyes].

LOL

Hope you're having a gradely day. It's a bit chilly here.

Keeping Your Blog Secure

I thought this was interesting: Keeping Your Blog Secure.

Here's a quote:

"Over the years we've seen a number of third party scripts disguise themselves as helpful add-ons, when in fact they are performing a malicious operation behind the scenes. For example, a site counter widget may indeed be providing your blog with helpful tracking data, but at the same time may also be discreetly sending that information to advertisers for the purpose of collecting the online habits of your readers. A blog template you downloaded from a third party site might include pop-up ads or links to dangerous sites that install malware on visitor's computers." Keeping Your Blog Secure, Blogger Buzz

This might explain how a while ago a pornographic pop-up appeared on what seemed a fairly innocent Christian lady's blog...it wasn't one of my regular reads so I just quickly shut down and ran a virus check!

Coulrophobia

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I hate clowns...not the people behind the mask of course I'm sure they're very nice n' all but I am scared of clowns. Phobia is too strong a term, I mean I wouldn't run away or get palpitations if I met one but I find them creepy. Coulrophobia is the term for people who have a fear of clowns. It comes from the Greek word kolobathristes meaning one that goes on stilts (i.e. a circus performer, there is no Greek word for clown). Apparently children are generally afraid of clowns which I was quite surprised about, most hospitals are be-decked with clown murals!

So just remember when marketing your burgers to children Ronald! ;)

Have a great clown-free day!

Home and Autumn

Today is a homey day. I have great plans! Well, small plans but it's lovely to have a day to potter and nest a bit.

I love Autumn. I like the misty cold mornings, I love the colours in the trees, I like staying cosy in the house. We're going up to the Lake District in a week or so just for a day trip to hopefully (weather willing) admire the autumn colours. The Lake District is so beautiful at this time of year. I'll try to remember my camera and share some photos with you.

by Big Ken, Flickr

Of course the girls are most excited about boat trips and playgrounds!

I love this programme!

"Night time, Day time"

"ALAN!"

It said 'inflammable' so why is it on fire?

The two words flammable and inflammable mean the same thing, they aren't opposites. Unlike 'efficient' and 'inefficient' or 'articulate' and 'inarticulate'.

From the Merriam Webster online dictionary:

flam·ma·ble
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin flammare to flame, set on fire, from flamma
Date: 1813

: capable of being easily ignited and of burning quickly

in·flam·ma·ble
Function: adjective
Etymology: French, from Medieval Latin inflammabilis, from Latin inflammare, to inflame.
Date: 1605

1 : flammable
2 : easily inflamed, excited, or angered : irascible

From etymology online:

Inflame
1340, "to set on fire with passion," fig. use of L. inflammare "to set on fire, kindle," from in- "in" + flammare "to flame," from flamma "flame" (see flame). Literal sense of "to cause to burn" first recorded in Eng. 1382. Inflammable "able to be set alight" is from 1605. Inflammatory "tending to rouse passions or anger" is from 1711. Inflammation "redness or swelling in a body part" is from 1533.

As you can see, 'flammable' is actually a much newer word:

flammable, inflammable These two words are synonymous. Flammable is a much newer word, apparently coined in 1813 to serve in a translation from Latin. In the 1920s it was adopted by the National Fire Protection Association in place of inflammable. Underwriters and others interested in fire safety followed suit. The reason given for its adoption was the possibility that the in- of inflammable might be misunderstood as a negative prefix.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage

The confusion over the 'in' in inflammable is because often the prefix is used to denote 'not' or 'without'. Like 'ineffable' means the opposite of 'effable'; it basically means not effable.

However, the 'in' in 'inflammable' has its root in another prefix. It is the prefix 'en', which is used to add the meaning 'cause to be' to a word. For example, 'entangle' means 'cause to be tangled' or 'enrage' means 'caused to be full of rage'. ' Inflammable' therefore means 'caused to be flammable' that is the object has the ability to be flammable. Rather like 'inflame' means 'cause to be on fire'.

Yay. I love the English language, it makes no sense whatsoever!

What I'm...

What I'm doing

Writing this post...of course :P ...but I have a pile of ironing behind me [lurking as only ironing can lurk]

What I'm eating

Maltesers

What I'm listening to

The dishwasher and hum of the computer

What I'm thinking about

That I need to guard my mouth. The scripture: Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. Psalm 131:3-4. Is very apt.

Which reminds me, you know sometimes here in blogdom and especially on facebook people share toooo much. Some things are best kept private! I've seen some bloggers share far too much of their private life, then their private life fall apart. I just feel sorry for their families to have it all publicised like some kind of sordid newspaper serial.

What I'm reading

John's Gospel and Herb of Grace by Elizabeth Goudge - yes Dulce Domum I'm finally reading it!! Mum's gone off on holiday with the next installment of the Left Behind Series!! Lol.

What I'm looking forward to

Hubs coming home from church...and getting my ironing done (me not hubs...but he's welcome to do it for me if he wants!! ;) ) and eating more maltesers.

What I'm doing tomorrow

Cleaning, resting (I hope!) with my kitty on my knee and a lovely coffee, visiting Grandma - and taking my vacuum cleaner, lol hers burned out on Tuesday when I was vacuuming. The whole flat was filled with the delicate smell of burning rubber! I was very cross with Grandma...well as cross as you can be with a sweet tiny 90 year old lady (in fact not in the slightest cross...'frowny' would perhaps be a better description), she'd been trying to vacuum all by herself and her vacuum is very heavy!

Hope you've all had a great day!

Oh man!

OK, so now I'm not wanting to every fly on a plane again! Naked x-ray machine. Yikes! It's not just like a normal x-ray, it actually sees through your clothes!!!! There aren't enough exclamation marks to express my exclamation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK, so where did I put my lead underwear?

Longfellow was a grand fellow

It was National Poetry Day t'other day according to my chum Dulce Domum.

Longfellow is one of my favourite poets, so this is for Dulce Domum a bit o'Longfellow for these dim days falling away at the end of t'year.

Autumn

Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain,
With banners, by great gales incessant fanned,
Brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand,
And stately oxen harnessed to thy wain!
Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne,
Upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand
Outstretched with benedictions o'er the land,
Blessing the farms through all thy vast domain!
Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended
So long beneath the heaven's o'er-hanging eaves;
Thy steps are by the farmer's prayers attended;
Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves;
And, following thee, in thy ovation splendid,
Thine almoner, the wind, scatters the golden leaves!

~Longfellow

I love you dearest hubs

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. As you can see from our photo, we've been married for years! ;) Well perhaps not that long, 9 years really :)

We had a chippy tea and then hubs went to church...very romantic [ahem].

We were hoping to go out for a meal this weekend, but alas we cannot get babysitters. But never mind, we will ensure that we go out this month soon! We've haven't been out for a meal, or anything, without the girls (except for music group practise) for ages. But it will be achieved, I am determined!

Taking the English weather conversation to a new depth

Conversation with a friend down at school:

Friend: "Nice weather" [sarcasm]
Moi: "Lovely" [equally sarcastic]

Conversation with neighbour walking up from school:

Neighbour: "I'm glad it's stopped raining it was tipping down first thing!"
Moi: "Yes, I was glad because I didn't want to go in my car because I'm running out of petrol".

You see. We aren't fascinated by weather, it's ingrained. It's like a social no-no to not mention the weather in any short conversation with friends, neighbours, random old men walking their dog.

In the USA I imagine any business networking to go like this:

A: Hi, I'm Bob from Manhattan, I work for Cheese conglomerates.
B: Nice to meet you. I'm Jenny from Poughkeepsie and I'm in bananas.
(Conversation goes on and by the end of the discussion they know each other's family names, jobs, life story. Business cars are swapped, invites given out for families to meet, etc).

In the UK the business networking would go like this:

A: Cold this morning.
B: Yes, weatherman said it was going to rain.
A: Glad it didn't, I've got my washing out.
B: (silence as racks brains to think of something to say)
A: (awkwardly) Well, I must nip to the loo before the meeting starts.
B: Nice to meet you.

Ok, ok, ok, so I'm exaggerating national stereotypes :)

Off to empty dishwasher.

It's raining, you know.

:)

Slightly cold, slightly warm, and a bit in between...

Us Brits, we like to talk about the weather. It's a conversation starter, it's an ice-breaker, it's something to talk about in those awkward moments when you can't think of something to say, it's something to say to random old men you pass in the street, "Nice day", "Aye, better than yesterday" [walks on].

Yet the British weather isn't generally extreme or interesting. I mean we have the odd flood, but that's about it. We've had one hurricane in my lifetime...it was very small and we're still talking about it (and the weatherman who pooh-pooed the idea of a British hurricane will NEVER hear the end of it). It's never VERY hot, it's never VERY cold, it's never REALLY stormy. Our weather just pootles gently along in a very, well, British kind of way. "Well, I was thinking of being really hot today, but you know that's just not British, too extreme, ladies might get their ankles out by George!".

Having said that, it was flamin' freezing* this morning and summery** this afternoon. A girl never knows whether to take her cardi off or not!

Key:
* dropped below 15 C (59F)
** went above 15 C (59F)

Hope you're having a great Monday!

Happy birthday Grandma!

It was my Grandma's birthday on Thursday. So we went out for lunch together, Grandma, Mum and I. It was very nice, we met another friend there which was lovely.

Grandma does very well for 90. She doesn't go out on her own anymore because she's had a few bad falls. But she does all her own cooking, she showers herself (although we make sure someone is around when she does), she was even discovered mopping her own kitchen floor the other day! We had a scare on Tuesday when she ended up in hospital with chest pains but it turned out to be a stomach thing and not a heart thing, so we were relieved - praise Jesus! I was so worried, the tests took ages, Mum rang me at 11 am to say they were admitting Grandma but when it got to 4 o'clock and I hadn't heard anything I rang the hospital to find she'd just that very minute been discharged. All was well. Phew!

Today, after church, some family came round and we had a little birthday party at my Mum's for Grandma. It was great catching up with cousins I haven't seen for years! As we left Chatterbox said, "I love Grandma .....". Aww, so cute.

Today, Squidge and Chatterbox made themselves a Shield of faith, a Belt of truth, a Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God and a Helmet of salvation. Lol, the thing is most of the children at church then started play fighting with the swords, which isn't really the idea! :)

Here's Chatterbox modelling the sword and the helmet:


Edit to add: Chatterbox has just corrected me, she was learning about the Tower of Babel in her group today, the sword was Squidge's who has made two sets of helmets, swords, etc. in her younger group, and Chatterbox had just borrowed one of Squidge's sets. So I stand corrected! :)

Squidge has recently learned to ride her bike without stabilisers. She had also outgrown her old bike. So here she is riding her new bike, very pleased with herself she is! :)


Hope you all had a blessed weekend!