Friday Five!

FRIYAY! FRIYAY!  FRIYAY!

Oh I'm so glad it's here.  Bring on the weekend!

1.  8 more sleeps until Florida.  Going to try and pack the majority of stuff this weekend so that I'm not a stressed grumpy mother before we leave!

2.  I wish Sobe was going with us.  I miss my boy when we are away!

3.  Trying out a new massage therapist tonight.  Fingers crossed that she's awesome. 

4.  I'm totally "stuck in" to Love Island this winter.  I never really got into it this past summer, but I'm loving this group.  They chop and change SO quick.  LOL.

5.  Work is awful.  Need to start brushing off my CV and bail before the ship goes down!

1) We got most of the Daughter's sewing/knitting/crafts magazines/books packed up. And now I'm thinking I should have lined the boxes with a bin liner in case there is moisture in the cargo container. That would totally ruin the printed materials. Guess I'll undo all the boxes (12 of them) and redo them with bin bags. (When we were shipping stuff over it was in a sea crate in a cargo container, so protected.) According to my mover guy, I can have up to 400 book-box sized boxes. I am praying to various gods that we do not HAVE 400 boxes! [EDIT: D'oh! Pallet-wrapping film. Of which I have a roll. That'd take care of those boxes.]

2) The whole foods place I buy stuff from online was doing a "get free wild rice with your £30 order" thingy, so since we needed more shea butter and some high-gluten bread flour, and a few little other things, I now have a nice bag of black wild rice delivered today.    I really shouldn't be ordering more food, but eating down our stash. But I'm a sucker for wild rice.

3) I never know if I should trust the weather guys here or not, but the last forecast I saw said it's going to get nasty this weekend and be unpleasant for the first part of next week. I may have to go take a walk in a bit to get out while I can still be out walking without coming back to the house with like icicles hanging off my glasses.

4) I just found out that Cat Stevens is going to be playing in Glasgow later this summer. When I was a teenager it was all about Cat Stevens, but I was never in the right place at the right time to see one of his shows. Since it'll be performed outdoors, I still won't be going in to the show, but I can certainly lurk in the park and listen.    (Where did the years all go?  I can remember 1971/72 so very clearly, and then it all blurs, and now... yoiks!)

5) The Daughter has heard back from one of the unis - a "sorry, no". That leaves two to go. According to what she knows, the one she really wants to get a "yes" from should be sending out their stuff in the next few weeks. The backup school should be sending theirs out today or next Friday, if they do as they've done in prior years. Fingers are crossed. So are toes. Every time the phone rings she streaks down the hall for it....

1.  Been working 10-6 this week and have hated it.  (I liked the 10 part, but not the 6 part and not the later lunch hour).  Glad to be going back to my normal 8-4 shifts next week.

2.  Was invited to join a new FB group for people who have adopted ex-racing greyhounds.  It's run by people from the racing industry, and it's been great finding out where your dog's litter-mates are, and hearing from trainers about what your dog was like back in the day, etc.  Someone was able to forward me a video of my dog in a race!  It was great to see him 'doing his job', even though he didn't win the race.

3.  Leftover lasagne tonight, and wine.

4.  Had a month's free trial of MTV with my cable company, and basically just binged Catfish for a solid month.  Now the freebie is finished, and I'm sad!

5.  Was planning to go to the greyhound walk on Sunday, but I hear there's a storm coming...so not sure.  I never used to be bothered by the weather, as I was always either at home, in a car/taxi, or in a pub.  But now I've got the hound I'm out in the weather often, and I have a different view now!!  Ready for spring-time!

My Friday Five:

1) It's been a long couple of weeks... today is my first full day off work since Burns Night 13 days ago... I think I've worked over 90 hours in that time. I was supposed to have last Saturday off, but the flight from the UK kept being rescheduled so we had to rewrite the roster about 5 times and I had to work it instead .

2) We've actually had some proper weather here on Ascension. We get quite a few light 'drizzly' showers here, but for the most part, it's sunny. However, this week we've had proper showers... it rained almost all day on Wednesday and all night Wednesday night... we got a reprieve last night and this morning, but it's just started raining again and it's expected to continue until tomorrow night. At least it's warm rain though - max temperatures are still 31 Celsius, but it's really muggy and sticky now.

3) One of the fun jobs I get to do out here is help to run the cinema (there are 4 showings per week)... tonight it's my turn to set it up and take the money, plus I get to watch the film for free (Knives Out, which I've already seen but happy to watch again)

4) I ordered a couple of things from Amazon the other week, not expecting them to arrive for ages... the first package actually made it here already, on the UK flight last weekend, but the second package didn't. The next possible dates for it to arrive are 19th Feb or 18th March.

5) Managed to get online during the free internet period overnight  when I was on a night shift the other day and was able to download Season 2 of Sex Education and the documentary series Cheer from Netflix . I finished Cheer today - it was pretty good

the documentary series Cheer from Netflix . I finished Cheer today - it was pretty good

We loved Cheer!  My husband is now impressed that I was a high school cheerleader.  He thought it was just pompons.

He watched Sex Education without me.  He was bummed at the ending of the second season.

1. I'm at work and all the systems I need to do my job are down.  This could be a really good day, or a really bad one!

2. I've been without hot water from the taps in my flat since the week between Christmas and New Year.  I have an electric shower, but no hot water from taps in kitchen, bath tub and bathroom basin.  FINALLY (fingers crossed) this is being fixed... the plumbers from the housing are coming on Monday.  I am DYYYYYINNNNGGG for a long hot soak in the bath with a Lush bubble bar!

3.  Last weekend I (drunkenly) left or dropped my purse somewhere... with 3 contactless cards in it.  The scum who found the purse had a rerr old time round all the off licences and fast food joints in Drumchapel, using my cards.  So all week I have been without cards or money, and trying to get this thing sorted with fraud teams of 3 different banks.  1 replacement card arrived yesterday, so at least I have access to some money now. 

4.  The hound is off his food since last night.  Hope he's ok.  I've tried to tempt him with all his favourites, but he is literally pushing them away with his nose.

5.  Fed up with winter now.  Please bring spring.

Eeee!  Friday!

System of a down!  Hopefully this turns into a really good day, Albatross!  You need it to make up for that lost-purse card debacle.  (We haven't had running hot water since we moved here three+ years ago... same as you, we have an electric shower and a kettle to help us cope.)


1.  It's a half day for my husband, so he'll be home by 2pm, at which time we'll have cheese and meat and paté and the French loaf I baked last night, and port.

2.  I ordered the groceries and my husband picked them up yesterday after work... this marks two weeks in a row where I didn't buy bread!

3.  I ordered one of those cured meat and cheese selection trays because I noticed the cheese in it was provolone.  Now I need to figure out how to make the "steak" part... then I can have my sandwich.  Don't worry... we'll eat the prosciutto and whatever the other thing is with our cheese platter.

4.  I got a slip in the door from my pharmacy saying their driver missed me, and my prescription would be at their shop for collection.  I didn't even know I was waiting for a prescription, so I phoned them.  Turns out, my respiratory consultant ordered my mucolytic... I have a one week supply of carbocisteine capsules in case I get coronavirus (not really for that... it just says "for chesty cough").  I love my consultant!

5.  I have 'til 2pm to shower, paint a unValentine's Day card, bake a loaf of soft white (the loaf I baked yesterday was crusty white for the platter), do the washing up, and prepare the cheese platter.  It probably won't all happen, but maybe... 

4.  The hound is off his food since last night.  Hope he's ok.  I've tried to tempt him with all his favourites, but he is literally pushing them away with his nose.

5.  Fed up with winter now.  Please bring spring.

It's always a worry when they go off their food. Get well soon Jimmy Blue.

I know the weather has been pretty rubbish lately, but have you noticed how much later it's staying light? We're nearly there! 

Aww poor puppy. Feel better Jimmy Blue!

Oooh, JFKimberly ,making a Philly Cheesesteak?

Friday!

1.) Hoping the gym is quiet because it's Valentine's Day.  That's our romantic date, haha 

2.) Ordered a whole heap of authentic Sichuan ingredients which have come in now. So Sichuan food is in my immediate future. Bring on the numbness! 

3.) Have to clean my utility room this weekend. It's a total midden. 

4.) Some exciting new musical plans in the work. I'm very excited (as if I am not busy enough)

5.) Had a few things go quite right today that made feel like I was adulting very well. Funny  how you can be of any age and get a moment of happiness when you feel like a proper adult.   

Oooh, JFKimberly ,making a Philly Cheesesteak?

I'm actually going for the Great Steak & Potato Co. take on it.  I grew up at the mall, and I really miss those sandwiches.  I have thin-cut steaks, provolone, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  I think that's about it.  I need to figure out seasoning, but I've always had to skip the onions, so that won't be missed.  I hope this satisfies the craving!

Good adulting, you!  I love those days when it just feels like you're in your groove and everything's going great.

On that note, I achieved everything on my to-do list... by 2pm!  Success!

Eat Jimmy Eat!

1.  Leave for Florida tomorrow!

2.  Storm Dennis will probably screw us!  If he does, this may be our omen that we should not go to the USA on holidays.

3.  I loathe packing

4.  On Tuesday I’ll be at the Magic Kingdom (if all goes to plan).

5.  Today is the 19th anniversary of Sobe’s gotcha day!  Best Valentine EVER!  My husband’s card was ordered at 11pm last night on Amazon Prime for same day delivery.  I’m so romantic.

@KFdancer have a great trip! 


@Albatross how is Jimmy doing today?

Oooh, JFKimberly ,making a Philly Cheesesteak?

I'm actually going for the Great Steak & Potato Co. take on it.  I grew up at the mall, and I really miss those sandwiches.  I have thin-cut steaks, provolone, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  I think that's about it.  I need to figure out seasoning, but I've always had to skip the onions, so that won't be missed.  I hope this satisfies the craving!

I have achieved!  Ohmigawd, it was amazing.  nctami72, you were right about the thin steaks... shave/slice it up while frozen and you get the perfect texture.  And my provolone!  It was real provolone and melted just right.  I went with asafoetida (fake onion powder), a bit of garlic powder, and some salt and pepper.  My husband liked it, and I have satisfied that craving.  Shaving the steak was a lot of work, so this might not happen too often, but it was definitely worth doing just so I know it works.

Meanwhile, my soft white bread is the first loaf I've baked in a loaf tin... gratuitous bread pic, because it was amazing!  My husband declared "we are never buying bread again."

Eat Jimmy Eat!

1.  Leave for Florida tomorrow!

2.  Storm Dennis will probably screw us!  If he does, this may be our omen that we should not go to the USA on holidays.

KF - Did your flight go ahead? Hopefully you are somewhere pleasant right now (and not stuck at an airport!).

KF - Did your flight go ahead? Hopefully you are somewhere pleasant right now (and not stuck at an airport!).

I saw pictures of them on the airplane.  They made it away!

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