ABC meme

Oops, sorry Britgirl - looks like I missed you tagging me :o)
Here goes ...

A - Available/Single? Married to the bestest man.
B - Best Friend? Apart from my husband, my books. As Ernest Hemingway said, "There is no friend as loyal as a book".
C - Cake or Pie? Cake, definitely.
D - Drink Of Choice? Rooibos tea with organic vanilla.
E – Essential Item You Use Everyday? My mobile.
F - Favourite Colour? Purple.
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Urm, can't say I like either, bears if I have to choose.
H - Hometown? I was born in a sleepy market town in the east of England (that's all you're getting).
I - Indulgence? Green and Black's Milk Chocolate.
J - January Or February? February, as it's nearer the warmer summer months.
K - Kids & Their Names? I have a teddy called George, does that count?
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? Privacy and freedom.
M - Marriage date? 7th August 04.
N - Number Of Siblings? None.
O - Oranges Or Apples? Apples.
P - Phobias/Fears? Spiders and enclosed spaces (especially certain parts of the Tube (the London Underground system).
Q - Favourite Quote? I have two.
Terry Pratchett: "This isn't life in the fast lane, it's life in the oncoming traffic."
Star Trek Next Generations: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
R - Reason to Smile? A good book, a good movie, a generous act of kindness.
S - Season? Summer.
T - Tag people? If they fancy doing it, I would like to tag Birdy and Mr Man's Wife. If anyone else wants to do it, consider yourself tagged and let me know in the comments :o)
U - Unknown Fact About Me? Finding my balance is like searching for rocking horse droppings. I have therefore never mastered the art of riding a bike.
V - Vegetable you don’t like? Have to agree with Britgirl, I don't like Parsnips. In the spirit of the season, I love Brussel Sprouts!
W - Worst Habit? Oh, this is like the job interview question, "describe your weaknesses". Um, I don't know. Hah ... not being able to answer questions like this!
X - X-rays You’ve Had? Dental and a chest x-ray when I was little.
Y - Your Favourite Food? In the cold weather - roast potatoes, winter
vegetables, a roast and gravy. In the warmer weather - fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli with a simple tomato and basil sauce.
Z – Zodiac sign? Cancer.

The beauty of mid-winter

A few things this week have reminded me of the beauty of this time of year:

* Clients and colleagues saying thank you;
* Friends and family spending time with each other;
* The wintery weather transforming the scenery.

Excuse me now while I slump on the sofa after cooking one of the best roast turkey meals ever ;o)

My compliments of the season to you all.

Update

Zinnia asked me how things were so I thought I would do a proper update.

NaNoWriMo
Yeah, um .... about that *cough*
When I signed up I was optimistically hoping to have moved in late October/early November. As it was, I was packing and stressing throughout November and quite frankly had no desire to write. As I write for pleasure, I was not going to force myself to write on top of everything else. :o) I'm beginning to miss it now so that's a good sign.

The House Move
Hubby, his Dad and three mates all provided much needed muscle. I tried to pack the boxes sensibly so they wouldn't weigh too much but I'd have collapsed in about 15 minutes! I was foreman ;o). They worked out an efficient system to get the vans loaded quickly and we were on our way by early afternoon.

The handing over of the keys was a singular occasion ... quite literally. We received the grand total of one yale key, the sole lock on the front door (oops missed that during the viewing). We got a locksmith out pretty sharpish to sort that out.

After the obligatory day or two on take-outs, we got some food in and prepared to cook. We then found out that the cooker had a unique feature which involved switching itself off after 20 minutes (no wonder the previous owner had left it behind).

Our broadband provider ... well, I'm still apoplectic. Suffice to say, our sanity was saved by our friends sharing their broadband with us by way of wireless hubs and booster arials until we were properly online seven days after we'd moved.

£150 for Van Hire
£20 for bacon butties and copious drinks
£150 for a locksmith
£400 for a new Cooker
£100 for incidentals
An obscene amount for legal services

Owning our first brick ... priceless!

- - - - - - - -

Finally, a question:

We have velux-type windows, those ones that go in a slopy roof. I've noticed some condensation between the two planes of glass (it's expensive this property ownership malarky) so it looks like they'll need replacing eventually.

To get to the question - as these windows are old and drafty, it would be better for my heating bill and therefore the environment to get them changed. Does anyone know if there are any local government incentives or grants to help with such things?

Toodle-pip.

Those who can ...

Did you see Real Story on BBC1 tonight? It was a documentary following a team of specialists who went into an under performing school to identify any children with learning difficulties, to help them improve their basic skills and to introduce new teaching practices.

I was shocked by the attitude of some of the teachers. Admittedly some of the pupils had learning and behavioural difficulties but much of that was due to the system letting them down. The staff was resistant to change and new ideas. Some were verbally aggressive to the pupils. I can't begin to imagine how stressful teaching must be but I really wonder why some of them are teachers.

Shockingly the average literacy age was 9 in a group of 11/12 year olds. 40% were under the required standard. They were having to teach basic reading and writing skills which should have been achieved much earlier. After a while, one of the teachers was pleased with the progress of a particular boy's reading but to be honest it was still slow and stilted.

I couldn't help but think, at the age of 9 I was reading The Hobbit and by 11 I had read the Fellowship of the Rings and was starting the Two Towers.

I guess I should be thankful for my good education :o)