Daylight Saving Again

Another year. Another hour. Another total not actually understanding the whole concept.
So, just as everything was fine, it is now darker earlier . This is a Pom self imposed winter thing. No idea.
Is stupid.

Happy Halloween

 In the past, I have been quite rude about The Worst Pub in The World, but it has redeemed itself big time
and now is my favourite pub. Up until now , The Hubby and I have only popped in for a drink late afternoon , but at night...goodness! This odd pub comes to life. Imagine our surprise on Halloween (which is , for some odd reason, a MASSIVE thing here) to find the pub crowded with  hundreds of people, all dressed to kill. (literally)
The pub looked weirdly fabulous, with smoke bombs going off, and special effects lighting, absolutely amazing. There was hardly room to breathe, never mind move.
Then, at 11.30, a strange thing. Must be a Pom thing. The landlord came out to the garden/marquees, and said "Right, everyone inside now", and indeed, all the people , without a murmur, filed into the pub. Impossible really, seeing as the pub was already full, but even though it took a good 10 minutes, everyone squished inside. We had to leave, there was simply no space.
My photos do not do any justice to the evening, as I didn't take my camera and just had the stupid phone camera.
All the drinks were glowing in the ultra violet lights, there was a group of 10 all dressed in amazing alien costumes, klu klux klan, nazis (ok, so not awfully PC) , also, it is not always such a good idea to take photos of arb people, so I did have to restrain myself. But what a hoolie! If we are still here next year, I may even dress. Broken Ankle Man had the best ever Halloween costume, a black T shirt that said BOO!
He is so funny.

Wardrobe Change

Today was the Big Day.

Eventually I unpacked the winter wardrobe after having threatened to do it for the last 3 weeks.
Still and all, it was so hot upstairs  (heating not on, but sun streaming through the windows) so here I was , sweating, packing away the shorts and T shirts and summer jammies.

If it is hot again all week , we are screwed.

Stupid vacuum pack things, I had to iron all The Hubby's jerseys (who knows anyone who owns 10 jerseys? Jumpers? Whatever?)

Had to iron all this last year's  vacuum packed stuff , did draw the line at ironing the winter jammies. Am trying to get less anal.

Went outside to cool off and watch the Watership Down that is my back garden these days. Fox , sunning himself and scratching like crazy (looks very mangy)
Squirrel very demanding while I was trying not to scare the fox away, jays eating the revolting dried meal worms that I will never buy again..yuk!
Massive black crow that was actually quite scary.

So..today was a clothes management day. All the cupboards and drawers are sorted. (coincidentally, got a charity pick up bag for clothes  today, fetching Thursday)
Also organised all The Hubby's clothes in the wardrobe...long sleeved shirts/short sleeved shirts/ trousers/

Ha! I said trousers! Not pants!

Speaking of pants, must be a man thing, but The Hubby has winter/summer undies.
I have never had this issue. Go figure.

Dr Lauren bought a fancy smanchy Ted Baker Coat...still too hot to wear it!
 I have cleared the coat rack of summer hats and pashminas, making space for scarves  and coats.

And still...the warm weather persists....

Sun Damage

  My entire body is as white as a milk bottle...well, apart from my arms. Up until now I thought they were still tanned, but no! This is not tan. This is Sun Damage.
 My arms are mottled...white, with brown bits.
All my Saffa friends...we do such damage! Please put sun screen on your arms.

So now I look like one of those ponies. White with brown spots.
Charming.

Weatherwise, today was a high of 17....PLUMMETING to about 7 as soon as the sun went  down.

A new Pom trick today: Cousin Katy phoned me and said "You sound so warm!"
She is up in Scotland, in a howling gale and freezing temperatures, I was sitting outside in the sun when she called, and she could tell! Pretty impressive stuff!

Dark mornings...

This morning when I went to make coffee

 (The Hubby does not perform this chore. I ask myself..
Why? ..
I remind myself:
 Because I have spoilt  him rotten for  30 years)

Anyway, this morning ,  for the first time since  late October last year ,I had to switch the kitchen light on at 7am. Gone are the days when we had coffee at 5 am in bright light before The Hubby left for Dublin.

Still and all, the rest of the day was fabulous, sunny, warm, T Shirt weather. Washing drying weather. Amazing..
End of October, still fab weather..
Fab weather being 15 C plus.


So...just a thought.

Differences between Saffas and Poms.

What Saffas take for  granted:

Weather
Domestic help
Driving in cars
Braai's
Large houses and gardens


What Poms take for granted

National Heath Scheme
Public Transport
Social services
Policing
Transparent government
Secular Country

I may be wrong, I may be putting my personal stake on this...but it seems to me that what the Poms take for granted is what the Saffas would love to have. And indeed, vice versa.
Just that weather does not outdo the social benefits here.
Could never have afforded the broken ankle on Discovery Health.

Best words

The Welsh for microwave oven is Popty Ping. (colloquial , obviously)
I love it.
Henceforth our microwave is now the Popty Ping.

Xmas is coming

Only 80 sleeps I believe.

Yesterday I got the new Lakeland catalogue and was overcome by all the cupcake, chocolate and other nice xmas stuff you can make.Suddenly struck by guilt about the amount of money we usually spend on gifts, I thought it would be better to make all the gifts this year.
Dr Lauren was unsure, but The Gorgeous Son pointed out that it was going to be very hard for me to make a Polaroid camera for him.
Fair enough.
I left the Lakeland catalogue outside on the garden table and it got wet, so this morning the home made gift idea thing has worn off.

Autumn Report

Like the true Pom that I am now, I am always going on about the weather.

We have gone from 27+ C down to about 15, which is still OK.
The way I figure it, apart from 2 or 3 crap weeks , we have had good weather since April. October doesn't look too bad, even if only the first half. That leaves 5 and a half months of winter . Say one month of snow, which is great, I love the snow, so only 4 and a half months to get through. How bad can it be?
I am now properly sorted (as they say here) with my autumn/winter wardrobe.I have learnt from Dr Lauren's mistakes, and indeed , my own. In theory, if I dress properly, I won't be cold.

Bring it on! I am ready!

Crazy Weather

Today, again, crazy weather...27C ! Warmer than Bloemfontein, warmer than Jo'burg, warmer than most of the world...(well perhaps not the WHOLE world)

 Warmer than where MOTHER lives, and MOTHER is moaning and bitching about the rain...me, I have fuck all no sympathy, as The Famous Brother did say he would pay  for MOTHER  to go to South Africa again, from October to February.

Nonetheless, I don't live up North, so  today I am wearing shorts and a T shirt.
Is that not amazing?
Well, luckily the blog is not visual, so you don't have to see me in aforementioned shorts.

Yesterday we had a BBQ, all the children, Dr Lauren and Darling Simon , The Gorgeous Son and The New Girlfriend and Broken Ankle Man and Lovely Wife Jo.
Actually Lovely Wife Jo is also Dr Jo, so she and Dr Lauren bonded and ended up with no sympathy for  either Poor me or Poor  Broken Ankle Man.

I Love Broken Ankle Man.

Sure he thinks I am a mad old bat.
Personally I think we are suffering with Dr Lauren and Dr  Jo being Dr's and maybe seeing worse injuries and
stuff than  our Broken Ankles.

HA!