18/12/2015
Christmas approaches with an ominous rumble. An avalanche? Unlikely, we only had 4" of snow and it melted in a few hours. It'll be the cat running upstairs. I still don't understand how somebody that small and renowned for stealth can make so much noise. I think they do it on purpose, most of the cats I know have done it, while dogs sneak upstairs rarely and always silently. Usually to sleep on a bed they are not supposed to.
Errol is a very chatty cat now, and looking more tabby than his original matt grey, which was perfect camouflage in poor light. Now he can be heard, seen and avoided when he joins us for breakfast. He has that effect that means you have to 'wade' through doorways to get safely past him.
This is with just one cat, it used to be worse with two. I assume he sees me, walking, as just a pair of feet, and since there are two feet and a cat, each about 4" wide, going through a 33" wide door, he doesn't see any restriction. It would help if he went straight in, but cat's don't do that, they like oblique angles, meandering paths and rubbing against your ankles. Still, he does keep the mice off the wiring and plumbing in the loft, so the odd portal obstruction is acceptable.
He has taken to the Christmas tree, this is his first without his mother who used to redistribute the baubles that she could reach with considerable enthusiasm. They didn't break, being over carpet, but it's quite a task finding the little wire clip and cap left on the branch and re-uniting them with their decorative bits. The picture is a bit blurry, the cat may have moved.
Errol just sits in the middle, under the tree and watches the lights. He's an odd cat in some ways, and has been known to watch television. He likes landscapes and cartoons most, but will always watch animals if the camera doesn't jump about too much.
The tree lights that he likes watching are LED now, a great improvement on the small, frail incandescent bulbs that always blow some time around June while apparently tucked away in their box. Presumably this is part of the process of the wires getting tangled for next year. It was always perfectly obvious that they couldn't get into that kind of a guddle without passing through alternate dimensions, and I guess that's when the bulbs go. Now if I could just find some that twinkle a little, rather than try to induce epilepsy..... I heard that somebody has recorded a video of a log fire that you can play on your TV. I think the cat would like that. The only one I could find on you-tube had music in the background and various bits of writing superimposed, presumably to get you to buy a disc. I'll just have to record my own with just the odd crackle and spit from the fire. I did have a nice recording of Up Helly Aa, where they burn the viking boat, which had all the right elements, except that there was a viking silhouetted in the front. This will have to do for now, sorry it's a bit wobbly, later I hope to find out how to make it loop.
When I retired I thought it advisable to develop indoor and outdoor hobbies. This is Scotland, and although it doesn't have the 3 month night you can get north of the arctic circle, the days can be rather short, especially if it is cloudy. Well the indoor ones have been getting more attention for the last few months as there were some digital documents to put together. The quarterly Midge Club (MOBC) Magazine, a digital Christmas card and a (this) newsletter. There was also the Club Calendar, not my creation but I did the financial side, which involved quite a bit of computery. I offered the option of paying by cheque, Paypal and BACS, which with hindsight was probably a bit rash, and each payment had it's own little variable, and some were in euros. Still, I learned a bit more about spread-sheets.
In case anyone didn't get a Christmas card, here's a viewable one. Click on the Christmas tree to the right.
I know it looks a bit mean using e-cards, but it is hand made, and postage is getting too expensive. The up-side is that you don't have to download it, respond to it or even read it. If you want to, you can print it, fold it and hang it up. It is entirely your choice. If you should want to see the club magazine it is here.
If, after that, you want to buy a Midge, join the club (£10) and be the envy of your peers. There's even one calendar left over. (£6 including UK postage.)
In terms of outdoor hobbies, it has been rather quiet on account of the amount of rain, I seem to have fixed the carburettor on the tractor, the 'ordinary' car, a Vauxhall Zafira, started misfiring just as we set off on a UK round trip, (mainly Car club related, but pausing to see Mum on the way). The misfire turned out to be a dud coil pack, I never knew there was such a thing, you live and learn. It does demonstrate the advantage of an old-fashioned car that can usually be fixed by the side of the road, but I'm not sure I'd want to try it in what is essentially a 45 year old Triumph Herald. The car is reliable enough but has no heater and as yet no side screens. Having said that, I drove it up from Somerset in a single 400 mile run without any significant problems. In November, and that was before I put a roof on it.
Fortunately the AA was able to sort out the problem with the Zafira and we were able to keep to the schedule. I think Fiona was happier getting it fixed than trying it in the Midge, in fact I'm fairly sure of it. Some of the club members think nothing of trundling off around Europe, but I don't think they take their wives, especially in Winter. Perhaps when I've made some side screens.... Actually the Zafira was probably more easily fixed because the AA man was able to stick a computer on it and diagnose the problem, but the modern bits still come very expensive.
Christmas is going to be fairly quiet, the snow is cancelled and there seems to be an extra order of rain on its way. That combined with our fasting days being the 24th and 25th (We'll make up for it on the 26th) I'm quite surprised how little the reduced calorie days bother me, actually 600 kilocalories to use the correct term, per day for me. It's been a while now, we started sometime around August 2012 so we are quite used to it, and although I notice that I get cold a little earlier if I stand still, I find I can work harder and longer on fasting days, and that keeps me warm. The upside is not putting on weight when we eat what we want on the other five, but mainly that it seems to reduce the likelihood of diabetes, some cancers and generally keep us healthier. Of course Cameron's government, Monsanto and other large, shady organisations may be undoing any good we achieve.
Anyway, time I got on with a few household tasks, there's a light fitting to replace and Fiona wants, although that may be too strong a term, to get onto the computer to do the tax returns. There's the log box to fill and a bolt to replace on the Midge's rear offside mudguard. The cat is staying indoors and seems to have gone into hibernation, doesn't like rain or high winds, and intends to sleep until May.
I, on the other hand, should the wind drop and the rain stop, might just go and try flying a quad-copter.
Have a happy new year
Jim
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