A miscellany

[girlyswot]

• First, a huge thank you to ankaret for tea at the Pump Rooms in Bath yesterday with her and aella_irene. I have vague plans to make 2009 the year of putting faces to the names of my flist and this was a lovely way to begin. We talked about Jane Austen's probable views on blue cupcakes with sprinkles, the medicinal value (or otherwise) of the spa water which ankaret and aella_irene were mad enough brave enough to sample, the problems of in-laws, the fabulousness of the Old Shed, the foolishness of publishers and a whole lot more. I am very glad to have met you both and hope to do it again sometime.

• Second, and less happily, I got home to find an inch of snow on the ground and frozen water pipes in the Shed. There was enough residual hot water to have a much-needed bath, and there is cold water coming in through the kitchen tap, but there is no water in the bathroom at the moment. The plumber is coming tomorrow. The most irritating thing is not being able to flush the toilet. I shall go over to the parents' house for a hot bath later.

• A cold which has been threatening for weeks has finally developed. My throat feels like it is being sandpapered from the inside and the frequent coughing fits are therefore agonising. My voice hasn't quite disappeared but it is certainly lower and huskier than normal. Grrr.

• In the light of the previous two points the amount of useful brain activity this morning has been negligible. It is not looking at all likely that the next section of the dissertation will be done by mid-January as I so optimistically suggested to my supervisor. Not least because I haven't actually sent him the previous section yet.

• I have sausages and lentil salad for lunch. Yum.

• On the radio last night someone described Josiah Wedgwood as 'an imaginary man'. He's done jolly well keeping things going for as long as he has if that's the case. Actually, I am very sad about Wedgwood. My best friend from primary school lived in Barlaston, within walking distance of the Wedgwood factory; my great-uncle worked there as an accountant; it's always been a part of the fabric of the local area.

• I think all the Secret Santa gifts have now finally arrived except mine. :(

• I have finished going through the Yuletide unfulfilled requests list and I have four that I would like to write.

• I wrote comment fic for tdu000 here and here and, yes megan29, you get one too. Give me a prompt.

Comments

[stmargarets.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sorry your gift isn't there yet! You'll have to let me know where you want me to send something else. I have a horrible feeling it's with the card that I sent Berte last year (that never arrived).

Hope The Shed warms up soon - a cold house isn't good for a head cold. Take it easy.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

The house actually is warm but the water pipe is in the loft which is open to the air (because of the bats) and the warmth of the house seems to be having no effect on the pipe up there. The plumber thinks it's possible that there's a gap in the insulation somewhere. Hopefully he can sort it out tomorrow.

I'm not really sure what would be the best address to give you at this stage (my life being so ridiculously complicated).

[megan29.livejournal.com]

OK, here's my prompt: Arthur investigates a complaint of outrageous Muggle baiting: Apparently, someone uses magic to make StMargarets' mail Vanish (he has to find out who does it, where it went, and retrieve it).

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

In a drabble? Hmm. We'll see.

[megan29.livejournal.com]

OK, fine, you can make it longer. The compromises I have to make! *rolls eyes* :-)

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

It was lovely to meet you too, and thank you for the beautiful handwarmers - they came in very useful when trying to negotiate malfunctioning ticket-exit machines on bitterly cold platform coming home.

I hope your pipes thaw out soon. Not having a working loo is incredibly annoying.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's not much fun. We think the problem is that the pipe is in the loft which has openings in it (for the imaginary bats) so it gets very cold indeed. Either there's not enough insulation or there's a gap in the insulation. The plumber is coming tomorrow to sort it out but for tonight I am having to go across to my parents'. Good job I hadn't got round to updating this icon to 'Completed'.

[white_hart]

I do hope your pipes thaw out soon. And if your travels bring you anywhere near Oxford please do let me know, it would be lovely to meet you IRL.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I'd say that it's very likely at some point. In fact Oxford is on my list of top three places to be living, come September.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I think JA would have approved of blue icing, albeit it was probably coloured at that time with something lethal.

I hope your pipes are OK. I was amazed mine hadn't frozen after a fortnight of no heating, but clearly my little jerry-built flat is not quite so jerry-built as I thought.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I would certainly have believed that the blue icing yesterday was coloured with something lethal.

We think the problem is that the pipe is in the loft which has openings in it (for the imaginary bats) so it gets very cold indeed. Either there's not enough insulation or there's a gap in the insulation. The plumber is coming tomorrow to sort it out but for tonight I am having to go across to my parents'.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I have vague plans to make 2009 the year of putting faces to the names of my flist and this was a lovely way to begin.

So you are visiting both Sydney and Newfoundland? What a lot of travelling you will be doing this year.

I was sad about Wedgewood closing too. How could that happen? "Imaginary" isn't the word I would have chosen (LOL!) but they are right with waht they meant to say.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I may not get round to my whole flist this year.

Yes, he was certainly both imaginative and visionary. It's not actually the first time it's happened - the original company folded in the mid-nineteenth century and was revived after the second world war. And it's been having financial difficulties for a while. But still, it's hard to believe. I'm going to try and visit the factory shop in the next day or two and see if I can pick up some bargains.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

However, we have vague plans of going to the UK for next Christmas and Ripon is just a few miles from the A1 and could be a good place for a break for anyone travelling south from Scotland!

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Well, there you go. Though I don't think I'll be in Scotland much longer. But I'm sure we could manage something.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

You move about a bit, don't you? It must be so good to have the Old Shed as a permanent base, even if you don't actually get to live there too much.

[brownfach.livejournal.com]

I hope and pray that you get well soon.

Coincidentally, the boys and I made cupcakes with blue icing today, with little green icing islands on top - Tomos's suggestion, in very advanced anticipation of going to the Isle of Skye in August. Unfortunately, you will in all probability be nowhere near the Highlands by then!

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I have a horrid feeling that it may get worse before it gets better. But thank you.

Your cakes sound delightful. I did think of you yesterday as I was on the M4 going in the direction of South Wales. I think I did visit you once in January when you were pregnant with Steffen and it was the most glorious sunny weather for walking on the beach.