MonthJanuary 2010

3BT – wide awake, sleepy, somewhere else for a moment

1. Despite promises that he’d go to sleep if I walked around the block, Joe wide-eyed stares with a concerned look on his face, wondering why he’s being pushed around by a strange fuzzy lady. Then, about ten minutes in, he realises I’m cool and is all smiles for the rest of the walk. When we return to our starting point to wait for the end of his mum’s appointment, I throw milk over the both of us. I think he’s rather glad when his mum reappears to wipe us off.

2. Heads nod rhythmically by the time we hit Rodley. The air on the bus is stifling, coma-inducing but the traffic is on our side and we sail through Calverley with barely a pause. Stepping out onto the pavement reminds me of the plunge pool at the Turkish baths.

3. Caius accidentally knocks over the heater in the office. The bang jolts us all for a few seconds. Later, at home, the tongs snap apart as I’m loading the stove and I’m jolted again. Our brains are frighteningly unaccustomed to the out of the ordinary.

3BT – reward + walk = rewalk, can’t wait, so soft

1. I finish an unpleasant task a lot quicker than I expect which means I have time for a walk with the cats in the woods. They bounce and chase through the decaying leaves then follow me home.

2. I learn about herbs from one book and wild foods from the other. I can’t wait for Spring to kick in.

3. The new brushed cotton sheet is taut and heavenly.

3BT – not a beautiful thing, stash, tails up

1. John chewing his food is not a beautiful thing. Especially when he is pointing at the half-chewed food in his open mouth and indicating that he and it are beautiful things. No, no.

2. I’ve unintentionally forgotten to visit two of my favourite web comics for a few weeks so have a stash of unread strips waiting for me today.

3. Tails in the air, they bounce single-file through the dining room door to welcome their dad home from the pub.

Last week’s Tweets (up to 2010-01-17)

  • @tim_waters i was thinking about the horse/car idea the other day, and whether i could get feasible around on a horse. answer: probably not. in reply to tim_waters #
  • anyone want an A6(ish) hard cover moleskine week-to-view 2010 diary? i bought it by mistake – thought it was A5. *annoyed with myself* #
  • @EMERGERecycling this might be outdated now but it used to be <a name="anchor-name"></a> on the para … in reply to EMERGERecycling #
  • @EMERGERecycling then <a href="page.html#anchor-name"> for the link in reply to EMERGERecycling #
  • Have managed to forget all my creative & thrilling poll ideas in the time it took me to sign up to PollDaddy & create a custom style. Sigh. #
  • I accept I'm going to HTML-hell because I am too lazy to open style.css & put styling in my HTML instead but am too tired to care. #
  • Likes this article – http://bit.ly/complain-less-plan-more – very much how I'm trying to think at the moment. (via @johnleach) #
  • Wearing a blanket like a sarong to cut out lower-back drafts. Not a sexy look. #
  • @tim_waters the refectory? they used to do fantastically odd combo lunches there. I once had pasta bake, with boiled potatoes & cauliflower. in reply to tim_waters #
  • The office is super warm for a change and we're all full of pizza. If we make it until hometime without falling asleep, I'll be amazed. #
  • @tim_waters I concur. I spend half my life bouncing between those states and it's not fun at all. in reply to tim_waters #
  • Has done loads of really great work today – stuff I've been putting off for ages. Not enough externally-billable hours though, boo. #
  • Learned why you shouldn't leave a fortnight-old glass of orange juice dregs on your bedside table next to your glass of water. *bleugh* #
  • Increasingly strange/interesting music at Moosewrench in Leeds. Feel somewhat disorientated/detached. Probably what the bands intended. #

3BT – back to brown, shyness is nice, static

1. I have breakfast in the newly re-emerged garden – the first time it’s been snow-free in nearly a month. I count up how many of my garlic bulbs avoided being stolen by squirrels and watch the cats as they refamiliarise themselves with all the smells of the neighbourhood. The pond is still mostly frozen but the beck is flowing quickly, filled with melted snow from the hills.

2. We go out to the Dogs Trust and meet a beautiful but very shy dog called Scooby. The trainer explains Scooby’s social problems and we laugh because they match mine almost perfectly. The trainer admits they match his too.

3. We slide the mints from their packets at the end of the meal and the wrapper sticks to our fingers with static electricity. We walk them between our digits for a few minutes then store the wrappers in our pockets for future enjoyment.

3BT – purring, suits you, changes, soup, window

1. Boron has inserted himself between us while we slept so when I wake up, he’s under the duvet, with his head resting on my pillow next to mine. We stay there for at least an hour until John wakes up and he purrs a deep, satisfied purr the whole time.

2. We decide to finally implement something we’ve been talking about for a couple of months – we go to the RSPCA to see about adopting a dog. We meet two boys who have lived with cats before and we’re encouraged to play with them and walk with them. As John walks away with the second dog, I tell the handler that I think John looks good with a dog at his side.

3. We head into Bradford city centre for lunch and some charity shopping. It’s been a while since we’ve been there on foot – certainly the first time since we moved to a BD postcode, but probably a couple of years before that even. On the way up to Oxfam, we notice that the nature of the city starts to change after Duke St: the big-name chains gives way to smaller, independent shops, and it feels like a first time visit to a small town instead of a familiar city.

4. The sound check runs late so we have to eat quickly – it’s a shame to gobble such lovely food. The soup starts out neat and orderly, all the additional ingredients in their own part of the bowl and enjoyed individually, but as I eat, it all gets mixed together and a fuller flavour is revealed.

5. Kev writes my name in the condensation on the window and as the evening proceeds, the letters streak until all that is left are vertical drip lines down the pane. Above, the red light turns the dull gold window frame into a surreal ruby.