Category Archives: Uncategorized

Updates

Well, I have my car back now.  Apparently “all four” ignition coils needed replacing.  The car is much nippier and smoother now and far less prone to stalling.  Several of the problems I’d put down to teething troubles, getting used to the car, and less than expert driving can actually now be attributed to the nearly-dead ignition coils.  And they fixed everything under the warranty, after I got a little stroppy with them about cars that fell apart barely five weeks after being purchased from a dealer hitherto considered reputable.  I didn’t even have to threaten them with trading standards.  Or stand in the middle of the dealership and say in my best public speaking voice, “Excuse me everyone, I have something important to tell you about the level of post-sales service you can expect.”

Smudge — he hasn’t been back to have his ultrasound yet.  I’m hoping we can get him an appointment in July after I come back off me hol.  He doesn’t seem to distressed, and both cats are increasingly happy at home, even if both of them are very quiet purrers.  Keep an eye on my Flickr tag “cat”  for the latest photos as I don’t want to bore everyone by updating you on the latest cute thing the cats have done, like reading council papers, or queuing up to lick meat juice off my thumb, or peering through windows or pure and simple box-sitting.

Back on the train


Back on the train

Originally uploaded by nilexuk.

On Tuesday some weird shaped orange thing started flashing on my dashboard and the whole car started shuddering when idle. The light turned out to be the toxic fume filter warning light, so I phoned the dealer who cheerfully told me that the car would try and regenerate the filter by itself if I drove over 50 mph for a while. I was dubious of this but promised to spend some time on the motorway caning it. Which I duly did. The car got worse and worse while I did so and really struggled to get to *coff* 70. This morning, it would barely start. Now it has a warning light saying “check injection” so back to the dealer it goes and back on the train go I. At least that gave me a chance to get them to replace the handbrake and repair some paint chips. Thank goodness for lifetime warranty.

Graffito


Graffito

Originally uploaded by nilexuk.

Whilst the drains were being done earlier in the year, we noticed this pencilled note on the wall under the car port – “As the grate was locked, I had to leave it (the coal) here”

When did anything in this house last burn coal? I seem to recall from the house searches that Nottingham has been a smokeless zone since 1966, but the note could refer to smokeless coal, or it could have been burnt since. There are definitely people around who burn smoking fuel in ignorance or defiance of the ban. Of course, the city — and the country — goes a different sort of smokeless next year.

The grate referred to isn’t there any more — it’s been bricked up and now the boiler vent comes out of it.

When we bought the house, much was made of the ‘electric woodburner’ that had recently been installed. The thing is terribly kitchy and makes an unbelievable racket when you turn it on. It is connected to real flue that snakes over the lounge ceiling and is boxed out through the hallway to the front door. The presence of the real flue — and almost complete absence of radiators on the ground floor — suggest there was something that burned real fuel even after the central heating was put in.

Come on Paraguay!

Apparently some sort of football tourney will begin today, and a meeting I’m at has been scheduled particularly early so that it will be over before the sport begins.

I am not amused.

Smudge is ill


10052006(001).jpg

Originally uploaded by nilexuk.

Back from vet.

Fudge fine.

Smudge however has heart murmur, likely the cause of his breathing difficulty, rather than the collar-caused throat injury.

Vet is recommending ultrasound scan to see the extent of the murmur, then possibilities of operation (although cats with heart murmurs present high risk for anaesthesis) or medical intervention, ie tablets.

Will leave it a week or two before going to ultrasound, I think, to let
Smudge get used to us not being evil people who want to stuff him into the cat carrier at the drop of a hat.

Our cat feeder for the weekend is convinced she needs to walk around on tippy toe so as not to startle him into heart failure, but since he jumps whether you make a noise or not, it’s clear that sudden adrenaline rushes don’t do him much harm.

Cix:cats have suggested we tell the CPL and see if they’ll help us with the costs, but to be honest, the charity needs the money for feeding their current charges, and we should be be able to afford the treatment.

They also have cunning ruses for getting cats to take pills, involving inuring them to treats by coating cat biscuits in cream cheese or fish paste then substituting the biscuit for the tablet once you’ve won their trust. Smudge doesn’t like cheese, Fudge can’t get enough of it. Both of them turned their noses up at Wilco’s finest cat treats.

R's party

I didn’t blog last week, so missed mentioning R’s fancy dress party, “heroes and villains.”

Best set of photos is here, including me as CSI Grissom (a hero who doesn’t shave! Yay!) complete with gun and ALS, and P as Austin Powers. But look out for Jason King, two Cruellas de Ville, Classic Movie Villain, Screaming Heroine…  Party included Dr Who.  Of course.

Given R’s penchant for the piquant, I made the crazy vodka-soaked, white-chocolate stuffed, dark chocolate coated chillis.  They were surprisingly edible.  The vodka they were soaked in was poured back into the bottle and had quite a kick given it’d had only had 24 hours in contact with chillis.  Piping the peppered, vodka-laced white chocolate through a baggie with a corner cut off was easier than I expected.  The dark chocolate refused to stick to the outside of the chillis.

R’s party

I didn’t blog last week, so missed mentioning R’s fancy dress party, “heroes and villains.”

Best set of photos is here, including me as CSI Grissom (a hero who doesn’t shave! Yay!) complete with gun and ALS, and P as Austin Powers. But look out for Jason King, two Cruellas de Ville, Classic Movie Villain, Screaming Heroine…  Party included Dr Who.  Of course.

Given R’s penchant for the piquant, I made the crazy vodka-soaked, white-chocolate stuffed, dark chocolate coated chillis.  They were surprisingly edible.  The vodka they were soaked in was poured back into the bottle and had quite a kick given it’d had only had 24 hours in contact with chillis.  Piping the peppered, vodka-laced white chocolate through a baggie with a corner cut off was easier than I expected.  The dark chocolate refused to stick to the outside of the chillis.