22-Jan to 28-Jan 2012

Sun 22-Jan: Another poor day weather-wise, so after going to get the family's supplies of the new Argos catalogue found ourselves window shopping in Huntingdon Garden & Leisure this afternoon. It must be the new entertainment... there were loads of similar couples just drifting around with no particular purpose. As a result I found myself drawn to the goldfish and to admiring the various fish tanks. Here's the one I'd like when we've finished decorating the house and know where it could go, maybe the bigger 30 litre version.

Mon 23-Jan: After the disappointment of pitching up on the forecourt Saturday pm only to find the sales office shut, it was back 08:30 this morning to give the once over to the car John fancied, an MG ZR TD 2.0l diesel. The car documents showed the last service in 2007 and there were gaps in paperwork, so managed to squeeze the dealer for a few hundred. Drove nicely and generally looked good. Called the last registered owner who lived in Scunthorpe. He explained he was a car mechanic and serviced it himself every year, sold it last year to a car dealership that then went bankrupt, and sold since his wife was only doing a few miles a day and diesel not best for this. He confirmed mileage and said was a good runner. John just might have picked a winner... here he is looking all Joe Cool.

Tue 24-Jan: Flippin' 'eck, what's happened to the weather? Another grey, wet and windy day. Been selling some of our excess stuff on eBay. First a regency style bookcase and cabinet which went for £67, picked up this morning on it's way to Germany! Yesterday sold my leather office chair for... wait for it... £0.99! Only one bidder. Teach me to put a more reasonable starting bid on in future. So just put this mirror I bought via John from the sale at TK Maxx over a year ago for next to nothing with the intention of selling on. Auction on it ends Sunday afternoon and I've put a starting bid of £5 on it. I'm trying to put anything made into my iPhone fund, but Linda wants to get an incinerator for the allotment. Sigh.

Wed 25-Jan: Not quite so grey today so off we went to Peterborough in the morning. High point was the cathedral... huge sense of history, with the tomb of Catherine of Aragon, the place where Mary Queen of Scots body was held after execution, the huge scale and simple things like the initials carved on a column with the date 1663 underneath. Low points were the hour and a half it took to get lunch in the Wetherspoon's pub and the shops... same retailers, same shop fronts as in any other town. Won't be going back in a hurry! But a definite reason to be cheerful today... three eggs from the chickens! They obviously know spring is on its way.

Thu 26-Jan: Bit of a barney at home, so did the 6.5ml Kings Ripton walk in the morning. Here's a photo of the amazing straw fox I saw... about 25 feet high! After quick lunch popped in to Cambridge to see if there was anything worth buying in the TK Maxx sale (where unsold items have their prices reduced by a third each day) for resale on eBay (the source of the barney). Came away with a white leather footstool/storage unit reduced from £58 to £8, to view click here. I'd better make something on it!

Fri 27-Jan: YipPEA! The peas stored on the study windowsill have popped their heads up. Strangely it's the older peas that have appeared... the ones we bought this year have yet to show.

Sat 28-Jan: Here's John about to drive off in his new car, showing his appreciation of the advance to enable him to complete the transaction. To be fair I was trying his patience a bit, asking for another snap. Sent him a text later asking how far he'd gone on his first trip... not far he replied, and the engine doesn't sound like a tractor now.