For the record the cake turned out ‘bundtylicious’

Cid

I’m back from the Cotswolds … little business, little shopping, nice mixture. Saw a Christmas bag that said Ho Bloody Ho on it and thought of you

Having trouble with Christmas shopping? Look no further than your personal shopping assistant who’s been to every shop and knows just about every on line store. I’ve had a few gifts posted to me and what a stress buster it can be… in fact when I returned I found a parcel waiting for me, a wonderful Christmas tree bundt tin which I intend to utilize as much as possible over the following few weeks. Despite asking for this in all my local shops and those in near by towns, no one seemed to be able to get one. A quick search on line gave a couple of possibilities and slightly cheaper than I’d previously thought so I called to confirm and two days later there it was, all shiny and splendid. Nigella will be so proud of me Now that’s all well and good but there’s another side of this tale…. why didn’t the shops within a 30 mile radius have this tin, because they were required to order a number of them and thought they wouldn’t be able to sell that amount. Margins are critical in these cash strapped times but then so is good marketing and I’ve found a lack of that as well. Stores full of rubbish bought cheaply and I suspect, still available after the festivities, which will then have to be stored or sold off at discount prices. I’m avoiding the sales this year, it’s too much stress and last year’s old tat seems less appealing than the current old tat…. I’m beginning to sound like you so I’ll stop now

Cid

Miles

Miles

You’re much too creative to own a PC. Time to become a Mac man and kiss Windows goodbye forever. I LOVE my Mac and have owned Apple computers for more years than I care to admit. Seriously, I love, love, love my Macs.

On another note, I’m feeling quite bad for all the people having such a tough time in the Cumbria region. Sending warm wishes for a speedy recovery.

Melissa

As to the computer: I hope your repair work includes replacing Vista with Windows 7. Most of the folks who have done so seem to be happy with the new Win7. Hope it has arrived from the Colonies for your use.

And speaking of overkill–Thursday was Thanksgiving here in the States. It is a national day of over-indulgence on a grand scale. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potato caseroles, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cheese cake–truly a bounty of heart attack inducing foods. The day after Thanksgiving is commonly known as Black Friday, the day that all of the stores offer huge sales of items for Christmas. It is called Black Friday because, traditionally, this is the day that retail stores finally get into “the black” financially. I have photos of people in line at stores a week before, complete with their tents, sleeping bags, chairs, all hoping to cash in on the deals. A fight broke out at one local store (a K-Mart) and the store had to be emptied of people, closed, and then re-opened a few hours later, with the number of shoppers limited to a few at a time. Aaah, the wonders and benefits of living in America.

Annie

Miles

I read that some people in Cumbria could be two years before they’re back to ‘’normal’ !
I know of somebody who was affected by the Lincolnshire Flooding the other year and they were in a caravan for two years !

The short-eared owls are at least something to look forward to
Best of luck
Rod