Nick Gibbins

A-Caroling We Will Go

It’s not that I dislike carolers per se, although I think that at some level I regard their interruption of my evenings as on a par with door-to-door salesmen. Rather, I’m getting increasingly narked by the fact that the carolers that we get round here only seem to know one carol: Silent Night. It has reached the point when I feel pleased if they’re singing Away in a Manger instead, and that’s an asinine ditty without compare. Whatever happened to all of the interesting carols? Where is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen or Good Christian Men Rejoice? Whither The Holly… Read More »A-Caroling We Will Go

Life Chez Gark

A bit of a life roundup for the past week. First off, the cat. She might have stayed around for an extra day, but she buggered off the following day. I suspect that it was the move from luxury single sachet cat food to multipack Waitrose own-brand cat food that did it. The seems to have taken it well, and has accepted the explanation that “she’s gone back to her family” (which in all truth is the most likely outcome), and hasn’t settled for “she was driven away by next door’s army, and is now cowering under a bush with… Read More »Life Chez Gark

Cat update

Well, she isn’t tagged, nor is she pregnant. I also assume that she doesn’t have anything obviously wrong with her, otherwise the vet nurse would probably have mentioned it (even though we didn’t have a full MOT). So, step two is to stick posters around the local area and wait. If that doesn’t work, we might have to look at a) adopting her, b) naming her, and c) working out where we can put a cat flap (it’s not looking good at the moment).

The cat came back, the very next day

Fashioned an impromptu cat basket from a convenient cardboard box* and a blanket, and left the cat in the kitchen with the window open last night. When I got up this morning, the cat had gone. Aside from the foul weather, “jolly good” thought I. Better that she tries to make her way home. We were part way through breakfast when I heard some insistent meowing from the front door. Our waif (still as yet unnamed, because that would suggest that a) we had a right to name her and b) we were intending to take custody – she remains… Read More »The cat came back, the very next day

An unexpected turn of events

We appear to have acquired a cat: We passed her on Brookside Way, and she followed us home. She then hung around outside for another half hour, and was looking quite lost ( found her when she went outside to get some thyme). The seems a little unsure as to what to make of her; he’s currently stroking her gently, but he was telling the cat to ‘go’ earlier. He at least now seems confident that she won’t play with his train (although he’s quite keen to demonstrate it to her). I’ve been on a quick trip to the shops… Read More »An unexpected turn of events

That Was The Weekend That Was

Relatively busy weekend. I’d brought the new TV home on Friday lunchtime (a Panasonic TX-32LZD81), so we went shopping for wall mounting brackets on Saturday. Quite glad our chimney-breast was only 35″ wide; given the fun I’d had trying to fit the TV in the back of our car (without removing the ‘s seat), we’d never have been able to fit a 37″ in. I’d been out to the Hobbit with the usual suspects on Friday night, partly to commiserate with . First time in the Hobbit for years (since the was born at least, and probably since ‘s 30th),… Read More »That Was The Weekend That Was

Home Alone

So, is currently away at a workshop in Manchester, which means that the and I have been having some quality daddy-son time. This is also the first time that she’s been away from him overnight since he was born (see her post here). I was a little worried about how he’d take this, but it’s been generally better than I’d thought. He’s been a bit at sorts over the last week, having just moved up to the next group at nursery, and he’s only just started going into nursery again without wailing and hanging onto our knees. He asked after… Read More »Home Alone

What I did on my birthday

So, time’s winged chariot duly rumbled past last Wednesday and added another year to my age, putting me indisputably past the halfway mark of my three score and ten. and I took the day off, having left the in the nursery, and we went out! And saw a film! In a cinema! Without the ! Like real people! We ended up going to the Harbour Lights to see Quantum of Solace, mainly because it meant we’d have a fighting chance of staying awake; the had been pretty unsettled the night before, so we were in need of sleep. Not bad… Read More »What I did on my birthday