Gunpowder, Treason and Crepes

[CointreauVersial]

Here we are again.....

Nothing so subtle as leaning here for QQdog... just insistent barking and jumping and scrabbling at your legs with her sharp nails if she's a bit peckish... she's not exactly well mannered as those of you who've met her will confirm.

Oooh, a new Crepey dog! How fabulous! My cat leans, too. He sits next to you on the sofa, and leans in. He only sits on DH's lap.

Thank you for the M & S code, QQ. I will treat myself to some Filorga, and possibly a parka and also some Christmas cushions for DH to hate along with the lovely Christmas rug from Macy's.

I am struggling to stay awake, though have coped pretty well with the jet lag so far, I think. It doesn't seem to have affected DD1 at all. She was supposed to be volunteering in the local charity shop today, turned up and a notice on the door rather ominously says it is closed until further notice. I hope she comes back, as it is a lovely shop, and DD1 also needs her chit signed for her DofE Bronze.

How have you spent your Boden £10 crepeys? I have until midnight to buy something or it's gone forever . It's hanging over my head and i can see nothing I like.

Crepey Dog!!!

Crem - Boden have some quite nice leather wrap bracelets, if you don't want to fall into their "have small voucher, must spend more" trap.

Aw aw awwww.....at new crepey dog. He sounds lovely! I love a leaning hound; greyhounds do that.

I am getting good stuck into the and am quite glad this week is over. Busy busy (but productive busy) at work, but did feel at times like I was trying to nail custard to the wall. Lots of stuff going on, but no-one making the necessary decisions to actually move things forward.

I haven't a clue how long the bathroom is going to take, but the plumber seems fairly relaxed about getting it all done well before Christmas (he'd better - we have 13 on Christmas night). We do have another bathroom and another downstairs loo so it won't be too much of a hardship.

Changing the subject, can I just ask crepeys what sort of monthly mobile phone packages your teens have (£-wise)? DS is dissatisfied with his lot, and thinks DH and I are in the Dark Ages, expecting him to get by with the deal he has currently. He neeeeeeds a new phoooonnnnne.

CV ours are with giffgaff - check them out. I think we pay £12 a month each for them, but we did buy the phone first, although they now do contract deals which include the phone.

Ooh thanks CV haven't looked at accessories yet ( 56 minutes to go)
I hate your Tempting Ways, Johnny Boden.

We have an all you can eat contract with 3 at £12 per month. I guess it depends whether child is a texter, gamer, always on the phone or wants to download tunes & movies. I liked 3 as the staff didn't come at me and talk in Martian very fast and in a looming hipster manner. They were even nice to my ddad ( who left the shop understanding less than he knew at the beginning, yet quite pleased) so gold star to them.

CV, DD got a second-hand Iphone 4 to replace her defunct blackberry on a Tesco contract, DH also has one on sim only for 7.50. I am about to upgrade (DS is slavering for my old Samsung II) to a Samsung 5 on a Tesco contract (can you see a pattern her?!) All capped with massive call/text/data allowances, so no big surprise bills!

I am feeling surprisingly OK after drinking cocktails 7-12 at a local hipster joint I suspect I may wilt later!

We are bundled in with DP's Vodafone deal.

I have been for a Saturday Ladyjog mainly because I didn't go out on Thurs and want to do 4 a week, had lousy night so might as well get up (will catch a nap later - Molly and I are both invited to a 70th birthday do ) and also Mr Inferior is not around to get huffy when I remove myself from his optimistic groping affectionate advances you'd think he'd be used to it by now.

BTM, we've all just swapped to Tesco capped contracts too! Brilliant.

CV definitely agree with Lalsy and BTM about capping. Both dds and my phones are capped so we can only use the minutes/ texts included in the quite generous contract. Also with 3 , if you are abroad , the same call and text charges apply as at home.
I am slobbing about this Saturday morning( my first off since last year) downside is I have to go in tonight.

Wibu to stay in my dressing gown until 2 pm when I need to go out?
Lol

Oooh Cremo, that's worth knowing about call and text charges. Does that mean that calls from abroad are free (in the contract) ie don't incur any extra charges?

Happy new dog day, Beachy. Hope he settles in quickly and gets on well with ddog1.
Crem, def relax for as long as possible.
Auriga, that's majorly bad luck about the ill-timed germs.
BD, where are you and is work still vile?
I am calming myself down by writing a massive task list and trying to work out timings for this week. Off to take ds to his swimming lesson shortly. Unfortunately, I promised some while ago that I would stay and watch this week. I usually walk the dog or do some other job and go back to collect him later. Drat.

Just had the best sleep EVAH! Nodded off on the sofa at about 11pm, crawled upstairs to bed, and didn't open my eyes until 9.45am. Guess those 6 hour nights are catching up with me.

Thanks for the phone info. Trouble is, DS is on a contract because we couldn't face forking out for his iPhone 4S and, even though it's a ridiculous £21.50 a month it doesn't have enough data for him (he burns through his 750mB in about three weeks ). So the current plan is to give his contract to DD2, and get him a new phone, using GiffGaff (which DD1 has). DH, who pays £8.50 a month but is such a technophobe he can barely text can't quite get his head around it all. And I'm torn; should we say "don't be ridiculous; that's plenty of data already", or do we need to accept that the teens of today are more reliant on this kind of thing than we could ever imagine, and we're sad out-of-touch parents not to realise that?

Am I the only person who thinks PAYG phone arrangements are a good plan? I pay Vodafone £5 which means that dh, dd and I can all phone each other whether we have credit or not. Dd can put £10 a month credit on her phone, which gives her pretty much unlimited internet access and 500 texts. I also use this system, but I v rarely make calls with my phone, using texts and messaging apps instead.

Well, GiffGaff is PAYG. Yes, all good, but you do have to buy the phone. And as my poor offspring have been seduced into the cult of Apple, all they are interested in are iPhones, and they cost megabucks. Well, only DS has one at the moment, but DD2 needs a new phone and only wants one thing.....

Changing the subject a moment; just spotted this in one of the blogs I read occasionally. And lo, at the bottom of the page, there's my Clint Eastwood Cape!

CV, doesn't he switch to wifi in the house? I struggle to use 100mb!

Quite like the alpaca cape from Mango, but would be and if DH ever sported a man-cape!

DH is currently helping 3 teen boys make beanz on toast - talk about the blind leading the blind!

Beachy your dog on FB looks lovely.

DD is I think with Orange for 7.50 a month capped.

DF is 80 today - sounds OK on the phone but said he was feeling his age. All the UK part of the family are taking him out for a meal this evening and he says he's already tired before they've even arrived. I'm trying to persuade him to use Skype so he can chat to everybody including DD1 at uni.

Really enjoyed Gone Girl but can't say much more without spoiling it for anybody who hasn't seen it.

The weather is drab and grey and our mood seems to match here today. DS and DH are playing Lego LOTR.

MI Isn't Pondicherry the French bit of India? I know DD had practise papers for her French bac from Pondicherry.

It is. I'm partly going there because my bonkers cousin is just nearby but also because I'm fascinated by all those crossover bits.

Have picked up lined leather gloves (lost one of my own and love them especially for driving) and new Hush cashmere wrist-warmers for about a fiver total in the Age UK shop. Was going to offer the wrist-warmers to DD1 but have tried them on and she'll have to prise them from my cold dead hands

MI -

Ooh, you lucky so and so.

Just got a v nice jumper from Oxfam shop, MI. We are sooo good.

Herbs- how was your teaching?

Yes Herbs, update needed!

So MrsS, what are your top tips for NY?!