I don't really mind that certain of my muses like me to drink large quantities of coffee, and I'm prepared to forgive them keeping me up late from time to time, but making me subscribe to ESPN? Seriously? It's going too far.

So I quit my old choir (braving the puppy-dog eyes of the conductor in person), and now I am joining a new one! It's at my local Anglican church, and they are happy to have extra altos! I'm going to my first rehearsal tomorrow ( Read more... )

Dear Amazon ( Read more... )

Once again I am having to sing the soprano part in the choir at work (which is absolutely fine for Christmas carols, but not so great for proper choral works), and I'm getting quite close to quitting. I can sing up to the C two octaves above middle C if I absolutely have to, but not many of them and not for long. In fact, anything above the F ( Read more... )

Tried to make chicken pie using shop-bought pastry and tinned filling. It was revolting. Have resolved to only make pies from scratch in future.

Have just got home from a trip to the Eden Project in Cornwall. The tropical dome is absolutely amazing, and they have recently started to let people climb up some steps to the top of the dome, and you can look down on the forest. There are birds and lizards in the dome as well as the plants - just a few specially imported species - and some ( Read more... )

This afternoon I, quite innocently, wandered into Waterstones, and was promptly ambushed by three books of the expensive variety. I think that's my whole food bugdet for the rest of the month gone! Luckily I have many cans of soup in the cupboard, and five or six portions of meatloaf still in the freezer ( Read more... )

Happy (slightly belated) New Year everyone (whose new year starts on January 1st ( Read more... )

Here in the arctic wasteland of Barnstaple it is -11.6 degrees centigrade, the roads are covered in ice, the revolting White Stuff is contaminating every landscape, and for once I'm more than happy for it to do so because the I have five whole days off work! Oh, and I've written a good thousand words already today! Merry Christmas!

The current temperature here in Exeter is -12 degrees Centigrade (10 degrees Farenheit). Pretty unusual for this part of the world, and possibly a record for here. There are still some daft people outside in T-shirts, though, and one girl in a mini skirt and high heels has just walked past!