Hot Hot Hot

It's been super hot lately, and this has coincided with the week that I am on standby for the emergency call centre. I have been in rather a lot, and tonight (Thursday night) is the last night of my stint, but also the only day so far this week that I haven't been called in.

I had thought, or hoped that it not being the middle of winter that I wouldn't see much 'action'. I couldn't have been more wrong. I don't know how the guys out in the field were keeping up with all the problems that were going on. Trees causing problems, fires, lines coming down, over zealous gardeners digging through cables. All sorts of things. You could tell how tough it was getting in the delays that were creeping in for first response to faults - because the engineers were already out on another job.

The most stupid thing has to be someone deciding to prove that the power's out by using a ladder to climb up the power pole and test the supply themselves. Lucky the supply was dead, because otherwise they would have been. Important bit of advice people, don't climb up power supply poles, don't go near the cables if they happen to come down. Don't touch them. They have a really bad habit of killing people.

Having not spoken too much to my daughter this week, I text her tonight for a cursory chat about things. I couldn't call her from my mobile because I have to leave the line open in case I'm called in. The chat moved from sms texting to facebook chat, where I then sent her a picture of my new Chromebook. She then proceeded to lecture me about how I didn't need another device and that I 'just keep buying things'.

The problem is, she may be right. Okay, I have brought another device. But I did buy it ridiculously cheaply, and can always sell it on if I don't want it any more. Having identified a need, that I thought could be filled with my iPad and a portable keyboard, I went for the absolutely cheapest way of filling that need. Not the most complicated or expensive. But she is right, that I have an iPad, and iMac, why, oh why, oh why do I need a laptop. Well I do. I need to be able to type easily. On Wednesday, when I sat in the 'garden' working on a 'Doorstops' script for Beacon, it was on the Chromebook that I did it. I couldn't have really managed to sit out there on my camping chair with my iPad and a bluetooth keyboard. I have done in the past, and it's a thing of managing to balance everything right, setting them at the right angle on my lap so that I've got room to move or sit comfortably and type. Also the heat doesn't really do nice things to my iPad. Last time it actually shut itself down and refused to work until it had cooled down somewhat. The device itself, being made of metal was white hot. Picking it up in my hand, I was genuinely concerned I was going to get branded by the Apple Logo, burning into my palm.

I know that I can come up with loads of different reasons to justify my expenditure. To justify it to myself maybe.

It is finally dawning on me that our holiday is not too far away, and I should really get my arse moving and actually book one. There are emails I get frequently from some of the holiday places, offering me short notice deals, but those are still too close - and not yet for the week that we want.

I am confident that we will be able to get something. Part of me would like to have been able to go to Jersey, but it turned out to be so fucking expensive that I would have nearly had to sell the flat in order for us to go.
I may have just exaggerated slightly. Slightly. There's something special about Devon. Heading westwards has a spiritual draw to it. Heading Eastwards, like we did a few years ago when we went to Hastings doesn't have the same charm. I don't know how to put that into words, or explain it, but that's how I feel.

I would also like to go to Scotland, or Ireland, but there's also the part of me that thinks we should not be heading further North. Further South = warmer. Further North = colder, in my mind. Would I feel cheated spending my summer holiday deliberately going somewhere colder ? So that when I come home, it's warmer ? Now that doesn't make sense.

If it was somewhere more special, maybe Iceland, or Canada, or cruise up the Norwegian fjords, then maybe, just maybe. But to damp Edinburgh ? Nah. Does not compute.

I'm probably talking a load of shite and am about to get lots of comments from very angry people in the Scottish Tourist Board.

Sunday, Sunday.

A  little late getting up today, made me late for picking up Chloe. Nice day. We stopped into Palmerston Road, to take advantage of the farmers market. Brought some rather delicious honey, and that staple of farmers markets, a hog roast. Yum.


A quick trip to Iceland, (the shop, not the country) to pick up some supplies, and we came back and set about preparing for dinner. Chloe had been asking me to give her some money, first to top up her mobile, and then so that she could buy a game for her Ipod. There then started the chat about how as she has so much pocket money, she can afford to buy such things herself.

£10 worth of topup a definite no. The £1.75 for the 'Plants vs Zombies' game, was something I was prepared to buy, if she did some chores. So after vacuuming her room, and the front room, running down to the shop to get some tin foil for me I let her buy it. Eventually she let me have a go.

For a nice change we had Gammon, instead of the usual roast Chicken.

As well as deciding that she wanted to move the dressing table in her room, Chloe had finally decided where it was that she wanted the cat pictures that she had been given by my mother. I'd also gotten round the changing which side the fridge door opens, so that it works better with its place in the kitchen.

After dropping Chloe back home, I came back, wasted some time before starting on cleaning the flat from top to bottom. There's only so much dust I can take. Actually the flat doesn't get that dusty, it's more a case of keeping things clear and tidy, and that nice 'just cleaned' smell I love so much. I really should get a life.

Ever since changing the opening side of the fridge door, I have struggled to still open it the old way. I guess I will get used to it, but there's something in it. Getting used to being on the other side. I think I'm being unnecessarily deep. That's just a generous way of saying I'm talking bollocks.