Funny story

Alan went to check with the next door neighbour that it was OK to go up their drive & chop down some ivy. Neighbour's son asks if there's somebody with blonde curly hair staying with us, as he noticed a Suspicious Person loitering around the garage in the early hours of the morning, causing the security lights to go on & off. But hadn't investigated any closer, because the person disappeared without doing anything more suspicious.

Last night, while I was smoking one of my surreptitious halves outside, I spotted a strange light going on & off in next door's back bedroom, & (having been told they were away for the week) suspected burglars... but didn't investigate any closer, because I managed to convince myself, by repeated observation, that it was a TV, & burglars don't generally stop to watch telly....

I suppose grey might look blonde, under security lights!!!

Close encounters of the JCB kind

So, Alan was happily driving along this country lane, when along comes a JCB on the wrong side of the road, with its bucket obliterating the driver's view....



Luckily, he ducked.



Sigh. That's another of his lives ticked off.

Wot, no pizza?

It's only about five years since I finally found a mnemonic that actually worked, for remembering the names of the planets. Could never get on with the mouldy jam sandwiches or any of that stuff, until one day I discovered this:

"My very energetic mother just served us nine pizzas"

It reminded me of a rare flattering photo I have of myself, & it stuck.



Now they've gone & taken away the pizza :-(

Update on the smoking

I threw myself a challenge:

I'm probably deluding myself when I tell the kids it's "only" at night, "only" outdoors & "only" halves. Ask me again in a month's time!

The month is up, & at the risk of sliding into cliché, two out of three ain't bad. Still only outdoors & only halves, & haven't yet exceeded five. But that's not quite "given up", is it?

Kitchens

As in, if you can't stand the heat, stay out of them.

One of my OU jobs is really turning pear-shaped on me. Something I thought I was quite good at, but am gradually being forced into the conclusion I'm actually cr*p at, because I naively assume people are nice. I should know better. I should go with Nick Cave's sentiment, "people just ain't no good". If I started from that position, I wouldn't get disappointed so often.

Oh well. I'll know next time.

Certified!!

or How To Miss Reading The Small Print & Gain A Qualification Without Knowing It!

Long ago I studied T171, which was in so many ways a life-changing experience (as many of my readers know....). I've just finished the replacement course T175, as I thought my techie awareness was getting a bit tatty round the edges.

When the results came out, I thought it was about time I considered finishing off one of the various qualifications I'm partway through, instead of keep starting new ones, so I'd been psyching myself up for M150 next spring. T175 + M150 = Certificate in IT and Computing.

What I didn't realise, until I was idly playing with the OU's qualification planner tonight, was that T171 + T175 = Certificate in IT and Computing.... I've already got it!!!! Just had to go & tick a box saying I wanted to link both courses, & hey presto :-)

Sat there with a big grin on my face & then burst into tears!! (Kids think I'm certifiable, never mind certified, but never mind!) Even though I already have a BA & a doctorate from another life, there is something very, very special about having my very own OU qualification :-))

Gumball Rally

I'd never encountered a gumball rally before. Apparently it's an annual international event, characterised by celebrity involvement & controversy, & inspired by a 1976 film that I'd never heard of either. The reason it was brought to my attention is that there's now a student version, in which three of daughter #2's friends are involved.
Rejoicing in the name of "GY Massive" (to which some wag will no doubt add an A before they've gone many miles) the team of Alan, Alex & Karl will set off on 3rd September for a five day fundraising dash across Europe. The lads are seeking sponsorship online at Justgiving, in aid of the gumball rally's chosen national charity (Teenage Cancer Trust) & the East Midlands' own When You Wish Upon A Star organisation.
It's probably not very environmentally responsible, but hey - it's fun & all in a good cause.
Headline in the local paper? "Students chew over gumball rally plans". You couldn't make it up :-)