Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Hurray for the Holidays
by admin - 21:11 on 23 December 2010
At last – the holidays have begun, and early enough for me to leave GNoME HQ in daylight, bathed in a temperature of only -3. That's almost warm when compared with what we've endured recently.
My winter break will be an extended one, for the Chief Gnome has no need of my services for the next three weeks, so it's as well that my website design services are in demand again. Two new sites will help raise the cash to meet Mr Taxman's demands, which must be satisfied by the end of January.
Matchgirl has enjoyed leisure since the start of the week and is in increasingly festive mood. After a quick trip to Tesco today to gather a few essentials she returned with bagfuls of buns, cakes, Kettle Chips, pretzels and more Kettle Chips, then settled down with the Radio Times to draw up her Yuletide viewing and munching schedule. She clearly has little intention of leaving The Rural Retreat's comfortable interior.
Bess has a similar outlook, but that's more of a problem for a cat who takes care of her personal business at the bottom of the garden. If she can't bring herself to brave snow and ice, or make more use of her litter trays, there's a good chance she'll explode before the new year begins.
I, on the other hand, hope to be out and about with my shamefully neglected Pentax, although final preparation of The Bumper Book of Black Isle Snappery will keep me indoors for a while. When the great work will reach Dingwall Printers is unknown, for Norman, Brian and co are holidaying too, and with no notice of when they'll return. Most frustrating.
More snaps, and lots of them, are a necessity because I'm now the joint custodian of ten ISBN numbers – that's the barcode on the back of books, vital if they're ever to be sold in real bookshops. The numbers are sold in a minimum block of ten so Andrew, Dolphin James and I have nine more tomes to create, unless Bassman Books takes on other authors and becomes the next publishing giant. Random House should be worried.
Music Update: They said it could never happen, but last Tuesday evening it did – Shaker reunited to rock Mulbuie Hall with Garry on vocals, Adam and Jim on guitars, Matt on drums and me on bass. And I've got the blisters to prove it. Considering the length of time we've been apart it sounded almost decent. We'll try again in the new year.
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