...you spend too much time on the clarinet, barry-clari. You're fired.

mine would be "louise1712, you spend too long on the forums and facebook, and not enough time on the clarinet and violin. Go and have more lessons with barry-clari because you're fired "

Where on earth has the time gone this evening?

Just seen this Do you think Lord Sugar would pay for the train fare for one of us?...

I'm sure he would, especially if I keep sending him recordings of my squeaky reeds

It's not as if he's short of cash or anything

So, just because I haven't submitted to any social networking sites, Hotmail states that " ...... is not your friend!"

How dare they?!

This isn't an argh, but it's not made me particularly happy, so it goes on the random thread.
Today I had the day booked off work. My bike was booked in to be serviced in Cambridge.

My original plan was to ride to Cambridge, potter round the shops, pick up the bike, and go home on the train with bike and shopping.

As I've been off work sick all this week so far, and the weather was set to rain, I decided that I'd get the train both ways - it involved getting up a bit early, because there are restricitons on taking bikes on trains in to Cambridge at rush hour. But if I got the last pre-restriction train, I'd get to the station about 25 mins before the bike shop opened - no real problem.

All going well until we got to Great Chesterford. The driver told us that the train was terminating and going back in the other direction, due to a broken rail up ahead. And no information on when the trains might be running once again.

Not that it mattered - the next train, due in about 45 mins, was slap bang in the middle of the restrictions. I'd have to get the train after that, in 1 hour 45 mins. But the shop wanted the bike by 9am if at all possible please.

Right, well, obvious, isn't it? Must be less than 10 miles to go, might even be 5, I tell myself. And off I set on my bike - in the pouring rain. Not wearing the right trousers (no padding, which wasn't a bit deal, but had to be tucked in to my sock to avoid chain entanglement). Didn't have any mitts with me - helps with gripping the handlebars in the wet, and also the towelling back is very useful for wiping rain off of my spectacles. Didn't have anything to drink with me either. And somewhat impaired breathing equipment, due to this stinky cold/flu/ickness.

Still, I got there, it was fun in its way, at least I had dry shoes to change in to once I was there - though putting the wet socks and shoes back on to come home was a bit grim Turns out it was 10 miles though!

I remember one time I got a friend request on Facebook from a girl, with whom there was a rather strong mutual dislike-it was slightly cut off in the email came up as "Jane Doe wants to be your friend....." to which, upon reading this, my mother remarked "She wants to be your friend? Does SHE know this?!"

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has an IMDB profile! I found it rather funny! LOL

I went onto a website this morning and it was under reconstruction. The message read "... please bare with us while these changes are being made." I didn't think it was that kind of website!

lol

I have 2 parcels arriving today, 1 my parcel from the OU for my new course and secondly, a mini slow cooker that I have bought for my Mum from Amazon.

We have to go out in a minute as son and I are going swimming, what is the betting that both parcels turn up whilst we are out!!

My butcher has started selling pork scratchings - and I've managed generally to resist the temptation for years - now there's a basketful enticing me every time I pay him a visit!

I just had to smile at a matrix sign on the motorway yesterday. It said 'To Jct M60/M62, 15 miles, 12 mins' . I make that 75 mph !

Oops!

Argh!

BAH!!!

Go for it Clavi !!

I'll try and restrict myself to when there's an 'r' in the month - September, October, November ..... - well, wadda you know?!

I've just been presented with a dead baby bird by a very pleased with itself cat. I hope it didn't think it was payment for a bed for the night as it us getting kicked out soon.

I love avocado but I wish I didn't get in such a mess preparing it, especially when it's slightly over-ripe

The autumn, winter and spring months (apart from May) all have an 'r' in them - but all of the summer months don't! Cooincidence?

January, February, March, April

May, June, July, August

September, October, November, December

The Roman year used to be 8 months long, and the months were named after Roman gods or emperors. I'm not sure without looking it up when the year was made into 12 months, but the new months were rather unimaginatively all named 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th (using the Latin names for the numerals). Hence them all having an "r".

I'll go now

Ah, that makes sense! Thanks!
(and knowing random things about stuff is a good thing, honest!)

Almost : it was 10 months long (no January or February), and July and August were called Quintilis and Sextilis respectively, before Augustus renamed them in honour of himself (August) and Julius Caesar (July). Which means September - December were the 7th-10th months (think October - 8th month, octagon - 8 sides).
When January and February were added, for some reason they were added to the start of the year rather than the end...

I knew my Latin GCSE would come in handy sometime

Latin is cool, I've used mine loads as a horticulturist Didn't do it at GCSE because I didn't get on with the teacher, and did Classical Civilisation instead, but for a few years it was compulsory at my school so I learnt lots of it anyway

Oh excellent - it's interesting to see all the words in English that have Latin roots (words are something that really interest me : remember the programme 'Balderdash and Piffle', with Victoria Coren?)...

Interesting programme!

My Form Tutor in the Upper Sixth was the Classics master and although I never studied Classics, he did have an etymological dictionary on his bookshelf that intrigued me, so I went out and bought one myself!

Talking of words, I have just picked up my copy of the Guardian Bank Holiday Prize Crossword compiled by 'The Master' setter Araucaria........... Bliss!

Slowly getting more and more excited to go back to school.....

It does wear off after a while though .......... perhaps after twenty years or so!

Well, if I'm hoping to do medicine, I'll still be studying in twenty years!

I haven't got dressed today!

Listening to TMS as the Fourth Test winds down, but tinged with disappointment as the allegations hit the headlines - it's all gone rather flat!

Still have a large proportion of the Guardian Crossword to complete - based around Alan Plater (1935-2010).


What shall I have for lunch?

Cyrilla's nearly a Maestro...

HAAAAA!!!!

I posted my #8000 just as you were posting this *lol*

Excellent! Well done on your Maestrodom

Thank you!

But I thought that was some sort of prehistoric mammoth...

Just noticed you're member 99, Cyrilla. Did you get a flake when you signed up?

Today's going to be a slow one then.

I'm bored. I have nothing to do. Well, I have plenty to do at home, I have nothing to do at work. But I have to sit here for eight hours looking busy. Well, probably nearer six hours, because nobody else has turned up yet and the people expected in today are 10am-start people (I'm an 8am-start person - this is through choice, we have to be here 10-12 and 2-4, but so long as we do the right number of hours in the month around that, the exact hours don't matter)

It's just annoying because if I didn't have to be at work I could tootle a bit, go out on my bike, mow the lawn, write some more OU essay. Best I can do here is read some OU stuff in pdf when nobody is looking in my direction...

(Note: I ADORE 99 ice-creams!)

Haha - congratulations C !

Thanks Maggie!

*C rides her Maestrodom off into the sunset*

Did anyone manage to ever solve any of the clues on the game show '3-2-1'?...

How odd you should think of that b-c; this week's Radio 4 Woman's Hour Drama is called, 'Dusty Answer'!

Why Clavicembalo has been listening to Woman's Hour, we'll never know...

I think the mention of a beard-trim is merely a red herring to put us off the scent of the truth...

Digging, eh?

I commonly listen to Radio 4 from 9am-10am, which includes Book of the Week. Then I listen to hear what's on Woman's Hour and decide then whether any item is worth listening to, otherwise I then generally go to the piano for a couple of hours before thinking about what to have for lunch.

There are often very interesting items discussed and a fair number of men do listen to the programme in fact. Mind you, there's plenty that doesn't interest me in the slightest. Anyway, occasionally the Woman's Hour Drama (10.45am-11am, repeated 7.45pm-8pm) is also worth catching too; in which case I'll make myself a morning coffee and then go to the keyboard.

You are doubtless far too young to remember the quiz programme 3-2-1, in which the booby-prize was a dustbin, called 'Dusty Bin', so when I noticed in the Radio Times that the Drama this week is called 'Dusty Answer' it clearly warranted posting.

Anything else you want to know while I'm here?

I woke up this morning thinking I'd gone deaf.... then I remembered I'd fallen asleep listening to my iPod, pulled my headphones out and all was fine again...

Brendel gave me the best night's sleep I've had in years!

With a name like 'Ribble', I thought he/she'd come from Lancashire. Apparently not...