Thank you, Pirate.

O/T Have you been to the dentist yet?

no

ewww

thats horrible lol

Aaaaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!! That should come with an advance warning.

 

and this one should

Pirate!

 

Can you find me a nice pic with pearly white teeth now, please?

awww

and my bruvva wanted to meet you for a date aswell-youve upset him now

dont worry, ive chained him back up in the garage now

You shouldn't have posted the pic, and kept it a blind date.

I'm glad my iPhone isn't showing those pics.. I don't know what they are but they don't sound appealing Had a lovely day in York, afternoon at Betty's was a must Yogi, I really doubt we'll have a cold Christmas like last year, although I wouldn't mind an inch of snow how are Keira & Harvey?

Well at least those piccies make going to the dentist seem almost pleasant!

 

Just seen your post Summer, am jealous now tea at Bettys! (need drool smiley again)

Summer, you are lucky you can't see the pics. Let's just say they are pics of people who badly need to see a dentist.

It's over 20 years since I've been to York. I remember visiting York Minster, which was beautiful. Did you have a lovely afternoon tea then?

Keira and Harvey are doing fine. Harvey was visiting on Monday and they were snuggled up together again.

I'd love some snow on Christmas Day, and then it could disappear quickly on Boxing Day.

If Pirate doesn't go to the dentist soon, that's what he'll end up looking like.

Oh Crikey, I'm very glad I can't see them then! I have several fillings from childhood neglect and try really hard to keep my teeth in good shape now, I used to have nightmares about my teeth dissolving like sugar lumps Aw I have dog envy yogi, seeing stream this week just makes me want my puppy all the more! I live hearing about yours

 It shouldn't be too long before Stream is in season again, and maybe she'll get pregnant this time.

Keira is hiding behing the dining table atm because I was ironing - and she's frightened of the noise the ironing board makes when I put it up. She's a big woos.

Aw never! Lol bless her, the sound of the ironing board must sound awful to her! How is she with the Hoover? I must stay patient yogi, she should be in season in January, but even then it could fail again

She hides from the hoover, too. She used to hide when my middle son had his fishing rods in the house and she hates ladders as well. She's a big scaredy cat dog.

January isn't too far away, and we'll all need to keep our fingers crossed that it works this time and Stream gets pregnant.

How strange, I wonder why she dislikes fishing rods! I wore my antlers at streams, she kept looking up and them and I could see she was trying to work out what was going on Oh let's hope so yogi, they said they're going to keep her & Fred together for the whole time she's in season, if it's at her house I might get to meet him Have you got plans for the weekend?

It would be lovely if Stream were to get pregnant Summer, we could all be very supportive -OK we won't be knitting little booties but you get the drift

 

Yogi poor Keira, I am sure if I were a dog I would be just as bad, fancy everyone expecting you to be big and brave all the time, do you remember when Ben hid behind my hubby when there was a noise in the garden at night?  And he tried to chase off a cat once and the cat moved towards him and they both dashed off in different directions, hubby was in fits

 

Think I will head off to read now, catch you all in the morning

Sweet reading & dreams squiggle I enjoy hearing about your hubby x

She didn't like the rods because my son had extended them and they were hovering above her head.

Fred looked a wee smasher in that pic you posted of him. I'm sure he'll be a good daddy, if they are kept together at the right time.

I'm going to do some Christmas shopping with middle son tomorrow. He is hoping to get something for his fiancee and I'm hoping to get some inspiration to get started with gift buying. What have you got planned?

I do remember the story of Ben and your hubby, it was hilarious.

I suppose you're right, the poor dogs can't be brave all the time - and Keira is very brave when it comes to chasing cats (and teenage boys who climb into my garden to retrieve basketballs).

Sleep well, Squiggle.

I'm turning in too, sweet dreams yogi I hope the jungle is good tonight

Sweet dreams, Summer.

I won't be long before I'm off to bed too, I'm just waiting to see who leaves the jungle tonight.

Got to go pick up son from the station (well, it is wet and windy out there), and he passed major hints that he'd appreciate a bacon sandwich when he gets home.

See you tomorrow, goodnight all.

Ros and Velvet, if you are still around.

aww just like my son

 

night yogi   squiggle summer velvet

Good morning It's still so dark! I'm back to work today so just waking.. Happy Saturday everyone I'll no doubt see you from work sometime during the day, have a lovely morning

Good morning everyone

 

And a Happy Saturday to you Summer as well - and I hope all your clients are nice ones

 

It's fairly dark here as well, but that is because of the dark menacing clouds.

It certainly seems to be a lot colder this morning, good morning everyone by the way I am stubbornly not putting the heating on more than an hour a day until the 1st of December (I do have the halogen heaters).

 

Hope you find inspiration Yogi, and I hope all your clients are full of the Christmas spirit Summer.  Hi to Skylark, EL, Ros and Joyron, Joyron I hope you are feeling brighter as Christmas approaches.

 

I will be starting my Christmas smilies from next Wednesday but here's one to be going on with         

 

             

I'm back from doing my routine weekly shopping at M&S. In the Cheltenham main store, they have been playing about with the display in part of the food section. There is now a huge display of their biscuits for cheese:

Unfortunately they have made space for the display by drastically reducing the amount of space for their range of cheese. Besides their range of sliced cheeses and small samplers, they only had a small number of either very mild cheddar or very strong cheddar - nothing else. Either they are having supply problems or they have made a very silly mistake.Or maybe they have spotted a new trend in customers wanting to have biscuits for cheese but without cheese.

 

On the way back to Gloucester I drive down the A40. The part from what is known as Westall Green to the cross roads with Christ Church Road is called Lansdown Road, then after the cross roads the A40 is called Gloucester Road. That part of Lansdown Road has two lanes, the inner lane is for people who will turn left or straight on towards Gloucester, the outer lane is for those who will turn right. Gloucester Road is wide enough for two lanes but the actual split doesn't start immediately. The inner lane is for people who will be turning left and the outer for those carrying straight on towards Gloucester. In practice most drivers to Gloucester go straight towards the outer lane as soon as they are past the crossroads otherwise it can be quite tricky switching from the inner to the outer.

 

There are traffic lights at the crossroads which are visible soon after Westall Green. I think these lights may check to see if they are required to turn red before doing so rather than being on a set time basis. These lights have a very short period of amber before turning red. Although the Lansdown Road and Gloucester Road have 40 mph speed limits, I only drive at 30 mph until I get to the crossroads then move to 40 mph. This is just to allow for the possibility of the lights turning amber then red. I did once fall fowl to this and got fined, the one and only time this has ever happened to me, but there is no way in which I want to get caught again. I should think the Council get quite a lot of money from this particular set of traffic lights. As an aside, immediately after the crossroads in Gloucester Road on the left is Cheltenham Police Station. This may be why there is such a short amber period to allow for police cars to come out of the Police Station.

 

Enough background to today. Just after Westall Green there is another set of traffic lights which turned amber just as the car in front was getting there so they stopped as normal. I could see the lights at the crossroads were green and stayed green. The lights at Westall Green turned to green, the car in front turned left, I went on straight, and the car behind me turned left. I was driving at 30 mph fully aware that there was a very strong chance that the lights at the crossroads would turn amber before I got there. However the car after the car behind me which had turned left decided to tailgate me.

 

Obviously the thought went through my mind as to what should I do if the lights turned amber. Should I stop in which case the car behind me would almost certainly crash into the back of me, or should I carry on and get fined again. Luckily for me the lights stayed green.

 

My question to you is what would you have done in these circumstances?

 

As an aside, after I went past the traffic lights into Gloucester Road I moved towards the outer lane and moved up to 40mph as normal. The car behind me stayed in the inner lane, sped up to 50 mph, undertook me before moving into the outer lane and sped off into the distance never to be seen again I hope.

That was a tricky situation EL and I think I would have done just as you did.  The other driver sounds like a lot of drivers you see around at the moment and I am always happy that they zoom away, the further from me the better.

On the radio news this morning, there is always a short review of today's papers. They mentioned a cartoon in the Telegraph which was rather good, so here is is:

 

Good afternoon everyone. Weather is still wet and windy.

Middle son and I have returned from our shopping expedition. The shops were quite busy with several long queues. We did manage to get the items we had gone for, and got some more ideas for gifts which we shall buy online. All in all, a successful trip.

El, when someone is tailgaiting, my dad suggests flicking your fog lights on for a second  or two - it gives the impression that you are braking, without actually losing speed. The car driver behind assumes you are braking and also brakes, thus backing off in the process. A bit naughty, but apparently it works.

Squiggle, love the Christmas smileys.

Summer, hope all of your clients are nice ones.

Yogi, I did have the same thought as your Dad but the car behind me was so close that the driver mightn't have noticed.

Now that's toooooo close.

afternoon, I've had a very busy but cheery day I'm just waiting to pack up and go home, we usually go quiet once football starts. I've been very naughty my boss dropped off a black tree with blue & pink baubles so I bought 2 cans of snow spray and went crazy on the tree! Black tree indeed I'm also going to use the petty cash to go buy some cheap tree lights, can you believe I've been given a black tree with no lights?!!! El, I would have done the same as you too, I'm glad those lights stayed green! I have to admit that I'm terrible when someone is tailgating me, I slow down as much as I can until they get the hint.. 15mph usually does the trick

That driver sounds like the sort of driver who tries to bully others on the road.

 

Black tree with no lights indeed! Pah!  Not very Christmassy is it?

Black tree, no lights and blue and pink baubles - yuck!

I'm sure you'll be able to work some magic on it, Summer.

Summer, I don't think your boss knows you very well, black christmas tree indeed.

 

Sometimes if the car behind me is getting too close and is clearly breaking the speed limit, where it is safe to do so, I just signal that I'm pulling over, slow down and just let the car go by, then drive on. That's probably the best thing to do on a quiet road, but wasn't an option this morning where there were lots of vehicles.