Xmas shopping

I, and lots of other people, went shopping in Cardiff today.  I got in early and got out early, for which I am very grateful.

I then did some more shopping in Bridgend, and came home with most of the things I went out for.

I was just drinking a cup of tea when Nic came back and suggested I go with her to walk a friend's dogs.  It was very pleasant having a nice tramp across the fields with the dogs, a whippet and a Sealyham cross terrier called Buster who feels the need to attack wire fences and worry them furiously, which is very funny. 

Nic was staying to redo the bedding for her horse, so I set off home and halfway down the lane saw a horse in the road, standing by a gate.  I reversed back to ask Nic about it, and she came down with me.  The horse was clearly wanting to get into the field and his friend in the stable was calling to him, but the gate was padlocked.  He had jumped the gate to get out, but didn't have a run at it to get back in.  Nic, being strong, lifted the gate off the hinge, ushered the horse back in, and we propped the gate back because we couldn't get it back onto the hinge, but he was clearly glad to be back in his field.

Then I came home for a cup of tea.

Yippeeeeeee

We got out second set of Job Evaluation results today, and much to my surprise I have gone up in salary!!

I am thrilled to bits, because I didn't expect it to have changed from last time. 

The scheme has to be approved by staff but hopefully it will be.

On another matter I am so cheesed off with the media talking so much twaddle about the pensions for public sector workers who are going on strike on Wednesday.  We do pay into the pensions, and have done for years.  Actually the pension schemes are financially healthy and don't need additional funds, and anyway any extra  money is going straight into the treasury not into the pension scheme. 

If the pension fund was underfunded and the additional 3% they want to charge was going into the pension fund then the situation would be different.  As it is, the government are taxing public sector workers an additional 3 or more % with no benefit to them.  If they want to tax everyone - fair enough - but to just tax one sector is not fair.

I have no compunctions about going on strike because I am really annoyed about the lies the government is telling and the bias in the media generally. 

Sunny gardening day

Friday was an eBook meeting in Aberystwyth, at which I was giving a presentation about the ebook pilot which 14 of the library authorities in Wales are running.  Luckily we had done a power point presentation, which was only supposed to be the introduction prior to the online demo, however the National Library firewall wouldn't let us in, so we didn't get to give the talk with a live demo.  It was a bit annoying as they knew the website well beforehand, so should have tested to see if the firewall would let it in.

However the talk went ok, so I was fairly pleased with the day, and did pick up some useful things from some of the other speakers, especially  how much Libraries Northern Ireland gained from social networking, because they got some very high profile publicity through it.  Worth following up.

Then I drove down to B's as I was closer there than home anyway.  Saturday we hit Haverfordwest to do some Xmas shopping, which was followed by a very lazy afternoon reading the paper and potching round the internet.  Today we were more energetic though and transplanted 3 shrubs which have outgrown their location in the back garden and needed to go somewhere which gave them more room and stopped them overpowering their neighbours.  I say 'we' though B actually did all the digging - I supervised and pulled up weeds.  It has been a beautiful day today, sunny, bright and not too cold. 

Christmas shopping

I have got 3 main presents this weekend - all three of the kids.  It isn't yet December so I am feeling quite pleased with myself.

I am thinking deep thoughts about what to do on Christmas day with food as we are having our main Christmas dinner on Christmas eve.  Nic will be working till 1ish, and Adam will be working till about 3 so when to eat and what to eat are the questions I am pondering.

Beef and yorkshire puds etc?

Something very alternative from some foreign country?

Smorgasbord???

Hmmm

Bra sizes

I wondered if I am wearing the right size bra so looked up the instructions on how to measure and one set said I was 36F and another said I was 40B.  Really?????

The Wikipedia article was actually quite good about how difficult it is to get a sensible measurement that really works because, of course, everyone is actually a different shape, and breasts vary in shape a great deal as well as all the rest of one's anatomy.  But the bra manufacturers aren't taking that problem on board.  If you are very well off and can go to Rigby and Peller they don't measure you, they look and you and then get a bra to fit.  I have a friend who did get a bra from them but they cost the earth and they tell you that you should get refitted every 3 months!!!  £100 on a bra is not in my budget.

So for more normal mortals we just have to keep on buying bras that sort of fit.  The one's I have found most comfortable are actually really cheap ones from Tesco, but I suppose if I was prepared to pay £25 or more each I would find other comfy ones, but it goes against the grain.  I have had some expensive (ie £25 plus) bras but they are not appreciably better than the cheaper ones. 

So I went into M&S and tried lots on today, lots of different sizes and shapes, and came out thinking that the size I am wearing is probably the right size actually, and that M&S bras just don't fit me.

Baby evening

I had a lovely evening yesterday.  Kate was here because she is going to the ballet tonight with a friend, and Kelsie came round with baby Joseph.  He is nearly 1 and is a charmer.  He crawled round the floor, patted the dog, who was not at all sure that this was a good thing,  and generally was a perfect guest.

After he had gone home to bed another friend of Nic's came round with her 9 week old, Ellie, who was equally charming.  Although asleep when she arrived she took with great good nature being woken up and handed round everyone.

After all the babies had gone Kate and I watched penguins on Frozen Planet and had a glass of wine.  How civilised!

Computers and wedding

I was in Manchester for 3 days last week at a User Group meeting for the Library Management system last week, much of which was very interesting, but only to people who use Infor Library systems, so I won't say much about it. 

My train journeys ran remarkably to time and mostly to seats as well, though lots of colleagues had far more difficulties with late, cancelled and overcrowded trains.  I'm glad I missed the journey back to Pembrokeshire which should have gone at 2.30, left 50  minutes late, and ended in Cardiff. 

At the weekend we had a lovely lovely time.  B collected Adam, Nic and Kate on the way to Essex while I got the train from Manchester, and then we all had a really good time at my sister's.  On Saturday we went to my niece's wedding which was perfect in a fabulous location, and then back to Essex, and home on Sunday. 

We were pooped by the time we got home, though Nic slept all the way home so was rather more awake than the rest of us.

However back to work today, with discussions about the eBooks system.  CyMal employ a marketing group who are - quite frankly - rubbish.  They still have failed to produce posters etc for us, the business card we asked for is dull, and we are having to push them to do anything.  It is extraordinary that they have apparently been given the contract for another 3 years.  Why???

I am being an ostrich about the Euro crisis on the basis that I can do nothing about it, so why worry?  Is this sensible or idiotic?  I am unsure.

Pony loved the library

Hannah loved the library.  I'm sure she will have gone back to the farm telling her donkey friend Geraldine that she should have come.  Geraldine was offered the option but refused to go into the lorry.  However Hannah had a little sheep fold, and a bag of carrots.  A steady stream of small children, and some bigger ones, came along for the whole hour she was there, and fed her carrot after carrot.  She got through about half a sack of carrots - wonderful!

I have lots of photos but can't put many onto the internet because they show the kids who came to see the pony. 

It was really good fun.

Pony in the library

Tomorrow Hannah the pony is going to join Llantwit Major library, and hopefully get some people to join with her.  Nicky is borrowing Hannah from her friend Chloe, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain.  Cloudy is ok, but wet is not good.

I have more or less got the tv room all done, but there are lots of things that we removed from the tv room which have yet to be moved to another  home so after we have been to the library with the pony, I shall have to sort out the rest of the house.

Next week is busy busy.  I have book/dinner club on Tuesday -  I'm not cooking so can completely relax.  Wednesday I am heading  off to Manchester for a conference about our library computer system which lasts from Weds lunch time to Friday lunchtime.  I am actually looking forwards to this because it is nice to meet up with other people and we also have a good time as well.  There is a quiz one evening which the Celtic contingent (Welsh and Scots) won last year, so we have to see if we can do it again.

On Friday I am heading off to Essex to join the rest of the family at my sister's before going to my niece's wedding on the Saturday, and am really looking forward to seeing everyone.  It will be great!

I will be out of touch for most of the week though, as I'm not taking the laptop with me.