The Saturday post

Our new washing machine arrived today.  Which was nothing short of amazing really.  We had left directions that our phone line was down so we had to be contacted by text as for the delivery time.  We received a text which bid us to track our delivery - ON LINE . . .  Oh for heaven's sake!  Then the phone rang - 3 rings.  I sprinted to get it but they had stopped phoning, and so I went outside to catch a passing signal and phone the unknown number, hoping it might be the delivery men . It was.  They wanted directions.  I was halfway through giving them when they said they would phone later for the rest.  I quickly said, just keep turning left.  Fortunately they did so and we now have our replacement machine and the old one taken away for recycling, but it just shows - you pay peanuts, and you get monkeys . . .  Short term memory loss is obviously par for the course - I had only given two turn lefts and their eyes glazed over!

I have to say, I am glad for the replacement as washing by hand leaves a lot to be desired, and my OH is wearing his woollen winter socks and they take a lot of wringing out.

In the meantime, I have to report that little Theodorable was out of his brain on cat nip yesterday.  I had made some sachets using the cat nip grown and sent by my dear friend Sharon over at Morning's Minion blog.  Theo had unearthed one from a gloomy corner yesterday and I found him rolling his face on it, biting the sachet and generally on cloud 9.  It has different effects on different cats.  Fluff and Lucy are underwhelmed by it; the other two boys aren't bothered by it, Banshee considers herself above such things (well, spending the entire winter with a bed on top of the fridge-freezer means she is above everything!) and the grey tabby Stella (Misery Guts) gets comatose on it. But Theo went completely BONKERS!  He was hurtling up and down the long refectory table in the hall as if it were his personal gym, he chased a ball up and down the hall for as long as I was willing to bowl it, and then he went into the kitchen.  I went in to make a cup of tea and found him on top of the speakers (which are on top of the cupboard) trying to climb the holding rope up onto one of the Betty Maids (where we dry our clothing).  He was as high as a kite on cat nip!  I put him outside to try and catch the goldfish (his favourite outdoor pursuit), but he came in later and crashed out on my lap, purring like a grampus.  Bless him.  He has brought me such joy and in a way, makes up for losing poor Tippy so prematurely, as there is much of Tippy about him.

Well, just another week - WE HOPE - before BT finally get around to growing the tree which is to be the replacement pole for the line, and then I will be able to stay in contact with the outside world without having to drive out to go in search of it.

Meanwhile, my best friend Tricia's daughter is in labour, and I have to keep in touch by text.  You have NO IDEA how frustrating that is!

2 more days and T will be home from Sheffield for the week (we are off to Hay-on-Wye on the Tuesday), and on Tuesday night/Wednesday night most or all of my offspring will be in residence for a joint dental check-up.  We are having roast hoggett for tea on Wednesday.  I can't wait to have them all under our roof again.