Here goes the first installment at the new website address. If you added the address to your Favorites, then you will see that the icon is yellow, blue and red, in honor of the Venezuelan flag! Chuck has been kind enough to make my icon stand out; so that you won't have problems finding it. Nice touch, that, right?

After last week with snow, rain, swollen rivers, and fog, this week wound up being unseasonably warm! In fact, the daffodils and crocuses (crocusi?) have started popping up! However, yesterday and today have been much cooler, and the wind has been blowing really strongly for several days. I can hear it howling through my windows, and no, I don't have them open at present!!!

Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal days, and everyone was talking about how warm it was. In fact, we had all the windows open at work, and fans going, and I was even wearing just a light jacket to work, and just going out in my shirtsleeves at lunch.

On Wednesday I met up with Paula after work. As the washer had messed up my towels, she and I went to Marks & Spencer's Home Store. Since she works for M&S, she gets a nice discount on things, and as a friend of hers was working that evening, I got it as well. So nice new towels! We walked down to the Red Lion and did some drinking and catching up, as we'd not seen each other for sometime. It wasn't long before Nigel, her partner, arrived, and the three of us had a very enjoyable evening. We shared a taxi home, and they dropped me off. I went upstairs and toddled off to bed.

On Friday Kirsty Robinson had arranged for a group of us to go to Wetherspoons. So off we all trudged. We had a nice time, and Louise and Lawton (my nail lady and hairdresser, for whom I'd been the matchmaker!) came in. We had a nice visit, catching up with each other, as they'd been to Gran Canária for a week. Also got to catch up with Paul Cain and Rachel Addison, who were also there; so a great opportunity to see some friends I'd not seen for a bit.

On Saturday I picked Paula up after I'd done my grocery shopping, errands, etc., and off we went to nail down the things for the bathroom. She highly approved of the things I'd picked out. The bath will be kind of kidney-shaped, and the shower is in the large part, with a glass curving piece on that end to keep the water from going everywhere. There is a chrome railing for towels on it. For those who come and like baths, yes, you can lie in the tub! Not for me, though!! The sink will be white porcelain, and is shaped like a telescope. Therefore, you can either sink it all the way in, or up a bit, or up some more, or sit the whole thing up! The heated towel rack is chrome, and the toilet is rectangular shaped. It, too, is white porcelain. The walls will be marble, with gray in it. Granted, with it being natural, there will be some rose streaks, but that's ok. The floor will be 2 inch squares of grey slate. There is a triple mirror/vanity that will go over the sink, with storage in each compartment, and there are two lights in it for seeing! The ceiling will have a great many random placed recessed lights. It's gonna look great! They are to call and make an appointment to come out and measure, etc. this week after work sometime. After all the arduous work we'd done, we decided we needed to have lunch. It was a bit after two, and we wandered around and found ourselves at the Masons Arms. I had a delicious sandwich of chicken and jalapeño with a spicy cheese sauce, and she had "cheesy fries"! We each had a pint to celebrate getting the bathroom nailed on!! Liz had rung and said she might meet us; so we stayed on. However, when the phone rang about 5, it was Bruce asking if I'd like to go out for dinner with him that evening. Of course! So, we waited for him! He came, and we had a nice visit, and then we took Paula home. We'd toyed with the idea of going to Fiesta Mehicana for dinner, as he likes Mexican food nearly as much as I do. However, when we went past it, he ran in to check. He said the bar was well deep with people waiting for tables. Bag that idea. We took the car back to my flat, then walked into town. We tried Trickster's Lane, and they said they could seat us around 9:30pm (it's a bit before 8 by now). We walked up to Fellini's, and they said it would be an hour or so. We walked back to Trickster's, and Bruce gave them his mobile number to call when they had a table. We wandered down the street in the rain, and the slush from some snow that had fallen earlier, in the howling wind, and into the warmth of the coal fires of the Red Lion. We had a "few" pints, and a few more, and about 9:30 his mobile rang. Sure enough, they had a table for us. Well, by this point we'd gone past wanting to eat; so we finished up there, shared a taxi, and he dropped me off on his way home.

Today I went into work from 9 to 1, along with Rachael, Jo and Karen. We are trying to get the books out to clients on their claims with the government, and as you all know, it's amazing what you can get accomplished when the phones aren't ringing off the wall! After that, I journeyed out to the market to get the things I'd forgotten, do some other errands I'd also forgotten, and then back home. I got cleaned up and went to Bruce and Sally's for dinner. She'd prepared a typical Yorkshire dinner: roast beef and Yorkshire puddings and onion gravy, "greeny greens" (cabbage), shredded carrots in a delicious sauce, roasted parsnips and potatoes, and snapped green beans with parmesan. Wonderful!! It was all topped off with rhubarb crumble with custard and cream. HMMMMM, HMMMM GOOD! We sat around and visited a bit, but we were all quite full and sated. So I packed myself into the car and motored back here to write this installment to you.

I hope all of you continue to do well, and my best to everyone.

Take care,

Love,