What a flop...

Our healthy, romantic day out turned into a right fiasco...
Nice and sunny, what could be nicer than to take the furry boys up to Peel Tower? Erm, a lot of things, as it turns out...
First of all, we had the now oh too familiar fun with the Crapmobile. It broke down, not just once, but TWICE, on the way there. Once at the lights of a major junction. not at all embarrassing then...
Finally got there, our nerves already frayed after the journey there. Hubby insisted on knowing the route to go, to avoid the other dogs and families. So off we set, even though I mentioned several times that I didn't recognise this bit...
"Hm, this fence wasn't here last time. They must have changed it" became hubby's standard reply. Until we ran out of path (by which time we were surrounded by shepp, and clearly of MoD training ground. Lovely). Rather than go back a bit until we got onto the right path, hubby then suggested we climb the almost-vertical hill, and then go across the top to the tower.
Half an hour, aching legs, confused dogs, and several stepped-in-sheeps-poops later, we reach the top. Hubby sticks his head up, only to realise we've just climbed up right into a field of sheep. (They mustn't have bothered with the fence, they probably didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to climb the bloody thing!). So down we scuffle again, me now getting rather bemused by the whole situation. Since this detour has took so long, I'm also desperate for a wee, so I hid behind a bush and answered nature's call. Then I spent the whole way down trying to get the grass out of my knickers...
Hubby was trying to keep the mood up, but even he faltered when he fell and put his arm into a nice big bunch of sheep poo. OCD-Bob with a sleeve covered in poo went a long way to lighten my mood.

The usual 30-minute walk took an hour and a half, resulted in us both being dirty, smelly and pissed off, me spraining my ankle and OCD-Bob being full of shit (literally.)

Next weekend we'll probably just stay in.

Fucktards

This strike that's going on is really pissing me off. How can it be ok for a trade union to say that companies should not give jobs to "foreigners"?!
I know that's not what it's actually about. basically, the company has put their contract out to tender, and an Italian company won, bringing their own specialist workers. But for the strikers to then use this opportunity to shout "British jobs to British workers"?! Absolute fucktards.
I may not be a labourer as such, but I am after all a foreigner, living and working here. I was reading the comments on the BBC website earlier, and some are really hurtful. It's shocking that some people hide behind the RECESSION, just to spew out their racism. Personally, I think casual racism is the worst kind, the one that creeps into conversations, and is even presented as fact.

The following are a number of quotes from the BBC's Have Your Say section... Understand why I'm upset?!

British Jobs for British workers, always.

When we have over 2 million people out of work in this country we should not allow any people from abroard to work in the uk. The only time we should allow workers to come to the uk is when we have a shortage of skilled labour. Never mind the european law on workers rights why should we adhere to the rules when other countries in europe don't. Remember Charity begins at home, look after yourself first then if you can help others!!!

Would I rather my fellow citizens to be in work or some remote person whose welfare is uncertain anyway? Sorry but give my neighbour the job any day.

If you were born here you should be given priority to jobs,nhs,schools etc..

The foreigner should have a valid UK visa, private health insurance, full support by his employer and a return ticket home.

From what I know the problem lies also with the foreign workers, not being upto par with good H&S practices and required qualifications.

Too right we need to start looking after number one not others. Would they look after us in the same circumstance NO.

Jobs in this country should first and foremost go to people in this country! I'm sure I heard something recently on the news along the lines of "full scale recession" and "job cuts".
Surely if there are jobs that need doing to provide services, appliances etc to the people of this country, the first people offered these jobs would be UK citizens (not even residents, citizens before imigrants).
Either there is a recession, and companies should use home grown tallent, or the isnt, so shop abroad

And to finish, my personal favourite. This one really clinches the deal, don't you agree?

i have been unemployde for six weeks the goverment pays me £60 per week job secers alowence add to that anther £110 a week thay no longer receve from me in direct taxs then add to that all the indirecet taxs thay are loosing becasce of my reduced spending power and tell me its good for the british econermy to alow polish workers and alike to do the jobs british workers sould be doing

I rest my case.

'Tis nice...

... but if he's waited a year with visiting us, couldn't he have waited another day or two?! I'm soooooo tired, just want to go to bed. After watching Jonathan Ross of course, he's back!!! And Lee Evans is a guest! Can't wait!
And once again, diet starts Monday. Though my excercise board is very good! :)

So so tired...

This working full-time lark takes it out of you! Phew!
Went to dancing without my Hannibal Lecter-splint tonight, it went ok, but the finger's throbbing again now...
Funny phone call from Carphone Warehouse today... An automated call to say my phone has been sent to the repairs place and may be up to 14 days. Then she goes:
"If you're currently left without a phone, pop in to your nearest branch and we'll give you a courtesy phone". Fair enough, but if I was without a phone, I couldn't have answered the call and would therefore not know! Bless 'em!
Right, I'm now having a shower and then it's nightybo's for this tiny dancer!

Here we go again...

Right. Apart from changing my life http://www.benrik.co.uk/ it has been a good while since I blogged. But, my mother tells me I write funny, and as we all know, mothers must be obeyed. So here we are again, sat in front of the computer with all these ideas, and not a single one comes out right...
I suppose I have chosen the right day to start though. Apparently, today the world changes. Mr Obama is the new president of the worl....sorry, United States. According to the news, he'll be sworn in to be "The next President of the United States". Hold on, surely he'll be the CURRENT president? Before he's sworn in he's the NEXT president, but once he is sworn in... Bad grammar makes me [sic]. Boom Boom.
To be quite honest, I'm a little bit bored of Obama. Already. It's not that I don't think he'll be good, it's just that he's painted as some sort of Messiah for the masses, who has come to save the world. Yet, I know not of any of his proposed policies. "Change we need". Yes, perhaps, but so far the only change I know of for sure is that he's Black (even though he's mixed race, and it's apparently insulting to mixed race people to call them black since it stops them from identifying as their true self), and Not Bush, which I sort of guessed already. What with him not being Bush and all.
The cynic in me almost hopes there's gonna be a Clinton-esque scandal, just to see how the world reacts to their holy boy being naughty... But I mustn't wish that upon us.
I'm sure Obama will be a perfectly adequate president, but I just don't agree with this mega-hype, especially not before he's even started. But perhaps I am a cynic. I'll keep quiet and see what happens. Good Luck to you Mr Obama, I hope it all goes well. I would have liked to see a performance of Chris Moyles' Barack Obama song though, that would have been a good laugh... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eyyVjRclj0s

Bringing it all back home now. Yesterday morning, I came out to find a note on my car from the people across the road from us. "Please stop leaving your car outside my house for days on end". Now then... We park on the road on our street. At five pm, you're not exactly spoilt for choice. On Friday, I had to park outside their house. Normally I'm out and about during the weekend, but this week it just so happened that we used hubby's car instead, so the car was left parked there. Combine that with the fact that we are apparently The Neighbour Repellers, and we have a problem... Hubby suggested telling them that we thought the walk might do them some good. I'm not all that surprised we are The Neighbour Repellers, at least not hubby.... Sarah had a more evil genius-style idea though. She said to leave it outside their house, and then put a clamp on it. "Sorry, there's nothing I can do mate. Unless you lend me £65 to unclamp it...." Hello, second income! I think I might leave it for now. I will park my car there if need be though, I'm not parking four streets down if there's no other option. Plus, I've got a Ka. It's the size of a shoe box.

I shall sign out for tonight. More pressing matters arise. Such as spending 15 minutes on my exercise board. Hello, size 8! ;) Ciao!