The Elder Siblings are back...

Yep - Big Brother 2008 hit our screens last night and so far, I'm happy with the launch! Sixteen freaks, erm, new housemates have joined this years cast (and we're hoping we stay at that figure - no adding a new housemate every ten seconds like last year!)

Top of my favourite list are:




Kathreya - A rather exuberant cookie guzzling Thai lady who bounced like she was filled with springs and screeched 'cookieeeeeeee' at random moments! She's very stereotypical (isn't that what BB is about?) but I image I'll find myself rolling around the floor laughing at her antics for at least a few days...?



Rex is the 'normal' bloke, a Chef who's dad is gay and who likes his bling (has a very expensive watch which he was gutted to not be taking into the house!). He feels like the kind of guy who could steer clear of the commotion and go all the way...?




Becka from Coventry... She screams so much with excitement I'm just waiting to watch her head explode! Please, please explode! (in a good way!?)

Otherwise there's the usual mixing pot of subjects... A handsome tosser (Dale) who'll be kept in for his looks, not his personality!, a couple of muslims to show they're not all terrorists(!) (One with a fab 'Fro - Mohammed!), full on black girls who're all that - well, one of them is 'it' - the other must be not quite 'it' but I'm sure they'll argue that out amongst themselves! Also, the usual 'out there' housemates this year include a blind stand up comic and an albino guy who may or may not actually be black!?

The twist? A couple have been sent in and immediately split up - the (43 year old) guy Mario (Well, Shawn actually!) has to pretend to be the boyfriend of 19 year old Stephanie... Such an obvious couple! Lisa, his real GF is obviously well pleased and totally OK with situation (NOT!) but the youthful, suit wearing, non-drinking / smoking, politics student Luke seems a little overwhelmed by the whole idea... Only those four are in the know and have to keep it that way! SOmething to keep us entertained whilst they prepare for the real nominations next week...?

Not a bad bunch for the opener - we'll see how the dust settles! Jxx

More pain!

Hot on the heels of the toe incident (which flaired up again last Thursday, making me miss a days work due to walking difficulties) I've managed to trip over today and bash my knee, causing a nice red swelling bruise! (Hopefully nothing worse!) I just don't seem to bounce quite as much as I used to! Surely I'm not getting old...?

Toe wise, I had blood taken last week and now need to wait for the results... The GP appeared uninspired by my complaint and suggested that they wouldn't treat gout (if that is what it is) long term but simply manage the flair ups with anti-inflammatories - all well and good but it takes a week to get an appointment with teh GP and the flair ups only last 12-24 hours. I'm also not happy at the thought of having to take time off work on a semi-regular basis - I've got too much to do! I may be inclined to switch GP practices if I don't feel happier after my next contact...!

In other news, We're on an antique spending spree of sorts at the moment... Bakerlite Telephone, Two Mantle clocks, a barometer and another barometer-thingy all in our possesion or on the way... Pictures to follow!

Eurovision in less than a week - our dismal entry I can't imagine making a dent on the competition but our annual Eurovision-party, tihs year in Coventry is well into the planning... I'm presuming there'll be a knockout stage again during the week so Scoresheets won't be produced till last minute as I'm working Thursday / Friday! Still, it's a big night to look forward to, in the good company of friends and Sir Terry! Jxx

CAKE!

Is Organic Carrot Cake a cake made with organic carrots or a totally organic cake?

...Guess who's starting weight watchers tonight and already thinking about cake! Jxx

Woo U Make Me! (I'm still miffed!)

It's a bloody good job those arms are attached! Jxx

Not a lot to say!

...Well, that's not strictly true! I've been saying an awful lot over at www.torchwoodforum.co.uk but that's just fuelling the obsession and not something you'd want to hear here... Not in quite the fan-driven detail we go into on the forum! But still, whilst I'm ont he subject - this series (all two episodes so far!) has been great! Action packed, thoughtfull, well written... And of course, Ianto being, well...! This iamge says a lot!! <3


Of course, there are other events in my life that should really be taking priority!

Life goes on, though strangely in some respects, following Nan's funeral. It was a traumatic day - one that had already been dubbed the worst day of the year by sociologists... Being just the wrong distance from Xmas, with bad weather and such... Well, it certainly felt like it! D did a great job of driving in the most appalling conditions whilst I just numbly tripped through the day. The finality of it hit me hard in church and again at the crematorium. It was such a shame she couldn't have attended the after-party! It was her kind of event with so many family members in one room!

I was graciously given Compassionate leave from work. Not always awarded for family other than siblings, children and parents! Of course, Nana was closer than most grandparents! Besides which, my sick record for the previous year was excellent (no days off recorded in 2007!) Shame that I've now got two sick days in 2008! I was off yesterday, for reasons you won't want to know...!

Starting the new job on Monday - have emailed many folk in anticipation of meeting up with them to discuss their role, their expectations and the running of the ward / speciality! For those who've asked, I'm a little reluctant to state exactly which speciality as there's only one ward for it in Leicester... It'd place me exactly if I let on! Neurology has several wards so I could remain a little distanced from my direct whereabouts! I'm still a little cautious about details online, despite having a Facebook, Myspace and Blog for all to peruse!

Have taken more photo's the other day - this time at Ashby Castle... I've printed a few drafts and will start to add a little post-production work shortly... Keep your eyes peeled!

Finished one of my Xmas books - Chart Throb by Ben Elton! Very funny, parodying the Talent(less) Shows that have dominated weekend entertainment recently! Whilst I've read better books by him, this doesn't mean that Chart Throb isn't good - just that some of his other work has been even better! I'd certainly recommend this, despite it being a little repetitive in places, it doesn't bore!

There... For someone with not a lot to say I've certainly said a lot! Jxx

Torchwood Day

Torchwood day came and went - And wasn't it just Awesome!!

Without obsessing too much, I just have to say Wow!

OK, so I joined a Torchwood Forum and I've been gushing there for the last few weeks, so I don't fill the blog with non-stop Torchwood!

It was bloody amazing though! Jxx

Not long now...

Thanks to the guys & gals at Torchwood Forum for hunting these down so I didn't have to look so far!! Jxx

Acapella Who

This is either incredibly annoying or brilliant... ??

Click The TARDIS!



Dum dee Dah, Dum Dee Dah... Ooo EEE Ooo!

Jxx

Geek?

50% Geek
50%

Mingle2.com - Free Online Dating

Hmmmm... Another test found around the Livejournals I read! Only 50% geek? I wonder if that'd go up knowing that I've avoided coming online for the past four days as I was reading Harry Potter and didn't want to see anything that'd ruin it for me!

Anyway, finished the book this morning! Excellent IMO. Only a few parts of it confused me or felt like fillers, generally it was action all the way with more surprises than I'd have expected! I can't say much as there're still plenty of folk out there reading it... Even my Ward Sister has threatened to sack any of us that say anything about the plot...!

So, need to see movie #5 now...!

Also looking forward to Heroes, finally starting on 'terrestrial' television tonight (BBC2 surprisingly... I'd have expected C4 or FIVE to grab it!) It seems that geek-chic is back in, as tv goes all sci-fi on us... Doctor Who has been a huge success with Torchwood riding high on it's back. The 4400 and Heroes have been huge digital tv shows and Life on Mars also reaped the rewards of it's sci-fi bent! Long may this trend continue! It makes me a little more cool... Is that possible?

The floods haven't yet hit Leicester itself, though some surrounding towns have been dampened. Our back garden may be mushy, but there's no standing water and I can't help but feel we've simply had a lucky escape! I cannot imagine the appalling realisation that your home is about to be or has been flooded with dirty water. Or any water! We'd loose so much we've worked hard to get looking great and it'd be so disheartening. Add to that the loss of power or running water supplies and I'd be most displeased to say the least... but then, what do we expect when global warming is happening around us and we still build on flood plains?

Off for a few days right now so I'll try and check in later this week with some images from our trip to the airfield where D's dad stores his plane... The one he built himself! Keep your eyes on the sky! Jxx

How does your garden grow?

With such great weather and a few days off at the weekend we've made good inroads on the greenhouse and garden ready for this years edible crops! The Grape Vine will be established enough to allow grapes to grow this year and as well as these, we've also set to cultivating:


Herbs:

• Sage
• Parsley
• Basil
• Tarregon
• Thyme
• Dill
• Rosemary
• Marjoram

(Along with the already established Mint, Rosemary & Bay Leaf!)

Veg / Salad:

• Peas
• Peppers
• Chillies (Numerous varieties!)
• Cucumber
• Lettuce
• Garlic
• Salad Onions

Not a bad effort! Should be a good year of healthy eating! We've already set to planting seeds and as can be seen from the Eco-Gadget blog entry, we've got seedlings in the pots made by our 'Paper Potter' already! Many of my herbs have also sprouted and I'll be potting these in their eco-containers over the next few days! It does feel good to grow things from scratch!

Now... Who knows good eco-friendly BUG KILLER!!

In other news, Interviews loom! I've arranged several informal visits to key figures to discuss the posts and hoepfully make a good impression. I get the idea that these posts may be hotly contested so every effort will count! I the meantime, I'm working with the ward pharmacist on a project to improve medication understanding and dispensing amongst the nursing and medical teams to keep me occupied!

I've also been updating the ol' iPod having finally gotten hold of the Dr Who series 1 & 2 (+ Xmas Specials) soundtrack CD! It's really great and the music really brings back memories of those superb episodes past... The new series is also turning out to be of a standard with Ep 2 (the Shakespeare one) absolutely blowing me away!! Just frustrating that the box sets cost so much when all my pennies are going elsewhere... (It's D's Birthday early next month!!) No sign of the Torchwood box set either... I may have to give up waiting and simply buy the three seperate DVDs...! Jxx

Alternate Reality?

Some years ago, reality TV was unheard of... The docu-soap was perhaps all the rage but this was a compilation of 'best bits' rather than the full on, gritty serialisation of every waking move made by the fanciful folk who put themselves forward for public scrutiny we see today.

The first (that I recal) 'reality' show was Channel 4's Shipwrecked. A bunch of youthfull guys & gals living together on a desert island, forraging for food, building shelters and generally struggling to survive. This held some interest in social workings and group dynamics...

Then along came Castaway! BBC's brand spanking new concept - stuff a load of willing (or unwilling as it turned out for a while) folk onto a Scottish island for a year with the very basics and let them struggle to survive in the harshest of condtions. Yes, they sent a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker (well, a doctor & teacher amongst others) with skills varied enough to make a go of things and enthusiasm enough from others (Ben Fogle) to generate a living. But it was still all so fascinating and new...

Shipwrecked & Castaway are both running new series currently... And oh how it all changes!

Those shipwrecked seem to have hardly been washed up from a sea-faring wreck, more from an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue! The lithe young bodies are filmed either sexily dripping with sea-water or glistening with suncream! The idea now, not one of survival but simply building a 'tribe' to win the money at the end of the game... More about tactics that social inclusion and with many folk knowing the game so well that the truth of human nature can be hidden... Or is that just in the filming?

The latest Castaways have also seriously disapointed! With a fond remembrance of the original series, we expected far more from the BBC than the Big Brother-esque production they're placing before us... New arrivals every few days. Voting people into seclusion. Public votes on whether the castaways receive fish nets or fish net stockings... It makes a farce of the original concept of survival and community.

It seems a shame that some great concepts in human behaviour studies have become so convoluted and warped so quickly, as has Big Brother and other reality offspring but perhaps I'm being naive in thinking that this isn't what the viewing public really want? Perhaps the enforced drama, controlled interactions and almost scripted adventures make for better vieing than general human behaviour nowadays? But then, isn't that what soap operas are for? Jxx

Fairs fair!

As part of our better living, we've been getting an organic delivery of fruit and veg each week, encouraging not only a better way of growing but also a better dietry intake! In addition to this, we're looking into many more oranic products and seeing if we can't reduce our food miles at the same time. However, there's always more to think about and Fairtrade products are also something we're keen to support. There are many products out there, shiped in from goodness knows where that have been made in poor working conditions and paid for through poor wages. I think it's time more folk thought about what they're buying, where they're buying from and whether they can consider a little more of others in their weekly shop?

Is this all high & mighty and idealistic? Well, maybe! We're in a healthy position to be able to afford organic and fairtrade but surely the more that folk buy, the more likely places are to increase the stocks and thus, decrease the pricing? And on the price factor... I've found that Fairtrade, if not organic produce is often a comparable cost. Today I bought fairtrade wine £4.99 a bottle... This is pretty much what we fork out for most of the simply wines we enjoy. If it's a case of limiting choice rather than price then I think we can cope with that too... Our main fairtrade purchases are bananas, wine & coffee really though some chocolate is also fairtrade and I've got a fairtrade t-shirt (Bought by D but which I managed to convince him to give me for my birthday!) Other fairtrade products include tea, sugar, honey, cotton and even sports balls (according to the website) and there're always new products springing up with the fairtrade mark.

Maybe it's just a case of altering shopping habvits to incorporate automatically that which is greaner, cleaner and more ethically sound. It's not really complicated but it does require a little more thought perhaps?

Anyway, you can rest assured, Wooley Insights is, where possible, Fairtrade!



In other news: Am working alternate days on and off for a few weeks so I may be a little disjointed or sporadic as my body struggles to cope with the constant switch around. Am also due out partying on Friday night which'll make for a subdued Saturday I expect... Will check in where possible though I still haven't got a log in for the work computer so can't easily blog from there... Unless some fool leaves themselves logged on - then of course we all look at porn under their name!!

Am also having some ups and downs with work itself. The NHS is going through a rough patch with significant cost cutting exercises affecting everyone. Although we hit a new financial year on 1st April, there remains a lot of uncertainty about the future and I'm personally significantly affected by the current state of play. Whilst I'm secure (at the moment) in having a job, I feel unsettled in my current role and am considering my options for the future. I'll let you know if there're any signs of new happenings on the horizon of course!

Thursday night means Bonkers! A rather fun ITV comedy-drama(?) has been screening for a few weeks now and although we've got several epsiodes taped still to watch, we've certainly enjoyed what we've seen of it so far... Oliver Chris (Boyce from Green Wing - sadly now finished for good) is in it, playing a rather happless brother of the main character (Liza Tarbuck, who's also hilarious!) and he remains cute, despite the rather drab attire and geeky role... I expect there'll be some fun to be had with his character as things progress (I expect actually that ther've already been happenings that we've yet to catch up on!) We also caught him in the recent Channel five drama Tripping Over which was suprisingly good for Five! I hope to see a return of that in the near future!

That's all for now... Will check back again soon I hope! Cheers! Jxx

He's so lucky... He's a star!

Am feeling just a little lucky right now!

I won three prizes from work raffles this year! How cool is that?

1. A ladies watch!
2. A travel kettle, iron & hairdryer! (three in one bargain!)
3. The 'star prize' hamper with tea, coffee, mustard, olives and well, more coffee...

OK, they're not out of this world prizes and I did give the watch away almost instantly but it's the feel good factor that counts!!

...Anyone want travel accessories - they're a lovley off-cream colour! Very nice!

In other news, the fog persists into a thrid day... Not so bad today but enough to keep the temperature down and the heating working overtime! We're lucky to have sorted the boiler when we did 'cos I wouldn't want to sit in a freezing house right now!

We managed a whopping saving at the checkout the other day for our Xmas grocery shop! The total bill was obscene but we managed over £100.00 off in BOGOF offers, reduced price items, reward points and vouchers! Quite an amazing feat! The fridge, cupboards and most nooks and crannies are now as stuffed as the Trukey will be on the 25th!!

Torchwood will be shown 24th Dec BBCThree 21.30hrs (ep 11 - with the kiss!?!?) and 1st Jan 2007 BBCThree again at 21.30hrs for Eps 12 & 13 bonanza!! Yay!! Will be glued to the screen for sure! Am working both days but off the following days so can sit back and enjoy without worrying about sleep!! Might also enjoy a little drinkipoos... I'm sure D won't mind the lack of evening conversation!?

On the TV theme - the next big obsession starts 3rd January...




Yep - Celebrity Big Brother is back! Reality TV at it's most watchable worst! I've been a fan from the first non-celeb BB and have every intention of being as hooled on this round as every other! The vague possibilities for housemates I've heard so far are Adam Ant & Marc Almond but we've got a few weeks to hear plenty more rumour yet...! Saw the first TV trailor for the new series today but no spoiler pictures of the celebrity adapted house for us to pour over yet... They're very good at keeping things under wraps - which is both itrritating and exciting!

Otherwise, this may be my last blog update before Xmas... Am off tomorrow but we'll be preparing the house for family visits and hopefully catching up on the mass of tv programmes we've recorded including the last three episodes of Channel FIVE's 'Tripping Over' which featured Daniel MacPhearson from Home & Away / The Bill (very tasty) and all five episodes of BBCThree's comedy 'Pulling' which we've not yet managed to start! Lots to keep us going...

Have a great Xmas
& I'll check back in soon!

HUGE hugs to all my readers - with thanks,

Jayson & AlterEgo xx