do computer geeks drink herbal tea? and other unrelated questions

It’s been a bit quiet here. That’ll be because everybody’s been ill for the last week with a sicky thing that started with Freddie and progressed though everybody, me only very mildy, although I was a bit washed out with all the disturbed nights and eternal laundry. Now I thought it was over…Freddie was sick again last night in my bed, of course. So I have done one boilwash and in the absence of fabcon I have pegged the sheets on the line, although, crunching through the frost on the grass I was rather inclined to think this may be a futile activity…

Ah yes, the frost. It was a refreshing change to have a crisp morning. Fergus went out to inspect the ice, frost and frozen worms, and did some photography. It took me ages to install his camera on his new computer, but I sort of half managed it, having to save the photo’s via Word, which was novel, but worked.

While I was working out how to do this I had a conversation with Brendan in Amsterdam, in which he asked my advice about herbal tea: which was better as a pick-me-up, ginseng or licorice? I was a bit puzzled at first, and mentioned that normal tea usually does it for me, but then twigged: that was what was on offer at work. I mean what sort of Nathan Barley empire is that he’s working for anyway? It is an internet company down the road from the company that makes Big Brother. Ok I’ve probably said enough to get him fired already, but, too late: they’ve already declined to renew his contract (just when we were on the verge on joining him in Holland when he got offered a permanent role, which seemed inevitable). No explanation. Maybe his face doesn’t fit.

If so this just goes to prove my point entirely that even in IT it’s not OK to be truly different. I would have thought IT was the last bastion of the geek, or non-conformist. But it would seem that in these microsoft days even IT experts have to blend in with the crowd, to fit in with the “right image”. My brother in law failed an interview for a job at MS because, he was told, that he wasn’t wearing sandals at the interview: he didn’t look like a software guru (have I mentioned this before?). The thing is, I can’t imagine anyone looking more computer geeky that my brother in law: Ginger hair and beard, beady eyes and a hunched up shoulder staring-at-screen-look look, skinny, slightly balding and pale complexion. Ok, maybe he should have been still wearing his glasses. Not that I like to put people into boxes, or indeed approve of it, but to say that he does not fit into that box seems a bit silly to me. (Of course Brendan had got a job in the same week wearing the Birkenstocks that I had bought him, and which were commented on in the ineterview!- he should have taken this as a warning, I suppose).

Anyway, talking of Nathan Barley empires, I woke Meg up this morning…?.. afternoon, with the end of a cable which was connected to the internet. This had come in the post this morning after weeks or months of her complaining that the wireless network was notworking, or only intermittently, with the door open, which was not satisfactory. It’s a bit of a pain having cables trailing all over the house, especially when we don’t have carpets.

And no doubt the rabbits are going to have a field day chewing them to bits…what rabbits? Do I hear you say? O that will be the two baby rabbits that Meg is going to bring home tomorrow, courtesy of “L-raisers” driving instructor, Tony (“Tawny,” according to the children, who don’t have proper Yorkshire accents, because I don’t). We don’t have a rabbit hutch. I don’t know a thing about rabbits. I would prefer to have some chickens. I looked at Eglu for rabbits last night, until I realised they were £360, then I stopped looking. Was I persuaded by the presence of Josee, avid animal lover, to finally give in and say yes to the rabbits? Or after 19 years has Meg got the persuasive voice off to a tee? (“just a wuvly cute one, called Miffy, and youv’e got to have two or it will be lonely. O, please can we have one, pleeeease?”). Anyone got a spare rabbit hutch? And advice on Alternative Pet Health care please... All I could find on the internet was scary warnings about hideously fatal bunny diseases and the fact it is abosloutely necessary to inspect their bottoms twice at day to prevent them being eaten alive by maggots- enough to put you off, really, ew, but I'm sure it's not all bad...?

Anyway, the big question on my mind is: Where’s Bob? The scaffolding’s up, the ladders have gone, the water is still getting in… I have moved Fergus's bed away from the wet wall, but it's not getting any drier. Well I phoned Bob and not only has he got a bruised stomach, from falling off the ladder, but his son has chicken pox, and is still not ready to go back to school. So, being a single parent, Bob is also at home, and making his son do schoolwork, (aw). I suggested he bring him here and he can do some autonomous home education, in other words he can do whatever he wants. I think Bob is open minded enough to understand this, he just does not know it yet. (I mean he eats organic vegetables, he used to sell them, along with other hippie consumables, and sniffs at sosmix, preferring to make his own veggie sausage mix).

And talking of autonomous… more about Joy later, I think...

to be cont...
and you'll have to wait till later for any pictures as the blogger thing is not doing what it's supposed to.