Pet hates

Another lovely day - this is a corker of a winter! No early dog walkers to hasten us out of bed, but we were ready to go up the hill by mid morning, after a bit of tennis watching on my part.

And what a gorgeous day it was. Archie went yapping up to a big beautiful shiny jet black Standard Schnauzer, Geordie, and we apologised to the owner, who laughed and told us there was no need to apologise for a Schnauzer's yapping - it's what they do.

When we came back he had a haircut and a shower. Kirsten came to take him out for a wee while - she hasn't been for ages, but she received the full Archie welcome.

When he was gone I sat down to listen to my audiobook. Chris Packham writes beautiful prose. His sentences are long, intricate and wonderfully descriptive. I have to really concentrate so as not to miss anything. He has Asperger's Syndrome, though it was not diagnosed as a child - he was just 'odd'. He used to correct the teachers on their grammar, so correct grammar seems to matter to him. So it's all the more surprising to hear him many times say,
'I was sat' or
'He was stood'.

My pet hates!

But then, I've even heard Prince William saying 'I was sat', and it's his Granny's English!

The man from the Council rang me to tell me that it wasn't actually against any law to have a speaker blasting out music from a shop, but if they happen to be in the vicinity, they will ask for it to be turned down. Seems crazy to me - what if every shop did it?

I adjusted the scary over-the-top anti-pigeon spikes. There are now just a couple instead of a whole row of them. I take great pleasure watching the big fat pigeons sitting on the shed, eyeing up their erstwhile free food, then flapping off in disgust.