Christmas Sweaters

Apparently we now have a 'Christmas Sweater Day'??!!

'Christmas Sweater Day' was Friday 13th December 2013.  That was the day that everyone had to wear their 'Christmas sweaters'.

Well, I don't have a Christmas sweater and I didn't know it was 'Christmas sweater day' until two days after the event. Who on earth thinks up these 'themed days'??  Guess I'd better do a bit of googling?

When I was a child in the 1960's we had 'Christmas day', 'Easter day' & 'Mother's day'.  THAT WAS IT and those days were really special.

These days we've got so many 'special days' that we probably haven't got enough days in the year to accommodate them all.  If I had the time, or the inclination, I would actually do a bit of research to see how many 'special' days out of 365 we have??!!  Where do they all come from?  Who makes them up?  And how do they become a 'national event'?  Who decided that Friday 13th December 2013 was going to be 'Christmas sweater day'??????

All this materialistic hype drives me mad.

Why do we need a 'Christmas sweater day'?  If people want to wear a Christmas sweater in the run up to Christmas then that's fine.  It's their choice. Do we really need a specified day that everyone wears their Christmas sweaters? 

Personally, if I had a Christmas sweater, (which I don't) I would probably only wear it on Christmas Day.  OK, I would probably wear it on 'Christmas Sweater Day' as well.

And it would seem that 'Christmas Sweater Day' is now going to become an annual event.  How stupid?!

...............And for that reason, I am going out tomorrow to buy 'CHRISTMAS SWEATERS' for all of my family.  I'm hoping that I can buy 10 Christmas sweaters for £100.  The sales are on and I love Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Matalan, New Look & Peacocks.

I don't really agree with all this 'Christmas Sweater Day' stuff...................  But it seems like it's here to stay.........................

Roll on 'Christmas Sweater Day 2014' because all my family will have Christmas sweaters!!!

............And if I can manage to buy everyone Christmas Sweaters this year (at £10 or less) before all the hype really takes off, we can all just wear the same Christmas sweater every year forever more.  LOL!

Spring Clean

So what constitutes a 'spring clean'?

I clean two holiday let properties for my neighbours.  Both of the properties are only let out for 15 - 20 weeks a year.  They are both 2 bed-room, 1 bathroom & a living room/kitchen.  Not exactly a mansion then?!  Oh and they also have a large balcony that requires sweeping?!!

I get £40 per property for cleaning these.

Bearing in mind that the maximum amount of time that I can spend in these two properties is 5 hours (changeover is 10 - 3); that equates to £80 for a maximum of 5 hours work.

I am a very conscious cleaner (I know cleaners who will do 5 properties in one 5hr slot).  Wish I was so conscious about my own house. 

I will freely admit that I am not a very good cleaner.......................  But I do know what standards holiday makers expect.  And fortunately I've never had any complaints about the properties that I clean.

However, today, I have just heard that the letting agents are going to send out letters in the New Year to all holiday home owners saying that a 'spring clean' will be done on their property unless they reply and say that they don't want this???  They're obviously working on the assumption that owners won't reply so they can then tell cleaners to do this???

..............And they charge the holiday let owners 3 x a clean for a spring clean?

I just think that is absolutely ridiculous??!! 

A holiday let property has to be in tip top condition whether the visitors are here at the start of the season or out of season.  So just what is involved in a 'spring clean'????

What on earth could I clean that would justify charging £120 for a two bedroomed house????

I make a lot of money from cleaning my neighbours properties - but I really don't want to rip them off
.................  And charging £120 for a 'spring clean'.................... that's just ridiculous!!!

Rant, rant, rant.........................  I am a middle aged ranting spinster!!!!!

Binge drinking middle aged women

It's Saturday night.

I am a 'ranting middle aged woman who drinks far too much'.............

But actually....................  compared to a lot of 'middle aged' people................ I don't drink enough???

On 'Facebook' tonight, I have just read a post from one of my friends that said, 'Been drinking for 7 hours - not up to my usual 12 hour standard?' 

And lets just remember............. we are middle aged ladies here???

.................But why on earth would anyone want to drink for 12 hours?????

I drink a lot.  I do not hide how much I drink.  I will freely admit that I drink way more than the government recommended weekly allowance. 

.........................But is it enough to impact on my life??  ...................I don't know??!!

Tonight I've been in 'domestic goddess' mode;  I've made fish pie and chicken & mushroom pie.  I've done a load of online Christmas shopping - in fact all I have to do now is go to a couple of shops to buy gift vouchers for my niece & nephew.

How super organised am I????

However during my 'online shopping' tonight I have to admit to having a couple of glasses of wine??!!

...............And now I've finished I'll be having a lot more??!!

.................So am I a 'binge drinking middle aged woman'?????

I don't know??

I don't go on '12 hour drinking binges' like my very lovely Facebook friend.  But there again my very lovely 'FB' friend holds down a very responsible job.

Perhaps she's a 'functioning alcoholic'???................

I sometimes wonder whether I am???

I watched the 'Tonight' programme on TV last week about 'middle class' drinkers.  I think I am one!  Certainly, I could identify with the two ladies that were featured on the programme.

Sometimes in the middle of the night I wake up and worry about how much I am drinking.  I lie awake and tell myself that I am alcohol dependent and I will only drink when I am out & about with friends. 

The trouble is.................. my love of wine doesn't seem to be affecting the way I live my life.  OK I know it must be - but I think I'm in denial?!

I've been onto loads of websites to check out if my wine consumption is impacting on my life.  When I key in the number of units a week I'm drinking (and I'm very honest), the message pops up that I'm drinking too much.  However when I answer all the other questions, my answers seem to cancel out my 'massive unit intake?!'

I've never, ever, taken time off work because of drinking, I don't get aggressive after a drink, I've not had any accidents or ended up in A&E because of alcohol, I don't sleep with strangers or wake up somewhere wondering how on earth I've got there, if I have stuff to do in the evenings I don't think that I can't do it because I want to drink, if I'm out in the car I don't even have one drink (I'm happy to drink diet coke), I consciously didn't drink for the whole of January this year (just to see if I could go for a whole month without a drink) and didn't feel any different at all.

.........................So am I a 'binge drinking middle aged woman'?!

Yes I probably am.

.......................Am I drinking more than the government recommended guidelines?

Definitely.

.......................Do I want to change my lifestyle?

I'm not sure!!

Life is not a dress rehearsal........................... And maybe it's better to die young and enjoy life than spend your whole life doing stuff you don't want to.................. just in an effort to prolong it???

Coronation Street - Another unrealistic soap

So tonight it was Carla and Peter's wedding.  And they got married.

....................But there were lots of 'suggestive glances' between Peter & Tina, so we can only summarise that things for Carla & Peter will not run smoothly and they will not live happily ever after and does anyone care?

Honestly, just who is writing these soap operas these days???

Yes, I can believe that Peter is having doubts, yes I can believe that Tina is pursuing him, yes I can believe that Carla turned up because she thought that he might have a drink, yes I can believe that Carla got drunk at the wedding.............................

But everything else is just like a whole string of co-incidents??????

Soooooooooo Tina just happened to turn up at Peter's flat before he had a drink?

And Carla just happened to turn up before Peter & Tina did whatever??????????????

.......................And actually.................. I can't  be bothered to write anymore because the whole story line is just soooooooooooo unbelievable it's ridiculous.

OK................ it does have the potential to be true...................... but real life does not happen like that.

In real life..........................

Tina would have shagged Peter, Peter would have gone through with the wedding, Wedding would have lasted a few months. Obviously because Peter & Tina live on the same street furtive glances would have been exchanged.

I think I have the potential to be a soap opera script writer???!!!

Back in soap land now.......................

.................. And 9 months down the line Tina would be on the 'Jeremy Kyle' Show requesting a DNA test because she is 100% sure that Peter is the father??  And she is madly in love with Peter.............. & Carla is totally unaware of all this.

And then the DNA test reveals that Tommy is the father............................

..............But then Carla finds out that Peter slept with Tina on the night before their wedding............... so then they have to go on the Jeremy Kyle show to do a lie detector test....................

....................And actually does anyone care what the outcome is???????????????

I think the Hayley/Roy storyline is far more believable. 

...............OK perhaps not more believable (but only because I don't know anyone like Roy & Hayley), but Corrie is tackling a very difficult subject in a very sensitive way.

Thanks script writers.

Charities

I'm getting really irate with the number of charities that are sending out promotional rubbish in an effort to entice money out of us.

In the past couple of weeks I have received pens, address labels, coasters and cards.  And just yesterday I received a, 'Thank you CD', which actually had on the front of it, 'This cost 16p to produce'.

Needless to say, I didn't listen to my, '16p thank you CD'.  The pens, address labels, coasters & cards are all absolute crap!!!!  They go straight in the bin as soon as I get them.

The pens are all scratchy & horrible,  the address labels are something that might have been quite useful in the 1970's - but who uses sticky address labels these days?, the coasters................ well the coasters are beyond even commenting on..................... and the cards?!  Well you could get much nicer ones in Tesco for £1??!!

So why are charities sending out all this promotional rubbish that no-one wants?

Have they actually done any research to see if anyone wants their crap?

I haven't got a clue how many of these 'marketing' letters that charities send out - but even if it's just 1000 at 16p per CD that's £160 and that's not taking into account the cost of the postage and paper.

It's ludicrous!!!!

Why do they do it?

Does the lure of a free pen or a sticky address label really entice anyone to sign up and donate
millions to a charity???

Sadly I think not??!!