Wiggins

I tend to move spiders that are over my bed, but otherwise we tend to ignore them (except for white tails, which have a very nasty bite). They can be beautiful creatures & they deal with mozzies & flies - last year we had a female golden orb spider (outside): the web is actually golden, and strong enough to take your hat off if you walk through it...(yes, Australian, so nothing to add to current fears) They are so common that I do worry that having a phobia about them must be exhausting - could you learn about them & see if you can find them interesting? Given very few in the UK seem that dangerous, surely be able to cope with just chucking them outside would be easier?

On the webshop idea, which is a good one, have a look at places like etsy, which supports tiny stores selling almost anything - see what they make & whether you could add something new...

Are hot water bottles enough? Dr Wiggins refers to me as the cold equivalent of a black hole - I make the bed colder by getting in, can never warm up. I like the idea of a brick or stone, as I find water gets cold by morning & makes things worse - those wheat thingies at least stay neutral. Am somewhat addicted to my electric blanket, and have been known to use it during summer here in Melbourne...

Location: My grandfather came out of the war with a disability pension - for falling off a (stationary) plane when drunk...

I read & look at lots of blogs, some about boats. I found this place through blogs. Being in foreign, and being interested in narrowboats & canals as a nice day dream to distract from the tedium of the real world, I like blogs about both, especially if there are pictures - mind you, could people stick up more plans & pictures of the insides of their boats? It helps with the fantasy boat plans to know what real ones look like. I presume most blogs are for friends & family, and why shouldnt they be? It seems a great way to tell people what you are doing without rewriting a zillion times to individuals. If I found it boring, I click on something else - the interweb is full of interesting things...

Some people are rude & annoying & some people arent. If you give some of the former a boat/car/supermarket trolley it just seems to encourage their behaviour.

Now, should I react to the Oz-baiting? Nah..., given what I've seen in the news lately about riots &c, I may just keep quiet. Scary.

A while before commenting, but I got a bit scrambled.

Re the lemon - my understanding is that you need to use the peel - you want lemon oil, not anything foody. Rub with outside of unwaxed lemon...

http://www.philosophersguild.com/index.lasso?page_mode=Product_Detail&item=0977 work safe link

I read something from Sydney suggesting rubbing lemon peel on things to stop spiders - no idea if it works, but they get some good ones up there...

When camping, and therefore needing to tip the washing up water on the ground, my parents use a bar of plain, old fashioned, just cleans without anything else soap in one of those giant tea-strainer things...

I think if we're modern enough to start sentences with conjunctions, we're modern enough to spell criticise with a Z. Interestingly, the Z instead of S in some -ise words was more correct historically, it is just that some forms of english (including those spoken in the UK) have continued to develop that part & others have not. The amazing thing about english is its variety & size, and that it continues to grow in so many ways.

& my addiction to house/decor/homewares sites & similar magazine subscription tells me that such things are very fashionable at the moment - petit maman (?) ir preserving jars popular...

How can people behave so?I really hope that there is such thing as karma.Must go & hug my cat now...

I think Titty is short for Letitia, which is less...anatomical. But more Great-Aunt-ish these days, to keep the S&A theme. I find the whole exact details is part of what makes them good - how things work & how they live & so on, and then the imagination coming in over the top. Having only come to them as an adult, they are much much better than Blyton & I wish Id had them as a child. There were rumours somewhere about a new BBC-type (not sure if it was them or another tv thingy) series base on them.

wasps are here no matter how much sun... But then, I live in the land of creepy crawlies...

Interesting, bc here in Oz I dont think Ive ever seen a pet thus. Of course, ours always have water available & come inside if need want, but most people worry more about sun burn these days... We do, however, keep a disposable water bottle full & frozen in the freezer (I understand this could be tricky in a boat) & get it out for Widmerpool (also a black cat) to lie next to or with his chin on (the camera is never charged at this point) to cool down quickly...

I find the suggestions that people who dont like the noise should move, rather than than those making the noise (outside hours, of course) odd - why is it often those who havent done the wrong thing who end up having to feel bad & make amends?

& any mention of the Swallows & Amazons can only be good. Proper adventures with imagination. (I am having Missie Lee read to me at bedtime at the moment, and it makes you wonder why there aren't more latin-lesson-giving pirates in this world.)