On the road to recycling

So last weekend Christians and confectioners had their big celebration. This weekend it's Madame's turn. A pilgrimage to one of the holiest of holies. All hail Livingston Designer Outlet. Sigh. I know. I know. Isn't it a good thing that I am here to do the Big Thinking for her.

I've got to figure out how we deal with this recycling lark. The blue bins finally arrived today. They're out there in the back lane. Looking embarrassingly brash compared to the haughty racing green wheelies whose territory they are muscling in on.

Recycling is A Good Thing. Yes? Probably. But here we are in our shoe box. Not much space for anything and everything in its place.

It would be lovely to have room for a compost heap and a jolly collection of wine bottles waiting to be driven out to the collection centre.

Glasgow City Council have given us a "durable and reusable bag" to help us out. Which is nice. I'm thinking that maybe we could set up home in it while the flat is left free for a variety of recycling bins.

Sigh. We do love our wee home but sometimes there is a bit of hankering for something bigger.


*blush* Back in 1977 I was awarded the prize for "Best Loved Bear" at Lomond Venture Scouts' Teddy Bears' Tea Party. Haven't won anything since then so I am very honoured that Puddock has included me in her list of Blogging Excellence.

The idea is that I now pass on my recommenations. Will have to do some very Big Thinking. So many good things out there. And Puddock's own Two And A Half Acres is our first stop on a miserable grey city day. Unfortunately another of our favourite blogs - The Big Side Order - has retired. We've got our copy of Freeze! Armed Farm Animals!. We''ll just have to keep rereading it and hoping for something new.

Hum. For now, have a look at Cat Rackham Gets Depression. Winter. Spring. Good stuff. Although I don't think he is a cat. A racoon? And I have no idea what those bugs are up to. Animated version here :o)

Thoughts of bunnies on a snowy spring day

Here I am with my Peter Rabbit Easter egg bucket on my head. Madame took the chocolate eggs, even though she's not that keen on Easter egg chocolate. While she was working I was watching wispy drifts of snow falling and examining the tree outside the window for signs of spring.

This time last year we were in Latvia.

I don't remember seeing the Easter Bunny in Latvia. There was a pig who ran about tickling people. Not sure if that was an Easter tradition or just a veggie pushed over the edge by the big barrel of stewing pig snouts on offer. There was a bear with a big egg. The pig stole the egg. Everyone laughed then they sang a song. Chickens danced. Hum. Maybe that wasn't Latvia. Maybe this was a nightmare I had. Hum.

Any way. No bunnies. Poor old bunnies. They're not just for Easter you know. Let's celebrate bunnies right through the year.

The scary Polish bunny. Crash test bunny. A bunny in Barcelona. Steamed bunny buns. Little White Bunny. Big pink bunny. Rabbits!



And King Coco (not a bunny) - Your Majesty, long may you reign over us - *tries to curtsey. falls over* - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Fluff in a time of grumpiness

We've had a grumpy couple of weeks. And by "we" I mean "her". I'm a little ray of sunshine - my chance to shine constantly blotted out by Madame's big bad storm clouds of doom.

It should really be the other way round of course - I sit here day after day with only the occasional squirrel for company while she roams the streets and gets to do interesting and exciting things like seeing Mitch Benn playing live ...



I was going to go on strike but I'm not in a union and I'm not allowed to touch her felt tip pens so couldn't do myself a placard. You need placards if you're going on strike. And one of those brazier things. Just asking for burnt ears and scorched fur.

So - Plan B - I am going to run away to and open my own cocktail bar. Over to Mr Chris McMillan, master mixologist of New Orleans for the Brandy Alexander, the Grasshopper, and the Pink Squirrel ...



Oh, and just in case cocktails aren't your thing - SourPuss has very kindly, in between humpfing and grumpfing, added a little linky thing - it's under Links - that should take you to a rather lovely Jacquie Lawson e-card.

Whatever happened to Baby Bear?

Some of this ...

We would probably have enjoyed it more if it hadn't rained quite so hard and if Madame had brought her wellies and had a map rather than a vague list of directions and I hadn't ended up with bright red fur thanks to a dodgy bag and a leaky water bottle.

We did like our hotel - we had a snuggly room just right for a bear and its Madame.

There were some nice little shops - I got a 1966 Sooty annual in the bookshop and Madame found one of these in Jenny Wren's shop. Making her a very happy Madame.

But we had to come home. To bills and work and washing.

So yay for the weekend! I'm bear-coloured again. Madame's going to get her fluff chopped tomorrow and then she's going to see that Hanif Kureishi bloke talking about the film Venus.

If you're looking for something cheery to do then she would like to recommend the play The Wall. I would like to recommend snuggling up somewhere warm and doing as little as possible but a bit of brilliantly acted, funny, heart warming theatre is good stuff too. :o)