Purdah at the Pool

So me and a certain someone went swimming the other day, we were just waiting in the queue, minding our own business - more or less - when the person with me, makes a swift about turn away from me and starts gasping 'Oh My God!!!' like they need an EPI pen or something...

In my ignorance, I ask what's wrong? Thinking that my endless hours of first aid training was finally going to come to some use. Turns out she's seen one of her students - which as you may have gathered is not a good thing. In an attempt to disguise her self, she gets to the desk, buys a pair of goggles and asks for 'the darkest pair' like we're in a 007 film. I obviously can't stop laughing at her distress. The next half an hour or so was spent in trying to find this student and then 'unfind' her by avoiding her.

But I'm sure we've all been in that situation where you see someone, somewhere that you really don't want to see.Then we spend our time either avoiding them  or, if you're me, just keeping you're eyes glued elsewhere and pretending that you haven't actually seen them at all. In fact I think I do this more times than I like to admit. Mind you sometimes I am in my own little world and don't realise when I walk past someone I know or that someone's waving at me from the car. At times I'm walking past and I'm in a rush or just don't know what to say and I know if I see that person I will have to stop because I don't not know them well enough for just a 'hey' or 'salaam' but nor do I know them well enough for a full blown interesting conversation....And that's when you get situations like 'Purdah at the Pool.'

Comment if you've ever had a Purdah at the Pool situation...

Renovating and Decorating

So the time has arrived for us to redo our kitchen, we've been working our way, slowly but surely, through the house.

A coupla years ago we renovated the attic, built two bedroom, a hallway and a mini WC and when I say we, I actually mean we - my dad, mum and myself mainly. It was hard work but we made it. It took us one summer of working till 12 at night sometimes even longer. Then we did the hall way walls and my bedroom in the spring, once the winter snap had finally snapped. In the Summer, before my sister returned home from boarding school, we completed her room, lowered the ceiling, insulated with these foam plaster boards and glass fibre insulation, re plastered, wallpapered, built cupboards and had the carpet fitted.

Then we had a little break, where I certainly forget the toil involved in redoing your house when you have to live it in with all your things and nowhere to shift them.

Before my sister got married we decided to re decorate the living room but that was an easy job, plasterer did the plastering then we wallpapered and moved a few bits about aaaannnnnd jobs a good 'un.

Yesterday we thought it was time the kitchen went through a drastic makeover. First off we decided that the wallpapers needed removing. So off my dad went in to the treasure trove that is our basement to go and get the wallpaper steamer but Lo! And behold! No wallpaper steamer. Apparently, someone-either Mum or Dad-lent it out to someone else but for the life of them can't remember to whom. So we did the obligatory ring around but alas no steamer. Seemed like the local area were all borrowing our steamer as no one else seemed to own one. Unfortunately, Sods' Law dictated that it had to be Easter Sunday and so we couldn't even pop out to go and buy one.

Anyway we decided to strip the wallpaper 'old school'. Which basically means by hand. Over here I feel I should have a disclaimer. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. You see I realised a few minutes in that this was a newly discovered form of torture. It was horrendously, tediously, wrist wrenching work.

Fortunately our hard work paid off as we now have a wallpaper-less kitchen.

Now for the plastering, re piping, unit fitting, tiling and painting...shouldn't be too bad (She says hopefully)

Thanks for reading, if you have any stories of your own share them below...

#@$!!*&#

I hate swearing, I've probably been sworn at only once in my life-to my face, and by this mean I mean a 'proper English swear said in a major-ly vindictive manner' type of swear, but I hate any type of foul mouthed insults, be they in English or any other language.

To me swearing feels very personal, you can argue and debate about something with me, throw sarcastic comments and be sharp tongued about it but as soon as someone insults me by swearing my insides do a little 'WHOA partner' and take a considerable step back and after that I tend to step out of the conversation and try and distance my self from this person/people.

I don't think it's the actual swear word that I have a problem with (although I probably should), more like I can't bear the evil spitefulness that comes with directing it at somebody in particular, so someone can swear black and blue after every other word, although this wouldn't be an abuse my ears would like to tolerate, non the less they'd cope - but swear at me and that really get's my blood boiling.

Over time most of us would forgive and forget, unfortunately I can forgive - that's the easy part but forgetting....well that's a whole other story.

So how do you feel about our foul mouthed brethren?

Respond below...

Nose-ology

Don't tell me you haven't heard of this Science, I can guarantee you've all studied it, discussed it, debated about it and reached some imminent conclusions with regards to it (probably not as conclusive as my sister though, all will be revealed soon), albeit this might not have taken place in a study hall or a classroom, more likely, the setting for this conversation was the dining room table or dastarkhan (as it was a few days ago in my house).

Nose-ology is fairly well discussed at my house as we have had the fortune (because we shouldn't be ungrateful *whisper* but i'm sure you know what I mean) to inherit the paternal nose. I think our own bits and pieces-for want of a better term-seem worse to ourselves then others - or am I just kidding myself.....anyway my sister-after 10 minutes or so of discussion - declares I think a nice nose should be no more than 1 inch away from your face and we all looked at her like she was away with the fairies and she looked back at us as if she was completely sane in making such precise statements. As you might think that statement was followed by hysterics of laughter and the conversation was soon lost.

There are features which are appealing to us and others which may not seem so but I'm not in to all the cattiness about peoples features, just because we can't really choose or 'shape' these parts of us but what we can change are our characters ...

...And so we go from Nose-ology to some other ology which my brain is too tired to think of at this moment.

Thanks for reading and post your comments below.