RANDOM JOTTINGS


A blog about music, sports, theatre and rants





First of all, comments on the picture of moi on my blog which has vanished.  Have had emails off blog about this as well asking Where has it Gone?  Somebody has even told me it has made their day to see my smiling face when they log onto Random. Well, blimey is all I can say – never had that effect on anybody before I can tell you now.  The explanation is simple, I need to update the banner to say I am no longer a commuting PA blah blah blah…and I have had difficulty getting it sorted.  A friend of mine did that banner for me and while I thought I could edit it by using Paint program, which I did, I then discovered that all the empty spaces in the words jOttings and cOmmutinG were white and horrid and did not match the blue background and it all looked a bit weird.  So after wrestling with this problem for about an hour, I thought Dash it and What ho (have to watch that I don't start falling into Wooster mode here, getting difficult this week) and abandoned it for the time being.

By the time you read this (fingers crossed I have set it correctly on Typepad), I will be in Leicestershire with my sister from whence we will be sallying forth to Hay on Wye (not the lit fest I hasten to add, I avoid those like the plague in case I bump into Salman Rushdie or Martin Amis) but to visit this place which is FULL OF BOOK SHOPS.  Hay has been on my list of Places to visit Before I Die and as I am now fast approaching the twilight of my years and the grey hairs are sprouting (have been for some time actually but a good hairdresser does wonders), have decided the time has come.  I have copious lists of books to Look out For and have transferred a little bit of mad money from my savings account to facilitate any discoveries and off we go.

My sister does not like motorways so has devised a route for us which sounds fun. Part of it is down the Fosse Way a simply glorious road through villages made of mellow golden stone, slumbering in the sun, village greens where the sound of willow on bat is music to the ears, the Old Village Pubbe is selling foaming tankards of ale… ok getting carried away here so shall stop. But we are going near Hereford so may nip in and take a gander at the Cathedral and also Ludlow which has a Castle so all in all lots of goodies on the horizon.

As I do not wish any of you to repine during my absence, I am reviving Crock of the Day, that much loved feature of Random in the past for your delight so keep an eye out for that……

I am, of course, working on the assumption that I get this print on a certain date thingy right, and that typepad does what I tell it to do. 

Au reservoir everyone.

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12 responses to “Monday Ramblings”

  1. Peta Avatar

    Hi
    I’d be very happy to sort out your banner for you and it’d only take me a couple of mins! If you can email me the orig image and the changes you want, I shall get onto it!

  2. Elaine Simpson-Long Avatar

    Well first of all may I see I am overwhelmed by this response to my lack of ‘beautiful smiling face’ and also that it is uplifting. I have to say that the words Elaine and Uplifting are not normally in the same sentence. The reason that photo is a good one is that it was taken by a photographer friend of mine and it has been softened and I have been given a ‘glow’ courtesy of her computer programme and the real me is much less glam I can assure you. But I will try and find another photo to put up but may have to put it in the side bar as I cannot work out how to do the banner again. I am not that computer literate.
    I am now home and have had a lovely quiet evening and will be off to seek my couch in a minute and will be writing at length about my trip tomorrow.

  3. Tara Avatar

    Have a lovely time! I hope you’ll share with us the books you find!

  4. Lisa Avatar

    I am so jealous. That sounds like such a lovely trip. Have a great time.

  5. Cornflower Avatar

    Have a lovely time!

  6. Sarah Avatar

    Have fun Elaine, I’m green with envy.

  7. Dayna Carleton Avatar
    Dayna Carleton

    Hope you took pictures of that wonderful route you took; I would love to see actual photos of places that we dream about our whole lives, the golden stone slumbering in the sun, village green, pub, all that. And though I am in danger of being a broken record, I really, really count on seeing your beautiful face every day, please, please, please. It’s uplifting! And we need uplifting! It’s like sunshine! Have lots of fun, Elaine, enjoy every moment.

  8. Janice Avatar

    that was moi made that comment about your smiling face — please come back soon

  9. Dorte H Avatar

    But we DO miss your face.

  10. Verity Avatar

    I’ve always wanted to go to Hay – very envious! Hope you find some good books.

  11. Darlene Avatar

    I want to go to Hay before I die as well! Can’t wait to read about the bookshops and what you found for yourself.

  12. Claire Avatar

    Happy holiday and book shopping in Hay on Wye!
    May I ask though why you don’t want to bump into Salman Rusdhie or Martin Amis? The comment makes me curious.

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