Lovely Men

I'm super-tired today, and have a super-long jobs list. Admittedly we got to bed earlier last night, but I was awoken early (around 5) by the Wonderspouse footling around with his bedside clock - we'd had a power cut in the night and he was trying to reset the time, but owing to extreme myopia he has to do it with his nose almost touching the clock!

The morning trip to the bus stop was cold - seriously cold. The windscreen was covered in ice - we're back to the scrape/spray de-icer/wait for the engine to warm up and thaw the ice business in the mornings again. How much easier life was when I could walk out of the house dressed as I was, without having to find a coat and scarf, when I could get into the car, start the engine and drive off. Winter is such a palaver - so many extra jobs to do, so many extra clothes to wash.

I could really have done with stopping today, just lying on the sofa watching videos or something, but thanks to the lengthy jobs list and another observed lesson to plan for tomorrow it wasn't to be. I've had to wimp out of going into Oxford today for a Murukami jaunt at Blackwells (as I wimped out on Tuesday) since I simply have too much to do. It's rather sad, since the lovely Euan said I could read some Murukami, but I'm simply too overblessed with work and too exhausted to do extra stuff at the moment. Just hope there aren't any bus disasters tonight (see the start of yesterday's blip), since I really don't want yet another night where I'm still driving around the place in the small hours!

So I've washed clothes, and sorted stuff, and done piles of scanning (both for tomorrow's lesson handouts and to e-mail to someone for next week's music workshops). I've given the rat cage a better-than-usual daily clean and will give it a proper do at the weekend, and I've sorted through some of the more urgent paperwork on my desk.

And now I must go back to work. My intermediate level listening lesson planning is not yet finished. No great blipworthy happenings today - feeding teaching resources into the scanner really isn't very exciting, and it seemed really desperate to blip piles of washing. However, my gorgeous little rat-men were looking as gorgeous as they always do. They've enjoyed me being around in my study most of the day and liked having their cage cleaned reasonably well.

Whenever it all seems like it's just too much, I go over and talk to them and watch them pootling round the cage with their little feet! I couldn't help thinking today that they looked like they needed little fluffy slippers for their paws - their bodies look snug and warm with their beautiful fur, which they always keep immaculately groomed, but their little pink feet look like they might get chilly. I think I'll put extra soft nesty bedding in their cage now the weather's getting cold. When it was really hot I gave them ice cubes and took them paddling in the bath, now I'm finding ways to keep them warm!

Best of all, of course, is to put them inside my jumper! :-)