Smart arse.

Snow.

We are not used to getting much snow. Yes we get some every year but not a lot, so when it does come everything goes arse over tit.

For once I delighted not to have any work, the phone is dead. I've spoken to others that earn their living self employed and it's the same for them, nowt.

Minor panic.

I checked my bank account today because I'm off skiing on Saturday. I don't look to much, I don't need to I get paid in cash most of the time so it's not really necessary. The tenant usually pays her rent direct in to the bank and with a few other things it cover everything and more.

I went on line to check and I knew something was amiss, less cash than I thought. The rent had not been going in for the last 5 weeks. I popped a note though the door of the tenant and when she came home tonight she knocked here.

It turns out she had set up a direct debit in the middle of December and the bank has not been paying it. So I'm getting the cash tomorrow. Panic over.

Loads done.

With not having any work today I've managed to get loads of little jobs done. All my paperwork is in order, the first time in over a year. The house is clean, it is most of the time but things had been ignored a bit, that's sorted. It leaves me in a good frame of mine to go on holiday.

Clobber.

I've been skiing now for the last 5 years, it's a bit late in life to start but I have the advantage of being very brave (for brave read stupid). The first time I went I had not much in the way of fashion extras. No sun glasses, no sun tan oil, no choice of gloves, only one ski suit, that sort of thing.

Over the years I've been accumulating things. Now I have a choice of 5 pairs of gloves (one pair has not finger ends, suitable for warmer days, say minus 4) sunglasses by the bag full, a choice of factor 10 or sun block ( I don't use that much). Smart arse, eh?

Malcolm.

It's Tuesday which means it's Malcolm night. I meet Malcolm at the New Bridge Pub in Newcastle. We meet there because it is half way between his house and mine. We have been doing this for about 10 years, some times we change the venue but not for long, we go back to the New Bridge.

Any way, our conversation goes from this and that, most of the time we talk about things we've been over a thousand time. Tonight the conversation came round to his wife. She's had cancer, breast cancer, and she's had some chemotherapy, she had a breast removed and reconstruction. This involved taking some skin and fat from other parts of her body and making a breast. The last thing they do is tattoo a nipple on the fake breast.

Any way she's now got the same in the other breast, this time she's not to keen to have what's on offer. They are giving her tablets and some other stuff but she's not keen to have the full Monty. Malcolm was telling me tonight, she's lost a stone in weight since Christmas. She's not the biggest woman in the world to start with. I'm worried, I'm worried for Malcolm. They have been together since they were 19 years old, and Malcolm is now 65.       Do I worry about her................... ?................ I'm not sure.

Well I'm off to bed, I'm at the dentist in the morning, NOOOOOOOOOO.            Yes. 9.15, the week I go skiing. Please be kind.

Readers from, China, Russia, Germany, America, Canada, England (as you would expect) Holland, France and Ukraine this week. Thank you. I'm amazed.

Good night.