03/10/2007 by Jen.

PUMPKIN!!!!

We had a rather strange ‘beanstalk’ (as quoted by a rather curious neighbour) growing right across our lawn over the summer.

First we thought it was a cucumber. But it grew a bit. So we thought, maybe it’s a squash? But it grew a bit more. OK we thought, maybe it’s a marrow? But then it slowly started turning orange.

It was this massive pumpkin!

Said pumpkin has now been harvested and is ready for pumpkin soup.

But, I hate pumpkin!

So, where did this strange triffid come from?

We had our Godson down last Hallowen. Having empied out the pumpkin of the seeds we had fun cutting out a scary face (modelled on Neil!). Seeds from last years pumpkin were put into the compost bin - say no more.

To give you some sense of it’s size, we took a picture of it next to Greebo (very difficult to have him sitting so still) and a enormous tin of Ginger Beer.

jb x

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03/10/2007 by Neil.

Funny how things can go wrong all at once. On average, thoses inconvienient events, tend to spreed themselves out, but every now and again, you get problem after problem. Sometimes they can all be completely unrelated to each other, sometime as in my cae here, they are sort of linked.. You get a years dose in a period of a few weeks.

Well it seems thats happening to our motor at the moment. I was contemplating these thoughts last Friday morning whilst standing on the hard shoulder of the M3 in the drizzel waiting for the AA main to come do his stuff. I thought, things come in 3’s, this breakdown is the third and last I hope. Pahh !

I’d recently had two bulbs go on the car, spaced about a week apart. The problem with new cars, is that changing a headlight bulb, can mean taking half the engine appart just to get at the rear of your lights. You then need specialist tools just to get bulbs in and out. A new take on the “how many people does it take to change a lightbulb” gag. 3 men, a cabinet full of tools and a bank loan it seems.

Anyway, the AA man turned up and towed the car to the garage for me. He seemed confident that the large red light on my dashboard saying “STOP CAR NOW ! “, would turn out to be something minor and cheap to fix.

£460 later………. (not including the £126 for the hire car I’ve had for the past week) I thought what else can go wrong. I had, previous to the M3 event, ear marked the car for new brakes and disc to be done this week, as they were due. That itself would be a very un-pretty penny. So I was to say the least, not particulary overjoyed when I got home last night after picking the car up from it’s major surgery, to hear, as we walked to our front door, a hissing sound coming from a front tyre courtesy of wopping great screw !

It was dark by then, and pouring with rain. Always the best time to change a tyre. I think everyone should have to do it in such conditions at least once in their life, so can realise what a joy it is. The beer after was well deserved I thought…..

So this morning, driving to work, I sat listening to every knock, bang, creak coming from my car. Awaiting the next wallet lightening opertunity my motor would present to me…

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