Odds and sods

I´m sitting here at the computer with a smell of burning in my nostrils - I think my cleaner just killed the hoover by plugging it into the shaving socket in the bathroom which is 220v whereas all the 'usual' sockets in the rest of the flat are 110v. I don´t know what she was thinking, using the hoover in there as it is all tiled. We shall see if it still works.

Talking of burning...the other day I was simmering Toby´s chicken broth while I worked on some intricate glaze tests for my pots. I became so focused on what I was doing that I completely forgot the pan on the stove. After some time I thought a neighbour was making toast, then that they had burned something...then I remembered the chicken. My pan had boiled dry and burnt black. My flat reeked of burnt chicken for the rest of the day...and me a vegetarian!

Every now and then there is a young man on the treadmill in front of mine when I go for my daily gym session. He looks to be in his early thirties, is tall and well built with short dark hair and very light eyes, altogether a handsome chap. When he has finished his session and gets off the treadmill he often turns and gives me the most beautiful smile. If only I were fifty years younger! I probably remind him of his grandmother, sigh. 

It´s our building´s birthday bazaar this Sunday and I´m busy getting organised and choosing which pots to try and sell. It will be interesting to see what happens as I´ve never done this before. I´ve bought bags and tissue paper, ribbon, price tags and have a cloth for the table, and I´ve made some business cards. I think I´ve thought of everything. My daughter is coming to help me and give me some moral support.

Finally, a little rant. I have recently subscribed to a VPN so I can watch British TV, after many years without. I don´t watch much but really enjoy pottery and nature programmes and good drama. One thing that has really struck me, though, is the awful quality of the advertising. The adverts seem to be so dumbed down and inane, if not downright silly that it is difficult to watch them. Some of the time the action is so removed and irrelevant to what they are trying to sell that you only realise what it is in the last few seconds. There is nothing witty, charming or amusing about them, gone are the days when you could "go to work on an egg" or "put a tiger in your tank" - real classics of the art of advertising. I´m sure the agencies are charging a fortune for their services, it´s a pity their clients are not more discerning.