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Saturday 28 July 2012

Cold.

As I write this I am huddled in front of the fire. Our electricity bill arrived in the mail during the week and my husband has turned all the heating off from the shock of it. It has never been quite so high. And we're talking the price of a Gucci handbag, high. Admittedly, we were running two of our heat pumps 24/7 and may have even left them on overnight with the back door open so that our elderly beagles wouldn't get cold AND on the off chance they might remember to go outside for a pee. What were we thinking? One of the meters was an estimate, so I am still clinging onto the hope that there was a mistake.....and then the first thing to go back on is the en suite underfloor heating. Fingers crossed.

Watching James Bond parachute the Queen into the Olympic Opening Ceremony reminded me that when I was about thirteen, I wanted to grow up to be a Bond Girl:



Seeing that this was back in the day when Roger Moore was James Bond, this is some confession. We watched Octopussy last year while staying at the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, where some of the scenes were filmed, so when I say that Roger Moore was NOT the best James Bond, I know what I'm talking about. Daniel Craig, on the other hand, is enough to make me lament that I didn't follow through on my teenage inspired career path. My husband would like to be James Bond and I'm happy with that. Last time he needed a new cossie we walked town looking for a similar one to that in the beach scene from Casino Royale. It didn't quite look the same. Maybe we bought the wrong cossie.

Last night we went to a party:



I wore this long By Malene Birger sequinned singlet top which I bought from the Outnet ages ago. When I'm struggling with inspiration and ask my boys the question 'What should I wear' they pick this top.....every single time. Maybe I just shouldn't ask them anymore. If it was up to them they would have me wear this top, without the jacket, to drop them off at school. Seeing it's sequinned and a tad see through, I haven't yet.

We got to the party at 7pm and were home....by 8.30pm and this included time to stop off at Annapurna and acquire a takeaway curry. I'm afraid that our poor party form may have been influenced by a pact we made after the decadent excess of the earlier part of the month. We were a little bit tiddly when we decided to challenge ourselves to be vegetarian teetotallers until the end of the month.....three long weeks ago. So far we haven't wavered.....although someone, who wasn't me, may have eaten a quince and venison pie for lunch yesterday.

That's why I have a Jamie Oliver English style fish pie in the oven for dinner tonight......to eat while we watch Day 1 of competition live from London. Washed down with a glass of....water.

Rx

PS Thank you, thank you, thank you to everybody who has become a follower of my blog! I am speechless that I am approaching fifty....followers that is. Look what I did with Cumquat Compote yesterday for afternoon tea:


Dolloped it on top of a piece of Lemon and Almond Cake.....it was delicious! If you haven't already, it's not too late to become a follower to be in the running to win your very own jar.....oh, and of course the book.

19 comments:

  1. We had a horror water bill during Summer, so I feel your pain. A malfunctioning automatic watering system, plus the manual sprinkler on the tennis court being left on....for 13 hours overnight......not once, but three separate times (my husband is to blame) meant a Gucciesque water bill. It was depressing. Like your party outfit, even if you didn't party for long. My 4 year old daughter is always trying to get me into a silk dress (preferably ball gown laden with jewels)...my boys show no interest at all.

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    1. Water bills are a new phenomena in Hobart....they are just about to be metered, quelle horreur! Your daughter has good taste....I love that photo of Deborah Devonshire feeding her chickens in a ball gown laden with jewels and used to dream of recreating the scene in my back yard with our chooks. Maybe one day. Rx

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  2. Wasn't Daniel Craig stoic? I liked Becks in the motorboat too. That cake looks gorgeous. Loving reading your blog.

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    1. Thanks! Have been day dreaming of Daniel Craig most of the day....Rx

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  3. I am dreading getting our electricity bill - we have had the heat pump on all the time, not to mention the heater in our son's room on every night. Our poor little beagle has been out in the cold though - we must be very mean dog owners! I am vegetarian (don't even eat fish) and my husband is a carnivore - he soon got used to very little meat when he realised I didn't cook it! Good luck with the last few days of your meat/booze free month!

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    1. My beagles are 15 & 16 so are geriatric! It would be mean to leave your nana in the garden so have been over cosseting them...and they reward us by peeing on the floor. How do vegetarian and a carnivore get together and stay together....well done! My husband's parents are vegetarians and he was thankful for the school tuckshop which was his source for meat....pies! Rx

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  4. just popping over from Jane's and I am your newest follower.
    pop over and visit me at http://fivebrothersonesister.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you....shall duck over and visit you! Rx

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  5. It makes me so very happy to see that it is not just my husband who does thinks like that when the electricity bills arrives! He also goes around the house turning off every single light, and every power point and the computers and everything! Luckily our house is small so our bill doesn't get too high!

    pearlmeringue.blogspot.com

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    1. Mine was so happy to splash the electricity around until we got the bill.....he used to try and goad me into using the dryer, which I try to only use in an emergency. I've snuck in and turned the floor heating on in the bathroom.....Rx

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  6. I was just a tad tempted to hide our electricity bill when it arrived as it was also astronomically high. About a year ago we introduced a shower timer as we have a prehistoric water heater that uses so much power, but of course the 4 minute shower applied to everyone in my house but me. At the time I blamed my long showers on being heavily pregnant, then having a new baby - but to be honest I treasured that time when my family was locked out on the other side of the bathroom door. Now that bubba is almost 1, and our bill was so high, I have a feeling that hubby will be standing outside the bathroom with a stop watch to enforce the rule I originally introduced.
    mummychaos.blogspot.com.au

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    1. Oh no! Am entranced with the concept of escaping to the shower.....I usually have all of my children in there with me....most days I'm lucky to be able to use the loo without someone accompanying me! Rx

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  7. I luff Malene. I assume you've been to the Mothership Flag Ship store in Marylebone High st???? In Londy???

    Meanwhile my heating bill is TERRIBLE but it's because i hate being cold in my own home.

    I cannot go without meat or wine.

    My blog list loves you x

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    1. Me too...I'm eagerly anticipating a new delivery from the Outnet. Haven't been to the Mothership.....at the moment London seems so far from Hobart!
      I utterly detest being cold too, especially as it was almost tropical in our house BEFORE the bill arrived. It's been a shock to the system.
      Can't say it hasn't been a struggle abstaining....when was thinking of what to cook as quintessentially English dish for dinner last night, thoughts instantly strayed to rib eye roast beef with yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings....in the manner of the restaurant at the Dorchester. Only have to endure until Wednesday.....
      Need to get Jane over again to explain exactly what a blog list is, yet even in my ignorance, thanks! Rx

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  8. Woohoo! You have reached 50 followers. If I lived in Hobart and you weren't busy abstaining I would definitely pop in to crack open a bottle of champagne with you! I am dreading our heating bill. xx

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  9. Amazing isn't it....forks to my husband who said it couldn't be done! Yes, shame about the distance and abstinence....only two nights to go! Rx

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  10. Hi Romy, your post had me laughing from the get go, so I'm so pleased to have found you via Jane's blog. Such a shame that your husband didn't quite pull off the Daniel Craig look in his togs. Mines the same I'm afraid. Much as he might fancy being a Daniel Craig look alike, my girls and I would die if he turned up in togs on the beach. Board shorts all the way, unless of course Daniel does manage to find Waipatiki! Not sure how great the chances are.
    Only one more day of being vegetarian teetotallers! That is some challenge. I don't think I could do it - certainly not both at the same time. Well done. Amanda x
    PS hope you turn the heating on again soon!

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  11. Our heating bill arrived today, Romy. We can compare ours tomorrow ☺. J x

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  12. I got a whopper...... and I am one person ...... at the moment I am taking reading every 12 and 24 hours as I have noticed that overnight, when I am asleep, on Thursdays and Fridays I can get a reading of 40KW.... I turn all power off during the day as I work and will then have a reading of 3-4 overnight. At the moment they are saying that I will have to pay 1300 at the next bill. I have one heat pump and one small panel heater. Heat pump is sometimes on overnight as is panel heater. Other than that there is no dryer, no extra power points on.....
    Yesterday the meter told me I had used 38Kw from 6p.m. until 8a.m. this morning - I was out for most of the night!! I have been keeping a spreadsheet for 3 weeks and the readings make no sense- have also kept notes on what is on or off....... the only way to stop a reading is to turn it off! I also have taken photos and videos of the weird movement that I see when only one light is on--- speeds up to really fast , then hardly moves..... you all should be checking your meters.
    Have had Aurora here and they are supposed to have put a monitor on the box..... they feel there is nothing wrong!!!!!

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I LOVE hearing your thoughts! Rx