(no subject)

[endlessrarities]

Last day of freedom, and I'm using it wisely.  I've had some book-related matters to deal with, and these have taken up most of the morning.  I've still not tackled the business of my tax return  - long-term followers of this blog will remember the angst which last year's efforts involved.  This year's had its problems already - I tried accessing the hmrc gateway, got logged into my account, but then it wouldn't let me progress to the self-assessment form.  Aargh!  [Tears hair out in despair]  Why's it easier to buy bath bombs from Lush or books from Amazon than it is to download a bloomin' form from Her Majesty's Inland Revenue???  They give you not one but TWO UID's which don't change from year to year, so what is the problem with accessing the site?  [Hits head repeatedly off the back of the sofa to try and make herself feel better]

I'm horse-riding this afternoon, so that should help me unwind.  Though the prospect of repeating the angst I endured at work over the last six months has got me on tenterhooks already.  Yes, I know that's a bad sign - I've endured a sleepless night last night, and I haven't even started back yet.  What makes me really sad is that this time last year, I was raring to get back to my desk and catch up with things.

I shall console myself with one last batch of photos featuring Grasmere in the snow.  It's not quite a case of 'calm blue oceans' - more like 'calm grey lakes':-

I took this one, from the high part of Loughrigg Terrace on the descent into Grasmere:-

And look!  There's greenery!  I think that's the first bit of cololurful vegetation I've spotted in these photos.

This one comes courtesy of J, who complains that I never give him any opportunity to use the camera these days:-

 

It's no wonder I hog the camera, because whenever he takes over the lens, he shows me up! 

Not to be outdone, I opted for this picture opportunity, featuring the same field:-

 

I'd better go now.  A very large box packed with goodies has just arrived from Lush, and the living room smells glorious (Ice Hotel is the dominant perfume.  Yum...)  

I've been a bit disappointed with Lush this year.  Last year, their post-Christmas sales were extremely generous, and I spent generously as a result.  They usually end up with a glut of gift boxes, and the previous practice has been to give away a free gift box when a shopper spends over x amount of money.  This year they've been rather parsimonious, offering half-price boxes instead.  This is great when the box originally cost over twenty-five quid or more, but when it's only a tenner, it's not so tempting.  And their Retro range seems to be diminishing markedly all the time.  End result?  II've saved money, and poor old Lush has lost some additional revenue. 

I suppose it's a win-win situation.  I can spend the money on books and plants instead!

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

These lovely bowls and valleys full of mist. They must help put Inland Revenue out of your mind.

And Lush! My sister-in-law sent me a present from there last year: a bar of glitter cream! you rub it between your hands, and some of the glitter cream comes off,and you can smooth it on your face and hands, and then you sparkle more than Edward the Sparkling Vampire. And, as you say, it smells delicious.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

That's the problem. They ARE putting the Inland Revenue out of my mind...

I'm a bit annoyed with Lush just now. I placed an on-line order with them before the sale finished, and they were meant to give me £10 of free stuff, but they neglected to do so. Sigh....

[red-trillium.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous pictures! Bummer about the probs with Inland Revenue. It's always the way though huh? Fun stuff = easy (and fun!), boring/responsible stuff = takes forever, is difficult and is so not fun to encourage procrastination!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Doesn't it just:-(