endlessrarities | (no subject)

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!