In Which There is Marmalade, Insurance and Meh

It is marmalade season again, so on Saturday morning I ventured out in search of the elusive seville orange. They aren't always easy to find, but happily I managed to track some down, and bought around 5lbs, which ought to let me make a decent amount of marmalade, once I summon up the energy to do all the necessary chopping and squeezing. I think I had fewer oranges last year, and as I recall it took a looong time.

Unfortunately I sem to have aquired one of the many nasty bugs going around - I have a head  chest cold, but mostly the evil little thing  LURKS, so I keep thinking I'm getting better, then when I do something (you know, like getting dressed, or going to work) it turns out that actualy, I'm not better at all. I just FELT better temporarily becasue I wasn't doing anything. Which sucks.

Luckily, if I don't get to the point of being able to make the marmalade within a reasonable time, I shall be able to freeze the oranges until I'm feeling better. (Since the oranges will be juiced, and the peel boiled to make itt soft, the fact the the freezing will make the oranges go soft is, if anything, a benefit rather than a disadvantage.) but that does not stop it being irritating.

The other (also irritating) think which has been occupying my time is the car insurance. As I mentioned on my last post, the time has come around for renewal - my existng  insurers sent me renewal documents with a bill for renewal which equates to an increase on last year's premium of almost 40%.  Now, I was expecting an increase, as I'm aware that insurance premiums generally have gone up, but that seemed to me to be taking the mickey in a big way. Shopping around, the lowest quote I found was 20% LOWER than my last year's premium (so about £150 cheaper than thier renewal) and although I haven't gone for that one, I have found a quote which costs just £20 more than I paid last year (and , as it turns out, has slightly lower excesses than either last year's insurance, or this year's renewal)  But I resent having to spend so long ploughing through
quotes, and the greed, and complete lack of any concept of rewarding  customer loyalty which makes it necessary. Grrrr.

Oh, and did I mention having to go through my tax return to send that back? It really does make for a fun week. *sigh*. The last thing I want to know is how much of my money  have to give to the government so they can piss about spending it on MPs second homes, and on endless rebrands, and tax breaks for rich doners, and legislation to reduce civil rights and court cases to defend doing those things, and wars we should never have countenanced, while at the same time refusing to pay for essentials stuff like schools and libraries and legal aid and support for the most vulnerable in society, or anything else which might make for a better, or more equitable society. Paying tax is never going to be fun, but  paying to watch things being torm apart REALLY sucks.

*sigh*

Rant over.

A New Year, and a Mystery

So, we're nearly a week into 2011, and so far, it feels pretty much like 2010 did.

Except for the Mystery book. My Volume 1 of the Absolute Sandman. It was waiting for me on the door step when I got home on Sunday - a brown paper parcel, tied up with string, addressed to me correctly, but in  unfamiliar handwriting. Postmarked from Deal in Kent. (and I don't know anyone in Deal, in Kent) No return address.

Inside, no card, no letter, no order slip, nothing.

I wondered, at first, whether my bother had sent it, or one of my sisters, as part of my Christmas present I mean, I'dd have been surprised, because they ech  already gave me a present, and I would have expected any of them to have said something when I saw them at Christmas, but it was all I could think of. The only other person I would suspect of sending me luscious books also already sent me a christmas gift (of books, natch)

So. Mystery. VERY odd.

Other than that, the year seems to have started with outbreaks of lurgy.in my office, people are dropping like flies - in my department, 3/6 people are off sick. Since Wednesday,  I'm the only fee-earner who has been in,  so I have been a little busy, and aso feeling rather crappy myself. I have been very firmly telling myself I am NOT ill, I am NOT coming down with anything, and I do NOT have an incipient chest infectiopn, but I don't find myself very convincing. *sigh*

Still, at least there is a weekend now. I was planning to make marmalade. It is marmalade season, but I may have to leave that and just collapse, I  think.

And it is that rather depressing time of year. My car insurance is due - my existing provider wants £365, so they just lost my custom. Thats a 40% increase on last year! And given I have been driving nicely, and haven't done anything expensive in the past year. I can't believe that insurance costts have gone up quite that much. So now I need to faff about getting other quotes, which is boring and time consuming. and I shall have to do it all over again for the hosue insurance soon.

Oh well. At least I still have left over Christmas chocolate.