I cleaned the bathroom sink today, including the taps.

Later, I went to wash my hands, and noticed before I turned it on that the hot tap was dripping a bit. I washed my hands, then turned the tap off. The water still kept coming out at a steady trickle. I turned it off really really tightly, but to no avail. I turned it on and off again, but it was worse. I called to the Hubster, and he turned the tap on loads, then tried to turn it off, but now the water was quite happily gushing out and didn’t want to stop.

T’riffic.

We didn’t want the whole of the hot water tank to empty out, so we hunted for a tap to stop it with. There was such a tap in the airing cupboard. That did the trick. It’s alright for Colin, who can take a shower at work – and has been doing so for a couple of weeks or so now, what with him having taken up his running in the morning to work instead of in the evening when he gets back home. But what about me? I work at home.

T’riffic.

From the last list of things to do, I did no.1, the Albright paper, some of no.2 (Chapter 1 exercises) and made a messy start on no.4 (expenses claim).

I’m so hopeless at expenses forms, and I’m always extra-wary of them, from the time when the company I used to work for was relocating. I had been house-hunting in the new area, and could claim it all back, so I filled in the form as best I could - I’d never had cause to do such a thing before then. I got summonsed to Finance, such as it was, and told I’d done it all wrong, and that if I was going to move, and continue working with the company, I had better start toeing the line or some such. I thought that was a bit harsh - it’s not like I’d deliberately sabotaged the form. And to add insult to injury, she didn’t even bloody move either!

Today’s list of things to do is:

1. Put off doing the expenses form;
2. Wash and dry the bed clothes for the spare room;
3. De-cat the the spare room duvet;
4. Make up the spare room bed;
5. Go to Bar Hill Tesco and buy some food (I’d like to support our local, independent butcher’s, grocer’s and greengrocers, but they’re all amalgamated into a little Tesco);
6. Read the section on verbs in the Catalan book.

I think I’ll be good at doing no.1, although maybe if I’m not meant to be doing it, I will do it…

I had a supervision today. It made up for the one I missed last week because of Henry breaking down. My supervisor was in Cambridge today anyway, so he came to my house. That was weird, and I tidied up specially!

He said last time we actually had a supervision, I was a particularly funny colour- because of having been ill - and clearly still being a bit ill! At least it shows I wasn’t making being ill up, anyway.

I’ve been to the pub this evening because it was John’s birthday. There was only me, the Hubster and Spider out, but there was good crack. Aye, lots of it.

I believe it’s now past my bedtime.

Ok, since The Hubster’s been complaining, I have spent this morning tidying the study up. It still has some clutter, but that’s mainly not (just) mine, so I’m leaving it. It’s out the way, anyway.

The trouble is, there’s just nowhere to put anything!

I’ve actually been productive today and haven’t spent all day playing the evil Desktop Tower Defence and didn’t play any of the games listed on the site Stef pointed out.

Instead, I have been doing what I’m supposed to be doing: my PhD! I have been studying the sound system of Galician in Spanish, which is really quite tricky, but must be done because the only books I’ve found about the Galician language that are in English are out of print.

After that, I need to go through each verb and do a Pirelli and Battista 2000 on them.

I’ve been feeling unmotivated recently, but since The Hubster tidied up a bit, I now have somewhere uncluttered to work, so it’s made me feel more motivated. He’s not happy now though, because I’ve taken over the space he was going to work in, and he can’t use the study because I’ve got stuff all over the place in it and he’s not allowed to move anything in there. Bless him. I’ll just have to try to be tidier in future.

I’m trying to do my Thursday Domestic Goddessery, and that fella of mine, C, has went and took the day off! So now he’s under my feet, laughing at my routine and playing on the computer. He’s twittering on about some game or other about Egypt that doesn’t start until such and such a date. I’m not bovvered. I just want to get on with my Goddessery.

He’s off tomorrow an’ all, but at least we’ll be able to go to the beer festival. I can’t go today because I’ll only get pissed and I need to be able to drive me and Spanish-Class-E to class and back, and also to attend the class. And finish my homework. Ten differences between England and Italy. I mean, really.

Now that my current Domestic Goddess is drawing to a close, I have gone excessively domestic, and attempted to bake some scones this morning. Doomed. I put in too much liquid, resulting in a soggy dough. The only pastry cutter I can find is a deformed gingerbread man cutter. The pastry is too soggy and sticky to make gingerbread man-shaped scones. The scones are therefore square. The mix has become dry and crap due to the addition of extra flour and faffing about in an effort to make gingerbread man-shaped scones. The first batch baked didn’t rise. They also burned.

I want gingerbread man-shaped scones!