Monday, July 09, 2007

Of wrinkles, rabbits and roadshows


'Watch the mirror, count the lines,
The battle scars of all the good times'

So sang Soft Cell. It’s Marc Almond’s birthday today, too; I wonder if he feels old? I certainly do after a weekend of carousing: out for a meal on Friday, out to make the repeated acquaintance of Mr Gordon’s and Mr Bombay Sapphire on Saturday, then rounded off with a barbeque (of course it rained) on Sunday.

I need a weekend off to get over my weekend. I just can’t take the pace anymore. I don’t know how I ever did. At one point, going out three nights in a row would have signified a good time; now it signifies that a week of early nights is in order if I want to catch up on my beauty sleep and forestall any more on those insidious wrinkles.

The most bizarre thing about my weekend, however, was the taxi ride home on Saturday night. We climbed into a car with an avowed killer: our driver’s day job was in vermin control. He claimed to own more than 35 ferrets. Apparently they don’t smell if you clean them out every morning.

I spend much of my time avoiding rabbits when I’m driving. The taxi driver, however, spent most of the time trying not to avoid them. I postulated that knocking them down on purpose wasn’t really very fair. On the contrary, he responded, he was doing them a favour: the ones he knocked down had myxomatosis. How he could tell in the dark, while driving, I don’t know. I certainly couldn’t: maybe I should eat more carrots instead of giving them all to the Grey Mare, or it could be that my age is beginning to tell on my eyesight.

The Antiques Roadshow is in Alnwick tomorrow. Perhaps I should take myself along …

26 comments:

Mopsa said...

Myxi is everywhere this year - the poor wee bunnies are stupefied by it and sit still so that the dogs can pick them up like windfalls. I yell DROP, they oblige, and we leave them to their sad fate. A night with the pop gun is needed - I don't think any taxi driver would oblige round these fields. And dig out a nice crisp cucumber for the eyes - a slice or two is heaven at the end of a long day.

Gill said...

Happy belated birthday eminem!

Drunk Mummy said...

Happy Birthday, you youngster, you!
No need to worry about the wrinkles until you look in the mirror and decide that you really have to iron your face before you can wear it outside.

Anonymous said...

But what about 'Kid myself I'm having fun..' or 'Read a book, maybe write a letter - mother thinks I'm getting better'...

Anonymous said...

Yes, Happy Birthday, eminem !!

Although sounding by the taxi ride you had, it sounds like you are lucky to be here to tell the tale !

He didn't look like Rutger Hauer did he ? Very odd indeed - if he wants to run over rabbits, maybe he could do it on his own time ?

By the way, it isn't going out and having fun that gives you wrinkles.

Stress gives you wrinkles - so go out and enjoy yourself, although I am in agreement that one gets to an age where the pleasure of getting a really good night's sleep is almost sexual in its allure..

Omega Mum said...

35 ferrets? By gum, but that's a lot of trouser legs.

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Mopsa, I have to admit I haven't seen any and there's zillions of rabbits in these here parts ...

Ta Gill

DM, I ain't no youngster!

Anon, didn't have you down asa Soft Cell fan ...

... but I do think too much fun in one's youth can lead to wrinkles...

OM, that is indeed a helluva lot of ferrets ..

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Once you start thinking "old" that's when you become old. I see that birthday greetings are in order - but it's just a number! Keep the girl in you alive!

Rob Clack said...

Yep. Happy Birthday, M&M. Inside, I'm still 25. I bet you are too!

Gill said...

smoking causes loads of wrinkles, so you can be smug about giving up!! However there comes a time in everyone's life when they think they have a pillow crease on their face in the morning but it doesn't go away...

Gill said...

ps your horse pic is beautiful!

rilly super said...

happy birthday M&M. I don't know under which category you would present yourself for valuation at the antiques roadshow but I know they would find you to be priceless.

Mopsa said...

and happy birthday!

Catherine said...

Happy Birthday M&M. Sounds like you had a good time celebrating.

I have sometimes wondered why there is so much road kill around when it is usually possible to slow down and miss the poor things. Do people really just put their foot down and get a kick out of it? Gross.

mountainear said...

I think a lot of road kill round here is deliberate - but pheasants seem to have a death wish anyway. I suspect the many badgers may well have died elsewhere and been deposited on the road side in the manner of a gangland killing.

Anyway - enough of death and destruction: Happy Birthday

Zig said...

happy birthday for whenever it was - you can't start complaining for another 10 years yet!

Gill said...

mountainear you are right about the pheasants- look right look left and if something is coming step in front of it then panic and run about a bit- is their green cross code.
I have often thought the same about the dead badgers dying elsewhere too, there is a lot of badger baiting round here (allegedly)and the number of bodies seems suspicious.

muddyboots said...

friends son has ferrets. don't do ferrets.

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Thankyou all for the birthday wishes!

Gill, it has to be said that my Grey Mare is a babe...

Rilly, that's a very kind m'dear!

Have to say that I have always thought (and been told) that about badgers on the A1, especially in SE Northumberland.

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Muddyboots - I like the idea of them but not the smell!

@themill said...

Happy Birthday - just keep taking the gin and you won't notice the wrinkles. Youngest son has a polecat and it STINKS. He keeps bringing it into the house just to annoy me. I keep hoping the Terrorists might get the pesky thing, but I suspect it would put up a good fight!

Chris at 'Chrissie's Kitchen' said...

Love the alliteration birthday girl.

Have a good one.

Hugs

Lizzie xx

Chris at 'Chrissie's Kitchen' said...

Can't spell either - a v. dyslexic moment - again. Oh dear.

x L

Stay at home dad said...

Happy birthday M&M. Know how you feel.

You seem to make a habit of getting into cars with killers, or was that someone else's story?

Anonymous said...

Bless Grey Mare who does indeed look very sleepy! I can sympathise with her at the moment....! and a late Happy Beeday xx

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

@themill, think how awful you'd feel if something happened to it!

Thank you Lizzie ... keep blogging ..

SAHD, yes, that was me...

Thankyou NMO, she was very sleepy when we went out tonight - the opposite of yesterday when we were jumping. She does like her jumping!