A bright Sunday and the X Factor results show tonight.

Today is a lovely and sunny winter's day. It may be cool outside but I have nothing urgent to tempt me out there. Actually it is not that cold for December.

Last night was the final of X Factor 2009 and tonight the results show will on British TV. If you will be watching, it is on ITV at 7.30pm. They must be going to spin the tension out as it is a 2 hour show. Still there will be plenty of guests, no doubt.

Check out the X Factor Zone for all the info on X Factor and my article for a full run down on last night's events.Up dates to these will be avaiable tonight, as they happen.

Good Luck to Joe and Olly, it will be a close contest.

http://www.infobarrel.com/The_X_Factor_Final_2009-Show_One
http://television.helium.com/zone/2980-x-factor-2009

I don't like Mondays

Well as the Boomtown used to sing, I Don't Like Mondays. Still at least I did not feel the need to shoot anyone, unlike the song.

Work was OK this morning but mind blowing boring and the weather, although sunny and bright, has been cold and windy. It looks like we may experience our first snow flurries of the Winter.

I think I shall set to and decorate our Christmas tree this week. As it is rather a chore, and I do like to sit with the Christmas lights on during the evening, I like to try and get a good month out of the tree.



Picked up some new lights and decoration last week that had a 10% discount. There is nothing wrong with my old decorations except I have put the same ones on the tree now for more that 6 years. This year I am going all silver, apart from the green tree.


My referral links seem to have disappeared so here is the InfoBarrel one, and the tracker if you join HubPages.com.

I seem to have been absent for quite a while

It is late November now and Christmas will soon be upon us. With that in mind I have been writing plenty of new articles in order to earn a little extra money. Having found a couple of lucrative outlets I have placed links to my referral for these sites. If you join and need any help just holler.

Good Luck and catch you all soon.

NHS dentistry

I have been having ongoing dental treatment for a year. This has been under the NHS in the UK. Recent problems have meant that I have now changed my dentist after about 20 years. With changes to my previous dental centre it appears all may have not been what it seemed. So here is what I have learned and I hope it helps.

If you have treatment, for perhaps a new dental crown the current NHS charge is £198. This crown is guaranteed for one year. If it fails in that period of time it is up to the dentist to provide repair work at no extra cost.

If you feel your dentist may not be playing fair with you, for example asking for a further payment, after such a dental problem then contact your local PCT, primary care trust. For me it was the Family Practitioners locally. Yours could be something similar. It turned out that my dentist was wrongly trying to bill me a further £198 when there should have been no further charge.

We all worry these days that if you challenge your dentist you may find it nigh on impossible to receive good dental treatment. However if a change of dentist is advisable this Family Practitioner or PCT should be able to tell you which dentists locally are taking on new patients.

The person you need to speak to is the dental commissioner. Hope this helps someone out there.

Autum is getting underway

For various reasons this blog is a little out of date. However, with the long Autumn nights, and the even longer winter ones, upon us I shall certainly have the time to update regularly.

I have not written as much on the Internet lately but still keep busy on Helium.com and HubPages.com. As a Channel Steward for Helium's Atmosphere and Weather Channel I keep busy.

My latest Zone at Helium has proved very successful. I guess this is hardly surprising as it relates to X Factor 2009. This competition is now well underway and essential weekend viewing for many.

Check out http://www.helium.com/zone/2980-x-factor-2009

Hull Fair has just finished and my Hub relating to this had more hits than any other Hub I have created.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Hull-Fair-2009-Kingston-Upon-Hulls-annual-fair-arrives-in-October

All of this must mean that I need to be current when I am writing.

Sunday

What a busy few weeks, hence no blogs.

Helium.com-Have created a new zone which holds all of the new titles in the Science Channel as they are added. This way it should be easy for writers to find a title which interests and also grab the first article bonus.

I have written a fair few articles on HubPages and Associated Content in the last few weeks and these should be visible in the RSS Feeds.

Work has been busy so its a good job I am only part-time. With Autumn and Winter just around the corner it will get busier.

We have been trying to have a final few jobs around the home, such as fencing and guttering, completed before the bad weather arrives. However with warm weather one day and torrential rain the next it is never easy.

Leo, my dog that has heart problems, is looking much better and responding to medication. Fingers crossed.

Well a quiet hour or two beckons before bed as it is up early for work tomorrow. Unfortunately our neighbour who was born with a hammer in his hand is still at it.

Almost the middle of August 2009

Well hubby and I have been on leave from work for a couple of weeks and are still struggling to throw of a chest infection from colds. I even checked with the Swine Flu help line yesterday. We were advised to consult our local GP as we has been ill for a few weeks. It was not thought that we had swine flu. I did not really think that we had just need to get well.

Writing on-line has even been tiring and so I need to catch up. A new venture has been started at Associated Content and I had included the RSS Feed on here.

However Helium really needs my attention. So despite the lovely weather today that is what Helium.com will get :)

Saturday

Well I took Leo for his check up and results and the news is as expected. Read his story for full updates.

However he is still in perky shape and looking better than he has for a long time. Still we know what's on the cards. TLC by the bucket loads is now the order of the day.

Hubby and I are still fighting our colds but I am sure it is nothing worse. Still you never know. Mine has moved to my chest but is getting better. Hubby is a few days behind me.

We are on our staycation now so need to be well to have some fun.

Had a silly interview for a change of job at work on Friday. I was too poorly really and not up for it. I may as well have saved my time. I put it in for it when I was fed-up and things have settled anyway. As usual it has taken months to come about. The silly thing is both of the people who interviewed me asked that I put in for it. In fact she has told all and sundry that I was moving to work on her ward. Ah the lovely NHS.

Maybe they were playing mind games or whatever. More than likely I was in case no-one else was suitable. It is the same job I already do just a switch of base. Hey ho well it is their loss.

As I have already told my boss I will not train this new person though. She is totally inexperienced and so as she picked her she can train her. perhaps the thought that I was looking for work will make my base make the improvements needed to entice me to stay.

Helium.com, Dogs, Coughs and sneezes and more

Have an article re "ways to save money on feeding your dog" on Helium's homepage today,
http://www.helium.com/
Its been a funny week, what with Leo, one of my dogs and his poor health, see http://hubpages.com/hub/When-your-dogs-illness-cannot-be-cured-Heart-Failure-in-dogs and my bout of coughs and sneezes. I started last week the same and decided it was just my hayfever. However the last two days has seen me snozzling again but now with a sore throat and bad chest. Bummer as I am on leave from work, from today, for 2 weeks.
Have to pop to work early Friday though as I have an interview. Double bummer.
Leo is due at the vets in the afternoon.
Let's hope that we at least get some sun. Has been raining cats and dogs for 2 days. Triple bummer.

Helium.com

I have been absent from Helium for a while. Various reasons I guess. It is nice to get busy again on this varied and well paid site. My first task, creating a zone dedicated to the Atmosphere and Weather Channel is done but will need updating from time to time. So many great writers it's hard to know who to feature.

What a washout

Sunday has been a dead loss. Rain, rain and more rain. Now it is nearly 7 pm the sun has come out. I hope it is only my hay fever playing up but I do feel a little out of sorts. Perhaps it is because of all this rain. In 2 weeks we are on leave from work so let's hope things pick up.

Saturday

Hubby arrived home from work at 3 in the morning feeling unwell. He had stayed at work long enough to make a difference and then had to come home. He really should have left earlier but there you go. He is full of aches and pains, very pale and looks tired. He does not have a sore throat so hopefully it is not the dreaded Swine Flu. I guess only time will tell. For now it will be TLC, rest and no work this evening. Bummer as he will not get paid but these things happen.

Stress and Nintendo Wii

The morning was one of those days when you think "Gawd I hate my Job". Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, as they say.

Hubby was home this afternoon so we relieved the tension by playing with the Wii, whilst drinking long cool lager shandies. It was hot but fun and the laughter was certainly welcome.

A late evening meal is one the cards, soon, but it will only be something with rice. Too warm for much more.

Monday, Monday, Not bad for a change

Monday was relatively kind to me today. The workload was manageable from the weekend and the morning sailed by in a pleasant sort of way.

The promising morning weather though has turned to cloud but it is still great to be home. Plenty of paperwork to keep me busy later on.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

It has been a restful Sunday. Hubby has been glued to the bed having worked an extra night shift this week. Sometimes its like living with the invisible man. My hand has settled but now I have a painful eye. Gawd help us. I thunk it is dues to mt hay fever but the drops I used have not worked. It has meant though that today has been very unproductive.

Poor Leo continues to cough his little heart out and there seems nothing I can do to help. Hope the antibiotics work soon. He needs a haircut but I can't take him to the groomers in case he does have kennel cough and is infectious.

Saturday again. Where did that week go?

It soon seems to get around to Saturday again, although some times the week drags. Strange but true :) My problem finger has turned into a painful hand and arm. Hope it is not some form of RSI. How will I do my Internet work? Planted out a few Impatiens or Busy Lizzie's which I snapped up cheaply yesterday. Have almost finished reading Dawn French's, Dear Fatty. I think I will finish it later when Hubby is at work. Oh the excitement of it all :). Nice read though.

TFI Friday

Having to cover a colleagues job today, as well as mine, was a pain. Still she has done it plenty for me, and done a great job. It was just one of those days from Hell that usually occurs on a Monday. I only work 5 hours a day and just did not have enough minutes in the day. I was determined that I would not stay late but ended up signing off 20 minutes late. I had an appointment at the vets with Leo for his kennel cough check.

The vet still seems to think that he has kennel cough and has prescribed more antibiotics. As my other pooch has not developed a cough I am still doubtful but I bow to her superior knowledge. I guess only time will tell.

Bloody nuisance

Isn't it strange how bumps and the like appear from nowhere. I was going to say from out of the blue that is more what it turned into.

Just before I left work at lunch I was knocking seven bells out of my hole punch. I had ordered one at work a few weeks back. I had used it a couple of times, went on leave for a week and found it had been nicked when I got back. Charming.

So unfortunately I had to cost the NHS a further £16 and ordered another one. It is huge and perfect for the job except that my work station is minute. So, you have guessed it, yesterday I knocked it off the desk accidentally.

With much hitting etc I managed to repair it today. The problem was that as I got on the bus to go home I noticed that the base of my middle finger, from the knuckle down, and part of my hand was turning from red to brown to blue to black. It is still like it now but has faded to a reddy brown. Gawd knows what I have done. It does not hurt but is swollen and feels a little numb and tingly. I shall have to pick one of the doctor's brains tomorrow and see if it is OK. Anyway to cut a long story short I have had to keep off the computer this afternoon.

Nice end to the day though with unexpected family visitors. Always good for a laugh.

Michael Jackson

The memorial service for Michael was odd but better than I thought it would be. The finale with all the family saying their piece seemed strange at first but, thinking about it, is only the way that people say goodbye and thank people for attending a funeral.

Where has Summer gone?

With another unpredictable day I have to ask juts where has summer gone? Sure it is warm now but this lunchtime has seen torrential rain accompanied by thunder and lightening. A colleague tells me yesterday's storms were in fact a tornado.

Let's hope Summer can resurface soon before everything in the garden stops being rosy and becomes flooded. I could not stand to be flooded again, as in 2007

My Internet articles

Looking at the RSS feeds I have put on Blogger.com, to some of my Internet articles, I must say that I have certainly written on a wide range of subjects. From pot smoking to death to recipes to Alexei Sokolov to depression and more. I can't say that I always get it right, in fact I probably hardly ever do, but at least I try to formulate an opinion and express it. The body may be getting on a little but the brain is still as wild and active as ever, lol.

Leo

My photo is my beautiful rescue dog Leo. He has recovered well from his poor start in life but is currently suffering some heart problems. I guess the hot weather is not helping.

He has some paralysed muscles in his neck which does mean that he coughs a little now and then in an attempt to clear his throat. However this week his cough has got worse. A visit to the vets seems to show that he has kennel cough. Antibiotics for a week and a return visit Friday will confirm if this diagnosis is true. If it is, no doubt my other pooch, Jessie, will also develop this cough. I hope not.

Leo is due a short haircut Saturday to help him cope with the hot weather but if he has kennel cough I will have to cancel this. Don't want to go spreading it around. Poor sweetie his coughing is wearing him out.

Lazy Sunday

There are masses of things that I should do today but it is just too hot. It is sticky and clammy and not nice.

I have relived my holiday memories with a Hubpage about a day trip to Seville. We travelled from the Algarve. A long way to travel but well worth it.

I think a long cool G and T is now in order.

No work today-Yippee

It has been hot and sticky in my part of the world today. The threatened wet weather as yet has not arrived. The heatwave continues at least for a few more days. It has beome hard to be bothered to do anything as the heat is tiring. Still I managed to write a couple of new Hubs today, had more fun on our new Wii fit and did a couple of chores. The Wii fit will be ace in cold weather but just now is hot and sticky work.

Check out the hubs at :-http://hubpages.com/profile/ethel+smith