"I've given up nutters for lent"

These wonderful words with their ring of the utterly bizarre were spoken to us through a com system as we turned up to visit with friends for the evening and play games, eat pancakes and have fun. The block where our friends live has a push-button system whereby we wait out in the freezing until our friend gets off his arse  very briefly as he hurries rapidly and joyously to answer the com and buzz us in.

I'm not sure quite when or how it started, but each week, Husby and I try to come up with something original to say through the com to announce ourselves, rather than monotonously saying 'Hi, we're here' week in and week out. Sometimes we pretend to be pizza delivery people, sometimes we pretend to be lost, once I just screamed, really loudly.

Tonight we sang (as we are sometimes wont to do) and to the tune of 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' belted out

We wish you a merry pancake

We wish you a merry pancake

We wish you a merry pancake 

With jam on the top

(we couldn't make 'syrup' or 'sugar and lemon juice' scan right, so had to use a little artistic license. I think we did ok)

To which we received (in a slightly jaded voice, it has to be admitted) the deathless retort

I'm sorry, I've given up nutters for lent

We giggled our way up the stairs and did at least make pancakes for everyone while we were there, however, now we've a reputation to maintain. I'm already plotting what we can do next time!

 In other mundane and unimportant news, I'm at least as dumb as I look, having made a different friend's brain nearly explode with the inanity of a question I asked very seriously today. He considered my question at first, then erupted into a highly expressive "No! You WHAT?!" tinged with scorn and derision.

My innocent question (which I'd pondered for a while before speaking aloud) - do clocks with bigger faces have longer seconds?

I'd been thinking about the distance around the circumference of a large clock face being much, much larger than around that of a small clock face, and surely the second hand at its outermost would have to travel further, which surely would take longer. But no; apparently the outer end of the second hand would just move faster. And if I think really carefully I know that most huge clocks don't have a second hand, probably for precisely this reason. Don't judge me too harshly - I'm sure you've had some completely stupid thoughts before - you just might have had the sense not to speak them out loud. I'm only one step dafter!

I was tempted today on behalf of SpideyGirl and bought her four, fat, pretty locusts. I've converted an old plastic bottle into a home for three of them and popped the tastiest looking one into the terrarium with her. I was encouraged by the fact that when it first went in, she managed to a) find the thing, and b) show some interest. When we left to go out, she was fangs-down in her water bowl with her leg around the locust as if it was a leggy, green teddy bear. Great, I thought. We'll come back and she'll be sated and happy and the locust will be history.

Alas and alack - we returned and the locust was perched cockily at the front of the tank, cleaning its antennae and SpideyGirl was sulking inside her cup with her legs over her face. Moody flamin' spider! Perhaps she'll unclench and try again overnight.

Lastly, Lent begins tomorrow. Seeing as my new year's resolution went SO badly, I'm going to try again and give up going to bed late. Who knows, by Easter it might be a habit. I'm also going to try to take up praying more, which should be a good discipline. I now have to figure out a sensible way to hold myself accountable for each of these things! As with new year's resolutions, it seems that lack of accountability is part of the reason for my failure (along with weak willedness, laziness and a huge amount of sheer not bothering!)

Wish me luck!