quiet paws.

…But the fire is so delightful (or at least I’m sure it would be if I actually had a fireplace). Failing that, I’m happy to make do with other ways to keep myself toasty and warm when the weather conspires to leave me frozen and soaked to the core. Aside from keeping the cool air at bay by keeping all the windows and doors of the house firmly closed, and then piling on several layers of warm clothing, I’ve also found that the humble old water bottle packs a serious amount of punch (of the warm variety).

We recently stocked up on a few of the standard (quite ugly) traditional hot water bottles to use throughout the house, which we very inelegantly cover with old pillow cases. However I couldn’t go past one of these cute covered hot water bottles from Peter Alexander (and even better it was 20% off!).

For many, mostly inexplicable reasons I have an obsession with woodland creatures – everything from squirrels, badgers, rabbits and deers. So happily I’ve been able to extend this obsession with my new hot water bottle…snuggly bliss indeed!!

With the end of 2007 and the start of 2008 I thought it appropriate to reflect on some of the last things that I did in 2007. So without further ado…the last:

CD I Purchased – Rain on Lens (Smog)

Movie I Watched – The Darjeeling Limited

Dinner – Curry Lentil Pie and Roast Potatoes

Breakfast – Buttered Raisin Toast and Soy Flat White (in a mug)

Book I Purchased – Heart is A Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers)

Book I Finished Reading – One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

DVD I Purchased – Marie Antoinette

Live Music Event I Went to – Nick Cave (Solo) and Grinderman

Chocolate Bar – Fry’s Turkish Delight

Humans have some pretty basic needs that must be met to ensure their continued survival. We have a base requirement for food, shelter, water, clothing, and oxygen. Quite simply we need to breathe. While not something that can be readily identified in the air around us, oxygen is present in the air that we breathe and has the important job of keeping our blood oxygenated. Though we may not always appreciate it, oxygen is critical for our life on earth.

When confined in enclosed or sheltered locations such as on a bus or within a building, we can find ourselves cut off from a fresh supply of oxygen. Often this only has to be a momentary problem as we find that if air conditioning is not available to cool and keep the air fresh and circulating, self opening windows will be provided. The kind designers of these facilities make it easy for us to ensure air and oxygen are readily available and can be regulated for the comfort of all.

Unfortunately though sometimes the people who find themselves in control of these windows, prefer to keep their surroundings in an oxygen deprived environment. For some reason, no matter how hot or how cold, through rain or shine, when it’s windy or still, these people stubbornly refuse to open the windows. Those unfortunate people situated further away from the windows, can suffer dreadfully because of this refusal to ’share the air’. This problem is especially evident when people are crowded together, with limited space and limited circulating air.

Perhaps it is in an effort to protect their hairstyles, avoid the fresh fragrance of the landscape as it passes by, or maybe they are aliens who do not require oxygen. Whatever the reason, it can make time spent in their company extremely hard to bear. If you do not like fresh air or open windows, perhaps you should move to an alternate area and let someone else appreciate the location.

If you are fortunate enough to get a window seat, spare a thought for your fellow earth dwellers, open the window and let the air freely circulate.