A Clockwork Lobster

In this household you are likely to come across lobsters in the most unlikely places and I'm not convinced that some of them aren't making a dash for freedom at times.  They're all supposed to be neatly packed away but I'm forever finding them about the house.  Of course some of that may be down to Tyke, who seems to have quite an affinity for them.  He found the squirty one when he came to stay the other night and had to have it in his bath, and if I would let him he would adopt Mungo.  In fact I nearly entitled this post 'Five hours of Pingu and a singing lobster', because that was my Sunday!  TJ and Lacey-Mae stayed overnight and I was woken at 6 a.m. by the pair of them pogoing to Mungo and the only way I could distract them was with toast and a Pingu marathon. 

Anyway I dragged the box of lobsters out from under the bed so that I could start labelling them and I'm sure some have gone walkabout.  I know I had a clockwork lobster somewhere because I was quite excited when I bought it (how sad am I?) but do you think I can find him?  No, I can't!  Still he could turn up somewhere... he may be with the teatowels, or just holidaying in another dimension. 

Fforward planning

Off to Swindon today for our last Fforganiser meeting beffore the Ffiesta.  It's going to be a ffamily outing because we are rehearsing the Murder Mystery as well as deciding who is going to do what.  I have managed to leave Tyke and the dog behind but we are taking some practice cakes with us - Rissa has been baking.  Of course this means that we might not all make it back again - there may be a Murder Mystery, or at least an accidental poisoning mystery, for real.  (Only joking, her cakes are delicious and she manages to make them look pretty too, which is more than I can do)

I'm sure we're all on top of things, (she says, slightly panicking) and in any case I have the week before the FFiesta off work and I'll be able to get a lot done then - honest!

Progress...

is being made with my preparations for the Ffiesta.  The last of the Fforganiser t-shirts arrived today so that's one thing I no longer have to worry about.  I have noticed a spelling error on one of them, but I find it amusing so I'm not planning to do anything about it.  Except maybe add a 'spot the mistaek' bit to the meet the fforganiser quiz.  I'm going to Swindon for our last pre-meeting on Saturday so I'll see if any of the others are unduly worried by it but I can't imagine they'll have either the time or the energy to fret over what is essentially a typo.

In other news I have been working hard at the getting to know you thing for this year, which is, as I believe that I have previously mentioned, a combined code cracker scavenger hunt event.  I wouldn't say that I am now an expert on codes and ciphers, but I wouldn't be surprised to be headhunted by GCHQ.  So if I'm not at the Ffiesta it's not because I'm quietly gibbering in a corner, but because I have been sent to carry out undercover investigations on behalf of Her Majesty's Secret Service.   Oo-er!

Spot the Fforganiser

The Fforganiser T shirts arrived today whilst I was at work.  Fortuitously Marissa was here, having popped in to scrounge something.  I sometimes think that she sees my house as a kind of shop where you don't have to use money (only joking, she's a good girl really).  Anyway, it was lucky she was here, otherwise it would've meant a trip to the wilds of the industrial estate only to be told to come back tomorrow with three forms of ID and a note from my mum.

I've had a quick check to make sure that they are all present and correct (not quite, there are still a couple to come as the suppliers were out of XXL size, but I was pre-warned about this and I have been promised that they will be here in plenty of time)

We have orange for the regular fforganiser shirts and green for the murder mystery and they are very bright.  You won't have any problem in tracking one of us down, I promise you - they may even glow in the dark!  We had fun picking the quotes again and I think they are very suitable.

Ooh, I'm getting all excited now!

Shopping

I've been buying quite a few things for the Ffiesta lately.  Most of these are fairly normal when bought in moderation, but I do wonder what the lady in the Pound Shop thought when I arrived at the checkout with six dozen false moustaches.  And if you are also wondering what I want with all that fake facial hair you'll just have to wait and see.

I've also bought a lot of laminating pouches and numerous boxes of matches there.  Then there's the blank jigsaw puzzles and quite a few lobsters of various descriptions (those haven't been from the Pound Shop - most of the lobsters have been ones I've come across by accident and have seized with cries of glee!)

I've also sent away for biscuit cutters - a moose, a lobster, a dragon and an egg, and I'm awaiting delivery of all the fforganiser t shirts.  It'll be quite exciting getting all these parcels but it does mean that yet again I'll have quite a bizarre carload when I set off for Swindon... and that's just Ted! 

Bargain!

I was walking down the town in my lunch hour when what should I spot in the charity shop window but a large stuffed toy lobster, complete with chef's hat and bib.  The poor thing was posed next to a cook book, which I rather felt was cruel and unusual punishment, but still..

'Oooh!' I said, 'Is that a lobster?  I've got to have it.'  My boss, who was with me, looked at me a little warily and said 'Is that for the Ffiesta?' and just nodded resignedly when I said it was.  Anyway I went into the shop to purchase said lobster and the rather jolly lady behind the counter fetched it out of the window for me.  It was then that I discovered, to my delight, that it isn't just any old stuffed lobster, it is an all singing, all dancing stuffed lobster!  As she brought it to the counter she pressed a little button on his tail (conveniently marked 'Press here') and he burst into song.  He does a splendid rendition of Mungo Jerry's 'In the Summertime' whilst demonstrating the 'Claw' manoevre from Lobster Space Invaders and doing a little shimmy.  He is just the coolest thing you have ever seen* and he only cost me £3.50 - easily the bargain of the year.

The jolly lady did a little dance round the shop with him before putting him in the bag and several of the other customers laughed and came to admire him.  His name, for obvious reasons, is Mungo and all Ffiesta attendees will have the opportunity to meet him.

*for a given value of cool