Half the company just got warned that their jobs are at risk - a week before Christmas.

I'm assuming that, because I haven't been warned, I'm safe

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you. Good luck. I hope you do not have to worry about a job over Christmas.

I just discovered that there have been a number of thefts of developers signs for new homes. It is all over the village and since I am known to be very nocturnal asked if I saw anything. So I joked that there might be a ransom note. So found a ransom note generator site.

Meeting some randoms for a drink in a bit

Randoms We're not all randoms

Indeed lol. I was waiting to see the reaction I'd get

It's the "I've got 30 mins until I can get on the tube to the pub" sort of reaction

That the recent issue of The Dark Knight is rather grim even by that book's standards - a mass drowning?!

A year ago today, my grandma died. It was the Friday, and I remember spending the day shuttling between Chelmsford and Braintree (where her nursing home was) with my mum chasing after bits of paperwork, meeting up with my sister (who had travelled in to Chelmsford by train) and other errands. Didn't have much time to stop and think because we were both trying to keep the physical upheaval of it all as easy as possible for my mum.

I remember having the tail end of a horrendous chest infection as well as a stress related jaw ache (we knew this was going to happen sometime that time, and I was getting more anxious as time went on). It was a bit of a blur of a day really. Didn't really sink in until the following day.

Anyway, spoke to my mum today to see how she was. She's OK, but because her life is so busy she says she won't have time to stop and think about it this weekend. To add to this, my parents went to the funeral of the person who officiated at grandma's funeral. He seemed very well in January, but cancer got the better of him and he died at the end of November. He was a friend of my parents.

Does anyone else use evaporated milk instead of proper cream for dousing things like apple pie or cake?

Yes

+1 but not too often as I generally have plenty of cream in for making Baileys or soup.

Twas nice meeting you both piglets

First Assist - spamming my phone line. Asking for the wife and claiming to be calling for the RAC, and when’s a good time to call. I usually give a late time (after 7pm) which is pretty much true as she’s never home from work before 6pm. They never do, and always call during the day. 1471 gives me an 0845 number.

If you have caller ID screen all 0845 numbers and ignore. Until they use a number that you can respond to ignore them.