I've taken the last few days as holiday...nothing special, just fancied a few days off. On Tuesday evening, I went up to Rugeley to catch up with a few things. I had tea with my parents and then had a drink with Mark - the guy renting one of the rooms in the Rugeley house...
On my birthday itself, there was first of all, a hell of a lot of cleaning to be done! My parents then came round and we had a spot of brekkie in the garden. Then, it was present time. I had some great gifts - lots of wine, a TKD bag and.........a new iPod Touch 32GB from SJ. This is seriously cool!!! We then had to take the doggies to the kennels as we needed to travel back down to Radlett in order to get our flight from Gatwick the following day. It's always a shame leaving them but the kennels do a fantastic job with them. They're called Bankhouse Farm and are well recommended. After dropping them off, we carried on down to Radlett. We then packed our stuff and went to Va Pensiero for our evening meal. All in all, a very, very, very good birthday - in fact - the best!!
On Thursday it was my Dad's birthday. He was 69...we bought him a signed Dickie Bird picture. He used to play cricket a lot and he's always been very interested in all things cricket and particularly Dickie Bird. I bought it from Heroes Memorabilia and it was a good buy I thought...
On Sunday we were up bright and (reasonably) early and after taking the dogs for a walk, headed into town to Earls Court for The Ideal Home Show. SJ nor I had been before, my parents had but it was quite a while ago. It was fairly quiet, which was good as it was easy enough to get around and see the exhibition then. This is probabaly because it runs for so long...its about 3 weeks in total which is a hell of a long time if you're on Stand Duty!
On Thursday night, SJ and I headed North to Rugeley. We'd got the friday off as holiday so wanted to not spend it on the M6 and M1. Actually, it was a good time to travel, we left around 9:00 and got to Rugeley about 11:00...no traffic...
Came back up to Rugeley on Monday morning to give my Dad a hand with knocking out some walls in their house. Its actually surprising how hard it is to knock out a wall...I thought it would just be a case of banging it a few times with the hammer and, hey presto! It isn't...
Well, I've had a bit of an easy week...all orders are in, well as much as can be anyway. Been to the shops a couple of times but not done a great deal really...mainly just preparing for the NZ and Oz trip next week!
Tonight we're off out...not sure where to as yet - it's a surprise!
We're back up to Rugeley tomorrow and then out in Cannock tomorrow night. Sunday its round my parents for an Xmas dinner (as we won't be here on the 25th), and then on Monday just potter around I think...
On Saturday, we took the Mals over the Chase for a good walk around...we then went into Cannock to watch the Rugby World Cup Final...England didn't win, but they couldn't have played much better. For a team that was written off before the tournament had even begun, they did very well. Following the match we went back to The Elms for the karaoke...we stayed over at SJ's parents and then came back home on Sunday morning.
On Sunday, we went round my parents for a bite to eat, then headed down the road to Radlett...we arrived about 16:00 and started to do some of the cleaning. The house was pretty dirty so it needed a real good scrub. Overnight we stayed at The Red Lion.
Monday morning, SJ's furniture arrived bright and early, the removal guys had it all in the house and in place by about 13:00. Not bad for a container load! We got most of the stuff into place and a lot of the boxes opened but there was still a lot to do...
The following day, we picked up my Dad from Watford Junction train station so he could start work converting the shed into kennels for Indi & Chief. We unpacked some more stuff and got some curtains and stuff from Dunelm. Wednesday & Thursday were similar in terms of us fixing things to walls and generally getting things straighter...on Friday though, my Mom came down to help with things...by the end of the day on Saturday, all the curtains were up, and the majority of rooms were relatively straight.
On Sunday, I travelled back up to Rugeley with my parents and picked up the dogs from the kennels. Indi was excited but Chief had the hump!
Went in to Cannock on Friday night with SJ. We met up with some of her friends, J & R in the Sports Bar. Had plenty (too much) to drink but was a good night. On Saturday we went to the Shareshill fete. They had some vintage cars there and I thought someone I knew with a Sunbeam might be there...they weren't. Still, apart from the rain it was quite a good show. I took Chief so hae could have a little wander around...I didn't risk taking Indi, she's not quite as calm as Shief and I think would have caused a spot of mayhem! The rain cleared up a bit later so we went in to Cannock to get some Fathers Day presents. We bought some stuff from the new outdoor shop - Hi Peak Leisure. It's a really good shop with some nice stuff in. As it was still sunny, we stayed and had a coffee there. Chief was in his element being the star of the show.
Saturday night we went out for a meal with my parents, my Grandad and his wife and also K & P, my mom's boss and also my Grandad's solicitor. It was a thankyou from my Grandad to K for handling his land sale. We went to the Dale in Willenhall. It was a very good meal - steaks were perfectly cooked and you really couldn't ask for better food. SJ drove as well so that was a bonus (well it was for me anyway)!
On Sunday, we had arranged to go out with SJ's parents for lunch. We went to The Horse and Jockey in Ironbridge. This is somewhere I'd never been before but they're reputed to have very good pies...sure enough I can confirm they do indeed have very good pies!
Sunday evening we went over to my parents and had some sandwiches etc. We took Indi & Chief with us as my sister was there and she'd not yet met Chief. All went well, Indi was a little boisterous around N but I think its because he's scared of her...she's basically a bully. If she knows someone/something is scared of her, she takes full advantage!
On Monday I drove down to Luton and dropped SJ off at the train station. I then carried on to the office. Tuesday I went to Wareham for work and Wednesday it was back down to Luton to visit a customer. Today I'm spending at home. Got to get my haircut later and I'm going to take the dogs over the Chase in a minute. They've not been for a week or so as its either been too hot, too wet or I've simply ran out of time.
The weekend I'm off down London to see SJ.
On Saturday night, my mom completed The Moonwalk, a 26 mile walk around the streets of London starting at midnight. 15,000 people took part in this years moonwalk, all raising money for breast cancer. My dad, SJ & myself all went down to London to support my mom. We got down there about 13:00 on Saturday and had a cup of tea in SJ's flat. We then went and checked into our hotel, the Ramada Hyde Park. My mom went to sleep for the afternoon in preparation for her exertions and we went round Harrods as my dad had never been there before. I didn't actually realise just how much stuff is actually sold in Harrods. You can pretty much buy anything in there!
Anyway, we went back to the hotel to get ready with my mom. She had to be in The Playtex City in Hyde Park by 8:30 so we went and dropped her off there and then came back for a bit to eat. We then went back down to Hyde Park to see the start of the walk and it was quite a sight. 15,000 people all coming towards you, pretty much all wearing the same! We did manage to pick out my mom...just...and then it was off to SJ's flat for a sleep for an hour or so.
We met up with the walkers again at the 11 mile mark and this time, the ladies from my mom's office had come down to surprise her, and what a surprise it was although considering SJ, my dad and I were supposed to be watching for my mom, we completely missed her so it was a good job my mom saw them!
We then hotfooted it round to the 17 mile mark where we waited for my mom to come past again. It was an interesting wait, SJ dropped a cheese/crisp sandwich down the car seat and a cyclist decided to hit my winf mirror with his arm! Shortly after that the door was nearly taken off by 3 deranged mountain bikers! Eventually my mom appeared and we cheered her on and then back round to the 21 mile mark.
We met up with my mom's colleagues again at 21. They'd been out all night with no hotel room to go back to, just a National Express coach to look forward to at midday! My mom zipped past again and then off we trotted again round to the finish line. By now it was about 6:00 in the morning so we were all a little fatigued to say the least. My mom crossed the finish line in 6 hours and fifty minutes although she reckoned she would have done it quicker as they were held up for a lot of the time going across roads etc. I think its a tremendous achievement al round and a big well done to all the walkers who took part.
I dropped SJ back off at her flat as she had to pack to catch a flight to Brussels later in the day! I don't know how she does it, I was absolutely exhausted. We had a bit of a sleep and then it was back to the hotel for some lunch and to check out. We ate in the hotel and then drove back home. I then went to sleep!
Just packed up mys stuff for our trip to Cannes. We think we'll be seeing Zodiac as our premiere. To be honest, I'm not bothered what film we see, it'll just be brill whatever we do.
Really looking forward to seeing SJ again tomorrow night. I can't believe that I've only been down to her place once! It feels like we've been together ages! We get on so well its unbelievable!
The next few days are going to be busy though. I go down to London tomorrow, fly to Nice on Thursday from Luton, then back to Luton on Friday. Then, I drive back up here for the night and then pick up my parents on Saturday morning to take them down to London. My mom is doing the Moonwalk on Saturday night. This is a 26 mile walk around London, starting at midnight from Hyde Park. Its in aid of breast cancer - an issue thats of particular importance to my mother - I think you can guess why without me spelling it out. Not sure therefore when I'll be able to update this blog with the Cannes trip and stuff, hopefully I'll be able to do it on Monday night.
I'm becoming rather lax at updating this blog...I should be doing this much, much more regularly. Its just time at the moment though, I don't seem to have enough of it!
Anyway, SJ came up from London on the Friday night train. Picked her up from the train station in Cannock and we went back to mine. Had a good night - ordered kebab! Yay! Haven't had a kebab in ages...twas rather nice. On Saturday we went shopping in Birmingham. We both had to get some kit for our trip to Cannes next week. I managed to do quite well! I bought three shirts, three pairs of trousers and two pairs of shoes! I won't keep all of it though, I'll take most of it back when I've decided what I'm wearing for Cannes.
ON Sunday I took my parents to the Alexander Theatre in Birmingham. They had tickets to see Gervaise Finn. I can't find a link to him anywhere but he is a retired School Inspector and the show is him recounting his experiences. It was apprently very good. SJ and I went for a meal in The Mail Box. We ended up in an Indian restaurant called Lazeez. Was one of the nicest restaurants I've been to in a long time. The ambience and decor was absolutely stunning! They also have a private room upstairs where you can hold private dining functions. I bet that would be very nice.
Took SJ to the train station on Monday morning...was sad, I miss her when she goes back down to London. Still there's not a lot either of us can do about it at the moment...At least its not long till we see each other again. I'm going down there on Wednesday night as we fly from Luton early Thursday morning to Cannes.
Well, considering I said that I wanted to update this blog more regularly, I haven't been doing very well!. Its a good two weeks since my last entry and thats pretty rubbish I must say! Anyway I thought i'd do a quick catchall update rather than individual posts...
I went to London the other day. I've met a girl called (funnily enough) Sarah who works for HP in London. For clarity's sake I'll refer to her as SJ otherwise things might get confusing...! We'd met a few weeks ago in Cannock and got talking but I finally summoned up enough courage to take things a little further! Anyway, cut a long story short we eventually agreed for me to go down and see her on Tuesday. So, off I trot down to the Big Smoke, eventually found the place and my god, its nice. Perfect location right in the centre of London, really close to St Paul's (Although I didn't actually know this was St Paul's initially). We had a really great time, we went out for a meal at a restaurant called Fish. Very nice indeed...then back to the flat for some more drinks (Grey Goose Vodka - also rather special). We got on really well so I asked her back to my place for the weekend.
In the meantime we had our Sales Meeting in Luton on the 18th & 19th. Was pretty good this time around, much more positive and I left there feeling like we're actually getting somewhere. Went out on the night to Chicago Rock Cafe (Again). D was really pi$$ed and I had to eventually put him to bed. Still, twas a good night.
SJ came up on Friday, we had a really good weekend, although we did spend an awful lot of it looking for a freezer! Not exactly the way to a girl's heart but enjoyable all the same!
I dropped her off at the train station in Cannock then went to pick my parents up from the airport. They'd just returned from a 2 week holiday in Mexico...very nice and very tanned...jammy sods! The rest of the week was really just spent working and staying in, although I did go and see a rescue Mal whom I think was having a little difficulty integrating into his new family. Shouldn't really post about it but I think its all sorted now...
SJ came up again last night, she wasn't intending to but she cadged a lift from her friends back and I dropped her off at Luton train station this morning as I'd got to be in Luton for a meeting anyway..all worked out quite well really and was great to see her again. We went round her parents and also one of her friends. They're all really friendly and I like them...lets hope they liked me!
This week, I'm in Luton on Wed/Thursday for a MOST meeting although...................................................I'm picking my new car up on Wednesday as well...yay! I'm also meeting SJ at Luton train station to bring her back up here for the Bank Holiday Weekend. Looking forward to a good time...
Took my parents to Brum airport today. They're off to Mexico for 2 weeks...jammy sods. They're actually flying from Gatwick on Sunday morning but are catching the National Express from BHX to LGW. Went out on Friday night around Cannock, the usual...
Saturday night, I (we) went round K & L's for a Chinese. I drove though and took Chief with me. He's a little unsettled at the moment, I think meeting up with his sisters etc, has made him feel like he might be off again. Anyway, he had a lovely time, I think he thought he was royalty!
Sunday, A and I decided to go to the Festival of Transport at Weston Park. A's friend was exhibiting a classic car there so we decided to go along...
There was all sorts of cars there, ranging from early vintage right through to pretty much modern vehicles. Its strange to think that cars I grew up with (XR2's, Cosworths, etc) are now considered Classics. There were some wonderful cars there though, the time and effort it must take to prepare some of the cars to this standard is immense...
Thought I'd take a little bit of time to outline my plans for the upcoming few weeks. Today, I have to catch a train for the first time in years. It's only from Rugeley to Birmingham but I'm actually quite looking forward to it. The reason I'm doing this is to go and collect my car from the garage where its having its MOT. Normally my Dad would take me but he's not around today so I droped the car off last night and am fetching it back today (hope it passes)!
Tomorrow, I'm heading off to Bournemouth where I have to attend the IMC Dinner at The Wessex Hotel. I went last year and it was OK. Nothing spectacular but OK. I've got to stay the night so I'm a bit worried about Chiefy as he has been waking earlier and earlier (today it was 6:00). When he wakes he cries and whimpers and I don't think my neighbours appreciate it at that time in the morning.
Off out as well on Saturday night, L & R are supposed to be coming out for the first time in ages so it should be a good night. They were supposed to be out last week but unfortunately, their daughter was ill - the joys of kids...
Oh I should say as well that I'm seeing my solicitor on Friday. I've had to change solicitor as I was unhappy with the service I was receiving from my last one. Hopefully all seems to be progressing quite smoothly now. There've been a couple of hiccups along the way but I think we've finally managed to get things on track. The divorce petition has been issued and the financial settlement agreed. Now, it just needs documenting and signing. We should be able to do this in the next week or so with a bit of luck.
Next week I've got a relatively quiet week. The glazing company are coming to replace the patio window (again) on Monday. They came a couple of weeks ago but realised after they'd taken the window out that they'd brought the wrong size replacement with them!
D & C are moving house hopefully on the 27th so I said I'd give them a hand if I could. Problem is I'm also in Rugby in the morning so not sure what help I'll be able to offer though. Still if I can get finished early enough I'll pop over to see if I can lift some boxes etc.
I've got a week off soon as well. I'm finishing on the 5th, then returning to work on the 16th. Not a bad holiday. Officially its only a week off work but because of the Easter holidays, I am having in effect a week and a half off work. I've also got to take my parents to the airport on Easter Saturday. They're going to Mexico for a fortnight...lucky beggars!
Decided I'd try and update the blog a bit more often again...I seem to have slipped quite a lot of late, writing just one entry for the whole of the week which I am sure misses out on a whole heap of things that may have happened that I have since forgotten about.
On Monday, Indi, Chief and I went to view some kennels local to myself. I have a Sales Meeting to attend in a few weeks and my normal dog-sitters (my parents) are also on holiday that week. So, its off to the kennels for my furry friends. Indi has no problem with kennels, she sees it as a bit of a holiday - Chief on the other hand has a problem with them. The last time he was in them he chewed his paw, so I was anxious he should go and see them prior to me leaving them there. Anyway, all was fine. Chief seemed nice and relaxed, Indi just wanted to get in there and then! I've booked them both in anyway so hopefully all will be fine.
What else has been happening this week then? A glazing company came to replace some scratched patio doors on the house. They took all the glass out, only to discover they had bought the wrong size! Glass went back in and I'll now have to wait for them to bring the right size...
Work wise, its not been too bad. One trip up to Congleton and another to Luton tomorrow and should be another week over with. Got a busy week with work next week though. London on Monday, Widnes on Wednesday, Sutton on Thursday, then Bournemouth on Friday (and night)!
Off to dog training in a minute with Indi. Chief has to stay at home at the moment until a new class starts in April. To be honest I think he enjoys the rest!
No idea what I'm doing this weekend, I'm a bit strapped for cash at the moment so don't really mind if its a quiet one. Impending legal costs are making me try and keep my cash as much as I can as I know its only a matter of time before I'll need to pay out.
Spent the day round my half-sisters Jackie. Had the usual turkey, ham, veg, etc. There was myself (and Indi of course), my mom, dad, Jackie, her husband Mike and there 2 children Alex & Nathan. There was also Sonia (Jackie's mother) and Vic, her partner...still with me so far?
Went for a walk in the dark afterwards around the lanes of Bishopswood. Was a good way of working off the Xmas excess...!
Had lots of nice pressies. Apart from the Kickbike, I had a Dog Walking Belt, Dog Backpacks, books, coat, cuff-links, wine, chocolate, etc...did very well really. Tomorrow I'm off to Delamere for a walk with other Malamutes. Looking forward to it...I think...hope Indi's on her best behaviour!
Good news is that my mom's out of hospital. Still don't know what was wrong but they've just said keep taking the tablets and see what happens...let's hope it's all OK...anyway, it's Xmas Eve and I'm on my own for the first time in years, well me and Indi I should say. Got loads of pressies for Indi, she'll be happy tomorrow morning if no-one else is! Going to my half -sisters for Xmas lunch with my mom, dad and Indi. That should be nice. Plans for the break are to go to Delamere Forest on Boxing Day, a load of Malamute owners are meeting up there so I thought I might go along. Then, that's about it so far, I'm sure something will turn up though.
