Party Time

Last night our next door neighbours returned from where ever they had been to continue their party, just as we were heading off to bed for a party of our own. I couldn't help but laugh when they played Cyndi Lauper 'cos in this house the girls really did just wanna have fun!

And now it's time to hit the road, I'm heading south to spend the next few days with my mum, leaving the wife to entertain her own family. At least she's sending my on my way with a smile on my face, if a little bleary eyed!

Live and Let Live

There seems to be so much hassle surrounding being politically correct at Christmas so as to avoid offending non-christians. This afternoon the wife and I went into town to finish our shopping and I noticed that while the lights used to feature Santa and reindeers and Christmas trees, for the last few years they seem to represent nothing in particular. Indeed in a number of places the decorations are no longer Christmas lights but have been renamed 'winter lights'. As I understand it, the UK is a Christian country, our head of state being the head of the Church of England and all that, therefore what is wrong with referring to this holiday period as Christmas. Further more, I have colleagues at work who are Muslims and all participated in the various celebrations we had and they each gave me cards saying 'Happy Christmas' - the very phrase which the P.C. brigade claim non-Christians are offened by. I just don't get it. Is it yet again all about pandering to the extremists?

Holidays are here (almost)

I have finished work for Christmas. I can't remember the last time I finished this early. Further more, the university is closed until the 3rd of January so I don't even have the choice of going to work until then. It gets better. We closed at lunch time today (unfortuantely that meant that the Christmas drinks were at 10.30 this morning and as much as I enjoy the odd glass of wine not even I could manage it at that time of the day) giving me time to hit the shops. One hour and fifteen minutes later I was heading home with as many bags as I could carry and very little left to get. That's what I would call a successful shopping trip.

I also remembered today why I leave my shopping until the last minute. We finally got around to getting a tree but had no decorations to put on it - lights, baubles and tinsel all at half price. And two giant stockings to fill with little things for the kids (of any age) to dip into whenever they come to visit. Tree now up and twinkling away in the corner, just waiting for those presents to be wrapped to go around the bottom. It's starting to feel like Christmas around here.

Pet Hates

I hate doctors. The last two occasions that I went to the doctors were not becuase I was ill but becuase I had to, and both times they found something wrong with me and subjected me to all sorts. I've had ear pain for several weeks now. I've tried the 'ignore it and it will go away' approach and drops to get rid of any wax but neither of them worked and in the end the wife convinced me to see the doctor. The doctor couldn't see anything wrong with my ear. The doctor kept talking about referred pain and said I should get checked over by a dentist. I hate doctors but I hate dentists even more! The pain isn't really that bad. No really, it isn't.

Bass

Last night the wife did us sea bass and Mediterranean roasted vegetables - thrown together from the contents of the cupboards and fridge. Today was our departmental Christmas lunch and I went for the sea bass (ordered last week before knowing what we were eating last night). So of the two meals, one costing less than £4 for the two of us or the one meal for £15, guess which was the nicest? It's not just that I'm prejudiced by that fact that my wife prepared last nights meal with her own fair hands. I paid good money for shite today and if there's one thing I hate it's a meal that I don't enjoy, whether I'm paying for it or not. Food is one of lifes great pleasures.

Let me catch up

At a time when most people are decorating their homes with all things festive we are still decorating with wallpaper and paint. The aim was to have the downstairs finished by Christmas and we are determined to do so (not least because it means we can get a wardrobe up in the downstairs bedroom - we haven't had a wardrobe since we moved in May and I still have two suitcases full of my winter clothes that I'm getting desperate to unpack). People keep giving us Christmas cards and telling me how they are all ready for Christmas. I've only bought one thing for one of the six kids and not even managed to get anything yet for the Secret Santa at work tomorrow. This weekend Christmas has to start in our house, regardless of whether we are ready or not. I mean it's not as if we haven't known it was going to be happening for a while now!

Friday Feelings

The experiment I've been trying to get to work for weeks will today give me something good. I can feel in in my bones. Or perhaps it's just the fact that it's Friday, the rain has stopped, the sun is shining and all is well with the world. Sort of.

Update 2 hrs later: Of course it didn't work! What was I thinking! I have one more trick up my sleeve before giving up.

Our house...

... is a very, very, very fine house

It's six months and a few days since we moved into this house and yesterday we got the final coat of paint on the walls to finish the kitchen (apart from a few tiles above the cooker). We started it not long after we moved in but it's now finally looking finished.

It is virtually unrecognisible as the same kitchen. It feels so much bigger and we've gone from having one small bench to acres of space, plus all mod cons!

Much blood, sweat and tears have been spilt in this house in the last six months but it is starting to feel like it was worth all the effort.

Christmas meme

As seen over at Sassy's place.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate every time, and not just at Christmas. Just the thought of egg nog... blurgh.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Of course Santa wraps them, but he never bothers with ribbon or bows in our house.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have two a fibre optic trees, the main tree and then a tiny one I inherited from my Gran. Both are coloured. This year though now that we've got extra room we're getting a real tree as well - who knows what sort of lights we will put on it!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Oh yeah! I'm thinking putting it in the hall between the three main rooms will give the best value for money!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually a couple of weeks before Christmas.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Just one dish? That's hard. I love sandwiches made with cold turkey, stuffing & cranberry sauce on boxing day (and the following three days)!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: My Dad disappearing into the garage at about 5pm Christmas day and reappearing with a big box. Just when we thought we were all done, out came this one last parcel.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth about Santa? Just what does he get up to with those elves?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Nope. A couple of years ago we didn't even manage to open any on Christmas day, they had to wait until Boxing day.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Just a bit of tinsel and a few baubles. I'm planning on going to town on the real one this year though, I just don't know how yet. And of course there are sweets and chocolates on them - for the kids, honest!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it. Just as long as it clears in time for my drive back home.

12. Can you ice skate? Haven't tried for years but now that you've put the idea in my head I might have to borrow a kid and find out if I still can.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A rocking horse when I was about five. I loved that rocking horse. Oh and one year I got a fountain pen with pink ink and an autograph book. My two grandmothers were the first to sign it and I still have it. There they are, ahead of sports stars of the 1980's and the 90's boy band 'Worlds Apart'. And the wife surprised me with a guitar a few years ago - I'd wanted one for ages but am ashamed to say that I've never really made the time to learn to play it properly.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? These days it's getting to spend some time with my family then coming home to spend more time with the wife.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? It has to be traditional Christmas pud with my mums homemade brandy butter.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? The family meal we have on Christmas eve, after the shops have shut and there is no option but for everyone to stop worrying and just enjoy it. My most favorite is the tradition the wife and I have started - celebrating our own christmas on New Years day. Since we spend Christmas with our respective families we make this our special day - presents, a walk on the beach, big, big dinner and whatever else we have the energy left for.

17. What tops your tree? I think it's usually a white fluffy angel.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving, but only if it's appreciated and not "I hope you kept the reciept". But I do love receiving something I wasn't expecting.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Wham, Last Christmas. It just puts me in the mood. But you can't beat a good medley of carols.

And after that I now feel ready to attempt some Christmas shopping.

Polythene and Paint

I'm that used to being able to find the information I want on the internet that when I can't it really bugs me. Is it me and the search terms I'm using or is the info just not out there? All I want to know is if I can buy replacement glazing panels for the greenhouse. Yesterday morning we discovered that one of the panels had blown away over night, and we were worried that the wind getting inside would lift the whole thing. So in the wind and the rain we fashioned a repair out of some plastic sheeting and a cardboard box that was lying around the garage (i.e. that we hadn't got around to throwing out yet and that's why I like to hoard things). Anyway now I need to know where I can get a replacement from or if we have to buy a whole greenhouse worth. The rest of my weekend was spent up a ladder with a paintbrush in my hand painting the ceiling and walls, I'd forgotten what a pain it is to paint over new plaster. I'm still picking bits of paint from under my fingernails.

Jam

Just passing time until the clock reaches the point where I don't feel too guilty about leaving work. Last night there was an 'incident' on the main bridge across the river i.e. some idiot picked the rush hour to decide to pretend he wanted to jump. An hour and a half after leaving work I could still see my building. Then I remembered I could access the internet on my phone and read some blogs, of course at which point the bridge re-opened. Tonight my logic is that people never try to jump two days running and everyone else in this city finishes early on a Friday meaning my road home will be clear!
 
(Yes today has been that dull that the most interesting thing I can find to talk about is a traffic jam)

Time Management

Some of my male colleagues have a problem with time management. It is all too common to witness them leaving the gents, still doing up buttons/zips/belts and rearranging themselves. Gents, I know you lead busy lives and that at times there just aren't enough hours in the day but it would take seconds to put yourselves right before exiting the toilets.

Blowing a fuse

On Saturday night the bulb blew in one of the bedside lamps and caused the fuse to go in the process. So yesterday we went into an electrical shop looking for fuses. We ended up spending half an hour playing on a keyboard but settled for an ice-cream machine instead. We found the same model of keyboard for half the price on Ebay. It's being delivered tomorrow. (For years I had keyboard lessions when I was a kid and have been wanting to get back into it for a while - I was never very good but I enjoy making a noise). And the ice-cream is delicious.

Wild life

The day started at about 5 this morning when we each realised that we were both wide awake and things rapidly descended into a state of giggles. Yet today was one of those days when a good nights sleep would have been the preferred preparation - we had three of the grandkids for the day, ages 3, 4 and 6. The idea was that we'd take them out into the country, feed the ducks and run around to expel some energy and the wife spent the morning putting together a yummy picnic. Of course the kids had already had a McDonald's by the time they arrived so weren't interested in lunch but they enjoyed the rest of it. For me the highlight had to be the 6 year old saying "wow, I've never seen a horse in real life before" as we stepped aside to let two horses pass. I don't think their parents ever take them anywhere yet we had travelled less than 10 minutes out of town. They, and I, had a great time - there is something special about doing this sort of thing.

I did have to bow out early however to get my hair chopped - I only go when I have to so I've been cropped and the draft around the back of my neck is strangely enjoyable. And me being the fool I am arranged all of this despite Scotlands last match in the Autumn tests being on this afternoon - fortunately the Aussies beat us, otherwise I might have been upset. Phew, is it bedtime yet.

Gibbering Gibberish

This afternoon my motivation for work is promotion. One day I want my own office where I don't have to sit listening to people spending hours on the phone gibbering gibberish. Any minute now I'm going to lose it. Just shut the f... ahhh it has! And a peace descended on the office. For now.

Broken Things

I know I keep going on about her, but she's brilliant and I've just discovered an old Juliet Turner video on YouTube. The song is actually called Broken Things and she performed it at the Memorial service after the Omagh bombing in 1998. This is Juliet at her best - just her and her guitar.

Hear more of her here and here.

Itchy and Scratchy

The Grandkid has got headlice! I only discovered this after spending time with her sat on my knee, playing computer games. Now I can't stop scratching. The wife and I have been inspecting each others heads and can't see anything but I'm still feeling itchy. I spent last night getting nudged if I dared stray too close to the wifes pillow then I turned over this morning and wrapped myself around her, only to be told "I hope your head's not too close". The kid was supposed to be staying with us tonight but she won't sleep on her own, she has to sleep with her nan. Her nan isn't having any of it and is now feeling guilty for rejecting her own grandchild! I on the other hand am going to book a hair appointment - I'm going short.

The Grey Train Robbery

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this story and the cctv image of the criminals involved. Thankfully they came forward and gave themselves up to police. But why is it that when our town makes the news it's for something that makes the locals look stupid?

The Real Reason

Last week at work I felt like I was constantly banging my head against a brick wall. Just when I think I've got the methodology sorted it all goes wrong again. I wasn't sure if it was something I was doing wrong and that it should be working or if it was just one of those things that goes wrong in every lab on a regular basis. Then I got to talk to some people affected by the disease I'm working on and who took a real interest in me and my work. That followed by a couple of days training and I'm now convinced that I can get the experiment to work, get some useful results and hopefully do something to make a difference. It doesn't have to be a big difference, just move things forward a bit.

Sometimes it is very easy to become engrossed in the small tubes of colourless liquids that I play with all day in the lab and forget about the human side of the disease. Meeting those people was just the motivation I need right now.

Edinburgh

We had a great time in Edinburgh last weekend, so nice to escape and get some time to ourselves. We wandered around the city, dodging the rain (who said it doesn't always rain in Scotland, twice we've been up this year and both times we got wet), andseeing the sights. The food was good, the wine was good and the hotel was perfectly positioned, right beside the Scott Monument with views of the Castle in one direction and Arthur's Seat in the other.

The Castle at night taken from our hotel room.

The Castle from Princes Street Gardens

The Ross Fountain and Castle in Princes Street Gardens

The Scott Monument (and the corner of Jenners - my Granny's favourite shop)

Travels

I compromised and watched the first half of This Life and just managed to get up early this morning. This morning just reiterated why I don't normally bother trying to get to work too early - I left the house 45 mins earlier than the day before and got to work just 15 minutes earlier, with the amount of traffic those extra few minutes just ain't worth the hassle.

But, just one more working day this week before I'm off to a conference. It's only one day so the wife is coming with me and we're having a long weekend in Edinburgh. It's a city I love, my Grandmother lived there all her life and I have many childhood memories of the place. It's also the first time in two years that the wife and I are going to get some time away for just the pair of us. So, although I'm having to present on Friday I'm actually really looking forward to the trip.

Bloody Typical

In the space of half an hour today I found out that This Life is on late tonight and that I have to be at work early in the morning. Normally I wouldn't worry but I was told that the early meeting had already been put back by half an hour to allow me to be 'fully functioning'!

So, do I stay up and watch it and suffer the consequences tomorrow (I'm an eight hours a night girl) or do I splash out on the DVD boxed set? It has to be one or the other since the BBC put it into my head that I have to see all episodes again before the reunion episode.

One of those days

I thought Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest! After a morning spent cleaning and washing it was off to a grandkids birthday party where I made the mistake of sitting on the floor (I was trying to be polite and let the other big people have the chairs). Of course once one of the little people discovered that it was fun to jump on me and launch a balloon attack they all decided it was fun. Then it was back home to finish off the crap I didn't get chance to do at work last week.

The best bit of today? Hearing that the wifes son told her that I'm part of the family. I was always worried that being virtually the same age as the wifes kids and moving in just as they moved out, that they might have a problem with me. It's good to have this adopted family, I've been made to feel welcome and really do feel like part of the family. And even if they do inflict pain at times, I adore all of the grandkids (and the kids aren't too bad either)!

Who ya gonna call?

Working at home this morning trying to finish the presentation I have to give next week. One of the kids is having a halloween party tonight for all the grandkids and their freinds and the wife has been asked to put together some music for it (her being the Queen of the downloads). She's 6 feet away playing things like Time Warp and Ghostbusters and got me dancing in my seat. By the sounds of it the wife is having a more productive morning than I am! I'm off to sort out an invite to the party.

Bad News

The first thing I do when I get up is make tea and put the TV news on and the first thing I heard this morning woke me up good and proper. One of the headlines was that scientists Down South have succeeded in doing what I am attempting to do in my work and the way the news was delivered I was convinced that my project was now redundant. When I got to read the original research article however it was far from 'problem solved' as the BBC had led me to believe. While interesting, it really is nothing new and although they claim to be using this "cutting edge" approach, the methods they're using are about 30 years old and they haven't implemented the more recent modifications which would make it a much more powerful technique*. What really bugs me about this though is the way it is being reported in the media. The research is interesting but really not "a breakthrough in the fight against the debilitating disease". It happens all to often that news is overhyped to the point that it becomes inaccurate and misleading (okay, so not just in science reporting). Take the case of the MMR fiasco for example, the story about the MMR vaccine causing autism. But the fact that the research was repeated and found to contain a fundamental error hardly made the news at all because it wasn't nearly so catastrophic. Rant over.

*Yes the vagueness is deliberate since it wouldn't take much fishing to work out my true identity (not that anyone could be bothered I'm sure) and that's something that I, perhaps even the world, is not quite ready for!

Don't be Sad!

Firstly we had the singing sheep ringtones, now there's the escape line.

"The special telephone line has been launched to help those who retreat into hibernation mode at the official end of British summertime on October 29. Callers can listen to seven inspiring and comical sounds aimed at encouraging them to make the most of the precious available daylight this winter".

This site is great if you've ever wondered what fresh air sounds like!
The sound of Lake Windermere lapping against a jetty is however pretty special since that's where the wife and I spent our first holiday together shortly after we met.

Time Flies

It can't be Tuesday already! I spent the weekend trying to be domesticated by grocery shopping (twice because I'm not very good at shopping), cooking good food, scrubbing floors and tidying up the garden. Everything has died back out there apart from the roses which have been going all summer and are still surprising us. The lady who lived here before loved her roses. I'm trying to get some flowers flowering over winter but it's all a bit experimental (i.e. I don't really have a clue what I'm doing).

Work is busy at the moment, projects which need me at my desk have landed at the same time as work in the lab is keeping me busy and I've been given the task of introducing the new guy to the equipment. While he has far more experience of the techniques than me he has never used the type of equipment we have so I'm never quite sure if I'm not going into enough detail or going into too much detail. And then there is always the chance that actually I'm talking a load of bollocks and telling him the wrong thing entirely. At least he seems like a nice guy and it will be good to have someone else working on the same sort of project as me for a change. Up until now it's just been me and I feel like I'm expected to know everything but now I'll have someones brains to pick.

My Piece of Earth

I may be a bit slow but I've recently discovered Google Earth. This sort of thing fascinates me. I can spend ages just looking at maps and this is like a giant map with knobs on. I can see hours of procrastination ahead of me. One of these roofs belongs to my house:

Surprises

Working from home today because I discovered a large puddle of oil underneath my car this morning. My car never gets sick, I'm gutted. Working at home does have it's advantages however, for example the dog sits on my feet and keeps them warm, the loo is just across the hall rather than down the stairs and at the other end of the building and the wife makes me delicious sandwiches for my lunch. I also get to look out over the garden rather than the city rooftops.

I've been working on a presentation I have to give in a few weeks and in trying to liven up the story of how genes produce proteins thought I'd put in a few pictures. A search for a double helix to represent DNA surprisingly produced something which really would liven up the presentation - a rather graphically demonstrated sex toy. And that's why I'm glad I was working at home today because you never know who's looking over your shoulder at work!

Music to my Ears?

Again the little person is staying with us tonight and has just come in from school where today she was at music club. She's been learning to play the ocarina and her enthusiasm is lovely but I think it might be a long evening.

All together now (for the fifth time already): twinkle, twinkle little star...

Revenge?

Last year I had a paper published and the following week got a snotty email from someone who obviously had too much time on their hands and wanted to point out what I should and shouldn't have included and in particular that I should have cited his work. I actually couldn't see why he should have been included but politely thanked him for bringing these issues to my attention.

Today I have been asked to review an article. Its author just so happens to be that very same person who pissed me off and I just happen to be the annonymous reviewer who has to comment on, among other things, its suitability for publication. It's not that I would ever be anything but professional but it's nice to let my inner bitch influence just a couple of my comments!

Transformation

Four and a half months after moving in we have finished the second room! This is the first one that we have stripped back to the bare walls and started again (the living room we just painted over the paper that was already up). In fact in removing the paper from the chimney breast the plaster came off too so that bit was down to bare brick. But, a bit of patience and several layers of plaster later (and a few quid saved) the wall was as good as new and with the new wallpaper on you'd never know anything had gone wrong, much.

And just incase you want to admire our handywork, here is a before and after shot of the fireplace.

**Pics removed**

We kept the wood surround but stripped off the layers of varnish and replaced the old, cracked 1930's tiles with marble. We couldn't have a gas fire because the chimney flue is knackered so had to replace the old gas fire with electric, it's sooo cosy, even if the heat isn't on. However, the carpet has been the biggest transformation.
The after shot doesn't actually show off the colours, the room was painted white but is now is a lovely warm colour with a pattern on the fireplace wall. Those are our lovely comfy new armless armchairs and the old welsh dresser is there full of things that need to be re-housed. Although the room isn't huge it also houses the dining table and the wife's desk as well as the old TV, making it the room in which we spend most of our time. Those chairs also push together to make a really cozy sofa!

Friday the 13th

I should have known when I made the appointment that going to the doctors on Friday the 13th was a bad idea. At least she didn't take my blood pressure, I think after the readings two weeks ago she's realised that she will never get a sensible result from me in her office - instead we will review it in three months. All of the blood tests I had done last week came back normal (including the Guilbert's screen so she still can't decide if I do or don't have it) but my cholesterol is at the higher end of normal. She also made me get on the scales, complete with boots, jeans, chunky jumper and pockets full of junk like keys, purse, phone then told me that if I'm 5'6 I'm overweight, if I'm 5'8 im normal weight (she didn't want to measure my height). I'm certainly not 5'8 and even 5'6 might be debatable. So she sent me packing with instructions to drink less, eat a low fat diet, exercise more and to come back just after christmas to see how I'm getting on. I think the woman likes to see me suffer!

There is Hope!

In my work today I came across two bits of research that prove (well as much proof as I need) that at least two of my habits aren't really bad ones. Firstly, five cups of coffee can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. I never could see the point of decaf anyway. Secondly, cabernet sauvignon can also reduce the risk. I'm hoping that Shiraz has the same effect.

I just mentioned these studies to the wife and pointed out that the article about cab sauv says "one drink per day...". Her response: "yes but they don't say if that's one glass or one bottle". At least there's a chance that her liver can be fixed!

New Shoes

Approximately 50% of the meetings that have been scheduled between me and my boss never happen, usually because I turn up but he doesn't. Apparently today he's at the other end of the country. Usually I don't mind too much because it's a nice walk across campus but today it's pouring with rain and I have discovered that my shoes leak. So I'm going to go shoe shopping. Now. This is not a pleasure, I hate shoe shopping, but my socks are wet and I need new shoes.

You Make Me...

For the first time in weeks we had nothing that had to be done in the house this weekend. Yes, there is still some painting to do, the walls in the bedroom and kitchen are still bare plaster but these can all wait a little bit longer. This weekend was for us, not for the house!

Yesterday we went to a local market to see if there were any bargains and then just as we were about to find a pub for lunch decided on a picnic, even if it was blowing a gale and threatening rain. So after a quick run around Tescos we took our crusty bread, pate, quiche, paper plates, plastic cups and miniture bottle of wine and settled ourselves beside the lake in a local country park. It felt like the sort of thing we used to do, before the life took over. (I know that this weekend is what life should be, the rest is just the shit that gets in the way).

Today we ended up toy shopping - no, not that sort of toy shopping! It seems that there is some important event around January/February time since most of the grandkids birthdays occur within the next few weeks. Needless to say, it was great fun and regardless of our respective ages, our inner-children came out to play. In fact, I haven't stopped grinning all weekend. The following song was on the radio in the car today and couldn't be more appropriate;

You make me feel so young
You make me feel like spring has sprung
Every time I see you grin
Im such a happy individual

The moment that you speak
I want to go and play hide-and-seek
I want to go and bounce the moon
Just like a toy balloon

You and I, are just like a couple of tots
Running across the meadow
Picking up lots of forget-me-nots

You make me feel so young
You make me feel there are songs to be sung
Bells to be rung, and a wonderful fling to be flung

And even when Im old and gray
Im gonna feel the way I do today
cause you make me feel so young


You Make Me Feel So Young - Frank Sinatra

Who'd Have 'Em

Yesterday I wrote about jealous kids but the dog is even worse. Half the time if I try and give the wife a cuddle he jumps up in between us and always thinks that if theres any kissing going on he should be included. He is absolutely banned from the bedroom at bedtime but if he thinks there is anything going on in there he starts howling. It can be most off putting at the time and I often wonder if the neighbours have worked out whats going on!

Fun and Games

Last night I was once again kicked out of our bed to make way for another girl. The 6 yr old GrandKid stayed with us for the night meaning I was relegated to the spare bed. I don't mind, she's fab and I love her to bits and what better way to spend an evening than baking chocolate cake - although I don't know what got covered in the most chocolate, the kitchen or us (it certainly wasn't the cake). One thing we have noticed however is that she is jealous of the closeness between me and the wife (her nan). The wife has a habit of calling everyone 'darling', including family members, shop assistants and anyone else who hasn't upset her and the GK is the biggest darling of all! Often when the wife calls me darling the GK gets stroppy and asks "why do you call her darling and not me?" Of course she's always calling her darling. The GK has no idea of the true relationship between me and her nan but has always sensed, and been jealous of, the closeness (the first time I met her she was 18 months and she climbed up on the sofa between me and the wife, cuddled in to her nan and gave me a filthy look). At the same time she loves the fun we have and the attention she gets, which I don't think she gets at home and the place is a mad house when she's around (okay, so not just when she's around). If I have to sleep in the spare room for anyone I'm glad it's her, and not just because it gives me an excuse to do what six year olds do and give up being a grown up, just for a few minutes.

Umph

I'm suffering from a complete lack of energy today. It took me nearly an hour to drag myself out of bed this morning and that was after nine hours shut-eye. I then spent the morning 'working from home' before mustering the energy to get to work (only to get here and want to disappear under my labcoat and sniffle and sob quietly for no apparent reason). I just want to be at home curled up on the sofa in sloppy clothes, with a big plate of comfort food - the wifes yummy cottage pie would do nicely - and watch a nice easy going film (something like When Harry met Sally or Dirty Dancing would suffice) whilst getting sympathetic looks from the dog.
 
There is no reason for this behaviour and I'm simply going to pull myself together, stop being feeble and get on with some work, then go home and pamper the wife who has had a hellish couple of days and is the one who deserves the sympathy.

Bloody Carpets

The carpets were fitted on Saturday. Twenty minutes after the fitter left the wifes' son came stumbling through the door with a gash in his head, dripping blood and looking like he was about to collapse in a heap on the floor. He made a beeline for the living room with the new beige carpet and I wasn't really being unsympathetic when I diverted him into the kitchen, (with the wipe clean tiled floor)! I really wasn't unsympathetic because I did spend half the evening in A&E with them.

Deep Breaths

This morning I had to go to the doctors for a review of my medication (I'm taking meds to control my blood pressure). One of the drugs I'm on shouldn't be taken in pregnancy so every time I see the doc she reminds me of this and asks me what form of contraception I use. When I reply that it's not an issue she assumes I'm 'not sexually active' and that if that changes I should go and see the nurse about contraception. Why I don't just come out to her I don't know, but at least she didn't start asking about smear tests. Is it any wonder that every time I enter the surgery my BP goes rocketing up. Systolic started off topping 200 (ideally it should be below 120). After five attempts it was coming down but still far too high considering the meds I'm on. Trying to stay calm at the docs has become such an issue for me that the complete opposite happens and now I'm betting that they won't let me go antoher year before I have to go back and be tortured some more.

Pain and Pleasure

I have to speak at a conference soon so I spent the day working at home on my presentation. Inevitably I ended up going out for lunch with the wife and fighting with powerpoint before giving up and taking my frustrations out on the carpets. All rooms except for the two upstairs bedrooms are getting new carpets in a few days so the rearranging of boxes (still unpacked), furniture and piles of junk has started in preparation. We also have an electrician in tomorrow and he needs to pull up floorboards, hence the pulling up of carpets today. Like everything else in this house, that particular carpet is so old that it isn't one whole piece but is several strips sewn together and surely didn't need quite so many nails. We're also in a mad panic trying to get all of the messy jobs finished before the new carpets go down - the last thing I want is to splash paint or plaster or ANYTHING on the new floors, my life would not be worth living. Last night I was busy trying to repair some plasterwork so the wife took it upon herself to do dinner - home grown salad followed by homemade apple pie. I refer you to my last post!

Surely not

Who would really want to live to be 100 by giving up food and sex? They are two of lifes greatest pleasures! I'll take quality of life over quantity thank you very much.

Temper!

Most nights on my way home I get stuck in traffic on a dual carriageway through the city. The other night the guy behind me was determined not to let anyone get infront of him by staying as close as possible to my rear bumper. I noticed that the bigger the gap I left in front of me the closer to tried to get and I tested my theory by not moving forward too quickly. The funniest thing happened when I let a couple of cars in infront of me, I actually heard this guy swearing at me. Now I'm not the kind of person that can let an opportunity like this pass me by so I quietly chuckled to myself as I let anyone who wanted to cut in front of me as I slowly crept forward in the queue. It was more entertaining than the radio!

Oops!

I posted a couple of weeks ago about having won £10 on the lottery twice in one week. The wife has used the same numbers for years and three of them came out again this week. We went to claim the tenner today but the shop assistant said it hadn't won and it was only as she handed the ticket back to the wife that I noticed a 2 where a 3 should be. Who bought the ticket last week? Who was very, very thankful that only three numbers came out and not all six? Who is fortunate enough to have a forgiving wife? It wouldn't be quite so bad if it was the first time I'd made this mistake but only the other week I had to go back and buy a second ticket because I'd got it wrong then as well. I must start paying more attention.

I can't do it

It's not a case of won't, I can't! It involves knowing three different bits of software and the instruction manual for the first is 506 pages long (this work isn't going to be done by the end of the day). If someone would just show me what to do I'm sure I could manage after that, but I can't work all this shit out on my own.

UPDATE at 5.10pm: I came up with a solution which was to say bollocks to the lot of it and bugger off home. So now, rather than still sitting in traffic frustrated at having achieved nothing all day I'm already home and drinking tea with the wife. All is right with my world again.

UPDATE at 11.30pm: My wonderful wife knows how to make me feel better - a bottle of wine and a listening ear AND while I was having a crap day she got half the dining room wallpapered. I suppose I'd better make sure I'm fit to do my share of the decorating tomorrow and get myself a good nights sleep.

Funny Little Frog

Here I was quietly getting on with whatever it is that I find to do on this computer all day when the wife says she's going out to look after the greenhouse. Two minutes later I heard her shouting for me. Thinking she'd chopped a finger off or been stung by a giant insect I went running to save her only to find her bent over the water butt shouting "it's a frog"! I've been saying for weeks that we should try and encourage such things into the garden and there it was, trapped. So instead of saving the wife I got to save the frog and it hopped off under the fence.

No messing

Yesterday morning we decided it would probably make sense to get the skylight in the spare room replaced before all the new carpets come - especially having seen several times already how much mess that sort of a job can make. After consulting the yellow pages we chose three reliable sounding firms and phoned to ask for quotes. One of them didn't answer (or reply to the wifes message), the second said he was too busy (i.e. the job is to small to be worth his while) and the third said he'd be down in 10 minutes. After 25 minutes he was on the phone to his team and about five hours later the guys started knocking a stonking great hole in the roof. The boss had said it would take about three hours and the guys would be glad of the overtime. He is obviously just like my boss, thinking a job will take half as long as it actually does - the fellas are back on the roof today! What has really shocked me though is that we made a decision and acted on it immediately, usually we have to think about it for at least a week!

I don't want to know

This morning we had the two new brown leather armchairs delivered (which cost us far more than we had budgeted for them but they are so, so comfy). The six yr old grandkid was around and fell in love with them straight away. Making herself comfortable in one of them she warned "you'll not be allowed to pick your nose on these chairs though will you"! I didn't want to ask what prompted her to come out with that one.

Yawn

I'm having trouble waking up this morning - I know its 11.00 already but I'm sure my eyes are still half closed. I suppose that's what you get from spending evenings building furniture rather than vegetating in front of the TV like normal. I feel like I haven't stopped all week and this weekend is going to be just as busy. We've decided on the carpets we want downstairs so need to get all of the messy jobs i.e. painting and wall paper stripping done before they are fitted. Then we will be able to get some wardrobes! It's nearly five months since I last had a wardrobe to hang my clothes in, half of them are still in suitcases while the stuff I tend to wear is on a rail getting dusty. Such a simple thing but I can't help but get excited!

Third Time Lucky

We've won a tenner on the last two lottery draws - got my fingers crossed that tonight it's the jackpot (even another £10 would be nice)!

I love flatpack

Just call me the flatpack queen! We went in a spending spree in Ikea. Not only did we find the bedroom furniture we want for one of the rooms, we also found furniture for the hall and dining room and solved the problem of what to do with the floor in the living room (wood floor with a huge rug in the middle in case you're interested). The best part of the trip though? Pulling my little car into the loading bay in amongst all the (effing) 4x4's, vans and people carriers AND managing to load all of the flatpacks without a problem. Admittedly we left the wardrobes until we've got the wifes car, but the bookcase, side table, two bedside cabinates and a chest of drawers along with a mirror, a lampshade and four wine glasses all managed to fit into something similar to this:

Worth the wait?

I finally, nearly nine months after starting the job, have a desk (infront
of the window no less) which I can fill up with all my crap. This is the
highlight of my week. Unfortunately I have no excuse not to clear out my
locker where all the aforementioned crap has been placed up to this point.
I'll maybe get around to that once I've stopped looking out of the window,
trying to identify all the local landmarks. And while I'm on the subject of
work, why when I do protein searches do I just get a list of patent numbers.
Does this mean that half the proteins in my body actually are the property
of someone else?

To curl or not to curl

The wife had a sleepless night last night and was up at 5am trying to occupy her mind. This is what she came up with. Every four years, for just a couple of weeks through the winter I become obsessed with people throwing stones down sheets of ice. Now I can play myself, anytime and without having to get cold feet. Unfortunately you have to add your own sound effects - sweeeeep!

How Long?

Ok, so I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, life has taken over and I’m amazed at how long it is since I last posted something. They may not be much but the excuses for my absence are as follows;

Firstly my mum came to stay with us for a few days. I got to take some time off work and play the perfect hostess and tour guide. It’s the first time that my mum had met the wife and fortunately they seemed to get on great.

My second excuse is that work has been mad – I’ve had too much time off recently with the house and mums visit and everything seems to be happening now. They even managed to ship me off down south for a few days to 'network' - ugh!

Thirdly, the house! Kitchen is finished, just waiting for the walls to dry out from where the old pipes were leaking – it’s taking a while – then we can paint. The walls are stripped in the dining room, unfortunately half the wall came away with the paper on one wall but, as we’re putting new paper on we decided to have a go at fixing it ourselves. If we have to get a guy in to sort out the mess later we’ve not lost anything but if we can make a decent job of the plastering then we will have saved a few quid.

And lastly, but certainly not least, we have recently had not one but two new beds. And that is much more exciting than it sounds!

Ups and Downs

It was the wife's birthday a couple of weeks ago and I bought her (us) tickets to the football yesterday. It being the first saturday home game of the season with a whole new load of people in charge after last seasons relegation disaster I felt fairly optimistic that it would be a good result. After taking an early lead and scoring two goals they still lost 3-2. It just goes to show how much people expect that sort of result these days, the wife came away saying that she still thoroughly enjoyed the game even though we lost - usually it would dampen her mood for the rest of the day.

Today has been a lovely, lazy day - I think the only thing that got us out of bed was hunger and the thought of a full english! And on the subject of food, just because we can for the first time since we moved at the end of May, there's a joint of pork in the oven and I'm away now to prepare ALL the extras to go with it. (Of course because I said that the kitchen would be finished on Friday it isn't, but at least it's only the odds and ends of finishing off that needs doing. It is fully functional and I'm going to enjoy cooking this roast almost as much as I'll enjoy eating it)!

No more, please!

If one more person expects me to wipe their arse for them today I'll thump
them - and I'm not normally a violent person! The day started so well, there
was no traffic on the road (I was able to drive at the speed limit all the
way and not crawl along as I normally do - let's hope it's the same on the
way home) and I got to work feeling all relaxed and happy that I had a
manageable chunk of work to do today. Then people started being demanding.
So I have escaped to the library and I'm hiding in the furthest corner where
no one will ever find me. At least it's almost the weekend, our kitchen
should be finished today and I can look forward to a quiet time with the
wife.

Happenings

Things are starting to happen in the house now. The kitchen is taking some time and I can recommend NOT buying a kitchen from B&Q - first the handles were delayed and a worktop arrived covered in chips and scratches, then we discovered that one of the units is damaged and they are taking ages to replace it. The guys fitting the kitchen are however great and have no problem with the fact that the job is taking twice as long as expected. At least we have a cooker now, the camping stove was starting to frustrate me. And for the first time in over two months we have a washing machine! Hopefully by the weekend the temporary kitchen in the dining room can be moved into its new home. Also up and running is broadband, and I managed to install a phone extension AND set up a wireless network. Now all I need is time to catch up on this blog lark.

More men

We had a load of rubble and old wall tiles to dispose of at the tip. It's a manic place at the best of times and I always feel hassled to unload the car as fast as possible and sort the rubbish into the appropriate skips. So we pulled up as close to the rubble skip as possible but still behind two other cars. The guys in the car infront are unloading a big boot full of bricks, one at a time. ONE AT A TIME. Us women pick up our stuff by the bag load, carry it past their car to the skip. The wife did manage to lighten their load by taking a few off them (for a path for the greenhouse) and picked up as many as she could carry in one go. Just to prove how precious these guys were they then cleaned their car out before leaving, never mind the queue forming behind them.

Just to prove I'm not a man-hating lesbian: We're getting the new kitchen fitted this week and the guys doing that are fab and doing a really good job. So good that we'll have them back in a few weeks to do the bathroom!

Men Man

I wish I was more handy around the house. Not that I don't know how to
handle the shiney new electric screwdriver - I successfully got the fire
surround reattached to the wall and am firly confident that it won't fall
and squash a small child and this morning I managed to get the coat hooks
back on the wall after the man who came to read the gas meter pulled them
down. It's the bigger jobs that I wish I knew how to do since the so-called
professionals seem pretty rubbish most of the time. Firstly there was the
fire. Two different guys were involved in the fitting of a new gas fire
which was then condemmed by the guys who came to fit the second fire
(apparently it's a problem with the chimney and we and our neighbours could
have died a slow death from the noxious fumes - a simple test the first time
round would have spotted this). Then, last night we discovered a gap above
the new back door. Now it's nice to see daylight through the window but not
so nice to see it between the door and the frame. Thirdly, we got blinds
fitted at some of the windows and a) one of the rollers didn't roll; b) one
of the bedroom sets fell down completely and c) the big set of verticals in
the sitting room are all different lengths. It's not as if we've been going
for the cheaper option. The only thing we've not had a problem with is the
greenhouse which we women built ourselves and which is still standing firm.
I'm dreading the kitchen starting next week and am tempted to take a
plumbing course and tackling the bathroom myself. The only thing these guys
seem good at is drinking tea!

Grrrr

Every two weeks I have a meeting with my supervisor on Monday at 3pm. Would
it be so difficult for him to email me to tell me he won't be able to make
it. Three out of the last four times I have been pacing the corridor outside
the meeting room like a nutter before finding someone to confirm that he's
'in a big meeting with some VIPs'. Never mind little old me. On the other
hand it has given me a chance to visit the library - I had forgotten just
how lovely and quiet it is in here when the students are all of on holiday.
Now if they could just sort out the air con and let me being some coffee in
I'd be quite happy to stay for a while.

Sarnies

I was going to post a follow up to my last post but that post has
disappeared so that will have to wait. Instead: The wife started to make us
both sandwiches this morning to take to work when she got a phone call so
took over, nly to be dragged away myself leaving them to be finished by the
wife after all. Imagine the lovely surprise when I just opened the bag to
find neat little triangles with home grown lettuce in addition to my fave
chicken and tarragon. It's little things like that that make me feel loved.

Life

Several years ago the wife set out to get herself a degree. While at uni she
met two other mature students and they have remained close friends ever
since, being there for each other through lifes ups and downs. A year ago
one of them was diagnosed with lung cancer and the prognosis was not good,
it was a large tumour and there was no cure, although with chemotherapy and
radiotherapy her life expectancy could be lengthened. The wife and I talked
about the choice she had numerous times. The several months of treatment
would make her ill and her quality of life during that time would be poor.
The other friend said that they wouldn't have the treatment but would enjoy
the little time they had left. She didn't. She wanted to be around when her
first grandchild was born at the end of last year. After several hard months
of chemo and radiotherapy and scan after scan the tumour was still there,
but it had shrunk. It was now small enough to operate. So a few weeks ago
she had half of a lung removed and this week was told that the tumour had
gone. There is no guarantee that the cancer won't come back but for now she
has been cured in a way that was never thought possible and is feeling
better than ever. And she will, hopefully, live to see her granddaughter
grow up.

How many people, like the other friend, would have refused the treatment.

Heatwave

My aim for today is not to break into a sweat and if that means getting half
the stuff done that I should get done today, well, tough. Lab coats are far
too impractical in this weather. Instead I should be at home trying to
figure out the best place for a new water butt. The existing one is already
empty and the grass is in need of some intensive care. If summers are going
to continue like this, one butt is not enough. Having been automatically put
on a water meter since we moved we are concious of the amount of water we
are using (and hence the bills). And of course we're trying to do our bit to
conserve water - but my lovely garden is suffering.

Bits and bobs

So things are a little bit slow around here. Summer is here, work is busy,
the house needs 1001 things doing to it, the grass needs cutting and to top
it all off the wife bought me Flight Sim for my birthday last week. Hence
out of that list very little is getting done and most of my computer time is
now spent learning to fly. I'm still hoping one day to learn to fly the real
thing but for now this will do. My birthday passed virtually unnoticed this
year, which is the way I like it and unlike last year when those bastards
tried to blow up London, it was a quiet day. We went out for a meal at my
favourite restaurant and made it home nicely in time to change into PJs and
settle to watch Big Brother - I'm getting old! And while we're on the
subject of BB, I'm finding this series hard going since all the housemates
ever do is argue and I can't keep up with who has fall out with who at any
given time. Anyway, back in the real world about the only useful thing
achieved last week was stripping the fireplace back to its bare wood in
order to restore it to its former glory. Oh and the cucumbers are taking
over the greenhouse. Never let it be said that I don't lead an exciting
life!

Dilemma

I have a dilemma. Someone has told me that they are planning something as a
surprise for a certain persons birthday and sworn me to secrecy. The trouble
is that I am 99% certain that the recipient won't be impressed with this
particular something for a number of reasons, she has experienced it before
and vowed not to do it again. I have suggested that culprit re-thinks her
plans in the nicest possible way but I don't think I was very successful. So
now I don't know whether to tell the other party or not. Or perhaps I'm
being selfish as the event is likely to involve me as well and I'm 100%
certain I don't want to do it.

Ding Dong

The old doorbell on our new house is one of those wireless ones and sounds a
bit like a clock striking a quarter past the hour. The old lady who
presumably had the doorbell installed has moved across the road to live with
her sister. Our doorbell has a habit of ringing on its own and it is
definitely not being pressed as the button is now inside the house. It was
spooky at first but is one of those little things that you quickley get used
to (hence not having removed the batteries). The bell rings, without fail,
every day at around 9am and again around 6pm (an occasionally inbetween).
This is the same time that the carer visits the old lady across the road.
I'm thinking that they have the same bell. Or the old lady wired the bells
up together to spy on us.

On the same subject (who knew doorbells could be that interesting) - the dog
very quickly learnt that the bell meant someone was coming to visit him
(because he thinks people only ever come to visit him) but is learning very
slowly that the bell now means that no one is there and still barks like
mad. This is particularly annoying at 9am during a Sunday morning lie-in.

Random Ramble

The wife loves the greenhouse. I love that the glass in the Greenhouse is not glass at all but is plastic because it is slightly opaque and I am not an exhibitionist. The bloomin' garden has encouraged my hayfever to be worse than ever, just as I thought I was growing out of it. S'not very attractive. What is attractive is the wife watching the football - I love it when she's passionate. I am however torn with the England v Portugal game. I have Portugal in the sweep at work. Is that unpatriotic?

Rain, rain go away...

It can't be about to rain! It's been gorgeous all week and now, just as I'm
about to pack up and head home to enjoy the garden, the sky clouds over and
threatens rain. There are more practical issues I have with it raining this
weekend. We still don't have a washing machine and we're all set to go and
take over someones washer to do the several loads we have accumulated over
the last fortnight. If we can't hang it out, it will never dry! Secondly, we
don't have a cooker anymore. The guy who came to fit the second new fire had
to test all the gas and he condemmed the 40+ year old cooker we inherited
with the house. So, I was looking forward to a weekend of BBQs. I'm off to
do a wee anti-rain dance.

Rain Stops Play

The current project for the house is gutting the kitchen ready for the new one. We're half way through taking the tiles off the walls then we can get rid of the larder. Then we need an electrician and a plumber followed by a plasterer before we can think of putting the new kitchen in. The aim is to try and keep the kitchen useable for as long as possible since we both love our food which means trying to keep the mess to a minimum. The wet weather would have made the job even messier today (at least that's my excuse) so it's been a lazy day from the start. Other things have been happening though, the new windows and doors were finished on Friday. The windows have all been kept in the same style as the original ones, apart from one which is sort of bugging me, but to have kept it the same it looks like we would have had to loose the opening. If we hadn't had to have an opening large enough to escape through if there was a fire there wouldn't have been a problem but regulations now state... bla bla bla. At least we can open the door onto the patio now and the new front door is back to the original 1930s style that is should be. This week it's the turn of the fireplaces.

We've also had the oldest grandkid here for the weekend and as lovely as she is, she can be a little brat at times. The biggest problem is that she won't go to bed so as it gets later on in the evening and the wife and I simply want to curl up on the sofa together, she gets more and more demanding. At least with grandkids you can send them home when you've had enough!

Calm before the storm

This was the recently constructed greenhouse into which I put several hours of blood, sweat and tears. It now contains several tomato plants, a cucumber plant, peppers and red and green lettuce (and the peony infront of it is now in flower). Beside the greenhouse our first two strawberries are almost ripe. It isn't quite finished however as I still haven't got around to cementing it properly into the ground.

The greenhouse is built of aluminium and polycarbonate. Both of these materials are actually quite light. The winds are actually not very light at all tonight. Guess who will never be forgiven if the greenhouse moves and damages any of the wifes crops.

So hang me

What I am about to say may be considered tantamount to treason by my fellow countrypeople, especially after my verging on the obsessional interest in the curling at this years winter olympics (at least they had a chance of winning). But, I don't think that Eng-er-land will live up to all the hype and repeat the win of '66 that has been filling the TV/radio/newspapers for the last too many months*. I just don't think that 'we' have a particularly strong squad. The best things about the world cup is the empty supermarket during saturdays games and the empty roads this afternoon. Why can't those bloody car flags be banned? Why does every cake/biscuit/iced-bun in the bakers have to be covered in red and white icing? And, why was a half decent radio program's dominated by a debate about whether it is right for people to pull a sickie in order to watch the England games? It's just all wrong, it's only a game.

*I hope for my own sake that I am proved wrong here, for the wife is a keen footie fan (and we all know how happy a happy wife can make me).

Wild

I think I need to get my hair cut - too often now I'm getting to work,
seeing my reflection in the computer screen and wondering if I did actually
comb my hair this morning.

Spending Spree

When we sorted out the financing of the house we made sure that there was
enough left in the bank to cover all the work that needs doing on the new
place. Having a relatively large sum of money available makes window
shopping great fun: "we could get that nice expensive piece of furniture for
the dining room" or "those solid walnut desks would look fantastic". When it
comes to actually spending we are more cautious, hence still no wardrobes or
washing machine. However the new kitchen has been ordered, the new bathroom
has been decided upon and the design for the new windows chosen. But the
best buy of all so far? The greenhouse! And the fantastic weather means that
the inner child in me spent the weekend playing with the giant mechano set
and the end result (apart from some strange patches of sunburn - my left ear
and a stripe across my lower back) was a very, very happy wife who was eager
to reward me for all my hard work - after she had planted the tomatoes.

Out of the chaos

I'm back having survived the move and the 1001 other things that have taken
over since. The move itself went smoothly, the only day of the week it
didn't rain which was fortunate. We're still living among boxes and out of
suitcases as we have very little bedroom furniture - the removal guys
couldn't get the only wardrobe out of the house. We have no washing machine
and are using a 40 year old gas cooker (which is a bonus as the old lady
wasn't supposed to be leaving it behind). One week after moving we got the
boiler replaced so at least we can have a decent bath now and wash in hot
water. It seems like nothing has been done in the house since in 70 years -
the original sink in the original kitchen has started to leak and the toilet
is falling apart - I have decided that the house has seen more use in the
last two weeks than in the last ten years. But for all that there is a lot
of work to do, it is mostly cosmetic and at least it's clean. And big! Where
as in the old house we lived in one room with all others off it, we now have
more rooms spread further apart making every other conversation start with
"where are you?". Then there's the garden. It's fantastic! A large lawn with
flower beds full of flowers surrounding it. One large border has already
been cleared ready for the greenhouse and the veggie plot is the next
project on the list. The whole place makes getting up and out to work in the
morning that bit harder.

We're not set up properly for the internet yet, NTL turned up to install
cable only to discover that they couldn't give us the whole package so we
have taken our custom elsewhere, only elsewhere has a two month wait. So,
it's back to dial-up temporarily (we couldn't go without) and the garden is
better for my blood pressure than waiting for pages to load.

Boxes

A quiet five minutes hiding from the wifes family - living with a four year old and four month old is an experience! With 48 hours before we get the keys to the new house we are just about finished packing. A camping stove and new BBQ has been bought as we are going to be without a cooker for several days, in fact there isn't much of a kitchen. The phone company kindly cut off our current phone line yesterday, just as we were phoning around sorting out things like gas and electric for the new place. Hopefully the bollocking from the wife has got it reconnected.

My biggest worry now is the removal firm we've booked. I saw one of their two vans the other day and it looks very small, especially when you see the number of boxes we've got. I thought I was a hoarder but the wife is even worse!

Disappointing Friday

Dare I admit to being quite excited at the prospect of Big Brother starting
last night? It just goes to show how little decent telly there is at the
moment! It brings a little light relief from the packing. We were going to
go and see Juliet Turner tonight but neither of us can stay awake past 10pm
and can't face the prospect of the two hour drive there and back. We are
both feeling constantly knackered and this weekend want to try and restore
some sort of order to the house. As well as all the boxes and piles of
things still to be packed, we are also housing someone elses furniture for
the weekend and then two adults and two kids are joining in the fun on
Sunday. The wife is far to soft when it comes to her kids, but that's
another story all together. Let's just say it is hard to move around the
house at the moment.

On top of the disappointment of waiting 6 months to see Juliet Turner and
then not seeing her at all, I got a free chocolate caramel bar with my
sandwich this lunch time (which at the time was not at all disapointing). It
being from M&S (this is probably the last week I can afford to buy my lunch
from M&S) I expected it to be delicious but it tasted just like a mars bar,
a sticky, sickly sweet mars bar. Utter disappointment.

The deed is done

Today we signed the contracts for the new house and in ten days we complete and the place is 100% ours! On the way down to the solicitors this morning I did point out to the wife that in terms of commitment, this is as good as getting married. I told her that this was her last chance to call the whole thing off and to speak now or forever hold her peace. She replied in her typically romantic way, "I'm not pulling out now after the amount of money we've spent getting this far". However she did suggest that we went out for lunch afterwards to celebrate and I'm sure I spied a bottle of something fizzy in the fridge!

Flapping around

Today I'm doing an impression of a headless chicken. Or a blue arsed fly.
Whichever is running round the most, suffering in the heat and having more
and more piled on her. I have managed to automate one of my experiments
which gives me 10 minutes to sit down. Finally we have a date for the house
move, contracts are being exchanged next week then the big day is happening
two weeks today. Thats just 14 more sleeps! Consequently after running
around at work all day I get to go home and pack boxes - I never knew we had
so many books. Boxes and boxes of books. And wine glasses, so many odd wine
glasses that don't match any others. We're also eating some strange meals as
we try to run down the contents of the freezer. I can't wait to get home
just to see what the wife's dug out for tonight.

Panic

It's been one of those days - just one thing after another and too much to do with too little time to do it. An annual review at work has allowed my boss to dump a whole heap of work on me. I was probably going to end up doing it eventually but now I'm going to be doing it on his terms (and his time scales) rather than my own. Then the wife tells me that we have to be moved in two weeks, she has a tenant lined up who needs her house then. Not a problem in terms of packing (who'd have thought two people could own so much junk), we did a lot over the weekend. But, having decided to decorate one of the bedrooms we also had to finish continue that and on moving the bed we discovered a hole in the floor that needs sorting. Add to that the incompetent mortgage advisor and the ridiculous amount of information the building society want and two weeks seems a bit optimistic. As the wife said, it doesn't matter, the shop round the corner is selling tents at half price. I just can't see how the wife, the dog, me and all our belongings will fit in a three-person tent!

Last Minute

So the Black Cats avoided breaking two records at once by getting their only home win this season at the last home game of the season. Unfortunately it won't be enough to stop them being relegated with the lowest number of points by any team ever (breaking their own record) but it did put the wife in a good mood last night. And the wifes good moods are good for me!

Bring me sunshine

It is a lovely, lovely day outside and I have discovered that looking out of
my 5th floor lab window I can see not only the fields with the cows happily
grazing but beyond that I can see planes on their final approach into the
airport. Which, for a plane spotter with multiple two minute incubations
during the course of any given experiment, is perfect (two minutes is too
short to do anything useful other than play solitaire and in the absence of
a lab computer the window is an ideal substitute. However, if there were to
be a computer in the lab I would now be able to visit the live flight
information on the airports website and find out exactly where each plane
has come from). I just spent five minutes enjoying the sunshine and talking
to the wife on the phone after a successful experiment. Not even the person
who let the door slam in my face or the person who ignored me holding the
door for them could dampen my mood, but why do people have to be so goddamn
rude!

Still not moving

I actually made a start on packing, although there is still no date for the move. The wife had to work on Saturday so I took the opportunity to empty and dismantle a wardrobe so that one of the bedrooms can be decorated before it is let out. After multiple trips to B&Q (DIY is what bank holidays were made for after all) I was fully equiped with a new saw, several lengths of wood, half a ton of nails and a large tin of paint. I know wood cladding is kind of out of fashion but it will make it easier to tidy up after tenants move out and we made a good job of it, even if I do say so myself. Or at least it will be once it's finished. The tenant thing seemed to be going well but the bloke who had wanted this place turned up on Sunday morning saying he had changed his mind. We think we will probably put it in the hands of an agent. It's all so frustrating, the whole business of moving seems to be going so slowly. It's almost a year since we started looking into moving and three months now since we offered on the house. Initially we had hoped to me moving this weekend but we still don't even have a date for exchanging contracts. I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall, but at the moment it's the wrong brick wall!

Loving Memories

Sitting reading the announcements in the hatched, matched and dispatched
pages of the local newspaper (as you do when there is nothing better to do),
there was one announcement in loving memory of someone who would have been
101 yrs old today but who died at the tender age of 90-something. How far do
you take it? "In loving memory of a great-great-grandfather on his 135th
birthday". Or am I being a cold hearted bitch?

More Bricks and Mortar

Although our current venture into the property market is going slowly we are already planning our next move. Watching Kirstie Allsop and her sidekick Phil last night telling us Where Best to Invest has set the wife off thinking. As you may or may not be aware instead of selling her house to buy the new one, she is renting it out and has had no problem finding a tenant, in fact they came looking for her. This area is still cheap enough to make buy-to-let viable and with the hospital and University on the doorstep, finding tenants should be a doddle. The wife has even gone so far as to predict that if we get four properties rented to students we could retire to the country and live off the profits. I'm off to browse the property pages again and think up ways to raise funds for the deposits, this is one grand plan that I can feel myself getting swept along with.

Green Fingers

The sun hasn't stopped shining all weekend and it actually feels warm. Saturday we ended up going to a couple of garden centres, a little premature perhaps but we bought some plants for the new house, including a couple of strawberry plants (all I need now is an ice-cream maker). Spurred on by this we also planted some seeds ready to bring on in the new greenhouse and veggie plot, including enough lettuce and tomatoes to keep us in salads until Christmas. Yesterday we headed into Durham for a walk along the river which left me with a feeling of complete contentment. The problem now is that it's Monday morning and the last thing I feel like doing is working. As yesterday was St George's day, the patron saint of this green and pleasant land, today really should be another bank holiday!

Public service

I've just decided that today should be a public holiday so that we can all celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday. I know we've already had one day off this week but surely having today off as well would have made the day special for all of us. I would have much preferred to sit at home in watching day time telly her celebrate than be at work. I might also have had raised a glass to her by now (unless it's just this place that makes me want to drink).

Thumb twiddling

Have been waiting for a phone call at work now for two days as my favourite
toy has broken down again. This means I have to lurk around the damn thing
so I can follow the engineers instructions and press various buttons to try
and fix it. Whats the bet that if I go out to get lunch now he'll phone.

19th April 2001

Last night I took the wife out for dinner to celebrate the last five years ('cos I'm a big old romantic like that). We went to a little Itallian on the sea front where the food is fantastic (especially after the rubbish we have had the last few times we have ventured out for food). I love it there but the wife had never been before. I knew she was impressed when she made a note of the sauce she had on her steak, promising to replicate it at home. The only downside was that they had no mussels - apparently it's something to do with the weather in Scotland? At least it gives us an excuse to go back when the weather is better. After being well fed and watered and a brief stroll along the prom (very brief - it's still only April) we made it home and promptly fell asleep on the sofa, waking up sometime later, her with a bad back and me with a stiff neck. If we struggle to stay awake now, I dread to think what we will be like after 25 years!

Pizza and Wine

This song reminds me of sittiing in a pub, five years ago today on the day I met the wife for the first time. (Although a quantity of wine was consumed neither of us ate pizza that day).


Can you shut your eyes and turn away from me
I'm gonna say some things I've never said before
And I'm feeling kind of stupid and I'm feeling kind of shy
But they're building up inside of me and I have to let you hear them
Cos you never know, the world might end and one of us might die,
Don't be laughing, but I love the way you smile.

Could you maybe close your ears and talk to someone else
While I tell you things I've never said before,
Cos I'm feeling kind of stupid and I'm feeling kind of shy.
That I've not been used to tenderness and I've not been used to being kissed
Or being held for hours at a time, eating pizza and drinking wine.
Oh I love the way you put your hand in mine.

Could you ever reach behind you and turn the music up,
While I say some things I've never said before,
But it's getting easier to tell you more and more.
That I always dreamed of waking up to singing in my ear,
in fact I used to dream of....
Now you don't even sing in tune, but that's alright with me
Cos I have always loved the way you sing to me.
Now I've always been the scary type,
And I've always felt the need to fight,
My words will pierce the skin and make you bleed.
But you light my fires when I get cold,
You buy me back when I get sold
And you've never been afraid to love me,
And I will always love the way you love me,
I will always love the way you love me.

Juliet Turner - From Lets Hear it for Pizza

Not Just for Lorries

I'm heading off shortly to visit my mum for the weekend so if everyone else who is using the A1(M) and M1 this afternoon please remember that we drive on the LEFT in this country and that any other lanes are for overtaking. Once you have completed your manoeuver (i.e. passed the vehicles going more slowly than you) if you move back into the left hand lane we will all have a nice afternoon as well as getting to our destinations faster and more easily. Now let's all have a pleasant journey.

More tales of moving

We passed the house we nearly bought today and the people who (thankfully) pipped us to it were moving in. We're still hoping to be moving in the first week in may but the mortgage advisor we've been seeing thought it best to delay the re-mortgage on the wifes house until things moved on a bit with the new mortgage. The trouble is he seems to have forgotten about it and we are now facing a delay while he sorts out the paperwork which could have been done weeks ago. His theory was that we didn't want to be paying the buy-to-let mortgage before we actually moved but there are surely later stages that we could have held it up if necessary. Listening to the wife talking to him on the phone though is entertaining - he must be the only person who can talk more than the wife can!

We drove past the new house today (as I do everyday, just to make sure it's still standing)! The garden is blooming, it looks like the old lady took really good care of it and all sorts of colourful flowers are flowering already, and it's still only April. The garden is one of the main reasons we are buying this house and will be a priority once we move in. There is a gravel area just right for a veggie plot and a perfect spot for a greenhouse. It will take some preparing but I can't wait to start growing food. My only problem is that it's getting late in the planting season and will be several weeks before the veggie plot is ready. I'm tempted to start planting seeds in the propagator now but am worried that they die before we are able to transplant them (if they start growing at all, I'm not very green fingered, yet).

Don't come too close

I'm back in the spare room again having been struck down by bird flu a virus which quite sensibly the wife doesn't want to catch (although she is looking after me well, supplying endless cups of tea, just not coming any nearer than an arms length away). Have to drag myself back into the land of the living soon - so much to do, so much to blog about - just so little energy to do so.

Gee Up

What better way to spend a wet, cold Saturday afternoon than with a windswept Clare Balding (when Sue Barker isn't taking over) and the racing on the telly, and of course a flutter on the Grand National. My money is on Innox and an each way on Amberleigh House. Amberleigh House may be getting on a bit but he should have no problem getting round. Now to work out how many will fall at the first fence.


UPDATE: Ok, so Innox fell at the first fence and the other was pulled up on the second curcuit. At least the wifes horse finished, just not fast enough to cover our loses!

Shock Horror!

So a swan has been found to have died with bird flu in Scotland. The end of the world is nigh! I was late for work this morning because breakfast news said they had a reporter inside the 'protection zone' at Cellardyke and I wanted to see the mass panic and people dying in the streets. Alas, it looked just like a sleepy seaside town. Then they went to a supermarket in South London where people insisted that they only buy free range organic chicken anyway so there was no risk to their health which cheered me up. Free range organic poultry is probably more at risk because they are kept out in the lovely fresh air where wild birds can come and go as they please, passing on their germs. Having said that how many cases are there of transmission from bird to human through eating chicken? How many cases of human to human transmission have there been? I'll shut up before this story really starts to wind me up.

Staying on a similar subject, the local news last night ran a story about a giant rabbit eating its way through vegetable plots and allotments, and this isn't the first giant rabbit to have made the news recently. Perhaps we should be less worried about bird flu and more worried about starvation giant rabbits take over the country and destroy all crops.

Another girl

I have been banished to the spare room for the last few nights, through no fault of my own. The oldest grandkid has been staying with us as her mum hasn't been well and being the awkward 5 yr old that she has refused to sleep anywhere but with her Nan. Thankfully her mother has made a full recovery and the pair have returned to their own home and their own beds. As much as love the kid the spare bed is small and cold and I can't wait to snuggle up with the wife again. Clean sheets, clean pj's, clean me - roll on bed time!

Baldwins

I can't believe that they are killing Mike Baldwin off so quickly. It's only a few weeks since he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. When it comes to issues like this the script writers should portray it more realistically. Apparently they did the same with Alma, killing her too quickly as well.

(Talking of Alma, it might just be my thing for older women but does any one else think that Amanda Barrie is rather nice? Apart from in the awful wig they had her in in Bad Girls).

Anyway, yes. The point of this post was a could have done better to the Corrie writers!

Girls and Boys

5 yr old GK was staying with us this weekend. Last night she asked for water.

5 yr old: I like water but boys like juice. It’s a boy thing. Boys like juice. Girls like water and juice.
Me: So boys don’t like water?
5 yr old: Do you know the other difference between girls and boys?
Me: No
5 yr old: Girls have a tuppence and boys have a boobie-tuppence.
Me & Wife: What?
5 yr old: Girls have boobies up here and a tuppence down here (pointing) but boys have a boobie-tuppence down here.

God knows who’s been trying to teach her the finer details of anatomy but strangely enough I can see her logic!

Food glorious food

Every so often I forget that no matter how long past lunch time it has got
without eating, no matter how hungry I am, food from the hospital snack shop
will never taste good. Ever. Food is one of lifes pleasures and I always
feel cheated when it's no good. Minted lamb and chargrilled parsnips on
malted bread sounded good at the time but is a mistake I will never make
again. And I could have got half a starter at my favorite restaurant for the
same price.

Nice try

The wife doesn't like to follow the rules and certainly can't be told what
she should be doing. In fact she tends to do the complete opposite. I
pointed out to her last night that the earlier she has to get up in the
morning, the later she goes to bed. I then told her that she really
shouldn't be having sex with me and that a good many people probably think
the same way. It didn't work, she was too tired from the late night and
early morning! You can't blame a girl for trying though.

Time Goes By

What happened to the last few days? It's Wednesday again already. I blame it on the clocks going forward and that lost hour. It's nice not to be woken so early by the sun streaming through the curtains and even nicer to be driving home in the daylight. Last night was chaos on the roads due to the
Big Strike and then some idiot causing an 'incident' on another major route. I sat in my car going nowhere fast but actually quite enjoyed it. The sun was shining and there was some good music on the radio - it was nice to HAVE to sit there and do nothing.

As for the strike itself, I don't see why council workers shouldn't have to work until they're 65. As life expectancy increases so should the retirement age be raised. I was actually quite shocked to hear that 26% of the council tax we pay is used to pay the pensions of former council employees. With all the fuss about rocketing council tax they should wait until 65 to get the full pension!

Packing

I'm practising for moving house by moving labs at work. I like my old lab
but it is being knocked down and rebuilt again. I don't see why they need
to, the place looks like it's well used and god knows what they will find
when they start shifting the dust. My new lab is like a goldfish bowl but it
does have views over the rooftops to the fields beyond. I'm not sure about
my new collegues though - a half million pound piece of equipment and
someone has stolen the extension lead from the computer that goes with it.
Probably the same person who last week was downloading music on it! Hello!
Very expensive equipment for illegal downloading? Excuse me while I go and
polish my machine to get those grubby fingerprints off.

Headaches

Ask any researcher and they are likely to say that funding issues are one of their biggest headaches. We have just found out that one of our applications has been turned down - two of the reviewers liked our work and said the grant should be given but the third claimed that the technology doesn't work and we won't get results. We are already getting results and showed some of the preliminary data in the application. It makes me question his motives. He's probably one of these old guys who doesn't trust the new techniques. There is a nice permanant job advertised just up the road which sounds appealing. If something similar comes up in two years time I might be tempted to sell my soul to the devil and make the jump into industry. Then again, I probably won't. I enjoy the freedom I have to do my own thing.

It's Back!

The womens curling world championships are taking place in Canada at the
moment (the men get their chance next month I believe)! Oh joy at spending
the next few late nights infront of Eurosport. As I said during the
Olympics, it really is a sport best enjoyed late with a few beers, so yay to
time differences!

We're in the money

When I started this job a few months back I was disappointed to find that
the pay was less than I was expecting. Until this week, when I find that the
powers that be that spend their lives jiggling things like payscales around
have given me a payrise. So I am very NOT disappointed to find that actually
I am on more than I was expecting in the first place. AND it is to be
backdated to my start date. Yay! I've been wanting to take the wife to a
lovely restaurant that she has never been to, (where the mussels are
fantastic) but with saving for the house move she hasn't let me. This seems
like the perfect excuse to get out and celebrate! Double Yay!

Rug Rats

My life seems to have been taken over by small children. From being sprayed
with baby sick by the youngest to being left alone with full responsibility
for a 2 yr old and a 3 yr old, both overly-hyper and hell bent on wrecking
the place. Biscuits and childrens TV helped to keep them in the same room
(damage limitation) and they eventually tired themselves out so that when
the wife returned it was calm and peaceful. "Aren't they little angels" were
her exact words, I'll not repeat mine! She's a typical doting granny - none
of the kids can do much wrong in here eyes and I know I've said it before
but they are one of the advantages of being with an older woman. She's also
adamant that I have to have my own kid(s) one day. She's old enough to be my
own mother but I can't think of any one I'd rather have to be the 'other
mother' to my/our kids. That's not to say that we have any immediate plans
for reproducing, I'll keep practicing on other peoples offspring for a while
yet!

Travel plans

I've had enough of work for one week. I have acheived next to nothing because someone somewhere, and I don't know who or how, has messed up and I can't do anything in the lab until it's sorted. I really want to start getting some results because there is a conference in California at the end of the year that sounds quite nice (both the subject of the conference and the location). On the subject of conferences, one of the major ones in my particular field is held every two years which meant that a couple of years ago I was sent on a jolly across the Pond to the 'City of Brotherly Love'. This year it's being held in Spain which means that in another two years it will be back on the other side of the Atlantic again. It's not that I have anything against Europe but when I'm not paying for the trip it's nice to get as far as possible. So if I get my preliminary results ready for California I then have another 2 years to get a full set of results to take to the big gig. Now there's just the small matter of finding funding for these plans. Oh and getting the results. Well a girl's gotta have some dreams!


UPDATE: After pondering this post (it's been a slow afternoon) I have decided that actually I'm not much fussed about going to conferences for the following reasons;

1. they're not really about 'seeing the world' but about working
2. I don't really like 'networking' and can never remember peoples names (especially important people)
3. I make page after page of notes on all the interesting talks but then can never read my handwriting making me sitting in a darkened room for hours on end scribbling away a pointless exercise
4. It gets lonely, especially having a big bed all to yourself
5. I have to leave the wife at home (see 4.)
6. I don't have enough hands for carrying a suitcase, a laptop, a poster, a bag with all the junk I need for a flight and all the junk collected from the conference in (and that's me travelling light)
7. I don't do jet-lag very well - I need a week to recover
8. I don't like very hot/very cold weather (I always end up with one extreme)
9. I never get a window seat when I ask for one
10. US Immigration people scare me (the Dutch however I found to be overly friendly)
11. I like my home comforts (see 5).

I'll just read the abstracts when they're published instead.

Random

Okay, so contrary to its title, the last post had nothing to do with the
Ides of March. The 15th of March merely reminds me of studying Julius Caesar
in GCSE English many moons ago and I sometimes struggle to come up with
catchy titles that are going to grab the attention of anyone stopping by.
That was the first thing that came into my head, it was early!

Still on the subject of the last post, no need for curling in the
commonwealth games, they have bowls! (of the crown green type, typically
played by older people in the park on sunny afternoons - although I did get
into playing it myself one summer and do occasionally suggest to the wife
that we take it up. We could do with taking up a sport to get fit and it
seems like nice, gentle exercise). It's a relief, I thought I was going to
have to turn to synchronised swimming to provide my entertainment.

Changing the subject, the surveyors report has come back on the new house
and I'm pleased to say it's not falling down although the roof may need
replacing at some point in the future. We paid nearly 500 quid to have a
bloke tell us the roof may need replacing in the future! Now I'm no
structural engineer but don't most roofs need replacing eventually? Now we
need to delay the survey on the wifes house as the ceiling we had
re-plastered last summer looks like it's about to fall down - we have learnt
our lesson that re-plastering may make the rooms look pretty but it ain't
worth the mess. There is something to be said for the much maligned
anaglypta!