Smiles

I'm ill. I'm lying in bed, dozing and listening to the wife entertain two of the grandkids (the 4 and the 3 year old). She's wonderful, listening to her making them laugh it is making me smile. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

Filth

The tenants have moved out of the other place. They were two guys, both just split from their wives and having seen the state the place was left in, I can see why they are now single! They claimed to have cleaned the place but it took me 3 - yes, three - hours to clean the bathroom. How it could get in that state in 6 months is beyond me, I've never seen so much slime in my life. I would post pictures but I wouldn't want to put anyone of their breakfast/lunch/dinner. Fortunately they had cats so I just kept telling myself that it was the cat hairs that got everywhere. And I'm blaming them for the smell on the bathroom floor!

Mark 2

Previously on Contentedly Discontent:
The original greenhouse survived the summer but as the year came to a close it fell victim to the weather.

The latest (and ideally last) installment:

So last weekend Greenhouse Mark 2 was constructed. Complete with three bags of B&Q's finest quick set cement, every single nut, bolt and clip included in the box as well as a few salvaged from Mk 1. Of course this weekend was blowing a gale resulting in one sleepless night. But, apart from an emergency replacement of a few clips whilst still in pyjamas on Sunday morning, it seems to have withstood the weather this time.

While I was constructing, the wife was harvesting stuff planted in the autumn (in pots rather than the greenhouse for obvious reasons)


The first carrot - I think that the shape makes it obvious that this is an organic carrot (the suits in Europe wouldn't approve of). It was delicious. I didn't manage to snap the first leek before it went into tonights dinner.


Throughout construction, I was being watched by two cuties - the wife won't let me post her picture here but Freddie didn't object:

Do I look Stupid?

I'm looking for a new car. Having sat inside a few there is one model that I'm keen on and so let the sales guy take me into the showroom to talk numbers. All I wanted to know was how much money I need to find. Having got out of me that I prefer the 3 door over the 5 door version (they just look funkier and the back seats don't get much action anyway), and that silver (or blue) would be my fave colour he went away to tap on a computer then came back and said he had found the ONLY car matching that description and that because it's the only one and they were going to do me a great deal I should hand over the deposit straight away. Oh and after taking a measly sum off for part-ex it was only just a few hundred over my budget. I umm'd and ahh'd a bit and sensing he was loosing he was replaced by the sales manager followed by the finance manager all telling my I was mad for not taking it. They even managed to convince The Wife - and it's a bloody good salesman who can do that! I eventually left, to much shaking of heads - it was the ONLY 3 door, silver Focus in the country and I was walking away.

Imagine my surprise then when I checked the dealers website and found page after page of 3 door, silver Foci! Imaging my greater surpise on seeing the very one that they had been trying to sell me was £1000 cheaper on the website than the 'fantastic' deal they had been offering.

Only one at a rock bottom price indeed. Pah! They have my number, now I'm just hoping that they call me.