Too busy to blog

The here and now

Well today it’s Tuesday and I can’t quite believe it’s been 5 days since I uploaded a post, so unlike me.  I can only apologise and my excuse is that I have been so busy that there just hasn’t been time to blog.  To be truefull, that’s not the only explanation, my laptop is playing up which makes me want to throw the f***ing thing out the window and I just haven’t been in the right frame of mind to write.  This doesn’t happen very often and you have to remember that I get a lot of flack from Phil for being boring and repetitive and sometimes negative feedback makes you not want to bother.  Last week though, I uploaded my 2011 blog into blog-to-print and it arrived today all the way from the USA and when I feel it and smell the smell of new print and flick through the pages, it brings back memories from last year and I am glad I made the effort.

I don’t normally leave this long to detail my day-to-day movements so I’m going to make it brief.  So here’s how it has been, day by day.

Friday

Sue kindly volunteered to come and paint the OB flat and do the gloss.  She knows how much I hate it and what a mess I make of it, and so yes, I kindly said to her yes please.  But before that, I’d booked us a pedicure at Bletchley College so we went there first for a 9.30am appointment.  Sue knows that I am not a princess and that I like a bargain and I did warn her in advance, that it would either be an Odeon cold experience or that she would return.  Thankfully it was the latter, our pedicure only cost 7 quid and was quite okay, nice to be pampered for a change;  the downside is that we had both worn socks and boots and by the time we got to the OB flat and got changed into our dirties, then our toes were smudged.  Never mind, the pampering while it lasted, was good and we will definitely go again.  Sue & I pretty much worked all day on Friday, only stopping for a sandwich and a cup of tea, which we had in the back garden with sunshine beaming down on our weary backs.  It was lovely to be sitting outside.  We made good progress and worked until around half four.  Once back home, we had showers and together we cooked soba noodles and teriyaki salmon, a sort of a take on a Wagamama receipe.  Phil didn’t like the salmon but me and Sue did, the whole wheat noodles weren’t great but it was nice to cook end to the day and of course the evening involved wine.

Saturday

Phil and I went to the flat in 2 separate cars. We painted, we did jobs and I got up the high ladders and found the courage to paint the landing.  It was scary at first but once I was up, and down a few times, it was okay, I got the job done. Lunch was a light bite at the Carpenters in Oldbrook.  The pub still is frequented by swearing low-life's, but you know what, it’s had a refurbishment and the food, for pub grub was surprisingly good.  We did a bit after lunch in the flat, then Phil went home and I did a 5k run in the gym.  It was good to be there but it was hard work.    I just got home in time to get changed, slap some make-up on and then we all piled in the car to pick up Steve and Jan.  Jan had kindly invited us to a comedy night with discounted tickets through the OU club.  We drove to the Ship Ashore for a bite to eat and then it was back to Sue’s for a drink and then a taxi ride to  the Cruck Barn at  Bradwell.  I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Jan said to expect the worse but actually it was a really good night.  It made a change to do something different and I think, as I write this, that a good night was had by all.

  

Sunday

Phil set off to Melton Mowbray to see his mum and dad, picking up G on the way, but first he stopped by the OB flat to fill in some plaster in the straw wall. In the meantime, I drove to the station and me and Sue caught the 8.56 train to Birmingham.  In view of our late night, I thought we did well to get the early train.  We had Midlands tickets because they were cheaper than Virgin and it took an hour and half to get there.  Sue had never been to the Bull Ring Centre and I wanted to show her the shopping and especially the bars along the canal.  The Bull Ring was a little disappointing, I think we are spoilt for shopping here in MK; I wished we had of spent more time in the high street, but it was fine, we went, we saw and we shopped and more importantly, I managed to navigate us to the canal on foot where we had a lovely roast lamb dinner.   It was a lovely chilled out day, we caught the train and were home by 6pm.  Not very much action for Sunday evening, a couple of recordings of ‘An Idiot Abroad’ and then sleepy girls and boys headed to bed.

Monday

To be honest Monday seems a rather distant memory.  blog about 5 days of adventures.  Phil & I went to work in the flat, Sue went to see a care home with her dad and then she piped up at the OB flat to finish the glossing. This was great but unfortunately a case of bad timing, because we were in The Cricketers (the pub in Oldbrook) ordering food. How does that work, when you open the flat up to a friend to gloss your doors and you are actually sitting in a pub stuffing your face?  Well the truth is that it doesn’t; I gobbled my small plate down and then it was straight round to paint.  Late morning, we’d picked up a hired Rug Doctor from B&Q and Phil cleaned the carpets in the flat.  They were absolutely disgusting. After gloss painting, Sue left, shortly followed by Phil and I wasn’t long afterwards.  I did lemon grass noodles for dinner and it was another fairly early night.

Tuesday

We brought the Rug Doctor home and Phil cleaned the hall, stairs and landing at number 2.  The water was fairly dirty and so it was a job well worth doing.  When we’d done, Phil & me went to the flat to work.  It wasn’t that strenuous and we finished midday with lunch at the carvery at Shenley.  It was Phil’s idea and whilst I enjoyed it, it was hard getting back to work with a full stomach.  But, back to work it was; we went to Harriet’s flat to get stuff from the loft then it was off to Westcroft to buy stuff from Pound Stretcher, then off to the storage unit to meet Jon the ‘man with the van’.  I was slightly stressed to see the storage unit, it was choc-a-block with stuff and we had to move a fair amount of stuff to get what we had come to collect.  But collect we did, we dropped off at the flat, Phil did a hurry exit and I made up the beds and titivated.   The flat is looking tons better, its almost finished but it does need a few finishing touches. You’d think we have all the time in the world, we gave got the agent coming round to view on Thursday and tomorrow we are in Melton Mowbray.  But we are under pressure.   I’ll cut to the quick; Aunt Daphne is out of hospital and is at home with no care package, Phil’s mum and dad are feeling better but they are still not great and dad is still not driving.  But the real problem is, is that Phil has booked us a holiday.  We fly to Tenerife on Saturday for 10 whole days.  I am grateful and I know I could do with some vitamin D, but I feel stressed with the pressure of all the things still to do.   It’s our wedding anniversary on Monday and I do so want to celebrate with my boy under blue skies.  The 'to do' list is endless but I am sure I will get to the end of it before Saturday.  It may take me a  bit longer than everyone else but I do always get there in the end.  Tenerife, here we come!