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roundup of weekend

Along with negotiation on where to place all his stuff, we’re also in discussion about holidays…. The current plan is to fly to Bangkok end of October, with 2 weeks split 3 ways between Bangkok, a beach in the south and a visit to Angkor Watt in Cambodia. There’s so much to do and so little time, that we’ve had to cut out some options that we’d both over to try, but otherwise we’d end up spending the whole time travelling and no time having fun and relaxing. I’d also like to go to the River Kwai and Phnom Penh but I can’t see us managing it all in one go.

I’ve been looking into the beach part and, having started by being delighted at the good quality hotels you can get for tiny process, have now raised my expectations to such a point that nothing short of absolute luxury will do! Methinks I may have to temper my ambitions somewhat and accept that my life will still be complete without the existence of an infinity pool and a bar in the middle of the swimming pool…..

Anyway, any tips from those who have trod these shores before us would be very welcome.

Back to the real world, well work is quiet due to holidays so time is dragging. Unfortunately I don’t have any spare days to take otherwise I would join em. We had a fab weekend over the bank holiday, which started with popping into the Greenbelt Festival on the Friday evening. Now the last time I was at Greenbelt, I think, was when I was 17 which (depressingly) is nearly half my life ago. Things have changed, not least that it’s now in Cheltenham not Northampton, and it all seems to have gone a bit middle class. I guess the organisers themselves have grown up, along with myself, and their desire to sleep in a comfy bed at night has led them to hold the festival somewhere closer to more sturdy accommodation than a flimsy tent. Although I do recall that my tent (along with another Lichfield) was the only one out of about 10 remaining standing one year in a large gale…..

I suppose that the onset of festivals such as V and T in the Park have changed the profile of Greenbelt. When I was 15 it was the only possible chance of getting to a festival that your mum and dad wouldn’t loose sleep over, as Glastonbury was the only real alternative and that was never going to be an option! I fondly remember it consisting mainly of groups of teenage friends with the occasional adult to keep a (poor) eye on us. This time it seemed much more an adult event, with younger kids, and less of the teenage bracket. Then again, maybe I was just viewing it from a different angle, or I no longer have an innate need to identify cute 15 year old boys so was less responsive to my surroundings…. Either way the atmosphere certainly felt different. But not necessarily in a bad way. Things have to evolve to survive and I guess it’s true in this case. That said I feel very privileged to have experienced the Greenbelt of old – I have some really fond memories. And it wasn’t all change – good old Martyn Joseph was still there, fantastic as ever. Just a shame I missed Cara Dillon who I’d really been looking forward to, and that Maria McKee sang such depressingly dull songs.


So, onto Saturday. Having gone for a quick run, and had a lovely massage to treat myself after having (finally) been paid in my new job, Paul and I drove up (well actually he drove, I slept) to his parents and then onto Coleshill. Paul’s brother is in a brass band and were performing an open air “last night fo the proms" style concert, with flags, fireworks, picnic and everything1 we were wrapped up warm and expecting the worst in terms of the weather but were really lucky and it only rained on us for about 2 minutes. The music was excellent, and we really had a fantastic evening. They had clearly worked really hard and all the effort was well worth it, hopefully they raised a decent amount too…

So onto Sunday morning and Paul and I left his parent’s and drove north (well actually he drove, I slept – sensing a pattern here…?!?), via Ikea car park to pick up Sarah.

We arrived at the cottage in Wales just after lunch and were rewarded with fantastic weather all afternoon. The cottage was owned but my great aunt (or as close as) and is now being renovated by my cousins/wife/uncle and they are doing a brilliant job. The view from their garden is breathtaking and the whole family basically sat around drinking, eating, gossiping and relaxing until well in the evening. There was also some den-making activity, engineering discussion about water systems and drainage, men doing BBQ’s etc etc. Lynda and Mike did a great job on the food and what looked like enough meat to feed the 5000 was pretty much scoffed away. So much for the progress on the diet.

At this point I have to mention my Auntie Ros who avidly reads my blog to live vicariously. Luckily her and Mike didn’t tease me or dad about Paul moving in within each others earshot so I was spared any awkwardness. Cheers guys. She did let me down however, by not discussing liberty bodices or being abandoned outside the Vimto bar by my dad and uncle. I had promised Paul that these delights would be forthcoming. Oh well there’s always Christmas….

Those brave ones among us camped overnight and spent time on Monday morning at the local village show admiring the dogs in the dog show and trying their hand at circus skills (not so good on Paul and Laura’s part as a large Diablo ended up giving Laura a big bump on the head….ouch). sadly we didn’t stick around for the “potato in a bucket” or “best straw bale” judging competition but headed off to Ironbridge for lunch. There we stopped for a pastie, watched the hoardes of tourists (it’s a bit like Matlock Bath for the brummies) and then drove home (well actually Paul drove….. yeah yeah you know the rest)


Arrived back wishing we’d taken more time off and explored more of the surrounding area. Started to discuss next holiday. Tried to unpack but boxes already everywhere…. And I think this is where I came in…….

And so the boy starts to bring over his boxes of “stuff”. We’ve reviewed the CD’s. generally there’s a healthy balance, but he has to remove Madonna and Robbie, and I have to lose the BeeGees and Lionel Richie. Not a great hardship on either side really as the crossover (intersection?) of our CD choice venn diagram is pretty large. Oo get me with my mathematical terms….
So, back to the moving in. well the Ikea trips were semi-successful and we have shelving for the many books but no desk, although to be fair we have 2 desks between us anyway, we just don’t like either of them – but 3 desks may end up being a little excessive. My parent’s garage is a dumping ground for all things car-boot-sale-bound. This is planned for the weekend after next, Paul’s not a big fan of them as it involves getting up early on a weekend PLUS, the baring of your soul (and worldly goods)l to random strangers. It’s a fair point, that thing you thought worth buying 5 years ago which is now just an embarrassment when laid out on a pasting table set up in a random field.

The canoe dilemma still exists. Even if I could get in the door for the shed I doubt it is long/tall enough. I’m not a fan of the suggestion that we suspend it from the ceiling in a display of post-modern/ironic art. Looks like we’ll be sticking it in the corner of the garden then,

So slowly but surely we edge towards D Day, which is the middle of next week. But before that we have the delights of a brass band in Sutton Colefield, and a bbq in north wales with the Haigh clan. Rock on.

nowt to say

that kind of sums it up. do be do be do

turnip-tastic!

well I have been influenced by my wholesome organic friends (only in the sense of fruit and vedge not in their full lifestyle choices) and gone and opted for an organic vedge box delivery. OOoh it was so exciting arriving home with a box waiting for me expectantly on the lawn – made a change for 2 cats looking hungry anyway. So I then spent a few minutes delving into an old Delia book to find out how to cook chard (she was useless, thank god for the internet) and also found a recipe for soup which involves turnips. Paul thinks he’s in for a romantic evening with a bottle of wine and a DVD…. But oh no, he’ll be peeling turnips and chopping onions for his pleasure. Ha ha!

So another day another dollar. Whilst the legions were having an apparently fabulous time in Sweden, swimming in lakes, playing at overnight island bivouac trips in a Famous Five style, I was stuck in Gloucester trying to get to grips with the new job (which I haven’t yet done but hey ho… I’m still new). Also trying to get to grips with the new diet. Grrr. Back to the low alcohol intake, saying no to banoffee pie and eating lots of fruit  But it does seem to be having a slow but steady effect and hopefully this one will be a bit more sustainable than the last time.
I’m gagging for a holiday but our plans of couple of weeks somewhere in Asia are constrained by the monsoon season and so it looks like we may not get that time away until October. In which case I shall have to beg for some unpaid time off just to keep me sane, as I really could do with a bit of time to myself whilst it’s quiet for me at work (i.e. really busy for everyone else so they haven’t got time to spend with me!) – I just know things will hot up soon and so I should try and get the time while I can!

Tina left last week, after having camped out at mine for a month, although we hardly ever saw each other as she worked the evenings and would come home about half ten for a quick chat and a cuppa before I went to bed.

We’ve got into a bit of a habit of a weekly pub quiz on a Monday night, with our combined brain power wowing the other contestants and impressing the quizmaster…. Actually that’s a complete lie, we’ve managed the grand heights of achievement of coming 8th last week – and we were chuffed! Last nights was frustrating as we only really master the celebrity gossip-related ones, and fell short on the knowledge of female/male names for various animals (who needs to know a female ferret is called a Jill for goodness sake).

So there goes the highlights of my life.

sorted

sorting sorting sorting. life is full of sorting. well more like reminiscing. i sorted my photos into some kind of order, I arranged my "important paperwork" into some kind of logical fashion, I removed things I really don't NEED although it's not always about needing things is it.

So slowly but surely a little bit of space is being made. but certainly not enough for a canoe.....

sorted

sorting sorting sorting. life is full of sorting. well more like reminiscing. i sorted my photos into some kind of order, I arranged my "important paperwork" into some kind of logical fashion, I removed things I really don't NEED although it's not always about needing things is it.

So slowly but surely a little bit of space is being made. but certainly not enough for a canoe.....

wishlists...

I was checking out Amazon wish lists (for want of anything better to do whilst the boy canoes)and was somewhat concerned by a namesake's choice of desires - well (singular)desire to be precise. one thing on the list - the Lizzie McGuire Movie. and she makes it clear that she's a MRS so she can't exactly be a young'un. Anyway, i want to make it clear that my list is the OTHER one, the one that says I have red hair and not the one from Wakefield (although to be fair I once wa from Wakefield, and my hair was much redder then too... ooh the mid boggles). that said my choices aren't exactly hip, happening and down with the kids but hey, it could more shameful...

ANYWAY. the other disturbing thing about the wish list is that in seaching for my beloved's wish list, I found it. not difficult really desipte his common name he helpfully had put in his location, and anyway, given his taste is similar to mine I coudl haev probably worked it out... apart from THIS, which was a little disturbing to say the least. he claims it was a possible christmas present for me... I'm not so sure. So very wrong.