A bit of a nothing kind of day, i woke at about nine, came down, did the usual then cleaned around in the kitchen and living room. I went in to Hesdin for a look at the bank and then headed back home. Had chicken burgers for lunch with a nice salad then messed about online a little longer. I took the dogs out for a walk for about thirty mins and then settled down in front of the tv, nothing much on so i went online again.
At about six i made a pork stir fry with a Thia sauce and some low fat noodles, which i did enjoy, then settled down to watch Total Wipeout and Harry Hill, followed by the Rise of the Silver Surfer, so the tv was ok. I went up to bed at eleven and spoke to ant for a bit on skype, he has been unwell and had to have the doctor out, there was little i could do for him here but when he gets home i will dole out some of my renouned sympathy and care! I read till about one and then went to sleep. I will need to try and get myself to do something on sunday, go out and find something on.
Sunday 28 February 2010
Saturday 27 February 2010
Friday 26th Feb
Up at nine, had a coffee and watch the news for a while then went up and showered and shaved and sorted out an outfit for the day. I left the house about ten thirty and headed to the decheterie, the dump, but it was shut so i had to carry on to David's with the old bumper still in the back of the car. I sat with a coffee and chatted to David for a while, Mark returned from his daily trip to the supermarket and i chatted to him for a bit. I left the bumper at David's and headed in to Hesdin, took the car to the controle technique place, vehicle roadworthy testing, and he told me to come back after three.
I went in to Hesdin and checked the bank, then bought a little cadeaux, present, for Marion, walked up to Carrefore and bought a bottle of diet coke then walked over the Marion's, i got there about twelve thirty. Marion and i chatted on for a little, she was very pleased with the cadeaux, before Rodger and Sue arrived, they have just been on a ten week holiday near Valencia and so were full of stories. Roger and Sue breed Bichon Frise and have recently sent one to Australia so i pumped them for info, Sue said she had used an agent to get the dog through all the paperwork and the tests and she would pass on the details so that would take the pressure off us, apparently we could drop the dogs off with her and she would take them right up to putting them on the plane, this would be great.
I left Marion's at three thirty after a very nice lunch and walked back down to the controle technique place, to my great relief the car had passed and didn't need any work, so that's out of the way for another two years. I stopped back in on David on the way home, to pick up the bumper, i had a coffee with them, David is thinking of buying a laptop and they wanted some info, i advised him not to go for an expensive one as he will never use all the bits on it any way. David had decided he could make use of the bumper for something so i left it there and headed home. I chatted to ant for a little when i got back and then tried to decide what to do with myself, i didn't really fancy trampetting as i was a bit stuffed from the lunch, so i went upstairs and dragged out the videos and had a look through to find something to watch.
I settled down to a video about Les Dawson, who wasn't as funny as i had remembered, then made dinner, stuffed tomatoes and salad again, still it was enjoyable. I watched a Frankie Howerd video then skyped ant. I sat on the sofa with the web cam pointing towards the sofa for about an hour whilst we chatted and he got ready to go out with the crew for something to eat, it was nice, like having him in the room in a way. He got ready and left me to a Victoria Wood video, she really is a very funny woman, given the choice of her or are you being I would be hard pressed to make the decision. I went up to bed by eleven and sat and read for an hour before heading off to sleep, a nice packed day.
I went in to Hesdin and checked the bank, then bought a little cadeaux, present, for Marion, walked up to Carrefore and bought a bottle of diet coke then walked over the Marion's, i got there about twelve thirty. Marion and i chatted on for a little, she was very pleased with the cadeaux, before Rodger and Sue arrived, they have just been on a ten week holiday near Valencia and so were full of stories. Roger and Sue breed Bichon Frise and have recently sent one to Australia so i pumped them for info, Sue said she had used an agent to get the dog through all the paperwork and the tests and she would pass on the details so that would take the pressure off us, apparently we could drop the dogs off with her and she would take them right up to putting them on the plane, this would be great.
I left Marion's at three thirty after a very nice lunch and walked back down to the controle technique place, to my great relief the car had passed and didn't need any work, so that's out of the way for another two years. I stopped back in on David on the way home, to pick up the bumper, i had a coffee with them, David is thinking of buying a laptop and they wanted some info, i advised him not to go for an expensive one as he will never use all the bits on it any way. David had decided he could make use of the bumper for something so i left it there and headed home. I chatted to ant for a little when i got back and then tried to decide what to do with myself, i didn't really fancy trampetting as i was a bit stuffed from the lunch, so i went upstairs and dragged out the videos and had a look through to find something to watch.
I settled down to a video about Les Dawson, who wasn't as funny as i had remembered, then made dinner, stuffed tomatoes and salad again, still it was enjoyable. I watched a Frankie Howerd video then skyped ant. I sat on the sofa with the web cam pointing towards the sofa for about an hour whilst we chatted and he got ready to go out with the crew for something to eat, it was nice, like having him in the room in a way. He got ready and left me to a Victoria Wood video, she really is a very funny woman, given the choice of her or are you being I would be hard pressed to make the decision. I went up to bed by eleven and sat and read for an hour before heading off to sleep, a nice packed day.
Friday 26 February 2010
Thursday 25th Feb
I woke about nine thirty and came down, put the dogs out, had coffee and went online for a short while before getting the bumper out of the back of the car and getting it ready for painting, i then sprayed it several times with fifteen minute drying periods in between, as per the instructions on the tin. During these breaks i wasted time online, and spoke to ant on skype, he had just arrived in his hotel and looked very tired. In the end the bumper did not look great but it looked better than the old one, there were a couple of dribbles on it but once it is dirty you will never know. I had a bit of lunch, tuna salad again, and then got ready to go up to Tony's.
The way up to Tony's it was raining again, typical, i arrived and we set to working on the car, the old bumper came off with a bit of a shove and then we put the new one on, it took about an hour altogether, then i had a cup of tea with Tony before heading home.
When i got back i looked at the tv, there was nothing i wanted to watch so i got the trampette out and had half an hour on that, bouncing like mad to the sounds of Stepps, before sorting out my dinner, chicken breast with roasted veg, it was quite good, if a little underdone. I still had the headphones on whilst i was doing the prep and had a good dance around the kitchen, it is a good job we are not overlooked. The girls and i settled down to a night in front of the tv, had a bit of a struggle to find something worth watching at one point, but enjoyed the ongoing saga, Shogun, then a docu on the Treasury, i put the dogs out for their evening constitutional and went online to catch ant, we chatted for a little then i went up for a read. I read for about an hour before heading off to sleep, dreaming of that big win on the euro millions!
The way up to Tony's it was raining again, typical, i arrived and we set to working on the car, the old bumper came off with a bit of a shove and then we put the new one on, it took about an hour altogether, then i had a cup of tea with Tony before heading home.
When i got back i looked at the tv, there was nothing i wanted to watch so i got the trampette out and had half an hour on that, bouncing like mad to the sounds of Stepps, before sorting out my dinner, chicken breast with roasted veg, it was quite good, if a little underdone. I still had the headphones on whilst i was doing the prep and had a good dance around the kitchen, it is a good job we are not overlooked. The girls and i settled down to a night in front of the tv, had a bit of a struggle to find something worth watching at one point, but enjoyed the ongoing saga, Shogun, then a docu on the Treasury, i put the dogs out for their evening constitutional and went online to catch ant, we chatted for a little then i went up for a read. I read for about an hour before heading off to sleep, dreaming of that big win on the euro millions!
Thursday 25 February 2010
Wed 24th Feb
Ant got up at seven and started on doing his bits ready for the off, I followed suit soon after and came down for coffee and watched the news, I forgot to mention that we had a hair cutting session on Tuesday so we both look like escaped crims. We set off just after nine to pick up Tony on the way to Calais, then headed up, the day was quite nice and roads quiet, when we got to the Eurotunnel ant got himself a nice sandwich, whilst Tony and i looked on in hunger.
The crossing was quick as usual and we were on the English roads before eleven, i made a stop at Ashford, we all had something to eat in McDonalds, a quick stop at pc world for Tony and then filled up the car at Tesco. Ant had a bit of a snooze in the back of the car on the way to Heathrow and woke with about fifteen mins before we arrived, we dropped him off and set off towards Romford, back on the M25, this took us about an hour.
We found the parts place and picked up the bumper with no hassle, i had already paid for it and it fitted in the back easily, back on the road. We made another short stop at Lakeside retail estate, an enormous shopping place, we found a Halfords to get some paint for the bumper and looked for some rivets but they didn't have any. We had high tea in Burger King before heading off again, over the Queen Elizabeth bridge and on to the M20, this is the first time i have ever driven all the way round the M25 and it was not too bad due to the time of day. On the way down towards Ashford Tony suddenly remembered he had some letters which had to go to the post office so we made an extra stop at a village called Snodland and found a post office.
We finally got back to Ashford just after four, we called in at Tesco where i bought several bits and filled the car up again before heading down to the channel tunnel. We arrived in plenty of time before our booked crossing and i nipped in to the shop to replace the bottle of Morgans Spiced ant and i had polished off the night before, and a bottle of Malibu, how long is it since i have had a Malibu and coke, all we need now is a bottle of Midori and some Dubbonett and my teenage drinking cabinet will be complete. When we got to France it was absolutely throwing it down making the drive back a little hairy but we got back, i dropped Tony off and arranged to go up the next day to fit the bumper after i have painted it.
When i got home the dogs were ecstatic, poor things had been left all day but they still hadn't made a mess so i was very pleased with them, I made some scrambled eggs with bacon for my dinner then settled down in front of the tv and relaxed, i had planned to start the paint spraying but couldn't be moved. I eventually went up to bed with one of the new books i had bought at Tesco, Martyr, it is very similar to the Sansom books i quite enjoyed, so i enjoyed an hour of that before going to sleep, i had the dogs at the bottom of the bed as a bit of a treat for being so good.
The crossing was quick as usual and we were on the English roads before eleven, i made a stop at Ashford, we all had something to eat in McDonalds, a quick stop at pc world for Tony and then filled up the car at Tesco. Ant had a bit of a snooze in the back of the car on the way to Heathrow and woke with about fifteen mins before we arrived, we dropped him off and set off towards Romford, back on the M25, this took us about an hour.
We found the parts place and picked up the bumper with no hassle, i had already paid for it and it fitted in the back easily, back on the road. We made another short stop at Lakeside retail estate, an enormous shopping place, we found a Halfords to get some paint for the bumper and looked for some rivets but they didn't have any. We had high tea in Burger King before heading off again, over the Queen Elizabeth bridge and on to the M20, this is the first time i have ever driven all the way round the M25 and it was not too bad due to the time of day. On the way down towards Ashford Tony suddenly remembered he had some letters which had to go to the post office so we made an extra stop at a village called Snodland and found a post office.
We finally got back to Ashford just after four, we called in at Tesco where i bought several bits and filled the car up again before heading down to the channel tunnel. We arrived in plenty of time before our booked crossing and i nipped in to the shop to replace the bottle of Morgans Spiced ant and i had polished off the night before, and a bottle of Malibu, how long is it since i have had a Malibu and coke, all we need now is a bottle of Midori and some Dubbonett and my teenage drinking cabinet will be complete. When we got to France it was absolutely throwing it down making the drive back a little hairy but we got back, i dropped Tony off and arranged to go up the next day to fit the bumper after i have painted it.
When i got home the dogs were ecstatic, poor things had been left all day but they still hadn't made a mess so i was very pleased with them, I made some scrambled eggs with bacon for my dinner then settled down in front of the tv and relaxed, i had planned to start the paint spraying but couldn't be moved. I eventually went up to bed with one of the new books i had bought at Tesco, Martyr, it is very similar to the Sansom books i quite enjoyed, so i enjoyed an hour of that before going to sleep, i had the dogs at the bottom of the bed as a bit of a treat for being so good.
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Tuesday 23rd Feb
Ant was up nice and early to catch the meter reader, i had a bit of a lie in and got up at nine thirty, i did the usual, the meter reader turned up at about ten, i went online and put the figure in and found we are due a nice big refund. We phoned Maggie, ant had left his work jacket at their place on Saturday, and arranged to drop in, and i bought the bumper for the car on the internet.
We headed in to Hesdin and sat in the office chatting with Maggie and Rosie for about half an hour, picked up the jacket and headed home. I phoned Tony to say i had bought the bumper and had arranged to have it delivered to Mary's but there was a problem with this so i went back online and organized to pick up the bumper on wed, dropping ant off at heathrow on the way. We took the dogs out for a walk then ant went upstairs for a nap, i spent a bit of time online then got the trampette out and had a half hour session on that. I put together a meat loaf for dinner then ant came down and we watched Billy Elliot on video, which was very enjoyable.
We had dinner, which was good, meat loaf with qinoa with Mediterranean veg, then watched a bit of tv, ant decided he fancied a drink so we let ourselves loose on the bacardi spiced and diet coke, we had a real good night and ended up going to bed after twelve, perhaps not such a good move with a long drive tomorrow.
We headed in to Hesdin and sat in the office chatting with Maggie and Rosie for about half an hour, picked up the jacket and headed home. I phoned Tony to say i had bought the bumper and had arranged to have it delivered to Mary's but there was a problem with this so i went back online and organized to pick up the bumper on wed, dropping ant off at heathrow on the way. We took the dogs out for a walk then ant went upstairs for a nap, i spent a bit of time online then got the trampette out and had a half hour session on that. I put together a meat loaf for dinner then ant came down and we watched Billy Elliot on video, which was very enjoyable.
We had dinner, which was good, meat loaf with qinoa with Mediterranean veg, then watched a bit of tv, ant decided he fancied a drink so we let ourselves loose on the bacardi spiced and diet coke, we had a real good night and ended up going to bed after twelve, perhaps not such a good move with a long drive tomorrow.
Mon 22nd Feb
I came down with ant and we sat with a coffee and chatted for a little while then i went online, had a quote for a new bumper so will need to act on this. The weather was unpleasant and we had decided we would go out to the coast for the day so this put the mockers on it a little. I had a little chat with Tony and he reminded me of the scrap yard at Merlimont so i decided we would drive there and have a look. We set off before lunch, stopped in Hesdin to check the bank and refuel, then headed to the coast, we arrived too early, lunch time, so we headed off in search of McDonalds for lunch, where i had a chicken ceasar salad which was not too bad, ant tucked in to a couple of burgers and chips, greedy b! When we returned to the scrap yard it was open but he did not have any Fiesta bumpers, typical!! he had a fair selection of very nice cars which i would not have minded looking through but it was raining and ant wasn't for getting his do wet so we set off again. We stopped at a huge supermarket to get a couple of bits and pieces, a new set of light bulbs for the car to start. I threw my dummy out of the pram over a nintendo wii but it all settled down and we headed back to Hesdin where we had a bit of a look in Lydl and Aldi and Gifi, where we bought a new door mat, head phones, electric skipping rope, and a water filter.
When we got back we put all the bits together, i had a go on the skipping rope but it was not too good so i got the trampette out and did twenty mins on that instead. We had a bit of a lull in the late afternoon when ant went for a nap, i found a good dieting website, free which you can use to chart your progress and plan meals and exercise, www.projectweightloss.com, so i fiddled on with that for a bit, i thought it was quite good. I made dinner for ant and i, steak and salad, which was better than last week as the steak was a little better. We watched tv after dinner, nothing much, glee then shogun, then went up to bed.
When we got back we put all the bits together, i had a go on the skipping rope but it was not too good so i got the trampette out and did twenty mins on that instead. We had a bit of a lull in the late afternoon when ant went for a nap, i found a good dieting website, free which you can use to chart your progress and plan meals and exercise, www.projectweightloss.com, so i fiddled on with that for a bit, i thought it was quite good. I made dinner for ant and i, steak and salad, which was better than last week as the steak was a little better. We watched tv after dinner, nothing much, glee then shogun, then went up to bed.
Monday 22 February 2010
Sunday 21st Feb
I got up just before ten and came down stairs leaving ant asleep, trundled about for a bit then went online with the usual coffee and flakes, i did the cafe and the blog and then had a look on Adelaide now. I woke ant around eleven thirty and he came down and had his coffee and we looked at a couple of rentals together. We had a bit of lunch, another tuna salad for me and soup for ant, then headed off to Jackie and Tony's, they had brought us back some dog food from the uk, it is much cheaper there, that we needed to pay for and pick up.
We sat and chatted for a bit, Tony suggested i try to find a new bumper for the car and he would help me fit it so i had a little search on line, he also suggested a scrap place out towards the coast. We went to look at the car and he noticed i had a couple of lights out so he helped me get the housings off, this took an age but we finally managed then he lent me a couple of bulbs, i must get a spare set. We headed home after this and had a quiet afternoon, ant snoozed on and i searched online for a new bumper, not to be had for ready cash by the looks of things. I gave up and started on the dinner, a nice roast chicken with sweet corn, lentils and carrots, which ant seemed to enjoy, then i phoned gran, then settled down to the antiques roadshow. Ant tried several times to phone his mam but she was engaged constantly so he eventually gave up.
we watched a bit of the winter Olympics, barracking for the aussie guy in the mens ski cross, to no avail, but it was fun, then ant watched something about the Dankworths and i headed to bed to finish Greg Bearup, i cant help thinking at the end of the book that i know little more about the land of Australia but i enjoyed reading it, his coverage of southern australia was woefully under par. Ant came up and ii handed the finished book to him and we headed off to sleep.
We sat and chatted for a bit, Tony suggested i try to find a new bumper for the car and he would help me fit it so i had a little search on line, he also suggested a scrap place out towards the coast. We went to look at the car and he noticed i had a couple of lights out so he helped me get the housings off, this took an age but we finally managed then he lent me a couple of bulbs, i must get a spare set. We headed home after this and had a quiet afternoon, ant snoozed on and i searched online for a new bumper, not to be had for ready cash by the looks of things. I gave up and started on the dinner, a nice roast chicken with sweet corn, lentils and carrots, which ant seemed to enjoy, then i phoned gran, then settled down to the antiques roadshow. Ant tried several times to phone his mam but she was engaged constantly so he eventually gave up.
we watched a bit of the winter Olympics, barracking for the aussie guy in the mens ski cross, to no avail, but it was fun, then ant watched something about the Dankworths and i headed to bed to finish Greg Bearup, i cant help thinking at the end of the book that i know little more about the land of Australia but i enjoyed reading it, his coverage of southern australia was woefully under par. Ant came up and ii handed the finished book to him and we headed off to sleep.
Sunday 21 February 2010
Sat 20th Feb
I woke just after nine and came down, during the night the garden had turned white, which was a bit of a surprise as it had been quite a mild day, I made coffee and flakes and went online, tried to get hold of ant a couple of times as he should have been back in the uk by now, but to no avail. I did the usual bits online, then ant called at last and we chatted for a bit before i went upstairs and showered, shaved and got dressed. Ant was going to be picked up by Mike at Heathrow so i didn't need to worry about setting off to Brussels, i gave the house a good going over and finished the housework by lunch time.
I had a tuna salad in a tin thing for lunch, not to bad, then sat around waiting for news of thier return, i eventually got fed up and phoned ant, he had met Mike and they were on thier way to the tunnel, i settled down to watch a little tv whilst i waited. I got a phone call from Maggie asking if we would like to go over for dinner when the boys had arrived, i presumed this was something ant had already discussed with Mike so said yes, though i would have preffered a night at home with ant.
I settled back in to my waiting routine and at five thirty ant phoned to ask me to come down, i got myself ready and packed some cloathes in a bag for him, fed the dogs then headed down to Hesdin. I stopped in at the supermarket to buy some diet coke and a box of choccys for Maggie then when to thier place.
we had a very enjoyable evening, with the usual high standard of food from Chez Maggie, the crack was good and the suroundings as comfortable as all get out so all in all ut was a good night, Maggie tild me she had found the tesco wine place at Calais to be really good value, so i will have to have a nip up thier at some point before May and get some decent stuff in the cellar. When we got back ant opened his bag of tricks and got out two new dogs beds, which the girls seemed to find very comfy, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of whisky and a bottle of morgans spiced rum, so that has filled the booze cabinet a little. I poured us a drink each and we sat for a chat for a while but i could tell he was knackered so i sent us all to bed, he was asleep within moments, i followed very quickly.
I had a tuna salad in a tin thing for lunch, not to bad, then sat around waiting for news of thier return, i eventually got fed up and phoned ant, he had met Mike and they were on thier way to the tunnel, i settled down to watch a little tv whilst i waited. I got a phone call from Maggie asking if we would like to go over for dinner when the boys had arrived, i presumed this was something ant had already discussed with Mike so said yes, though i would have preffered a night at home with ant.
I settled back in to my waiting routine and at five thirty ant phoned to ask me to come down, i got myself ready and packed some cloathes in a bag for him, fed the dogs then headed down to Hesdin. I stopped in at the supermarket to buy some diet coke and a box of choccys for Maggie then when to thier place.
we had a very enjoyable evening, with the usual high standard of food from Chez Maggie, the crack was good and the suroundings as comfortable as all get out so all in all ut was a good night, Maggie tild me she had found the tesco wine place at Calais to be really good value, so i will have to have a nip up thier at some point before May and get some decent stuff in the cellar. When we got back ant opened his bag of tricks and got out two new dogs beds, which the girls seemed to find very comfy, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of whisky and a bottle of morgans spiced rum, so that has filled the booze cabinet a little. I poured us a drink each and we sat for a chat for a while but i could tell he was knackered so i sent us all to bed, he was asleep within moments, i followed very quickly.
Saturday 20 February 2010
friday 19th Feb
I woke late, 10:40, must have been tired, so went down and did the usual and spent some time online. i had a good long chat with ant on skype, my aussie bank account has been opened by NAB, so that's one less thing to think about. At twelve i decided i would go and do some shopping, i stopped in on David on the way and showed him our holiday photo's and sat chatting for an hour before heading in to Hesdin. I went and bought some fuel for our fuel heater then went and did the food shopping, i had decided to wash the car at le elephant blue, but the cars waiting were round the block.
I headed home and put everything away then got a big bucket of hot water and gave the car a good going over, inside and out, cleaned the Ruby sick off the passenger seat and wiped all the quality plastics with a bit of Zoflora so it smells like a flower garden now. I took the dogs a walk after this and they ran off again, i really need to keep Ruby on the lead as one of these days she will get run over, fortunately they came back. When i got home it was after five, i went online and ant was on again so we chatted a little more. I marinated some chicken in terriaki sauce and griddled it along with some veg and boiled some rice noodles for dinner, the chicken and veg were good but the noodles were not so i ended up chucking them, won't bother buying them again.
Room With a View was on film four so i settled down to watch that, it was quite shocking how young Hellena Bonham Carter looked and how dreamy Julian Sands was in the role, so it was a very enjoyable couple of hours. I tried watching a couple of other things after this had finished but couldn't find anything worth watching so headed up to bed and read for a couple of hours before going to sleep.
I headed home and put everything away then got a big bucket of hot water and gave the car a good going over, inside and out, cleaned the Ruby sick off the passenger seat and wiped all the quality plastics with a bit of Zoflora so it smells like a flower garden now. I took the dogs a walk after this and they ran off again, i really need to keep Ruby on the lead as one of these days she will get run over, fortunately they came back. When i got home it was after five, i went online and ant was on again so we chatted a little more. I marinated some chicken in terriaki sauce and griddled it along with some veg and boiled some rice noodles for dinner, the chicken and veg were good but the noodles were not so i ended up chucking them, won't bother buying them again.
Room With a View was on film four so i settled down to watch that, it was quite shocking how young Hellena Bonham Carter looked and how dreamy Julian Sands was in the role, so it was a very enjoyable couple of hours. I tried watching a couple of other things after this had finished but couldn't find anything worth watching so headed up to bed and read for a couple of hours before going to sleep.
Friday 19 February 2010
Thursday 18th Feb
We woke at three and i came down to make the coffee whilst ant got himself ready, we sat and watched a bit of the news before heading off to Brussels. The morning was cloaked in a deep think fog when we headed off, i could hardly see the road but we managed to get along and by the time we got to Arras it had dispersed a bit. I dropped ant off on time and headed back, the dogs were in the car with me and Ruby took over ant's seat, a little later i gave her a stroke and felt something wet on the seat, i put the light on to discover she had vomited on the seat, lovely.
When i got home i put the news on and had another coffee and my flakes then went online and did some stuff, NAB had responded to my email so i followed their link and applied to open a bank account, fee free so the hsbc can go fish. Ant phoned to say he had arrived safely and was ready for the off, which was a nice touch; After a little more tinkering on the internet i made some lunch and settled down to watch a couple of films, including a good studio ghibli, the ideal lazy afternoon. I took the dogs out for a walk, and the behaved themselves for a change, i need to get back in to the long walks now things are getting a little milder.
I griddled a couple of pork steaks for dinner with salad, which i still enjoyed, but i had a bit of hunger all night, though there is nothing to eat apart from ryvitas so i couldnt really go mental. I watched tv till eleven thirty then went up and read for a little while before going to sleep.
When i got home i put the news on and had another coffee and my flakes then went online and did some stuff, NAB had responded to my email so i followed their link and applied to open a bank account, fee free so the hsbc can go fish. Ant phoned to say he had arrived safely and was ready for the off, which was a nice touch; After a little more tinkering on the internet i made some lunch and settled down to watch a couple of films, including a good studio ghibli, the ideal lazy afternoon. I took the dogs out for a walk, and the behaved themselves for a change, i need to get back in to the long walks now things are getting a little milder.
I griddled a couple of pork steaks for dinner with salad, which i still enjoyed, but i had a bit of hunger all night, though there is nothing to eat apart from ryvitas so i couldnt really go mental. I watched tv till eleven thirty then went up and read for a little while before going to sleep.
Thursday 18 February 2010
Wed 17th Feb
I got up early and came down for the flakes and coffee, ant followed soon after and i went online to do some bits, i had a look in to aussie bank accounts and found out i could open one from here through the hsbc for a whacking fee, will leave this for a while. Spoke to mum on skype for a while and then phoned tony to see if they were coming down for a visit. After a bit more messing around i put the stew together for dinner, and then ant and i lunch, a ham and mushroom omlette for me with a little side salad, very nice.
Jackie and Tony turned up just after one and we sat and chatted about all sorts of stuff, we showed them our holiday snaps and ant and jackie talked a lot about work. After they left we did very little, relaxed a bit, had dinner quite early then went upstairs and read in bed in readiness for an early night. we let the dogs come in with and tried to get to sleep nice and early, i had managed to drop off when i was woken by a kick from ant, i lay for a short while clinging on to the edge of the bed then got up and put the dogs in thier own beds, there just isnt space for the four of us. We got a poor nights sleep and woke at three tired and grumpy but ready for the trip to Brussels.
Jackie and Tony turned up just after one and we sat and chatted about all sorts of stuff, we showed them our holiday snaps and ant and jackie talked a lot about work. After they left we did very little, relaxed a bit, had dinner quite early then went upstairs and read in bed in readiness for an early night. we let the dogs come in with and tried to get to sleep nice and early, i had managed to drop off when i was woken by a kick from ant, i lay for a short while clinging on to the edge of the bed then got up and put the dogs in thier own beds, there just isnt space for the four of us. We got a poor nights sleep and woke at three tired and grumpy but ready for the trip to Brussels.
Wednesday 17 February 2010
Tuesday 16th Feb
I woke about nine and came down, had coffee and flakes and did my online bits, ant came down but said he was feeling a little unwell, he had a sore stomach. After he had coffee we headed in to Hesdin to post a letter and drop in on Maggie, we chatted to her for a little while then headed over to David's for a coffee. When we got home i made some lunch, a nice crab salad for me and a bowl of veg soup with a baguette for ant.
After lunch ant decided he would go back to bed, so i made sure he was comfy and tucked in with woodruff the poorly bear. I went to the garage and started sawing up a few of the branches we have sitting in the out building, after about an hour i stopped and took the dogs for a walk, no hares today. When i got back i set the fire going and settled down with caravanistan for a couple of hours, most enjoyable. I called ant down about six and set too making the dinner, a griddled salmon steak with cuscus, which was nice, then we had a night in front of the tv, a nice docu about Oliver Postgate and a docu about Skippy the first Aussie mega star. We headed up to bed and i read ofr while then we went to sleep.
After lunch ant decided he would go back to bed, so i made sure he was comfy and tucked in with woodruff the poorly bear. I went to the garage and started sawing up a few of the branches we have sitting in the out building, after about an hour i stopped and took the dogs for a walk, no hares today. When i got back i set the fire going and settled down with caravanistan for a couple of hours, most enjoyable. I called ant down about six and set too making the dinner, a griddled salmon steak with cuscus, which was nice, then we had a night in front of the tv, a nice docu about Oliver Postgate and a docu about Skippy the first Aussie mega star. We headed up to bed and i read ofr while then we went to sleep.
Monday 15 February 2010
Monday 15th Feb
I woke at about nine thirty and came down for my coffee and fiber and watched the news for a bit, Ant phoned to say he was back in the uk, his flight to Brussels wasn't for a few hours so he was going to do some work on his up-coming tests. I set to on the housework, it felt quite good giving the place a good once over, when i finished i went online and did the usual stuff, then looked up the Port Arthur Massacre, mentioned in Caravanistan, i was really shocked i was not more aware of such a huge and shocking event. Ant phoned to say he had a seat on the flight so i bundled the dogs into the car and we set off on our five hour trip to Brussels and back. Ant and i chatted away in the car about all sorts of things on the way back and it passed very quickly, Ruby kept pushing her way to the front for a stroke then getting put back whereas Banjo was her usual independent self.
When we got home ant sorted out a bath for himself whilst i set the fire going, after the bath we sat chatting on the sofa for a bit then ant noticed a car slowly passing the house, it passed again and then came back and pulled up outside the gates, i got up and went out, it was a french man asking about the house, he basically wanted to have a look round so after a bit of discussion i agreed and he, his wife and small child gave the house the once over, they seemed quite impressed and i said they must get in touch with the estate agent to visit again. This created quite a flurry of discussion once they had gone though we are trying not to get excited to avoid disappointment, but at least someone has been through the door now.
I made dinner, a small piece of very lean steak with stir fried broccoli, leeks and mushroom, and asparagus, it was quite enjoyable but the steak was a little over done. After dinner we sat and chatted for about an hour then it was clear ant was tired so i sent him up to bed and sat and read for an hour then went up too, ant was out for the count so i followed his example and went to sleep.
When we got home ant sorted out a bath for himself whilst i set the fire going, after the bath we sat chatting on the sofa for a bit then ant noticed a car slowly passing the house, it passed again and then came back and pulled up outside the gates, i got up and went out, it was a french man asking about the house, he basically wanted to have a look round so after a bit of discussion i agreed and he, his wife and small child gave the house the once over, they seemed quite impressed and i said they must get in touch with the estate agent to visit again. This created quite a flurry of discussion once they had gone though we are trying not to get excited to avoid disappointment, but at least someone has been through the door now.
I made dinner, a small piece of very lean steak with stir fried broccoli, leeks and mushroom, and asparagus, it was quite enjoyable but the steak was a little over done. After dinner we sat and chatted for about an hour then it was clear ant was tired so i sent him up to bed and sat and read for an hour then went up too, ant was out for the count so i followed his example and went to sleep.
Sunday 14th Feb
It was nearly ten when i woke this morning, i headed down, opened the valentines card from ant, it had a faint whiff of beer about it, made coffee and a bowl of high fibre and tucked in whilst catching up online. I spent quite a while on the computer until i stopped for some lunch at twelve thirty, a nice bowl of tuna salad and a couple of ryvita's with fat free cheese, it is a bit like stiff yogurt but not too bad. I made a few phone calls after lunch, watched a bit of the winter olympics, the mens 150 meter skating made my feet tingle a little and i was on the edge of the sofa, i don't know how the have the courage to do it.
I took the dogs out for a walk in the afternoon, it is quite picturesque at the minute with the snow, but it seems a little warmer than the biting cold before we went away. Toward the end of the walk the girls spotted a couple of hares and were off after them, i stood there shouting after them like a wild thing and they eventually got tired and came back, i was not best amused. When i got back i set the fire going and settled down to watch Dune, which was good, if a little confusing, one of my favorite sci fi films. I phoned gran after this and we spent a good time chatting about all sorts of things, i am a little worried her memory is going a little as she repeated herself several times during the talk. I made a turkey stir fry for dinner in honor of Chinese new year, i was going to burn some fake money in a red envelope but forgot so i don't think we will be inundated with cash this year. The evening was quite a typical Sunday, the antiques roadshow, Larkrise, then Anne phoned so we had a chat for a bit, then a bit of the mens Luge, then it all got a bit bitty so i went up to bed and read some of Caravanistan, which i am greatly enjoying, before going to sleep.
ps i weighed myself and came in at 106.2kg
I took the dogs out for a walk in the afternoon, it is quite picturesque at the minute with the snow, but it seems a little warmer than the biting cold before we went away. Toward the end of the walk the girls spotted a couple of hares and were off after them, i stood there shouting after them like a wild thing and they eventually got tired and came back, i was not best amused. When i got back i set the fire going and settled down to watch Dune, which was good, if a little confusing, one of my favorite sci fi films. I phoned gran after this and we spent a good time chatting about all sorts of things, i am a little worried her memory is going a little as she repeated herself several times during the talk. I made a turkey stir fry for dinner in honor of Chinese new year, i was going to burn some fake money in a red envelope but forgot so i don't think we will be inundated with cash this year. The evening was quite a typical Sunday, the antiques roadshow, Larkrise, then Anne phoned so we had a chat for a bit, then a bit of the mens Luge, then it all got a bit bitty so i went up to bed and read some of Caravanistan, which i am greatly enjoying, before going to sleep.
ps i weighed myself and came in at 106.2kg
Sunday 14 February 2010
sat 13th Feb
We were up at five thirty, had my bowl of high fiber breakfast cereal and watched the news whilst ant was getting ready, then we set off for Brussels airport, the roads were nice and quiet and i dropped him off in plenty of time and headed home. I got back by eleven and went online for a while, back in to the cafe, the weather outside is too cold so the dogs walk was Called off. For lunch i had a nice salad with ham cubes then settled down on the sofa with the fire on and watched a little tv, the opening ceremony of the winter olympics, a bit of the importance of being ernest then are you being served. Janine phoned mid afternoon and then came over for a cup of tea to catch up on our trip, i showed her the photos and then i spent a bit of time showing her the internet, i think she is thinking of getting herself online.
By the time Janine left it was six thirty so i started to organize my dinner, stuffed tomatoes with coddled eggs, which was very enjoyable and surprisingly filling, i finished the series of are you and then watched a bit of the winter olympics and went back online. At ten fifty i was treated to a special one off of Benidorm, which i enjoyed, then i headed off to bed.
By the time Janine left it was six thirty so i started to organize my dinner, stuffed tomatoes with coddled eggs, which was very enjoyable and surprisingly filling, i finished the series of are you and then watched a bit of the winter olympics and went back online. At ten fifty i was treated to a special one off of Benidorm, which i enjoyed, then i headed off to bed.
Saturday 13 February 2010
Friday 12th Feb
We had a really good nights sleep and woke feeling a little refreshed. We came down and went online, caught up with a couple of internet things, spoke to aunty M and then mum, then we headed out to do some shopping. We stopped in on David and Mark on the way in and had a coffee and filled them in on all we had done whilst we were away. In the supermarket i bought a lot of stuff for the new diet so hopefully that will go ok. We headed home and ant went for a nap for a couple of hours whilst i messed around online, i sorted out the trip in March, unfortunately ant is working on grans birthday so i am going to fly over to Glasgow from Charleroi, at the bargain price of ten euros for the return, plus ryanair's new ten euro charge for not paying with their own credit card!! i will spend a couple of nights there and then fly back, i have hired a decent car and gran and i are going to go out for the day of her birthday.
I chatted to gran for a bit, on the skype to landline, i am getting a bit addicted to it, then spoke to Mandy for a while, then put the dinner together, ultra lean beef burgers with baked beans and scrambled egg, it was quite enjoyable and ant had specifically requested it. After dinner we watched a bit of tv, Phil was helping a family buy a house in Sydney, which was quite interesting, then we went to bed nice and early for ant's early morning jaunt to Brussels. I weighed myself before i went to bed and was unsurprised to see i was pretty much back where i started last year, but i am determined to get some of this off. We are quite settled back in to the house now, it is cold and snowy but it is nice to be back with the dogs, our trip to Australia is seeming like a distant memory but we are keeping our hopes up for a sale soon!!
I chatted to gran for a bit, on the skype to landline, i am getting a bit addicted to it, then spoke to Mandy for a while, then put the dinner together, ultra lean beef burgers with baked beans and scrambled egg, it was quite enjoyable and ant had specifically requested it. After dinner we watched a bit of tv, Phil was helping a family buy a house in Sydney, which was quite interesting, then we went to bed nice and early for ant's early morning jaunt to Brussels. I weighed myself before i went to bed and was unsurprised to see i was pretty much back where i started last year, but i am determined to get some of this off. We are quite settled back in to the house now, it is cold and snowy but it is nice to be back with the dogs, our trip to Australia is seeming like a distant memory but we are keeping our hopes up for a sale soon!!
Friday 12 February 2010
11th Feb
We are back from Australia, i am not going to do a blog for the last two weeks because we have had so many good experiences and have done too much to start writing it down, just to say we had a wonderful unforgettable experience.
We left Adelaide Airport, waving goodbye to mum and aunty M with a bit of a tear, and got through to Sydney with no problems, checked in and got seats all the way through to Paris, so that was a bit of a relief, business class to Singapore then economy the rest of the way, but we made the most of it and i slept for a bit on the Singapore Heathrow leg. When we got to London we were hit by the cold, which was a bit of a shock, snow falling and completely the opposite from Adelaide. We jumped an earlier flight to Paris as there were more available seats, Ant kindly let me have the one club seat available to us whilst he sat down the back. We had a fair wait in Paris but filled in the time with coffee at the Sheraton and a McDonalds with free wifi, then caught our train up to Arras. The scene out of the window on the train was a white wonderland and looked incredibly cold, when we got off in Arras Mark was waiting for us and we had a hair raising drive back to the house.
Back home we dumped our stuff and put on the heating and the water before heading out to pick up the dogs, who were reassuringly pleased to see us, then came back, put the fire on and did a couple of phone calls to let people know we were back. We had a couple of hours on the sofa, when i fell asleep, then had a little dinner before heading off to sleep.
We left Adelaide Airport, waving goodbye to mum and aunty M with a bit of a tear, and got through to Sydney with no problems, checked in and got seats all the way through to Paris, so that was a bit of a relief, business class to Singapore then economy the rest of the way, but we made the most of it and i slept for a bit on the Singapore Heathrow leg. When we got to London we were hit by the cold, which was a bit of a shock, snow falling and completely the opposite from Adelaide. We jumped an earlier flight to Paris as there were more available seats, Ant kindly let me have the one club seat available to us whilst he sat down the back. We had a fair wait in Paris but filled in the time with coffee at the Sheraton and a McDonalds with free wifi, then caught our train up to Arras. The scene out of the window on the train was a white wonderland and looked incredibly cold, when we got off in Arras Mark was waiting for us and we had a hair raising drive back to the house.
Back home we dumped our stuff and put on the heating and the water before heading out to pick up the dogs, who were reassuringly pleased to see us, then came back, put the fire on and did a couple of phone calls to let people know we were back. We had a couple of hours on the sofa, when i fell asleep, then had a little dinner before heading off to sleep.
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