The soggy adventures of Beaky

I’m working from home today and as well as lots of work to do, I need to pick up the car and drop some shopping and tablets round to my mum who is in a bad way at the moment. The bone strengthening infusion they gave her with her last chemo has rendered her almost immobile. For several days she could barely walk and now is reduced to hobbling around using a stick. So I’m taking over some supplies and a couple of DVDs (nothing worse than daytime TV when you have no choice about the matter) at lunchtime. The chemo is destroying her feet so walking was becoming a problem anyway, but she was coping really well with the huge doses they’ve been giving her. But this has been a set-back.

We want to take her to Paris for her birthday (November) but we might have to sit down and talk to her about it (it was going to be a surprise) because nobody but the person themselves knows how much they can cope with and what will be too tiring. We can always do something else it’s just that she’s always wanted to go to Paris…

The car is – we think – doing well. I’ve just spoken to the delightful woman at the garage whom I think suspects I’m a bit of an over-anxious idiot but manages to hide that opinion of me, most of the time anyway. The problems are not extensive and despite the drama of being ‘recovered’ (I don’t know why I always put it in bunny ears) by a man with a very big beard, Victor will be ready this afternoon to return to the bosom of this over-anxious idiot…

Pluto is chewing contently on his beaky (once a woodpecker, now a series of strips and two large furry feet hanging on for dear life – it was given to him by my best man and is his favourite toy), but really he would like his walk so I may have to stop this blogging nonsense, grab a shower and put on some clothes. More things to do…

No bats

The bat walk is all booked up :0(

Cars, bats and minus anniversaries

The sooner I get some shire horses and a cart, the happier I’ll be. The car’s in the garage! In a nutshell, there were a couple of jobs that needed doing and the car was booked in for tomorrow, Friday. However, I got to the car park after work yesterday and the car wouldn’t start! In steps Green Flag – not as quickly as they currently advertise but still they sent a very good mechanic so I can’t really complain. The oil leak was worse than had previously been diagnosed and had gone into the spark plugs which meant the engine couldn’t catch. And so I needed to be ‘recovered’. Another chap turned up – lovely man, big beard – loaded up Victor (he needed to push me out of the car park because the lorry was too big to get in) and drove me and the car home. I got to the car park last night at 4:50pm and got home 10:20pm! If there had been any beer in the house, I would have had several! So this morning the car has been taken to the garage a day earlier than planned and is currently undergoing minor surgery.

You would be forgiven for reading my last half a dozen entries or so and vowing never to get involved with cars and/or insurance companies, but although we’ve had a bit of stress and inconvenience, against all the odds, I’m actually feeling quite positive. The car will be fixed and if it was good before it will be even better now.

But a horse and cart might be easier…

We have a friend who is moving to Australia shortly and is having a leaving party in Brighton this weekend. It’s also an excuse to visit the grandparents so once again, we’re off. This time the hound will be staying with his best friend because a busy, boozy party is not the best environment for him. He’ll only get overexcited and try and eat something he shouldn’t.

It’s our minus anniversary today! Exactly one year from today we will be getting married. We’re going on an organised bat walk tonight to celebrate. Our local woods have a very active wildlife group and they organise various talks, walks and events. Anyway, we both like bats and so we’re going on a night walk with two other friends. I’m really looking forward to it! A flask of hot chocolate might not go amiss…

Knees

Realised I hadn’t really followed up from my hospital appointment last week. The whole thing was fairly civilised. I was seen quickly, the doctor was pleasant and I had x-rays done in record time but it turns out that as well as crumbling kneecaps, I also have arthritis in both knees. I must admit I was quite upset. Arthritis is a horrible condition. I was left wondering will the pain get worse, will one condition cancel out the other?! Anyway, I now have to have an MRI scan – a tracking scan to be precise; I move my knees as they are being scanned.

I did whack the doctor on the arm, completely unintentionally (although we now know I have excellent reflexes). It happens each time; they have to prod and poke and manipulate my knees to hear the interesting creaking noise they make and see what range of movement I have and it hurt and before I knew it, he had poked particularly hard and my hand flew out and hit him on the arm. Luckily I didn’t hit him hard but there was nothing I could do and he seemed quite understanding, noting with masterful understatement that my knees were particularly tender in that area.

He mentioned surgery but frankly I’m not interested, I’ve had two ops on my left knee and bugger all good they’ve done me! So time will tell, but I’m hopeful that they can provide some help. Fingers crossed anyway!

Insurance

Dealing with insurance is, I have discovered, something of a game. Which is a bit strange because I don’t pay my insurance to play games, I play it to look after me if the worst happens – and the worst did happen (well, that’s an exaggeration the worst would have involved physical injury but you know what I mean.)

Anyway, the insurance came back to us yesterday and made a predictably low offer. We were warned that this would happen and my partner called them back and in no uncertain terms told them it wasn’t acceptable. To cut a long story short, she was great! She argued really well about how much the car was actually worth and they agreed! They upped their offer considerably! But to fair we were never unreasonable. We had taken advice from the garage that assessed the damage to the car about what she was worth and done online comparable checks, and because the car was in such good condition and with such low mileage, the insurance eventually agreed and like I said, came back with a better and far more acceptable offer. So if you have to go through this, be prepared to negotiate! Don’t be greedy or unrealistic and make sure you check market value etc. but remember you don’t have to necessarily accept the first offer – they always come in low. As a bonus, the insurance have verified that it was a no-fault accident and we now have a year’s no claim bonus.

I’ve come into work today to a brand new PC (4 PCs were nicked last week, mine included). It seems that it’s much more powerful than the last one which was infuriatingly slow. My desk is still a mess – they knocked and broke loads of things, but I’ll gradually get things sorted again.

Anyway, as ever, lots to do so I better get on…

(I just booked the day off work next week for my alpaca training day… I’m very excited!)

North Wales

Well I’m back, but not from out of space, from north Wales actually. It was breathtakingly beautiful – at times reminding me of the countryside in the Highlands of Scotland. We saw and explored beaches, farmland and mountains (inc. Snowdonia) and I fell in love with Betws-y-Coed and want to live there! (I forgot to take my camera, so no pictures. You’ll just have to visit if you don’t believe me!)

Our plan was to help out on an organic farm and we were going to stay there, but decided to camp instead because the weather was beautiful and we found a great campsite (mountains to the right, sea to the left!). There wasn’t much to do on the farm because the owner is a woman in her late sixties who is waiting for a hip operation; so she doesn’t have the animals or the busy schedule she once had. In the end, we fed the ponies, fixed a gate, cleared lots of brambles and did some general maintenance. The rest of the time we explored a part of Wales that I had never been to before. Eating big breakfasts and taking the dog (who had a ball) on long walks…

I cracked the sleeping thing as well. We’re using camping mats and a mattress topper (like a thin foam mattress, dimpled to provide extra support for your back. I bought one for our bed at home and it was much more comfortable so I thought I’d try it camping as well.) I slept really well and it’s so lovely to go to bed early and wake up fresh and bright the next day. Sometimes if I go to bed after watching TV I feel I don’t wake up fresh at all, but going to bed after a beer and good conversation I was raring to go each morning. And we were ready to get going by 8.30 at the latest.

We saw a lot of properties and land for sale, and we might end up buying land from the farm owner. Property is fairly reasonable but for us, we either need property and land or land with planning permission. And we don’t particularly want to go through an agent either.

In some ways it’s always a shame to come back, because I’m impatient to get moving with our plans – although it’s always nice to use your own bathroom after you’ve been camping! Our next farm visit is in Bedfordshire. More animals this time, which I’m really looking forward to…

(The new car drives really well! I'll put a photo on blogger soon.)

Napkin rings and hostess trolleys

I’m sorry I’m back… but to fair to me, it is my blog and if you’re bored there are far more interesting writers out there… anyway, wedding lists! I’ve just set one up. We’ve gone for John Lewis (apparently if you’re gay you’re not allowed to go anywhere else) and we’re asking for gift vouchers. Not that we think our friends have bad taste – quite the opposite – but there are several big things we’d quite like and we’d never dream of asking someone to cough up loads of dosh just for us, it’s enough that people are going all the way to Cornwall to see us say I do, frankly. But if everyone put in a little it would help enormously. On the cards is a new washing machine or a king-size bed because the missus keeps elbowing me in the head and those few extra inches may just help. And of course, wanting to start a family as we do, there may be other things we need as well! So that’s all very exciting. Pluto wants a new collar and his very own cat to play with… oh dear…

I have done some work but really, when there are new cars and gift vouchers to think about, the competition for my attention is stiff!

(Incidentally the woman I dealt with at JL was absolutely lovely. So much so I almost invited her to the wedding!)

Boot(y) call

I managed to drag myself in for 8.30 although I’m not sure it was strictly necessary. We pick the car up today! We have insurance, we did the HPI check (see yesterday’s entry), we have the money and we’re raring to go. I am very excited. It’s going to take me a week to sort out all the new controls, bless me. I’ve been used to a very basic Ford Escort. We now have air conditioning! It seems we’ve gone up in the world…

I’m particularly excited about the size of the boot, but then if you’ve read previous entries about how much gear we insist on taking with us, even just on weekends away, you can perhaps understand why.

I bought a chocolate croissant from a well known supermarket – a sort of celebration of the new car if you will – and it’s made me feel slightly sick. It’s that very cheap and nasty synthetic chocolate and really I wish I’d just stuck with my usual plain variety. You see, extras aren’t always a good thing.

Tomorrow I’m working from home so will have to be disciplined and not start packing or sorting out the car for our trip. I have the hospital in the afternoon. Many qualified consultants and doctors have tried to sort out my knees and/or organise effective pain relief and all of them have failed, but one more hardy individual is about to throw himself into the breech and bugger about with me orthopaedically speaking. I shall go with an open mind and crumbling knees. You never know, it might just work…

It’s autumnal – this morning I woke up and it was dark and I’m wearing a jumper. Not a big 4 inch thick, walking in the Dales sort of jumper, more a stylish v-neck actually, but still it is a second layer and that’s a little sad. Perhaps there will be a late bloom of summer or perhaps we’ve had the best weather we’re going to get, we just don’t know ladies and gentleman…

Private vs. dealer

When you’re buying second-hand cars, some people will tell you to go to a dealer, others will try and convince you that you should try and find a private seller. The same sort of arguments you hear when you rent a flat… go through an agent, you have more protection! Rent through a landlord, they won’t rip you off half as much! In the end, it’s down to luck of the draw…

There are benefits to buying through a dealer: they might do guarantees, they should have premises that you can return to if there is a query or dispute and a private seller might genuinely miss a problem if they don’t know much about cars and you might find that you suddenly have an expensive problem on your hands. But of course, dealers generally charge more and there seem to be more and more ‘private dealers’ who – and this is just my opinion – I would avoid like the plague!

We saw three this weekend and last, and they were all as bloody dodgy as each other. One operated out of a housing association car park (but we didn’t have his address, he could have lived miles away), another one operated out of a private car park (see above) and the third rented space from a car wash / valeting firm. All of them had mobiles – no landlines, and frankly if the cars they were selling were animals, you would have them put down.

We’ve bought our new car through a private seller. And I have to say, there was a lot about the transaction that I felt comfortable with – we knew his address, landline and mobile, he had genuine reasons for selling (he is upgrading – his new car arrives on Weds), he wanted a good price, but he wasn't out to rip anyone off, he liked the car and had looked after it really well…

I’m not saying one is better than the other and regardless of where you buy the car, make sure you check it over properly (if you’re not confident, take a friend / parent / partner), make sure all the documents are in order, do an HPI check* and finally - and this is really important! - trust your instincts!

*A HPI check can be done through the RAC/AA/Green Flag and you give them the registration of the car and they check that it hasn’t been reported stolen; that is doesn’t have outstanding finance on it; that it hasn’t been written off in an accident and that there are no mileage discrepancies… worth doing and Green Flag of whom I am a member only charge £25.

Victor the Vectra

I was going to start this entry, what a weekend… but this morning has topped it all – we’ve had a break-in at the office! They smashed a front window, nicked our PCs and presumably things like the camera, etc. There is police tape all round the office and we’re not allowed anywhere near it so apart from the PCs we don’t know what’s gone. I’m working in my boss’ office and we’re waiting for the fuzz to come in and dust for prints…

Anyway, there’s nothing I can do so back to the weekend. The downside was we saw some awful cars and I missed two parties I wanted to go to but the upside is we bought a car! A lovely shiny car! (Oh, and the engine’s very good as well.) I test drove a Chrysler that despite being an auto felt like it was missing gears, a Renault that tried to vomit up it’s own engine, we saw BMW’s, Ford’s and Fiat’s that were dinged and bashed to hell, and looked like they’d taken part in a Joyriding festival, and then finally we found a gorgeous Vauxhall! It has fairly low mileage, great bodywork, full service history and it was a reasonable price. And there were lots of nice little extras – massive boot, air con, CD player, electric mirrors, you know, all the stuff, that’s not that important but which actually do make a big difference. So we pick her up on Tuesday evening.

Last night my partner gave Pluto a bath. He gets very scared so we’re very gentle with him, but actually each time he gets a little better. He ran round the house, shaking himself on our cream walls and throwing his toys about and then fell asleep exhausted. He smells lovely and he’s all soft and fluffy… not sure what that will have done to his image…

So it’s been very eventful really!

We’re off to Wales to work on a farm at the end of the week. Can’t wait (also can’t wait because we’ll be driving there in our shiny new motor!). We’re taking Master Pluto with us which should be fun… what’s dog for don’t chase the chickens?!

Two careful owners...

It’s going to be a cold winter… well, I hope it is, I’ve just bought two jackets in two days. What can I say, I like jackets! And to be fair I did need a new winter jacket. I just hadn’t planned on buying two… I love pay day!

Tomorrow is car hunt day. We’re both a little nervous. For one thing we don’t have a great deal of mechanical knowledge and although we both have good instincts and are fairly astute (and have been cribbing on ‘what to look for on a second hand car’ websites!), we will be relying on the trustworthiness of the seller. Also, I don’t want to be racing all over London seeing cars that were listed as ‘great’, ‘fantastic’, ‘excellent condition’ which are actually turkeys.

There’s also a party I want to go to in the evening, and we’ve been invited to another party on Sunday. We will be busy!

Anyway, back to work, I need the money for jackets and cars!

Hungover and pissed off

I have the worst hangover. Why do we have dinner parties on a school night, stay up too late and drink too much wine. Why?

Anyway, that’s the least of my problems, are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin…

The car has been officially written off and the insurance cancelled, so although it is driveable, I'm obviously not going to drive an uninsured car. They reckon that it will take about 10 days to sort my claim out so we enquired about the “courtesy car guaranteed” that’s written all over our policy. Only to be told us that it’s not actually guaranteed and they’re not giving us a courtesy car. So there. Trading standards might be interested in that one…

Then we were told if we wanted to hire a car they could try and claim back the costs but it wasn’t guaranteed (there’s that word again) that we would get the money back and we might just have to suck it up. Despite this, we decided to take the risk anyway and yesterday I priced checked a load of car rentals – almost fainted at the cost – and eventually narrowed it down to National. I even got a small discount being a Green Flag member (I must remember to cancel that – I’m paying for breakdown cover when I don’t have a car.)

I turn up this morning after going massively out of my way to get to the car hire place, only to be told, opps! You’ve been driving for less than a year and we won’t hire you a car. Apparently I should have been told that, but I wasn’t. No firm will hire cars to some with a licence that’s less than 12 months old.

So this weekend we’re buying a car. I’m not waiting for the insurance I’ve had enough, I’m up to here with being jerked around. Let’s just hope no one decides to drive into the back of this one because I think I would actually try to throttle them!

Agentless

It seems incredible, but it’s true. I still cannot get an agent. I have phoned and emailed a myriad of different people, been passed on to others, left messages, sent more emails and still I am agentless.

When I was at university studying scriptwriting, the joke (not a very funny one admittedly) was that you wouldn’t get an agent with getting a deal and you wouldn’t get a deal without an agent. So here I find myself in the hugely fortunate position of being offered a great deal, but desperately needing an agent or lawyer to work for me to ensure that everything is present and correct, that I’s are dotted and T’s are indeed crossed, in short dear reader, to make sure I get paid!

Oh dear, I’m not sure what to do next… I hate how business gets in the way of art.

A bit of this and a bit of that

It’s payday and I’m very happy. Already the money is flying out of the account to pay various bills, but still, I’ll feel relatively well off for the next week or two at least.

We’re away again quite a lot this month. We’re working on an organic farm in Wales at the end of the month, and I’m going on an alpaca training course (you think I’m joking when I say we want to move to a farm and have animals, I’m not!) and we’re off to Brighton again for a friend’s leaving party…

We’re having friends over for dinner tonight, so I need to leave earlier to have a bit of a tidy up – no doubt Pluto will have strewn toys all over the house. I might get some fresh flowers as well.

I’m not sure what the plans are for this weekend, probably whatever we do will be low-key in lieu of going-away the very next weekend. I might take my partner for dinner though. There’s a Mediterranean restaurant in Fulham called Mimosa that I want to try.

Slightly is in Cornwall at the moment with his partner. I’m regularly checking his blog because he’s uploading photos he’s taken on his phone. It makes me miss Cornwall very much. I’d love to be there right now… wind, rain, whatever!

Work

Yesterday I only worked 9.30 to 4. Today – to show willing – I’m working 9 to 5pm. I hate how we all have to fit into a way of working that doesn’t take into account how we work best. My organisation does do flexi time and I can’t complain because I sort of come in when I like and leave when I like and I also get to work from home one day a week, so I’m very lucky. But I’m struck by how many places still insist on a 9 to 5 approach that’s not always very practical, or more importantly, productive.

My work pattern at home is radically different than the office funnily enough: I start later and finish later. I also find with having natural light and fresh air at home, I get less tired – but then it’s no secret that if I could always work from home I would.

I have already mentioned how my commute is beginning to irk, not least because all the uninsured insane people appear to follow the same route as I do, but also because I’m travelling on average 3 hours a day which seems an awful waste of a brilliant mind…

(hehe)

Anyway, clearly I am just trying to use up some of 42 minutes I still have left in the office so I’m off.

I think I’ll water the plants instead…

Special hat

I wore my ‘special hat’ into work today. It’s faffed up my hair but I’m dry and you can’t have everything. I got home yesterday had ribs, coleslaw and curly fries (yum!), watched Murder, She Wrote and then went to bed. A perfect evening, except I felt so tired I didn’t have much choice about going to bed so early. I feel a bit more lively today but then it helps I’ve got a very clear idea of what I need to do workwise…

It’s grey and windy and wet and there has been another severe weather warning in dear old Blighty. There are some parts of the country that could rightly claim to feel a little beleaguered at the moment such is the intensity of the weather. The floods still haven’t receded in some areas and now there’s more rain on the way. My ‘special hat’ is turning out to be a remarkably astute buy… shame there’s not a giant size one that could cover Gloucester…

Its pay day tomorrow and I’m feeling pathetically grateful. We’ve overspent this month and it’s been a little tight to say the least. Although I have another penalty notice to pay for (‘scuse me while I spit bullets). The SAME box junction as my last penalty notice! Now you could draw the conclusion that I’m a careless driver, which I feel is very unfair because I like driving and I am very good at driving, but that junction is hell. It needs much better traffic management and to prove that its not me just being a bit of a doofus I’m going to be writing to Transport for London and asking how much they make from that junction alone. I suspect – at rush hours – they are making thousands of pounds a day. Which is why they won’t change anything because it’s money for old rope. Sour grapes perhaps, but the congestion leading up to Battersea Bridge is hideous, and with traffic stopping suddenly, and pulling across from both directions, delivery lorries reducing what little space there is already, it’s not surprisingly that people are getting caught out. (Incidentally each time the camera shows that I am not ‘parked’ in the box junction, but that I am just a fraction over…)

I really am a bit tired of my commute I have to be honest – car accidents and penalty notices and traffic jams. Bleugh.

Anyway to end on a more pleasant note, the wedding invites are being sent to the printers today! I can’t wait to post them out!!

The day before Tuesday

I can’t get going today. I have done a lot but my early intense, productive concentration has worn me out. Mentally I’m asserting that I’m not tired but physically my body is saying, ‘speak for yourself wombat, I’m bloody knackered’. Why my body would call my mind a wombat is anybody’s guess…

Monday’s... Why do we do it to ourselves?

Rude words

Mingle² - San Francisco Singles

Apparently it was the mention of the word pain (twice) and fucking (once, well, twice now) that has bumped my blog up to parental guidance. Get me!

Flamboyant carnival for heterosexuals!

Star service

Well some good news. I had to go to Libra Accident Repair Centre in Herne Hill this morning and they were fantastic; really nice attitude and very professional. It made me realise how much I value good service and so as soon as I got into the office I wrote a complimentary letter to them which I’m just about to post. Yes, in all likelihood, the car will be written off because the repairs are uneconomical but I should get a decent sum on the insurance and I’ll just have to buy another car. (If I could get one with an in-built cup holder in I would be absolutely thrilled.)

My partner and I also made a vow last night: we weren’t allowed to talk about any bad and/or serious stuff. So we had a very silly evening with cheap red wine and some delish tacos. (Crisps as a main meal, bring it on!) Then we finished off the evening playing with Pluto on the hall carpet and allowing him to jump all over us, after the long walk he had had earlier in the evening, he thought it was his birthday…

I hope everyone has a good weekend. We’re having friends for brunch tomorrow… actually we’re having pancakes, but friends will be coming, then we’re off to the woods and we might visit my mum afterwards. It may be our last weekend with Peggy so I’m determined it will be a good one!

RIP Murphy

Our friend's dog was put down this morning. It was discovered that not only did he have problems with his heart, but he had tumours in his abdomen. He doesn't have to struggle anymore and is, I'm sure, at peace.

Pluto was very blue this morning and off his food. There seemed to nothing physically wrong with him but he just lay in the hallway on his own looking very sad. It may be coincidence but it seems strange that his dramatic change of mood was at the very same time that Murph was at the vets and having a last cuddle with his mum.

Anyway, I'm off to take Mr. P down the woods, he deserves a good walk...

Down on the farm

Our friend’s dog is nearing the end of his doggy days. He’s been ill for a while but this weekend they thought they would lose him. He has problems with his heart and the little fella is really struggling. He keeps collapsing and his breathing is laboured. In a last ditch attempt to improve the quality of his life, he is on new and stronger medication, but if he’s distressed or in pain, they will have to make the decision to have him put down – if nature doesn’t step in first.

It makes you realise just how much under your skin these silly, bouncing, loud, enthusiastic, occasionally smelly creatures are… I couldn’t imagine the pain I’d feel if it was Mr. Pluto. He's family. I know I’d be strong enough to cope as terrible as it would be though. You have to be. They rely on you totally and you can’t let them down.

Foot and mouth threaten to ravage the countryside again. Talking of not being able to imagine what something feels like, I can’t imagine the stress our farmers are under at the moment. Many farmers – to use an Americanism – bought the farm last time we had foot and mouth. Jobs and careers gone, farms and homes gone, hopes gone… so far it’s been contained and let’s hope lessons have been learnt and our bio security is much more effective this time (although the source might be a government lab, so maybe not...)

It might strike people as a paradox that animals that are reared for slaughter could be cared for, but there are farmers that care very deeply for their animals and to see entire herds of healthy animals wiped out is devastating.

You may think us city folk are fairly unaffected but it’s all degrees of separation. My partner and I want to buy a farm, we know farmers, we volunteer on organic farms. Even the people most removed from the great outdoors couldn’t deny that having our farming and possibly our tourist industry decimated is a very bad thing. We are all connected…

I never intended this to be a particular sombre entry but that’s how it’s transpired… I guess there’s a lot to be thoughtful and worried about at the moment. But as Maya Angelou wrote, and still we rise!

Breaking news - life isn't as short as we thought...

I’ve decided tired is boring. It’s dull. It’s not even very practical. So no longer will I be tired. I’m not sure how to stop my knees hurting which is what causes my tiredness but I feel that it’s a step – no pun intended – in the right direction. Tired begone!

Anyway, Facebook is entirely too addictive and must be shut down, immediately, if not sooner. I won’t embarrass myself by admitting how much time I spent on there yesterday but let’s just agree it was between 1 and 4 hours. Because life apparently is not short and I’ve got time to waste poking people… tsk! Putting my cantankerous old fart attitude to one side, it is quite fun… I have 20 friends already! Are you supposed to collect friends like trophies…?! I’ve put my blog address on there as well so there might be some increased traffic.

(Hello if you’re from Facebook.)

Other news, I’ve decided to start a new society The Sitting-Down Appreciation Society. Unfortunately it doesn’t have an amusing acronym like ass or bum but you can’t have everything you want in life. More news to follow…

Facebook

I’ve had a very strange morning. I’ve eaten fried egg and hash brown sandwiches; joined Facebook; given two friends a poke (on Facebook I hasten to add); found my birth certificate (I wasn’t looking); despaired about the amount of washing up we’ve created; genuinely mourned the fact that there will be no more Harry Potter books, and am now seriously considering going back to bed for a lay down…

My partner is at her parent’s house this morning and I want to do the washing up before she gets back but it just seems like a job for three or four professional washer uppers… what I have told myself is that if I do it, I can eat the apple pie left in the fridge (cold apple pie is the best). After which I need to exercise the hound and then there are a million other things that need doing around the house!

It’s a gorgeous day again and really, I shouldn’t be stuck in front of a computer when I do that all week… so on that note, see ya!

Accident

I’ve been in a car accident, on Thursday afternoon. I was on the A4 waiting to turn right down into Fulham when a BMW went into the back of me, shunting me forward into a 4x4. I was stationary but the woman driving the BMW was moving forward slowly. Apparently her foot slipped and must have hit the accelerator because the impact was quite forceful. Her tank of a beamer and the 4x4 were virtually unscathed but my Ford Escort is a mess. Without VAT the damage is £1500. Now if we did it on insurance, they would class it as an uneconomical repair and refuse to pay up. But, she doesn’t want to go through insurance because it’s her husband’s car (they are going through a divorce) and she doesn’t want to tell him about the accident. I’ve since phoned her and she’s happy to write a cheque, which means I get to save Peggy. And believe me I would have to spend a lot more than she is worth on paper to get such a reliable car with so little mileage so I really, really want to save her. Plus, and I do realised some people would think this is sentimental nonsense, but she is like our chariot – we’ve been all over the country; literally up mountain and down dale, and she’s never let us down.

I’m ok. I drove home without incident although I was very shook up. My back is a little sore; I probably have some minor soft tissue damage. My neck is ok though, but my left knee is sore. Driving an automatic my leg is often bent (because my foot doesn’t need to be on a pedal) and so it took a lot of impact.

I can’t deny I’m really angry at this woman. Which is not helpful because accidents do happen; she was upset and apologised and gave me her details and seems to be prepared to put right the damage, but still. She drives away without a scratch and my car is a mess and she caused the accident. And that really fucking sucks.

Despite it all, we did go round to Slightly’s for dinner later that evening and actually had a really lovely time.

We’re having a do-nothing weekend. We’ve just taken Pluto and his best mate Charlie down to the woods, and now we’re going to have lunch in the garden. Later we’re going to have some cold beers and a bar-b-q… which after the last couple of days is exactly what I need!

Cox and Mills, like garlic and bread... it's the future

By the way, Radio 1 is currently ticking my box… Scott Mills in the morning instead of that buffoon Moyles and Sarah Cox in the afternoon. Brilliant. My commute is a hundred times better. Mills and Cox are the two bestest DJ’s anyway and v. funny, but having them both in my car when I need them is a real treat. Well done Radio 1 for sort of restoring my faith in you – although clearly until you slap yourselves around the face and admit that the word gay as an insult is just wrong, I can’t forgive you totally...

When the banks rob us...

I’m two croissants and a hot cross bun to the good and am on my second cup of coffee so really I have all the fuel I need for a full morning’s work. I also feel quite chipper because tomorrow is my home work day and it means I can have a lay in and work in my PJs.

Here’s a question for you (and I really do want to know the answer, it’s not rhetorical!) why when banks are being sued or at least challenged over bank charges and having to pay out large sums – my friend got £3500 and made a film! – do they continue to charge exorbitant fees? I have chosen to not have an overdraft facility and to be fair nine times out of ten I don’t need one. However, yesterday was that one time out of ten. In the gap between money going out and money coming in, I was just short (43p in case you’re interested) of covering a DD, so they have charged me £19.50. I fully intend to challenge my bank over this and other charges, as many others have before me, so why are they just storing up trouble by not acting to reduce fees to reflect the actual costs?

Answers on a paying in slip…

Tonight we’re off to Slightly’s for dinner. Pluto, who has a lot of love to give and is on a mission to make sure everyone gets their fare share, thought Slightly’s other half was quite lovely the first time they met so that should be a joyous reunion… for Pluto at least!

We’re doing dessert. I think when people say that, it means they will have cooked something, I however, will be going to a well known supermarket to buy something gorgeous and yummy.

Anyway, I have things to do and the coffee is starting to wear off…

Dogs vs. humans

Morning fans, well we had a lovely evening yesterday. Two friends came around for dinner and we had delicious veggie wraps and then elaborate cream and fresh fruit tarts, yum! This morning I decided to set the alarm half an hour later than normal and take my time walking the pooch. He met practically all his friends in the park. At one stage he was playing with six other dogs… I love it when he gets to interact with other dogs. Sometimes, if we’re very early or very late going on a walk we meet no other canine chums and I think it must be like us going into work and not meeting another human being and only being surrounded by dogs with whom we can’t really communicate. Actually that sounds like my idea of heaven. I much prefer the company of animals to humans who can be difficult and demanding. And somehow, I’ve always thought a smelly dog or a dog that eats really noisily is far less offensive than a human that does the same.

Anyway, enough about my peculiarities, I’ve been working on a wedding information booklet which has been fun; accommodation, travel, things to do, info about the ceremony… it will be included with the formal invites which should hopefully be sent out soon. We sent out a ‘heads-up’ email a week ago with the venue, time and date because a lot of our friends travel abroad for business and the like, and we wanted to give them as much notice as possible so they can make sure they can be there. I’m very excited and would quite happily just work on wedding stuff, that said, back in the real world, I have ‘we-pay-you-to-do-this’ work piling up so I need to vamoose…

What a strange word vamoose is? Apparently, it’s from the Latin vadere to go, walk rapidly…