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Our Kitchen - Part 4 & Illness
Posted Feb 27, 2005
27 Feb 2005
My husband is ill & I am still (diabetes seems to elongate any illness I have - always has done!) We're doing all we can to keep warm & fed.
Kitchen is a no-go area at present & we're just about managing to work around the boxes - I have absolutely no thoughts on housework 
- as Quentin Crisp once said: Dust gets to a certain thickness & then stops 
Therefore, when this nightmare is over, we shall then have a super springclean 
& 
a NEW kitchen 
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Latest reply: Feb 27, 2005
Our Kitchen - Part 3
Posted Feb 27, 2005
24 Feb 2005
I'm ill - cold or flu? Not sure - crawling out of bed when I have to 
- pain behind my eyes - cough that I had with a virus before Christmas is back (you know, the throat that keeps tickling)
I've had to leave my poor husband - aah!
- to deal with everything. I am being helpful in keeping the 
upstairs, out of the way & not barking at everything 
The first to arrive was the gas man, who has come to extend the gas pipe around the kitchen to where the cooker will be - WHEN it arrives. He was here for around 3 minutes when the kitchen delivery arrived. I listened to each thump & thud & just hoped the hallway hadn't been demolished & nothing was broken. I buried my head under the covers & so did the
My husband came upstairs later with the post. The estimate from the electrician had arrived 
- that much? - just for one wall extractor fan, socket for cooker extractor, socket for cooker 
He said: "time for lunch" with a 
on his face.
I tested - sugar had risen badly - jabbed accordingly - threw on my warmest dressing gown & crawled downstairs ... ... where's my computer, where's the TV? All I could see was a mountain of boxes.
We rang the electrician asking when could he come - "ring us on Monday as we have to order a few things" 
My husband doesn't feel too good.
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Latest reply: Feb 27, 2005
Family Visit & ?
Posted Feb 27, 2005
22 Feb 2005
Last Sunday we visited my husband's son & family. We hadn't seen his grandsons for a few weeks & also needed a break from "the kitchen". They're getting ready for major renovations to their property & have just had a container installed on a spare bit of land to put all their furniture, etc., when the time arrives!
The elder boy, now 2yrs4mths, was not at all well, but kept fairly cheerful & we all took turns mopping his nose 
- he is such a loving little boy & always gives us big cuddles - growing fast The baby is a cutie - as they all are
Today, I woke with a really sore throat 
Husband has gone to the Norfolk coast yesterday to take delivery of some furniture today. I have threatened him with complete & utter pain if he gets snowed in there & can't get back to take delivery of the kitchen here on Thursday 
All OK, he's back this afternoon
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Latest reply: Feb 27, 2005
Our Kitchen - Part 2
Posted Feb 27, 2005
(Part 1 being "Pancake Day")
17 Feb 2005
The previous week we realised we needed the extractor fan for the cooker to arrive alot earlier than the kitchen units to enable us to get it wired in & the surround boarded & plastered before the rest of the kitchen could be sorted So I rang the store on Mon 7th: they wouldn't do a "split" delivery, so I cancelled the fan from them, having first secured a delivery from someone else. It was delivered the Thursday 10th
We spent the following weekend altering the placement of battens on the chimney brickwork, again & again ... & again, to enable us to "hook" the extractor fan on 2 rather small "clips", which had to be fixed onto the battens, which in turn had to be fixed to the remaining part of the chimney brickwork to an EXACT measurement apart - if you can follow that. Success
Today the electrician called: "What load does the cooker use?" 
We looked in the glossy pamphlet, which had all the specs of the cooker we are getting - no mention. I rang the manufacturer - impressively, they knew the answer immediately - 7.5kw 
The electrician said "Hmm, it'll need it's own circuit - I see you have 3 boards already - rules now say you can only have one, so I'll have to transfer the 3 boards onto 1 & do the wiring for the cooker - have to go under your floorboards upstairs". I looked at my other half, he looked at me, we turned to the elec. & said together "No!"
We've only recently finished getting new carpets laid upstairs, plus the fact alot of kitchen stuff is upstairs. So I phoned the store & asked if we could change the cooker from a dual fuel to a gas cooker . They said there was no problem, but the delivery date would be a little later than the rest of the kitchen ... 22nd March
Questions: Why didn't the pamphlet have this important info in the spec? Why didn't the store know about the elec load & check we would be OK? Should WE have thought about it first?
Ah well, we can put up with another month of m/wave food, takeaways & occasional snacks out 
After lunch, having calmed down a little, I rang the gas fitter. I got through to him first time on his mobile, began explaining what the job entailed & he interrupted by saying he was on holiday. I said back along the lines of "Sorry, I'll phone you when you get back". However, he said it was alright as he was waiting for a ski lift 
. Thinking quickly (a change for me) I asked where he was ... Andorra. I hurried the conversation & said I would ring on Monday. I now await my phone bill
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Latest reply: Feb 27, 2005
My Proudest Day
Posted Feb 17, 2005
16 Feb 2005
It REALLY was! We drove to my daughter & her husband on Tuesday - stayed the night - got up at 6.30am the following day (temp was -3C 
). They hired a car as their old one has nearly croaked .
Then we drove to Bristol University. There she was officially awarded her Doctorate of Philosophy. She looked great dressed in a scarlet gown with dark violet in the facings, sleeves & hood linings. 
No cap or hat though - apparently this uni. doesn't have those as part of their ceremonial garb for doctorates.
The Chancellor of the Uni. was a diminutive woman (The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Hale of Richmond) - obviously small in stature, but large on intellect
Liz said she was really nervous & 
, but when the Chancellor's hands enclosed hers, then she really smiled - I reckon it had all come to a head &, at last, Liz was happy
We drove to Cirencester for a quick lunch & then back home - all feeling happy &
To those of you that have already got great qualifications - can you remember the feeling? To those whose children have managed to get them - can you remember the great feeling of pride? Finally to those of you who haven't, like myself, do you feel thankful that some are able to get them & go on to improve our lives, but at the same time realise that WE have completely different qualifications that are equally valuable in their own way - life experience
I have written this in my journal here as I never want to forget the years of encouragement I gave her, support, etc. Her father & I split when she was 9 months old, her father never contacted her again from the age of 4. It has been just the two of us until she was 16&half & I had to give up work when she was just 11 - so finances were very tight. I moved to buy a house for us so mortgage & bills were around
Liz had her thyroid gland removed half way through her GCSE's (she was 15) & has a stutter (like myself). The teachers at her school tried to dissuade her from taking 4 A-levels, but she ignored them and gained the first A grade in Biology at that school & passed Chemistry, Physics & Maths at B grade. She did alot of study away from school, once she found the syllabus.
She worked at a supermarket during all uni holidays & didn't get into alot of debt. She gained a 1st class degree from Uni. and went onto to do a Phd in vaccine research. All in all, she worked extremely hard and I REALLY hope she reaps some benefit from it all for herself.
By the by - she isn't what is termed a "swot" either - can drink with the best of them (just like her ma)
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Latest reply: Feb 17, 2005
Shirps
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