Journal Entries
A wet Saturday
Posted Apr 30, 2005
Had hoped to beat some of the garden into submission today but the very wet weather has put paid to that.
Got a quote for the dent in the car today - not as bad as I dreaded. The garage thought I should do it on the insurance, but as I have a high excess (to bring the insurance cost down, not because I'm that difficult to insure) I'm not convinced. Will think about it.
Also went into town to get money out of the building society to pay for the kitchen, gulp. Managed to find some light fittings for the kitchen in BHS. My mother always goes on about BHS being good for lighting and, as is often the way with mothers, she's right.
The shower is finished, yippee, so I've spent most of the afternoon cleaning the bathroom. So much dust. I tried out the shower this morning - a lot quicker than the bath. Think they've set the thermostat control a bit low - I know I can get hotter water than I got (not that it was too cold, it's just I know it could be hotter). The instructions for resetting it don't look too bad so I might give it a go myself.
Off round to a friends for the evening in a bit. Apparently we're having salmon in filo pastry - she's in a cooking mood! Staying over so that I can have a couple (or more) glasses of wine.
On the way in to town this morning I noticed a stretch of Kirkstall Road roped off with police tape and several policemen standing around. Having looked on the West Yorkshire bit of the BBC news it seems a 17 year old, on his way home with friends was the victim of an unprovoked attacked by a group of teenagers who chased him and beat him up with a lump of wood. He's in a critical condition in the LGI. It just seems so senseless. Cannot begin to imagine what makes people do such things.
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Latest reply: Apr 30, 2005
Painting progress
Posted Apr 27, 2005
Came home tonight to find some of the Barley White is now on the walls. Funny how the same colour can look a different colour depending on where it is. It's quite a dark cream next to the wood panels and a lot paler by the window and stone wall. However I am pleased with the colour. Hopefully they'll be finished by the end of the week.
The house feels a bit strange as I've spent the last 2 evenings stripping downstairs of all ornaments and pictures (to protect them from the decorator). In addition the bathroom is an ongoing disaster area as the shower continues to progress extremely slowly....
Oh well, worse is to come next week when they start fitting the new kitchen. It will be worth is when it's all done (I keep telling myself). I've been in this house over 4 years and have been planning a new kitchen since day 1 so it will be very very satisfying to finally get there.
Just wish I hadn't timed it to co-incide with starting the new job at work. Totally exhausted from the combination.
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Latest reply: Apr 27, 2005
Anniversaries
Posted Apr 24, 2005
Today is the second anniversary of my father's death. I find that strange to write as I still, in many ways, don't really believe that he's gone.
I haven't thought about him much today - mainly because I've been very busy being away with friends for the weekend, and then getting home to try and get sorted out for the week (and then discovering what appears to be serious blood on the carpet in ML). Last year I was away as well - with the same friends as the youngest child of one of them was being christened (I was one of the godmothers). I didn't tell my friends what today was, this year or last. Mainly because I knew the date for the christening couldn't be moved and I didn't want my friends to feel bad about it or to fuss about me (really couldn't cope with that). Last year was the same in that I dreaded the anniversary but in the end was fine. The run up to the day has been worse - I've been a lot more tearful than usual - and with hindsight is why I was probably not coping very well with minor problems.
However sometimes completely out of the blue something will catch me and I will suddenly be in floods of tears, missing my dad more than I can say. Totally unpredictable, and rarely around the anniversaries that people often expect to be bad (today, birthdays etc). All sorts of things can catch me, even 2 years later and it can feel as raw as ever. I still so wish I'd had the chance to say goodbye.
Anyway here's to my dad, taken far too soon, and much missed.
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Latest reply: Apr 24, 2005
Barley White
Posted Apr 21, 2005
Have made a decision on which shade of cream for the paint - barley white it is (no idea why it's called barley, instead of e.g. oat white or wheat white - though I suppose barley white sounds more attractive maybe).
Long day at work, trying to make various results look like a positive trend on a graph instead of a mountain range.. virtually impossible, however adding the results for the same period last year did at least show some improvement. Then obliged to go to the pub for a team get together for a meal. Not as bad as it sounds but I really just wanted to come home instead of making conversation with people I already spend all day with. Also ate too much as a birthday cake was produced for one of my colleagues - and it was very clear that saying no would not have been acceptable..
Should be packing as I'm off to Center Parcs for the weekend. Looking forward to this - 4 of us going, who rarely manage to get together nowadays. The other 3 are abandoning 7 small children between them so a lazy weekend is planned. My only concern is that sometimes when I meet several friends, all of whom have children, I (childless) can be excluded from the conversation. I have no problems with one to one meetings with any of them, and quite happily chat about their children (whom I'm very fond of) and discuss issues such as schooling etc, but sometimes, when there's a group, I can find I am no longer allowed to be part of the conversation. Very annoying (and sometimes quite hurtful). Also I occasionally would like to chat about something else....
Sure it will be fine though, as long as I remember to pack the gin (and tea towels etc that somehow I'm responsible for bringing!
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Latest reply: Apr 21, 2005
A fed up first diary entry
Posted Apr 20, 2005
Finally get round to writing something in this journal... and it's a moan.
First week in new job (same place, very different responsibilities), still doing some of old job. Don't know which way is up, let alone whether I'm coming or going. New job is interesting but I can see I will have no life for the next few months.
New job came up very suddenly and in the way these things work it's just at the same time that I'm having quite a lot of work done on the house.
But all is managable - and then this afternoon I go to a meeting on another site with someone I will have to work closely with. It turns out she has travelled to my office (10 miles away) - so I turn round and travel back. I know it wasn't me who had the wrong location...
I had had a cunning plan that being on the other site I could call into B&Q to get more tester pots of paint since the decorator has moved his schedule forward (all his other work is outside and it's still raining) and wants to know what paint I've chosen. Only now I'm in the wrong office. OK I think, I'll still goto B&Q, not far out of the way, only I forget and come off the motorway at my normal place, traffic horrendous (maybe related to a certain T Blair visiting?).
Remember my film (including pictures from Cromford) will be ready so abandoning B&Q, call in at Boots to collect photos - but even though they should be ready, they of course aren't.
Still detirmined to achieve something I decide to call in at home and have a go at chosing which paint pots I want to buy before heading to Homebase. Arrive home, very excited to see mini skip has appeared in the drive, thinking this means lots of work has been done. Inspection of house reveals this not to be the case..... (but there is still a lot more dust everywhere),
So jump in car to go to Homebase for paint pots, reverse car at speed in drive as I do all the time, hit mini skip lurking in corner.... lovely dent in the middle of the boot.
decide that today is not my day and drive to Homebase in tears.
still have to chose paint - from a choice of 4 shades of cream, but have lost all enthusiasm for the task. Also do not feel that today is the day to trust myself with paint...
what a whitter about nothing very much (apart from the bl**dy car) but just an accumulation of little things when I'm too tired to rise above it all,
hebe
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Latest reply: Apr 20, 2005
Hebe
Researcher U1477254
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