Good grief, a week since I blogged.

And I can’t really think of anything noteworthy to blog about - bit different to last year, eh?!

Nope, aside from putting the heating back on (only for an hour in the morning and two hours in the evening), and coming third in the pub quiz on Sunday, my life is pleasantly quiet right now.

The holiday is back on! - TC have managed to rebook the flights, and amazingly :

Same airport
Same day
And to within 5 minutes - yes, FIVE MINUTES - same times!!!

We are incredibly lucky - there are many holidaymakers who have been flown out of one airport and returned to another. I think because our holiday was still a good 7+ weeks away when XL folded TC have had time to make “proper” new arrangements.

So yay, and woo hoo and OMG just five and a half weeks to go!!

Is that enough time for my poor scalded boob to heal?

…or the day the hot water bottle bit back…

OWWWWW!!!!!!!

(right boob for anyone who wants more anatomical detail)

The concept of Rip Off Britain is alive and well, and currently residing at a well known low price airline (not the orange one or the Irish one).

I’m off to see some friends in Scotland in December, and booked my flight today. After some uproar not too long ago about low fare airlines not detailing taxes at the outset, I was very pleased to find a return flight for a few pence over £42. But then came the extras…£24 to check in 1 bag at the airport and another £7 - yes, £7 - because I don’t have one of their credit cards. Outrageous!!!

The good news is that we are now at Sunday evening and nothing else untoward (unless you count losing some ebay bids) has happened. The jinx may just have been broken…

Chris’ Dorset Groundhop has always been the third weekend in September. For the last 3 years (since he moved up here in fact) this weekend has had a serious jinx.

2005 - Titch went seriously downhill and *that* decision had to be made

2006 - Mum collapsed in her flat and was unable to put any weight on one leg. She ended up in hospital for 10 days

2007 - Mum & hospital again. Planned this time, but I knew which weekend it’d end up being

So I’m feeling more than a little twitchy about this weekend this year. And I’ve told Chris in no uncertain terms that if something does happen this year, then the date of the 2009 hop gets changed.

For a name for the newly merging HBOS and Lloyds TSB.

Best I can come up with so far is Los Lobos, but I’m sure you can do much better!

Seriously, it’s a bit worrying isn’t it? Their customers will almost certainly now be the safest in the country, but who is going to be the next corporate victim?

We may “have nothing to fear except fear itself” but the fear is pretty scary

Wearing a phial containing your husband’s blood around your neck? Pah, old hat. I’ve walked round my home town with a bottle of my husband’s pee in my pocket.

Perhaps I ought to elaborate. Chris has had a bad back for a few weeks, wasn’t too concerned, just thought he’d slept awkwardly as he sometimes does, and it was taking a bit longer than usual to sort itself out. However, things got a bit worse over the weekend, and despite an A+ massage from one of the Bogofs at their party, got into a spot of bother at 5.30 this morning when his back just went into spasm.

It’s quite alarming to be woken up by one’s spouse’s agonised yelps, and to find him on all fours on the bedroom floor, pretty much immobile, so I did the only sensible thing and rang the on call doctor service. Their nurse asked me some questions - “other than being in pain, is he responding to you normally” - “yes, if you include fuckfuckfuckfuck in the definition of normality” - then they spoke to Chris himself.The doc came round within the hour (most impressive), ruled out a slipped disc and prescribed a hefty cocktail of painkillers. Alongwith the routine blood pressure checks, she also tested his urine, which had to be taken to our GP’s surgery, hence sample in my pocket this morning.

I wasn’t too keen leaving Chris on his own today, as doc had said it could take 24 hours for the meds to kick in properly, so a quick phone call to work secured a swap from Wednesday for my day off, then Chris tried to catch up on some sleep whilst I pottered. The day has been a gentle mix of getting some odd jobs done, babysitting whilst Chris had a shower, and helping him put his underpants on.

As Chris commented, s’what marriage is all about

We booked with Thomas Cook - but the flights are with XL…

Should get a call within the week advising us of our options.

Fek.

I just won my first item on Ebay!!!!!!!

Woo hoo!

Pickle is a therapy cat!

The Home that Mum’s in organises regular in house entertainment and events, and one such event is Harley, a beautiful long haired dachshund. She makes a fuss of all the residents, and they make a fuss of her. So, I got to thinking - Pickle could do the same. She’s very gregarious, as those who have met her will agree, and isn’t too phased by new people or trips to the vet, so based on that, I suggested a Pickle visit to the Home, and they agreed.

This afternoon was Pickle’s first such outing, as whilst she wasn’t quite as bouncy as I had expected, and ignored all the toys I’d taken with me (typical!), she was quite happy, and allowed the residents to make a fuss of her, rubbing round their ankles and purring. Having gone so well, this will now hopefully be a regular thing. Go Pickle!

I’ve had a paypal account for a month or so now, and have started dabbling on ebay. I’ve bought a couple of things, and this evening, prompted by m’buddy SJT down on the south coast, trawled for some holiday clothing ideas (well, I haven’t lost enough weight to fit back into the stuff I’ve got, and am skint!) - and I’ve discovered feedback!! Apparently I’m a nice buyer!!

*can visualise several heads shaking sadly and agreeing how tragic & rubbish I am*

Had regular check up with the Doc today, took the opportunity to ask about a knuckle which has been giving me some aggro over the last few months.

Someone tell me rheumatism isn’t a sign of old age…

No, not a nesh (northern speak for wimpy) blog about the advent of a rainy and chilly September - today, I quite literally froze my bits off. Or rather, had them frozen off for me.

I had an appointment with Dermatology at the local hospital for my - well, I call it a blood mole, it’s real name is apparently a cherry anginoma - because it’s been getting very annoying (not too mentionmessy) of late. My notes were picked up on by a teaching doctor, and I agreed to have three 4th year students sit in on my examination. Apparently I have a very interesting back, nothing sinister, but lots of examples of normal stuff!! Anyway, said doctor noticed a couple of moles with stalky type bits, and offered to freeze them off - and the rest, as they say, is history.

I’m back next week to lose my cherry…