Happy New year

I have lost my voice. I haven't been able to speak since Saturday. I HATE not being able to talk. Its boring.
As I haven't been able to talk I've been thinking instead. (I know you should be able to think and talk at the same time. I normally talk and then think...) I've been thinking about pivotal moments in my life. The things that have made me the person I am today.

1. Going to a senior school where I didn't know any one at all. V.scary at the time but it taught me to rely on myself and to make the effort to make friends.

2. Manipulative boyfriends taught me not to believe everything some one tells you. And to trust my gut instinct. Let their actions tell you what they are really saying.

3. Travelling the world - that there is no place like home. And for many travelling doesn't broaden the mind, it confirms their prejudices.

4. Not having children. For the first time in my life I didn't get something that I really wanted.It made me look deep inside myself. I think this more than anything made me grow up.

5.Finally getting my maths O level on the 4th attempt. Application is more important than talent.


My New Years Eve will be rather subdued. In fact I don't think I'll be staying up till Midnight - but I hope you,dear reader, have a rollicking good time!

The Spark has gone

Came home last night, feeling cold-y. Sore throat and losing my voice (think of it as a belated Christmas present Steve) and sneezing. And there was a blumen power cut, from 6 in the evening to 6 this morning. Without electricity the house seemed dead. We went to bed about 9 as I was feeling pretty tired anyway but neither of us could really relax until power was restored. I was worrying about the tropical fish - no air pump and no heating thingy working. I was gagging for a cup of tea as well.
I love electricity I do.

Christmas

If my Nan was still alive she would be 109 years old today. Happy birthday Nanny Sarah!
We went over Mum's for Christmas lunch. The food was all so delish we all got quite worn out eating it all. In the evening we ate cheese and biscuits and pickled onions. The air was a bit ripe. We watched To the manor Born for all time's sake - but it wasn't funny. At all.
We went to Church Christmas Eve- the only time of year we go to church. I don't know if I believe in God but I need to sing a few carols, say some prayers in a freezing cold Church otherwise Christmas may as well be Winterval.

Another bloggy quiz...

Your Christmas Sprit Level: 55%

You have a lot of Christmas spirit, and it's evident to most people who know you. You love most things Christmas, and you do your best to make sure everyone has a great holiday. While you like the more commercial aspects of Christmas, you truly know what the spirit of Christmas is about. You're all about giving, being kind, and sharing the spirit of Christmas with everyone you know.

Do You Have the Christmas Spirit?

I'm really rather good aren't I?

Basildon Dan

I suggest you might want to peak at this. Obviously a man of good taste....and no I haven't paid him or (threaten to)shagged him!

Stuff

I've just read "A Long Way Down" By Nick Hornby. It is about four people that meet on the roof of a tower block intending to jump off. One of them, Maureen is a single mother with a disabled son. Every one else can see why she would want to kill herself. Now, I won't give away any endings (for a change!) but I've been thinking about this disabled son, Matty. We're not told what is wrong with Matty (or if we were I missed that bit.)but he is in a wheelchair , needs help breathing, incontinent, unable to talk and maybe unable to hear. It is underlined that anyone could take care of Matty, when he goes to the respite home he is not scared, doesn't miss his Mum, he is ok. It could well be that Matty doesn't even notice that he has moved. And I thought as I was reading , well that's not so bad is it? Its not as if he is miserable, confused , scared, frustrated. He can't move so you don't have to worry that he will wander off or hurt himself. You don't have to worry about him being violent. He won't bore you by talking about the same thing. Matty seemed a bit Disney-fied to me.

Electric toothbrush RIP

My electric tooth brush died last night. I was sitting on the loo seat cleaning my teeth and it just stopped. I couldn't (and more importantly Steve) couldn't revive it. I don't think it ever really recovered when I dropped it a few months ago and Steve had to mend it with masking tape. I've had the tooth brush for 8 years so it did have a good innings. I used a manual tooth brush today, but it wasn't the same. Although it may help my bingo wings if I remember to use alternate arms. After Christmas I'll get a new one. I'm not going into town the Saturday before Christmas. Oh no.

Well I never

On the walk to work I was thinking about things I've done that I thought I would never do. Its ok folks - its clean stuff- what sort of girl do you think I am?

Getting the nerve to do the Creative Writing courses.
Being artificially inseminated. ( I think they must have used water.)
Staying at the Royal Brompton's visitors' quarters.
Working in London again.
Backpacking.
Calling an ambulance because my (ex) boyfriend had slashed his wrists.
Getting married.
Giving up eating fish.
Keeping a blog.

Thursday

Its cold, work is busy and we're tired. Lets get a takeaway. Only they get the order wrong - instead of vegetable rice we get a meat dish. that's right - MEAT has made its way into Robbo World. Don't they know RobboWorld is a meat free zone? Steve rings the Chinese - only to get an earful about how we owe then money for the meat!!!!! Steaming Steve takes the meat dish back and the £1 we allegedly owe them. No one is in the takeaway when he goes in ( I think they're hiding under the counter.)and he leaves it on the counter top. I'd rather given the stuff to Tom but Steve is more principled than me.
Steve ended up eating biscuits and i had a packet of crisps. Ho hum.

Tuesday.

I've had to move the title of my blog over there -> as I noticed my little birds picture was all getting squashed.
Tesco shop is being delivered this Saturday..everytime I go near the computer I slightly amend the order.

Nuts

Today we (Angela's family, Mum and Dad , me and Steve) went to a restaurant for lunch. Angela's lot are going over to Ireland for Christmas so this was our family Christmas lunch. Angela had booked it a month ago and explained about Joe's nut allergy. The restaurant said it wouldn't be a problem. Why then was Joe in tears, Angela had to insist on speaking to the Chef and the Chef was under the illusion that one of us had a Gluten free diet? I could excuse if we hadn't warned then when we booked the meal. If it was going to be a problem for them they shouldn't have taken the booking. Mark if you're reading this ( and if not why not!)is America more geared up for nut allergy sufferers?

Fed up.

I'm fed up. I've just been reading a blog (I'm so fed up I'm not going to link to it) where the writer states she can't bear people referring to their pets as their children. After all children are a lot more work/more rewarding than pets etc etc. WE ARE ALL KNOW THAT YOU STUPID WOMAN but some of us have to go to plan B. I wish I had the luxury as being as sensitive as her.

The look of love.

What I'm going to tell you is true and hasn't been exaggerated for comic effect.

Yesterday Steve and I were sitting on our big green settee. Steve was doing stuff with his phone and I was looking at him. I was thinking how much I loved him. How well he had looked after me when I was poordy. Of all the things we had been through together. How I couldn't imagine my life with out him. Steve looked over to me and said: Stop looking at me you weirdo.

Monday

Lewis came second (again) ...and it was good to see boxing so well represented.

When I go to work in the morning I sit in the same seat. A bloke gets on further down the line and sits next to me. We never acknowledge each other. I even wonder if he realises that he sits next to the same woman. Commuting is weird.

Yah ! Go Lewis!

I want Lewis Hamilton to win Sports Personality of the Year. The reason I want to win is because he achieved so much in his debut Grand Prix. Lewis did so well that people started to take it for granted that he would win, in the same way we take for granted that Johnny Wilkinson will score a drop kick. I admired the way Lewis coped with all the in fighting.

Be careful of what you wish for...

I've been moaning about how I never get to see our home in day light during the week. Well this Thursday and Friday I got my wish. I wake up about 5.30 each morning and lie there for 15 minutes waiting for the alarm to go off. Off went the alarm, I sat up and stretched -and ping! my neck went. A shooting pain from my chin to my shoulder. It was agony bending over to put the plug in the bath but I kept thinking the pain would go and I can't call in sick over this.( I hate having sick days as it just causes more work for your colleagues. Also I haven't been at that job long and I don't want them to think that they can't rely on me.) When I tried to wash my hair and couldn't lift my arm I realised that it wasn't getting any better. Steve had to ring work for me because I couldn't hold a phone to my ear. Reader, I was crippled. Steve took me over to my parents because he didn't want to leave his crippled wife home alone. I even needed help getting up from a chair. My parents did a good job looking after their elderly child. I went to the Doctor who advised it was a muscle spasm.(Angela had something similar years ago and it turned out to be a sinus infection.) I used industrial quanties of Deep Heat. When I woke up Friday it still really hurt- the pain started to go about 7 Friday evening. I've just got a niggle now, still using the Deep Heart but leaving off the Nurofen.
The moral of this story - be very careful what you moan about.

Dinner for one

Steve is out tonight, going to a works meal. So I'm cooking for myself tonight. It is hard to summon up the energy to do anything, after all I'll have to do the washing up as well. I'm cooking wedges and melted cheese. Tasty but not exactly the healthiest meal. Perhaps if I lived alone I'd treat myself to a dish washer and buy loads of crockery.

BTW I looked at the Echo on line tonight and was amazed to see Steve had commented on one of the forums. He kept that quiet...

Tuesday

Anton Rodgers died this week. I used to love May to December and enjoyed watching the repeats on UK Gold.When Angela worked in the city, one of the girls she worked with was nick named Hilary. Anton Rodgers was one of those actors that was always good in what was in and lifted the programme.

Tesco Time

I've booked my Tesco delivery slot for 22nd December. Getting our Christmas shop delivered is becoming a Robbo Christmas tradition. It really does make life a lot easier and gives us more time. If you're thinking of booking a slot for Christmas, get a move on as there weren't many spaces available.
I put up the Christmas decorations yesterday, ignoring Mr Robbo's comments as to if it was too early. If I thought it was too early I wouldn't be doing it would I? We haven't got that many decorations anyway. Sharon and Tom came over last night and Sharon has put up all her decorations and they have got TWO Christmas trees. We've only got a little tree because we don't trust Tom not to pee up a proper sized tree.

Hair

I was thinking about hair and religion. How women's hair is seen as distracting to men and should be covered up : veils, habits and wigs. But I've never noticed any men focusing on my hair instead of my face when I'm talking to them. Or men in dirty rain coats hanging outside hairdressers.