For My Wife...

Happy 40th Birthday to my wonderful wife! 

Thanks for putting up with me and I love you very much xxx

It's the thought that counts...

... though I do ask myself what this person was thinking

My wife received this today for her Birthday later this month. I told her it would be back luck if she opened a gift early - and it was as this has to be one of the most hideous things I have ever seen!

Happy Birthday Son

An early start again today. My son is six years old and another stack of presents were waiting for him in the lounge this morning. I love to see him excited. He reminds me so much of myself when I was his age.

Twin rotor heavy-lift helicopter with drive on/drive off tail

Police Station with prison cells, dog kennel, garages and offices

This year he has received a lot of Lego and my wife and I have just finished building a police station and twin rotor helicopter. I'm just hoping he manages to keep it all in one piece! In an ever changing world, Lego remains one of the few constants where its quality can be guaranteed. It seems there is nothing that cannot be modelled or replicated by Lego and I am in awe as to how the creators manage to produce such easy to follow instructions and intricate facsimiles of the things around us.

The huge number of cards he has received is testament to how much he is loved and adored by his family, Godparents and relatives. My sister has once again produced some unique and inspirational cards, all of which would be the envy of Hallmark and other greetings industry favorites. His nanny and granddad on my wife's side called in again earlier today to wish him a Happy Birthday and to see his many presents and cards, which was nice. His aunt and uncle are due to visit this evening

It is difficult to believe that my son is already six years old. It seems like only yesterday that we were at QE Hospital in Kings Lynn, both exhausted following a 48 hour labour. He has grown up so fast since then and I'm constantly amazed at the speed at which he is developing.
His chicken pox doesn't seem to be affecting him too much though he has started to itch a little in places. I suppose it's just as well he's caught it now and hopefully it will be gone in a few more days.

There was a little excitement earlier today when my colleague called me to say that she'd had an accident on the way to a meeting of our group. It happened as she neared the river in Spalding and from what she has described to me, it seems she may have blacked-out and hit a parked car, causing he car to turn on its side. Thankfully she is OK apart from some scratches and bruises and very lucky. I've yet to speak with her at any length and I expect she is still very shaken from the ordeal, but I will call tomorrow to see how she is.
I am reminded that I need to complete the record of our members' contact details, in case of events such as this. It is very important to be able to contact people in emergencies particularly if we have to postpone or cancel meetings.

My wife's return to work tomorrow reminds me that this is a all but a temporary period of fun and relaxation. There are many who despite the break still need their hair maintaining and styled. New Year parties will produce a final surge in demand over the coming days and my wife and her colleagues will frantically try to squeeze in as many perms, blue rinses and highlights as they can on New Year's Eve.
My 'return to normal' will occur New Year's Day, where we have a group meeting for a couple of hours in the morning. It will be nice to see everyone once more and hear how Christmas was for them.

I did manage to contact the people responsible for paying my volunteer expenses and I informed them I had been overpaid. They praised my honesty and pointed out that I should have been paid more than the amount I was expecting, which was nice. They have asked me to pay back the overpayment which of course I will do... in due course.

Praise for the 111 Service

At 1am last night, I found myself dialling 111 for my wife who had taken ill with severe abdominal pains. Ironically, I had earlier watched Channel 4's '999 - What's Your Emergency'. I was immediately put in touch with a trained and professional operative who talked me through basic checks. They dispatched a Paramedic who arrived in a few minutes preceded by a First Response unit from our local town of Long Sutton. The response was nothing short of instant and the care we received was simply first class.
It was decided that my wife should attend hospital and an ambulance was requested by the Paramedic, but she was told there would have been a wait for one to become available. Instead of waiting, the Paramedic drove my wife to QE II Hospital, King's Lynn where she was treated.
Although the exact cause for the pain hasn't been established, my wife does have pain reducing medication and antibiotics. These are helping though we will need reassess her condition at the weekend.
We live in what I would consider to be a fairly remote location on the edge of the Wash. Despite this, we were attended to within minutes by well-equipped and highly professional personnel.
A huge thanks to the emergency response teams of Long Sutton and Moulton Chapel! I appreciate it.

Forced to rationalise, job update and other stuff

A few days since my last post and a lot happening in the news. As I type this, the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime seems to be entering its final stage and there is speculation the rebels have him surrounded in Tripoli.

Back down to earth and I've decided to focus my attention on growing herbs, tomatoes, onions, peas and beans. Most of what I've tried to grown in the ground has been eaten and I'm tired of trying to keep my vegetable plot pest free. Everything I'm growing under cover in my conservatory is doing very well including most of what I'm growing in pots on my patio. So these are the methods I'll employ for all my growing. It's so much simpler and more especially, productive.

I will endeavour to grow some vegetables - potatoes and carrots especially, but I'll use grow bags which I know to be a very good method.

Of the herbs I'm currently growing, rocket and coriander are the most popular and abundant. In fact, I've been adding rocket to just about everything I can. It has a mild, peppery flavour.
My tomato plants are beginning to bear fruit, lots of it. They are quite small at the moment but I'm certainly going to have a good crop. I'm keen to get another plant going as soon as I can so I can stagger my tomato production. I'm very fond of tomatoes and I know it won't take me long to eat them!

Still no word from my new employer but I'm hopeful I will hear something in the next few days especially if they want me to start at the beginning of September. I signed-off on Monday last which was a great feeling. I'm no longer slave to the Job Centre!

The TV news (especially from Sky) is getting more exciting by the hour. Their correspondents are really placing themselves in amidst the action and I'd be amazed if awards aren't won. I'd be very surprised if there isn't a major development in the next few hours. The coverage has been excellent and is testament to the continuing developments in technology and the portability of news gathering. Compare this to the techniques used just 10-15 years ago.

Oh, I must mention my wife's Birthday which was yesterday. My wife isn't one for celebration - much like myself - but we did nevertheless have a very pleasant day. We popped along to Hunstanton for the afternoon, one of our favourite seaside locations. My son immediately headed for the land train and we travelled the length of the seafront including the Searle's Holiday Camp. After a few rides at the amusement arcade, we had some fantastic fish and chips, opting to eat them on the grass atop the cliffs. Weather was perfect and it all made for an excellent afternoon.