First Night Out

Last night Peter and I had our first night out since Sunshine arrived to light up our lives! My mum came and babysat for us which I think she enjoyed! Sunshine seemed to behave herself!
Anyway we went to a Murder Mystery dinner at the HautBoy in Ockham. it was in honour of one of our previous managers' 40th birthday and escape from South East Water! There were plenty of us so it was quite good fun...we weren't on the winning team, but we weren't too worried about winning (although it would have been nice!). Oh and the food was fab!
I'm not sure if you have ever been to one, but you really need to keep your eyes and ears open...and also be dead nosey with the plot characters! I think we'd go to one again but not for a little while!

An end to massacred bread in the house of Allen?

Peter moans when the butter gets massacred, and laughs when I mash the butter onto my toast so maybe this could be the answer to my problems...

Pursuading a smile...

I was trying to get Sunshine to smile for me yesterday...and this is how she responded...
Me: "Smile....!"
Sunshine:

Me: "Sunshine, smile...!" (including cheesy grin)
Sunshine:

Me: "Ah Well...."
Sunshine:

Finally Finished and Framed

It's done! This has been a work in progress since 2002...Peter bought me this cross-stitch for our 2nd wedding anniversary (Cotton) and I finally managed to finish it just after Sunshine was born - I was aiming to get it completed before she was born, but I ran out of one colour! The last couple of stitches and french knots were added a couple of weeks ago and I had it framed this week.

I was planning on hanging it in the bedroom because of the dreamcatcher motif but Peter insisted that it hould be on show in the liviing room for everyone to see!

Rainbow

It's been a while since I posted anything...I don't think I need to make any lame excuses! Anyway, when Sunshine and I got back from baby clinic today there was a fab double rainbow at the end of the road...If you look carefully you may see the second one....:-)

Tumble drier

Our tumble drier arrived today which means that washing will be done and put away fairly promptly...rather than hanging around in the 'spare' room...It also should mean that when I get a chance i'll be able to tackle the 'spare' room! :-S

Sunshines Blog

Sunshine has started a blog, but she has been so busy eating and sleeping that there is not much on it at the moment...I'm sure she'll catch up over the next few days!

Some Sunshine Snaps

Here are some snaps of Sunshine whilst we were still in the hospital...

And one of Sunshine on her favorite sleeping place...

Beauty has a name...

...and it is Sunshine Ann Joy. :)

Hoorah! She's here!

So I think that the curry must have done the trick...Peter and I have a gorgeous daughter (her name to be revealed shortly - btw we have chosen one!)...after starting regular contractions on Wednesday evening (which then subsided around bedtime) the full force of them was realised on Thursday morning...after a sleepless night and dispatching Peter to work at 830am....I decided that I'd had enough and that it was time to go to the hospital!
The midwife who helped me out for the first part of the labour was impressed that I had managed to get 4cm dilated and fully effaced before giving in! (Sorry if this is too much information). I managed to get through the labour with entonox and a shot of pethidine...
Baby Allen arrived at 1835 hrs on Thursday weighing in at 9lb 4.5oz with a head circumference of 37cm (and if that doesn't make your eyes water I don't know what will!!
All I can say now is that it's lovely to be back at home in the peace and quiet away from the wards, other peoples babies and the cleaners! Now the fun begins...

Curry...

Last night we had a curry...well Peter went for a mild biryani and I had a prawn dhansak...there's a bit left so I'll have that for my lunch today...I think I have been having a few mild contractions (probably just Braxton Hicks)...but I don't want to jinx it...could be days yet!

Ho hum...

Nothing yet...I don't think Junior has the slightest interest in coming out yet! Decided to start on the Raspberry Leaf Capsules (Thanks Katie!)
I did find out from the midwife that 2 of the other ladies in my ante-natal class have delivered though...Debbie (due last week - so on time I guess) and Sarah (who wasn't due for a few weeks yet!)...

Picture of Lucy

My brother has just sent me a picture of Lucy at 6 weeks...a very special little lady. :)

Nicola & Robs Wedding

Peter's niece, Nicola, got married today to Rob at a lovely venue near Bristol (Coombe Lodge, Blagdon). It was a lovely day (but a bit chilly) and Nicola loooked gorgeous in her dress...it's the first time many people had ever seen her in a dress...even Rob! We took a few photos after the service and they can be seen here...
One of the advantages of having a new camera meant that we could lend Jenny (another niece) one of the older ones...the photos that she took can be seen here...
The party went on 'til gone midnight...but I bailed early...the disco did sound good (from the music which permeated my sleepiness!)...

Camera shopping

Hooray for the internet...well for A J Purdy & Co tomorrow we should have our new camera! As a side note a big "Boooooooooo" for InternetDirect.co.uk (formerly InternetCamerasDirect)(I'm not going to hyperlink them)...we used them before to get our other digi-cams and they were good...but since then they've been taken over by a French company and the service and information provided was rubbish...I placed an order on the 31st August and after 3 weeks of having our money no joy. I finally managed to get the order cancelled today...
So, a big thumbs up for my new camera hero A J Purdy & Co...we even got a better package for less money!

Crafty...

This morning I made a new lampshade for the nursery...nothing too fancy just one to match the curtains...and after all it gave me something to do :)

Waddling @ Wisley

In an effort to get out of the house on a nice day for some fresh air and exercise, Peter and I went to the RHS gardens at Wisley. I'm into full waddle mode so we didn't manage to cover the full 240 acres! We found some giant 'rhubarb'...


It was a lovely day and there was a sculpture trail organised by the Surrey Sculpture Society..It cetainly made for an interesting walk around the lovely gardens. Here are some of the sculpture we quite liked:





I think we'll be making some more visits there as it's a nice relaxing place to wander...hopefully Jnr will enjoy it in the spring too :).

Yay - Pram has arrived

Hooray! After what seems like an age, Juniors travel system has arrived... I've spent most of the morning assembling and dismantling the pushchair and matrix bits...the only thing which stopped me playing was the need for food!

More playing later when Peter comes home with the car...we can practice putting the seat in and out in all the different modes :)

I'm really pleased with the co-ordinating bag as it has a built in change mat...I guess time will tell if I'm still pleased with that feature in a couple of months! :)

Nursery furniture

The nursery furniture arrived today...the nice men even took all the boxes upstairs for me :)...Something fun for Peter to do over the next couple of evenings...I may even supervise...well at least make the coffee :) Fortunately the chest of drawers is already assembled so it'll just be a matter of the cot and arranging it in the room...Now I can start thinking about washing baby clothes and sheets...

Latest bump

I thought it was about time to post another bump picture...

Bump at 18 days to go

Mr Greedy


...I think I got the titles the right way round...

Another Scan

I went for another scan today as the midwife was having problems palpating on Monday...she was a bit worried that there might not be enough amniotic fluid -although Junior could just have been being difficult and lying on top of it all...so a scan was in order...Everything was ok so we can all relax again! No picture this time though :(

Last day of work for the year

It seems to have come around quite quickly after all...Today was my last day of work for the year - it sounds a bit odd, altough I'll have a different sort of work to keep me occupied over the next six months!
As I had anticipated it was no less busy than any other work day in the last few weeks...
Tomorrow I will start my loafing and pottering whilst I wait for the impending arrival of Junior...I might even contemplate names!

I can see your house from here...

With all the mappy photo type things which Jon has blogged recently I thought that this was worth a mention! Google Earth is a really cool tool! I found my house

and work

on the aerial photos...You can even add layers to it so you can see where the roads are in colour with names and everything...and then you can make a printable map which is ss good as a road atlas ..although the only downside is that the Motorway junctions aren't labelled...but I guess you can't have everything... You can add your own places so that you can always find the aerial photo of your house (or other places which may be of interest) and do local searches for things like pizza places which are then marked on the aerial map!
Download it and have a play!

Freaky..

This morning I had a Lemonheads song stuck in my head ("Into your arms")....and when I plugged my iPod into the speakers and set it off on shuffle...what was the first song it played? "into your arms" by the Lemonheads!!! How freaky is that? Have I developed a psychic ability to communicate with my iPod...?

Relegated to the nursery...

It may sound harsh, me being pregnant and all, but I have been relegated to sleeping in the nursery now that it has been painted. This has really come about because I have found it increasingly difficult to get out of our bed (partly bump and partly hip) so a mattress with loads of pillows it has been for a couple of weeks now! It also means that Peter doesn't stop me gettng back to sleep with his snoring as I'm now waking several times in the night...It also means that Peter doesn't need to worry about tripping over me in the middle of the night or in the morning when he gets up and he doesn't get distressed when I groan in pain! (There's nothing worse than someone in pain and nothing you can do about it!)
Anyway, this is what I found when I went to bed last night...Kiska (the bear)had made it all cosy for me...:)

Flower Power

Peter couldn't resist these for the nursery :)

New Niece

No picture yet..but my brother's wife gave birth to a little girl on the 6th August. Her name is Lucy Amanda. That would make number 4 for them, and number 8 grand-child for my mum!

A rival for CD Wow?

An email for BangCd dropped into my inbox today...wonder where they got my address...Anyhow, the prices for CD's look a bit cheaper than CD Wow and there seems to be free delivery...I may try it out when I'm allowed to buy CD's again!

iPod My Baby.....Hmmm

I love my iPod, but I don't think I'd go this far...iPod My Baby...well...for starters until my brain recovers, I might get a bit confused and wonder why 'nice' tunes aren't coming out...

Web Sudoku

I'll blame Katie for this...I have also become addicted to Soduko in a desperate bid to keep my brain from turning completely to mush! Today I found this website Web Sudoku - Billions of Free Sudoku Puzzles to Play Online...which means that I don't have to wait for a stock of puzzles from my mother-in-law (who has until now been saving them from the paper for me). One of the good things about this site is that it actually tells you how long it took you to solve the puzzle...and another one is that it highlights where you have made a mistake - very useful for me as I have a habit of trashing the paper ones in a matter of minutes!

Pain in the butt: Part II

Following on from my sciatica post comes the next installment...it got to the point, the other weekend, that I coudn't move so last week my midwife referred me to the Physio at the hospital...Unfortunately they couldn't really do a lot for me...The nice physio gave me a really sexy (?!) corset to wear to help support the ever increasing weight of Junior...it seems to be working ok..just means that I have to move slowly and not sit around too much!
Of course not content to leave it at that I did a bit of research on the internet (I get told off by the health professionals for this) and found that the ain I have may not be plain old sciatica but something called Posterior Pelvic Pain...fortunately for me it's not SPD which would be much much worse!
Now I am counting the weeks and keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't hang around too long once Junior arrives.

My Hair is Saved!!!

I am so pleased!! I have just had a call from my hairdresser (who had been on maternity leave and decided not to go back to the salon) and she is doing work from home...which means I am no longer destined to have bad hair for the rest of my life!!! Poor Zoe has been waiting for her ex-collegues to tell her old clients that she was setting up from home and they haven't been...so she waited 10 weeks before starting to ring round...Yippee!!!

Relaxing in mum's garden

...but also posing for the camera...

Robert and Kathryn's Wedding

Robert and Kathryn got married in Beaulieu Abbey Church on the 9th July...it was a lovely day and the bride and groom looked gorgeous! Lord Montague even lent a vintage Rolls Royce for to the happy couple!




dancing...? Well...I had a go..obviously not in my most flambouyant style (just not physically possible)...

All was going well...until an announcement quite late in the evening reception...the groom managed to lose is wedding ring! :-S Hopefully it'll turn up on the family farm (that's where the reception was held)...

How cute are these?!!

Cosy cocoons

Expensive week

Last week we ordered stuff for Junior...thank goodness it's not arriving until nearer the time as we have nowhere to put anything at the moment!We finally decided on the wheels and it's going to be a Jane Slalom Pro Matrix Travel System (bit of a mouthful)...we got it on the web because the nice people at prams4you were offering a pre-order facility. We decided to go for a nice safe dark blue (which is actually blue and black) because the colour won't clash with anything I might choose to wear!
Then on Saturday we popped to John Lewis in Reading (big mistake as it was the first day of the sales!) and we ordered Junior's cotbed and chest of drawers ...I hope he/she likes them! We now have a deadline for getting the nursery in a fit state..which means I'll have to start moving my office across the landing...

Holiday Books

I managed to finish off 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day' by Winifred Watson...that was a lovely book written in the 1930's and very amusing and heartwarming in a 1930's way. I only found it after I heard it read as a Book at Bedtime abut 18 months ago.
I followed Miss P. with a book I borrowed from Brigitte and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 'Elegance' by Kathleen Tessaro - fab holiday read..not too taxing but with little bits of dressing advice for women (and a bit of a story running through it)!! :)
Next was 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown. I wasn't sure if this book was for me when I borrowed it, but it was so fast moving and absorbing I found it hard to put down and even though it was 2" thick I managed to polish it off in a day!!
'Watching the English - the unwritten rules of English behaviour' by Kate Fox took a little longer to digest as it was a bit of pop-anthropology and quite amusing. Peter had to put up with me reading him extracts which tickled me...
Finally, 'The Sunday Philosophy Club' - Alexander Macall Smith. Hmmm...I hadn't read any of his stuff before, my mum had enjoyed 'The No 1 Lady Detective Agency' series so I thought I'd give it a go...I will be passing this on to my mum...not really my cup of tea, but I did finish it!
I have also started Bill Bryson's 'A short History of almost everything'...but I haven't got too far...it requires a bit more concentration than I could muster in the airport!

Back from our hols

I've been accused of not updating my blog very frequently...well I have an excuse this time! We just arrived back from Portugal in the early hours of the morning after a squished up flight. All I did was relax (Peter did manage to paint the kitchen which was the only roo which wasn't painted last time we were out) and I managed to read 4 whole books which I think is a record for me!!

The weather was lovely...only one overcast day with a bit of gustly wind and it gradually got hotter towards Friday which became a bit unbearable - even for Peter! I don't know what the temp was outside but we clocked 30 degrees in the relative cool of the villa!! Peter could only manage 10 mins outside at a time...I don't think Junior liked that heat as s/he became very quiet compared with the rest of the week.

Last day

A slightly better piccie of the brave tabby kitten...

The Kitten's first visit...

We had been feeding a rather skinny mummy cat whilst we were there and on the last night she brought her kittens to see us...What a treat!

Cooling off

I couldn't bring myself to immerse my whole body in the pool -I think it might have upset Junior (that's my story and I'm going to stick to it!!)

Fab Sunset

I don't think you get many of these sunsets to the pound...(This was taken at our villa in Portugal}

Baby James

On the 23rd May, Nicola (Peter's niece)gave birth to her baby, James. Weighing in at 7lb 4oz. Here's a picture of him at 2 days old.

James Chandler

Peter and I took his Great-Granny to see him when he was eight days old at the bank holiday...but stupidly forgot to take the camera :(

Farewell...

...trusty Lexus. Yesterday evening we managed to sell Lexie (sniff) after a few unsuccessful weeks Autotrader finally paid off! Now we have more room on the driveway for Barbie and Ruby...

New Scientist Breaking News - Human-powered hydrofoil seeks jumpy riders

Human-powered hydrofoil seeks jumpy riders This sounds like a bit of to to be had at the beach....

It's amazing what you find on your pc with Picassa...

I can't remember wher I found it...but this must be Yoda before singing 'Just a Gigalo'...If you haven't seen it..take a look at Jonny's blog!

Bump Picture (at last!)

22 weeks and counting...

Nursery colours

Well, when it came to decorating, I thought that a nice neutral calilco colour would be good...covers all the options and easy to accessorise but after reading this"Babies have favourite colours" I think a multicoloured room is in order!

Junior Travel dilemma

Yesterday, Peter and I went to a baby equipment (for want of a better word) showroom in Bedford - Two Left Feet - to check out a the travel thing we had kinda decided on...the Jane Slalom Matrix...Just as a comparison to the Jane Powertrack 360. The Slalom looks seems better as any niggles in the Powertrack have been fixed, and from the sounds of it is continually evolving. We found out a couple of weeks ago that the Matrix car seat is going to be updated along with the Slalom to 'Pro' status...basically the release mechanism is being changed from the fiddly two-catch to a single-hand mechanism situated on the top of the carry handle. Have a look at the Generation Pro movie on the Jane site..This is due to be released sometime in July (or 6-8 months according to the lady yesterday - although this could be a sales-ploy..)

Anyway, we were pretty much set on the Slalom (updated version if possible), but the saleswoman threw the Bugaboo Frog into the scenario...hence the dilemma! I'm not sure about this one...there sees to be a better model available in the Netherlands (the Chameleon) but it just seemed a bit flimsy for the price...lightweight, and funky I'll grant you..but flimsy and the little wheels (which have special frog suspension - made out of frogs no doubt) seemed abit too wobbly for my liking. I think it'd take another long push-around before I'd go for it...

This morning, I thought I'd check out something completely different...Phil & Ted's Explorer. a three-wheeler again, very adaptable (up to 2 passengers - not that there is a plan afoot atm but you never know!), and cheaper than the Frog or the Slalom. It will also carry infant carrier with the 'Travel system' kit...and one site actually recommends the Which? best Buy Infant carrier...which has got to be a good thing.

I think another visit somewhere to try out Phil & Ted is in order...

Halfway...

Last week I was in Brussels for work and my sciatica didn't bother me too much as I probably did more walking in one week than I have done in a month! On my return Peter announced that I definately have a bump now and that Junior must have enjoyed the Belgian cuisine.

I have now reached 20 weeks which is more or less halfway through Juniors building process. To mark this occasion here's a picture of Junior from the scan today.



This was the best snap we got...Junior seems to be taking after Peter in being awkward when there's a camera around..despite being 'encouraged' by the patient sonographer....the prodding seemd to make it worse! Perhaps Jnr was trying to have a nap...Junior is still relaxed, upside down with legs in the air...napping!

Junior has certainly been more active during the day...usually just before and after meals! Before now the movements have not been big enough to feel from the outside...but I think Peter got to feel one at last!

Sciatica is a pain in the butt

..literally! I'm not sure if this has been triggered buy my increase in weight, my poor posture (at times) or the fact that Junior is getting bigger and lying in a funny position - or all of these things! What I am sure of is it can be fine some times and agony at others...and it's a bit frustrating 'cos there is little I can do about it! Any tips warmly received! :)

'celebrity' wrestling

I was a bit stunned this morning when I went downstairs...even more so when I found out Peter was watching Celebrity Wrestling on ITV2! I think he must have been a bit embarressed cos the channel changed rather swiftly...I insisted on seeing what he was fnding amusing...so he turned it back on...well....It is amusing but only because it is soooo silly! I thnk it's a cross between WWF and Gladiators but using 'celebrities'....If you can recognise more than 2 of these you are either doing well or have read/watched too much trash!

Album Art

Over the last few weeks I have been slowly adding albums to my iPod (in no particular order and with no particular discretion...) And as a result I have been a bit rubbish at adding the Album Art. That is until yesterday when I found a nifty little bit of software which goes off and finds it all for you...iArt

It has two modes Automatic where it finds the best match for the track or Manual where it finds anything vaguely like the track or album name and allows you to choose what art you want to add. I must admit its a bit hit or miss on the automatic and you can end up with a different album cover than you were expecting...but if you can be bothered to sit and check each album art selection in manual mode then that's the way to do it! Fortunately it does allow you to skip the tracks which have art or you could overwrite it - it's up to you!

If there's anything better for doing this bothersome task out there it would be great to know!

Working Party

Just got back from a long weekend in Carvoeiro, Portugal...Weather was fab and I now feel nice and relaxed! Peter, his brother and sister-in-law worked really hard painting the inside of the villa as it was long overdue... I didn't really feel guilty at all about not being able to help - although I did paint 17 lanterns (which hang on the walls) so I did contribute something! I was also the designated driver for some reason...
The good news for Junior is that I found my appetite whist I was out there and ate lots!
It also turns out that there a few weeks which haven't been booked up from now until June so if anyone fancies a week or two in the sunny Algarve just let me know :)..There's plenty of lovely golf courses...if you are that way inclined!

Heartbeat...

I had my 16 week check-up today...and I got to hear Junior's heartbeat for the first time! That was really cool!! The magic Doppler wand picked it up and belted it out!! It's comforting to know that something is still going on in there and that all is well!

Welcome Ruby!

Ruby has arrived! Not a living arrival...our new car! We picked her up yesterday and I was allowed to drive her home!!

I think that it may take a little while to get used to the size as she feels a little wider than our other cars...but she is definately more practical! We have plenty of time to get used to her before Junior's arrival in September.

I have a feeling that we may be enlisted by my little sis for a trip to IKEA before long...

Ipod generation

We've just joined the 'Ipod Generation' with the arrival of our Ipod photo...I am broadly using the words 'we' and 'our' in the vain attempt that it will sink in and I will be able to fully share the new toy with Peter! (He is already convinced that it is mine!)
Anyway, since it arrived before Easter I have slowly been adding music to it...I did add some photos too..but I think they need to be edited and rotated before they become interesting to other people! My mum did seem impressed with the slideshow on Easter Monday...

Rhubarb update

Well, I finally got some rhubarb (from Sainsbury's). Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to expectations...or maybe I shouldn't have eaten it just before bed...maybe I overcooked it....either way, I don't think Junior thought much of it. I think I'll be sticking to the Rhubarb yoghurts...

Miles Mendoza's Website of the day

Whilst I don't like to admit that I listen to Radio 2, after all it is a sign of aging...Mile Mendoza came up with a goodie today...Pi-tag This site provides a service where you can tag your life securely. Free luggage, keys, pet, mobile, laptop tagging. I guess it would come in extremely useful if you have a habit of moving around a lot and it would also save writing out those pesky luggage tags which can become detached fromyour luggage. I think some more investigation is required...

Mix your own Dr Who theme....

Without wanting to jump on the Doctor Who bandwagon...this truly is fun! BBC- Doctor Who - Radiophonatron You can play and mix your own version of the Dr Who theme...Hooray for the Radiophonic Workshop (that was)! I think my favorite sounds on the Radiophonatron have to be the 'Mouse Organ' and the 'Scottish Hamster'...Have a play!

Rhubarb

The quest is on...I'm not convinced that it's a craving, although I am finding it hard to convince myself of this. It's totally the wrong time of year to find the fresh stuff easily so I am having to make do with rhubarb yoghurts form Sainsbury's. This week I tried their rhubarb crumble...Peter convinced me that it would make economic sense to buy the family size rather than the indivdual double pack. When he returns tonight and finds that there are still two helpings left in the fridge i think he will change his mind! As crumbles go it will never match up to a homemade crumble, but was a good attempt on Sunday when I cooked it...yesterday tea-time it wasn't bad after being heatedin the microwave...I'll see how it fairs later today...
If anyone knows where I can source some of the fresh stuff it'd be great to know! I know of a market gardener in Yorkshire which grows the good stuff in sheds all year round..but they don't seem to have an online outlet...Trouble is by the time it comes into season proper, Junior will have other things he/she wants to try!

AMEX Travellers Cheque Card

American Express - Travel Money Online...Now this looks like a cunning way to carry around a lot of travellers cheques...and would save going to the Travel Agents or the Bank to buy them...

Junior

Well, its official now...I have become a host organism for a little growing thing known for the moment as Junior... Yesterday Peter took me to have my 12 week scan and, yup there is something growing in me...It was quite amazing and bizzare all at the same time.


Junior's first picture

He/She was very well behaved for the sonographer so she could do her measurements...and even waved for the camera! Junior is very laid back at the moment. We need to go back in 8 weeks for another scan..it will be lovely to see how Junior has grown by then!

Lemon Jelly...

...were ace! Very loud, flashy, cool videos and just generally a good night out! Peter enjoyed it too...although he has confessed to preferring the older LJ tracks..."...the new stuff is a bit dark..."( he says)... Lovely cup of tea and chat at Jon & Mandy's afterwards.

We bought a car!!

We decided on a car and put a deposit on a Regency Red Corolla Verso...it'll be with us at the end of March! I can't wait!!! :)

Test Drives continued...

So, last week the test drives went well. I was surprised at how I liked both cars equally. The Merc was responsive, didn't feel as big as it looked from the outside...but I am not entirely conviced that its the car for us. Long term it has the advantage that the depreciation is less than the Corolla Verso....And merc always look good even when they are really old!

When it came to the Corolla Verso, this was also a fairly responsive car... even being a diesel..tomorrow we're going back to try the petrol version. I am not sure that the depreciation over 3 years makes it a viable option....lots of sums to be done.

So more of an update next week! (oh the Audi could be back on the cards!)

Hooray!

My Lemon Jelly CD's arrived today...I have been looking for ward to this for a while...and I love it! It's probably best I don't write my own review..but you can see one on the BBC Collective website... I also love the album art...

I got the cd single (2) of 'The Shouty track' and it has the video on it which I think is fab. There's also a preview of the '64 - '95 DVD...I'm looking forward to seeing them live in Manchester on the 2nd March too!

Test drives

Tomorrow Peter and I are off to test drive another couple of cars...(weekend before last it was an A4 Estate and a BMW 3 series Tourer) This weekend it will be the Mercedes C-class estate and the Toyota Verso. I think both should be interesting in their own different ways. I think Peter quite fancies the Toyota but he wouldn't be upset about having a Merc...after all I did put my foot down last summer when he was after an SLK...but then an estate is nowhere near as much fun as a 2-seater.

The A4 was a good solid car which stuck to the road and for a diesel it was very quiet. The BMW was also nice and solid and had a bit more oomph, being the petrol version( rather than the diesel which we wanted to test...grrr). The BMW also seemed like it was smaller in height with more interior space...I think it's going to be difficult to choose...

...the next morning

I had a fortuitous escape last night...It seems that the boys decided to call me when they returned to the hotel...but rang the wrong room!

Brussels..

Well, I'm here! Not for as long as previously expected cos the customer postponed the project for a while..but hey I have a couple of days! Yesterday had an early start in the UK and I met DJ at the Heathrow...well on the plane as it seems he had a mad dash to catch the flight! The flight was not uneventful..I nearly wore half a bottle of water courtesy of the steward (who was most apologetic for the rest of the flight!)..I say nearly as most of it landed on the newspaper I was reading! Gideon from the Benelux office picked us up and we went off to site and met up with Glen...training commenced!

Yesterday evening was a bit of a beer sesh for the boys...starting at La Lunnette (at the recommendation of Rene...This resulted in 4 huge glasses of various contents being brought to our table..I think it must have been about a litre of beer! We moved on to a restaurant on the Grand Place called 'T KELDERKE
the food was good (if a little salty for my taste)... the company fab Glen and DJ in combination are...well, it certainly made up for my dullness in the beer stakes!

We went onto a couple of other, what can only be described as backstreet bars, but they are really hidden gems...free from tourists (but I gues Jan/Feb is hardly the tourist season!) I can't remember the names of either of the bars but I'll check today! In the last bar we played a game which involved throwing brass discs at a brass frog. Th ewinner being the person first to get to 5000 points...needless to say I had a girlie throw and completely missed the room let alone the target (which is shameful as I hadn't been drinking!) It would be cool to know what the game is called..so if anyone knows...?

All in all the boys looked after me well, and I was soon tucked up in bed ready for sleep and an early start this morning! Time for breakfast...

Off to Brussels...

My first week of working from home ironically won't be at home... I'm off to Brussels for a couple of weeks with work. I'll only be there during the week so my weekends are saved, but I have a feeling that there will be some long days...
I have been quite looking forward to the beer, chocolate and waffles...and the work of course 'cos I'll be testing a product I haven't used before so it will be interesting...must remember not to drink too much...

For the next telesales call....

This seems like a fantastic way to get rid of those pesky double glazing/kitchen telesales execs....I wonder if it would work..........anti-telemarketing EGBG counterscript

First blog...preparing for home..

This the first blog...Jonny put me onto this and I have some ideas for future posts, let's see how things pan out.

I've started packing my stuff for going home as from the 1st Feb I'll be working from home officially and won't need to travel to Manchester on a regular (!?) basis...Peter is over the moon about that - it's been a long 2 years for him! Of course I'm gonna miss the pals I've made...but I'm not disappearing off the face of the earth! Messenger is a wonderous thing and I will be visiting from time to time...