Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in La Boca's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
9:55 pm	Dave and Martin's birthday went down really well. I spent weeks worrying about people not enjoying themselves but by the time I'd spent the entire day over the cooker and teatime arrived, the house filled up quickly and everyone tucked in and got on really well. All the family turned up and Darren and Lorraine (kids dad and stepmum) came down and it was nice us all finally getting on after so long. We then played the usual bingo which was a big ice breaker and again, it went down really well. We finally managed to kick everyone out before me and Dave settled down with some festive music and wrapped all the presents - tons of them. It was a huge difference to what we had last year...lol. Christmas itself was brilliant - totally brilliant. I was adamant we were having as traditional a Christmas as possible with less emphasis on how much was spent and worrying about what to buy and it paid off big time. We filled a supermarket savings card for John and Steph which helped them big time and got them a few bits besides to open as well as toys and clothes for our baby. We got Martin loads of bits, mostly surprises - some were really cheap stocking fillers but he loved it. Said it was the best Christmas he's had since he was a kid. I was made up about that as he's been saying it never feels like Christmas anymore but this time we got it right for him. Even down to the dinner table decorations. He mentioned that he'd love to have his dinner at a table that was all decorated like you see in displays so I searched the shops beforehand for special cloths, covers, napkins, sprinkles, charger plates and candles etc and it looked stunning. Dave got loads of stuff for his PSP and little novelty bits, HUGO, dvds etc. I got Armani perfumes, dvds, doctor who stuff, cds, colouring stuff - just tons really. And despite all the really flash stuff that Dave bought me, I was the most surprised by a pack of Doctor Who playing cards that he'd found. We had a proper 3 course dinner then the kids came down with Amelia and we did our secret santa before going over to mum and dads for the traditional buffet. Then we came back and watched the Doctor Who christmas special which was appalling. New Year despite being invited round town and to a party, we decided to spend it at home, quietly just the two of us and it was perfect. Mum was at the door as usual just before midnight and Dave went outside and kept her company waiting for the clock to strike the new year as he wanted to let it in this year. I just don't think I could have wished for a better holiday all round. Me and Dave have changed shift patterns now and we've both joined the ranks of the Monday to Friday club. Dave hasn't done a shift like this in years and had been waiting ages for it to be sorted but last weekend, we had our first weekend at home and it's totally different to having days off during the week. It leaves us free to go out at night if we want to and know it won't be quiet and Dave gets to go to his car boots on sunday mornings. Saturday morning, I took the car and went shopping while Dave pottered about at home doing the housework and the laundry. We've agreed that we prefer it that way and so we're making it a part of our routine. I'm on new medication for my back. It went new years eve and I suffered with it for a whole week where normally I may only get it once or twice over a couple of months for a day or two at a time so I had to go back to the doctors. Apart from the new medication, she's referring me back to the neurologist and I used my tens machine for a few days. It all seemed to help but then we heard a lot about the benefits of a Wii console...lol. Lo and behold, Dave trawled the shops last week trying to get me one as everywhere had sold out and when I got home from work that day I had a shiny new Wii waiting for me in front of the TV. I'm hammering the sports package and as well as improving my health I think it's actually helping my back. Normally exercise like that would have put it out but it seems to have done the opposite touch wood. Anyway, enough rabbling, I'm off to play tennis........again. (Comment on this)
Monday, November 19th, 2007
12:25 pm	We've had a quiet few months with not much happening but it's been nice. We finished decorating the dining room a couple of weeks ago and it's looking so much better than what it was. We've spent the last few months living with a bare plaster ceiling and dirty off white walls full of plaster drips (something the previous owner was supposed to sort out but didn't). We decided we had to get it done for Christmas so put all the cash we had into getting it right and it's paid off. It looks lovely. So that's 3 rooms done now - we're half way there. My mum reckons that we've done really well saying we've only been here 11 months and that made me feel better as my own opinion is that it should have all been done by now. We've had to claim on the house insurance for a new bath as a cupboard door from the boiler fell into it and broke it. Because of the position of the boiler, we legally have to have a cupboard round it but the insurance company are now saying that they will only pay for the replacement of the bath, the rest we have to find ourselves and we just don't have it. At the minute, we're just having showers and desperate to get a bath in for Christmas but it looks like they're dragging their feet so we don't see much chance of that happening. Things are going really well with me and Dave. As we become more settled in the new house, we're becoming more settled with each other. Less arguments and getting along loads better. It's nice and we're really enjoying it despite certain peoples attempts to try and make our lives difficult. They can try all they like but it won't work - it's just bringing me and Dave closer. He's always said, it's me and him against the world and so when people deliberately try to cause friction between us, it has the opposite effect. As long as we have each other, our kids, grandkids and family these people can throw all they want at us. We'll get round it and still be together at the end of it. I retired from my crafting after I finished Amelias scrapbook (which is bloody brilliant by the way) and put everything I had on Ebay. I didn't do too bad and got a few hundred quid out of it which I used towards the decorating stuff and presents for Christmas. It's cleared up a corner in the room and put me in pocket. As it was, it was just dead money sitting there as I couldn't get into it anymore. I still get asked about cards but no matter what the offer, I won't be doing them again - 4 years was long enough. Amelia is doing brilliantly - growing constantly and behaving like the proper diva that she is. She's also one of the reasons that we've eventually after 15 years, mended bridges between us and John and Martin's dad Darren and his wife Lorraine. We all have one thing in common - we all dote on our granddaughter and we all want the best for her. We don't want her growing up having to deal with a huge rift in the family, so we sorted things out and hopefully we can move on now and be friends. Like Lorraine said, at the end of the day, we're family and we need to start being one and after 15 years I have to admit it's a big relief. We're now working together to help the kids and it's good. It wasn't fair on the kids and John found it hard as he'd made up with them both when the baby was born and I think he felt that he was being disloyal to us by doing so and I really don't want him to feel that way. Anyway I've told them both that they're welcome at ours on Christmas Eve when we have the usual buffet and bingo party for Dave and Martin's birthday and I'm hoping they will come so that we can show people that we are serious about making amends. That's it I think. Gonna go and browse the internet for Christmassy stuff while my gorgeious hubby is killing nazis on his psp....... Current Mood: happy (Comment on this)
Monday, July 30th, 2007
11:43 pm	Amelia's 1st Birthday Our diva celebrated her 1st birthday on 25 July and we had a lovely day. After John and Steph brought her here to open her cards and present, we all headed over to her Grandma Sheila's where we were having a buffet as the weather wasn't good enough for the BBQ that was originally planned. While they were getting the spread ready, me and Dave took our baby for a walk over the fields to the canal where I got to play with the new camera that Dave has just bought me. He's impressed with some of the pics I've been taking on my powershot 430, so he invested a small fortune in a higher spec camera for me - bless him. So atm, we're enjoying going for walks to different places to see what we can come up with as Dave has now inherited my powershot. Anyway, I got some great pictures that I've put on 'myspace' and one of my favourites of Dave and Amelia has been changed to black and white and put on too cos I think he looks absolutely stunning on it. He seems to be improving with age - jammy sod. Anyway, now Amelia is one, I have a years worth of photgraphs to choose from for the scrapbook that I promised John and Steph before she was born. All the kit and accessories I need are still bagged up waiting to be used to produce the best memory book my imagination will let me create. I'm dreading it but hope it will be worth it in the end. We're also looking to go to Blackpool again for our anniversary. We weren't going to bother but I've just found out tonight that David Tennant will be doing the switch on for the illuminations and I can't miss that. If I have to stand in the freezing cold and torrential rain all day just to be at the front and get a glimpse of this guy, it will be worth it. Current Mood: happy (Comment on this)
Friday, June 8th, 2007
1:22 pm	The house is starting to feel more like home - mainly because we're now seeing the difference with all the touches we're putting into it. Our bedroom has been finished (well almost). It was finished until we bought an amazing mirror - now I'm still waiting for Dave to put it on the wall as it's absolutely huge. Either way, the bedroom looks amazing. Once it's done, I can put some pics in my album of what we've done so far and then start on the rest of the house. Amelia is as brilliant as ever. She's crawling, talking what little she can - copying everything and blowing her grandad kisses. She is just so so beautiful and I call her 'my little piece of heaven'. She'll be 1 at the end of July - it's gone so quickly and she's grown and changed so much these last few months. Hard to imagine that this was the tiny bundle that we were holding not so long ago. I just had my birthday and as well as being another year older, it's starting to show so once again, I've made my mind up to do something about it. Dave hasn't been in the best of health lately either and so I'm now watching what the both of us eat. BB8 - tolerable so far but improved immensely when Emily got booted out. Now we just need to get rid of Charley and we're laughing. I'm the biggest part of the way through a 2 week break from work and it's been lovely. Dave had the first week off with me and I've had the 2nd to myself. Can't say I'm looking forward to going back but we have a mortgage to pay now, otherwise I'd happily stay in the housewife role I've been in this last couple of weeks. Oh well, my babe is due home any minute, so I'll go get him his coffee ready. Current Mood: relaxed (Comment on this)
Saturday, March 24th, 2007
10:37 pm	It's been a busy few weeks. We've been gearing up to decorate the living room and booked this week off to get it done. I planned to have it done in a day due to it being plaster walls and no need for paper. It took me 3.5 days. I spent ages on it, using tiny brushes etc. I wanted to get it perfect and the result is absolutely stunning, the living room is fantastic and yes I do say it myself - along with everyone else who has been over to have a look at it. After I'd done that, I decided I had enough paint left to make a start on the hallway - so that's now another room out of the way. So big thank yous go to Johnstones for their fantastic range of toughpaint, NEXT for an amazing selection of home decor accessories and my wonderful husband Dave who kept me supplied with countless fags and copious amounts of tea (he also went round after me cleaning up). You were brill babe xxxxx We're now just waiting for the wardrobes to be delivered for our bedroom. I found the perfect bedroom suite to match the brown leather bed we have and it's gonna be stunning when it's done. We've decided to cancel the holiday this year. We'd rather spend the money getting the house in order, so the next on the shopping list is a dining suite. Dave is away for a couple of days. He popped over to Notts to see his sister and his daughter and then headed off to Derby to see his dad before he tottles over to his new home in France. Good luck to both him and his partner - hope they have a wonderful time............ (Comment on this)
Friday, January 12th, 2007
10:16 pm	Amelia I think today has to be one of the worst days of my life. I got a phone call from a heartbroken John this morning to say that they'd had to take our baby up to casualty as she wasn't well. Steph had taken her to the doctors but he said they were to get her to hospital straight away. She was drowsy, limp, burning up, when she was awake she was screaming in pain and drawing her legs up. Then to top it all off, she basically turned yellow. Some symptoms were stomach related but the screaming and lethargy was linked to meningitis when Martin was a baby, so of course I panicked. Anyway, despite the colour, all tests came back negative but they felt it was being caused by her stomach so said they'd x ray her. The results came back, along with an urgent phone call to Pendlebury Childrens hospital. Not sure what the medical term is but Amelia's intestine was being sucked in on itself and required urgent treatment. She got the VIP treatment, ambulance and sirens all the way to Manchester while my brother took John up in the car. It goes without saying the state my son was in and me to be honest. I've done nothing but cry all day. She's my baby, my diva and I need her so much in my life. Today has been pure devastation for us all. They had to pump her stomach to make sure no more food passed into the intestine and drip feed her directly into her blood stream. The hospital's first attempt at fixing the problem would be a tube inside her bum that they would force air through in the hope that it would blow the intestine back out. If that didn't work, she'd need immediate surgery - which made things worse. John couldn't handle the fact that after all she'd been through today, they'd end up cutting up his little girl. It was hard for John as he had to pin her down while she was screaming and they did the procedure. They must have tried about 10 times with the tube but it wasn't working and Amelia was getting more and more distressed. In the end, they said they'd have to operate and John couldn't take anymore. He walked out of the room in tears. Then they decided they'd give it one more go and thanks to the doctors idea of holding her bottom shut to prevent the air escaping - it worked. John was outside crying and all he remembers was hearing everyone cheering and then they came running out of the room saying, we've done it, we've done it. Everyone was celebrating while our little girl was doped up on morphine and probably wondering what the hell was going on...lol. I'm just so glad it's over with. They're keeping her in for monitoring for a couple of days and then she can come home where she's gonna be spoilt rotten by us all. Dave went to pick John up tonight and popped in to see her. She wasn't in a state to be playful or smile but according to John, she recognised her grandad straight away and woke up a little for him. It was hard for me as I was at work and tonight,when we were talking John said that despite Steph being there all he wanted was me. He just wanted his mum there to give him a hug and tell him everything would be ok. I felt so guilty but then again, the first person I rang was my mum. Anyway, hopefully, she's gonna be ok and back home with us soon. I never want to go through anything like this again. Current Mood: distressed (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007
9:29 pm	Home - finally After threatening to pull from the sale and bang a few heads, we finally got our moving date of 20 December. It was only actually confirmed properly late afternoon on the 19 so it was a mad last minute dash to get everything packed and ready. I spent the whole of the day before the move ringing round all the 'bill' people and transferring everything to John's name whilst at the same time setting up new bills for the new address (something I still think the companies not been bothered to finalise, so we've had to cancel all the direct debits so they can't get any more money). On the morning of the move, Dave hired a removal van which he got cheap as he has his class 1 licence and between him and Martin, managed to get everything inside. It wasn't that hard as we left virtually everything for John. The only things we took were our personal possessions, the washer, dryer and fridge freezer. Everything else was left for him, Steph and the baby. Dave had to get a glazier in to pop out the window of the new house to get the leather suite in as it was huge and then we spent the entire Christmas surrounded by boxes. I promised that I would get one room in the house ready so that we could shut ourselves off from the rest of the chaos and so concentrated on the living room. It still needs a fresh coat of paint, rug, a lamp and a couple of nice big pictures but it's just so gorgeous. It's the room I've always pictured in my mind. The fireplace is stunning - really cosy to settle in front of and once I'd put up the tree - it was just perfect. Christmas Day was the only day we had off from everything and we were shattered. Boxing Day, I was back to unpacking boxes. The bedroom is bigger than the one we had at the old house and today our new beds were delivered - a super kingsize one - it's huge but really comfy as we paid to have a pocket sprung one made for us because of our back problems. The phone, tv and internet were connected yesterday. Before that, we made do with Freeview which we're now gonna move up into the bedroom. My mum and dad have been absolutely brilliant. Dad has admitted that he's made up that we've moved back home and likes us being a few yards away. They give us our privacy but are always there if we need them. He's constantly cooking meals and bringing stuff over with the excuse that he's cooked too much. When we're settled, we've decided to pay for them both to go out for a meal. Dave's dad has also been in touch and hopefully should be coming to visit once he's back home. All the rooms need a bit of work doing to them and we're having problems with the heating. Some of the radiators aren't working and when the cash supply is up a bit, we'll get a plumber in to fix it. There are a few teething problems but we don't care. We've got full insurance and at the end of the day, it's our home and thought it may take a few years to get it to how I want it, it's gonna be total fun doing it. Current Mood: content (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 18th, 2006
12:43 am	The Muse concert was absolutely brilliant - despite having a blow out on the motorway on the trip back home - totally well worth the money we spent on it. The house has been a series of ups and downs. Mainly downs and in the end, my hubby threatened to start banging heads and cancelling the sale before they finally started to make some progress. After numerous moving dates, we've finally been given wednesday 20 December. A little too close to christmas but even though we'll be upside down with boxes and stuff, it will be a brilliant christmas present if we can spend it in our own home. I just think we'll have to rely on Dad for our christmas dinner. There have been loads of problems - mainly from the other side and it's caused us so much stress. We also think it's the reason Dave ended up with Bells Palsy. The whole side of his face is paralysed and only time will make it better. It could take months before it heals and there are no guarantees that it will heal properly so we have to keep our fingers crossed with that one. We had Amelia's christening on 19 November which went really well and last night, we had an 18th birthday party for Martin. Although his birthday is on christmas eve like Daves, we thought it best to bring the party forward a few days. We felt a bit old but in all it was a really good night. Again, Amelia is coming on a real treat. She's still as amazing as ever and we still dote on her as much as we've always done. She changes so much - even her voice is changing. She is such a pleasant baby and always smiling or laughing or trying to talk to you. I'm gonna miss her so much when we move. Oh well. Back to packing what little stuff we're taking with us. Current Mood: stressed (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 1st, 2006
11:51 pm	The house is coming along slowly but surely. The seller accepted our offer and the surveys and stuff have been done but work some work needs doing before the building society will release the mortgage and that's been the main drag for us this last couple of months. The last of the jobs should be completed by the end of this week and we should then get all the paperwork confirming completion. Hopefully then, we can get the contract signed. The seller is chasing his solicitor to get the contracts written up so we can all sign as soon as we get the go ahead and in the meantime, the sold sign has gone up. It's so hard for us here atm with the overcrowding and we get desperate for peace, quiet and time on our own. Nothing feels like ours anymore but then again, this house never felt like home to me so I won't be sorry to leave it behind. We've both just had a couple of weeks off work so we spent it shopping and the bedroom is now quickly filling up with all of the new things we've bought. We managed to get to a sofa showroom while they were having a 12 hour sale and picked up a gorgeous cream leather suite with a recliner which is due to be delivered beginning of next month - to the new house. Thankfully the seller (who Dave gets on with) has offered to store all our new furniture there until we can move in. It may be a good thing the speed this sale is going. We've been buying bedding, some stunning light fittings from BHS - Dave picked those, ornaments, new christmas decorations - just loads and loads of stuff. So can't wait to get to use it and put my own mark on our new home. Amelia is still amazing and is coming on so quickly. She enjoys having long chats with her grandad and this week she started chuckling which melts us all when she starts. She's growing so fast that her pictures change constantly - it's hard to believe that she's only 3 months old. She's adored so much.... Dave has bought me a new digital camera for christmas so I can't wait to get loads of proper pictures of her instead of the bad ones that my current camera keeps spitting out at me. Her christening has been arranged for 19 November so I'll have to ask if I can test run the camera that day - I have to get some proper photos of her as the dress that she'll be wearing is stunning. And we have the Muse concert in just over a week. Can't wait for that. Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 10th, 2006
1:42 pm	This last few weeks have been chaos. Amelia had to stay in hospital for a week or so because of the group b strept but she's thriving now and it's often a fight between me and Dave for who gets to hold her. She's so quick in picking things up and has been smiling (without the aid of wind) for a couple of weeks now. She's piling the weight on and now likes to have cooing conversations with her grandad. I miss her so much when Steph takes her to stay at her mums and although we're seriously overcrowded, I love her being here. I get to bath her, feed her, change her and spend quality time with her and it's building a great bond. The only downside is the complete lack of privacy that we're all having to suffer at the moment. The local council have decided that although there are 5 adults and a baby living in a 3 bedroomed house, John and his new family aren't a priority for housing and so they're still on the waiting list. As a result, me and Dave decided to put our plan into action of finally getting down to buying our own home. As luck had it, one has come up for sale right across the road from my mum and dad in the street where I grew up so it was a case of 'now or never'. We went to view the house a couple of weeks ago and apart from a few minor things that the seller is going to sort out for us, nothing needs doing to it. They even have the same taste in decor as me so it's just a case of furnishing it. We've got our mortgage promise from the building society and tomorrow, we go and pay the surveyors fees and appoint a conveyancer and hopefully then the ball will start rolling. The plan now is to get John's name on my council tenancy agreement and then (all being well) when we get our date and sign the contracts, I can take my name off the tenancy and John, Steph and Amelia have their own fully furnished home to live in. We've decided to start afresh and are replacing everything, leaving the kids the whole lot. I wanted them to have the start that I never got. But our new house is lovely. Yes it's terraced and has a yard rather than a garden but that's what me and Dave want. What it does have though is a shower and a dining room and a brand new fully fitted kitchen complete with built in dishwasher (phew!!!). New wiring, plumbing, plastering, carpets - the lot and to top it off, I'm literally metres away from my mum and dad. Other than that, tomorrow I'm also going for my 4th anniversary present. Due to work we both ended up working over our anniversary and so didn't get to celebrate it like we wanted to so Dave asked me if I wanted another tattoo. I got one for our 1st anniversary and our 3rd, one for Mothers Day this year and so as I've decided it's gonna be my last one I've gone all out and picked a big one for the top of my arm. I don't mind them on my arms and back but everywhere else is a no no and so I've kind of run out of room. So I get to sit for a couple of hours tomorrow with my headphones on listening to music and going through the pain barrier again - which much to everyone's amusement, I actually enjoy. And we're also going to watch Muse in November at the MEN. It cost quite a bit as we went with a travel firm but we had to in order to get seating. However, it's gonna be money well spent as it's gonna be one hell of a night. We've also booked next years holiday - back to Turkey. I love that place so much even after just one visit. I can see why my mate Gary loves it so much and goes back year after year. He taught me to see the real side of the country and the people rather than just the tourist side and still gives me Turkish language lessons every now and again. It even rubbed off on Dave and now we have a small library of language books and cds that we have to go through and learn as Ali and Mehmet have insisted that next year we have to be fluent or they won't speak to us. We haven't cancelled the holiday because of the recent bombings even though the kurdish group have promised that things will get worse. We're gonna hold out and see how things go and if it gets really bad, we'll transfer the money to another destination instead. Will finish off now, Dave is due back from his run to Bedford soon and I'll have to go and pick him up. Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
6:33 pm	After a couple of weeks of toing and froing to the hospital and a scheduled induction for Tuesday, our baby decided to make her appearance naturally in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Born at 2.15am, weighing 7lb 14oz, John and Steph blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter Amelia Jayne. She is an absolute stunner and the pictures that we've taken of her don't do her justice. She has a full head of blonde hair (which we're hoping she'll keep) and is just the most perfect baby ever. I've put some pictures of her on my msn space http://ephemerisdl.spaces.live.com/ Me and Dave took my mum and dad up to see her last night when she was still only a few hours old and we all got hold her and pose for hundreds of pics of proud parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Four generations all in one room - brilliant. I got to feed her and she's taken a shine to her grandaddy already after his stroking her face, neck and chest settled her down. We're just waiting for them to come home now. The bedroom is ready for them, the pram and crib are set up and she has enough clothes to last her for months. Then me and Dave can really get into spoiling her rotten. She's amazing!!!!! Current Mood: ecstatic (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 12th, 2006
5:55 pm	It's been a hell of a week so far. Monday morning, our nephew got run over and ended up in hospital with a double break in his ankle. They think it may have broken the growth plate and he may need to have pins and rods inserted. They won't let him out of hospital yet as he's only young and has to get used to using crutches and his temperature keeps fluctuating. On the baby front, Steph started having contractions on Monday and was taken into hospital on Tuesday with contractions 5 minutes apart. 24 hours later and she had advanced no further so despite having GBS, they sent her home. What me and Dave are angry about is that GBS left unchecked could have life threatening consequences for the baby and the midwife at the hospital failed to check Steph's notes. Had she have done, she'd have seen she had the condition and Steph would have been monitored more frequently and more closely. Had her labour not been so slow in progressing, we dread to think what would have happened to our granddaughter. Anyway she's at home now with John and has to stay there until her waters break. We're hoping it's a few days away yet as we still haven't been able to get the bedroom ready for them. The council came last week after months of hassle from us and finished the repair jobs which left us with a week to get everything done. With Dave's working pattern and mine, it means that we're never in the house together and so getting it done is a slow and hard process. Anyway, I now have to go and work out how I'm gonna paper a ceiling on my own. (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 8th, 2006
7:10 pm	The Take That concert was brill and I came away with loads of souvenirs as well as getting to hold Howard Donald's hand. The holiday to Turkey was something else. Unreal, beautiful, can't describe it. It helped that I know a bit of their language and it got us a lot further with the locals over there. We made loads of friends from both Marmaris and England and we now have a huge list of people that we have to keep in touch with. We have also found out that we are having a grand daughter. As soon as we found out, me and Dave went round the local bazaar in Marmaris and bought loads of cool clothes for her. We've bought her Von Dutch outfits, tops by Dolce and Gabbana etc. My mum has bought her some of the cutest dresses and shoes. I'm adamant that she's gonna be a real girly girl and a proper little madam and Dave jokes that she's gonna be a chav..lol. Either way, she's gonna be spoiled rotten. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 3rd, 2006
10:02 am	Another long time no hear entry - just cos I'm bored and waiting for repairmen and parcels to arrive. In November last year, Dave passed his Class 1 driving test. After that, the money was supposed to start rolling in but we kind of found that most companies/agencies won't take on a driver who hasn't had 2 years experience. We struggled through Christmas and the first couple of months of the year before my boss persuaded me to let Dave come and work for us. I'd always said no in the past as I didn't want us to share the same working environment but needs must and I agreed. Since then, hubby has been all over the country and is loving every minute of it and we're now in the position where we can start testing the waters on looking for our own house. I finally managed to get a doctor to listen to me about the back pain I've been having and was sent for an MRI scan in February. I got the results back a few weeks ago and not sure if things look too promising really. I have to be referred to a neurosurgeon in Manchester as I have a protruding disc in my spine. This normally doesn't cause a problem as the disc usually protrudes either at the side or front into empty space. Mine however, is protruding at the back and is touching my spinal column. The Consultant however, says the problem is that there is nowhere else for it to go and if it protrudes any further it will damage my spinal column resulting in paralysis. The waiting list for the neurosurgeon is months long but in the meantime, if I feel any kind of numbness from the waist down, I have to go straight to hospital. Anyway, it's just over 2 weeks off our holiday, which we still aren't fully prepared for so we have the next couple of days off work to go hammer the shops and get everything we need. Still trying to work out which is the best currency to take with us and no one seems able to give us a definitive answer. The day before we fly off, Dave and me are going to watch Take That at the MEN arena. What a drama that was having to get the tickets. My boss gave me permission to get in work late on the morning the tickets went on sale. We had 2 broadband connections going but couldn't get anywhere - then they sold out. I cried loads and Dave volunteered to go queue up in Manchester to see if he could get any from the box office. Luckily, they put more shows on that morning as they weren't expecting them to sell so quick, so he queued for 4 hours. By the time he finally managed to get to the front of the queue there were just 27 tickets left - right at the back of the arena. But luckily, they had a cancellation just as it was Dave's turn to buy and he bought the cancellation tickets - right at the front. We are 14 rows away from the front of the stage and I can't wait!!!!! We're now only a matter of weeks away from the birth our our grandchild (G at work has nicknamed it the boyl as we don't know what sex it is). It wasn't revealing anything at the scan and the last scan is booked for when we're in Turkey so we may find out when we get back. I've settled down to the idea of becoming a grandparent, especially now everyone at work knows and haven't changed the way they are with me - which was my biggest worry - being considered past it...lol. Me and Dave have been buying loads. The cutest babygros ever, bibs, vests, baby keepsake books, we've bought them their first pram and yesterday I went and bought them loads of Johnsons products for bathtime. When we finally know what sex the baby is, then I'll go completely daft on the buying. I've picked out the coolest outfits already and have promised that my grandboyl will be the trendiest baby in Wigan. J and his gf bought us a little pressie yesterday for the car - a toy tigger holding a 'baby on board' sign. Yes I'm driving now btw - not much but enough to get me to work and the shops etc. So we're both actually looking forward to it now. Dave can pamper our mum to be quite a bit at times and it's plainly obvious that he's gonna make a fantastic grandad. This baby is gonna be spoiled rotten if he has anything to do with it. His main worry at the beginning was that the 'biohazard' was suddenly gonna turn up on the scene and take his official title as grandad but J has said no way. Dave is grandad as far as he's concerned and has even entered Daves family details in the baby book as the paternal grandparents. Just to make sure that Dave knows who the real grandfather is, John has also confided in me that if the baby is a boy, he's gonna be named Tyler David "after his grandad" J says. Dave is gonna be over the moon about that. Not sure he even knows about it actually, so if you read this babe, I hope it's a nice surprise for you. If it's a girl, we get an Amelia Jane. I personally don't like the name and keep trying to change it to Chloe but they're having none of it and at the end of the day, it's not my decision. That's about it I think for now. Back to waiting for the repairment and my new top of the range phone to arrive - wahey!!!!! (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 12th, 2005
4:57 pm	I've been doing an MSN blog instead lately. Just sorting out my favourites list after upgrading to broadband and thought I'd post an entry just for old times sake. Starting from where I left off last - the works day out was brilliant and G looked after me as promised..lol. Before we both snuck off and went round Wigan for a bit. Me and D celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary in a pokey little top floor room of a hotel in Blackpool but we had a great time and things have been on the up ever since. We've booked 2 weeks in Turkey next year for my birthday. Mine and D's lifestyle has change so dramatically this last couple of months and our 'social' circle is on the increase at a rapid rate..lol. Although it does get a bit of a pain every weekend when the lads want to know where we're going. My confidence is at an all time high thanks to D, G and our new friends and me and D have never got on as well. Atm, our marriage is rock solid and it's great. Oh and provided all goes accordingly, me and D will be grandparents this time next year thanks to our 19 year old son. Not exactly what I expected and not exactly what I wanted at this stage in my life but they're happy about it and that's all that matters. The rest of the family are over the moon although D's dad isn't too chuffed about being called great grandad..lol. D has vowed he won't grow old gracefully and is looking forward to being a 'trendy grandad' as he calls it. He has told J, he wants a ring with 'grandad' written on it..lol. As for me, after hours and hours crying, I now have to find another name for grandma, gran, nan, nanna, nanny, mother. None of them suit me and I refuse to use any of them. So I need ideas. My only issue atm is that I'm enjoying the life me and D are living atm and feel that it will all have to change now we're gonna be 'grandparents'. People keep telling me that it won't change anything and we can still carry on as normal but I still need a bit more time to get used to it. My boss told me today that no matter what I'm feeling atm, when the baby is born, I'll love it more than anything. I know I will but it's still a big shock for us. It's like D said though, at least we'll still be young enough to do things with it that a lot of other grandparents can't. Current Mood: exhausted (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 17th, 2005
11:31 am	Our dept day out yesterday was fantastic. Everyone got on well and I was really looked after by them all. I played really well at pool and then got to the finals at bowls which was a surprise as I haven't played that since I was about 7. The outfit went down a treat, I had loads to drink and have now been asked to arrange a dept day and night out to Blackpool for October which I'll really look forward to. I'm having a chilling out day today. My father in law is up for a visit and him and D have gone scouting round the car boots looking for me a jewellery box to put all my new stuff in. Current Mood: cheerful (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 14th, 2005
10:13 pm	Work has been chaos this week and on 3 occasions including one of my days off, I've ended up working extra hours or doing work at home to prevent a customer rejecting orders. I've really put in the hours this week and as a thank you G has nominated me for a bevi award which has been seconded by one of our managers. If I win it, I stand to win £100 in vouchers so I've promised to treat them both if I do. Not holding out much hope though as the company doesn't seem to recognise how much hard work people do there sometimes. D took me shopping tonight for my shoes and a bag for Saturday. It's getting too close for comfort now and I still need to get some jewellery. One of my daughters in law is coming up for a couple of hours tomorrow night and she's bringing some for me and D has offered to take us both late night shopping to look for some too. The outfit looks really good and when I was all done up tonight, J said that I looked like a little doll. I met some of the night lads at work tonight as I was working late and although it's the first time I've met them, they've been really good with me and talking about the do, so I'm really excited now. I've already got my list of blokes who have to buy me a drink. I'm gonna be legless before teatime. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 12th, 2005
7:07 pm	It's only a few days off our department booze up now and Jo has decided that she's not going. This means I'll be the only girl there and I'm worried I'm gonna feel like a spare part. The lads have told me that we'll have a laugh and G has said he'll look after me so I'm hoping I'll enjoy it and not get too paranoid. I've got the outfit - well kind of. I still need to get shoes and bag to go with it. I've been on a bit of a spending spree lately as far as clothes go. Everyone's been really good. D helps me decide on what looks good on and what doesn't and the kids and their girlfriends help me with the modern trendy side of it all. I refuse to grow old before my time now. I've bought gypsy skirts, hanging belts, short denim skirts and I've lost a total of 1.5 dress sizes which I'm really chuffed about. My skin is also a lovely brown colour now thanks to Johnsons holiday skin cream. It's brilliant stuff and I've invested in a lot of make up and skincare stuff too. I seemed to hit 36 and think - that's it, enough is enough. I've had major confidence boosts lately and they're doing me a world of good. The girls in the canteen are also having their dept booze up at the beginning of August and as they know I don't get out much, they've invited me along on their all girls night. Three course meal, strippers, the lot. So I've said yes to that too and am really looking forward to it. Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 6th, 2005
6:33 pm	After scouring the internet shopping sites for the ideal outfit for our dept booze up, I managed to find a gypsy skirt and matching top in Hindley on Monday. I remember those skirts from when I was a kid and as they're now back in fashion, it was a good excuse to buy one. D and the kids reckon it looks stunning on and so I'm now ready to party.... One of the drivers from work does work for Cosovan orphans and a couple of months ago, I volunteered my time to go up and spend an evening with them making cards and stuff. The committee thought it would be a good idea and they've now arranged for me to go up for a few hours towards the end of the month. I'm looking forward to it but at the same time, dreading it. By all accounts it's a really emotional experience. The kids are aged between 10 and 12 and have no concept of what fun or playing is. They share their home with pigs which they constantly have to clean up after. Any treats they are given whilst they are over here have to be smuggled back to the orphanage as if found by the police at the airport, they are taken off them. These kids get excited if given a writing book - they don't get priveliges like that back home. So for 3 weeks every year, they are brought over here where businesses and employers spend all their time making it a holiday to remember for them. D is going to book the night off and come with me. While I'm helping them to make cards, D will show them bits of origami and little magic tricks. Things they can take back with them and use to occupy their time. We've also decided that we're gonna put together some little party backs for them filled with toffees and little gifts. I'm probably gonna spend the entire evening bawling like a baby when I see them. Current Mood: thoughtful (Comment on this)
Monday, June 27th, 2005
3:04 pm	Went on another run on Sunday - brilliant. Although we were running late, we still decided to stop over at the services for an hour or so and G bought us some dinner before heading back to the cab. I'm hoping it's going to become a regular thing now. G has said that I can go with him anytime and I've said that I'm able to go anytime so it's just a matter of making arrangements during the week. Dave has had some extra work on today. He's just phoned to say he's on his way back and has got loads of freebies with him. Namely loads of boxes of chocolate - LETHAL!!! We're gonna have to put them in the fridge as it's so hot but this will guarantee that the stuff will only last a few days. The boys are gonna have a ball when they see it all. Looking forward to him getting back as we're gonna spend some time in the garden catching some sun. It'll be nice to have a chat without the distraction of tv. I've already been outside for about an hour but not caught much sun. I never seem to and then it hits all at once. I go from lily white to tart red. I'm an unfortunate who doesn't know what a brown tan is! Current Mood: flirty (Comment on this)