Henry

This is Henry by the way. Let me tell you, there's nothing more wonderful than being attacked by a puppy that just wants to lick your face and nuzzle you! Whilst wagging his little tail and making squeaky noises!! It's the cutest thing ever! :0) I hope my puppy is as loving as this little guy!

December - The pros and cons

Well, my friend came round for dinner the other night and it was lovely! Hefty was on form and made the best veggie mince lasagne ever! We're not veggies but she is, and we had to come up with something we'd all want to eat. Luckily, there's this lovely stuff which I think is just called Veggie Mince (they have it in Sainsbury's and Waitrose) and it tastes like meat, not like nasty Quorn which is rank! After she'd gone, I realised how much I like entertaining, so I might do more!

Went to my sister's today as she's been uber ill with flu and was too tired to get to mine. Plus, her boss seems to think she's not actually ill and though she blatantly is, she was worried she might call round like she did the other day. We had lattes and did some chatting before going to pick the Biz up from nursery. When we got there she was asleep, which never happens, and then we couldn't find her shoes and spent half an hour scouring the place. Then we found them in another child's tray and think she did it on purpose cos she never wants to leave. Then, she still didn't want to leave but we managed to bribe her out with the promise of cuddling Henry (my sister's new puppy) and listening to Phil Spector's Christmas Album in the car. It worked, then when we got home she had a massive strop and wouldn't stop screaming, crying, and shouting 'No!'. She can be a right little sod and I really feel for my sister as she's so run down, she's ill all the time at the moment and it stresses her out big time. I tell people about Biz and they say "You should do this" and "This will work" blah blah blah. Unless you have her with you, I don't think anyone can appreciate how difficult she is. She's so stubborn and strong willed, she just doesn't behave and doesn't care what you think of her. She's a punk! I reckon even Supernanny would be stumped on this one. Maybe I should call her and find out!

When I got home there was a stack of cards on the door mat! Getting very excited now, I have lots of cards and some presents and once the tree goes up tomorrow that'll be it! The best things about having a December birthday are:

- You get to have your presents under the Christmas tree, or if you're very special (like moi) you have your own birthday tree! Which is just a Christmas tree that goes in your bedroom and is only for birthday presents!

- You get to open your advent calendar on your birthday!

- Most people are in a good mood cos they like Christmas.

- There's loads of nice food in the shops - yum!

There are downsides too though:

- Finding a birthday cake isn't easy, shops seem to think that only Christmas happens in December and therefore people only want fruitcake (I hate fruitcake).

- Shops also think that people only want Christmas cards, and sometimes you get pretty crappy ones, but it IS the thought that counts, and not the person who buys you one's fault.

- The later your birthday is in December the worse it is. I'm okay cos the 3rd is early enough for people to only just be getting to grips with the festive season, but poor Hefty's is the 17th. He's never had a party cos the kids had all broken up from school and were too busy. Also, everyone has got to that "Aagh, it's a week til Christmas!" stressed stage, and are no longer in a good mood. Also, booking to go out for a meal is nigh on impossible.

- You have to wait a whole year for your birthday AND Christmas, so you don't have much mid-year excitement. Hefty and I remedied this by getting married on the 25th June, EXACTLY 6 months between then and Christmas, problem solved!

- You tend to get one present which is classed as a Birthday/Christmas present, rather than 2. Let's face it, having 2 to open is much better, and anything less is just laziness!!!!

- Your Mum says stuff like "Once your birthday's out of the way we can concentrate on getting sorted for Christmas." Maybe that's just my Mum. Frankly though, it's not nice to be told your birthday is essentially in the way of more important stuff.

That's all I can think of, but it's a substantial list!

Looking forward to Monday though, Hefty's got the day off, we'll have a puppy, and we're getting a new TV. Also, SuperSaz is coming round - yay!! Ooh, I've got a good birthday cake too, it's a SpongeBob one, I'll be sure to post a pic!

I am currently loving a band called Shiny Toy Guns, which is kind of electro pop stuff. I'm also loving New Young Pony Club, and CSS. I'm going to get their CDs when I get my allowance in a week, as I've been thinking about it for too long now! I'm really bad at buying music, I just forget what I like and don't seem to get round to it. I suppose it's cos I only really listen to it in my car, so once I'm out, that's it! Blank memory!

Right, I'm off to find a top cos I'm cold. Meeting my friend for lunch tomorrow then getting puppy on Sunday!! Let's hope he looks distinctive and I can think of a name!

iP

Forceps and other tales

Well I've been busy again! I really should blog more often, with regular little snippets of information rather than mahoossive postings that look like too much effort to read! I shall do a brief summary and try harder in future:

1. Went on another mad cleaning frenzy last week, and discovered how much lovelier houses look when they have clean windows!

2. Saw my Grandpa who marvelled at my opening of the carton of Tropicana they'd struggled with all week.

3. Bought a new clock for our mantel piece - modern yet antiquey (I think so anyway).



4. Designed our new kitchen and got very excited, just need to save up a bit of money now!

5. Went out for dinner with some friends and had the nicest Hawaiian pizza I've had in AAGES.


That could be about it.......Ooh, I'm not sure if I blogged about my cousin's baby? Well, earlier in the year (I can't remember when), my cousin's girlfriend had a baby boy, and they called him 'River'. Hmm. So, now, my other cousin (his brother) and his girlfriend have also had a baby, and they've called him 'Blue.' So it just goes to show, being posh isn't good for you, or your children.

Today, Ming and I went to the Thackray Medical Museum, which was random, and wholly enjoyable. I now know what an iron lung does, how to amputate limbs, all about different types of medical instruments, and that no matter where you go, the gift shop is always full of tat. There were at least 3 groups of school kids in as well, and they were all mutants! They were all above 6 ft, even the girls, we felt like we were in Land of the Giants. There were also sections where they'd tried to recreate Victorian streets and houses, the kind where you walk through and everything stinks of shit. It was really good though, and we did lots of laughing. Especially in the limb section where they had a list of famous amputees. We only knew Heather Mills, but the others seemed to have actually achieved stuff, rather than just marrying a Beatle. Afterwards, we went to Burger King, mmmmm. It was a brill day, only marred by the headache I acquired just after I'd left Ming's house. Still it seems to have worn off now, probably thanks to the gel Ibruprofen (?) thingys I took.

Anyway, it's my birthday next Monday, that seems to have come round quickly! I'll be 28 - aagh! Getting the puppy on Sunday though, much more exciting! Still no name, nobody can agree, Hefty doesn't like Brillo, my Mum thinks he should have a good strong upper class name, it's a mare. I'm hoping he really looks like something or I'm buggered. Maybe I should ask my cousins, they seem to be quite good at coming up with unusual names

My friend's coming for dinner tomorrow night, she's lovely so I'm really looking forward to it :0)

So that's my news summed up. I shall try and be better, I just seem to start doing stuff and before I know it, time has run out!!

I'm rubbish.

iP

Never a pair

Well well, I've got slack again! I'm still not fully recovered though so it's not solely due to laziness!!

So I'm still very tired and congested since having the flu thing. Hefty got me some Sudafed tablets yesterday, which were a revelation! You're not allowed to take more than 4 in any 24 hours though so I can't have anymore until tomorrow! Still, they've done a pretty good job so far so I'm not complaining!

Not sure I have much to say today.......ooh, I went into town on Friday and quite frankly, it was shit! There was nothing in the shops, and what was, was rubbish! I've never felt so un-Christmassy whilst Christmas shopping!! It was most disappointing, so I'm going to stick to online shopping from now on. I know it's still November and they might not have everything out yet, but WHY haven't they? It's not like most shops don't start Christmas in September anyway, why is this year different?!!!!

In other news, there's a phenomenon that has had me puzzled for quite some time now, and I'm not sure if it only happens in my part of the world. Does anyone else ever notice that the roadsides are strewn with shoes (never a pair), gloves (again, never two), and other articles of clothing that you can't make out? Today, I counted two boots (individual ones), a glove, and something which I couldn't make out but appeared to be made of wool. I see these things all the time, whichever part of this city I drive through. I just don't understand where they're coming from? It makes no sense? You can't just lose a shoe on a road, surely?!! It's all very odd anyway, but I wasn't sure if it only happened in Yorkshire.

We're going to design our new kitchen tonight, which will either be really exciting, or extremely boring. The one we got in this house is pretty poor, to say the least. Not only is it crap quality, there's hardly anything of it! We have a big kitchen, but they only put a couple of units in as they were selling it as a dining kitchen. Fair enough, but the dining bit is next to the dining room!! Talk about dining over load! It really is crap for a 4 bedroomed three storey house. We have 2 main cupboards (one of which is under the sink and so can only house under the sink style products), 2 thin shallow ones, and another wide but shallow one. Oh, and 2 drawers. Big frakking deal. When we first came into the house having not seen it, I cried with disappointment. We've complained numerous times but Persimmon are clearly not willing to do anything about it so we decided we'll just have to pay for a proper one ourselves. If we couldn't afford to do so I'd be mighty pissed off, and even though we can I'm mighty pissed off, but at least I don't have to live with it for much longer. We're just getting a quote tonight, as Hefty likes to pay in full for everything, he doesn't do credit, but at least we'll get an idea of when we can have it done. I really can't wait, as though I love my house, there's always been something missing, and it's always been the kitchen! Not having one is really depressing, as it feels like a really big bedsit at the moment, and it made Christmas last year a nightmare. There's hardly any workspace either so we can't both do kitcheny things at the same time which is annoying. I don't know how we've put up with it for so long, but thank gods it's not forever!

Next week I'm going out for the day with Ming, as he's on holiday. As we only do random things together, we've decided to visit the Thackray Medical Museum, which should be a mini adventure. They have a Victorian Amputation Exhibition section, can't wait!!!

Well, need to do some washing now, a Domestic Engineer's work is never done!

iP

Illdom

Well, I don't know if illdom is a proper word but it would describe where I have been for the past week! I started with a sore throat last Wednesday, and by Thursday, I could barely swallow liquid, AND I'd started with a cold too! I don't normally get throat illnesses so it was most unpleasant, and I worry in case it spreads to my chest and aggravates my asthma. Colds I can deal with, but to get both has been horrendous!!!! I was really floored by the whole thing, and was bed-ridden for days, feeling like all the different medications I had acquired were doing nothing at all! When it finally did subside on Monday, I was left with a phenomenal amount of congestion, and I still can't get rid of it! I feel totally blocked up, and it's giving me a headache, so I think I'm going to have to invest in yet more medication to get rid of it! So I'm not amused, but it has made me paranoid about ever getting that ill again so I ordered a ton of fruit and veg this week and plan to consume it!

Tomorrow, I'm going in to town to start having a look at stuff for Christmas. Might get a few presents, in fact I'll have to get a lot cos my puppy will be coming to live at Pandah Palace on the 2nd of December! When he arrives, I'll pretty much have to stay in the house for a month or so, cos I can't leave him on his own, but he can't go out too much til he's had all his injections. I usually buy stuff from t'interweb, but because I don't work anymore, I thought I'd make the most of weekday shopping, and see if I can beat the crowds to some nice stuff. Hefty and I only really buy little things at Christmas, restricting ourselves to a budget of 50 squids, because we both have our birthdays in December (which we think are more important), and we spend lots of money all year round, so we treat Christmas as being mainly about eating, chilling out, watching TV, eating, and doing a bit of eating now and then. So, I only have to buy for my sister, her husband, the Biz, and a couple of friends! Brilliant! I'm going to the company Christmas party on the 11th (I think) and we'll be doing secret Santa, so I don't have to buy stuff for ALL my work chums either which is good. Also, they then don't feel like they have to buy for me, which would be a Brucie Bonus, as I don't give to receive, but people feel obliged. I hope I get some lovely things, and if I do, will be sure to share them with you! As in, what I bought, you can't have my presents!

So, as I mentioned, puppy is coming soon - very exciting!! I've bought a shed-load of stuff for him, it's like getting a new baby! He's going to be one spoiled pup! I'm waiting for the breeder to send me a photo of him, I hope it comes soon! Because I'll have to stay in for a month or so (apart from my Christmas party and a trip to the theatre to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), Hefty bought me my birthday present early. It's a spanky fab Mulberry handbag, with matching purse, and I love it! It gets harder to think of things you want when you get older, and because we buy a lot of stuff anyway, it doesn't help! But I really wanted this, so I'm well chuffed! As I'm getting the puppy the day before my birthday, I feel like I'm getting 2 presents - I'm a lucky Pandah! :0)



Looking forward to the return of The Mighty Boosh tonight, just wish they wouldn't put it on so late! 10.30pm?! I'll struggle to stay up but I'll have to cos it's on BBC3! Children in Need's on tomorrow, which essentially means there's nothing on TV so we'll have to watch a DVD. Friday night is the only night we really watch TV so it's annoying when the whole evening's entertainment gets pushed aside for utter crap. I know it's a charity thing, but I'd rather just donate some money than have to sit through newsreaders stripping and people like Westlife singing crapper songs than usual. Rubbish!

Anyway, dinner time! Ciao for now!

iP

P.S. I think I'm going to call my dog Brillo, cos he looks a bit like a Brillo pad! I think it's cute yet amusing! And original!

Puppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

This is a quick post cos I'm really busy this week!

I'm getting my puppy on the 2nd December!!! Just in time for my birthday!!! Yay!!!

Very exciting! :0)

Pain, pain PAIN!

Oh my gods! Last night was horrendous! We'd gone to bed after we got back from dinner, and were getting cosy watching an episode of Bab 5 (an AWESOME episode at that, there was some badass fighting and wickedace effects!) when I had this niggling pain in my left-hand side. Well, it niggled, and niggled, and by gods NIGGLED! Eventually, it got so bad, I was crying, shaking, sweating furiously with the unbelievable pain I was in! Hefty was freaking out at this point and was going to call an ambulance, but I'd been watching a programme about people who call the emergency services when they don't need them, and how it costs lives, so I didn't want him to. Instead, he called the NHS Helpline, and, well, got some help! I don't remember a lot about it, just that it seemed to go on for hours, and eventually some doctor rang us and I had to talk to him about stuff. He called or was calling the emergency doctor from our village for us, but then it went off!!! As if it had never been there!! I don't know what happened, but by that point I was so knackered I just went to sleep.

Got up this morning at about half eight, to take Hefty to work, then came back and went to sleep. I slept all day really, having the odd break for some food, and then watching a bit of a typical channel 5 afternoon movie, which had Bruce Boxleitner in it (random!) looking really old. Then I went to get Hefty and we picked Flexo up, who has been in the Suzuki Spa for 3 days now. They showed us loads of pictures of the oil leak, as well as some they'd took of another car where the owner had stuck sponges in the engine cos he'd said it was rattling or something. There was about 30 sponges, all under the bonnet! What a weirdo! Anyway, apparently my Swift is the first one they've had to have this problem, but it's a manufacturing thing, so I reckon they'll probably send a letter out asking people to check theirs for any sign of leaking, cos they're quite good like that. So his engine was completely stripped, cleaned, and he had a load of new things put in, so he's good as new again (even though he's only 1 anyway!).

Tonight I'm hoping for NO PAIN when we retire for another thrilling installment of B5. Not least because it was a really good episode that was marred somewhat by my moaning and pacing about. We'll be watching The Peter Serafinowicz Show first though, cos it's hilarious!! I never knew he was so amusing, and so good at impersonating people. We loved Look Around You but I've only ever seen him pop up in other programmes, like Spaced.

Tomorrow evening we're off to design our new kitchen - citing! And maybe watch Syriana, which arrived in the post about a week ago, but we've not got round to watching.

Well, dinner time, I'd best be off.

iP