Did you accomplish anything today?

[Riki]

I spent the day in front of fans and the air conditioner.  It's about time summer showed up.  I just wish I had the energy for the beach.

[Poppylicious]

Sugarlump, if you need a project I have a hall and landing which is in dire need of decorating.  I can provide tea and biscuits. Or wine ...

I've been to the Royal Mail delivery office to pick up two parcels, the Post Office to send some (post)cards, and the library to return a book.  I've mowed the lawn, weeded the garden, cut back some dead flowers, swept the decking, hung some washing on the line and watched last night's episode of Big Brother.  The windows are open, the sun is HOT!! and I think it's safe to say that summer has arrived.  If it's still here on Sunday that will be a bonus because we're entertaining.  In the meantime I'll make the most of it by spending the afternoon soaking up some rays.

I only have four days of work next week and then I get seven weeks off ... WooHoo!!  Obviously next week will no doubt be the busiest of the academic year (end of year meetings, hog roasts, finishing up my IT qualification and having to do stuff with next year's new students who are having taster sessions for their courses.)  Hopefully the week will whizz by.

 

[Sugarlump]

If summer has officially arrived, I am getting that barbeque out again this weekend. 
Have venison burgers in the freezer and Mojito mix in the cupboard... 

[CebuShan]

Got my bed made, the dishes done and the laundry done! Too hot to do much else!

[Sugarlump]

Made 30 chocolate rice krispy cakes for tomorrow 

[Riki]

I spent an unproductive evening in the ER.  I did the same thing with the same issue last Tuesday.  The wait time was so long that they wouldn't have gotten to me until sometime tomorrow morning.

On Tuesday I went in with pain just below the breast bone that radiated through into my back.  The first thing they did with me was an ECG to ensure that the problem wasn't with my heart.  I then sat in the waiting room for 4 hours.  In that time, the pain went away, so I went home.

Tonight, I had the same pain.  This time, no ECG.  I just sat in the waiting room with people who had broken bones and cuts that needed stitches, and a man who came in by ambulance with similar pain to my own.  These people had been waiting 6-8 hours already, and had hours yet to wait to see a doctor.  The guy who came by ambulance called his daughter to come get him because, like me, his pain went away.  We only sat for 2 and a half hours tonight until my pain went away and we went home

[Poppylicious]

We joined the gym last week and this morning we had our induction.  Whoa!  I discovered that I really can't do lunges. 

 

[jbeany]

Laundry, dishes, mowed and weed wacked the lawn, pulled weeds from the flower beds and watered, read the paper, was annoyed there were no coupons, now I"m off to the shower 'cause I'm sweaty and covered in grass clippings, then I'm going to try a crock-pot recipe for cinnamon sugar almonds.

[paris]

Made it through 10th month anniversary after losing Barry.   That is all I could do today - get through the day.  Tomorrow will be more productive.

[galvo]

Poppy! You joined a gym!!! A gym!!!!! OMGPTL!!!!!

[Poppylicious]

OMGPTL!!!!!

Eh? What does that mean?

And stop laughing. 

 

Today I didn't go to the gym because my poor little Qyzy is ill.  He's been having problems passing urine and has even taken to trying to go on the bed, in the bath, in carrier bags, on the kitchen floor ... but can only manage a drop each time. Vet says it's cystitis and has given him an antibiotic and some medicine to take.  He's not allowed dry food (he'll love that!) nor is he allowed to go outside for about a week (he'll hate that!). Bless him, he's sound asleep now after the trauma of being carried through the streets to the vets.  In good news for me that was a fifteen minute walk there, plus a fifteen minute walk back whilst carrying a 5.35kg bundle (cat and carrier combined) in the burning sun.  I was sweating like a pig when I got home ... who needs gym membership when you can just do that everyday?!

[cariad]

Had a portable air conditioner delivered from Costco today. They are taking it back. I was misled by the word "portable" in to thinking this would be a machine I could carry from room to room and would not take up a quarter of the lounge. It works, but not well enough to justify the cost.

Bought weekly bus passes for the boys and me, got them to circus training - the instructors all found it astonishing that there were two sets of brothers named Aidan and Dylan in the class, and that we were all friends. These people were absolutely lovely and I'm so happy that the boys are doing this.

Cleaned all day, laundry, friends offered to drop my boys back here for me so I got a fair amount done. Went to the cash point for money and as I was counting the purple bills dropping one by one from the machine, I saw a bright flash of green. Went through the bills and there was a £20 from the Republic of Ireland. I asked the manager to change it for me and he refused, I think the language barrier was quite substantial. Went home to find that it is at least worth the same and may be accepted here in England, but it's sort of a shopkeepers discretion thing. I called the shop's customer service line and she said that she'd never seen one herself, neither had Gwyn. Aidan wanted to keep it so he 'bought' it off me. Loaded the boys up with cold drinks upon their return, they put on their gis and went to karate whilst I walked to Tescos and found materials for dinner. Cooked, off to clean up and hopefully get a bit of telly in before falling dead asleep.

[jbeany]

The crock pot cinnamon nuts were a pain in the arse.  The recipe used so much sugar that the nut shapes aren't even visible, and the the silly thing had to be stirred every 20 minutes for over 3 hours.  Uh, hello?  Isn't the whole point of a crock pot that you can toss the ingredients in and forget about them until they are done?  I gave up part way through and finished them in the oven in less than half an hour.  They taste good, but no crock pot for me next time!

Continued my mini urban sprawl today - I'm making tiny clay houses in fantastical shapes for a future craft sale.  They are quick and fun, and I might just be a teeeeeeeny bit addicted to making them....

Now I just have to convince a cat to lay sprawled in the sun long enough for me to set all the houses up in front of the tummy for a real "sprawl" picture!

[galvo]

OMGPTL!!!!!

 I was sweating like a pig when I got home

Poppy, please! Men sweat, ladies glow!

[Poppylicious]

Poppy, please! Men sweat, ladies glow!

Nope, I definitely don't glow, galvo!

Qyzen pee'd on our bed last night so I've been using the washing machine today.  He also did a BIG pee just outside his litter tray (pesky boy) this morning but I didn't mind clearing that up because it must mean he's on the mend.

After a sleepless night due to the massive storm we enjoyed for about four hours (fork lightning, thunder that made the house shake and torrential rain) I got up early and went to the gym.  Blokey dropped me off halfway and I walked in the (very wet) rain only to find the gym lights off and nobody home. *gasp* ... it should have been open at seven and I got there at eight-thirty.  So I walked home (over a mile) in the (very wet) rain which miraculously stopped the minute I stepped inside my front door. 

Humpf.

Later, I dyed my hair. Now it's a waiting game to see just how long before the grey starts peeking through again.

 

[Riki]

After spending a rather painful evening in the ER, I spent most of today sitting or sleeping on my hospital bed, watching my roommate across the way read the paper and eat (I'm not allowed food at the moment).  Someone just came in, put a name on the bed next to me, and pulled the curtain, so I guess we're getting a new roommate as well.  If anyone wants to chat to me, to alleviate my boredom, I'm on skype, rikimae528 

[cariad]

Driving is starting to feel more of a fun challenge and less a terrifying suicide mission. So that's an improvement. I can now drive through my own town with ease, and I even ventured in to the neighbouring city, with its roadworks and diversions, and pressed on with calm. Can I drive in the nitpicky, laughably unrealistic way that the DVLA insists? That remains to be seen. I have my theory test scheduled, and even that is far from a dead cert. Written exams rarely pose a problem for me, but it's this ludicrous 'hazard perception test' that may trip me up. Fail that and you fail the whole thing and have to retest. Why Britain, why? Oh, right.... the more times I fail, the more fees for the state.

Today I drove my kids to circus training, decided I needed a new pair of linen trousers and would you believe the first charity shop I walked in to had a pair in my size with tags still on? And an adorable linen shirt that goes perfectly with it and so much else I own? I also bought a truly gorgeous jacket from the charity shop where I volunteer. Walked in to the bank to ask why our transfers are taking so long and received an irritating answer that this whole process is not as painless as we were led to believe. Battled the arrogant jerk at our flat's management company. I actually spoke the words "I'm not doing this on your schedule. I don't work for you, I do believe it's the other way round." Dishes and laundry, also cooked the red peppers that have sat in the fridge for almost a week. Watched the show that all the kids in the circus class put on this afternoon for the end of the camp. It was so cool to see all they've learnt. My kids did silks, diablo, human cannonball (leaping off a mini trampoline and doing aerial somersaults) and hoops. There was also trapeze, tightrope, stilt-walking, skipping rope and human pyramids, plus they learnt other skills like plate spinning that were not in the show. The man who ran the program just earned his degree in circus skills (who knew??)

[Riki]

That sounds like a cool camp.. I wish they'd had stuff like that when I was a kid.

I had my first MRI ever today.  They were checking to see if there were any gallstones stuck in the ducts going into the bowel, and though at one time there was, because there had been inflammation, there no longer is.  I was able to eat today for the first time since Sunday, and though it was crappy hospital food, I inhaled it.

Next step, gallbladder removal.  What a fun summer..  *eye roll*

[cariad]

The crock pot cinnamon nuts were a pain in the arse. 

Language, jbeany! We IHD ladies say 'pain in the hat'!

That sounds like a cool camp.. I wish they'd had stuff like that when I was a kid.

I wish I'd met people with their attitude when I was a kid. Everything was so positive and encouraging and the instructors really had a way of bringing out the kids' creativity.

Oh, Riki, gallbladder removal. Sheesh. Never had the pleasure myself but I can imagine it's not on anyone's list of Top Ten Activities for Summer Fun. Take care and keep everyone updated.

I had a driving lesson today and asked him if I was ready to take a mock test (last step before booking the practical) and he said "oh, definitely". The primary issue I'm having now is that we tend to chit chat all through the lesson and then I forget all of the picky little things I am supposed to be remembering - handbrake on if you're going to be stopped more than 5 seconds, don't cross your hands when turning the wheel (oh, please - who doesn't do this?!), put the handbrake on each time you stop the car and switch between forward and reverse (oh, please - who does do this?!) mirrors signal go, "only a fool breaks the two second rule!", tarmac and tires, mirrors every time you change speed - it's a lot to change about my driving for the sake of 53 minutes of testing. And  I've been told that they are only allowed a maximum of 53 minutes including paperwork, eye check, and the show me/tell me portion. I will hope for heavy traffic. It's hard to make a mistake if you're not able to really go anywhere.

I have also collected most everything for my kids' passport appointment. Because Dyl was under age five for his last passport we need to provide pics of him for every year between his last passport photo and today. I have no idea what this will prove to them. Thankfully between here and G's FB account, I think we have enough electronic files that we won't have to go burrowing through our storage unit to try to find the various CDs of snaps. Luckily, this will be the last time we have to do this for Aidan, by the time he gets the next one he will just squeak into adult status and can get a 10-year without needing his parents to escort him to the embassy (they're called trains, kid, use them). We'll have to go through this once more with Dyl, hopefully we can take care of it in the US over some visit or other. Still have to take them to get their official photos taken, but that was painless for their British passports. At least with the American ones, you are still allowed to smile!!! It makes it seem less of a chore somehow.

[Riki]

ugh.. passports..  Mom and I need to get ours renewed.  At least they have a new 10 year option, and since it's a renewal, there's not as much rigamaroll to it as there was when we first got those passports.  We need to get the renewal done before October, though, or we'll have to start over from scratch.

[cariad]

ugh.. passports..  Mom and I need to get ours renewed.  At least they have a new 10 year option, and since it's a renewal, there's not as much rigamaroll to it as there was when we first got those passports.  We need to get the renewal done before October, though, or we'll have to start over from scratch.

Wait.... they treat this like insurance? If you go a day without coverage (in terms of a valid passport) they make it more difficult for you? Wow, that's just mean.

My kids' passports expired end of June. The process is the same. In retrospect, I am surprised they let them back in to the US in March as you are not supposed to travel internationally within 6 months of your passport expiring. I think it's ridiculous that they cannot travel to the US on their British passports. Are they afraid we'll slip back in to the country to live? Would this be such a big deal if we did??

Accomplishments: G left for Paris at 3AM, he'll be back within the hour but he took an hour detour on the drive back to pick up a birthday gift for Aidan - a Ben Sherman black leather jacket I found on Preloved, never worn, all of £20! (Sells for around £80 in the shops).
Woke up to realise we had no fresh fruit in the house and I needed something for the  boys' lunchboxes. Got them out the door by about 9:15, drove that's right drove to town centre, grabbed two packs of Pink Lady apples at M&S for £4, and then drove them to their American sport camp. Made a few calls at home, ordered a few presents for Aidan (he wants circus equipment), walked to the shop to volunteer for a few hours, had great conversation about theatre with the shop manager's parents who also volunteer there frequently, walked back, collected the kids in the car, heard reports that  Dyl was 'amazing' today (even his brother corroborated that this was the case), herded them in to the showers, walked back to town, had their pics taken for passports, waited at the library over the road and found scads of books for them to check out and read over our upcoming holiday, collected the pictures, went back to M&S, found steak and pork chops reduced over a pound each, purchased, cooked pork chops for the boys (I await my medal for bravery - nothing grosses me out quite so much as pork) boys said it was delicious, dishes and laundry done and I await Gwyn's return. Beer chilled in the fridge, I guess I may as well offer to cook the steak for him, it cannot possibly be worse  than what I've already been through....

[iketchum]

 I reached my 25th wedding anniversary today, and am alive and well to tell about it. Candy got a dozen roses and we went on the bike for a nice ride and ended up at The Red Barn for some awesome seafood.

[Poppylicious]

I reached my 25th wedding anniversary today, and am alive and well to tell about it. Candy got a dozen roses and we went on the bike for a nice ride and ended up at The Red Barn for some awesome seafood.

Awww, happy anniversary!

 

[jbeany]

Avoided the temptation to go shopping by going to the library and checking out books instead.  Much cheaper!  The libraries are all connected in the county, so it seemed sensible to go to the one right next to the my workplace.  Easy to drop off returns, close enough to walk to on nice days during my lunch break. 

Attempted to change my address while I was checking out books.  Ha.  I work in a different city than I live in - even though it's only 7 miles away.  (Urban sprawl in action...)  Even though the entire county library system is connected, they still need me to go to a library in my city to change my address.  But I could check out books with my card that still listed my address as a city 30 miles away.  Huh?   

[Riki]

wow.. and I thought getting out of bed and into a chair on my own was a good thing..  *G*

you guys tire me out sometimes