A week where Phil graduates

It's sods law there is me getting ready to settle in for the winter when the weather changes and its gets warm again.  Can you believe this India summer?  Oh well, at least it got the flat cleaned and the sunshine has given me the opportunity to get some other jobs done.

I forgot to say in my last posting that we got a new second hand electric reclining chair from the Gumtree website.  The fake leather on our old chair had been peeling off; it was so bad that I had to hoover at least once a day.  We’ve never experienced this with a fake leather chair/sofa before and I am not really sure why it’s happened.  But it was driving me nuts plus it was so unsightly to look at it had to go.  

We picked up the new chair from a house in Bolbeck Park, first we had to dismantle the old chair and take it down the steps.  This was easy because it wasn’t that heavy but getting the new chair up the stairwell was not easy.  It was so heavy, I am strong don’t get me wrong, but I think Phil forgets that I am eleven stone lighter than him.  Plus he was makes me go up the stairs backwards when I’d much rather take the weight and go front ways.  I am rambling; eventually we got it up and in situ in the end.  It looks very nice, a real bargain for £150.00.

I’ve not really been up to anything exciting.  I got my application done for the job at Cranfield University, it took me bloody hours.  I have also applied for a job stocking shelves at John Lewis and have an interview next week.  I have updated my CV and yesterday put in an application for a job as a receptionist at Downs Barn middle school.  This job appealed because it was term time but I am not sure this is the perfect job for me as I hate kids.

On Friday I went to see mum in Melton.   We were halfway through the morning when mum asked me to move the fridge back in the garage.  She’d moved it as she decided to start painting the garage floor.  She’d managed to paint about a third of the floor but bless her because she couldn’t move anything on her own, she’d just painted around everything.  I decided to move everything, hoover and finish painting the floor because I knew that mum would only try and do it when I wasn’t there. 

For some reason on Saturday morning I was in the wide awake world before 4 am so I got up so as not to disturb Phil.  I had promised to help Sue paint her new decking at the caravan so I was round her house by quarter past seven. She was up and dressed but wasn’t quite ready to go; we got to the caravan for half eight.

Our first job was a cup of tea, then at 9 o clock we hovered the new decking.  I have to say I was very impressed with the new decking and slabs, it looks very nice.  Both Sue and I painted without stopping, we managed to get 2 and a half coats on and only stopped when the paint ran out.  Ian arrived at the new caravan around half two, we cleaned up and I left the site at 3pm.   I stopped off at Harriet’s to pick up my little ladder and dust sheet and then went home.  I have to say after being up so early I was absolutely shattered.

Sunday was a really boring day.  I went to the gym in the morning, shopped and lunched at Asda and got home early afternoon.  Phil watched the grand prix but it was such a lovely day I just couldn’t sit and watch TV.  I changed our bed, weeded the garden and then decided to clean the land rover. Big mistake; this car has been sat on our shingle for almost 18 months and it was disgusting.  It took me almost 3 hours.  We don’t have an outside hose so I had to climb the stairs to get every bucket of water.  The bonnet was covered in bird shit and I had to get a toothbrush to get the grime out of the window seals.  I get all the best jobs.  Phil needs to pump up the front tyre and get the battery charged and then we can get the Land Rover posted on eBay.

Phil has been very focused on his new course, he got home on Thursday night after work, studied pretty much for 3 days and didn’t leave the flat until he went back to work on Monday morning.  He doesn’t have any time for me in his life anymore which is why, aside from monetary reasons, I must find me a new working life. 

It was domestics for me on Monday morning and then I went Jan at the OU and we went for lunch at the Hub café.  The holiday that Jan has just come back from sounded amazing but I completely forgot to ask to look at her photo’s.  It was good to catch up but the lunch hour flew by.  In the afternoon I went to the gym and then it was back to the flat to make corn beef hash.

On Tuesday I went back to Two Mile Ash to carry on with cleaning/painting the communal area.  The resident that was abusive to me the week before arrived staggering and swigging a bottle of vodka but he was pleasant to me this time.  I sanded the two windows, not the best job because I didn’t have any electric.  One of the windows is rotten and really needs replacing. 

I did the best bodge job that I could.  My next job was to scrub the stairs which were splattered with paint.   I started with bleach and scourer then tried terps and scourer. My last attempt was a sander block which was quite effective.  They are much better but far from perfect.  Which can’t be said of my poor hands, they were so sore and little wonder I don’t have any nails.  My last job was to dump the rubbish under the stairs at the Bleak Hall tip.  I hate this tip, there is always a queue and the staff are so unfriendly.

It was more job applications on Wednesday morning and then some shopping at CMK.  I had a few things to do and buy.  First up was eyebrow threading at Superdrug.  I was disappointed that my usual lady wasn’t there but decided to pay for her holiday replacement.  Big mistake, she was rubbish and she really hurt me.  The centre was fairly quiet and I got what I wanted in a couple of hours.  After shopping I went to the gym then it was home alone.

Phil had his graduation yesterday, after years of studying, he finally decided to consolidate his courses and attend a ceremony.  Jim said he wanted to go so we picked him up and got to MK theatre for half nine.  Phil said he wished he’d never bothered with a ceremony but I think at the end of it, he was glad he had booked.  

It was a bit of a fag queuing up for his official photograph and of course me and Jim made him pose with the mortar board.  The ceremony itself involved lots of clapping and a bit of pomp with academics but it lasted just over the hour.  We had a glass of complimentary fizz in the foyer after the ceremony and then picked up Shirley.  Jim very kindly treated us to lunch at The Barge (thanks Jim) and I have to say it was very nice. I am wondering whether they have a new chef. I only had the fish and chips but it was cooked to perfection.

It would have been quite easy to have a duvet afternoon yesterday but we had jobs to do.  Phil went to sort his library books and I went over to Sue’s to pick up my tyre pump.  Sue and Ian have been pretty much at the caravan for most of the week, getting stuff done in readiness for their move next Monday.  We caught up over a quick cup of tea and then it was back to the flat.  I made a tuna pasta bake for tea; Phil said it was okay but too ‘fishy’ for him.  I did the ironing last night and then packed for the caravan.

Today I am off to Melton to see mum and will meet Phil at the caravan late afternoon.  He is still in bed so I have emailed him a list of jobs for him to do today.  It's pointless having a conversation these days because he forgets it and then denies all knowledge.  If I put it in writing then he has no excuses.  We are going to the van as we have tickets to see a ‘Madness’ tribute band tonight.  Sue is cooking supper and then we will troop down to the clubhouse.  I do not intend to have too late a night because I have a list of things to do on Saturday and a hangover is not an option.

Painting, partying & new spices

Last week wasn’t that eventful but I have been so lackadaisical with this blog of late that I need to make a stab at posting.  On Bank Holiday Monday I left early for Melton and was on the M1 before half seven.  I had a good run, the motorway was fairly quiet and there were hardly any Lorries.  Definitely one of my better runs.  Mum was pleased to see me.  It was a miserable day, we went food shopping, had lunch and then in the afternoon we ended up in Argos buying mum a new TV because her old one was on the blink. 

I was quite pleased with myself because I managed to set it up and tune it in all by myself.  I left Melton at quarter to three but didn’t get back to Newport until half five.  It was an awful journey; it was stop start from junction 19.  A note to oneself, do not travel anywhere on a bank holiday!

Again, the weather was really horrible last Tuesday so I decided to stay home and do some domestics.  I changed our bed, washed the towels, dusted all the skirting boards and cleaned out the kitchen cupboards. I also decided to sort our spice rack.  I have had my spices since 2007 and they needed refreshing. I got rid of the old and went out and replaced with all new spice pots. I would say that I was spring cleaning but with the cold weather, I think I was getting my little flat all cosy and clean ready for hibernating in the winter. It was more domestics on Wednesday but I did make it to the gym in the afternoon.

I was up early on Thursday, I threw the ingredients for a chicken curry in the slow cooker and was fairly organised by the time Danielle arrived at half nine to do my hair.  I am trying to grow my hair longer but I am all ready fed up with it so I know that I will fail.  Danielle did my roots with 2 darks and I suppose it looks better. I so hate getting my hair done.  I went to the gym in the afternoon and got back just before 3pm, just in time for Pauline who came round for a cup of tea. 

Phil and I went round to Harriet’s house to do some wall papering on Friday. When I say we, I really mean Phil although I did go round first in my car to set up. Of course things didn’t go to plan, when Phil got to No 6, Phil couldn’t find his proper wall papering brush so he had to go to B&Q to get a new one. I popped round to Sue’s as we had planned to go to Costco to get stuff for the party but Sue had to go to see the doctor so we arranged to go a bit later. 

Costco was really busy, Sue couldn’t get all the stuff she needed but luckily we had gone in separate cars so after Costco I left Sue and Ian to go to Tesco’s while I went to see Harriet at her house. Phil had made a good job of the wall papering, after painting all the walls white at no 6, it was good so see some colour. 

Phil spent all of Saturday doing in ‘C’ programming; he has 27 questions to answer before he starts his course.  I went to the gym in the morning and then went shopping for curtain poles in the afternoon.  Mum had given me a £20 voucher for Argos and we got 2 steel bauble expandable poles for 20 quid.  When I got home I got changed for Sue’s party and Phil dropped me off with the gateaux’s at half four.  He drove home and then walked back to Sue’s house.

I couldn’t believe how hard Sue and Ian had worked, everything was pretty much all organised and set up by the time I got there.  It was a bit touch and go with the weather and there were spits of rain but thankfully the rain stayed away.  The party was for Ian’s birthday which actually was the beginning of August but it was probably the last party that Sue will have at No 2 before starting her new life with Ian at the caravan.

As party’s go it was pretty good; Sue had hired a band called Bedazzled and they were brilliant.  I think Sue had about 50 plus guests there so there were lots of people.  Phil and Ian spent most of the time at the BBQ, I sat with Jim and Shirley but I did circulate.  The time flew, one minute it was half nine and the next it was half two in the morning.  Of course me and Phil were a couple of the last still standing. It was a good night.

Phil was hanging on Sunday morning and I felt a bit weary but I had promised to help Sue with the clearing up after the night before so I got to hers for half nine.  Both Sue & Ian and their house guests, Mike and Trudie, were all up and having breakfast in the garden when I arrived.  Sue had been up clearing up since 7 am but the place still looked like a bombshell had hit it.  Tom and Lynne turned up to help around 11 and a few of the neighbours also helped.  I did a trip to the dump with the empties and went to Waitrose to take back the glasses.  It was almost 2pm by the time we had finished.

Sue invited Phil over for a BBQ in the afternoon but he declined but I stayed and ate with them.  After lunch I borrowed a t-shirt of Ian’s and did my ice bucket challenge.  It certainly woke me up.  I have yet to do my donation to Willen Hospice so must do that today.  I got home about 4pm, Phil and I watched a film and then I crashed out on the sofa.  Can’t take the pace these days.

Phil studied all of Monday, when he studies, he prefers me to be out of the house. This was okay because I had to start painting the communal area of a flat that we own in Two Mile Ash.  For the last couple of months I have been in email contact with 2 of the other owners.  Andy, an owner who actually lives in one of the flats has started a campaign to maintain the block of flats.  Three of us have paid £250 into a kitty but the other 3 owners have not got on board which is both disappointing and annoying.

Our flat is on the first floor so I had promised to paint the upstairs and stairwell. I have to say that I wasn’t look forward to my task in hand.  First I had to clean before I could start painting, not an easy task with no electric and no access to hot water.  I had taken a tub of water and some wet dish cloths. I also had taken a bottle of bleach and 2 kitchen rolls. I worked for 4 hours then packed away my tools and went to the gym. I was knackered on Monday evening and actually didn’t feel too well. I think it was a mixture of late nights, red wine and painting followed by 2 hours in the gym. I was fine though on Tuesday morning.

Yesterday was interesting. First job of the day was to take my car into the garage for an MO.  My brakes were making a noise and I suspected that I need new brake pads; a phone call later confirmed that I needed new brake pads and discs - £248 in total.  I got a courtesy car but decided to take Phil’s car to Two Mile Ash to finish the painting.

I finished the stairwell and was just scrubbing the stair steps when I met Shanin one of the owners that I have been emailing.  He is gutting his flat and was there with a workman, he showed me inside and boy was it a mess.  He had to evict his tenant and when he got possession he found his flat was totally trashed.  It was almost like a new build, new walls, new plaster, new floors and new electrics. Whilst we were talking outside, I noticed that one of the residents had written a comment on the notice that I had put up on Monday.

Basically, I had stuck up a notice saying that all items under the stairs would be removed by me on Wednesday and one resident had written that if I got rid of his stuff that he would get rid of me. Charming!  Shanin and I were talking about this when suddenly the resident who had written the comment popped out of his door. Straight away he started shouting and swearing at us, I think he was a druggie, at one point I thought a fight might break out so we backed off.  It’s amazing, you spend time and money making somewhere more pleasant to live it and you get this shit.  I said to Phil that when our tenant leaves, we need to sell this flat and get out.

After painting, I went to the gym, popped into Asda to get some bits for Phil afterwards and then went to collect my car.  After new brake pads and discs, it passed its MOT.  I went round to Sue’s for a drink last night, did too much red wine but it wasn’t a late night. I slept like a log and had a bit of a lay this morning.  I have to do my job application but I am procrastinating, choosing to blog first rather than do the necessary.  But it is my next job on the list and I am not going anywhere until it’s done.  Personally I don’t think I have a cat’s chance in getting an interview and I am not sure this is the job for me but you don’t get anywhere if you don’t try.  It’s good to have options.