Thursday 30 July 2009

Crete is calling

Three weeks today, Daizy has reminded me to chekc my calendar and its three weeks today until we are on holiday again. Yaaayy! No, ofcourse I am not worried about leaving my eldest son home alone for nearly three weeks. The neighbours will hate me (3am is not a good time for guitar practice) and my electric bill will go through the roof, the homeless of the area will move in (he has a lot of friends). Oh well, i guess its better than leaving the place empty for that time.

Ofcourse the thing with travleiing to your own house is that its not all hotels and someone else looking after you, its is more like chores but in a differnt climate. We have lighting to wire in, curtains to hang, tiling to complete. Just like home but with sunshine. I had an email from my mum who lives locally today to say that we have electricity! Not to be taken for granted but i am very pleased. I hate turning up at 3am and not being able to find anything.

Same friend also thinks her brother might want to rent the place for a couple of months through the winter. That would be very handy for us. Some extra cash is always good. It all goes towards the house of course. A pool would be excellent. Nice to have a dream.

Friday 24 July 2009

First day of new life

Oka, its a bit over the top. I have just been busy for a while but a whole day off felt good but kind of weird. I didnt even do any housework. Instead we went shopping!

Eek! I know I am not a shopper but when we visit the Crete house I take clothes and toys for my friends twins & although I do take second hand sometimes I also felt a few new items wouldnt hurt.

Worse than shopping we also had fast food for lunch. It was a treat for my husband. He may have enjoyed it but my 'Ocean Catch' was just something hot in a bun with old lettuce and mayonaisse. Still it did serve to affirm that fast food is still awful.

After these two traumas I couldnt actually face my grocery shopping so that is still waiting for my attention tomorrow. To the market for fruit and veg first first and to my neighbour who is selling excess veg)and then top up of what I need from the shop. Also a hair cut. I have been mistreating my hair, by neglecting it I feel. I look like cousin It.

Loving having three days off togther. I thought it was Saturday night already and I get the nice surprise that its not even SAturday, let alone night time. Yeah!!

Thursday 23 July 2009

I'm back!

I have been working silly hours for a last i don't know how many weeks. My work life balance has been seriously unbalanced. Last Friday I left work at 8.30pm having started at 8am. The boss and I went in for the best part of Sunday. All week has been late but tonight's seven o'clock finish was the last one (not ever but of the every day horrors we have been doing). Everything is finished and we have a master plan which means it cant happen again. Never say never but I think the plan is a runner. Now I can get back to living instead of basic survival housekeeping and work work work. This hasn't left me filthy rich by the way,I don't get paid overtime, I just don't like to see the job not finished properly.

Tomorrow I have a day off. Not sure that anyone at work has remembered but I am staying home anyway and switching my phone off. Time to get a bit of balance.

Tomorrow I am going to think about plans and goals, the last reserve of the lost blogger.

Saturday 11 July 2009

I love Saurdays

I don't mind that the sun has abandoned us or that I have a load of cleaning to do, Saturdays are still lovely.

I brought us cheese on toast for a breakfast which will keep us going until later after when my husband gets home from work.

My kitchen needs a bot of clean up. Last night my youngest son asked his dad for a campfire in the garden. They wanted it to be dark so it was a late start. They built a fire pit with blocks and grilled meat over the burnt down embers. They did clean up after themselves but teenager style, so it still needs some work.

The same son is finishing year one of college next week and wants to dye his hair purple today! Guess whose job that will be.

This afternoon we will re-light the bonfire to cook the rest of the meat. We have a massive umbrella if it rains so it should be fun.

We had a letter this morning from Virgin telling us we should make the move from Sky TV to them as it is such an irresistible deal. I guess they don't realise there are people who don't have satellite TV but we are happy without it. In fact one of my sons friend wanted to watch TV last evening as he was getting too wet outside. and I didn't know how to work the TV at all ( i could switch it on, just not get a picture).There weren't any batteries in the remote for a start, so I guess we are not TV people. If you looked in the window you wouldn't know it though, we have a massive screen. I thinks its because my husband didn't have toys as a child. Thank goodness he is pretty much cured now though.

Friday 3 July 2009

Bucking up

I am bucking up a bit he last two weeks at work have been frightful. However I am pretty sure we have rounded the corner now and things should start to improve next week. Just in time to save my sanity I think.On monday i am going to spend a half an hour early in the dya sorting my desk & emails to see what i should have done and haven't.

So, if I am setting my ducks in row at work then perhaps it is time to do the same at home.

I plan the usual bout of cleaning for tomorrow but if the rain stays away then a garden tidy session too. Sunday can be paper sort out day and finally a list update session.

I lvoe weekends but I would quite like to go back to loving my job too. Fingers crossed for Monday.

Thursday 2 July 2009

Feeling 'crunched'

The credit crunch seems to be crunching at us a bit now.

My job remains as busy as ever, busier even. Not quite so for my husband. He is a swimming teacher. He runs his own lessons and hires another teacher, he teaches for other swim school and he teaches private lesson. This month we are down to a total of 18 hours works outside of our own swim school. Our swim school has just enough customer to break even but not enough to pay him as well. I was expecting this really. When money gets a bit shorter then luxuries re the first to go.

We can manage without his income but it leaves us short on extras and overpaying. What I like least is it seems to be leaving him very sad. He misses some of the kids that he has taught for years but most of all he misses feeling useful i believe. He is quite lethargic at the moment. There is work to be done here at the house but it isn't quite the same.

We are lucky and there are certainly people considerably worse off than us but all the same I would pref to see him looking a little happier.

My life

My wonderful husband has died. He was in hospital for some weeks but this was very unexpected. I won’t be reading or writing for the foresee...