Saturday 1st August

Well here we go into the new month.  I remembered to say 'White Rabbits' which was something we always said when I was a child at home.  Now I did say it to myself but does it really matter.  

Not sure if the weather will tempt me into Brighton for the parade today.  It's supposed to rain at about 11.00 and there's nothing worse than trying to watch something with rain dripping down the back of your neck especially from someone else's umbrella.  I've just sent Tracey a message to see if she is coming down for it or lanquishing on her virtuous couch.  I suspect the latter.  We shall see what the camera catches as the day progresses.

Sunday 2nd August

Well yes we did go out to play on a very rainy day!!  Tracey arrived from London at 1.19 and my bus was late because of the closure of Brighton for the street parade.  Subsequently we missed the organised parade but we caught the individual parade in Preston Park north of the city.  It started to rain more or less as we arrived to follow everyone from the station to the park.  There were several who had taken part in the parade walking back to peace and tranquillity while we headed for the event.  The theme was PRIDE Beside the Seaside and there were sailor suits galore with some showing more flesh than others.  Celebrities were spotted in the crowd, such as Graham Norton, scurrying between the four tented areas full to the brim of revellers cavorting to the music.  The atmosphere was electric, in the main good natured, free to enter and no body searches either.

Unfortunately the heavens opened and it started to pour down.  Now Preston Park has lots of trees and the revellers took to sheltering under the branches clutching their bottles of ‘Coke, Lemonade and Fanta’ that would have put any sniffer dogs out for the count.  Tracy thoughtfully produced two cans of lager which we dutifully opened and supped with the rest.  Eventually we decided that we weren’t really seeing much from under the tree so we headed back to town, found a rather nice organically pleasing restaurant with organic cider and then went on a shopping spree.  Cold and wet we let the cider do its stuff, I left her in St. James Street to meet up with her friends while I used my trusty bus pass to get me home for a reasonable hour.  The last text was that she was wearing a red visor and a red feather boa but I didn’t ask what else.  I went back to my fluffy pyjamas to get warm and dry.  A good day was had by all……

Sunday continued

Today has been a bit of a funny day.  I went to Church, decided I couldn't face the supermarkets relying on what was left in the freezer and cupboards in general.  Bingo.  Pork in spicy sauce and roasted vegetables sounds alright to me.

I went to see a Landrover Discovery this afternoon which turned out to be an exciting incident.  I might let you into the full details if anything else comes of it but currently it's a closed book.  Needless to say I didn't buy it and I have the photographs to prove why.  Nuff said!!!

Now I have to remember not to have anything to eat or drink after 9.00 this evening.  I'm off to see the practice nurse at the local surgery.  No I don’t know what she is practicing for but perhaps she might tell me if I ask her nicely.

Oh and rumour has it that my car angel thinks it would be a good idea while he has the beast to change the timing chain.....not bothering with an estimate...it's Sunday and my response was   .... why stop now.

That's it.  The buzzer tells me that supper is cooked.

Night for now…..

Monday 3rd August

What a lovely start to the day.  I don't know if you remember but I booked an appointment to see the practice nurse for this morning only to be told when I got there that there was no appointment booked.  Now senile decay may be setting in for sure but I wrote it down in the Practice brochure so that I wouldn't forget to stop eating and drinking the night before so that the blood test could be taken.  It was the same receptionist that I had my previous run in with and so it seems to me that her and I could have been cast together to sort something out from a previous life or to help each other in this.  Maybe I need to develop my patience and her, her customer service skills but I'm developing already since my builders can't start until October so it is obvious that it is her that needs the help.  I think what really got my goat so to speak was that she said 'Oh you think that you booked an appointment'.  No...I know I booked the appointment so I asked what the next step was.  She replied that there was nothing to be done, that the nurse was fully booked, that there was a nurse off sick and that I could book an appointment for the following week.  'So that's it then is it?'  I said that unfortunately I was not around the following week so she said that they could now book me in for later that week and I said that I was away from tomorrow.  So what did I do?  Walked home, phoned the practice manager and let it all out.  Will it get me anywhere?  I’ll probably be banned but what the heck.  It's the way that you get treated over here and in twenty four years with the same surgery I bet I could count the times that I've had to go there.   Argghhhhhh.  Don't put everyone into the same category.

Now what can I get up to today.  Firstly I must get some breakfast after going on an enforced fast and secondly let you all know that I have a new appointment booked for 9.05 on Monday, 17th August.  Well I think so at least if they have managed to get it entered into the computer .

One of my visits is off during my trip to London.  I've just spoken to one of the forum members and there was a lot of sniffing and snuffling and flu sounds.  Get well soon and take care.  

Asda calls............must stock up before I go away.

Whoop... whoop... whoop.... Brighton alert!!  

I'm in Brighton on Tuesday 18th Aug if you're around for a coffee  

Monday p.m.

For you Mikey B...how can I refuse...I'll prepare the rest of Brighton

Well I've just finished shopping in the Marina and I still didn't want to face Asda so I did Lidl instead and spent so much less than usual.  I also did the rest of the Marina and it just doesn't get as busy as it should.  I've found a good Fairtrade shop that I didn't know existed but that only opens Thursday to Sunday when it hopes to get fair trade.  I'll give it a whirl next weekend and there is a very arty shop next door with fabulous polished, rather large, stone carvings.  Now there's one for excess baggage and Easy Jet do say that if you can manage to lift it into the overhead they don't worry too much.  Now there's a big temptation.  Now into providing fodder

Wednesday 5th August

Updates to follow.  Very busy with grandchildren, swimming and reading stories.....  Be back soon

Thursday 6th August

When I say busy, the last couple of days were very busy....

I have a granddaughter of three and a half who has a voratious appetite for books and visits to the library to change them,  And I have to get the words right after we have been through them for the first time.  She pretended to mend the chair and asked me if I would prefer a Philips or a flat screw driver from her 'toolset' to complete the job but before I could reply she worked out that the straight would be more appropriate.  Cool chick.

We also went swimming and again I took advantage of the fact that I was over retirement age and got in for free.  This country gets better and so we went into the family pool and both of the little ones had a fun time followed buy an Italian lunch in a very trendy restaurant.  Nice day.  The day normally started by me hiding a book under the turned back duvet cover,  Evie looking for a book by the bedside and not finding one, suggesting that she got in and turned the duvet book and, lo and behold, the hidden book was revealed.  This was our morning game.  It worked well until Lucas wanted to join in and 'read' the book with his two newly acquired teeth!!

Thursday PM

Drove to the office and phoned Mikey B to let me into the building.  It is my second time back there in two and a half years and it feels normal to go in.  I caught up with several colleagues and they commented on how relaxed I looked.  The usual question of 'What are you doing?' received a response of 'Nothing' closely followed with 'Spending my time between here and Bulgaria and enjoying both'.  The evening was spend in a restaurant mulling over old times over a couple of drinks and a meal.  Then back to Tracey's flat to get my head down.

Friday 7th August

I got up really early.  Tracey off to work at 7.40 and me ready to leave for Brighton at the same time.  By 9.20 and 100 miles later I was on Asda car park ready to get in the week's supplies.  I arrived home at approximately 11.00, unpacked the shopping which I detest and promptly lay down to 'rest my eyes' at about 1.30 and woke up at about  4.00.  Sleeping out last night reminded of what it might be like in a TARDIS.  She had video lights and various other flashing electrical equipment and I didn't know how to turn them off to get the brightness down.  So I left them on......expecting either an airplane or a spaceship to land considering them to be welcoming not warning lights.................Obviously I needed to catch up on my sleep being away from my own bed.  So now it's late and let's see how long it takes for sleep to take over tonight.  Lecka nosht!!

Saturday 8th August

Well today was a day of gardening.  The ivy that adorns the house has almost made it impossible to see out of most of the upstairs windows.  Not my idea of house adornment but I live with the consequences.  The  neighbours are away so I had a bonfire.  Now this is something that in BG creates no problem at all but here in the UK you have to take lots of things into account,  Mainly that some people do not like bonfires at all and would almost call out the fire brigade at the first hint of smoke.  It's now 10.50, my next door neighbours do not arrive home from Spain until midnight so no complaints there and the other side are out for the evening/morning.  So.....safe as houses tonight.  It is showing the last embers, I am deciding that I now must have a long lingering bath to get rid of the smell of bonfire and then to bed.  Not much on the agenda for tomorrow except church if the mood takes me.   Otherwise on with the gardening and getting rid of the rubbish.

Good night everybody...........