Its been a difficult week with emotions ranging from celebration to depression.

Lets start with the celebration side of things. Our friends were over from america nad it was good to see them again. We went out for a meal and had a good catch up. Then on Friday it was off to the hotel where wifey works for the day and night. All of them then played in the pool and tried to give themselves early coronaries in the steam room. Bugger that I went and had a coffee, put my feet up and read a good book. Everyone then went and had a shower etc and met up back in our suite (yes suite nice being upgraded because your wife works there) for a bottle of wine before dinner. Now our friend was upon the grand day of his 40th birthday and none the wiser for what had been planned for him.

After our delaying tactics with wine which was not all that hard if I am honest:) we took him down to the restaurant and into a private dining room where he was awaited by 20 of his friends and family. Now I have seen people turn red before but this was a new shade all to itself! He really had no idea that we had done it and it was a great way for him to see everyone whilst he was back over on his short stay from the states. The meal was fantastic and a good time had by all so all in all a very good day.

Now the rest...

Why oh why in this wonderful England of ours does it take so long to have a funeral after someone has died??? It was 10 days from when my Nan passed away until we had her cremation. You feel like you are just getting somewhere with dealing with your grief and then its time for the funeral which just drags everything up again. All those feelings of loss and hurt come straight back up to the surface and sitting in the chapel looking at the coffin just drags your heart down into the dark depths of your soul.

Well the day was warm and the sun out. I have no doubt she had this planned as she really loved planning did our Lil :) I had the honour of being a coffin bearer and taking Nan on her last trip into the Chapel. My uncle said a few words as did I which I will put below. Family had come in from all over Europe to say goodbye to the head of the family. It was a Sad sad day but she really did get a good send off.

Now these days are always going to be sad but it suprised me just how drained I felt at the end of it. All of my four passengers coming back from Oxford were fast asleep within minutes and it didnt take me more than 30 secounds to fall into gratefull oblivion once my head touched the pillow.

We were not the only ones to be going through all of these emotions on Tuesday... our best friends were also high in our thoughts as they set off to say goodbye to thier uncle who had passed on suddenly. Strange how there is always more than one death around the same time and we are lucky to have such good friends and family for support.

So there we have a strange few days. Many highs and many lows but as always the world keeps turning and life will go on.

Good bye Nan you will always be with me...

Well here we are heading toward the end of the week and the start of the easter weekend and of course in true British tradition its raining!

My great grans funeral will be on Tuesday and family from all over the world are flying back for it. Just goes to show what an incredible woman she was and how much she meant to us all. I was talking to a cousin who lives over in Cyprus and she asked why is it we only all get together when someone gets married or dies? I pointed out that all we can do in this life is bring up ourt children as best we can and they soon make their own way...its just the way of things. She promptly told me to shut up as I was depressing her and she didnt want her babies to leave!! LOL. Of course she was messing but isnt it strange that a family as large as mine that all lived within a 10 minute walk of each other when we were kids have now ended up scattered across the globe!? The world from our generation really has become a much smaller place. What was a once a year occurance of getting on a plane is now almost as easy as jumping on a bus. We think nothing of booking a cheap flight for a weekend away in the sun when our grandparents and parents could never dream of such things. Going to the next town was a big deal and hitting the coast was a long term break!

I digress....I have been asked to be a bearer at the funeral which to me is an honour and to also say a few words about Lil. I have so far written three speeches and thrown them away. Theres so much to say and so little time to say it I really want to do her proud. I will jot down the final draft here after I have said my bit on the day.

On the great news side our best friends have passed all tests and are now about to begin their IVF treatment. If anyone desrves kids its them but in a cruel twist of fate they need a kickstart to do so so heres hoping and praying like mad that this treatment is succesful. I love these guys to bits and they are so giving and caring that its about time they got just a little back. It doesnt have to be loads but lady luck just needs to give them a bit of a grin so they can hear the patter of tiny feet. We shall see over the next couple of months what happens.

Some friends are back over from America on a visit and its his 40th birthday tomorrow. There are about 25 of us going to a hotel for a meal and spoilt evening out with lavish rooms booked and he has no idea! His face should be a picture LOL. Now why we had to have lavish rooms is beyound me because I am sure none of us will appreciate them when we pass out at the end of the evening but the wives booked them and ive been told women know best....who am I to argue?!

The problem is that I dont really drink these days and I had 2 pints on Tuesday evening which gave me a hangover for 36 hours so why I would want to drink tomorrow is beyound me. I have been convincing myself that not a drop will pass my lips but who am I trying to kid. Once you get caught up in the atmosphere of a good friends birthday party the beer will be drunk and I will suffer. I wouldnt mind but a hangover on 2 pints!!!!!!!

AND I have just realised I havnt told the other big story...we are moving at the end of the month a couple of miles up the road to a nicer area. The house we are in is fantastic bt the area has gone steadily downhill over the last 6 months. Yound kids drunl out of their little minds and drug users crapping up the alley and leaving used needles around. My kids cannot go out to play and wifey tells me I cant deal with these youths as I will be in more trouble than them. The police are neither use or ornamant as they never "catch them in the act". So enough was enough. We looked at a few houses and found one we like in a really nice area at the end of a Cul de sac which is fantastic. The eldest daughters freinds are around the corner and the youngest can ride her bike outside...perfect. Now all we have to do is pack everything we own and load the truck, drive to the new place unload the truck and unpack. Easy eh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I must be mad!!!!

New life is growing at the allotment and I have got loads of wood for it from freecycle which is great. Lots of new raised beds which are nice and easy to look after. I have 45 slabs to collect in the morning for it as well as a load of topsoil so back ache here we come :)

Thats enough for now....I will be back soon.

It was with great sadness that I received the call yesterday morning that my great gran Lil had passed away. The world is a little bit more empty now she has gone. I took a walk along the coast after I heard and dwelled on memories of this fantastic women. Its strange how time passes so quickly and there has just been a massive generation shift. We wont know until Monday when the funeral is but its expected to be later this week.

Its been a strange week with many highs and lows. Works going well that was until Wednseday when I put my back out atop a 25ft ladder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that was an experience getting down form there very very slowly :)

We decided to go away to the seaside on Thursday as I couldnt work and the kids were breaking up from school. My parents have a static caravan near Cromer and what a great time we had for a couple of days:) :) No rush to do anything and lots of laughs and slot machines and walks along the beach and pier. It was bloody freezing mind you but hey ho a break away was what we all needed and it was so nice to spend some time away from phones and computers and TV. We played chess in the evening and ate far too much but isnt that what holidays are for?

We have started to look for a new house to rent. The one we are in is fantastic with 4 bedrooms three bathrooms and all in a victorian 3 story but the area has taken a real turn for the worse over the last 6 months with drug users and gangs hanging around and we feel like the kids are virtual prisoners in the house and theres no where close they can go out to play safely. So we are taking a good hard look around to find a nicer area but we know we will have to comprimise on size which will be hard after being spoilt for the best part of two years now.

The bikes all fixed and has had a few miles put on the clock and Ive been helping a mate fit his new kitchen today. The dog sulked because we left her with the neighbours on our little holiday jount but after 2 days has now decided we are ok after all and is more than happy we are home.

Still thoughts drift back to Lil who was the grand old age of 95 before she left us. Think of the changes she saw in such a lifetime! We should all be happy to live so well, be fit and active for just a portion of such a lifetime. Go out today and do what youve been putting off. See friends and family and tell them you love them because you just never know when your time will end.

See you again Lil I know you found your way...

Hmmm where to start?

My Great gran Lil is still with us! Bless her they really dont make people made of hardy stuff like her anymore! Its been a rollercoaster of phone calls saying iits now time and then the follow ups saying she has stabilised! I decided to go and say goodbye on Monday. Its going to sound daft but I kept hearing her calling me and I am so glad I went. I mean she looks awful and is bed bound, weighs in at 5 stone and is a shell of the woman she was but when you look into her eyes you can see the woman that was. I spent an hour alone with her talking to her of my kids and our plans, what we have been up to and where we are hopefully heading. I was told before I went in to see her that she sleeps constantly and may try to hit or scratch me but no such things happend. She spent most of the time looking into my eyes and holding my hands. She then pulled me in closer and pulled my hands to her face so i know that somewhere we made a connection. She will be missed so much when she goes but it gave me a peace that we had time to catch up and say out goodbyes. I know that last sentance sounds like she has gone already but I know it will be the last time we will see each other...such is the way of things.

Onto lighter notes...

The new toy (rotovator) arrived and saved me hours and hours of work at the allotment! I am happy to say that all the spuds and onions are in now with a couple of other beds preped up for beans and peas etc.

I got around to insuring my motorbike and spent time getting it out of the shed to ride to Oxford to see my gran on. I went straight to the local petrol station to pump up the tyres and fuel up. Well thats about as far as it went!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I managed in 1/2 a mile to get a bloody 4 inch nail into the back tyre so I dragged it home where it awaits a rear wheel removal and repair. Maybe I wasnt supposed to ride out on Monday.

The work is still coming in and all looks good for another few weeks which is great! The van is getting a service at the weekend, ive spent a fortune out on the clutch so hey I much as well get everything up to date on it eh!

Right im off for a bath and an early night. All this work is making the weight drop right off of me much to wifeys dismay...well envy really!

Speak again soon.

Well its been a busy couple of weeks full of ups and downs (Literally).

I managed to get a nice case of sickness and squits from wifey which didnot go down well as I was at a customers house when it first made its sudden appearence!!!!!!!!!!!

The van got fixed very quickly and I can only say how good the garage were at fitting it in. The phone has continued to ring with work which is fantastic!!

I have to date bought and returned two rotovators and took the plunge investing in a brand new one. I love new toys and this one should be here on Monday morning. Now that should make short work of the potatoe beds that need turning over at the allotment! Speaking of the allotment I have now planted so many seeds in the greenhouse I have both run out of room and pots!! I have bid on 900 pots on ebay so that should top up the stocks shortly :)

I was very kindly given a greenhouse over the weekend and the framework is now up in the garden waiting for a good scrub down and the glass putting in. This one will be used solely for bedding plants that can be used on contracts and for resale at the local car boot sale. This way I earn a few extra bob and do some cheeky advertising with my van ;)

Some sadder news was in the form that my great gran is expected to pass away over the next few days. I love this lady to bits and spent many many weekends with her whilst growing up and the memories are fantastic. She has suffered for 4 years now with severe demtia and how she is still breathing is a testoment to the hardy nature of the older generations because with all of her ailments including a dozen heart attacks now she should have moved onto the next world a long time ago. She will be sadly missed but it is one of those situations where she has no memory of who she is or we are and is in such a poor state of health her passing will be a blessing for those that are caring for her. She would be horrified to know what state she is in now as she was a proud and feircley independent woman.

Spring has returned and with the end of one season the new life that has arrived with the next is always a joy to observe. I love just sitting out with a cup of tea and taking the time to see what is now growing. Perhaps we should all take the time to stop and look every now then...

Bugger!

From yesterdays post you can see that things have been picking up nicely, that is until I was in Milton Keynes today taking a neighbour to and from hospital. We went to leave this morning from home but her car wouldnt start so we hopped into my van and took that instead. We just made it on time and she had her bak treatment. After an hour we are heading home when the clutch arm on the van gave up the ghost in the middle lane of a very large and busy roundabout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So there I was directing traffic in my hi viz top nearly getting run down several times, on the phone to the police explaining we were a danger to other road users whilst my neighbour is on her phone calling the RAC to come and get us. The traffic wombles turned up quickly and towed us to safety closely followed by the RAC who inform me the clutch ratchet is buggered. He then towed me for 20, yes 20 miles back to a garagr I use in Kettering. Now that towing lark at 60mph is not for the faint hearted and not an experience I want to repeat! Still at least we were at the garage and based upon what the RAC chap said the quote for the rachet repair was £60. Not too bad and they were going to have it done by the close of play today....apparently not. They have just called and told me that its not the rachet but the clutch arm has broken off IN THE GEARBOX! So thats now a gearbox arm replacement by the means of the gearbox being removed first and as this arm breaking was caused by a worn bearing in the clutch so thats going to be replaced as well.

So the little cash we have saved over the last couple of months is now going to the garage...£350 of it. BUGGER!! Still at least I know the owner and im sure it would be alot more if it was taken elsewhere to be done. Its just that whenever we get a little bit ahead financially something bites us on the arse.

Oh well at least everything on the van will now be replaced and we were lucky to have the money here to pay for it. I just needed to get it off my chest!!!

Spring is coming.

Now its been awhile since I last wrote due to the fact the temperature has come up and the sun has been out. When this happens the phone starts ringing and its been precisely that that has kept me busy over the last couple of weeks.

People are once again venturing into their gardens and realising the weeds are making a comeback, the winter winds have blown in all sorts of rubbish and they want to put the ideas they have had stuck indoors for months into reality. Patios need cleaning and borders sorting, plants need putting in and different uses for that bare patch at the bottom now want to become a reality. So they look at whats involved, take a deep breath in of the warmer air and then pick up the phone to get me in because they dont really want to get muddy or spend their weekends off doing such menial tasks :) Fine by me!! I can start earning a wage again which is great.

I have sorted out the van and the shed and made a note of what equiptment will need replacing and I am happy to say its not alot this year. The investments I made last year are now starting to pay off with a minimal outlaw on new kit. A couple of things of course have to be sorted like a new work uniform to look the part and I have just finished today putting on the sign-writing to my old transit and what a difference that has made, it looks like a proper motor now after much fettling and plastering my bargain sign-writing kit on it.

I have finally made a start on planting in my christmas present greenhouse. The tomato plants are doing well and the runner beans, sweetcorn, peas, lettice, cucumber and pepper seeds all sown. The potatoes are chitting nicely and will be planted in a few weeks time. The allotment is starting to look like one with just a few more days work before that too will be ready to recieve the start of this years crops.

I had booked the flights to Spain and was looking forward to two weeks in the sun dogsitting for my father in law but such is the amount of work coming in I have had to cancel that :( Ive a couple of very promising contracts starting and I cannot turn such work away so I had to make the hard decision to work instead of playing. Very sensible I know but the sun was and still is damn appealing!

The dog has been an absolute toerag this last week and talk about accident prone! I should explain first that she is 18 months old and we have had very little trouble with her from since she was a pup so when she does anything naughty it seems like a huge issue!!
Firstly she trips me up at the top of the stairs, victorian stairs, and I go arse over tit from top to bottom pulling my shoulder and bruising my back. The next day she knocks over my youngest who has a mug in her hand, both go flying with my daughter bruising her hip and the mug exploding but not before it takes out a kitchen floor tile !! The this evening the dog decided she was to dig up around the new patio I laid in the back garde just yesterday!!????! Why???? I have no idea but hopefully thats the third thing and our 6 month dose of dumb dog over for now :)

A new greenhouse is yet to be aquired solely for the purpose of growing flowers and bedding plants. A contract needs lots of them and why buy them if I can grow them myself?? A few pennies saved hopefully.

So its all nose to the grind which is great after such a long winter. Wifey is moaning though that I am falling behind with my share of the housework! We both work and with 4 kids the place does take some looking after hence the washing machine on at 9.30pm...hope the neighbours dont mind!!

Time for a bath to soak my back bruises LOL I will try to write more often......