Trinkets
Mood:  smelly
Now Playing: The Beeb
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Back to work today...Ok.

I really like Jarlsberg cheese.

Had a Quorn (tm) peppercorn steak, mashed potatoes & steamed broccoli for din dins.

Stephen's working late. Still reading Watching the English...

Blooby bloo

August Bank Holiday weekend: Summer is almost over ;(
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: The ceiling fan
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
The weather is cooperating marvelously for all those bank holiday revellers who stood in traffic jams for hours on end, just to see a bit of sea side this weekend. It is clear, hot, and a cool breeze runs through the air. And yes, the weather is mighty fine for Carnival, which is today, and we are too lazy to go to. BOR-ING...

Stephen miraculously is not working today, and so we had a pankcake breakfast, followed by a stroll into town to purchase A Fish Called Wanda, and buy some trashy mags ("OK!" and "Hello!") so I can catch up with rest of the world. I had no idea that Paris Hilton was a deeply sweet and generous person...

I DID finish Harry Potter, and enjoyed the book. However, the series still pales in comparison to the Philp Pullman trilogy NORTHERN LIGHTS. Check. It. Out.

We are now lazing around the house, I played piano, Stephen played Jagged Alliance (TM) and he is now drinking cider & reading Andy McNab's latest book...I can't make out the title because Stephen's big hands are blocking the cover...

Poo pee poo....That's all!

Good Morning!
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: BBC Radio 4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Oh well! this has turned into a very good morning, and it's only 9am!

I received word that the wad of cash I (stupidly)sent to my parents my registered mail on 11 Aug, has finally arrived safe & sound into their hands!!! Pheww....I may never do that again...

Secondly, I received my provisional drivers licence yesterday, and my passport & marriage certificate were delivered by registered mail this morning!! Yay--no worries about not being able to leave the country on the 16th!!

Also, it's a bank holiday weekend!!! I'm drinking tea!!! And, I'm going shopping in Guildford (Stephen's gotten paid already) with a friend from work!!!

(breathe)

Otherwise, the house is a bit filthy, Stephen's working, and did a sleep-in last night, so won't see him till 3 o'clock today. I spent my Friday night wishing I had a man around the house to help me open the bottle of wine. I was so furious at my ineptitude, that I somehow mustered the strength in the end to uncork that magical elixir, which I nursed into the night while reading Harry Potter. I think I will be finishing it this weekend.

Stephen's father was in Woking on Wednesday, and the two of them enjoyed lunch at the Bridge Barn. We're looking forward to the arrival of my brother Tim & his best girl Vickie in less than 2 weeks!!!

So lots and lots to be excited about!!

I know I've used way too many exclamation marks for 9am on a Sat. morn. but such is the life of a wife of a social care worker....

Bluh?..?....?...........?........
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
Topic: Stephen Says
The boss is on vacation (In Toronto of all places!) and, after a few quiet weeks bordering on being flat out booooring, it looks like the shit has finally hit the fan and has left my deputy manager rocking on the floor, clutching himself and hitting his head against the floor (Seriously. He did this twice.).

Can't say much, of course but the exciting thing is that a formal complaint may be made against me by a resident (Utterly unfounded) and, should all go well (And this is HIGHLY unlikely) it could even mean being suspended with pay while the allegation is being investigated. But that would be too good to be true so it'll probably be sorted out by the time I get back on Thursday. Bumer.

I just got off a 31.5 hours shift and it's weird how these things become normal. Though they still require cider for post-work decompression.

Actually, it's weird how my job becomes normal. E&I were waiting at the train station this weekend and this Mad Fucker (tm) was mumbling to himself and making bizarre finger jestures at the trains and/or nothing at all (Think Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys only filthy & weird - not cool & sexy) and, while she was thinking 'What's up with THAT.", I was thinking "Lah de dah dah doodie doo." (As I often do) And then afterwards, we had a chat about yes, that's the kind of thing I deal with every day (And worse) and have learned how to see beyond the illness and recognize the individual underneath.

Which is pretty cool, if you ask me.

Delicious, delicious food
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: The morning trains going by
Topic: Stephen Says
I just want to say that chefs should be the most popular people in the universe. Our meal last night was fantastic and Elisabeth stopped being vegetarian so that she could eat venison shish-kabobs & ostrich steak. Oh, and Best Chocolate Mousse Ever.

So now we're fat & I've got to do a sleep in at work tonight. I will be returning to the would of sanity tomorrow afternoon. Yikes!

Where did all the blogging go?
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Elisabeth playing the piano
Topic: Stephen Says
So this is me this morning: "You know, since getting back from Sweden, We haven't been blogging that much. And actually, when I say 'we' I mean 'me.'" And then Elisabeth goes "That's because you've been working like shit."

And I suppose I have, really. So much so that on Friday I twice called the residence "home." Yesterday I called Elisabeth "mom" but I'd prefer not to talk about that. This week is my mad week with two sleep ins and the working weekend but when I say working weekend, it's actually alot of sitting out in the garden, chatting to the residents and, weather permitting, having a barbeque.

We went to a very nice luncheon yesterday at the house of a friend of, oh never mind, it's going to be far too complicated to explain the relationship. Anyway, it was a very traditional British affair with aperitifs, brandy after lunch, conversations in the drawing room, a geriatric beagle & kids running around with tiny mallets. It wasn't so much Great Gatsby as it was Clue (Or Cluedo in this country) but alas I'd forgotten to bring my monocole so I was more Ms. Scarlett than Colonel Mustard.

What with all this hard work, I haven't had that much time to do laundry and have been complaining about a lack of appropriate trousers for the last few days. Elisabeth told me to look in the closet and whoops, there are all the clothes I washed last week and forgot to put away.

Elisabeth's been pretty stressed out and feeling down about her job so last night, once we'd gotten back from the lunch, we tried to re-capture to good ol' days when we were broke with nothing to do to raise her spirits (It made sense at the time). One fast and furious game of Monopoly (Which she creamed me at), some spinache & gruyere pizzas, some vino (A very nice South African pinotage) and two and a quarter hours of Queen later, she was quite a bit more cheery.

The good news is that the bookstore will be hiring around the time when she's leaving her company and the two of us agree that it might be fun for her to give it a shot. She already knows the people and, what with the amount of travelling & unpaid overtime she does, the bookstores salary will effectively earn her the same salary PLUS give us 30% off books (Although it seems that my staff discount still applies, even though I haven't been staff there for almost 4 months...)

And speaking of books, after Harry Potter and another girly fantasy book (Tad Williams' War of the Flowers), I'm enjoying some good ol' hard boiled right-wing spy thrillers. On my bedside shelf is Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero - a 'harrowing' true-life account of the SAS in action during the 1st Gulf War by one of the most decorated soldiers of recent memory.

And in my bed is the crushed remains of a terrifically large spider that woke me up last night because it was crawling on me. Elisabeth was thrown into the usual panic that always seems uncharacteristic of her and is now explaining her reaction as a 'surreal moment.' That's sort of like calling what Bush did to Iraq as a 'slight case of overbombing.'

10 points if you can tell me which 80's goth band that phrase is from.

This afternoon we're off to the South African caterer's house where we've been invited to eat her left overs from this weeks catering. We can't wait. Delicious, delicious food here we come!

Big Frank's Deep Pink
Topic: Stephen Says
is the name of the wine we're drinking tonight. On the back label it is written:

"Why do we bother having back labels? I'm fed up with writing the normal pile of rubbish. Yes, we picked it when the grapes were ripe. Yes, we fermented it at low temperatures. Yes, it's great with fish, barbecues and red meats. My wife likes it with chocolate mousse... but that's her problem. I'm afraid the only way to decide if you like my Deep Pink is to buy a bottle, take it home, pull out the cork and drink it.

"What you drink is what you get.

"Questions? See our web-site www.bigfranksred.com"

I ain't no friend of Jack's
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: Devo - Greatest Hits
Topic: Stephen Says
Alright, I told them - I like Jack Daniels but I can't be held responsible for my actions because they'd been forwarned and, under His influence, my drunken behaviour is worse than usual. And it was.

I escaped with a skinned knee & elbow, some pretty nasty bruises on my thighs and a painful bump on the back of my head. Others weren't so lucky and had to go to the doctor the next day and were diagnosed with whiplash, torn muscles & compressed nerves. And sadly, this was all before we got to the club.

I'm actually quite embarassed by my behaviour. But at least I didn't make the pizza delivery guy sit on the hall floorway and start lecturing him about ... whatever was rattling around in my brain at that very minute.

And sadly there are pictures that I will make sure never see the light of day.

This was all down in Brighton, mind, and it's a beautiful town. It's got a huge Dr. Who exhibition and it's always sunny. It's alot like how you think England is if you live in North america except that it's hot & sunny. And beachy.

I don't even remember the hours that I spent at the club, other than spilling a beer and being led around the dance floor and dancing. I have a nasty suspicion that I was just sitting in a dark corner spaced out and dribbling.

Got home and talked about the new Harry Potter book until 4AM and fell asleep on the couch.

Got back to the flat in time for a quick shower & bite to eat before I was back at work doing my sleep in where I was lulled to sleep by 11PM by Britney Spears Redneck Roots on TV.

Last night, though, I think E got a bit of hers back by going to the Bridge Barn pub with some friends. This was the site of my first 'MACA night out' and I'm surprised that she was willing to show her face there again.

For me tonight: D&D and an extra early day tomorrow but, if I've read the tea leaves properly, I should be reunited with my wife tonight if I don't get back too late.

Nope, no title for this sucka
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Whistlin' the Buckaroo Banzai song
Topic: Stephen Says
No much agoin' on this Weekend. Me: work, work, work and Elisabeth has renamed herself Delia and baked bread, made super-duper merangues, and cooked up a storm. All this snacking has made me gain weight. E points out that my nipples have become misshapen thanks to my weight gain (Yikes!). I will be cutting back on snacks and booze (the prime offender) soon.

Ish.

Sadly, I am going to subject Elisabeth to another husbandless week. Tomorrow night I'm going clubbing in Brighton with my co-workers. Certain staff have already voiced alarm and concern that I may end up doing a repeat performance to the last staff outting and start hitting people. I am promising to be well behaved.

Then on Tuesday I'm doing a sleep in and Wednesday is a D&D night.

We're getting our Canada itinary set up and, with luck, we'll have it before the weekend.

More Canal Blogging!
Mood:  party time!
Now Playing: Bjork: Greatest Hits
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
We've been working...sleeping...and eating...but here's some more canal pix to look at until we actually do something blog-worthy!

This coming weekend Stephen works both Sat & Sun, so you might be looking at these pictures for a while!

SMell-ya later...E