Tuesday 28 July 2009

The holidays are here

SOC has finished school for the summer and for a while we must adjust. She is spending a lot of time doing stuff with friends - dance lessons, cinema, visiting their houses, having them over etc. Last night was a pony club night and she jumped on a new pony for the first time! I think she grew 3 inches in the hour and a half! Max still seems to be favourite but he has competition.

We holiday in the UK. It's what God wants! Let me explain... when FOC was 10 months old we went to France, by ferry, and a force 10 wind was blowing. It was one of the longer crossings and the entire crew were doing the tummy chuck let alone the passengers. The noise of the air trapped against the ship's plates was horrendous and the trip was less than pleasant. We spent 2 glorious weeks in Brittany and coming back..... a force 9 was blowing. Tell me that wasn't a sign. Later I had to fly to Edinburgh on business (why we couldn't drive I don't know) and a frequent flyer I was flying with said it was the worst weather he had experienced in a plane. Tell me I'm wrong now! Well FOC is holidaying in the US. First in Vegas and then LA and going to the grand canyon. She was to fly at midday yesterday and didn't because the engine wasn't right. I got a text saying 'we are delayed with an engine problem and a mechanic is smacking the engine now - about an hour late'. That became an hour and a half and they would miss the connecting flight. It then became that they would get a new plane (I breathed a sigh of relief) and be about 5 hours late. This morning I got an email:-
It took some doing! Our flight finally left at 8.30 uk time landed at lax 10.40pm local time. Then immigration and luggage (which fortunately had transferred planes with us) Trekked across the airport to the terminal for domestics to find that there were no flights until 6am, and we couldn't buy a ticket until the desk opened for checkin for that flight.

So first phoned vegas hotel to explain we would be late and please don't give our room away, finding the number took some doing (website is flash and the Iphone doesn't support flash) then called dollar car rental to sort a car, got shuttle from lax to their depot, got car about 1am driven straight through. Now really really on wrong time zone.

Slept on plane in uk night, driven through US night.

Anyway we are here, going to get some sleep and then get up for breakfast.

FOC

x
That is mostly unedited and she does avoid this 'text speak' when texting and emailing me or wifey which we appreciate. However at times like this I get to more understand why we don't holiday outside the UK. I do love the UK and all it has to offer!

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Things to do...


Been down to see one of the projects I have been helping on.

Doesn't it look beautiful? She has a long way to go to being finished, but she is a drop sided 1959 Morris. We are short of boarding to finish the sides and tail but a friendly freegler believes he may have some to help so we are keeing our fingers crossed!

The workshop, at the moment, is just stuff in the middle of the floor and it really needs a way to get things in order, so we are trying a few friendly freeglers to get old kitchen units, that normally go in landfill or on bonfires, to get work surfaces and proper storage places to get it workable.


Another project is SOC's playhouse. She got it when she was about 5 for her birthday and we kitted it out for her. That was about 7 years ago and her tastes have moved on a bit! It was painted green (for the grasss and ground) and Blue (for the sky) and she had added birds, sheep and stuff. Well now she wants it purple. Roof, walls and floor! Ok but when you are in there you forget which way up you are! The old table and chair went to a freegler who posted a wanted for their one and a half year old the day after we decided to finish with them - that is coincidence.

Saturday 18 July 2009

She's back!

She came back from camp having thoroughly enjoyed it. Being away from home with her mates was what really scored the points and I think we all new that, including school who organised it.

Wifey had breakfast in bed when SOC wasn't at home and she had breakfast in bed (hereinafter referred to as BiB) again today. She will have BiB again tomorrow. SOC has 3 more days at school before the long summer hols and after that I expect wifey will have BiB for 6 weeks! Why do I do it? Oh I remember now - it was something to do with that vicar 31 years ago!

SOC rode Max in the riding school today and she did well (my opinion at least). I find this upsetting because.. I have ridden 5 times now: 2 half hour lessons 1 on Polo and 1 on Max (Polo is no longer in the school), once on a pony trek on holiday (what a trek that was!) and once on a 'hack' from the riding school and that was on Max. Max is a lovely animal and if I go in the school again at anytime then it will be with SOC and she will get Max and I will be burdened with a lesser steed.

FOC is off to USA a week tomorrow for her 30th birthday. She seems to have a problem with this, which is a bit sad. She's going to Las Vegas and the grand canyon and stuff. She likes swimming with dolphins so I must google to see how many dolphins there are in the grand canyon. Wifey is concerned lest FOC returns with swine flu (what a terrible name). The thing I find amusing is her companies attitude towards swine flu. For a week after their return they cannot go within a meter of anyone else, masks must be worn on public transport, 4 day isolation if they've been on a plane and no handshaking anymore. What the rules are about more intimate contact I don't know but her partner works in the IT secion of the company!

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Going Away

SOC is going on camp today. She's 12 and has stayed away from home about 5 times. The first 2 times were for PGL (Parents Go, Leave us apparently). They were 2 nights away and the whole school year went (WOW like 13 kids!) and they had an 'adventure' break. Travel Friday morning, activities Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday morning. She was a bit homesick when the lights went out (they all were) but they stuck together and helped each other through. No-one helped us through it though. She's had a couple of 'sleep-overs' and been happy as Larry with relatively little 'sleep' - obviously a misnomer! This time it's one night in a tent and activities today and tomorrow before returning. Sharing a tent with 6 best friends. It doesn't seem to get easier for us though!

Ho hum, don't brood.

Friday 10 July 2009

A changeable week

The weather has been anything but settled and as a result I have done a variety of things this week. Been working on my 'fedora' PC. It appears as user friendly as a cornered rat, but then it's what you get used to. It's working, it's stable and now I want to Samba working on it. Seem to have an IP issue with the laptop though. Fix those another day though because the weather brightened and went out and had another go at fixing those clippers of the in-laws. Ended up making a part from an old biscuit tin lid. Not very scientific, but I cannot abide trying to find parts and then having to wait for them to arrive - if you find them. Seems to work fine and this weekend I will do his front hedge.

Been walking a couple of times too and that was nice. The birds in full song and the bees, counted 3 on one plant so it may be a good year for them.

Finally put the paddling pool away - it was green from having had water in too long. The grass under it isn't green though! Give it a week and it should be right as ninepence. My dad always said that, but what is right about ninepence?

Been doing some webwork as well as everything else and watching the tour. The Tour - and what it tour it is proving to be. Armstrong? I say no. I said that last he won though.

Sunday 5 July 2009

Finished Reading

Just finished Only Human by Tom Holt. An excellent read - although I am not sure I understood it all. I will re read it later - it was that good - and get to understand the bits that are a bit vague at the moment.

Picked up 'red badge of courage' by Stephen Crane yesterday from freegle. I thought we read it at school - we were cerainly given a copy at some point - but I have never read it before. Really looking forward to it and I hope I am not disappointed.

Friday 3 July 2009

The weather

One thing I am always amazed at is the English's capacity to moan at the weather. It's too hot, it's too cold - it's never right. It's not like moaning about it will change it and it's not like the weather is new. We have had weather as long as I remember!

This week has been up and down and while, at times I have been uncomfortable with it I have found a way to cope and compromise.

I wanted to do the garden furniture and got started but had to give up, knowing that the sunshine would help the vegetables even though I may have to water them by can.

Today it has rained so I still can't do it, but I have done some work on the ethical stores site and rejoiced in the fact that today I don't need to water.

REMEMBER

Life is not fair. If it was then you would deserve what you get, so rejoice in it's not fairness