It has been a very sad few weeks at work. A lot of my friends (and a whole lot more folks besides) have left the company during a redundancy round. There have been a load of leaving presentations to go to, and tears to stiffle. Upper Lips have been stiffened and shoulders straightened as we adjust to life without our friends and co-workers. (Its never going to be the same....)
I was very involved in putting together Mandy's presentation, and thought she was very brave to give such a long speech thanking everyone - most people manage "Thank you. You were all lovely to work with. Best of luck for the future." before the catch in the throat, or disinterest, kicks in! She did have a post it note with "DON'T CRY" writ large on it...a good reminder!!
Last night we were at one heck of a Leaving Party! Five of the Escapee's (including Mandy and Richard) had organised a giant leaving bash, with bands and buffet and a (free) bar. It was lovely to see so many old familiar faces...and a few folks I had no idea who they were!!
It was very strange to be going to something like that when I had had no involvement with organising it!! All week people have been asking me about organisation, dress code, who's going...and I had to hold my hands up and say "I don't know"!!! I was contemplating asking to be allowed to hold a clipboard on the night - purely for therapy!
Saturday 23 October 2010
Monetary cut backs affect Tooth Fairy budget
When I was getting ready for work I asked Stephen to check under my pillow to see if there was anything there...but no! Nothing!! I wonder if the Tooth Fairy left the money at the dentists, because that was where the tooth was?? It can surely be the only explanation....
Unless the Tooth Fairy has been hit by severe budget cuts under this weeks Spending Review....I suppose that might be the reason. Maybe the TF budget won't stretch to leaving a Pound for the grown up girlies who are now a bit more gummy than they were.
Unless the Tooth Fairy has been hit by severe budget cuts under this weeks Spending Review....I suppose that might be the reason. Maybe the TF budget won't stretch to leaving a Pound for the grown up girlies who are now a bit more gummy than they were.
Monday 18 October 2010
What's the going rate for the Tooth Fairy?
I had a weekend of pain and discomfort thanks to my pesky tooth problem. Every now and again since May it would flare up and I'd have to go back to the dentist for another course of antibiotics. Not fun! After lots of niggling pain over the weekend I had a night of unspeakable agony. I got about 3 hours of sleep last night as the pain was excruciating. In an attempt to let Stephen get some sleep (coz I was sobbing and woke him up) I came downstairs about 5:30 to try and work through the pain. It was not a great night!
I phoned the dentist when I got to work and got an appointment for this afternoon. Stephen ran me up there, and it was as well he did.
Adding to the pain of THE tooth was the inconvenient fact that my teeth on the top on the same side have gone a bit sensitive. In an attempt to give me some pain relief, but also make sure that it was THE tooth that was giving me pain my lovely dentist decided to giveme shots along the bottom gum. Now, I've not had to have a filling or anything that required a shot since I was 13 and I remember them being rather painful. I gave Chris my best short-sighted look and reminded him that I was a big chicken when it came to this sort of thing. The sweetie told me to take deep breaths, steady myself and he hid the syringe until I said I was good to go. OMG! The relief was instantaneous! The pain was gone. I cannot describe the relief.
Now came the difficult decision. More antibiotics which controls the symptoms, but doesn't seem to clear the problem or.....EXTRACTION. Foooooooook!! What a choice! But actually not a choice at all....long term pain, or short term pain. Take it out!!
Actually it was fine. I didn't feel a thing. Another set of injections saw to that! I was pretty much numb from the cheeks to the shoulders!! He had the tooth out really quickly, with nothing more than a tug. And considering it was a wisdom tooth and I'd heard horror stories I was very glad it was painless! I was feeling mounting hyseria beforehand. I had a serious fit of the giggles! I think it was at this point that Chris knew he had to get the tooth out really quickly before I went from giggles to meltdown!!
I was sent of with instructions on what to do if I suddenly started spurting blood (thankfully I'm not a bleeder!) and instructions to go have a large glass of wine because I deserve it! Now that's my kind of dentist!!
I phoned the dentist when I got to work and got an appointment for this afternoon. Stephen ran me up there, and it was as well he did.
Adding to the pain of THE tooth was the inconvenient fact that my teeth on the top on the same side have gone a bit sensitive. In an attempt to give me some pain relief, but also make sure that it was THE tooth that was giving me pain my lovely dentist decided to giveme shots along the bottom gum. Now, I've not had to have a filling or anything that required a shot since I was 13 and I remember them being rather painful. I gave Chris my best short-sighted look and reminded him that I was a big chicken when it came to this sort of thing. The sweetie told me to take deep breaths, steady myself and he hid the syringe until I said I was good to go. OMG! The relief was instantaneous! The pain was gone. I cannot describe the relief.
Now came the difficult decision. More antibiotics which controls the symptoms, but doesn't seem to clear the problem or.....EXTRACTION. Foooooooook!! What a choice! But actually not a choice at all....long term pain, or short term pain. Take it out!!
Actually it was fine. I didn't feel a thing. Another set of injections saw to that! I was pretty much numb from the cheeks to the shoulders!! He had the tooth out really quickly, with nothing more than a tug. And considering it was a wisdom tooth and I'd heard horror stories I was very glad it was painless! I was feeling mounting hyseria beforehand. I had a serious fit of the giggles! I think it was at this point that Chris knew he had to get the tooth out really quickly before I went from giggles to meltdown!!
I was sent of with instructions on what to do if I suddenly started spurting blood (thankfully I'm not a bleeder!) and instructions to go have a large glass of wine because I deserve it! Now that's my kind of dentist!!
That didn't go egg-actly to plan!
As a treat we decided to have a "full English" breakfast on Sunday. The bacon was crisping, the potato scones were absorbing all the fat in a 3 miles radius (that's a Scottish thing!), the baked beans were simmering. All we needed were the eggs. Stephen took control at this point as I "can't cook eggs" apparently. He certainly looked like he knew what he was doing. He poised, egg over the skillet, and cracked it on the side of the pan. It seemed to disintegrate in his hand and ended up with the egg all over the hob and the shell in the pan. Hmmm. Take 2. This time the egg went into the pan, but the yolk burst on impact and he ended up with bits of shell in it. By the time he dug the shell out and flipped it, it wasn't so much over easy as absolutely solid. This of course was my egg. His he managed to cook perfectly!! So, I ended up with a rubbery egg AND the joy of cleaning up the egg which had exploded all over the cooker. I'll stick to cornflakes from now on...!
Its a jungle out there
I took a couple of days off last week to take advantage of the rather lovely weather and hack back my jungle of a garden. OMG it really needed a hacking too! I filled 10 sacks with weeds and plants which had self-seeded all over the place. Then there was the pruning pile which was pretty big too...many shrub branches were hacked off...and many more need to be hacked off - but that is maybe a job for the Spring. I'm not sure I have any more energy for it at the moment! I was pretty much hanging off the loppers which were stuck halfway through a branch, squeezing together with all my might and thinking "People pay good money to go to the gym to do this exercise" and "I hope Stephen gets home soon, because I can't get these to cut through, or come out the branch again".
In a fit of extreme enthusiasm I also edged the lawn and stripped the turf back. This was proper Charlie Dimmock gardening!! I tell you I was a wreck by the end of Day 1 and barely able to move by the end of Day 2!! It is looking loads better now though - almost like a garden rather than a jungle.
In a fit of extreme enthusiasm I also edged the lawn and stripped the turf back. This was proper Charlie Dimmock gardening!! I tell you I was a wreck by the end of Day 1 and barely able to move by the end of Day 2!! It is looking loads better now though - almost like a garden rather than a jungle.
My little garden helper. Everytime I dug somewhere my little robin would appear.
Before... I haven't taken a photo of after yet - too tired!
Sunday 10 October 2010
Bloke
I had thought that Bloke would never ask to borrow the lawnmower ever again after mowing the cable and having to get it repaired...and I was right - and a little wrong!!
I was right in that he didn't ask! He had the keys to our garage on Wednesday as he was valeting the car. He popped round on Thursday to say that I'd need to check the height setting of the mower before I used it as he'd borrowed it, taken it to Worcester to cut his mother-in-laws lawn, and forgotten to change the settings before putting it back. I was gobsmacked! So...does the fact that he's paid to repair the damage he did to it give him the right to take it without asking when he's been entrusted with our garage key? Obviously, in his mind it does!!
I cut the grass with it just before we headed on holiday...and it tripped the fuse box! When we got it all set up again I discovered that the cable is now shorter than it used to be and is no longer long enough to get to the end of the garden. Grrrrrrr.....
I was right in that he didn't ask! He had the keys to our garage on Wednesday as he was valeting the car. He popped round on Thursday to say that I'd need to check the height setting of the mower before I used it as he'd borrowed it, taken it to Worcester to cut his mother-in-laws lawn, and forgotten to change the settings before putting it back. I was gobsmacked! So...does the fact that he's paid to repair the damage he did to it give him the right to take it without asking when he's been entrusted with our garage key? Obviously, in his mind it does!!
I cut the grass with it just before we headed on holiday...and it tripped the fuse box! When we got it all set up again I discovered that the cable is now shorter than it used to be and is no longer long enough to get to the end of the garden. Grrrrrrr.....
O, Christmas Tree...
I put a Christmas Tree up on Tuesday. In twenty minutes flat! Then 3 hours later I took it all down again. "But its October" I hear you cry...yes it is. Two of the ladies in our office are leaving the company this week and decided to do a Christmas theme for their leaving party as they would miss the Christmas parties held at the more traditional time of the year. Hence the tree... I was quite impressed with my speed assembly and decorating...but it looked nothing like my usual masterpieces!! I am the Queen of Christmas Tree in work!!
Woa, we're going to Barbados
Well, actually, we've been to Barbados! We had a wonderful week back at The House being looked after and very pampered. Every holiday should begin with a hug - indeed most of my holidays DO begin with a hug! We got a wonderful huggy welcome from Andrew when we walked out of the taxi and into the courtyard, and we certainly enjoyed our bottle of fizz in the room - its good to be a returning guest!
Our holiday was a week of pure and simple unadulterated relaxation. We needed it! We've both been a bit tired and stressed out recently and when we began to unwind it left us pretty much unable to move or make a decision any more taxing that what to have for dinner! We'd start the job of relaxing for the day by having a champagne breakfast, then toddling off to our sun lounger with a book, soaking up the sunshine and being brought water, cold towels, ice cream, fruit... Oh, relaxing can be a tough old job I can tell you!
We did have a little "liquid sunshine" for a day. We headed out for a little light shopping and lunch in Holetown which is just up the road. I did well on the shopping front! There are lots of little shops decked out like Chattel Houses and they house loads of little speciality shops...quite of a few of which sell jewellery. I got two beaded necklaces (nothing expensive, but very gorgeous) and the most exquisite silver and shell pendant drop which sits beautifully on a silver collar I got in Edinburgh last year.
Aside from a little liquid sunshine the only other evidence of it being hurricane season was the strange wave phenomenon that was going on on the West Coast. Normally they have flat calm turquoise seas with little teeny weeny lapping waves. Not the week we were there!! There were huge rolling breakers of the kind normally found on the East coast, or Waikiki beach! It pretty much washed the beach away. Then on one day we had waves that changed from huge to totally freakin' massive!! They suddenly got a whole lot bigger, swamped the poor folks on the beach and the wash continued up onto the pool deck where I was sitting - which is a good few feet above beach level! The staff sprang into action and quickly moved all the cabanas and loungers off the beach and onto the deck, then began trying to move the beach back off the deck and back onto the beach. That was a bit of a futile task that afternoon!! They managed it the next morning, whilst being supervised by 30 adults sipping champagne and tucking into breakfast....ah, its a hard job doing all this relaxing!!!
Our holiday was a week of pure and simple unadulterated relaxation. We needed it! We've both been a bit tired and stressed out recently and when we began to unwind it left us pretty much unable to move or make a decision any more taxing that what to have for dinner! We'd start the job of relaxing for the day by having a champagne breakfast, then toddling off to our sun lounger with a book, soaking up the sunshine and being brought water, cold towels, ice cream, fruit... Oh, relaxing can be a tough old job I can tell you!
We did have a little "liquid sunshine" for a day. We headed out for a little light shopping and lunch in Holetown which is just up the road. I did well on the shopping front! There are lots of little shops decked out like Chattel Houses and they house loads of little speciality shops...quite of a few of which sell jewellery. I got two beaded necklaces (nothing expensive, but very gorgeous) and the most exquisite silver and shell pendant drop which sits beautifully on a silver collar I got in Edinburgh last year.
Aside from a little liquid sunshine the only other evidence of it being hurricane season was the strange wave phenomenon that was going on on the West Coast. Normally they have flat calm turquoise seas with little teeny weeny lapping waves. Not the week we were there!! There were huge rolling breakers of the kind normally found on the East coast, or Waikiki beach! It pretty much washed the beach away. Then on one day we had waves that changed from huge to totally freakin' massive!! They suddenly got a whole lot bigger, swamped the poor folks on the beach and the wash continued up onto the pool deck where I was sitting - which is a good few feet above beach level! The staff sprang into action and quickly moved all the cabanas and loungers off the beach and onto the deck, then began trying to move the beach back off the deck and back onto the beach. That was a bit of a futile task that afternoon!! They managed it the next morning, whilst being supervised by 30 adults sipping champagne and tucking into breakfast....ah, its a hard job doing all this relaxing!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)