Another week

The trouble with not blogging for a few days means that it’s difficult to remember what’s gone on, especially when you are of a ‘certain’ age. It feels like ages since I’ve been in so I shall do a quick recap on the tail end of last week and then talk about the escapades of the weekend. At last the flat is beginning to come round; I had a really good day painting on Wednesday, being free of plumbers, plasterers and floods, I was really able to get on. It wasn’t a brilliant day though, Aiden our tenant from across the way knocked on the door to say that he had been made redundant and wasn’t able to pay this months’ rent. I feel sorry for him because he has a young family and they are low earners but that said, it doesn’t help us pay the mortgage. Fingers crossed he finds a job very soon.

After finishing at the flat I dashed home to get a shower and then went to see Denise at Dragons for some leg waxing. Unfortunately for me, Denise is a wee bit depressed and I don’t think she felt like seeing to me. She slapped on the wax strips on me like I slap paint on the walls and she really hurt me when she whipped the strips off. Normally she is really gentle but I came out of the salon feeling bruised, battered and more depressed than I was before I went in. Christine came round on Wednesday evening for a natter over an M&S pasta dish and garlic bread. I had got chicken out of the freezer as I had meant to cook but I just didn’t get the time. Having just got back from New York the day before, it sounded like Christine had a good time and managed to see most of the sights.

I was running late on Thursday morning for reasons I can’t remember now. I was booked into see the doctor for a routine smear test. It wasn’t something I was looking forward too and I wasn’t best pleased to be sat waiting for over 20 minutes. Just as I was thinking of cancelling and rearranging for another time, my name was called out. When I was in there, I mentioned to the doctor that my coil was 5 years old and asked whether it should be taken out? She agreed that it was probably best and said no time like the present and seeing as as you got your legs spread, I may as well take it out now! Charming! I tell you, if there is an after-life, next time I’m coming back as a bloke!

The rest of the day was spent painting then it was back at 3pm for an early shower and a quick tidy up of the house before my sister arrived. Julia arrived just before half past 4 and whilst we were catching up over a cup of tea, the buzzer went and a man knocked at the door delivering a big bouquet of flowers. Of course, these were from Phil for our wedding anniversary. I was very surprised because bearing in mind his long hours and the fact that he hadn’t had any internet access all week, I didn’t see how he could have arranged flowers. I guessed he may have grabbed a bunch from a petrol station on his way home but certainly not a big bouquet!

Harriet turned up from work with a bag of clothes that she always gives me to have a rummage through before taking them to the charity shop. Bless her! There was nothing much there but I decided to keep the whole lot anyway because I can wear them in the flat for decorating. After HH left, I took Julia to Wagamama’s across the road for something to eat. We both went for the chicken chilli-men with a tiger beer for her and a glass of wine for me. We didn’t go for any extras and were just walking across Silbury Boulevard when my phone started ringing. Phil had made it back in record time and was wondering where the hell I was! He was hyper and moaning like a real grumpy old man because he couldn’t find his pyjamas. There in the basket, washed but not ironed. He calmed down after a few glasses of wine and I soon forgave him because he gave me a lovely anniversary card with a poem inside which he told me had taken him 3 days to write. The evening soon went and we were all in bed by 11pm which is the latest we have stayed up in ages.

On Friday Phil took his car over to the garage to get to the engine light problem sorted. The man at the garage plugged in a laptop to Phil’s engine and it came up with 15 faults. He cleared all of these and then told Phil to come back when the light came on again so he could find the route of the problem was. After the garage Phil came round to the flat and got stuck into building up the 800 3-drawer kitchen units. He said that the B&Q instructions were crap and there was lots of huffing and puffing and much swearing coming from the lounge. I stayed out of the way. We went for lunch at the Cricketers just round the corner from the flat. I didn’t think much of the pub, the food was alright but we won’t be going back. In the afternoon Phil finally finished off the unit and we got it fitted under the worktop. I managed to get a coat of paint on the second bedroom which now means that every single surface has had at least one coat of paint. Actually all rooms bar from the spare bedroom 2 have had at least 3 coats of paint!

Phil set about laying the tiles in the kitchen on Saturday which he did in the speed of light. He’d brought a bag of grout that you had to mix yourself which was much cheaper that the ready made stuff. The only down side is that it goes off very quickly so you don’t have much time to get the tiles in the correct position. I got a second coat in bed 2 and then we went to Thai Modern on Witan Gate CMK for some lunch. This was the first time we had been and we were very impressed. So much so, I said to Phil that this is now my new best favourite restaurant. We had the eat- as- much-as-you-like buffet for £10.95 which they do everyday from 12 until 2.30pm. They had a great selection and it was the best Thai food that I have eaten since we were in Thailand! We ate loads and I have to say I didn’t feel like going back to work at the flat but we did for a couple of hours before going back to the kebab flat, feeling absolutely knackered. Saturday night and we were in bed by 8.30pm! Phil watched the telly but yours truly was fast asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Phil was back at the flat by 8am on Sunday morning to grout the kitchen floors. I stayed at home to tidy up because Phil’s mum and dad were coming for the day but went to the flat as soon as I’d got the house clean and tidy. Phil was glad because I got there just in time to scrub off all the excess grout, a job which Phil hates doing. I didn’t mind, he’d spent enough time grovelling around on his knees. Phil met his parents and Georgina who they’d picked up along the way at Lidl’s in Oldbrook. They had a look around the Oldbrook flat and then we took them to have a look at the kebab flat which they hadn’t seen before. I don’t know what they thought to both the flats but at least know they have a picture of where we are living and can relate to what we’re talking about.

We went to lunch at The Toby in Shenley Lodge which Phil’s mum insisted on treating us all too as a wedding anniversary present. Bless her, she’s is so good to us and came down yesterday with all kinds of goodies. The pub was busy and we had to queue for the carvary but it was very good and worth the wait. After lunch it was back to the kebab flat for tea & biscuits and the Sunday papers. They left before teatime and then we packed up Phil for the week, cooked a big pan of chilli and then slumped in front of the telly. Even though we hadn’t done much work, we were really tired. Poor Phil was awake this morning and I felt really sorry for him as he trundled out the door at 4am. I went back to bed but it was a fitful sleep and not really worth it. And so we face another week. Today will be a long day but hopefully it will get better tomorrow and the week will fly by.