More crazy days

The last couple of weeks have seen us running about the country - to Nottingham, place of us grownups birth - on family business.  Father in Law has been offered a sheltered flat in Park Gate, after being on the local council waiting list since March.  So, two weeks ago, we had to go up to Nottingham to fetch him to have a look at it.

Fortunately he approved, so the council and the Housing Association whose property it is have also been busy getting the paperwork filled in.  Last weekend (a bank holiday) I took him back to Nottingham to start packing and generally closing his life down up there.  K came with me to help, and came back with some new bruises due to failing to use the door way as an entrance to a building.  Dyspraxia rules!

We then spent all week packing up what he wants to bring with him, and taking piles of rubbish and old magazines/newspapers up to the tip.  There's still plenty of tip work for us and a few more things to bring down but that will happen over the next few weeks.  On Thursday I realised that K was due on scout camp at Thorpe Park this weekend (as in the following day).  Needless to say, it didn't happen.  I sent many apologies to the leader and explained what had happened.  K wasn't overly distressed, especially after I promised her a day out at half-term to make up for being a sieve-head.

Father in Law seems to live 'in the now', with very little sense of urgency to plan ahead or remember chronology, so it has been very interesting.  I left him a pile of paperwork to sort through and file - even bought a file and plastic baggies for him - but I ended up chucking it all in a box yesterday.  Then, yesterday, he starts deciding what he'd like packing from upstairs.  He's had all flippin' week to tell me that but waits till the van's outside (driven up from here by A, accompanied by D) and nearly all full.  Minor grrrrr.

Once the van was loaded, and an early lunch was had, we all set off back down here.  I tell you, my car could do the journey without any input from me; it's certainly done it an awful lot this year as we tried to sort him out.  Father in Law slept most of the way down, and most of the time since he's been here.

Today we are moving into his new place.  K & I have a hot date at Curves first thing - they're starting their weight management classes today so we can't put it off - then we'll head back; by which time most of the heavy lifting will be done and A will be done in.

We have to go and order/buy a new fridge/freezer for Father in Law.  He assures me he bought it in the 60's, except that a) I know that style didn't exist then, and b) A can remember it being bought when he was about ready for secondary school (late 70's).  Either way it was in no fit state to be taken anywhere but the tip.  There was rancid milk accumulating on the bottom and going a lovely shade of blue, the drain pipe at the back was black with gunk, and it really needed a good scrub.  It also stank.  And don't get me started about the bag of cabbage that had turned to a vile, green liquid.  Father in Law says he has no sense of smell and I believe him.

Before anyone berates us for letting things get that bad for him, it wasn't through lack of effort on our part.  Up until the past 6 months or so we have been told politely but firmly to 'butt out'.  There's not a lot you can do about that without alienating him completely.  Six months ago he decided that he couldn't cope any more and that he thought he was becoming a bit forgetful (we'd been noticing it for a few years).  Since then we have been making enquiries, plans, and generally scheming to sort him out.  The local council here were happy to put him on their waiting list for somewhere suitable.  I am organising an Occupational Therapist assessment to see what else 'adaptive' he'll need to make life easier - I'm hoping to get a Dementia Screening person in at the same time so he doesn't twig on.  There will be plenty of home-made food in his freezer, and he WILL eat it - another issue caused by poor memory and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (too tired and breathless to eat) - as he hasn't got to walk far or use stairs to get to the kitchen any more.  I will also be taking care of the laundry, making sure the pots are washed properly and the place is clean

Life is about to get a whole lot more busy for us.  I'm hoping we'll see an improvement in his general health or, at least, a slowing in the decline of it.

When I got home yesterday there was a letter from the local college, where I'm going to do the Level 3 AAT qualification.  Basically it was a 'you can get your course books from us on these dates, oh and by the way there was a mistake in the brochure.  Your course day is a Thursday, not a Tuesday'.  The brochure came out in June and it takes them till the beginning of September to tell us that we're coming on a different day.  It's a good job I don't have other, unavoidable, plans for Thursdays, or have childcare to sort out.  I've had issues before with this college's admin 'skills' but this is just pathetic.

The boy finally did it

On attempt number 2, D has passed his driving test (yesterday).  I've notified the insurance company, who don't offer no claims bonus building for additional drivers so will not be getting my renewal come November 14th.  Now I need to find some 'P' plates that are magnetic like his 'L' plates were.

Gonna have to share my car now.

Clever child part 1

Part 1 because AS/GCSE results come out towards the end of August.

D passed his driving theory test today! And once again I didn't see much evidence of revision. Next in line is the practical test - not sure when but he's not far off ready.

Then he can taxi himself to all his social events in the evening, as long as I'm not working.

It's not rocket science

Someone at A's workplace was moaning about how his wife's car is having trouble. It keeps cutting out and the manufacturer isn't being particularly good at getting to the root of the problem. A asked him if it was a ************ (no don't count the stars, they're a random amount) - I can't mention names as it is likely to leave me open to legal action (stupid as all I'm going to say is true and can be found by a search of the internet). His friend was astounded to hear that A knew that. A then explained our history with them.

My parents had one of their larger models pretty much from new - an M plate. They had issues with the car cutting out, thereby rendering the power-steering and power-brakes totally useless. It even happened at speed on a motorway. Many moons later I owned an estate (V plate), one size down from parents. Within months it started cutting out at slow speed, which is not a lot of fun when you are approaching a junction or a roundabout - and even less fun when you have your kids in the car with you. Our local dealer had the temerity to suggest it was the way I was driving it!!! I then pointed out that I can drive Ferraris on race tracks and Golf GTIs on off-road tracks, both with a certain flair beyond the average punter, so their excuse was pathetic. Well, they weren't my exact words but you get the gist. A ended up threatening to drive it through their plate glass showroom window unless they found out what was going on, as the fault wasn't leaving a message on the car's on-board computer. Within a couple of days the car stalled on their driver. I was SO pleased. Funnily enough it was fixed PDQ, except that they put the part on upside down and made a mess; I didn't find this out till this part needed replacing again. That's right, the fix is only temporary. It'll last for 11 - 18 months before needing replacing again.

Now, you'd think that a manufacturer of such popular renown would have got it sorted out, if not between M and V plates then at least from V to now. Apparently not as A's friend's wife's car (phew) is having the self-same issues. Obviously this manufacturer doesn't give a damn about us the customer.

If you really want to know which one I'm talking about, it was the car I had before the Merc (same colour but smaller). Still none the wiser, drop me an e-mail, especially if you are looking to change your car.

Did you know they let blind people drive these days?

K & I were on our way to Asda this morning - the larder was empty and, as the weekend is upon us, it needed filling. We were travelling along Longfield Avenue, a wide road between Titchfield and Fareham, chatting about nothing in particular. There are a couple of gentle bends along Longfield, near Bishopsfield Road. Coming towards us was a car (on its own side of the road) which looked to be doing the speed limit of 30mph. Behind it was another car half on its side of the road and half on mine. This car's driver decided that all he had to do was get his offside wheels nearer to the white line but still on MY side of the road and all would be well - and Longfield Avenue is wide enough. I moved over towards the gutter just to be sure. The driver looked like he was totally fed up being stuck behind someone ONLY doing 30 and was trying to overtake.

OK, so starting your manoeuvre before you can see what's coming isn't very clever; neither is still having some of your car on the wrong side of the road when there is oncoming traffic. Wanting to overtake a driver doing the speed limit is not really very clever BUT doing all of this with not one but TWO police cars directly behind you certainly sets this guy up as a possible Darwin Awards winner (search for it - you'll be surprised at just how stupid people can be). Needless to say that both police cars put their blue lights on as they passed me. Coincidence? I don't think so, especially seeing as they didn't go tearing past the cars in front to get anywhere quick. I wish I could have found somewhere to park up and watch as they pulled him.

Bye bye, Merc. Hello Focus

After 3 years of faithful service, and right before it started to get expensive to keep going, the Merc has gone. Now I have my Ford Focus and it is much more comfortable to drive. I picked it up this afternoon and drove round the corner to Asda to fill it up. No problems there, a mere £41. Coming back through Asda's car park on the main through way and some dozy bitch decided to pull out of a side road right in front of me - she was busy seeing to her lipstick. I would like to report that the brakes, horn and seatbelt tensioners work just fine, and the silly woman doesn't have a bright blue streak on her minibus. She didn't even apologise or look sheepish, just peered at me and carried on her way. That would be close to a record wouldn't it; you pick it up, fill it up and write it off, all in 5 minutes!

The interview yesterday went well, or so I think. I had made it to a shortlist of 6 out of the many applicants. Now I have to wait to see if I'm in the last two. I really want this job - the money is fine, the perks are perky, and the prospects are eye-opening once I've got all the necessary qualifications (which they are paying for). Fingers crossed.

Oh and two of my wines are about ready for bottling. It's gonna be a great weekend ;-)

New addition to the household

No, not a puppy. Hands up all those who thought that's what I meant.

Today A & I bought a new car. Now, by new I don't mean brand new 09 plate. It's new for us and relatively new compared to our current ones. Hopefully on Friday I will take the Merc and trade it in for a Ford Focus 05 plate in Aquarius blue with 38,000 on the clock. I took it for a spin today and it is very nice. It's been years since I have driven a manual car but this one feels good and I didn't 'kangaroo' it once - unlike when I drive A's and have a lot of clutch issues in low gears.

We went looking for either a Fiesta or a Fusion but the deal was right for this one so there we are. It is the same make as the one D has his lessons in but ours is a 1.4 LX. It is quite responsive to the accelerator, not taking much effort to hit 55mph.

He's not a natural

D spent all Wednesday morning getting more and more agitated about his driving lesson. So by the time 1pm rolled round he was a bit of a wreck. Two hours later he and the instructor, and the car, were back in one piece with no bumps or scrapes. He'd managed to get the hang of changing gear and steering but tended to go to pieces when turning at junctions - thank goodness for dual controls. He was not entirely sure whether he wanted another lesson but we booked one. Now that a couple of days have passed he's quite pleased with what he could do and feels ready to tackle the next stage. He definitely doesn't take after his parents, as we took to it like a duck to water.

So anyone in our area should avoid us between 9 - 11am on Wednesday. You have been warned.

Strangely enough my insurance company were quite happy to insure D to drive my Merc (E240 estate) for only an extra £480 till November, with £800 excess. This is scary as the day before my 25th birthday I couldn't get insurance to drive A's Granada Scorpio, even though I'd been driving for nearly 7 years. Needless to say we will NOT be letting D near my Merc as it is automatic (and the size of a tank).

My baby is 10 and other breaking news

Scooby celebrates his 10th birthday today. Regular readers may remember back in May (I think) that our vet suggested he might not make it this far and most likely wouldn't make Christmas. Well, he's intent on proving her wrong. Today is a sunny day so he's full of life, energy and bounce. On wet days it's an effort to do anything.

Also today saw the first frost of the coming winter. It's all gone now but at 7.30 this morning the roofs were white and the car windscreens were iced over.

Speaking of cars, I now have a Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 with a tiptronic gearbox sitting on my drive. It's my courtesy car till my Merc is returned all shiny and new. This Corsa is a 58 plate with a mere 400 miles on the clock!

K & D are off sailing with Explorers this week. Had the leader on the phone at 8.30 this morning saying K wanted to come home. I told him, and her, that I couldn't come and fetch her as I was waiting for the garage to fetch my car and bring me a courtesy car. The leader has transferred her to the smaller boat for today to see if her stomach will settle. Otherwise we face a long trip to Lymington or Poole to fetch her this evening. I did state that I would prefer her to finish the week out but we'll see.

They're letting blind people drive!

That's the only conclusion I can come to for how someone can totally miss a silver Mercedes E-Class estate and drive into it. We were coming round Segensworth roundabout, a large but well-marked and signed effort near to our house. A was driving, I was in the front passenger seat and K was sat behind her Dad (and nearest to the impact point).

The muppet decided that, instead of following the wonderful markings, he would stick like glue to the inside lane of the roundabout before launching across 3 lanes to the exit he wanted, which was one before ours. We were in the correct lane for the exit we wanted, and it would have been the correct lane for muppet too if he'd been in it.

He hit us on the rear driver's-side wing and bumper, giving us a bit of a dent and some scraping in dark red/maroon. Part of me is quite smug about the fact that the entire front bumper of his car has fallen off and goodness know what that has done to the rest of the chassis. I'm also quite glad we have a Merc and not a small car because things might not have gone so well for us then.

K was ok at the scene but is developing whiplash. I've given her the icepack and painkillers/anti-inflammatories. She's going away tomorrow, sailing with sea scouts, till Friday. A & I are fine although our tempers are a little frazzled. The car will be repaired within two weeks by the insurance company appointed repair shop. I will get a courtesy car, which I expect to be some poxy 2 door Ford Ka or equivalent and of little use to me whatsoever.

Big changes are afoot

I went to the big Sainsbury's at Hedge End today. I used a small trolley, not much bigger than a basket. It was beginning to overflow by the time I got the checkout. Imagine the shock when the bill came to just a smidge over £77!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was no alcohol in that and it wasn't even a full week's shopping. If food prices keep climbing like this the obesity epidemic will be over fast - no-one will be able to afford to eat!

Petrol is now £1.14 + per litre and that's at the supermarkets, traditionally the cheapest place to fill up. We haven't been hard-up since before the kids were born but we're certainly feeling the pinch now. And of course the odd unexpected expense keeps happening. A's car needs two new tires, Scooby goes to see a physio tomorrow, I really need to see the osteopath (next week now), etc, you get the picture?!

So A has decided that if I could get a job he would appreciate it. I've offered before, many times, but he's always said that it wasn't necessary. Now it would come in handy. He's going to ask around at his place to see what clerical/admin jobs are going. I'd prefer part-time for a start as K will still be home educated for another year, but she's big enough to be left and can do basic housework - no, she won't be doing all of it, she needs to study more than I need a housekeeper.

I have enjoyed being a stay-at-home-mum and full-time housewife. We are such rarities these days. However, duty calls.

Stiff in all the Wrong Places

Today I took my car to the garage to have the wash-wipe and the headlight flash looked at. Neither bits were working - not good if you have a dirty windscreen or need to flash someone.

From the garage I walked down to the Co-op and then home. At lunchtime the garage phoned to say the car was ready so I dragged D with me for the walk back.

All in all I must have walked between 4 and 5 miles today. AND I KNOW ALL ABOUT IT!

Of course the hot tub was emptied and refilled yesterday and it's being a bit awkward about balancing. Fingers crossed it's sorted for later.