Wednesday 27 April 2011

Busy busy busy

Ooooh - I have been busy. Getting rid of stuff and packing other stuff. Today Fiona and I managed to dismantle my dining room table and then load it into her van...without a strapping man in sight. It involved a spanner and some great strength. Tomorrow we have to do the same with the coffee table and the sofa!

Millie went to her new home this afternoon...but I will see her again because she's gone to live with special friends, so when I return to these shores I will be able to visit her...but it feels really odd without her in the house...I do miss her little face. Dan went back to Uni yesterday after four weeks at home - so the house really does feel empty.

I've got my brothers and my Mum coming for a chinky take-away tomorrow - the Friday is the Royal wedding - which means champagne breakfast at Bill's, and then elevenses at Fi's...then out for the last supper with Jayne in the evening. Then - Saturday comes - and I will be boarding the flight and going elsewhere. I am sad and excited all at the same time...how odd is that?

Wednesday 20 April 2011

I will miss my friends...

Just over a week to go. That's all. I've got the Twirlies coming on Friday morning to help me pack all my worldy belongings...and they're under strict instructions not say daft things like "are you sure you don't want to take this with you ?"...to which my reply will be unprintable but will carry the meaning.....'what use is a food processor and a set of Carmen rollers going to be to me in Malta?'

Tonight I'm going out to supper with Helen, tomorrow I'm out with Moya and Friday night I'm out with Jayne. Saturday night I'm bobbing down to Hazel's for a night with the FB girls. Next week I've got dentist's, doctors's...hopefully a night out with the Billster....Sunday lunch with Helen and Andrew....and then Monday night tea with Christian, Victoria and the girls. Seems that everybody wants to give me a great big send-off .......hmmm..maybe they want to make sure I don't come back!

I am so excited. But also a wee bit sad. I love all my friends and they are all a great source of support and happiness to me. I will miss them all so much. No-one more than the fabulous Fifi La Trix who is my dearest friend. I love them all.

...and my dearest darling Dan. But it's okay - she's already booked her flight and will be with me after I've been there for just over a month :)

Wednesday 13 April 2011

A Gran with a Van

Yesterday was fun. The lovely Fifi-la-Trix called to pick me up at lunchtime to wander off with the hounds for a stroll and then go get some nice lunch. She text me in the morning to say she had a vehicle. I sold my little green pea last week in preparation for the 'running away to Malta' project - and Fifi has been without a little car of her own for a few weeks. This has not been a problem as I have legs - and can walk to hers for our daily constitutional. The distance is 3.7 miles - and on Monday I walked that distance twice - there and back - plus the dog walk of just over a mile or so - in the middle. Douglas Bader would have beaten me in a jig by bedtime.

So to get the call to say she had wheels was a delightful surprise. (It doesn't take a lot these days).

When she turned up - I howled with glee. Her vehicle is a white van. Not a big white van of the 'man with van' type - but a nice little van / estate that an electrician would drive. In fact an electrician did drive it at some point because the sign-writing was still on the side. Also - inside the vehicle there were fuses, and wire clipper, and a few stubby pencils - just right for behind the ear.

We have probably never been so excited. As we drove off from my house I couldn't resist telling her that this time next year we will be millionaires.

I love Fifi x

Sunday 10 April 2011

Ugly shoes


How sad is this? Yesterday Dan and I went to the walking shop to purchase some sandals. Yes -the sandals in the picture.  I now look like a vegetarian. Well - my feet do. The rest of me is still a healthy colour and not at all pale and thin and insipid and weak - so I don't EXACTLY look like a vegetarian - but you get my drift?

I know the sandals are ugly...but they're so comfy - and practical too. And necessary. For my diving career I require shoes that I can put on and off very quickly. Shoes that sand won't damage...shoes that salt water won't attack - and shoes that I can walk over rough terrain in (some of these beach dives require a hike across rocks and the like to reach the desired entry point...)

I never thought I would purchase anything quite so practical - or unattractive. But - when you get to my age - practicality means a lot. 

I will save my sexy high-heel FM shoes for when I go out in the warm balmy Maltese evenings. 

By the way - they were cheap because I have small feet and therefore bought them from the kiddies section of the shop :)

Buzz Buzz

I am inundated. By massive fat slow bees. There's loads of them in my house (slight exaggeration)..but I've just had a very nervous pee. There was one in my bedroom this morning - its droning woke me. And let's not forget the barge-size one that was in the kitchen yesterday...and I've just encountered another one in the bathroom. 

They are huge - chunky - chubby - fluffy and very very slow at flying. I've never seen so many. Were they wasps I would just kill them (simples) but I can't bring myself to dispatch a honey bee.

(Hands up if you thought - after reading the title - that this blogpost was going to be about a sex-aid product?)

Products I like

For those of you who have known me for some time - you will know that my hair is mousey. I don't mean that it squeaks and round around eating cheese...I mean that it's a crap brown colour. Totally uninspired and uninspiring. I dislike it muchly and am cross with God for  having been so mean when he has all the colours of a huge palette at his disposal.

A few years ago I visited my beloved cousin at his posh and swanky and arty farty London Salon and went bright white blonde...I loved it ....and have been that colour ever since (well - my HAIR has been that colour ever since - not me - that would just be odd....)

....Well - apart from a weird period last year when I went jet black for a few weeks as a kind of protest...but quickly went back to Blonde again when I realised that I looked even more like a witch than before....

Now we're skint - and trips to London and £150 hair-do bills are a thing of the past - we need to find an alternative - because no matter how much you tell me that it's for the best I AM NOT GOING BACK TO MOUSEY BROWN HAIR.

Today I found this product in Boots - came home - put on the rubber gloves (readers of a nervous disposition look away now) applied the gunk....and twenty minutes later had brilliant white-blonde hair again. I love it. I love it. I love it. And - what's more - it's only £5.99.

Result :)

Health update....

Just in case you were wondering - and I know for a fact that the lovely Ali B in London was - I got my ECG results back from the quack's the other day. You don't need to rush out and buy a black outfit ...a) because I'm not going to die and b) because if I was I wouldn't want you wearing black at my funeral (bright colours and cheerful faces only please)...

Reassuringly - my heart is normal for a woman of my age...that is to say normal to say it's been broken a few times...is a bit ragged around the edges...and has probably had its fair share of aching...but in all the ways that matter - it's doing okay.

The blood tests were normal also - no poison running through my veins - no ice - no green stuff - nope - all healthy and blood red and flowing sweetly - and after midnight - I never drink more of it than my fair share.

So - that's all good then. Still have to stay on the Beta blockers for the time being - and as a result I sometimes get painful fingers - but I much prefer that to having god-awful crippling vomity migraines. 

Had a bit of a debate with the Quack because I will need a 6 month supply before I jet off in a few weeks -- and their rule is only to prescribe for 3 months maximum...however - he wasn't totally averse to persuasion and as I left I could see that he was buckling under the pressure...

I will - of course - keep you informed.

A man with nice shoes....

I have a few quirks. (you don't say). One of them is nice shoes. I love, love, love a nice pair of shoes. I own a few very nice pairs myself - and when I meet new people one of the first thing I look at is their shoes. I am looking for style, elegance - and nicely clean. 

When we were kids we all had to keep our shoes clean - and I always knew when my dad was headed out for the evening because he would polish his shoes. Then - of course - my time in Her Maj's Army  re-inforced the highly polished shoes thing. If I go on a date and the chap is wearing crappy or dirty or ugly shoes - well - it just doesn't work for me. 

Fifi knows this quirk of mine - and whilst out the other evening she sent me this picture. She spotted the chap on my behalf - just from the ankle down.

She gave him my phone number - and the resulting phone call this afternoon has resulted in a dinner date for Wednesday.

I have no idea what he looks like - but I do like his shoes. So we're off to a good start then....

Beautiful New life