Lost details

Yesterday somebody deleted my e mail account and left me a bit high and dry......lots of lost information. Today somebody has hacked into my blackberry and deleted my phone book. Ahem!!! I have lost phone numbers that have been collected over the years and some which can never be replaced. I have also lost the phone numbers of all my dear friends in Surrey and Sheffield. So I have no e mail addresses and no phone numbers. Isolated? I'll say!!!

If you have my mobile number - please text me with your name and number so I can put you back in my contacts. x

Pancake Day

Eggs, flour, milk, water.....pancake batter. I watched my Mum make this for years and years - every sunday morning (it's the same mix as Yorkshire puddings). My housemate - who is very nice - asked me if I could tell  her how to make the batter - and I couldn't....because it's one of those things that you just know how to do by sight. I have no idea how much flour I use, or milk, or water, or how many eggs. So I willingly volunteered to make a big bowl of mixture.

We had them with stewed apple and double cream (the calories!) and then I had one with orange juice and sugar, and another with Lyle's Golden Syrup. Eating them reminded me of my Paternal Grandmother because we were always at her house for tea as kids on a Tuesday and she would make them for us. I have to say that they were really very nice indeed!

By the way - the secret of good pancakes is  in getting the oil in your pan extrememly hot before you put the batter in! Pancakes and Yorkshire puddings are two things that I don't need Delia's help with!

All prayers gratefully received!

Rightio - we're busily thinking up ways to make an honest living. I can think of hundreds of ways to make a dishonest living.......(no shit, Sherlock) .....but I really would like to stay on the right side of the law. If you trawl the internet there is so much stuff on there it will make your head spin (mine is going round faster than Regan McNeil's)*.

I'm in a bit of a transition (dilemma) state at the moment. I don't really want or need to stay here in Banbury any longer. Paying for a room in a shared house is not ideal (seeing as I have my own house in Sheffield). I have spoken to my friend Julian in Gozo, and I can go over there for three months and do a Divemaster Internship at his dive school. It's free and I would only have to pay 50 euros a week for a room, and a bit for food (which is apparently tres cheapio), so that would be better than £500 per month that I'm paying here for a room. ......see? economics are so important! I would be trained up to Assistant Instructor level for free and if I did  that here in the UK it would cost a couple of grand. So that's an option! BUT, am I too old to go gallivanting off to Gozo for the summer season working in a dive school? (don't answer that unless it's to say an absolute NO)

I also have a sniff of a job up in Sheffield, where I would be amongst my friends again, but the salary wouldn't quite cover my living expenses, so I would have to take in a lodger, and quite frankly my dear I don't think that's something I could cope with!!!

I have another option which is to go back to Surrey, but that's only temporary, and there's no job involved so in a few months I would be potless (again) and that's not good.

I had thought I was settled this time - but my Guardian Angels obviously figured that wasn't right for me, so it's more upheaval and change coming my way. Friends say I should write a book about the ridiculous farce that has been my life, but nobody would ever believe it was a true story!

So...my regular readers, answers on a postcard please.....and while you're about it - could you offer up a wee prayer to the Gods that I might get it right next time? Thanks x........because right now I need all the help I can get!


* If you don't know who she is I suggest you look her up on Google

Fab Weekend

I have had a fab weekend. On Friday lunchtme I drove to Sheffield to assist with the final clearing out of my Gran's house. Sadly she died about two years ago, and my Mum and her siblings have just managed to sell her house. We discovered all kinds of things lurking in wardrobes and cupboards.....not least the lovely blonde mink coat I'm wearing in this picture. I also bagged a black astrakan coat with white mink collar and cuffs - and before anybody makes any anti-fur comments (I know, I know) I have to tell you that both these garments are older than me - so the animals in question are well past reviving. I shall wear these coats with love for my Nana.

The gentleman in the picture is my lovely uncle Anthony, who is my Godfather. He's the funniest man I know and had us all in stitches the whole day. We had such a laugh, and the, once the house was cleared we all had a wee bevvy and drank a toast to the divine Diva that Rosina was. Gone, but NEVER forgotten :)

On Saturday morning I was up at dawn's crack to drive to Stoney Cove to embark on the first stage of my plans to bcome a diving instructor. Emergency First Response - which involved pseudo-snogging a half-man mannequin (he had no legs) I nearly brought him home as my Valentine - but just managed to stop myself ! Anyway I passed those exams with a 100% score, so am now fully qualified to save lives! Mind you, I shall be picky.

Last night I went to Jacqui's for a lovely curry with her and Melvyn, loads more laughing, and quite a bit of wine. I love Jacqui - she's brill.

Then another 5.30am start today for day one of a three day 'Rescue Diver' course. Today was all theory - so I still haven't braved the very very very very cold water at Stoney Cove, but I did pass all my exams with a very respectable score of 91%. I then took another short course which enables me to administer oxygen (to anybody that may need it!!).

Next weekend I have to do 5 scenario dives, the hardest one will be rescuing an apparently non-breathing body from the bottom, bringing him to the surface, administering mouth to mouth, dragging him to the shore, and then lifting him out of the water. Once on dry land I have to cut open his drysuit, assess him (nearly dead...no heart beat...not breathing) and then de-fibrillate (CLEAR) and give him mouth to mouth. I met my guinea pig today and am concerned because he's 6'3" tall and weighs 16 stone. Apparently there's a technique which I can apply  to get him out of the water - but it had better be good because I weigh seven and a half stone and have less strength than a pipe-cleaner. Ho hum!

I'll let you know how I get on x

It's raining

Oh fucking hell!! It never rains but it bloody well pours. Just when you think your life is in the toilet, along comes some twat and pulls the bleeding flush!!! This week has got to count amongst one of the worse weeks of my meagre existence so far. Heartache, decisions, disappointments, arguments, bitterness and tears. All in shedloads. I wouldn't want you to think I'm feeling sorry for myself (HA!) but I'm feeling a little bit sorry for myself!!!

So today I'm going to do something constructive. I'm heading up north to help my Mum and her siblings clear out my Gran's house which has just been sold. I think the physical work will do me good!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel....honestly....but some bastard has knicked the bulb x

My Path

Life is presenting the odd challenge at the moment - for instance - this afternoon I went out on a date. I tootled along to Chipping Norton (home of Jeremy Clarkson - did I see him pottering about the small twee town centre?....Nah) to meet some random guy for coffee. Needless to say it didn't go well. Those of you who know me, will know that I can chatter and natter for England (and would probably win at least silver or bronze were it an olympic sport) but with this guy today I couldn't get a bloody word in. He was so horrifically dull. Had there been a pencil available I would have stabbed it in my eye. After an hour I wanted to scream at him. No bloody wonder he's single. Now, you could say the same about me.....

Seriously, it was laughable. This weekend has taken on a kind of unreal quality about it - I feel a bit like Alice must have felt when she 'landed' in Wonderland.

I would seriously like to leave limbo land now and get my life back onto some kind of track. Life is likened to a journey - but I have totally mislaid the map, and the bloody satnav has well and truly packed in.

Patience, Tracy dear, patience....eventually your path will be revealed to you.

(Note from me....."Could it hurry up please?")

Names have not been changed to protect the innocent....

Please find below a transcript of a brief e mail conversation. I'm not sure these dating websites are all they're cracked up to be.

His e mail..............

Dear Tracy

My name is Raj. You may recall that we met at Banbury shopping centre for a coffee (by the way I paid for it) on last Saturday. When we left, you told me that you would like to meet again.

I have not heard from you since and I assume that you do not like to see me again. That is fine and it is your choice. But it is common courtesy to say so for several reasons.

You did indicate at the time of leaving that you would like to see me again. You are certainly entitled to change your mind. You told me that as a true Yorkshire woman you tell it as it is.

Lastly I did a round trip of 90 minutes to meet you and I treated with you respect.

Best wishes

Raj

My reply.......

Raj
Thankyou for your e mail. I am sorry that you're upset because I haven't been in touch - but it's only been two days and I have been rather busy.
I appreciate the fact that you drove some distance to come and meet with me, however, that was your choice, and I also sense that you feel slightly aggrieved that you bought one cup of coffee for me. If you would care to let me know how much it cost, and your address I will pop some money in the post to cover your outlay.
I have made a decision regarding our meeting - especially since reading your e mail - and that is that although I enjoyed our meeting, I don't want to see you again.
I wish you well in your search for a companion.

Best wishes

Tracy Wood