Looking back at 2010

Due to my bad back and the snow and ice we've been rather like hermits this inbetween week after Christmas & before New Year. It's been chill-out in our house, food, chocolates, wine and lots of crap telly. Phil did venture out for the day on Wednesday when he picked up G and went to Melton Mowbray to see his mum and dad but Harriet & I stayed home. Well Harriet did venture out first thing to see the doctor and was diagnosed with tonsilitus and given a strong course of antibiotics. I spent most of the day catching up with domestics albeit at a slow pace because of my back. I did manage a workout yesterday albeit a bit gingerly but I suppose it's better than nothing. There was lots of new faces that I didn't recognise in the gym so I hope its not going to be jam packed in the new year.

As we come to the end of the year I suppose its time to reflect on the year gone by and look back on the good, the bad and the plain ugly. My memory is not what it once was and I would struggle to reflect on our lives if I didn't do the blog. Phil says that I am repetitive and boring, often repeating myself and that in the new year I should not post more than twice a week. But I am not so sure, you'd be surprised how useful it is having a journal to dip in and out of because when you get to a certain age, you do forget.

Of course, we started out 2010 in Australia. After driving all the way from Sydney we ended back in Melbourne on new years day. We were very pleased to be leaving a few days later where we then headed to Brisbane with a few days spending some time with our friends Lynn & Mick in Byron Bay. Later in the month we took residence in Geoff & Denise's house in Townsville where we had a very pleasant few weeks in spite of the heavy rains. Early February we found ourselves on Magnetic Island then back to Townsville and another road trip to Port Douglas. Also in February we did Cairns, the great Barrier Reaf. From there we flew back to Sydney, then on to Brisbane and explored New South Wales. On leaving Australia we flew to LA where we did the Grand Canyon and more exploration in Las Vegas. With one last adventure at Universal Studios we landed back in the UK on the 10th of March and then it was back to reality with a bang. Boy, just typing this paragraph makes me feel weary, I can't believe we did so much!

The month of March saw us celebrating Mads & Steve's 25th wedding anniversary at our favourite restaurant, Robinson's in Newport Pagnell and also Harriet's 21st birthday which she celebrated by strapping herself to an aeroplane propellor for 10 minutes. The wing walking was a birthday present from her dad and I can remember that it was an extremely cold day and we were all freezing watching her in the sky from the airfield. Still, she seemed to enjoy herself and said afterwards that the experience was exhilarating. Each to his own is what I say!


From reading back, April was pretty uneventfull. Phil's dad was taken poorly with what the doctor thought was a minor heart attack so that was pretty worrying. Thankfully he was given some pills to take and made a good recovery without an operation in hospital. The month of May was a little more exciting, we joined a new health club and went to the wedding reception of Amber & Lee in Surrey and had a great evening.

Poor George got poorly again in June and this time he was hospitalised. Phil was up down the M1 taking his mum to Leicester General each day and finally they diagnosed food poisoning and once treated he was allowed home. Once again another worrying time but thankfully it was nothing too serious although not very pleasant for George. Also in June, step-dad and Marie pitched their motor home in Cosgrove Park for a week and not only did we get to spend time with them but  also we were introduced to Sue & Alan, who live in Spain during the winter and Cosgrove in the summer. A great couple and we have remained friends.

In July Harriet gave up her flat and moved back home. I had to put my painting hat and do some redecoration before reletting and I also spent a few days painting Christine's house in Downs Barn. Phil thought my hard work deserved some reward so he booked us a cheap week away in Turkey where we had a great time. The highlight was meeting up with Mick & Lynn, who by some weird coincidence were exploring Turkey all the way from Oz. Unfortunately for Phil, as soon as we got back from holiday Phil was offered a short contract in Oxford, which of course he had to take. It wasn't so bad a job although the comute was horrible and I spent at least one night in Abingdon each week in a hotel just to save him a few journeys. This was okay but I'd pretty much 'done' Abingdon by the time he finished his contract.

Phil worked throughout August which built up the pennies in the bank. I can't remember it being a brilliant month of sunshine but perhaps it was. I do remember that the wasps didn't bother me too much this year but the swarm of bees nesting in our roof tiles gave him cause for concern and stress. The sad news of August was learning that my friend Jess had lost her fight against ovarian cancer and it was a very sad day attending her funeral. Gone but not forgotten.

September didn't start very cheerfully with learning from Sue that Alan was diagnosed with kidney cancer in Rome enroute to La Manga. They had such plans for the winter and had to leave their caravan and fly immediately back to the UK. As I type Alan is currently in MK hospital being treated for muscle spasms in his back. Hopefully he will have less pain and more mobility and will be allowed to return home sometime soon. Fingers crossed!

Going to the wedding of Ed & Sarah's in Northampton was a rather grand occasion and we were really looking forward to it.  The service was lovely and the reception was one of the best that we've been too.   Obviously with Mads doing most of the organising there was much attention to detail and it certainly paid off, although how much she and Steve enjoyed the day I don't know but everyone else certainly did and the party went into the early days with Phil & I being one of the last few to go to bed.  No change there!


Phil found the new love of his life in September, his new iPhone4; even as I type some 3 months down the line, he is still completely obsessed. He's even added to his Apple addiction and now he also has the new iPad to play with as well. What is it with boys and toys??

October started off a little more positively; I redecorated our bedroom and it looked much better when I'd finished. For once I was pleased with the results and the new Dwell bargain cabinet that I found in the rejects part of the shop looked fabulous. This was also the month that Phil first got tested for prostrate problems and both his PSA levels came back a little high. But the good news was that his contract finished in Abingdon and he was very relieved. We finished the month by going to a halloween party at Sandy's house over the road, a very late night with very bad hangovers in the morning! It was a great party with lots of brilliant costumes.  We felt a little embarrased because we didn't really make any effort and stuck out in our civilian clothes like a sore thumb. 

We had a good start to November with a birthday party for Kylie at Jim & Shirley's house.  This was coincidently bonfire weekend so the party was to celebrate Guy Fawkes as well as Kylie's birthday.   Another great night with glorious food, mega fireworks, good company and as usual too much to drink  !  Most of November was dominated by our 3 week holiday in Goa which now seems like a lifetime ago. Hard to believe it was only last month. As usual we had a great time, exploring the north and meeting some really interesting people along the way. It was slightly spoilt by the monsoon weather and our HUGE delay getting back home caused by the snow. But hey, we got back and it's all water under the bridge now.

And this leads us to the here and now. All in all, despite some sad news, when I look back, I suppose we havent had a bad year and should count ourselves lucky. We have a roof over our heads, Phil has got work and we both are fortunate to have good health as we head into 2011. We wish all our family, friends and followers a happy and healthy New Year.

This will be the last posting on this blog. A new year and the start of a new blog which will be up and running on the 1st of January :

http://www.thenakedbloggers2011.blogspot.com/.

Cheers & HAGO !

Some of our favourite photo's from 2010, bar the 1st one

A Cool Yule!

I am pleased to be able to tell you, that thus so far, we’ve had a lovely Christmas.   It started off well on Christmas Eve with both Phil and Harriet finishing work at midday.  As soon as they both got home we all went to The Giffard for a meal.  The pub was packed and with snow outside it really did feel like it was Christmas.  Phil had to queue up for quite a while but we didn’t have to wait long for our drinks and meal to arrive.   Afterwards we make a quick stop off at home, mainly to drop off HH and then got on the motorway to go to Melton.  The M1 was busy but thankfully no traffic jams and we were at Phil’s mum and dads just after 3pm.  Phil mum was both surprised and pleased to see us so early and we soon settled in front of the telly with a cup of tea.

Our Christmas Eve was a gentle one; a high tea of bread, home cured ham, pork pie and pickles and a flan and cream for afterwards.  Unfortunately for Phil, he had to endure a whole evening of soaps, an hour long episode of Emmerdale, a double whammy of

Coronation Street

and half an hour of Eastenders in-between.  Luckily he had his iPad with him so he could read his book so he didn’t really complain.  Phil’s mum like me watches all the Soaps so we had a great evening.

The spare bed at Phil’s mum and dad’s was very comfortable and we both slept like babies.   It’s a bit like being back in time at my in-laws house;  the house although immaculate has been styled in the 70’s, patterned carpets, embossed wallpaper on every wall and ceiling, knitted toilet roll covers and glass cabinets full of every type of glass and wall mounted thimbles.   I should love to have the opportunity to modernise their bathroom and kitchen but my style would be too modern, too minimalistic and wouldn’t suit them at all.  However that said, it’s very comfortable and homely and nothing is too much trouble for Phil’s mum.

The whole idea of going for Christmas was that Phil & I would do all the preparations for Christmas lunch but it didn’t pan out that may.  Bet had done lots of work before we arrived and although Phil & I did the vegetables, Bet wouldn’t stay out of the kitchen so in the end she ended up doing most of the cooking.   We had roast turkey with all the trimmings and very nice it was too.  Phil’s dad, me and Phil did the washing and drying and by 1 o’clock we were all finished and sitting in the conservatory with our feet up.  Phil was anxious to get home before dark we left just before 3 and were back at our house by 4pm.  I’ve never seen the M1 so empty.

Harriet had been parting and not long back home (don’t ask) so she was very hungover.  We opened presents and then she went back to bed.  The original plan was that Phil would cook her steak and chips but she didn’t fancy anything. Our Christmas Day evening was quiet, telly then bed and a lie in on Boxing Day.  I went to the gym for a quick run but couldn’t persuade Phil to come with me; he’d been doing good with his weight loss but not quite in the right frame of mind for exercise.  Maybe tomorrow?

Yesterday Phil made Harriet some lunch and then we drove over to Olney to have lunch with Mad’s & Steve.  Their cottage looked very Christmassy, shame really I didn’t take any more photographs.  We had champagne to start, then we exchanged presents and then we sat down to real a magnificent feast with no expense spared.  Lovely pate and salmon mousse, caviar, tomato and mozzarella all served with pita breads and dips.   Our main course was a platter of hot turkey and pork with creamy mash potatoes and peas, lovely and both Phil & I went back for seconds.   Dessert was Key Lime Pie followed by cheese & biscuits and coffee.   Phil & Steve took Ed’s dog Marley for a walk and we left the cottage just after 6pm.  A lovely afternoon and a big thanks to Mads and Steve for having us over.

We finished our Boxing Day by popping over to Sandy’s for a festive glass of wine and some games with Sandy’s family and some friends.  Unfortunately I slipped over on the ice whilst walking out of our drive.  It didn’t hurt much at the time probably because of all the wine I’d consumed so it was probably acting as an anaesthetic, but boy this morning I could hardly make it down the stairs.  We have a problem with our overflow pipe which is constantly dripping and the water is freezing and acting as an ice rink on our block paving.  I had wanted to go to the gym but there is now wa I’m going to be able to make it today.  The pain in my Coccyx bone otherwise known as tail bone.  I’ve taken some paracetamol and rubbed some smelly balm stuff on it which has helped a bit but it really is sore.

For a girl that doesn’t really do Christmas I have been rather spoilt with gifts from everyone this year.  Harriet got me a jar of Elemis Lime & Ginger body scrub which is glorious stuff but very expensive.  She also got me a Sanctury beauty set from Boots.  Phil didn’t get me a gift as such but he has promised to buy me a notepad.  Actually he wanted to go shopping today but I’m in too much agony.  Phil’s mum and dad, give me Chrissie cash, a jumper, chocolates and a coat and scarf.  Mads got me a Ted Baker bag, some Sisley hand cream, a nail varnish and loads of other goodies.  She also got me the tallest bottle of wine that I’d ever seen!  So as you can tell I did very well indeed as did Phil.

The only disaster over Christmas was that on Christmas Eve the top came off my bottle of water and spewed all into my bag soaking everything including my camera and mobile phone.   The camera was okay but my mobile was as dead as a dodo.  Harriet took out the battery and sim card and got the hairdryer on them but to no avail.  When I was at Phil’s mums I took it all apart again and left it in her airing cupboard overnight but it still wouldn’t switch on Christmas morning. I went out to Asda yesterday and brought a cheap mobile and when it was charged I put in my old sim card and was able to pick up all my text messages from friends and family wishing me a happy crimble.  Thanks to everyone and sorry for not replying but now you know why! 

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and still are in fact enjoying the festive holiday.   We’ll be bringing this blog to a close at the end of the week but maybe Phil would like to do a last posing for 2010 before I start the new blog for 2011.  Details to follow.

Happy Christmas!

The presents are brought and wrapped, the fridge and cupboards are full to over flowing and we are just about ready for Christmas.  Our overnight bags are packed and for me a visit to the gym for one last time before we leave and  just as soon as Phil finishes work, we’re off to the pub for a bar snack and then we are making our way to Melton Mowbray.   All that remains is for us to wish all our family, friends and followers a very happy Christmas!  Keep warm and safe everyone but most of all, have fun!

Cheers Phil & Claire

 Happy Birthday Vanessa!  Safe travels to Jill & Tony.....

A White Christmas

As I look up to the grey skies and trudge through the white stuff every time I step outside my front door I realise now why we opt out of the festive season and fly away somewhere hot.  Definitely will be doing this next year.  The snow was certainly a challenge yesterday.  It’s easier driving a 4x4 in the snow but I am still very nervous.  I dropped HH off at work as we got near Kingston it really came down hard.   After sliding into the visitor car park at the OU I then made my way to the rubbish tip in Newport.  The council didn’t collect our rubbish on Monday like there were supposed to, they did come out on Tuesday but I’d already put our bags in the garage so I missed them.  After dumping my rubbish I stopped off at Boots in NP then decided to drive over to Tesco’s at Kingston to get my last Christmas food shop.  It’s crazy really, I’m not even going to be here for CE or CD so why on earth do I need to shop like we are in a war zone, god only knows!

The snow really was coming down fast and furious so as I got near to Costco I decided to abandon my mission and turn back and go home.  Funnily enough it wasn’t snowing in Giffard Park which was just as well because I was due to meet up for a coffee with Sue at the hospital.  Poor Alan has been in MK for the last couple of weeks because he has been suffering from back spasms.  Thankfully, or at least we hope, this is not due to the cancer but just muscular pain which has virtually made him immobile.  Thankfully I made it to the hospital and Sue met me in reception where we had a coffee.  She was a little on tender hooks because the doctors hadn’t made their rounds yet and following Alan’s appointment in Oxford she needed to talk to them.  Anyway, it was really nice to spend some time with her.  Sue has been practically living at the hospital, getting there at 7 in the morning and not going home until 11 at night.  She’s a star and Alan is lucky to have such great care and support.  Despite their predicament, Sue was sparkling and upbeat, obviously she and Alan must have their off days but she is keeping positive.  It’s as she said, what other option does she have?  I think it is unlikely that Alan will be well enough to get out for Christmas but I do so hope that he improves so that they both can return home sometime very soon.

Whilst I was making my way home Harriet phoned on my mobile to say that the OU was being evacuated due to the heavy snow. She was stressing out because her dad couldn’t collect her from work because he was snowed in.  Anyway she eventually bagged a lift home from someone at work and was waiting for me on the doorstop because she didn’t have her key.   She was pleased to get an afternoon off work, not that she did very much, as soon as she got in, she got changed into her pyjamas and lounged in bed for the remainder of the day.

Phil walked to the Ship a Shore at Willen where he met up with Jim and Alfie.   Steve and Chris gave it a miss because of the ice and snow which is fair enough.  Harriet met up with some friends and they all went to Witherspoons at the city centre.  I think she had a good night because she didn’t look to bright this morning, lol!  She is definitely getting in the Christmas party spirit and I think she’s out again tonight. 

I gave the gym a miss yesterday but I made it this morning after once again dropping Harriet off at work.  Thankfully, the boilers have been fixed and we had heating and hot water.  The gym was like a morgue and the pool was deserted; just a shame that I didn’t really have time for a swim, maybe tomorrow.  After DW I did my last Christmas shop at Asda, it was choc-o-block and you couldn’t move for people.   I’ve got to go to the city centre for some last minute pressies this afternoon but after that, no more shopping and no more spending money that I haven’t got.  If I have forgotten anything, its tough luck, me and my house mates will just have to make do.

Santa came bearing gifts

Well it wasn’t actually Santa that walked through our front door bearing gifts it was Phil who has spent his salary before it’s even in his bank account.  One night last week he walked in with an apple bag which he informed me was my Christmas present.  Inside the bag was a docking station (for Phil) and an iPad for me.  I had expressed a wish to read books on line and although the iPad enables this it’s not really a gadget for me especially when I learnt how much it cost.  The funny thing is that ever since his purchase, Phil hasn’t put the iPad down, so much it being a present for me!  Not having been seduced by the iPad I did gently suggest that Phil take it back to the shop for a refund but Phil said that this wasn’t an option because the packaging had already been trashed and he’d downloaded hundreds of applications.  What I really want for Christmas is a new laptop;  my computer is almost at a standstill, none of the ports work for my camera and the times it takes to open programmes makes me want to slit my wrists, its so bad.   I will just have to see what Santa brings me but I’m not holding my breath.

Poor Harriet had a real struggle getting back from Jersey.  Her flight on Monday was again cancelled and after many telephone calls, text messages and searching on the internet FlyBe managed to get her on a flight to Gatwick.  Chris set out to collect her but due to traffic congestion not helped by the bad weather he had turn back at Leighton Buzzard.   Harriet eventually landed at Gatwick at half five and FlyBe gave her a free National Express voucher to get her back to Luton with a coach leaving at 6pm.  Bless her, she spent ages looking for the coach stop and then eventually phoned us in tears at half past six.  I directed her onto the Victoria Express train and then Phil directed her from Victoria to Euston where she managed to catch a fast train back to MK.  Phil picked her up from the station and it was gone 9pm when they walked through the door.  Harriet was tired and stressed out but very relieved to have made it back home.

It wasn't just Phil bearing Christmas gifts but last week the agent came into Phil's place of work and presented him with 2 bottles of wine nicely gift wrapped.  This was a very pleasant surprise and the first time in over 30 years that Phil's been contracting that he has ever been given a Christmas present.  A very nice touch especially seeing as Phil has only been in his new contract for a few weeks.   Also Harriet came back from work with a very large hamper given to her by her Derek her director.   It was full of lots of delicious goodies which no doubt we will enjoy over Christmas.  

I guess the snow is making everyone feel Christmassy but I don’t know if it’s just me but I’m fed up with it already.  The roads are much better but god only knows why MK Council didn’t grit or clear the roads on Monday???  Yesterday morning I took Phil to work and then came back to the cul-de-sac to collect Harriet and take her to the OU.   I’m very nervous driving in the snow but it’s a little easier in the Land Rover.  Having been cooped up in the house for the entire weekend I was keen to get to the gym so after delivering Harriet to work safely, I made my way to DW.  After 2 days of no workouts I was getting withdrawal symptoms especially as I’ve eaten so many chocolates.  The good news is that I’ve only put on a pound which is amazing although I have upped my intake of the diet (shit) tea to counterbalance the chocolate.  Unfortunately when I got to the gym the receptionist informed me that the boilers broke on Saturday and there was no heating or hot water.  Great!   The gym was freezing so I just did a few weights and a 3k run to warm up.   I suppose it was better than nothing.

After picking Phil up for lunch, feeding him and then taking him back to work I drove to the OU to meet up for a coffee with Jan.  I haven’t seen her since before we went on holiday so it was great to be able to catch up with all the gossip.   Perhaps we might get the chance to all 4 of us meet up over the holidays although I’m guessing the boys are meeting up tonight for one last drink before the Christmas.  There’s not much that will stop their regular Wednesday nights, certainly not a dollop of the white stuff. 

F**k! It's cold!

Last Friday was a bit of a stressful day in our household.  First up, I had a 9am appointment with the dentist, twenty minutes with Tina the hygienist then my yearly check up with Andy, my dentist.  Fortunately all was okay, no further gum degeneration and no treatment needed.   It was touch and go whether Harriet’s flight to Jersey would leave on time but thankfully she got off without hardly any delay.  Of course the real drama of Friday was Phil’s appointment for his biopsy at the hospital in the afternoon.  I think if you’ve read Phil’s posting from Saturday you will get the idea that it wasn’t a very pleasant experience.  I really felt for him on Friday evening because he was in a lot of discomfort.  I spent some time afterwards on the internet doing some research into prostrate testing and I’m on reading up I wish he’d never had the biopsy.   I’ve since learnt that probing into the prostrate can cause any cancer to spread and also that 75% of biopsy tests prove negative for cancer.  The most disturbing thing though is that the prostrate biopsy is not very accurate.   One automatically assumes that the doctor knows best but I don’t really believe this is the case anymore.  We go for Phil’s results on the 5^th of January and if he does test positive for cancer we will do our research first before agreeing to any treatment.

Phil didn’t get very much sleep on Friday so when we got up I already knew that it was going to be an easy day on Saturday.   With all the news predicting snow I decided to go to Asda in the morning for some supplies and petrol and then afterwards I went to the gym just for a quick run on the treadmill.  When I got out of the gym at midday the first snowflakes were beginning to fall.  Phil had a call from G to ask if she could stay the night if the snow got bad after finishing her Saturday job at John Lewis.  Phil said “sure no worries but ring me after your shift finishes”.   The snow did indeed come down hard throughout the afternoon and it was fun watching the flurries from the warmth and comfort of our lounge.  We settled ourselves in front of the telly for the entire afternoon and feasted on Christmas chocolates.  Naughty but very nice at the time.   Supper was home cured ham and mustard cobs and several glasses of wine for me.  Poor Phil wasn’t allowed to drink for 48 hours after his biopsy but that didn’t stop me.

Sometime just before 8pm, G called to ask Phil to pick her up from Newport Pagnell services.  She had managed to get a lift with someone from work that lived in Northampton but after taking 3 hours to get from the City Centre to the service station she had decided to abandon the journey and stop at our house.  Phil said the roads were treacherous but he managed to collect her and get back safely without too much difficulty.

On Sunday Phil and G were supposed to go back to Melton to visit his mum and dad for lunch but with the 6inches of snow in MK Phil made the decision on Saturday night to cancel.  It made sense really; he probably would have made it in the Land Rover but the electrics are still a bit dodgy so wouldn’t have been wise to risk breaking down in the snow.  Phil’s mum said that they didn’t have any snowfall in Melton; I just hope it stays that way so we can get down for Christmas.

I walked along the canal to fetch the Sunday papers which wasn’t easy in a foot of snow and in Harriet’s wellington boots which were 3 sizes too big.  I managed it with only falling over once and it was quite a refreshing walk there and back.  Phil got out the shovel and cleared snow from the front and back doors and then took G back to Northampton which took me well over an hour. 

Sunday afternoon was much the same as Saturday, a peasant lunch of baked potatoes and lasagne followed by papers and lots of telly.  Days like these always make me feel a little guilty but we really didn’t have much choice.  There was no way I wanted to venture out in step dad’s car and I don’t think I would have fared much better in the Land Rover.   I really wanted to go to the gym to work off some of the chocolate but I settled for 40 minutes with of exercise with my dumb bells and that was as strenuous as it got.

Jersey airport was closed due to snow until 2pm and Harriet’s flight was delayed and then eventually cancelled.  Phil spoke to her late yesterday afternoon and she is hoping to get on a flight today.  Unfortunately she will miss work today but worse still if the flight today is cancelled then the next flight out of Jersey is not until Wednesday.  

I don’t have much planned for this week, some last minute Christmas shopping but that’s about it.  Both Phil & Harriet are working right up until lunchtime on Christmas Eve and weather permitting we will be making our way to Melton Mowbray.  It seems a bit weird being at home for Christmas but at least we have some sunshine to look forward too when we fly to Tenerife on the 8^th of January.  I can’t wait.  There is only so much snow a girl can take.

Bahrain Blues

My bum feels a lot better now so thanks for all the sympathy.

I was just searching through some of my photos from our holiday and came across some from our 3 day journey home which I thought might be a fitting conclusion to our trip. Starting with one of our free meals at the hotel we started in at Calengute where Claire celebrated with a rare bottle of wine. In the shot from the plane if you zoom in you can just see the palm whilst we were flying over Dubai to Bahrain in the first leg of our trip back. Most of the next ones were taken at the airport where eventually we were shipped into a hotel for a few hours before spending another 6 hours back at the airport again. Unfortunately I didn’t get any of our train and taxi when we arrived back to England; I was too knackered to think of it. The snow has come thick and fast and trapped both our girls but that’s another story that I leave for Claire to explain.