What one hand gives, the other takes away:-
Greatest news - K's adored godmother has been given a bit of remission ...
Worst news - another close friend's mother has been told it's spread ...
Who decides ... ?
Wednesday 28 February 2007
Tuesday 27 February 2007
Human Beings DO exist
First day back to work today, still croaking, but much better and actually able to stand up for longer than half an hour at a time!
Relief:- my In-Basket which normally looks like the Himalayas after I've been away for a week, only resembled the Alps ... and I'd nearly got it down to the Pyrenees before I staggered out tonight.
Human beings actually exist:-
1) My Boss, when I got in, actually rushed up and hugged me - was I OK, gosh how she'd missed me .... blimey, I'm sure she's heard that I am seriously considering leaving!
2) Filipino client had just come back from a trip 'home' and brought a beautiful, locally made necklace and bracelet as a little thank you ...!
3) Thai client - who had heard that I'd been off ill, checked that I was in today and came in with freshly made (still warm from the pan) Thai chicken curry, so I wouldn't have to think about cooking when I got home! Delcious or what !!!
Sometimes, it just makes you feel good to be alive and amongst some real human beings ... just a little 'thank you' can take away all the horrors of the arrogant, selfish pigs you more often have to deal with - Mind you, I do like a bit of roast pork, particularly with crackling.
Relief:- my In-Basket which normally looks like the Himalayas after I've been away for a week, only resembled the Alps ... and I'd nearly got it down to the Pyrenees before I staggered out tonight.
Human beings actually exist:-
1) My Boss, when I got in, actually rushed up and hugged me - was I OK, gosh how she'd missed me .... blimey, I'm sure she's heard that I am seriously considering leaving!
2) Filipino client had just come back from a trip 'home' and brought a beautiful, locally made necklace and bracelet as a little thank you ...!
3) Thai client - who had heard that I'd been off ill, checked that I was in today and came in with freshly made (still warm from the pan) Thai chicken curry, so I wouldn't have to think about cooking when I got home! Delcious or what !!!
Sometimes, it just makes you feel good to be alive and amongst some real human beings ... just a little 'thank you' can take away all the horrors of the arrogant, selfish pigs you more often have to deal with - Mind you, I do like a bit of roast pork, particularly with crackling.
Sunday 25 February 2007
Searching
Well, the week has gone by amidst a cacophony of coughing, anti-biotics, lozenges and syrups .... still coughing, but am more practised at it, so can cough through a range of three octaves now!
Seen a variety of potential new homes, although only one really hit the mark - absolutely fell in love with it ..... however, (sorry in advance fans) we just couldn't see ourselves living right next door to the QPR ground. So it's back to pounding the streets looking for suitable park benches.
Did manage to see the film 'The Queen' - marvellous performance by Helen Mirren and (I thought) excellent portrayal of the Queen Mum by a near neighbour of ours, the great Sylvia Sims. However - calling all dog fans .... at one point Her Maj at Balmoral takes the dogs - Black Labradors - up to the heather to join the (hate to say this) stag hunting party. Two dogs get put into the Land Rover, but three get out ... darned fast breeders these Labs!
Seen a variety of potential new homes, although only one really hit the mark - absolutely fell in love with it ..... however, (sorry in advance fans) we just couldn't see ourselves living right next door to the QPR ground. So it's back to pounding the streets looking for suitable park benches.
Did manage to see the film 'The Queen' - marvellous performance by Helen Mirren and (I thought) excellent portrayal of the Queen Mum by a near neighbour of ours, the great Sylvia Sims. However - calling all dog fans .... at one point Her Maj at Balmoral takes the dogs - Black Labradors - up to the heather to join the (hate to say this) stag hunting party. Two dogs get put into the Land Rover, but three get out ... darned fast breeders these Labs!
Friday 23 February 2007
While the cat's away
So while we were off gallivanting in Paris - or in my case, trying not to croak whilst actually croaking - what were our nice Estate Agent boys Russell and Justin up to?
Well it seems they had lots of fun ... well not themselves of course ... they had 15 viewers booked in for the Saturday alone, so they had "a girl" at the flat all day to show people round! Now how chauvinist is that - and I bet she doesn't get a share of the commission!
All in all, we arrived home on the Monday evening having been 'viewed' by 31 poeple over the one week we'd been on the market, and had a firm, written offer for the full asking price on the table! It only goes to show - if you blink, you miss it.
Well it seems they had lots of fun ... well not themselves of course ... they had 15 viewers booked in for the Saturday alone, so they had "a girl" at the flat all day to show people round! Now how chauvinist is that - and I bet she doesn't get a share of the commission!
All in all, we arrived home on the Monday evening having been 'viewed' by 31 poeple over the one week we'd been on the market, and had a firm, written offer for the full asking price on the table! It only goes to show - if you blink, you miss it.
Thursday 22 February 2007
We'll always have Paris ....
Well, what can I say?
K's first visit to one of the world's most romantic cities. Did it work it's spell on him, seducing him with the grandeur of the Eiffel Tower; the magnificence of Notre Dame's Rose windows; the bustle of Monmartre; the sorbets of Ile St Louis; the stroll along the Seine; the bohemian bonhomie of St Germain where the local buskers are opera-trained sopranos whose exquisite 'Flower Duet' brought a tear to many an onlooker's eye .....
Yes he says, he'll ALWAYS remember this unique experience - and yes, we will ALWAYS have Paris - and yes, we will return ...... but next time, could I make sure that I don't come down with a throat/chest/ear infection that introduced him particularly to all the delights of so many Parisian pharmacies!
Arrived (after lovely Eurostar First Class brekkie) feeling a little dry/itchy in the throat and thought - might see if there's a pharmacy nearby in the morning, just to get some lozenges. Let's go strolling! Next morning - couldn't swallow/breathe for painful throat ... find pharmacy - analgesic throat spray. No I'm fine, let's get going - got a lot of 'sights' to do. By lunch time - can't stop coughing ... find pharmacy - cough linctus (God, that PholCodeine is good, but you do need it about every 20 minutes!!!!!) This progresses to:- if I cough, I can't stop and start choking, but at the same time it's acutally ripping the flesh off my already gory throat! Gosh what a fun time we are having! All this AND I'm trying to be the ultimate tour guide having carefully selected 'snippets' of Paris to whet his appetite for a return trip - despite the fact that by now I can hardly even talk ... which (between coughing fits) actually kept him smiling, although I can't think why!
Need I say more? .... We did really have quite a good and interesting trip but rather more than a bit tarnished. However, it was a lovely hotel and K was a VERY happy bunny to find a wall mounted, flat screen TV in the room - so I think I could just have left him there with his best friend, the remote control, for the whole weekend and brought in takeaway moules frites!
C'est la vie mes amis.
K's first visit to one of the world's most romantic cities. Did it work it's spell on him, seducing him with the grandeur of the Eiffel Tower; the magnificence of Notre Dame's Rose windows; the bustle of Monmartre; the sorbets of Ile St Louis; the stroll along the Seine; the bohemian bonhomie of St Germain where the local buskers are opera-trained sopranos whose exquisite 'Flower Duet' brought a tear to many an onlooker's eye .....
Yes he says, he'll ALWAYS remember this unique experience - and yes, we will ALWAYS have Paris - and yes, we will return ...... but next time, could I make sure that I don't come down with a throat/chest/ear infection that introduced him particularly to all the delights of so many Parisian pharmacies!
Arrived (after lovely Eurostar First Class brekkie) feeling a little dry/itchy in the throat and thought - might see if there's a pharmacy nearby in the morning, just to get some lozenges. Let's go strolling! Next morning - couldn't swallow/breathe for painful throat ... find pharmacy - analgesic throat spray. No I'm fine, let's get going - got a lot of 'sights' to do. By lunch time - can't stop coughing ... find pharmacy - cough linctus (God, that PholCodeine is good, but you do need it about every 20 minutes!!!!!) This progresses to:- if I cough, I can't stop and start choking, but at the same time it's acutally ripping the flesh off my already gory throat! Gosh what a fun time we are having! All this AND I'm trying to be the ultimate tour guide having carefully selected 'snippets' of Paris to whet his appetite for a return trip - despite the fact that by now I can hardly even talk ... which (between coughing fits) actually kept him smiling, although I can't think why!
Need I say more? .... We did really have quite a good and interesting trip but rather more than a bit tarnished. However, it was a lovely hotel and K was a VERY happy bunny to find a wall mounted, flat screen TV in the room - so I think I could just have left him there with his best friend, the remote control, for the whole weekend and brought in takeaway moules frites!
C'est la vie mes amis.
Friday 16 February 2007
All aboard for Paris
Well, it's off to Paris on Eurostar EARLY in the morning, but not before hoovering, dusting, tiyding and finding that last miniscule corner of the cupboard where you can JUST squeeze something in to get it 'out of the way' - but then promptly forget what you put in where.
Russell has only got 15 viewers booked in so far for tomorrow, so he'll no doubt have an easy day of it!
Now, where did I move the passports to ...... must check the breadbin.
Russell has only got 15 viewers booked in so far for tomorrow, so he'll no doubt have an easy day of it!
Now, where did I move the passports to ...... must check the breadbin.
Monday 12 February 2007
Day 1
Never has the flat been soooooooooooooooo clean and tidy - shame I can't find anything.
Ink hardly dry on the Agent's contract and already NINE viewings on the first day ..... getting to the point that whenever the phone rang it was ................Oh No - not Justin again asking to 'squeeze in' just one more appointment.
Roll on next weekend when we are away (with Justin holding the flat keys) and I can kick off my shoes, drop my clothes on the floor, and not automatically think that I've got to put them away - I hasten to add that this won't be in the Louvre, I will wait until we are in our hotel room!
Ink hardly dry on the Agent's contract and already NINE viewings on the first day ..... getting to the point that whenever the phone rang it was ................Oh No - not Justin again asking to 'squeeze in' just one more appointment.
Roll on next weekend when we are away (with Justin holding the flat keys) and I can kick off my shoes, drop my clothes on the floor, and not automatically think that I've got to put them away - I hasten to add that this won't be in the Louvre, I will wait until we are in our hotel room!
Sunday 11 February 2007
Weekend in Paris
Being the tenderheart that I am, and given that my beloved does not often get a weekend off work, I decided to book a weekend away in Paris. He's never been to Paris and, whilst I've often suggested it, the idea has usually been met with a bit of a shrug and 'not particularly keen' attitude. However ............ I took the bull by the horns adn booked it:-
Him: Why on earth do I want to go to Paris? I've never wanted to go to Paris ...
Me: It's a lovely city, loads to see, good food, and you know I've always wanted to show you round somewhere I love and know pretty well.
Him: But I've never wanted to go to Paris.
Me: I know you'll love it when you get there .... just like you hated the idea of going to Florence, or Sorrento, or Venice, or Rome - and fell in love with them all. AND it was a special offer - first class on Eurostar .... AND I'm paying.
Him: First classs BOTH ways? - so that means the luxury leg room and three course meal with free wine/bubbly BOTH ways?
Me: Yes.
Him: OK then.
MEN !!
Him: Why on earth do I want to go to Paris? I've never wanted to go to Paris ...
Me: It's a lovely city, loads to see, good food, and you know I've always wanted to show you round somewhere I love and know pretty well.
Him: But I've never wanted to go to Paris.
Me: I know you'll love it when you get there .... just like you hated the idea of going to Florence, or Sorrento, or Venice, or Rome - and fell in love with them all. AND it was a special offer - first class on Eurostar .... AND I'm paying.
Him: First classs BOTH ways? - so that means the luxury leg room and three course meal with free wine/bubbly BOTH ways?
Me: Yes.
Him: OK then.
MEN !!
Friday 2 February 2007
Toe Dipping
Dipping my toes for the first time into the blog-pool , what ripples will I create or will my toes just freeze in the cold waters?
Just as frightening is my current entry into the world of Estate Agents as we try to sell our humble abode and buy something new. The world of the Estate Agent could be likened to the lion's den - will I be a Daniel or Androcles .... or just another lunch time titbit. Time will only tell - and will be reported! So far though, I have to keep reminding myself that we live in a Garden Flat - NOT Basement (well it does actually have a rather lovely patio garden) - and have also learned the power of lavender incense sticks. They work absolute wonders in covering that slightly musty (AKA damp!) smell you always get in those vaults under the main front steps going up to the raised ground floor entrance of your typical Victorian terrace .... sorry, it's not a 'vault', it's actually the wine cellar and convenient storage room - with great further potential, including cycle storage. So, we're looking for a cycling wine buff who likes a nice secluded garden but doesn't want to cook too much (very small kitchen - can't swing a kitten) unless they are super organised - even though I've cooked happily in it for 26 years with no culinary complaints!
We shall see how Agents Justin and Russell get on 'marketing' the place ..... they had four viewers booked in before I'd even signed their contract, so I think they are keen, and I also think we've made a good decision to say we are going away to Paris next weekend and just giving them the keys! ..... Or will I, like a fretful mother hen, be worrying about whether the viewers appreciate the play of light on the wall at dusk, or the varied bird song of our robin, blue tits and great tits as they breakfast at the bird feeder and argue with the squirrel over who gets the lion's share of the nuts - oh dear, there's that lion again!
We shall see, we shall see.
Just as frightening is my current entry into the world of Estate Agents as we try to sell our humble abode and buy something new. The world of the Estate Agent could be likened to the lion's den - will I be a Daniel or Androcles .... or just another lunch time titbit. Time will only tell - and will be reported! So far though, I have to keep reminding myself that we live in a Garden Flat - NOT Basement (well it does actually have a rather lovely patio garden) - and have also learned the power of lavender incense sticks. They work absolute wonders in covering that slightly musty (AKA damp!) smell you always get in those vaults under the main front steps going up to the raised ground floor entrance of your typical Victorian terrace .... sorry, it's not a 'vault', it's actually the wine cellar and convenient storage room - with great further potential, including cycle storage. So, we're looking for a cycling wine buff who likes a nice secluded garden but doesn't want to cook too much (very small kitchen - can't swing a kitten) unless they are super organised - even though I've cooked happily in it for 26 years with no culinary complaints!
We shall see how Agents Justin and Russell get on 'marketing' the place ..... they had four viewers booked in before I'd even signed their contract, so I think they are keen, and I also think we've made a good decision to say we are going away to Paris next weekend and just giving them the keys! ..... Or will I, like a fretful mother hen, be worrying about whether the viewers appreciate the play of light on the wall at dusk, or the varied bird song of our robin, blue tits and great tits as they breakfast at the bird feeder and argue with the squirrel over who gets the lion's share of the nuts - oh dear, there's that lion again!
We shall see, we shall see.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)