Ticks in Boxes

I didn't write much about the weekend mainly because I was on my own for most of Saturday, Robbie and Sam left early to spend the day with Robbie's dad and step mum in Norton Canes. It gave me a chance to catch up with some housework and to venture into the garden to tackle the hedge. Sunday morning was less busy and I was determined to relax and listen to The Archers Omnibus on the radio. You can always rely on Robbie for a Sunday morning quote and last Sunday was no exception. I hadn't seen much of him all week so it was nice to wake early on Sunday morning and know that we were in no rush to get up. We could have talked about anything under the sun, we could have just been quiet and enjoyed the luxury of time, but Robbie talked endlessly about the wonders of his dad's new cheese grater. Surely there is only so much anyone can find to say about a cheese grater - unless you are Robbie of course!

The Galaxy went back to have the break pads checked yesterday, they were fine but there is an intermittent fault on the sensor so I have to put up with the warning light and the very annoying alarm sound until it becomes a constant fault, then they should be able to identify which sensor is causing the trouble. I'm sure that car has a gremlin in it!

Sam went for his hay fever medication review at the doctors. It was such a pointless exercise, the nurse didn't ask anything about his symptoms she measured him, weighed him and asked if he smoked - no way will he smoke! How ridiculous, there would be some point to asking if it was part of a message to prevent young people from smoking, but it was just a tick in a box on the computer. That is the first time in his life that Sam has been weighed or measured at the doctors without screaming the place down. When he was younger he was extremely uncooperative when it came to developmental tests. He took particular exception to the wooden giraffe measuring stick on the wall, he wouldn't go near it and he screamed so much that people must have thought he was being tortured. Maybe he is like me, I object to being measured and monitored, and these days there is so much bureaucracy involved in health care that I don't feel like an individual anymore. It isn't the doctors fault, it is the system that is imposed by the government.

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

I am beginning to think that the world is conspiring against me. Why do the little tasks turn out to be so complicated and time consuming? I had to take the Galaxy to be serviced last week, this week it passed it's MOT and I was pleased that it was ready to go on holiday. Two days after the MOT the safety warning light came on to tell me to check the break pads, so it is going back again on Monday! The expense is bad enough but the inconvenience of arranging lifts to get to an from the garage is even worse.


Meg also has an appointment on Monday, she is going to the vet to get her booster injection and the kennel cough treatment. They put the kennel cough stuff up her nose, but the vet ends up wearing most of it because it always makes Meg sneeze.


On Tuesday morning Sam is going to the doctors for a medication review. The Micra is having it's MOT on Thursday and I am going to the hairdressers on Friday. I still need to book a medication review for Laura, she has to see the GP rather than the nurse for her review, because she has Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronica, an unusual skin condition that requires a lot of medication and she also takes medication for migraine. Dave the cat will also need to go back to the vet very soon because his paws are getting sore again. With all that to fit into an already busy life I think I am in for a stressful week.

On Friday I went to the doctors to drop off our repeat prescription requests and to book the medication reviews for Laura and Sam. The girl on reception informed me that Sam was very late for his review and was therefore not a priority. They use the date of birth as a review date, Sam's birthday is in December - who needs hayfever medication in December? They wouldn't thank me for taking up their time on that during Christmas week! I couldn't get an after school appointment for Sam until mid July so he has to miss an hour of school on Tuesday morning just for the nurse to tick a few boxes. I couldn't get an appointment for Laura at all, she has to see the GP for her review rather than the nurse because she is on beta blockers for her migraine and she has loads of medication for her skin condition. I have to ring at exactly 8.30am on Monday when new appointments wil be released. Until a couple of years ago the system worked quite well, you rang on the day and you got an appointment. Then Tony Blair decided that we had to be able to book ahead, the government did their usual micro management thing and imposed loads of new rules so now it is worse than it has ever been!

Robbie rang me at lunchtime on Friday to ask if I would mind picking him up from the station at 3.50pm because he had booked a hair appointment and he wouldn't be able to get home on time otherwise. I agreed and I was just pulling into the station when Robbie phoned, I couldn't take the call but when I had parked I found that he had sent a text with a grovelling apology telling me that he had given me the wrong time and he would be there an hour later. There was no point going home, by the time I got there I would have to turn around and go back again. It was pointless to get cross so I just sat there and waited. It was one of those days where I had rushed around all day but I ended up further behind than when I first started!

Missed

The weather has been lovely over the last few days, I love this time of year when the whole summer stretches ahead of us. I'm not sure my children would agree with me, Sam is suffering badly with hay fever, Laura is just about to start exam leave for her AS Level exams and Emily has exams looming at university. Sam has started on his medication, so hopefully his hay fever will improve soon. The oil seed rape is in flower and the countryside around here is a mass of yellow, I hate the smell and the pollen upsets my asthma so I will be glad when the flowers are gone. It really annoys me that I have asthma, I didn't develop it until I was an adult and I don't understand why, I have never smoked a cigarette in my life.

I had to go to town yesterday to buy birthday presents for Imogen, the youngest (and probably the loudest) of our children, she will be 9 later this month. Imogen looks so much like Robbie, she can be very strong willed but she has a lovely side to he nature, when asked what she wants for her birthday or Christmas she doesn't provide a long list of desires, she just says that she will be happy with anything. So we have spent the last few weeks trying to think of things that she will really like. I can't tell you what we have bought, that's top secret, but it involved me trudging around town until my legs almost dropped off. It was a successful trip and now I have plenty of wrapping up to do.

For those who are wondering if Robbie was forgiven after yesterday's blog entry, yes, I never stay cross with him for long. There was another points failure yesterday so he was late home again, it is so frustrating. He was home just long enough to eat his meal before dashing out to sort out Marion's wayward router again, it was an AOL server problem - again!. When I picked him up from Marion's house he said "I missed ..." and just for a split second I thought he was going to tell me that he had missed me (we have hardly seen each other this week), but it was something far more important - he had missed one of his favourite TV programs! It was late so I went to bed and left him watching the repeat of his program. Oh well at least I had peace and quiet!

Why Are Men Such Slow Learners?

Why are men such slow learners? You would think by now that Robbie would have learned that certain behaviour provokes a negative response, but when Robbie finds himself in a hole he just keeps on digging!
He rang me at about 4.30pm yesterday to say that there was a problem with his usual route home, and he would try to get back via Nuneaton instead. I know he can't help it but it drives me mad when I am left in limbo, either everyone has to eat late or I have to cook several different meals. We were having roast pork and it wasn't something I could cook in stages, so everyone had to wait.

After several more progress bulletins Robbie hoped that he would be home between 6.45pm and 6.55pm but they encountered further hold ups and the train didn't get in until 7.30pm. A journey that should have taken an hour took three hours and by the time we sat down to our meal it was well past 8pm. I was irritated about him being late, not so much cross with him as frustrated by the situation because it happens so often. I'd had my own frustrations in the afternoon so by the time Robbie got home we were both tired and frustrated. That really wasn't the best time for him to start getting critical about the cooking! He came into the kitchen and started to tell me that I had cooked the peas too soon, he even tried to tell me how to fill the kettle! These are all trivial things, but I have told him about it so many times and he just will not learn that it winds me up. A few words were exchanged, but instead of backing off he started to micro manage how the plates were set out when I dished up the meal, I told him to be quiet and leave me alone - something he seems physically incapable of doing!

After our meal I was trying to get some work finished on the computer and I just needed to be left alone to get on with it. The others were watching the Soap Awards but Robbie did his usual thing, he started flapping his arms and demanding to know what he had done wrong. I tried to focus on my work but with Robbie flapping around like a cross between a dodo and Why Bird! Do you remember Why Bird from Playdays? he had such an irritating voice. In the end I couldn't ignore Robbie any more and I told him to go fry his face, everyone has their limits - even me! The children thought it was hilarious, but I wished I hadn't reacted. It had the desired effect because Robbie took himself off to bed leaving me to tackle the washing up.

This morning he was sorry, but still annoying, I wasn't cross anymore, just exhausted. He sent me a text in an attempt to get back into my good books, a simple sorry would have been fine, but it was a typical Robbie approach. The text said Excellent and rather touching piece on Gwyneth Dunwoody in Rail by Nigel Harris. It is a good thing I can read between the lines! Gwyneth Dunwoody was a bit of a rarity in politics, she said what she meant and she meant what she said, and she would stand up for what she believed was right even if it didn't always suit her party. You have to admire a person with that sort of strength and independence even if you don't always agree with her politics. She will be missed especially by those involved in transport.

Back to 'Normal'

The trains from Northampton were back to what passes for normal on Tuesday so I didn't have another trek to Kettering. I'd already seen rather more of Kettering station than I wanted in the last few days. The previous evening I had taken Emily to Kettering to catch the East Midlands Trains service back to Leicester, it is quite a good service - as long as you don't expect a seat! Usually it is a Meridian, but on this occasion it wasn't hr usual train. Emily sent Robbie a text to say that it was a very old train and she found his reply so funny that she forwarded it to me.

"Hellfire! You've got an HST then. 27 years old this year and still OUTSTANDING! You lucky girl!"

That man is so sad!

Making Life Difficult

What could be better on a bank holiday morning than getting up at the crack of dawn to drive Robbie to Kettering in the rain just because there are no trains running from Northampton today. Quite a lot of things would be better, actually but I got the short straw, so I drove him to Kettering with Robbie rambling on about diversionary routes and amended train plans. He was extremely eloquent (but unprintable) when detailing the inadequacies of Network Rail. The return journey was nice and I enjoyed the peace and quiet of an empty car!

When I got home there was just time for a cup of tea before I had to take Emily to work. Robbie rang me later in the morning to give me a detailed account of his journey to Birmingham via Derby! It would have been so much easier if he'd taken the bank holiday off, but when did Robbie ever do anything sensible?

I had a call from Robbie to tell me that his planned return journey had fallen apart, I can't remember exactly what the problem was but he had all sorts of contorted plans to get back without travelling by coach. I wasn't impressed and I told him in no uncertain terms that he should just follow his normal route and put up with the coach replacement, and just for once he did as he was told! He didn't get home until 8.30pm, but if he had tried to get home by train I would probably have still been running around at midnight!

Watching Paint Dry!

On Sunday morning Robbie finally fulfilled his promise to do some work in the garden. our grass is so long that a whole family of tigers could be in there and we would never know. Maybe we should get a sheep! Robbie's main aim was to bag up all the wood from the old fence panels and the remains of the tree/shrub that he chopped down last week. We took a car load of garden waste to the recycling centre so we must be making progress, but the garden still looks like a tip. Is there such a thing as slow growing grass? I'm sure it would be worth us scrapping the present lawn and starting again.

Robbie deserved a relaxing evening after all his work in the garden. He could have enjoyed some family time or he could even have talked to me - no chance, he was chatting online with his little friend from work. You may wonder what was so important to talk to a work colleague about on a Sunday, no for once it wasn't trains - it was trams! There are some things in life that you just can't change and Robbie is one of them. He kept telling me how lucky his mate was to have visited the tram museum and I kept giving the occasional nod or mumble to make him feel that I was interested. In reality I wasn't listening, I wasn't going to let him bore me rigid on a bank holiday weekend. Do you know the difference between a tram and a trolley bus? I don't, I dashed off to watch some paint drying as soon as he embarked on that subject!

At least his chat with his mate solved one long standing problem for me. I have no idea what they were talking about but Robbie used the phrase 'Head Honcho' at least that is what he intended to say. Unfortunately every time he uses that phrase he always says it wrong, I have told him about it loads of times but he never takes any notice of me. His colleague has finally made him understand that 'Head poncho' conjures up an entirely different image - a South American gangster perhaps? For some reason it reminds me of a zany television series from my childhood, it was called Michael Bentine's Potty Time. The thing I remember most is that the puppets had no legs, they were just a coat and a head (and arms of course), I don't recall one wearing a poncho, but I can just imagine the sort of crazy character he would have created.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqXiqiC5dS8

Robbie to the Rescue

I always enjoy Friday evenings, the weekend stretches before us and I can look forward to not getting up at the crack of dawn. We had not been home for very long when the phone rang with an SOS for Robbie. My friend Marion was having problems with her router and she needed to borrow Robbie for an hour or two. After our meal I dropped Robbie at her house, which is not far from where we live, that left me free to pop to the supermarket and then to get on with some cooking. I was expecting Robbie to take ages because Marion's computer has proved stubborn in the past. I was wrong, it only took him just over an hour, so when he rang I was in the middle of cooking. I was making cakes for Robbie, as requested. When I collected him he emerged from Marion's house clutching a tin full of cakes! There is something about Robbie that makes people want to feed him, its the only way I know to stop him talking so perhaps it isn't so surprising.

Saturday morning is always a time for random statements from Robbie and this morning was no exception. After we had almost had an argument about the London Mayoral elections, Robbie cuddled up to me and announced that he was missing his contact from Network Rail at Leeds. She is off sick and Robbie said it doesn't feel right not having her at the end of the phone. Oddly enough I hadn't planned to spend my extra hour or so in bed talking about Network Rail, but it seems as if work is never far from Robbie's mind.

We had the usual argument in the supermarket when Robbie repacked the trolley just to prove that he was in control. I put it back how I wanted it and he stomped towards the cat food telling me that I could keep the trolley. I took him at his word but within seconds he was back to take control once more. When we got home again he was doing a lot of clattering around and sighing in the kitchen so I left him to it. I ploughed my way through the ironing, so Sam and Robbie have another weeks supply of ironed shirts - if I had my way men would be banned from wearing shirts!!

Finally I had finished the ironing, sorted out the cat tray and supervised Sam cleaning out his guinea pig. I sat down for a well earned rest while watching I'd Do Anything - did I mention before that Sam had to point out to me the irony of Graham Norton searching for a Nancy! I was enjoying the show when Robbie, who is not the worlds most effective window, stood between me and the screen and began a detailed account of the freezer contents and a convoluted explanation of the way he had reorganised the storage space. He got really cross when I told him to go away and leave me to enjoy the television. He is a control freak when it comes to the fridge and freezer, he even leaves post it notes to tell people what to eat first! I don't know why he bothers because we all do as we like anyway. Why does he have to be so exhausting?

Claustrophobic Cats

Dave the cat doesn't go outside because he is an old man and he has a nasty skin condition on his paws. After months of antibiotics and various procedures we have finally got his paws to heal, but they will away be at risk of breaking down again so we have to be careful with him. He is very much part of the family now and he likes to be fussed and stroked, but only on his terms, if he is not interested he will make his feelings abundantly clear. He gets on very well with Robbie and recently he seems to be taking on some of Robbie's traits - they both share a passion for food! Robbie made all that fuss about being claustrophobic a few weeks ago and now it seems that Dave has decided that he is claustrophobic too. He has the enclosed type of cat loo and has always been a very clean cat but several weeks ago we noticed that he kept using his tail or his head to hold the door open while he 'did the deed'. Then we had a couple of mishaps and it was clear that he was trying to avoid going inside. I decided to provide him with a basic cat tray instead, and he is much happier with that. There is just one problem, our other cat Oreo thinks it is the ideal place to sleep! Why is life so complicated?

Sweet Memories

Robbie often talks to me about people he has met on the train or people that he meets in the course of his work. From time to time he mentions a lady who sometimes catches the same train, I don't know her name because he usually describes the people he meets by the place that they get on or off the train, or by the job that they do. He must have told her about the blog at some point because she follows his exploits online. It always surprises me that anyone would find our lives interesting, but I guess it probably makes their own lives seem incredibly normal in comparison. Anyway Robbie met the lady again a few days ago and in the course of conversation they found that we live very close to each other. The blog was mentioned again and she said that she'd enjoyed reading about Robbie's favourite biscuit site and she asked if he liked any other unusual sites. I'm sure he has plenty of surprises up his sleeve, but today I am going to write about a site that I like.

A Quarter Of.... is one of my favourites sites, it sells all sorts of sweets that you may not have seen since your childhood. My particular favourites are clove balls, it is not so easy to find them these days. I love browsing through their products and remembering moments from my childhood. When I was about five I tasted bubble gum for the first time. I wasn't allowed to have bubble gum, but some came free with a comic and my dad taught me how to blow bubbles with it. When my mum and grandma got home they were not amused, but my dad just grinned at them. When I was a bit older my friend and I were allowed to cycle to the little shop several streets away to buy penny sweets. I always had to buy some for my little brother too, I liked the foam shrimps best, but he loved fruit salads and black jacks. Last Christmas I bought those storage boxes that have lots of little compartments and I made up a selection of sweets for each of my children, using sweets that had been favourites when they were young. Space Dust was always a great favourite with them and they liked milk bottles, Werthers originals and candy sticks. The boxes were a great success, they were a fraction of the price of the ones you can buy online and it is easy to refill them.