7th. - 19th. March 2003

A sudden lack of cash through two of my 'customers' being away when I went for payment meant I had to take all my savings out the week before last.
I rode the Moped down to Sainsburys with the plastic bottle full of coins and duly put them through the 'exchange small change' machine.
A grand sum of £22.57 was achieved and I was quite proud of the huge amount I had gathered since last emptying it in March.
I felt so flushed with cash that I treated myself to one of those new Plain Chocolate Kit-Kats and dutifully paid the price of having a toothache about ten minutes later. Sobeit.

I went to the University of Brighton for my 'Learning Lifes Project' and took the chance of visiting my Nephew Oliver who by chance is studying there. I found him living healthily like a Student should - hang over and looking quite pale from the good life of eating at 2am each morning after the Playstation Tournaments!

From there it was on to Southampton to visit and Grandchild sit for two days. I have to say that the kids were as good as gold - which is worrying !! I got through 4 editions of 'Flog It' on TV.
They were so good, I was getting bored. They didn't want to go out anywhere, just chill out amongst their toys, TV and Gamecube.
It was an excellant few days away, but I always find Goodbyes difficult and it was a long slow journey back on Sunday night with only darkness to watch outside the train window, then a 20 minute wait at London Waterloo East, which will sort anything out !
Luckily, being an old Railway person, I had a stroll up the train and found some forgotten Sunday Papers to read.

This week has been a difficult one for both myself and the family. On Monday it was Louises birthday and this needless to say, does not get any easier no matter how fast the years seem to pass by.
On Thursday I attended an old colleague of mines funeral, who was also a member of the Cricket Club and someone I saw and spoke to a lot.
Then on Friday my Mother was rushed to Hospital with a severe heart condition, just on top of her operations and other worries.
Leo and myself will go to see her tomorrow and trust that all will be well and she may be home soon.

Yesterday I went back to Hastings again to see Vicky, the Grandkids and Louises Mum for a gathering.
This ended up at the Fun Fair and gave us a good relief of all that is happening.
I still maintain that I was Champion at the Bumper Cars although Vicky says the same !!

We picked the last of the Squashes today. Surprisingly the Lettuces in the outdoor garden are surviving the frosts of the last 4 days.
Also picked were the Peppers and a few Aubergines, see photo.

I have decided to do the experiment next year of growing virtually everything in Pots. I think this will be good not only to see the differences, but raise awareness that you don't need half an acre plus in the rural countryside to grow your own good food.
I shall still 'back up' with the normal garden and that will give good comparism. Also, it gives me something to aim for and start thinking about now.

Work wise I have suddenly quite a lot to do. Last week I managed two days at a house the other side of Canterbury painting an exterior wall and large gates.
Over the next two weeks I have to strip, repair and paint a Double Garage Door, a triple Garage sliding door and two large old Stable Doors. All in all it would be equal to about 40' wide by 8' tall - and they are in a mess!
The only problem I foresee is should the weather break, but I have devised a cunning shelter plan involving a large plastic sheet, 12 clothes line clips and a tent pole.

So, at least the weather is telling us it is late Autumn at last. I don't like these weather sense of false security times.
But it has meant having heating on this week for the first time since the end of March. Nice smell, but dirty hands !!
The Rayburn soon got going again and the mixtured smell of coal, wood and all sorts of vegetables and other bits gently simmering away for the chickens does give you a sense of wellbeing.
A couple more  visits down the woods should see us through til the new year.

On the shoulder front, that seems to have calmed down now (but I was tough and took it like a man). I must remember not to yawn again for the next 5 months!

So it would seem there are challenges ahead and being on 30 grand a year again would help - but I'm not, won't be, can't be and OK as I am ! (just)

13th - 24th. October 2006

I sit here typing this in agony!
I wish I could say I've injured myself braving the rain and wind to feed the chickens, or was doing some daring repair work to someones roof, but no...

I'd been up about an hour this morning and stretched my arms, as you do, yawning. There was a huge twangy click in the shoulder blade and the whole day has been spent in pain.
Now to the girls, I know you think that pain is a blokes thing and we pile it on - but this is really horrible.
I won't go to the Doctors because the answers are either "Stress" or "Well, we aren't getting any younger are we". That is, after the Nurse has called you 'Love'.
So I'll sit it out and wallow in it !

I'm off to Southampton on Wednesday for a few days and two days of that is looking after the Grandkids. So I reckon about two weeks recovery afterwards is the going rate.
I wish I could, I've been here, there and everywhere else since the Cricket stopped. Regret to say hardly any of it has been earning actual money.

I have applied for a few part-time Christmas jobs at the local Designer Outlet. I desperately need a bit of cash flow. So, at the moment it could be anything from 'Spud-U-Like' to 'Donnay' Clothing. I can't see the fashion shops giving a bloke with only half his teeth and ageing rapidly any work - so it could be 'fast food'. Fast food, they don't know the meaning of it.

I've just had a peep at my calendar to report all the goings on - and there hasn't been a lot!
Last Saturday I visited my Mother in Sevenoaks. She's had both knees replaced, one hip (may be the other way round) and a Big 'C' operation all in the last 5 years and looks well on it for 81 years.
It made me laugh that we went to Sainsburys to buy an Ironing Board which I carried for her. She had a Shopping Trolley to assist the walking. I went ahead and she was going so fast I was forever being hit in the back of the legs by the darned thing!
I drove her car for her and desperately wanted to take the Riverhead Roundabout at 45mph, but thought twice.

Other than that, a few jobs here and there and much work between on the websites (see bottom).

The Moped is fully run in now. I overtook a Cyclist this week. Quite proud I was. It seems to be squaring out at about 120 miles to the gallon.
I still can't believe what some Motorists do though. On an open road I can understand them overtaking, but in town where you know there are lights up ahead and it's a 30mph limited, they still persist in overtaking you, cutting you up, only to be re-overtaken by me at the lights - crazy!
There seems to be some streak in people which cannot take being 'one overed' by the minority.I take it easy though and am accounting for everything someone may do - best that way.

Ginger the Cat has been back to the Vets (third mortgage). He still has a terrible dermatitis condition and looks a wreck. He's now on stronger tablets so hopefully will be better soon.
'Big Ron' doesn't take any notice of the other two cats, but as soon as Ginger runs, he's after them!
This is often somewhat amusing, except it's usually at about 5.30am that they do it.

The chickens are going off lay quite a bit now BUT I found out the 'miracle down the lane' was not a miracle. You may recall I couldn't work out why I had a chicken too many from no where.
I was cleaning out the Chicken House the other day and I moved a box out from the corner. Behind the box was a gap of no more than eight inches. Low and behold, about 20 eggs !
So I assume I had a broody one which was simply sitting behind it for about 4 weeks unbeknown to me.

The Pen area is a boggy heap at present and I really want to get in there to strim it all tidy. I re-roofed the smaller Shed in there (Heavy Duty Bin Bags suitably cut), so that's drip free now.

I've also spent time collecting more wood and sawing it. I reckon I don't have to worry at present until about mid December. But (and I'm not joking) it's nice collecting the wood on a cold crisp morning, if it's dry that is. It warms you up and you really feel part of it all more.
So, the journey continues !