Day 948 (31/07/2012)

Gym again, today with the wife, very knackering.

Weather is a lot cooler with quite a few showers.

Busy busy busy, looking forward to going to Edinburgh in a couple of weeks.

Thomas got quite a few photos in the Bridgwater Mercury this week.

Hoping that his career takes off when he comes back from his European tour. 

Can't believe July is over already.

Day 947 (30/07/2012)

Busy day with the gym and work in the office.

The weather was nice but its now raining.

Enjoying some of the sport, not the over paid & over hyped. Think Thomas has watched it all.

Day 945 & 946 (28 & 29/07/2012)

Nice weather still but not going to last forever. Aiming to relax a bit and do some stuff in the garden later. Back to work tomorrow.

Update - Sunday 20:45 - So yesterday we added a few more bits to the garden. Hopefully we are nearly finished putting things in the garden as I don't want it to be as full as the garage. Saying that I wanted the two nice chairs for next to the little table on the patio, so we can sit there of an evening with a glass of wine. 

And the arch is now finished with the climbing rose & clematis. Now we just need for them to grow & climb.

I still have to finish the fencing off but it is already so nice just being able to sit outside.


So after complementing the opening ceremony at the Olympics, it appears according to the BBC News website that I actually took put in it, so no wonder it was so good.

I got an email today from the National Lottery telling me they had exciting news about the Euro Millions Lottery tickets I bought online for Friday. I was obviously excited, they had promised there would be 100 millionaires and it was my birthday after all.

I promise that this will not change me but I don't think it is worth sharing out.

Day 944 (27/07/2012)

My 45th birthday today but as well as being my birthday it will always be the day we celebrate the life of our best friend Kim who we sadly lost on this day last year.

It was a day of very mixed emotions. We visited the grave and added some more fresh flowers. Her headstone will be fitted in a couple more months.

My mum & dad popped round for tea & cake in the afternoon.

In the evening we went to The Old Mexican restaurant, which was nice.

Nice cocktails & lovely food

As we had mentioned it was my birthday, the staff put a birthday candle in my Pecan pie.

Then we watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics which was truly fantastic and not the normal crap of just weird dancers.

Day 943 (26/07/2012)

I was going to go to the gym today but had my hair cut instead, as it was getting annoyingly long. I can't stand it when its long enough to touch my ears, and I hadn't had it cut since before our holiday.

Doing work today so I can take most of tomorrow off.

More little lights in the garden.

Day 942 (25/07/2012)

Work in the office and an hour in the gym. Watered the garden but not much else.

Day 941 (24/07/2012)

Did some work in the office in the morning then did some more gardening in the afternoon.

The garden is looking so much better and it is really nice to be able to sit outside, at least when its not raining anyway. I don't think we really used the garden in last few years as it was so untidy but it is looking quite nice & inviting now.

Tonight's BBQ was chicken fillets & ribs with some sweetcorn.

Very tasty, may have fish tomorrow night.

Day 940 (23/07/2012)

Work in the office this morning, may have lunch outside in the garden followed by a bit of planting as the sun is out and its lovely.

Update - 20:45 - We spent the afternoon sorting out the garden. My original idea was quite minimalistic but my wife loves things, so we have lots of things.

A firepit and wind chimes.

Our sun dial / bird bath and another bloody gnome.

Some fairy lights.

The before & after of the flower bed.

Then in the evening time for a BBQ.

Day 938 & 939 (21 & 22/07/2012)

Busy day doing reports and then cutting the grass and doing some weeding. Hopefully if it stays nice tomorrow I may even plants some flowers in the garden.

Thomas went out with his mates today, driving them to Minehead. I feel his new sense of freedom to travel and enter licensed premises is being tested to the full (but not mixed, he is good about that).

Update - Sunday - Spent the afternoon setting up some stuff in the garden whilst my wife did the hard work or weeding the flower bed and turning the soil over, so we could plant some stuff this week.

The biggest dragonfly ever hiding next to our herb garden.

Day 937 (20/07/2012)

More work whilst Thomas slept off his continuing week of celebrations.

I'm feeling much better now and am really pleased that my leg infection never came back. Touch wood it's gone forever.

Day 936 (19/07/2012)

Feeling well enough for work, so had to catch up. I would of worked for longer but Thomas was having a few friends round for what we had agreed was 20minutes before they went out to a club.

In-between me agreeing to Thomas and today apparently my wife had suggested that Thomas and his mates might as well stop for a few beers and pizzas before going out, so we had to leave home for the whole evening. Fair enough we ended up at The Canton Chinese Restaurant, which was very nice. 

We may have over ordered (we did) but luckily as they also do a take away service they offered to pack everything up for us to take home with us.

Those boys certainly know how to put it away as when we got home there were 12 empty cans of Budweiser, 3 empty bottles of Magners and two empty pizza boxes but there were only 3 of them and no-one seemed in the slightest bit drunk.

They are all nice lads and aren't really any trouble, so it was no problem. I'm just jealous that those days have definitely gone for me.


 

Day 935 (18/07/2012)

I woke up feeling a bit better but still mostly like crap.

Ideally I would have stayed in bed all day but I had a hygienist appointment booked for 9:20am and had to get Thomas to drive me. It is a nice reversal him having to drive me around. I may ask him for pocket money or an allowance next month.

The rest of the day was spent on the couch. When I visited the bathroom I took my phone with me as the memory on laying on the floor for 45minutes calling out for help last year is still strong in my memory.

Day 934 (17/07/2012)

After a very busy few days I was feeling just a bit below par but went to the gym at lunchtime with my wife but by the time we got back I was fully under the control of summer / man flu.

As well as taking a few beechams tablets I took quite a few antibiotics as well, as it was in June last year, when I was over worked & stressed that I went down with summer / man flu and ended up in hospital with leg infection.


Thankfully my leg stayed OK but I spent the rest of the night feeling like crap on the couch.  

Day 933 (16/07/2012)

Wow 18yrs since Thomas was born.

I think we may have all changed a little bit.

We had a lovely day, with the family.

My wife had arranged a fantastic cake.

And did a great book with lots of specials photo's from the last 18yrs, so I thought I would include a couple. 

Thomas then spent the evening in several pubs with his friends.

Day 931 & 932 (14 & 15/07/2012)

Did some work in the morning and was aiming to cut the grass and do the garden in the afternoon. Guess what, as soon as I started it P****D down with rain, I got soaked but had to cut the grass as it was getting long. One day this summer I am determined to sit out side in the sun, with a glass of wine, sat looking at my nice plants.

Update - Sunday 23:30 - Got up at 5:30am to drive to Watford to give a talk to members of The ABI.

It went well and may help with filing the places on my course.


The lunch was nice.

Thomas's 18th tomorrow, should be fun.

Day 930 (13/07/2012)

So Thomas's fourth driving test was due on Friday the 13th, with heavy rain on a day when the examiners were on strike. The omens were not looking but just top prove that miracles happen he past. Thank F***, the stress was getting to all of us.

We can now put the Good Luck card away.

We went to celebrate to a new Indian restaurant in Taunton, The Mint & Mustard. Not your normal Indian, quite nice, quite pricey but glad we went. 

The Soft Shelled Crab starter was nice.

I went for the Syrian Beef Curry for the main, very nice.

Day 929 (12/07/2012)

Rain, rain, rain. You can guess its raining, still.

I went to the gym again. I am still doing the full circuit but when I swim I am only doing 10 lengths not the 20 I had got up to. I don't know if its because I am busy and can't really afford to spend 2hrs out of the office or if it is because I am giving so much more doing the walking, cycling, cross training & weights and am knackered by the time I get in the pool.

Probably a bit of both.

Two developments at work today, one really bloody annoying and one quite interesting.

Day 928 (11/07/2012)

The sun has been out today, if it stays dry tomorrow I might get around to cutting the grass.

One of Thomas's photo's was in the South African Times.

Some photos were taken at the event I was talking at on Saturday, makes me look like I'm doing the "I'm a little teapot" stance.

I have had Papaya a few times but today was the first time I had had a fresh one at home.

All I can say is don't bother, what a lots of work to get the fruit and it was bloody horrible.