Day 1008 & 1009 (29 & 30/09/2012)

Bit of a mixed weekend doing work and family stuff.

Had a lovely curry from Saffrons, it went down a treat.

 Usually we have all of the left overs on the Sunday but I was starving and may have finished mine (I did it was lovely) so had to pop into Tesco's to get myself one to eat. Thought I would also get a bottle of wine.

My Mum made us a couple of fruit pies for afters, which will be nice.

Busy week ahead doing family stuff.

Day 1007 (28/09/2012)

Annoyingly I got to the train station in plenty time for the 9:05am train to London only to find out it was cancelled and the train I had to catch was 30minutes later and stopped at loads of extra stations.

I like to treat to myself to first class travel on the train as the seats are much nicer, you get free drinks and nibbles but most of all there are a lot less people to be bothered by. There are so many positives to be taken by paying the extra £7.50 (if you pick the right train and buy your tickets a few weeks in advance) for this luxury.

I usually try to eat a whole fruit cake slice by slice on these journeys but was gutted to learn that they have replaced to fruit cake slices with muffins on the tea trolley service. I preferred the fruit cake but still insisted on eating a few muffins as this is a perk of fist class travel and I always try to eat & drink the difference between the price of standard & first class travel. Usually I end up in credit.

The talk went quite well in London. It was not my usual sort of audience (I must remember I am a trainer and not a comedian) but they all seemed to enjoy it and laughed at the right bits.

Luckily as they were running late they re-jigged the running order and I was moved to after lunch instead of later in the afternoon and was able to get away a couple of hours earlier. This left me with the problem of trying to catch an earlier train or staying at Paddington and enjoying long at Yo-Sushi.

Luckily there is always the Bagel stall, so a couple of nice bagels eased the choice of coming home early & missing the Yo-Sushi I had been promising myself.

 

Home nice and early and slightly stuffed from the day, so didn't have dinner.

I was looking forward to relaxing in front of the telly but Kelly took me out to the theater to see a one-man show of Fever Pitch, which was actually quite good, but only because I'm a man of a certain age so knew most of the things that were being talked about.

Day 1006 (27/09/2012)

I was up before 5am this morning as Kelly had to catch an unbelievably early train to London for another part of her audition. So fingers crossed that she gets it and that she doesn't have to catch too many of these early trains.

I have to be up a bit early tomorrow as I am giving a talk in London, which I wish I hadn't agreed to, as I'm only getting my expenses and its not really my usual crowd.

Probably finishing off the lasagne tonight.

Day 1005 (26/09/2012)

We have lasagne left from last night but tonight my  wife & I are off to Prezzo, as we have vouchers that need to be used before the end of the week.

Update - 21:30 - Well Prezzo was quite nice and very reasonable as we had vouchers. We started by sharing the Calamari.

Then I had Lobster & Crab Tortelli and my wife had the Crab Cakes.

Then I had the Eton Mess Cheese Cake while my wife had the Lemon Cake, with a Latte.

 All in all a very nice meal, although the service wasn't quite as good but not worth worrying about.

Day 1004 (25/09/2012)

Keeping up to date with my work whilst updating my training stuff but I must finish the accreditation stuff today or tomorrow as I need to send it off.

Having lasagne tonight, one of my absolute favourites, so that's all for now.

Update - 22:30 - It was lovely.

Day 1003 (24/09/2012)

Golly it rained & poured last night but seeing as it was so windy during the day things dried up quite quickly around here but there was flooding only a few miles away.

To keep the weeds down we put bark chippings on the flower bed and on the flower pots but lately we've noticed the bark being thrown on the ground. It is very messy and very annoying.

Then the other day my wife and our cleaner (to be honest we can't be bothered so its money well spent) were looking out when a black bird started attacking the plants, picking the bark up & throwing it out, presumably to get to the worms in the soil.

I'm thinking about getting an air rifle or taking it to SpecSavers as there is a great big bird feeder with lots of treats on it in the flower bed.

Had a nice Moroccan lamb & couscous thing for dinner.

Day 1001 & 1002 (22 &23/09/2012)

Probably doing the same stuff again today but might pop out with my wife latter for a pub meal as we haven't been out together for a few weeks.

Also she has taken a few days off next month so we must plan a nice weekend away somewhere.

Update - Sunday 18:00 - Well we didn't go out for dinner last night. I wasn't feeling great so we had a Chinese take-away instead from the wonderful Jade Garden.

I know it looks a lot, well to be fair when they can no longer deliver a take-away in a carrier bag but have to use a big cardboard box it obviously is a lot but it was for Saturday & Sunday not just the one meal.

So in reality it was just a fair amount of food that was quite reasonably priced for two meals; however I am now completely stuffed in our attempt to eat it all to save having to pack it away. I might have to wait before afters.

Day 1000 (21/09/2012)

Well a 1000 days of blogging. I wish I had something brilliant to say but today is very much like most of my other days.

Day 999 (20/09/2012)

I'm now on my 4th solicitor of the week. You wouldn't think it was that difficult but getting someone who doesn't have a conflict of interest or who has the exact specialties required has proved a bit of a challenge but hopefully I am there now.

The bruises on my arms are finally going but my leg is not yet completely free of the infection, so a few more days of the tablets (& Polo's).

I am managing to get thru my work whilst updating all of my training, so things are OK at the moment.

Day 998 (19/09/2012)

One of the many side effects of the tablets that I am still taking give you a terrible taste in your mouth. I am now on a packet of Polo's a day.

That and not being able to go to the gym for a couple of weeks is not helping with my renewed fitness campaign.

I know it silly to be so excited by receiving a pay slip, especially when I basically work for myself and could really pay myself whenever or whatever I like but my accountant issues me with pay slips every three months and I really get excited receiving them.

It's sad really.

Still doing work & stuff.

Day 997 (18/09/2012)

The more I find out about the people who copied my website the more angry I am. I have contacted their boss again to point out that at least one of them is a Director & joint share holder of one of the training providing companies recommended in the report. How corrupt is that.

Doing more work & stuff.

Day 996 (17/09/2012)

Had a lovely afternoon & evening at my Mum & Dads. It was a lovely surprise that Gary & Elaine came down as well, so it was a family get together, with even Kelly able to join us by 6pm. We had a great roast chicken dinner and a nice selection of afters.

Well, when I say selection of afters it was really just a choice of what order to have them in. For the record it was Trifle, Lemon Tart then Fruit Salad.

Today I have contacted a solicitors just in case.

Anyway doing work & stuff.

Day 994 & 995 (15 & 16/09/2012)

Getting all of my training material up to date for accreditation by the University this weekend. It will be expensive but should give me a few more options for the future.

In fact going thru it all is quite nice and makes me not want to waste it all by not doing any more training or even possibly by selling it on. The accreditation process will give me a few more options, especially once I have settled my current plagiarism issues with those naughty boys & girls in the police. I am quite confident that the police will quickly settle in my favor. It might just be an apology and actually mean that I am fully credited in their documents or may involve money. I will give them a week or two to reply before instructing a lawyer but they have really pissed me off so I won't just let it go.

Having just re-read yesterdays entry this is pretty much the same, which means basically nothing much different has happened in my life today but I have just made a nice spaghetti bolognese.

Kelly is over in Oxford for the weekend and Thomas is out, again. That boy has a hell of a capacity to party, I feel tired just thinking about staying out late drinking.

Update - Sunday 12:45 - Did my final birthday scratch card today. Its not that I don't like scratch cards but these things are just so complicated.

I won £10.

Off to my mum & dads for a nice roast Sunday dinner.

Day 993 (14/09/2012)

Well I may have stirred a few people into action over my complaint about some officers copying my website. I await their full response before deciding whether to instruct a lawyer but either way it has meant that they have lost a lot of goodwill and may have caused themselves a fair few problems. A great shame as I had actually planned to do some free stuff for them but now that ain't going to happen.

Busy getting my training stuff together so it can go off to the University of Portsmouth for accreditation, which will mean I can charge more.

Last week I was prepared to just step away from the training but I have decided on a few changes and this might be a way to doing less but still making some money from it.

Day 992 (13/09/2012)

Golly how some people really piss me off. A friend showed me a copy of an internal government document, of which 16 of the 34 pages were copied & pasted from my website and they didn't even credit me for it.

I spend ages updating that website and my own money running it, it has no adverts or sponsorship and then to be ripped off by someone is not good.

I have sent all concerned a "you've pissed me off" email and depending on their response I may result to a lawyer or may just abuse their personal information for fun.

Anyway apart from that everything is OK. Catching up on work and deciding about the future, which may actually involve me doing some training but less than I had planned.

Day 991 (12/09/2012)

It was nice to have all the family back yesterday. We went out for a curry at a new place in town called the Blue Mango. It was very nice but after we had sat down for a while they came over to say that the cooker wasn't working and they were waiting for an engineer. Luckily after a few more free poppadoms we had our food and even an extra dish as way of an apology, which was very nice.

At the end of the meal they bring a tray with a bowl, a jug of hot water and 4 little white capsules. I'm not saying that anyone at the table thought they were mints but they were those dehydrated flannels that you poured the hot water on. Very impressive flannel but very poor video.

A photo from the boys European tour, at Barcelona's ground.

Making a few decisions about work, trying to do something with the training that wont involve me being away too much.

Day 990 (11/09/2012)

In the afternoon my wife was busy making a welcome home banner for Thomas.

So Thomas's plane was due in at 11:50pm but the plane broke down in Bristol in the evening and so was badly delayed and he didn't end up landing until after 2:30am. Then the baggage took ages so it was gone 3:00am before Thomas & Lemon finally came out. 

My wife couldn't quite control herself & had to give Thomas a big hug and then Lemon, just so he didn't feel left out. I think they appreciated it.

It was after 4:00am when we go home, so Thomas is still asleep. After a month away I don't know if Thomas has grown or not but he seems a lot taller. We are going out as a family tonight for a welcome home curry.

Annoyingly, after I sent emails last week from my sick bed to everyone telling them the course I was due to be running this week in London was cancelled, 4 people turned up today and were fairly unimpressed. What could I do. That is partially why I don't fancy doing many more, just too much stress man.

Day 989 (10/09/2012)

I have nice matching bruises on each forearm after last weeks failed blood tests.

And the skin is peeling from my now recovering leg.

All in all not a good look.

I passed the Gold Post Box in Taunton today. This one is for Debbie Criddle a local equestrian Para-Olympian. She won a Gold last Para-Olympic and took it to the local schools. This time she got a Gold and two team Silvers. I she her in Tesco's occassionally.

Thomas is home late tonight and I have dropped Kelly off at the train station as she is seeing a play in London. So one out, one in.

Day 987 & 988 (08 & 09/09/2012)

Oh how things change in a week. This time last week my upcoming weeks & months at work were full of bookings for training worth many £1,000's and now they are not. The relief.

Also what joy being able to go to bed and to sleep properly without worry about knocking the cannula in my hand and bleeding to death (or hurting myself).

My grass is now very long and there is noway that I am up to cutting it any day soon. I was going to call my hedgeman and pay him but apparently my Dad is coming round as he doesn't want me wasting money on getting it cut. To be honest I would rather pay someone than put my Dad to any trouble but he doesn't see it like that.

My leg is still painful and I am back to my tablets, which sounds great until I remember what an awful taste they leave in my mouth. It was one of the many side effects I read about after taking them for a few months. So I am now back on the polo's.

Update - Saturday 13:00 - My wife has decided to cut the grass instead to save my parents the hassle.

She has also been spraying some of the growing greenery to keep down the insect.

Hopefully the will flower soon.

Day 986 (07/09/2012)

Hopefully my last visit to the hospital for my intravenous antibiotics. My leg is getting better but the infection does make me feel like crap and leaves me feeling quite weak.

Nice to get rid of the cannula in my hand.

Oh the joy at being able to wash my hands.

I felt too awful to be able to do any work stuff but did have to pay the cancellation fee for next weeks training centre in London. I don't really mind spending thousands on something I am not using and the thought of doing no more training is mostly positive. I will probably write a book on "how to do it" and just do the occasional presentation instead of any more courses. It will greatly effect my ability to earn but will greatly raise the number of days & nights I am at home with my family instead and that is far more precious, whatever my wife says ;-)

Day 982 - 985 (03 - 06/09/2012)

So Saturday afternoon I got changed & was just going to go & cut the grass when my leg felt painful and I started to feel like crap so laid down after taking tablets but unfortunately it was too late and within a few hours I was a shacking wreck with my leg fully infected & inflamed again.

I tried to use my stock of tablets for a couple of days but on Monday gave in and went to hospital where it looked like I was likely to be admitted for a week for more intravenous antibiotics. Luckily we had a sympathetic Doctor who was able to give me some different drugs and allowed me to receive them as an outpatient, returning daily to be stocked up on more antibiotics.

It was all just about perfect apart from the fact that apparently I'm very difficult to find veins on. The first Dr made attempts in both arms before settling on putting a cannula on the back on my right hand.

Then just before we could go they decided to do some more blood tests but couldn't use the cannula I already had as I had just had the antibiotics. So the new Dr made several very painful attempts in my left hand to find another vein. The first attempt was into my thumb, then the knuckle on my hand then thankfully my wife suggested they fit another cannula to my left hand and use that. It was so painful I nearly passed out but thankfully we got there in the end.

So back home, covered in bruises and feeling like a pin-cushion and recovering with my leg still red, swollen & very painful but over the next few days it went down and was better. The black felt tip was put there by the Dr to easily see if it had got any worse.

On Monday it was clear to me that I would not be able to run my course in London next week and quite frankly taking this as another wake up call to put my life / work balance on the right level I decided to cancel nearly all of my courses over the next few months. You would not believe how much better this made me feel even though it has undoubtedly cost me quite a lot of money already. I shall probably not do much more training anymore, time to concentrate on family time instead.

Anyway the boys are now in Barcelona, visiting the Nou Camp.

Day 980 & 981 (01 & 02/09/2012)

September already, where did the year go and I still have so much to do.