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.

Day 927 (10/07/2012)

More bad weather.

Thomas was playing football this evening so put on an old West Ham shirt on.

It's possible that he got it for his 11th birthday as it has "Smith" & 11 on the back. He defiantly wore it when we went to see West Ham play Middlesbrough in October 2005.

He has grown loads since then but amazingly it still fits, lucky sod. My stuff seems to shrink every few months.

Day 926 (09/07/2012)

Busy but still had time for the gym.

Thought the weather was a bit hit & miss.

But it would appear from Thomas's photo it was mostly miss, with him taking a photo of a whirlwind over Taunton whilst at the cricket.

Day 924 & 925 (07 & 08/07/2012)

Up incredibly early to get to London but there were a few problems with the train, including no free trolley in first class at the weekends and no fruit cake in the buffet car.

Oh yes and my train was cancelled due to flooding but luckily I was early enough to catch the one before.


The talks in London seemed to go down well.

Got to Paddington in time for a Yo Sushi.

Then a nice early & quick train home.

Two comments from taxi drives today.

I got in a taxi at Paddington to get to the venue only to be asked by the taxi driver "You here for Gay Pride". I'm happy with my own sexuality so don't mind if people think I'm gay but I was dressed smartly to give a presentation, everyone else who I assume was going to Gay Pride was in fancy dresses, with dresses and skimpy underwear appearing to be quite popular.

On the way back the next taxi driver started talking about Muslims Suicide Bombers. It wasn't that a long a journey and I can't think how we got onto the subject but we did. The driver said "These bloody Muslim suicide bombers have got it all wrong, you don't want 70 virgins, talking about Justin Beiber and all that shit, you want 5 slags, they would keep you happy, not 70 f*****g virgins". I think this guy may have hit on something and I think he should be booked for Question Time.

Day 923 (06/07/2012)

The weather is awful again, with lots of rain but hopeful we will avoid the worse of it as they are talking about a months worth of rain in a day.

I went to the gym again today, so three times this week. It was quite reassuring as there was a guy twice my size in the gym and I was going much faster than him on the tread mill (I can't really call it a running machine as I don't actually run, I'm only thinking of my joints, honestly) but was slightly upset when I saw he was on the tread mill for about an hour compared to my 10 minutes.

Mind you I didn't just do 10 minutes on the tread mill, there was also the bike & the cross trainer, then the weights and a little bit of swimming but I think an hour on the tread mill would not only be knackering but boring as hell.

I just can't get into work at the moment, I have lots on but just can't motivate myself.

Off to London tomorrow to do a couple of presentation, but have to get up far too early on a Saturday but at least I got my ticket early enough to warrant going first class.

Day 922 (05/07/2012)

Busy in my office all day. I was going to go to the gym but got bogged down with stuff but will definitely go tomorrow.

I'm in London on Saturday giving a couple of presentations at The Centre For Investigative Journalism Summer School which hopefully will be fun. I have done the presentations already and I am sure the weekend should be interesting although I am only doing the Saturday. Lots of the other speakers are quite well known and then there's me. 


I would rather they didn't use a photo of me but they took one at a previous event and they wanted to use one, so I gave in rather then sending them one of me from around 1986, which in my own mind is how I look. I am often surprised at the old fat man starring back at me from the mirror. 

Day 921 (04/07/2012)

Quick catch up on things as fairly busy.

Picked up Kelly's car, looking good, for now.

Thomas back in the newspaper.

Then out for dinner with Gary & Elaine at Wagamama's, very nice.

Day 920 (03/07/2012)

We both went to the gym again today but whilst I sort of tolerate rather than enjoy the exercise I do like the routine that it gives you and means I at least get a break from my work but am always so hungry afterwards.

Sort of busy with stuff at the moment, I never get to finish and go down stairs to be with my wife until around 11pm but at least I was in a jacuzzi with her earlier.

Day 919 (02/07/2012)

This morning I had a question about VAT so tried to answer it myself.

To be honest I was no clearer really, that's why I have an accountant.

Back to the gym today, with my wife. It was quite nice getting back in to the routine and we even went in the steam room & jacuzzi but I don't think that helped our fitness much.

Came home exhausted, so had some more water melon. I hope really hope water melon is good for you, if not I'm having a can of cold larger next time.