tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656812417303404602024-03-14T04:45:04.109+00:00The Life of a Laydee of LeisureThe life, times and thoughts of an ex-civil servant.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-69949649780696044732011-08-27T19:45:00.000+01:002011-08-27T19:45:56.689+01:00Painting doorsIt's never ending I tell you, 8 doors, 2 sides per door. Even though I'm using a mini roller it's taking an absolute age. So today I tackled the new bathroom door and doorframe. It took hours, and as the paint is an oil based one it absolutely stinks! Anyway that door and frame are now done, at flippin' last. Only another 6 doors to go, hurrah!<br />
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Not much else going on really, except DIY jobs. Once the doors are done then I have 2 sets of bannisters to paint before I can get the carpet fitters in to fit the stair and landing carpet I've ordered.<br />
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Tomorrow however, I do have an interesting day ahead, it's Photomarathon #2 of the year, this time based in Newport, so not to far to travel. 10 topics in 10 hours, should be a good day I reckon. Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-55649876797770005102011-08-24T21:36:00.000+01:002011-08-24T21:36:47.928+01:00Home from Holibobs!Well I'm rested and relaxed after 10 days in Cala D'or Majorca. We did....well.... not a lot really! Chilling out, reading, going for walks and generally watching the world go by in a nice pub by the marina where there were a lot of mind numbingly expensive boats! It was teetering on high 30's most of the time and got as high as 40 degrees C, blisteringly hot and humid too, not much of a breeze to cool things down. The hotel was fab, all adults, no children and peace and quiet, bliss!<br />
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We landed in Bristol yesterday around lunchtime and scooted off to pick the kitties up from their cattery holiday, they were very pleased to see us and miaowed all the way home. Then it was check the house out, and the new boiler all fitted and working well. We had to put back the washing machine and plumb it in so we could crack on with washing holiday clothes. The fridge was bereft of food so a quick list jotted down and a trip to the supermarket sorted that out. All was good. I toddled off to aqua class at 6pm for a workout and really enjoyed it.<br />
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Last night around half past midnight I was woken by John being violently sick in the bathroom, then the stomach pains started and so did the diarrhoea. I've never seen him look so ill. He was green, clammy, sweating cold and hot, itching and generally delirious. He collapsed on the floor and couldn't get up. I couldn't lift him up and he had no energy to get up himself, I was really worried and did consider calling an ambulance at one point. I finally managed to get some water water down him and he kept it down, no longer feeling sick. Once he had spent a considerable time on the loo, I got him to take some tablets to stop things happening and got him to drink lots more water. Eventually I got him back into bed and I managed to get to sleep around 2.30am. This morning he was aching all around his stomach muscles, probably from retching last night. A glass of Dioralyte and two pieces of toast later and he seemd to be ok. No idea what caused it, we had eaten and drunk the same things for more than 24 hours previously and I was ok. Anyway, he is on the mend which is the main thing.<br />
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Today was little DIY jobs around the house day. Lots of small things like sanding down filler and painting and touching up to do after 3 weeks of having the bathroom fitted, some of the house was looking worse for wear decor wise We also had lots of things to hang in the bathroom which required drilling etc. We did quite a lot actually and I'm really pleased with progress, still lots to do though!<br />
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To end the day I'm currently addicted to a Maroon 5 song, Moves Like Jagger. Lea Desmond, you are to blame for this! I love Maroon 5 to death anyway and seeing them live a couple of years ago was fabulous, she intoduced me to their new song and now I have it on repeat play, I cannot get enough of it.......<br />
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I'm happy!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-80023986021124612552011-08-11T19:35:00.000+01:002011-08-11T19:35:44.903+01:00New bathroom, no hot waterJoy! We have a finished bathroom looking v swish and modern, it's just what I was hoping for. I'm so glad that it's finished so I can claim the house back and get things back to normal. There's now lots of small decorating tasks to do as a result of the bathroom refit but they can all wait until we get back from holidays. However the delight was short lived as our boiler decided to die on us. Initially it was thought that the circuit board needed replacing, so we purchased a reconditioned one as we were hoping that the boiler could get us through this winter as we planned to replace it next year. Circuit board fitted, nothing, in fact the water pressue just wasn't going anywhere. Plumber came out and said the fan was working but wasnt getting up to speed enough to get things started, a replace ment would be £300 including fitting. So we decided to just replace the boiler now instead of spending several hundred quid now only to replace it next year. Plumber coming next week while we are away to fit it so we will come home to hot water and be able to use the new bathroom!<br />
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Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-58777382366997902572011-08-08T22:11:00.000+01:002011-08-08T22:11:26.992+01:00Brilliant white and GinBathroom paint, brilliant white bathroom paint to be exact. Three coats of it on the new bathroom ceiling and it looks flippin' fab, really pleased with it. We made a start first thing this morning washing down all the tiles in the bathroom to try and get the grout dust off them. after that it was polishing them up to get rid of the last dusty stuff. They look good now and with the fabulous ceiling it's all coming together nicely. Plumber and electrician are in tomorrow for final fix and snagging, we should have a working bathroom at last!<br />
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Gin..... well what can I say? I just fancied one which led to two, then three. Gin, elderflower cordial and lime tonic with ice, delish!<br />
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On a more serious and sombre note, I am totally shocked at the stuff that's happening in London and now Birmingham with mindless thugs running riot through communities looting, burning vehicles and even worse setting buildings alight. What makes people do such horrific things to others? Do they not think that innocent people might lose their lives or get hurt? It's terrifying that it's been left to continue for 3 days so far, this is no protest, it's just an excuse to be volient and get away with it. I'm sickened to the core.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-55239582286018103512011-08-07T20:56:00.000+01:002011-08-07T20:56:21.035+01:00Nearly have a bathroomNearly, not far to go now until we actually have a functioning bathroom. There's a list of things (everything) to be plumbed in and all the electrical stuff needs a final fix but the bones of it is all done. Tiling, grouting, cabinets and basins are in and the new ceiling is plastered and looking good. Ceiling needs painting and all the tiles need a final wash down to get rid of the grout dust. We will do that tomorrow as we don't have anyone else here tomorrow so we have all day to get it sorted before plumber and electrician come on Tuesday to final fix.<br />
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So this is what we have at the moment and I'm really pleased with it.<br />
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We also had all the doors changed in the house to something more in keeping with it's age and I'm overjoyed with the result, actually I think I'm a little bit in love with them....<br />
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Here's to training for a new career!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-59675829804508780272011-08-03T18:30:00.000+01:002011-08-03T18:30:14.513+01:00Progress and nervesI have a bathroom ceiling, and beautifully smooth it is too, it really does look lovely, I'm so pleased with it. The tiler can now finish off the tiling, hurrah! Looking now for it all to be finished on the weekend including all the internal doors being changed. The new doors arrived today, I'm just a little bit in love with them.<br />
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Nerves! Nerves, nerves, nerves...... I'm plagued by them thinking about my first lesson tomorrow kick starting my driver instructor training off. I have no idea why I feel so nervous, it's not like I can't drive is it? It's bloody silly really, maybe I'll settle in and all will be ok once I make a start. I really hope so.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-59444124951258045922011-08-02T21:07:00.000+01:002011-08-02T21:07:30.564+01:00Tiling and vomit...Well lots of tiling happened today, about 95% of its done, just waiting for the ceiling to go up before the top row of tiles can be done and everything grouted. Its all starting to look like the shell of a bathroom now, at last.<br />
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The vomit thing?..... well that was the begining of the end of my aqua class this evening. I get to the pool, notice that it's actually looking rather empty, as in it's totally devoid of people in it. So I ask what the problem is, apparantly someone threw up in the pool and they had to close it to clean it. It could take 24 hours, so there's a distinct possibility tomorrow mornings class will be cancelled too. I'll have to phone the pool before hand to ask if they've managed to clean it or not. Bloody marv.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-42803364413485210212011-08-01T21:20:00.001+01:002011-08-02T08:15:48.452+01:00Flitting like a butterfly and cacking my pantsI managed to have a lovely lay in bed this morning for the first time in over a week. I stayed in bed until, wait for it....... 8.30am! Yes, it was rather delicious not having to get up at 7am ready for the chaps to arrive, today it was electrician only and he wasnt arriving until 3pm. I did, however have a few things to do mainly bathroom related.<br />
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First thing was a trip to the DIY shop to buy white bathroom paint in readiness to paint the new ceiling once it's up and the plaster has dried. I then flitted into town as I needed to buy my Highway Code to read up on before my lesson on Thursday, I was distracted by the top 50 novels and the offer they had on buy 1 get one for a quid, so I bought two chic lits for holiday reading the week after next. I finally made it to the section that had the Highway Code.... £2.50!......Two pounds bloody fifty! I remember when it was 20p.... ok I'm showing my age but that's one hell of a price hike. Anyway I bought it, because I had to. I started flicking though it and it scared me, I've forgotten so much argh! Cacking my pants is an understatement.<br />
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Whilst in town I popped into a shop and thought I'd get myself a cheap pair of sunglasses for holidays, I had a total bargain, they were £5, reduced to £2.50 and when I got to the till they rang up for a quid, kerching! I then treated myself to some pain, eyebrow threading to be exact. It's been ages since I've had them threaded and shaped, so again, all in the holiday cause, I was threaded to within an inch of my life, but I now have fabulous eyebrows. She asked if I wanted my upper lip done as well, I was taken aback, surely I'm not that hairy? I looked in the mirror, no I'm not that hairy, I am a bit hairy but its fine and fair. I politely said no thanks, whilst quietly seething.<br />
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After that, back out of town to a builders supplier to exchange the thermostat John bought for the underfloor heating as it was the wrong one, old one taken back, new one purchased, sorted. Homeward bound ready for the electrician to arrive. He was a bit early (bonus!) and managed to get the wiring done in half an hour, he then went on to install a new fuse box (an extra we asked him to do as it needed updating). So all done, electrics sorted YAY!<br />
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Tomorrow its tiling and new ceiling, which should prove most interesting. One thing I do know, I need to get more tea bags in, they drink gallons of the stuff!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-22634810572640700972011-07-31T21:26:00.000+01:002011-07-31T21:26:13.230+01:00Ahhhh lovely, lovely floor and an ARGH! momentTiler was here by 8.15 and got to it straight away. Fuelled with a cup of tea (natch). He got cracking with the floor tiling and my oh my, it looks lovely. He also managed to do some more wall tiling, making sure the levels were right as the walls are a bit wonky. The whole tiles go up first then the ones needing cuts fill in afterwards. So anyway, this is what I have now...<br />
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Electrician arrives tomorrow for wiring, then ceiling should go in Tuesday. Tomorrow I need to exchange the thermostat John bought as it's not the right one for the heating and I have to buy white bathroom paint ready for when the ceiling goes in.<br />
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The ARGH! moment came when I had a call from my instructor to arrange my first lesson with him, it's a 2 1/2 hour lesson from 8.30am on Thursday. I'm now bricking it, it is so very real. So the other thing I need to do tomorrow is buy a Highway Code!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-58700989191730020992011-07-30T22:17:00.000+01:002011-07-30T22:17:01.076+01:00Underfloor heatingTiler arrived to tile, got the underfloor heating out of the box ready to lay it, found out it was way too small, needed one twice the size. John went off to the shop to buy a 5m heating mat and thermostat, came back, all was well until the tiler laid it out, they'd only gone and given him a 10m mat! So back to the shop to exchange it. Finally the tiler got the mat down and the screed on top. While it was drying he got on with the only tiling he could in the shower area. He could only do so much until he had to leave to buy more floor adhesive ready for tiling the floor tomorrow. So this is as far as we have got in the bathroom, a screeded floor and some tiling in the shower.....<br />
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I cannot wait until it's finished. More tiling to be done tomorrow which will make a huge difference I think. Onwards and upwards!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-43942861582226449622011-07-28T21:16:00.000+01:002011-07-28T21:16:53.714+01:00All was going well, then it all went wrongIt was going so well, plumbing being done, shower tray and waste sorted out, pipe work for the towel radiator done and the shower valve put in place. All was good. The the electrician arrived to do the wiring for the underfloor heating, spot lights, extractor and lights on the mirrors, the newly plastered ceiling had to be cut into and then 3 hours later he found out that the lights on the whole of the first floor weren't working. One set of old lighting wiring had been tucked away into the roof void and plastered over. He had to cut another few holes in the ceiling to try and find the wiring, then found that there was no neutral and one wire came off in his hand! 4 1/2 hours he was here, and it was decided that the whole ceiling has to be brought down to see what wiring there is and what needs re-wiring.<br />
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The tiler is starting tomorrow, and this is going to set everything back, I know it is. I do wonder why nothing seems straight forward whenever we get a project underway. Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully progress will be made.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-64005952592857943752011-07-27T19:52:00.000+01:002011-07-27T19:52:27.647+01:00The art of doing not a lotI went to aqua class this morning, the chaps doing the bathroom said they'd be with me around 11.30, I was home in time for them to arrive. Nothing, 1pm came and went and still nothing. It dawned on me that John had been contacting the plumber and he didn't have my phone number to call to tell me if he was running late. I'd heard nothing from John until he came home from work. John then tells me he has only been in contact via email and doesn't have his number nor does plumber have Johns. Finally John gets hold of him via email and gives him my phone number and I get a call. He was concerned he couldn't contact me to tell me he couldn't make it today as his other half had been taken into hospital with stitch problems after a ceasarean a few weeks ago. Anyway, all explained, I thought there was something wrong as I didn't think he just wouldn't turn up.<br />
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Anyway I had the art of doing not a lot down to a tee today as I couldn't go out in case the chaps turned up as they don't have a key. So the most I managed to do is water the garden and make myself lunch.<br />
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Tomorrow, I'm told, the bathroom will get plumbing, stud walls around the shower area and possibly flooring sorted (boarding and underfloor heating laid) ready for the tiler on Friday. So we should be storming ahead I think!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-89269812314385976522011-07-26T20:52:00.000+01:002011-07-26T20:52:30.607+01:00Getting plasteredWell the bathroom ceiling was getting plastered, I wasn't. I took delivery of all the bathroom fixtures and fittings at 8am this morning, 31 items offloaded and delivered in good order, phew! Just as the delivery was underway the chaps arrived and made a start. New doorway put in, in it's new position squaring the room off nicely. Then the plasterer set to and boarded the ceiling and plastered it, he didnt stop all day and it looks lovely and smooth and all one ceiling at last!<br />
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I went out and ordered the internal doors I wanted and buy the door furniture for all 8 of them. The doors have to be ordered in and wont be delivered until a week tomorrow so the carpenter will have to come back after the bathroom is finished to fit all the doors. They are lovely 1930's style doors though and will fit the style of the house nicely. So that's the update for today, lots done, lots still to do. But it will look fab once its all finished, my vision will come to fruition....Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-88690542382296546572011-07-25T21:59:00.000+01:002011-07-25T21:59:01.890+01:00Bathroom demolition daySo our chaps arrived bang on 8am and got stuck in ripping out the bathroom. Noisy? Hell yeah. Did I think the house was about to fall down? Hell yeah. Do I now have a rather good sized room to work with? Hell yeah! So they worked like good 'uns and the whole bathroom is ripped out and in a skip on the drive. No tiles left on the walls, no radiator, no flooring, no ceiling, no door, no lights! Oh and best of all no wall between the old wc and the bathroom, just one lovely almost square space.<br />
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Tomorrow, it's plastering, wood work and sorting out where first fix stuff will be. I need to draw up a plan to show what goes where for them to follow and speak with the tiler as to how I want the tiles done. I cannot believe how much has been accomplished in one day, and it's great to see what the space actually looks like.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-82122121962941406372011-07-24T21:34:00.000+01:002011-07-24T21:34:05.166+01:00A lunch, a birthday and a bathroomI've missed a couple of days blogging but it's been busy. Friday John had the day off and we went out for lunch together (my third lunch out in a row!) we had a lovely time and it was great to spend a bit of quality time together for a change.<br />
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Yesterday it was my 38th birthday, as ever I'm a grumpy old moo and didn't want a fuss made. John went out with his brother to a record fair and I had a delightful time pottering around in the garden. I did some weeding, tidied up the edges of the lawn and lopped some low branches off our weeping silver birch. Then I sat on the lounger in the sunshine, it was bliss! John came home mid afternoon and after a refreshing shower and change of clothes he took me out for a birthday meal to a lovely local Italian restaurant. The food was delicious and 2 1/2 hours later we were full, content and on our way home to chill out. I'd had a lovely fuss free birthday and I went to bed a happy bunny.<br />
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Today, we received an email from our plumber who we've employed to re-fit the bathroom and he said that he plans to start tomorrow! Ripping out the old fittings, taking down the wall between the WC and the bathroom and taking all the tiles off the walls. The bathroom fittings are being delivered on Tuesday, we picked the floor tiles and feature wall tiles up and bought tile adhesive and grout today, so now we have everything we need. I plan to take pix of progress as it goes along.<br />
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Finally, as the weather was nice today we decided to paint the dining room flat roof with weather proof sealer, we don't plan to knock it down and rebuild until next year so we have to make good to last us through the winter until we decide what we are going to do with it. There's enough stuff going on with the house this year to keep us occupied without sorting out demolishing and rebuilding the dining room. That's for another day!<br />
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So tomorrow its all go, here's to a spanky danky new bathroom which I'm so going to enjoy using, instead of the bathroom and WC we currently have that I won't go near!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-35436515082641949572011-07-21T19:59:00.000+01:002011-07-21T19:59:20.209+01:00Laydees wot do shoppin' and lunchThis is becoming a habit., and a nice one too! I met up with my two lovely friends Jude and Donna today for a spot of shopping and some nosh. I popped over to Jude's first, we had a cuppa and then went into Cardiff to start some retail therapy. Jude bought a couple of lovely dresses and a tankini for her holidays and I managed to buy 2 pairs of shorts, a dress and a lovely pair of wedge sandals. We then met up with Donna and mooched around a few more shops before going for lunch. We had such a great time nattering and catching up with everyones news, we always say we should do it more often, but we never manage it. We resolved again to meet up more often, I do hope we can as we leave it way too long in between meet ups.<br />
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I had a fantastic day and was sad that it came to an end. Here's to girlie lunches out and about!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-57186095584859786652011-07-20T19:33:00.000+01:002011-07-20T19:33:55.136+01:00Laydees wot lunchHad a good morning in aqua class, really enjoyed it, rushed home to dry my hair off and get changed before driving to Cardiff to meet some of the girls I used to work with for lunch. It was great to see them and have a catch up. Seems like I made the right choice to leave when I did as things have gone from bad to worse there for one reason or another. The atmosphere has changed so I'm told, and it's not for the better. Anyway talk of work soon faded and we had a lovely time, I even had a birthday card signed by everyone which I wasn't expecting. Julie gave me a fabulous Simon's cat card, some roses and in the card was a lotto scratch card, I won £2 on it! It was a shame that lunch had to come to an end really, but we've promised to meet up again soon.<br />
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After lunch I toddled over to Ikea to buy a towel ring for the bathroom then came home to find John already there after his interview at another school for the IT manager post. They said that they'd phone everyone with the decision after 4pm, still no phone call so I expect it will be tomorrow now. I so want him to get this job, it will be a great challenge for him, look fab on his CV and its a payrise, which can't be bad. My fingers are still firmly crossed.<br />
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Tomorrow, I'm meeting my mate Jude in the morning for some retail therapy in Cardiff, then we are meeting our other friend Donna for another laydees wot lunch session. I'm quite liking this lifestyle!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-20940968337343942662011-07-19T21:53:00.000+01:002011-07-19T21:53:42.998+01:00Down to business...Another relatively leisurely day all in all, I cooked myself some pasta for lunch then went to my 2pm appointment at Venture Wales to see one of their advisers and chat over what help they can provide me with whilst setting up my own business. I was there nearly an hour and it's all good stuff. There's almost constant help on tap if I need it and also what looks like some very helpful short training courses for marketing, business planning, book keeping and tax. It was interesting and informative and it's good to know that that help is at hand when I need it.<br />
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So the plan is to wait to do the courses until maybe September then actually register as a full blown client before Christmas time as the business has to be set up within 3 months of registering.<br />
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Today I've also managed to sort out a lunch with some ex work colleagues for tomorrow and also shopping and lunch on Thursday with my 2 friends, who I also used to work with but they're real life mates too. So I have two days of lunches out. I am officially a laydee wot lunches! Really looking forward to it.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-85480661887474286372011-07-18T21:59:00.000+01:002011-07-18T21:59:02.571+01:00Dead flyToday I haven't done very much, I washed up, tidied the kitchen, tidied a bit more of the dining room and put stuff away. As I was putting some stuff away in my craft room, I spotted a dead fly with legs akimbo on the windowsill right next to my macro lens. It would have been impolite not to take some macro shots of it really wouldn't it?! So I set my tripod up and loaded on my macro lens. I love macro photography and bugs especially. Bonus I had a captive (dead) subject! So a short but sweet entry from me today, here is the product of my day...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nxLZ-ymnYok/TiSeU90puuI/AAAAAAAAABo/X6UVmko_6LM/s1600/Fly+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nxLZ-ymnYok/TiSeU90puuI/AAAAAAAAABo/X6UVmko_6LM/s320/Fly+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0Da0rAAH8/TiSeVtEiCQI/AAAAAAAAABs/GqxvgNYBA2g/s1600/Fly+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu0Da0rAAH8/TiSeVtEiCQI/AAAAAAAAABs/GqxvgNYBA2g/s320/Fly+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Now buzz off!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-48292109774014559992011-07-17T16:20:00.001+01:002011-07-17T16:21:51.407+01:00Egyptian cotton...Oh yes, in my quest for the perfect bathroom today I bought some lovely Egyptian cotton towels.<br />
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But before that we went to the tile shop to buy our tiles for the floor and feature wall in the bathroom. The original floor tiles we liked came in at nearly £600. Eek! So as much as we liked them we were not prepared to spend that much money on floor tiles even though they matched the bathroom cabinetry. Instead we found some HUGE matt black porcelain tiles which were just the ticket and less than half the price. The original wall tiles we liked for the feature wall I decided I'd gone off the idea of as they were too metallic and not black enough. I also thought that the pattern might date the room so we opted for plain black matt rectagular tiles. The floor and wall tiles came in at £100 less than just the original floor tiles, I was much happier with that, and thought black plain tiles would be great against the white patterned tiles we bought for the other 3 walls. The white tiles look like this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H5QFFonEfks/TiL7IuR3BSI/AAAAAAAAABg/Mi--NPsidf4/s1600/5946614344_ede0984a82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H5QFFonEfks/TiL7IuR3BSI/AAAAAAAAABg/Mi--NPsidf4/s320/5946614344_ede0984a82.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So I thought that they could look busy enough without a contrasting pattern on the other wall. Anyway the tiles are being ordered and will be ready on Thursday to pick up.<br />
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Then, onto the towels! As the bathroom will be black and white with dark wood cabinetry, silver blinds and chrome fixtures, I needed a splash of colour with the towels. I dont really go for the matching towel set look when everything is the same colour, I prefer different colours that compliment each other. We already have two oversized bath sheets in lime and lavender so I thought I needed different colours that would compliment them. I ended up with these.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wz_T2X6iPyY/TiL7JOk2GYI/AAAAAAAAABk/S5E583mbTls/s1600/5946615208_0ef5723cc9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wz_T2X6iPyY/TiL7JOk2GYI/AAAAAAAAABk/S5E583mbTls/s320/5946615208_0ef5723cc9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
They are really lovely, I love the colours and they're so fluffy! I also bought a chrome shower tidy to put the shampoos and shower gel bottles in. I'm already living it and in my mind I'm in the new bathroom, soaking up the atmosphere!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-27819452207706002782011-07-16T21:19:00.002+01:002011-07-16T21:24:41.807+01:00Garden and bathroom doings, plus.....Bad day for back ache, great day for garden and bathroom progress!<br />
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I woke up with a really bad aching back and knee, not a good start. It was raining outside and looking pretty grim. John had invited a local plumber around to price up ripping out the old and fitting in a new bathroom for us. He measured up, we told him what we wanted, he said he would email us with his quote. We told him we had the bathroom on order and needed a couple of weeks notice for them to deliver, he was happy with that. All good stuff.<br />
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So the rain eventually gave up and some blue sky and sunshine turned up around lunchtime, John was determined to finish off the flower bed we started in the garden. It needed the weed fabric laying and gravel on top. So in blustery wind we put the fabric down and ran out with about a metre to go, I had to go out to buy more. John made a start in bringing the gravel up from the drive to the garden and into the bed. I got back with more fabric and he continued tipping gravel in whilst I raked it out. This was work in progress.<br />
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After a load more gravel (a ton in total) and a lot more raking and arranging, we finished. I placed 3 ornamental balls in the gravel to finish it off and we ended up with this.<br />
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I'm really pleased with the outcome and its a huge tick off the garden to do list. The lawn is in desperate need of mowing and it really shows against this neat flower bed now!<br />
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Part two of the great day was the quote we had from the plumber for the bathroom work, very favourable compared to previous quotes we've had, so we were going to tell him the job was his if he wanted it. We needed to sort out delivery (and payment) first, so headed off to the bathroom shop. We paid up and they said they would deliver on 26th July which was great. Woo hoo! We were on the way to realising an actual new bathroom. John emailed the plumber, telling him of the delivery date and he can work around that and hopes to take a couple of days to rip out and take the wall down, then a week to fit it all out. We shall have a new bathroom before we go away on holidays. Oooh, this has been months in the planning and I seriously cannot wait to take my first shower in there! The only things we needed to sort out was buying the towel radiator and floor and feature wall tiles. I've ordered the towel radiator and valves from a place in North Wales, and tomorrow we shall toddle off to the tile shop to buy the tiles we need.<br />
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Now then, as an added extra to the day, my plus is.......... I've registered for another Photomarathon! Yay, I had a fabulous day doing the Cardiff Photomarathon in June and an online friend sent me a link to one that's being set up in Newport on 28th August <a href="http://www.newportphotomarathon.com/">www.newportphotomarathon.com</a> I'm available, it's for a good cause as the proceeds are going to the Cystic Fibrosis charity and hey, it'll be a great day! I'm really looking forward to it and what a bonus to end my great day on.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-27510948961264065882011-07-15T20:56:00.000+01:002011-07-15T20:56:20.521+01:00Back ache and lethargyThat's how I felt today, I went to my aqua class and just couldn't do very much as my back was aching and my calf muscles were in agony. I was so disappointed as I really get a lot out of those classes. Anyway after class, I popped to the travel agent to book our car parking at the airport for when we go on holibobs.<br />
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I managed to send off an email to the training funding bods with my evidence to back up my application and John came home to tell me that the school he applied for a job at want him for an interview next Wednesday! Oh I really do hope he gets the job.<br />
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Back ache and lethargy, that was today in a nutshell.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-84293765625179107872011-07-14T21:25:00.000+01:002011-07-14T21:25:18.506+01:00Catch up, lunch and drivingA good day, a very good day. First thing was picking my mate and her hubby up from Bristol airport. They left their car at ours and I picked them up in it so they could drive back home themselves. As a thank you they very kindly paid for lunch for me at the rather lovely Chandlery restaurant in town, which I've been eager to try out for a while. It was delish! Goats cheese bruschetta, pork and black pudding mousse with potato champ on braised cabbage, and finally rice pudding with mango sorbet. Oooh it was lovely, and we had a lovely catch up with all sorts of gossip!<br />
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Then the next highlight was my driving assessment, which didn't go as badly as I thought and left me with lots to think about and a few tips as to how things work these days. Times have changed and there are certainly different ways of driving compared to how I was taught 21 years ago! So after that, speaking with my instructor, who said he would offer me a job if I passed and speaking on the phone to another instructor in Cardiff who insisted there was a great market out there for female instructors and even more so for those willing to teach people on Automatics, I will compose my email to the training funding people with my case put forward to justify them stumping up the cash. I feel less despondent now and much more positive about it all. Yay!Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-865681241730340460.post-14793111464959333652011-07-13T21:02:00.000+01:002011-07-13T21:02:01.096+01:00Feeling deflatedThe day started off quite well, I went to aqua class, bought some salad for lunch, then popped my repeat prescription in to the doctors, posted a letter and went to the Post Office to post Johns job application to a new school. All seemed well. Then the post arrived and in it was a letter from the training funding bods, saying I have to jump through hoops before they will fund my ADI course and if I wanted to change my mind and follow another career path they'd prefer if I did that instead. I have to prove I've done market research to make sure there is a need for driving instructors in my area (my reasoning is the need for female instructors). I have to complete all 3 parts of the course within a year and they seem to think that I won't (my instructor and I want this done and dusted by the end of this year so 6 months tops), and they ask that my instructor is in agreement with being paid after all the training is completed and not before (which he is). So I felt deflated.<br />
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I've spoken to one national driving school regarding the need for female instructors, and they state there is a need. My instructor also said there is a need for more females as only 10% of instructors are female. So I phoned two local driving schools today for info. One has to get back to me as I left a message, the other was helpful in saying they have 12 instructors and 2 are female. They said there is a need for more female instructors but like any other business, things are slow due to the recession, but things are picking up. Anyway, I still feel deflated. I wonder if it's worth it at all, trying to qualify and set up a business.<br />
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My mind then started to wander, and I had thoughts of buying a little property and renting it out, seeing what being a landlord is like. I had all sorts of ideas going on in my head, I even looked on Rightmove at properties and what rental values are. I'd love a project to get my teeth stuck into. Argh! what to do? I really am wondering what to do for the best, I don't want to work in an office, please don't make me do that again. I'm in turmoil and maybe need to do more research into things. I hate uncertainty and I hate doubting myself.Abbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09572018929691482303noreply@blogger.com0