Hooray!

Early post today as I’m spending my lunch hour looking for a new book.

We received a letter over the weekend confirming that Godzooky 2 has been accepted at the school, so that’s a major relief. There were 79 kids competing for 45 places, so there are going to be some unhappy parents out there.

The worrying thing is that we have to do it all again in a couple of years with number 3!

This could be a big week news wise, as I’m supposed to hear about my job re-evaluation appeal this week.

I’m hoping all the good news hasn’t been used up….

I’m back on track

I think.

 I had a brief wobble about whether to continue blogging, but I think after almost 3 years I’ve surprised myself at my dedication to posting crap here, and why stop now?

The lack of visitors inspires me to make this more personal now though, so this may well become a sentimental load of clap trap, designed to aid my memory in my dotage.

This week my trip down memory lane will be about the advent of new roads. Mainly because of the road trips I took last weekend.

The journey to my birthplace has been called the longest cul-de-sac in Britain. There is one main road in and out of the place.

Over the years (now decades, eeek!) of travelling up and down there, I’ve come to know this road like the back of my hand.

I’ve always loved driving it, with twists and turns in the road making it a real driving experience. Of course there have been down sides too, such as day trippers not knowing their way around, the fact that you could get stuck for miles behind a tractor or caravan, but that’s all part of it’s charm.

There is shortly going to be a new section of road opening. bypassing some small hamlets and villages.

This will undoubtedly shorten the journey time and should mena no more getting stuck behind the aforementioned tractors and caravans.

But, for me a little of the magic of the journey will disappear, being stuck on a dull section of road, rather than the twists and dips of the old road.

I do love driving around the local countryside there, with some magical views and scenery unleashed at certain bends and crests of the road.

Last weekend we drove back to Grandma Zilla’s via a coastal road, and the variety of the scenery was breath taking at times. Rolling hills on one side and the sun reflecting off the sea on the other.

I never used to appreciate such simple pleasures, but I’m grateful that I do now.

I feel slightly adrift

at the moment.

I could do with re-focusing on things I think….

Time slip

a long weekend seemed to morph into a short one.

Despite the forecast of major snow, little was forthcoming where we were, at least none that settled.

Friday saw us travel to Grandma Zilla’s and do battle with the bank holiday traffic.

Saturday we drove across the country, from one coast to another. The road we needed had just been re-opened thankfully.

It’s nice to take Grandma Zilla over to see her sisters, and there’s the added bonus of getting to watch a football match too!

The weather was freezing though, and I was literally shivering during parts of the match. The intermittent snow showers also made seeing parts of the match tricky, with the far end of the ground sometimes impossible to see.

It’s a long day travelling over there, with over 5 hours of driving involved, but it feels worth it when everyone has a smile on their face.

All too soon it’s back to work though.

I’m still here

having been told that I have to roll my outstanding holidays into next year.

So I’ve got over 40 days holiday to shoe horn into next year now.

I’ve just been informed that my job evaluation appeal should be communicated to me sometime around the 31st of this month. More bad news to look forward to probably.

In the short term I’m going to enjoy the long weekend and hopefully have some fun. There may even be a chance of that damn elusive snow, we’ll be travelling high over the Pennine hills, and that’s where I saw my first snow.

I’m hoping to be more upbeat after this break….

Whirlwind

due to my lack of knowledge as to whether I finish today for a week and a half, I am assuming that I need to get lots of vital stuff done today.

I may therefore not be posting till the 31st March, or I may still be here after the long bank holiday weekend, Don’t you just love Good Friday and Easter Monday?

The weekend is seeing us traverse the country again to pick up Grandma Zilla and visit relatives in the North East.

It’s also my 7th wedding anniversary this weekend, although perhaps the less said about that the better….

Piss ups in breweries

I’m really not sure that where I work could organise one.

We’ve got lots of problems at the moment: a new team member joining hasn’t helped, but our year end is just around the corner, looming like an unfriendly bouncer at the door of the month end.

Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get all my holidays used up. I have 10 days left to take from this year’s entitlement, although I can carry 5 forward to the new year.

So I have to fit in 5 days before the month end, even though I’ve got a million and one things to do in the meantime. Friday and Monday next week are Bank Holidays, so that leaves 7 days to fit the 5 holidays into. Eeek.

Things could get interesting around here.

Ouch!

I had a little mishap yesterday, whilst going down stairs to stop the eldest two Godzookies fighting I managed to slice the bottom of my foot open.

 On the plus side, my curses stopped the fighting promptly, however I now have a limp like Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy.

I don’t like to make a fuss about such things; probably why I’m at work today.

Musical memories

first in a new possible series: songs that take me back to a certain time or place.

No.1: Star Trekkin’ by The Firm.

Not a song I bought myself, although it is now in our household on an 80s compilation CD.

This takes me back to my 6th Form days – being 17 and studying for A Levels.

We had 6th Form “Socials” which were basically an excuse to get drunk and have a laugh. Sometimes they took the form of beach parties, but sometimes they were more formal events.

This song takes me back to one we had in a local hotel. Everyone dressed up for the occaision, so it was almost prom-like.

We had coaches to take us to the hotel, a reasonable meal and then a disco to follow.

I remember Star Trekkin’ being played as one girls strapless dress slipped down, giving everyone an eyeful of her assets.

I’m glad she got drunk quickly, as had it happened later in the evening my memory would be far hazier!

This was also the evening when my legendary lack of confidence caused me a major regret.

I’d had an interest in a certain girl around this time, but was never self-assured enough to ask her out, I merely admired from afar.

The coaches on the way home were either under or oversubscribed with people, depending on who had got off with who, or who wanted to sit with who.

As a result the one I was one had a shortage of seats. I’d bagged myself a window seat though and was feeling very smug.

The object of my affections appeared and didn’t have a seat. She asked me if she could sit on my knee, to which I stuttered agreement.

Now in the cold light of day and applying what little common sense I do possess I should have realised that this meant she liked me.

Why not sit on the knee of someone in an aisle seat, or with a girl friend of hers?

Simple questions which have an obvious answer.

Not for me that night. She sat on my knee all the way home and I made no move on her what so ever, thinking her way out of my league and totally disinterested in me.

I cannot imagine what was going through her mind. Probably every little insecurity she had ever imagined became real to her. Why wasn’t I making a move on her?

Sometimes I can be a complete idiot, and that night was certainly one of them. The shame of it and the shame of such a missed opportunity.

If only I could turn back the clock….  

Good news

from the parents’ evening. Apart from Godzooky 1’s handwriting, there were glowing reports.

The only down side is not knowing whether Godzooky 2 will get admitted to the school in September.

They are heavily oversubscribed, and having an older sibling already there is apparently no guarantee of getting a place!

I do find certain aspects of this rather strange: it’s a faith school, a Church of England one. The ties to the church are therefore very strong.

There appear to be an awful lot of Asian families who have converted to be C of E and coupling this with the huge influx of migrant workers it was always bound to put a strain on the (well performing) school’s ability to accept new students.

I’m not sure what will happen if she doesn’t get a place, we may have to move both her and Godzooky 1 to another school…