Thank You Flowers

From Pip and Liam -  beautiful spring flowers.

Pip & Liam Move House

Today was Pip and Liam's moving day. It rained all the way there but stopped just after we arrived. We arrived at around 8.00 - Pip was just getting up after a night out. Shaun arrived just after us with a van - luckily there was room for both vehicles in front of their old place. I packed boxes with Pip's help while the others started moving stuff down. The bed caused a problem as it wouldn't come apart - so Shaun used a little percussion therapy on it!
We were ready to drive over to the new house about 1.00 - it took a while! Sam and I got stuck behind a protest march! We walked round the corner and had lunch in a little cafe to revive us - £25.00 for us all to eat and have a drink - Sam paid.
Once we arrived at the new flat it was an effort to carry everything upstairs as we were all a little weary by this stage in the day - but we did it! I helped Pip make up the bed - slight hitch as bedding is too small for the new bed but we made it fit the best we could - at least they have somewhere to collapse onto now! We left Pip and Liam to unpack and arrange their things - Liam wanted to clean the kitchen as evidence of mice had been spotted! The weather smiled on us with even some sunshine - and just one short shower of rain!
Shaun left for home at about 4.30and we left at 4.45  - we were home just before 5.30 so that was good. Shaun arrived just after and we unloaded the bits Pip and Liam want to store / dispose of into the garage.
Sam and I were both shattered after a very busy day!

New TV

We have a new TV - eventually!

Sam has been very productive selling things on Amazon and Ebay that we don't use any more - games, projector, home plugs, my old, refurbished laptop and a few other bits. She raised enough money to buy the TV with - and we have some extra bits to sell that we will buy a sound bar with to go with the TV.

Sam ordered the TV on Amazon - a Sony 3d HD all singing one that is big enough for our living room. Amazon told us it would arrive on Tuesday. Sam and I were both home on Monday as it was a snow day for us both - and apparently City Link tried to deliver the TV then - a day early and without us or the dogs hearing them or them putting a card through the door! We didn't know this until Tuesday evening after I got home from work and found a card through the door from City Link saying they had tried to deliver it while I was out. I tried to rearrange delivery but was unable to do it on line - so I rang to speak to a person! This person told me I couldn't have it redelivered without authorisation from Amazon as they had already tried to deliver twice. The person emailed me a photo of our front door to show that they had been - although this could have been taken on Tuesday!

After some negotiation the person at City Link said she would arrange for the TV to be redelivered the next day - Wednesday, my day off! At about 10.00 I checked the tracking and our TV showed as still in the warehouse. I rang City Link again - and got a different person. He aid he would ring the delivery site and find out if our TV was on a vehicle - it wasn't! He couldn't explain why but just said it had not been loaded despite being on the delivery list. I was not best pleased!

My next move was to ring Amazon and speak to someone there. I got a very nice man who spoke to City Link and told them they would have to deliver the TV after 1.30 on Friday. I finish work at 1.00 so that should give me time to be home before they arrive - guess what? They arrived early! Luckily I had managed to leave work at 12.30 so when I got in at 12.45 the delivery man was just walking away from the house. I shouted to him and he told me I was lucky I had caught him. When I said Amazon had arranged delivery for after 1.30 he told me City Link don't do timed deliveries!

After all the hassle we are very pleased with the new TV and watched our first 3D film on it - Hugo, which was very enjoyable!

Draught Excluder

I made a draught excluder today from a rectangle of upholstery fabric (50p from charity shop) and stuffing from an old, clean pillow. Even with the door curtain there was a breeze coming under the door so this should help keep us toasty!

Home Alone

Sam has gone to Southampton in the car for work - she dropped me off this morning at Pastures Way Nursery, then drove to Southampton - it took a while for her to get there, not because of snow but volume of traffic.
She is staying in a hotel overnight and having dinner at her colleagues home
I walked home after work - it took me about half hour, not bad in all the snow. I am home alone this evening with the dogs for company. I have never minded being in the house on my own - I know some people hate it.
Sam will be home at some point tomorrow - I will pop the slow cooker on with a nice lamb shank in it and some vegetables, so whatever time she gets in dinner will be ready.
A few flakes of snow have just started falling - I hope it will just be a sprinkle we really have had enough snow now!

Snow Day!

I got up to go to work and had planned to walk in as roads looked icy. Before I could leave I had a message to say that the Nursery and Children's Centre were closed today - so no work for me! Pixel and I walked down to the station with Sam. Casey stayed at home as she has hurt her leg and is feeling very sorry for herself - we think she must have slipped on the snow.
We got back from the station and I cleared the paths - before I had finished Sam rang to say she had got as far as Radlett but the train was so delayed she was coming home. She was back in the house before 10.30 and working from home - good old hosted desktop! Pixel got a bonus walk back down to the station much to his delight!
There are a few flakes of snow coming down as I write this - so we shall see what the morning brings!

Contrasts

I have been reading Vickie's blog and they are having really hot weather in Mandurah and we are having such low temperatures that we are leaving the heating on 24/7. What a contrast! It is great that Vickie is blogging regularly again - I have missed the updates on life in Oz!

And the snow continues.....

We have had even more snow today - on top of the heavy fall we had on Friday. The main roads are pretty clear still - but the side roads are not so good. Sam and I walked the dogs up to PC World as we needed to get printer ink. They both enjoyed the walk very much. Sam has been playing snowballs with them both in the garden - Casey keeps looking for the supply of snowballs she thinks Sam has hidden behind the bench!
The forecast is for more snow at the beginning of next week - I hope they are wrong!

Casey can jump!

Little snowy nose!

Catch Casey!

On the plus side the liquid plaster is still holding up on Pixel's ear - we added a bit more today before we went out for our walk - and all was fine on our return!

Poor Pixel

   

Pixel cut the edge of his ear before Christmas and it is taking forever to heal up. If it is cold or wet out he rubs round the carpet when we get back from a walk - knocking the scab off and making the ear bleed. He then shakes - spraying blood everywhere. The cold weather seems to have exacerbated this and the ear now bleeds every time he goes out in the cold. We have been putting his buster collar on to stop him rubbing or shaking the ear.

Casey didn't find it funny at all

Vickie suggested we try 'liquid plaster' - which we bought from the pharmacy this morning. Sam painted some on and so far it seems to be working - he has been outside and no further bleeding!

More Snow

We had another fall of snow today - much heavier than at the beginning of the week. It had been forecast and was exactly as they said. The snow snow started at about 9.00 am and fell steadily until around 4.00. Sam left work about an hour early to make sure she could get home safely. The dogs had fun again playing together in the snow.

     

New Home for Pip and Liam

Pip and Liam have been given notice on the their current flat and have secured a new property in Palmers Green.
It looks realy nice and has good transport links - which some of the other properties they had been looking at didn't have!

They should be moved in by the end of the month.

Snow!

We had snow overnight - just a dusting but there was a further fall this morning and more forecast for tonight. The dogs had fun playing in it this morning!

Photography Session

Sam, the two dogs and I went for a photography session today at Venture Photography in Northampton. It was a fun session lasting about an hour and very informal. The dogs were very good and coped with the experience very well. This was a free session sent to us when we bought the Audi and gives us one free photograph - but I am sure when we go back next week for the viewing we will be encouraged to buy more!

Les Miserables

Sam and I went to see the new film of Les Miserables last night. We went for dinner first and as I had gone into town on the train we had jugs of cocktails too.
I enjoyed the film - Sam lost interest part way through as it was a little too long - if they had cut it down by about half an hour it would have been great. The singing was very good though and I would probably watch the DVD (as I could skip through the boring bits)! We caught the train home - it was a freezing cold night and we were glad we didn't have to wait for the train as it was already in the station.

Happy New Year

Happy 2013 to us all!