Val update

Al and her new friend Karis who has just moved a couple of doors down Settled in quick - shy girls aren't they

Many thanks for all your thoughts re Val and her best mate Arthur Righteous. News update is that she was a bit low last night as her back started to join in the fun. She doesn't have Arthur in the back it's just that she is putting pressure on various parts of the body compensating for the Arthur in the other bits!

Up to the hospital today for a bit of blood draining, she is a regular visitor (I heard they were going to get her her own desk and chair!). She had to see Maggie, her super nurse. Val asked about a cortisone (?) jab in the knee and explained why - no probs said Maggie. Needle inserted and - don't read this if you are eating - a whole clatter of yellow fluid withdrawn from said knee and replaced with cortisone. Although, I have been told, it is a bit eye watering, Val was chuffed to meatballs. Resting up now but, hopefully, should be getting back to, what we consider is normal, tomorrow.

Right time for our roving correspondents. Firstly comes Mr Brevity himself - HR.

"Hi All ; I hope that Val is feeling better now? It is cruel having all that pain inflicted on such a lovely person (and all those around her).

I have been watching some narrowboats moored next to the towpath of the Kennet and Avon canal which runs along the end of our garden. They were cutting up fallen-trees with a chainsaw and stocking up the boats. Must be really cosy. I don`t think you can beat the smell of things like birch when it burns.

Tried cooking Röstis yesterday. It was better than last time but still not good enough. I used "chefs rings" to pack the potato and onion into but discovered my fundamental error when I looked at some recipes on the internet, they all said "begin the day before you want to east it "!!I have been grating the potatoes raw when I should cook the potato first ! It is not a dire problem but the texture of the finished article will be completely different next time ! I made home-made hamburgers which ended up as meatballs (a bit like in a Turkish meze).

Next time I shall get the potatoes right and eat it all with a Greek salad ! Yum. Just in time for spring!"

I hope there is no one reading this who lives in a Birch house, might have a bit of a problem with your nasal fetish there me old mate!

Well. the "cook off" goes well with exotic dishes entering the fray. Talking about "cook off" it is now over to Ol' Brownfingers of East Anglia - Podga.

"Suffolk Sojourn 33/137.Now then - My first priority is to hope Val is OK, the pain is under control and sleepless nights are history. Such unwelcome distraction cannot be truly imagined, and my thoughts are with you. As there have been no blog entries since last week I do hope all is well.

Of much less consequence - sorry to see the Pilgrims were unlucky at Southampton - according to the write ups in the Times, Telegraph and Observer yesterday. (Yes, I take all week to ingest the Sunday papers). The short viewing on Match of the Day showed that it was all David James' fault! If you and Al had gone it would have been a frustrating journey home Paulie.

So - This time tomorrow night I will be at the Palace of the Tractor Boys to give a warm welcome to your brave lads - and then thrash them into submission and rise 5 points above them. I'll send you the Programme and local press cuttings, just to rub it in.

Meanwhile, Man Utd march on in the Cup - and have been drawn to host Leon's Gunners. Methinks another Man U. vs Chelsea Final in May. (By the way - where are you Leon? -Nothing heard of late)

In haste - but again - I do hope you're OK Val. Loadsa love from us both.Blue Skies! "

Geography never was Podgas strong point. Just be thankful there was always a navigator in those planes he used to jump out of. But, be fair, he was close. PORTSMOUTH is fairly close to Southampton.

Reminds me of the time I was in Pompey recruiting office and we had a load of stuff delivered to us that was addressed to Plymouth CIO. I rang MOD and asked them what they wanted us to do with it. The reply? "Oh sorry about that, could you drop it off next time you are over there?"

The two largest naval towns in the UK and MOD didn't know you don't just pop over from one to the other!!! How the hell do we win any wars?

As for tonight Podga me old cocksparrow - we shall see.

Ground control to Leon. Busy times I hope for you, get that bank balance building. Arsenal look to be leaving their second cup competion within a couple of weeks according to some.

On a different note. Sister Clare is currently touring the US of A drumming up work. You sock it to 'em gal. When you get a decent Internet connection you can have a read, just saying Hiya to both.

You all be careful on them streets.

OK 2008 - I submit!

What have I done to 2008 I ask myself. Firstly we had the Header Tank fiasco, closely followed by the Demise of Daisy. Now what I hear you ask.

Got a call from Val whilst I was in work on Friday. She was in agony. A Flare Up had hit her.

Long story short. The flare up hit whilst she was downstairs on the sofa. Once she gets hit by one then she stays wherever it hits. So Friday night Val had to try to sleep sitting up as when we tried to get her to lay down (about a 10 minute exercise) she was in pain (lots of). Tried it a bit but it failed so had to sit her up again. Another 10 minutes and a lot of pain. Numb bum kicks in so she has to try to move, each time - yep you guessed it - pain.

The Doc came out and upped her steroids and painkillers but it still takes time to take effect. Val was hoping for a jab (cortisone?) as she has had that in the past. Eventually the feet, ankles, left knee, elbows and hands relented a bit, unfortunately the right knee decided to carry on. It is now Monday evening, luckily Ches was not on duty today so she was able to stay the day.

Friday night I was on Al's put up on the front room floor. Val was awake most of the night and it was not fun. Got a bit better on Saturday and with a lot of pushing, pulling and pain (for Val) we got her up the stairs to bed (via the loo!!!) Saturday afternoon.

She is now able to get down the stairs with walking stick and taking it very slowly, so that's a bonus. She can drink without having the cup/glass held and sucking through a straw (we have a stock of plastic ones for this very eventuality!). Reminds me of a story about straws and drinking!! Later methinks.

I will have to ring in work tomorrow and give it a miss as I am not happy leaving Val alone all day. Even though her condition has improved, she still couldn't go down and make a cuppa for example. Couldn't get back up and wouldn't be able to lift the kettle!!

Oh isn't arthritis fun!!!!

On the positive side Podga and HR have both been busy. I think we may be going for a "cook off" with our two "chefs"- I am happy to judge lads!!!

Podga wrote first so over to Blue (I am not really a Tractor Boy) Skies
"Suffolk Sojourn 32/137. Hello Playmate - I wondered what had happened to you - the header tank trilogy explained all. Hope it is all under control now - although HR's ramblings in retrospect seem to have confused the issue. Sounds like he would have just emptied a couple of magazines into it - after creeping up in the dark (or was that computer fixology?) Anyway - glad the chutney went down well. Sales were astronomical, and I only have one jar left, which is being kept for posterity (For a maxi comparison session in the future - with the Sep 01, Oct 03, Sep 04, and Miss Belinda's Nov 06).
In your excitement you forgot to mention whether Al got her pounds' worth as your boys dispatched Hull out of the cup. I hope you both enjoyed a worthy result. Tractor Boy's are still 2 points above Pilgrims however - let's see what this weekend brings. Please note, by the way, that my affinity with Ipswich FC is purely geographical and a distraction owing to your unerring support for the Pilgrims. If in different leagues I wouldn't be bothering - honest. Meanwhile -Onwards and Upwards Tractor Boys. My true loyalty (since 1961) is with Man U. Eat your heart out Leon and the faltering Gunners.
So glad that Ches is enjoying her new vocation and obviously enjoying it. And sorry to hear of Daisy's sad demise - I hope Al has come through OK - big kiss for her from CT.
Has work resumed on the Hall/Stairs/Landing yet? Careful on that ladder Paulie - helmet and yellow vest remember.
Finally - is HR issuing some kind of culinary challenge with major descriptions of his menu triumphs? Watch this space for Sunday Lunch with a difference when my Parent's in Law come this w/e - my own recipe Potted Shrimps followed by Suffolk Pork etc and then Apricot Millefeuille. Pig Out !!!! Blue Skies Paulie and love to all. "

Quick answer to the big question is that Val had planned to resume "Operation Hall" this past weekend, unfortunately the Universe decided otherwise. Have to put the big ladder up for the next stage so hard hat might be needed. I have one in work along with H&S hard boots!!

Al loved Argyle (as always) good game a great result. Shame half our team seems to be leaving, one is even rumoured to be heading to Tractor land - why? Money I suppose, certainly not better football or a shot at the Premiership!!!!

Now it is the turn of HR aka (yep he must have got jealous of Podga aka Blue Skies aka Brownfingers!) Brevity. Cook off fella's.

" Start here. Is now a good time to say that Dad took me to see the Canaries play Stoke City at Norwich when Stanley Matthews was in the team (and was not yet Sir Stanley)? Still don`t know who won !!
Ref Daisy: make sure you buried the right one Paul ! Is Al accounted for? Be suspicious if the burial mound is bigger than your average hamster! Finally : thanks for the gen on the TV Rabbit. I had hoped it was a keen girlfriend ! End here !!"

And now I hand over to Brevity!!

"Paul you were supposed to precis my emails not chuck my ramblings on the blog then blame me for verbosity ! That's cheating.
Start Here. From now on I shall restrict my input to "the weather in Devizes was crap today"
PS changed name by deed-poll to "Brevity" End here."

Oops sorry Brevity, finger slipped and the bit before Start Here sneaked in!!!! I didn't know you were a supporter of that superior team in East Anglia. A Canary man heh? Maybe I should stop using Russian red and go for Canary yellow???? I too was taken to see Stoke City by my old man, Argyle won 2-1 as I recall. The start of a love affair with Home Park. Did you know that Pele also came a cropper at Home Park, he visited with Santos and they left defeated by the Mighty Greens.

Time to get tea down before the Soccer starts. Liverpool and Aston Villa I believe. Still, I suppose I will have to put up with a lower standard of football compared to the Mighty Greens.

Al and I were hoping to get to Pompey for the cup match. Looks unlikely now due to ticket demand. Latest plan is for a bunch of us from work (and Al) to head to Bristol City in March. Val and Ches (if she isn't on duty) will drop off at IKEA. Got to ask Gray and Sandra if they are interested and Lin, if you are reading this, Val hasn't forgotten you. We might get a convoy going!!

I wonder what Leon is cooking up for us!! (Well I thought it was funny)

made the mistake of asking HR to comment

On Sunday I made the error of asking HR to comment. Well, I got four e-mails last night. Not sure at this point if they are all going to appear below but have a read.

"Hiya , I have just watched the planet saved by men in black 2 and so I can relax ! I am glad Ches is happy in her new job; she looks a wonderful daughter, always smiling that lovely smile. I went shooting (the .22) on Saturday and found out the chap who shoots beside me every weekend is an ex vampire/meteor photo-recce pilot! and later ,an Air Trafficker !! He was in 2 Sqn before my Dad was ! It was a lovely day out ( I have not been shooting since before Xmas) and the weather was stunning. The range in a conservation area and it is lovely driving through the woods with all their colours. Today I played around on the internet,reading up on history and WW2 things then fiddled with the two larger rifles ( I am hoping the FAC will come back next week then at last I can shoot targets with them!). I will have to drive to Northampton to buy collect the ammunition for them both. I read a bit more of my book on the history of sniping,which is important because I have to keep the ability to read going. I have to stop my mind wandering that is the main thing! I have about four books to get through and there is a heck of a lot in them. They are all historical , and I find that it leads onto more as I go along. I also read a web item on a Russian WW" fighter pilot; it was fascinating.
In the afternoon I roasted a meal for us all ;with a turkey crown,sweet potatoes,normal potato,carrot,leek and parsnip. I wrapped the turkey in bacon and (cos I forgot to put it inside) I put some old Stilton on top. It was delicious ! I made some gravy with a few of the roasted leeks in it and added some frozen veg as a balance to the roasted stuff. It was delicious. Lee is reheating some of it now so it doesn`t get wasted and goes a long way!! I had better trot and read the blog. Have fun , and be good. Love to all."

"Hi , just read the beginning of the blog and am going back in a tick. Had to comment on your header tank repair: That's straight-forward engineering and fault-finding you have done there Paul. Any tech would be proud of you (I am ) ! you did the :
go in and look at it.
Fiddle with everything.
Think about it.
Go away and think some more,
go back fiddle again and especially with anything you missed the first time and then ......"bingo" ............it begins working !
Technical things know when to give up ....and it did.
If it had been a PC you would have had to sneak up on it in the dark and power it down:
then rip out any , or all the boards and replace them (only one board at a time or you are in for deep problems !).
What you must never do with a faulty PC is
a. approach it with the lights on.or subsequently or during the repair....
b. comment to a friend (when in "earshot" of the PC) that the PC seems to be working fine now."

"Aha , just read the rest ! If in doubt shout "mayday" . I managed to put six neat holes in one of my central heating pipes some time ago now. Didn`t realise until I went downstairs and heard the "pat pat pat" on the top of the TV next to me !! Good thing you had cover.
I had my boiler go out (due to a blocked pipe further along) and they said that I would have an engineer come to me on the Tuesday (it was Friday and damn cold). I would have been OK if I had had a baby or an old-age pensioner though. Good to know that paying the same fee-we can get the same service ! I used to have all the insurances but have cancelled all but the gas now because : they condemned my cooker (no spares) and mucked up a light switch (the lad was leaving to be a priest so that's all right then ,the tosser !!)."

"START HERE I rely on your seasoned editing skills Paul, to decide what is worth putting in the blog. As a Clerk Sec (see I remembered) and Engraver Extraordinaire I trust your judgement. END HERE. I shall try to put it in chunks from now on though, I suppose I ought to or it will wear you out!! I thought that , since you know the others better than I , you would take out whatever might interest them and blog it, whilst discarding the remainder.
PS what is a TV Rabbit and who are the Tractor Boys?"

See what I mean, and this is the edited version. He is OK with Russian but completely thrown by TV Rabbit and Tractor Boys!! Sit still and concentrate Robert. I shall explain.

TV Rabbit. A device that you attach to a TV in point to transmit the signal to elsewhere in the house. Attach another to the receiving TV and you get to watch your favourite programmes in a different room without the problem of wiring.

Tractor Boys. A pretend Football Team from some remote spot in the East Anglian area. Hated by supporters of Norwich City and, not sure why, supported by the otherwise sensible Blue Skies. Can you guess?

I started as a Clerk Sec and ended as a Personal Administrator via P&A Clerk. But dead impressed that HR remembered. I now need a cup of tea. But .........

Before I go it is with great regret that I have to report the passing on of Daisy. Al's 11 week old Hamster. I am sure you will understand the pain this causes a nine year old. Daisy was buried in our back "garden" beside a Buddha last night. RIP.

Happy New Year

Well, I was gobsmacked when I signed on to find that this is the first post Christmas posting. Doesn't time fly at a ridiculous pace nowadays.

I am currently knackered. I have had a problem with my header tank over the past couple of weeks in so much that it has been dripping away at the overflow. Up to the loft a couple of times to check out. Pull off ballcock etc. Normal things. Yesterday morning went up and tried to bend the bar supporting the ballcock (as per my Readers Digest DIY manual). Ran my fingers around the intake valve to make sure nothing was sticking. All of a sudden bubbles from the boiler vent pipe. Everything then stopped dripping and all seemed fine. Fixed by me messing and not sure what I was doing. Happy with that.

Last night having watched Match of the Day opened the back door to let Holly out for last pee. Water pouring out of said overflow.

Added complication was Ches on duty last night and Al around here with a friend on sleepover. After DVD's and talking all night they finally went to sleep. There I was in the loft above them with my headtorch fixed in place and too my horror finding the tank full of warm water!! Danger sign methinks as it is normally freezing cold. Everything I tried was unsuccessful. Decide to head to bed to see if the pouring was caused just because the heating had just turned off. Half two this morning up to find warm water pouring out of overflow into back yard.

Out came the British Gas heating cover to check if I could call them. Relief then try to find the number as the emergency number stuck in beside the boiler no longer work. Long story short, British Gas called. Told them what was happening. Not an emergency just a pain so engineer booked for today.

Very capable engineer out about 10 this morning and nearly two hours later all checked and fixed. Very pleased we took out the heating system cover I can tell you.

Of course I had to get up early - not that I was asleep - 7.45 up and outside with my hand under the overflow with hot water still pouring out!!!!

Al's friend, Nicola, had to see her dad today. That took us three attempts due to communication failure, then Al's other friend, Levi, came around. No guesses who was the taxi driver.

On top of all this Val decided that the Wii should be relocated to Al/Cheryls room/ our spare room. So out to Comet to get a piece of kit to enable me to connect Video, DVD, Playstation, TV rabbit and a Wii to one telly. Now all done. On top of that Ches finished work at 15.00 (having started 15.00 yesterday) and she rang up asking when dinner was going to be ready. No prizes for guessing who is chief cook in our house!!

Now this is a normal day in my life - so you see why there has been no posting since Christmas!!!

So on that note over to Blue skies for his New Year message.

"Suffolk Sojourn 31/137. Well then - that was Christmas and New Year - all gone and back to reality now. Looks like a fine time was had by all at 122 - fine foto's Paulie. Here in Suffolk we hosted my Folks and my daughter Sarah (Squeeze) for the duration. Good food and Fine wine - all prepped and presented with immaculate timing by Miss Belinda - no-one was allowed in the kitchen, even for the washing up! A triumph all round. Mind you the menu's were all sorted by the beginning of Dec. and you've never seen such a precise shopping list. I just decanted the wine!Anyway, glad the Chutney arrived safely and was enjoyed by all and sundry - told you it was good!As for Pilgrims/Tractor Boys/Gunners and Man U. Well done Pilgrims in the Cup - now they meet Portsmouth (who put out the Tractor Boys). Feverish text prediction to Leon on Gunners/Burnley tie as they kicked off (Burnley to win 2-1) was my undoing. As for Utd - onwards and upwards in Premier and Cup. Tractor Boys are still sitting enticingly above the Pilgrims in the Championship - will be interesting here at Portman Rd on Tue 29th.So - that completes the voting from the Luxembourg Jury. A bountiful and rewarding 2008 to all your readers, and especially to you and your tribe Paulie.Blue Skies "

As far as the mighty Green Army is concerned I am afraid loyalty from the players is getting us down to platoon strength! The transfer window has seen richer (or more debt ridden) clubs poach our playing staff. We don't have a sugar daddy down here so the money has to come from the Clubs commercial side and the paying public. We just cannot compete against the big wage payers. Ah well, current plan is to go to the Pompey match. Al wants to go to an away game and some guys from work are thinking about it.

I might take Al to a premier game one day - any thoughts about where we can go without mortgaging the house?

Really have to say it folks - the Chutney was mighty fine.

I have heard from HR. A nice long e-mail but I am not sure there is anything for publishing on a public site! I must get him to comment or at least put a bit in his e-mails that can be posted here! The words "start here" and "end here" would help stop confusion HR!!

Baby Sissy Clare busy in sunny NZ and Aussie, showing the locals how things should be done. Elder sissy Mary spent Christmas in Disney World USA. Will try to get her to say something for us all. Bro, Tony, is still plodding the beat in Aussie. No water it appears - we have loads here mate.

Well I am just about bushed. So goodnight one and all and I hope that my last 13 days isn't foretelling of life in 2008!