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November 30 Poorly sick......Leah has been off school all last week with a viral throat infection, and a cold etc, and on Friday, I started to feel a little bit icky!!!
 Got up yesterday, and felt like a cold was coming on: stuffy sinuses, tickly throat, etc, so started shovelling paracetamol down me neck.
Anyway, had a really rough night, last night, coughing, sneezing and up and down trying to get comfy as I couldn't breath!
So, this morning, I realised that as much as I had tried to avoid it, I had the lurgy!!!!!!!
As the day has gone on, I have realised that it is much, MUCH more than the lurgy.............................................................................................
I have MAN-FLU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im doomed, I tell you, DOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! November 26 Hmmm......been an eventful couple of days!!!
 Well, yesterday, the contracters turned up at 850am, and got started on taking the ceiling down. I wasn't going to stay sealed in, so I went out for the day.
Went to do a few errands, then over to my sister's while I waited for the ceiling to be done.
My phone has been playing up, saying that the phone memory was full, and data needed deleting to allow texts to come through. But I had deleted everything that could be deleted, and it was beginning to do my nut in!!!
 So my brother-in-law went onto the Nokia web site and had a browse for any known problems with the N95. And, sure enough, there was a common memory problem, like the one that I was having.
It said to solve the problem, a memory update was needed, and it had a link to do it.
So he plugged my phone in, and followed the instructions.
At the end of the update, my phone restarted itself, and to my horror, it had been completely wiped clean of all my numbers etc.!!!!!!
 Now, nowhere at all during the update, or in any of the instructions, did it say that you needed to back up everything on the phone!
I was gutted!!!! I had no written back up of most of my numbers, so I had to hope and pray that people would ring or text me!
Needless to say, my brother-in-law was not amused, either!!
So, now that I'm getting my numbers back, I am also writing them down, just like we used to in the good old days!!!
 Boy, we rely too much on technology!!!
Anyway, 2pm, my ceiling was cleared and the analyst had been to say that everything was clear. So I was left with an open ceiling, wires and pipes for all to see!!! With only a bit of damage to the wallpaper, which should be ok, providing that there is no more damage to it when the new ceiling goes in.
About 615pm, Dan was running a bath, as he had just got in from work, when he shouted that there was no hot water!
And I don't just mean that the water had run cold, no, there was literally no water coming out of the hot tap!!!!!
WTF!!
There was water in the cold taps, but the hot taps..... NOTHING!
Rang my brother-in-law, to ask if he could pop over and have a look.
He was puzzled! There seemed to be no reason for the water not being there!
So, on the phone to the council, only to be informed that not having hot water, was not classed as an emergency! But, as I have had lots of recent problems,(
), then they will send the plumber to check it out.He came about 20 minutes later, and after a bit of investigating, there seemed to be some kind of lever that had jammed shut in the water tank, and it was not letting the water through, and the tank was completely empty!!!!
OMG!! What more could possibly go on in this bloody house!!!???
Another problem sorted!
Was expecting the plasterer first thing today, to get started on the new ceiling, but it was 10am before he turned up, and his job sheet said.."ceiling repair"... so he was rather surprised to see that he needed to replace the FULL ceiling!!!! He was only expecting a little patch up!!
 So, he needed to go back to the depot, as he didn't have enough plasterboard with him!
1045am, and he was back, ready to get started, but he was given the job to do on his own, so he didn't get all the boards done until 345pm!!!!! The poor lad was worn out!
He didn't have time to skim it, so he was going to come back in the morning, but I need to go back to work, and I won't be off again until next Wednesday, so he said he will be back to skim it for me then.
So, almost there!!
But, didn't I say, it wasn't going to be as simple as it sounded!!??
So Ive put most of my stuff back in the living room, as we were falling over everything, and I will just have to empty everything out again next week!
Need to go and buy some emulsion, as the walls will need a fresh coat when its all done, and, obviously, the new ceiling will need painting when its done.
Might just be sorted for christmas!!!!!!!!!
 I have taken a picture of each stage, so, when its all done, I will add them.
November 24 Offline........Well, tomorrow is D-day, when the contracters are due to take my ceiling down, so, tonight, I am emptying my living room so that they can get in.
This also means that I have to disconnect my PC,
 , and as its cable broadband, I can't use it anywhere else in the house as its only in the living room!!!!So, I will be offline for a couple of days, from tonight.
I'm getting withdrawal symptoms already!!!!
Hopefully, I will be back by Thursday, if all goes to plan.
Be good while I'm away, and don't be getting up to any shenanigans without me,  November 19 New ceiling next week......Well, everybody has been, that needed to, to get my repairs done, and had a visit from the contracter this morning about taking the old ceiling down.
He said that the risks from asbestos in the artex are that minimal, that the sub-section on artex has been removed from the asbestos regulations!
It's more of an inconvenience than anything.
Anyway, they are coming next Tuesday morning to take the ceiling down, and it's just a precaution to seal off the rest of my house, and they should be finished by 2-3pm, so the council will be in first thing on Wednesday morning to put up a new ceiling.
So, up to now, everything seems to be running as it should be, let's hope it stays that way, and that my living room will be back to normal in a jiffy!!!
 November 18 Ceiling update.....Well, the plumber turned up at 815 this morning and has sorted my radiator,
 Still waiting for the electrician, though,
And, as my ceiling is quite a big job, the joiner had to report it to the inspector, so that he could come out and, well..., inspect it!!!
He turned up at 1040am. He said that the way the joiner had described it, he thought it was the full ceiling!! Anyway, as it was artexed, he needed to make a few phonecalls.
When he came back, I was informed that the artex is full of asbestos so the full ceiling needs to be removed anyway!!!!!
I couldn't believe it! My house isn't that old, can't be much more than 20 years old, I didn't think there would still be any asbestos around!!
So, it's not going to be a quick patch up!
I just need to wait for a phonecall from the contracter that will be doing it, and find out exactly what will need to be done, but the inspector seems to think that we are safe to stay here, and when they come and do it, they will seal the rest of my house, to stop the dust and fibres from spreading.
He said the contracters will get it all removed and cleaned in one day, and then the council will come in the next day, to put up a new ceiling.
Why do I get the feeling that it won't be that simple?????
Once that is done, then it's gonna be a quick re-decoration for christmas, so luckily, Dan didn't go into the Army on the 17th November, as he was originally told!!!
He's going to wish he had, though, because I won't let him rest until my living room is spic-n-span again!!! November 16 Bit of a leak.......I do all my ironing every Sunday. I hate it, but I get it done in one fell swoop, and to make it more bearable, I usually do it in the living room, with the TV on, to distract me from the monotony of it!
Anyway, today, I was ironing away, and for some reason, no idea why, I glanced up at the ceiling.
Hmmm....... Now I am certain that the huge, sagging bulge was not there the last time I looked!!!
I studied it for a moment, then moved across to the other side of the room. Looked from a different angle.
Nope, it definatley wasn't like that.
I turned to Soph, and asked if she had noticed the ceiling. Nope.
I climbed up onto the pouffe, and poked the ceiling. It was VERY squishy!!!
I went upstairs to the kids bedroom, and felt around the radiator, and yep, you guessed, it was leaking!!!!
Crap!!!! I rang the emergency council number and explained what was happening, and she said to make a small hole in the bow of the ceiling to allow the water to drain, and she will get a plumber out.
I needed to move my TV out of the way, as the bulging ceiling was directly above it.
I had visions of the whole ceiling falling on top of me as I made a little hole! But it never.
Anyway, an hour later, the plumber turned up. He took one look at the ceiling and said I needed a joiner to secure it, as the only thing holding it up, was the artex!!!!
So he rang the joiner, then stopped the leak on the radiator, and said he would put a repair request in to get it sorted properly, and it will be done in the next 3 days!
Just after 9pm, the joiner turned up, and all he could do was put a board up, supported by two thick planks of wood, to hold the ceiling up temporarily, and he will put in a request for an emergency repair tomorrow!!!!
Ok, so I have a big, ugly plank of wood in my living room, but I can live with that, at least my ceiling didn't fall in!
20 minutes after the joiner went, there was a sudden rush of water!
B*llocks, the water had been moved by the board being pushed up, so now it was pouring through my light fitting!!!!
Back on the phone, and the electrician was here within 20 minutes, but there was that much water, he could only tape the ends of the wires and leave it to drain overnight. Luckily, I only use my lamp on a night, so the main lights were switched off at the mains and needed to stay off until the water has stopped dripping!
He said he will put in a repair request, but he's not sure when they can come to put up a new light fitting!
Hopefully, nothing more will go wrong, just need to get all the repairs done, quickly, I hope!
It never rains, but it pours!! (through the bloody light fitting
)I've got a stress headache now,
November 13 Sophie's awards ceremonyYesterday, Sophie and I went to Newcastle, for the NCFE National Sudent of the Year awards.
It was an all expenses paid event, with an overnight stay in a hotel.
 Anyway, we had to check in at 2pm, and, although it's only a 45 minute drive from here, I decided to set off early, just in case of traffic, so off we go at 12.40.
Now, I know my way to Newcastle like the back of my hand, and we got there by 1.30, and I had a rough idea of where the hotel was, so I drive in the general direction.
BUT..... Newcastle city centre is my nemesis!!!
No matter how many times I go, I always manage to get lost once I get into the city!!!
I even managed to get lost using a SatNav the last time I went!!
And this time was no exception!!!!!!!!
OMG!! I was on the road that I thought was the right one, but NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Then I ended up in completely the wrong direction!
Stress building up!!!!!
 I knew that if I got back to the train station, then I could get my bearings, but trying to get back there was a feat and a half!
Eventually got there, and Soph rang her tutor to say that we couldn't find the hotel, and she told her where we were, and she said that the hotel was just opposite the Life Centre, and as we were looking at the Life Centre, I thought, Yey, we are close!
But, as I drove, I couldn't see the bloody hotel anywhere!!!
Right turn, try this way....... and lo and behold, there was the hotel on the right, but it was on the opposite side of the carriageway, so needed to drive up a bit to be able to come back down.
Simple!!!!!
NOT!!!!
At the traffic lights, where I was going to turn and double back, was a bloody one way system!!!!!
B*LLOCKS!!!!!!!
So I had to go all the way round the sodding city again!!!!!!
45 minutes after arriving in Newcastle, we eventually found the hotel, only to find out from Soph's tutor, that the hotel does not have a car park!!! WTF!!!!
Luckily, there is a multi-storey car park right next door, but it cost me £10 for the privilege!!!
Un-bloody-believebly stressed by this time!!!!!
Checked into the hotel, and went up to our room. It was basic, but nice and clean.
Soph had to meet her tutor in the lobby at 3pm, to have her picture taken, along with the other candidates, so I just stayed in the room, and laid on the bed, watching CBeebies,
As it was an all expenses paid event, we had to sign for travel expenses, and both Soph and I got £50 each, which was a bonus, as it didn't cost that much to get there, but at least it paid for the parking,
and it was just spending money for Soph.The ceremony was being held at Newcastle Racecourse, so a coach picked us up at 7pm.
It was all very posh, with a champagne reception, and place names on the tables, etc.
The only downside, was the table that we were on, was right at the back, so we couldn't see the stage properly,
Anyway, we had a lovely 3 course meal, that was very tasty. Think we put on 3 stone afterwards!!
There was a comedian on just after dinner, and he was quite funny, can't remember his name though!!
At 9.45pm, the awards ceremony started.
Now, to give you an idea of the scale of the awards, NCFE has around 250,000 students across the UK, and 1600 of them were nominated for this awards ceremony, and out of those, only 21 were selected to attend, my Sophie being one of them,
There were the regional awards, then an overall National winner.
The criteria for the selections, were that each student had full attendance, etc, reached above and beyond expectations in their chosen course, and overcome challenges.
Now, the girl that Soph was up against in our region, had learning disabilities, so Soph thought straight away that this young lady would win, with all the challenges that she must have overcome to get to where she was, so she resigned herself to being runner up, which she was happy about, as it was a £50 cheque for the runner up anyway.
The time came for the names of the winners to be announced..............Sophie was shaking like a leaf..........
"The winner of the North East region is...............SOPHIE HARTOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I just screamed with pride and joy!
My little girl, Regional Student of the Year 2008!
(And a cheque for £100,
)This was for all the time and effort she had put in for her Social Enterprise Skills at college. She, and a couple of her college friends, had been out into the community, demonstrating their Beauty Therapy skills.
She has been to a community centre, to do makeovers on a ladies group, and gave them tips and advice on how to apply make up, etc, and she received a gift voucher and a thank you letter from the organiser of the group, and she has also been to the Butterwick Hospice, to do some theraputic treatments on terminally ill cancer patients, which she found very upsetting, but also very rewarding that she was able to help in some way. For this, she received a personal thank you letter from Mary Butterwick, founder of Butterwick Hospice.
So, to say that I am a very proud Mum, is a bit of an understatement!
Well done, Sophie,
 November 09 Feeling a bit nostalgic.....Had one of those days where you just drift off into "the good old days"!
Been going through all the old photo's, and having a laugh at some of the "fashions" and hairstyles!!!
Can't believe how time has flown, I remember some of the pictures as if they were taken yesterday!!!
Anyway, been scanning some into the PC, so get ready for a laugh!!!!!! November 05 Quick joke.....To make it stand, you wet it.
To make it wet, you suck it.
To make it stiff, you lick it.
To get it in, you push it.
F*ck me, to thread a bloody needle when you get older is no joke!!!!!!! November 01 Decree Absolute...........Well, its official, I'm divorced!!!!
It came in the post this morning.
Not really sure how I feel yet, maybe because it has been dragging on for such a long time, Im quite numb about it.
When I walked out of my ex's house for the last time, on 20th May, 2007, I sat in my car and cried my eyes out, even though I knew I was doing the right thing, but it also made me very sad, as we had been through so much together. My heart is still broken, to an extent, but it is starting to mend!
 But life throws a lot of spanners in the works, and some of them you just can't shift, no matter what you do.
What do I do now? Am I supposed to feel any different? Or act in a different way?
Do I have a party?
 After all, we had a party when we got married........I have to say, though, our wedding day was the best day I've ever had. I couldn't have asked for a better day. I never thought it was possible to be that happy and as deeply in love as I was at that time, so, for that, I am grateful.
I will get my wedding photo's out, and scan a few in to put on here, because I still like to look at them, now and again, and I looked more gorgeous than ever!!!!!
Haha.It's strange, as I am writing this blog, I have my music on, and David Gray, Please Forgive me is on, and that was our first dance at the reception! It was special to us, as Alan re-wrote the lyrics one night, and personalised it to us, and he named it "The Vodka in my Head song", as he had had one or two voddy's!!!!
Anyway, off to do some pondering!!!!!! Copied from Karens blog.......Help neededCan anyone help?
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