Future work

My current contract is due to end this week :-( however, I've just heard that I've got a position next week (and for up to 6 months) in the exams office, for £7.00/hr that's a £1.20/hr (>20%) pay rise!

Caffeine overload

A few days ago, someone bought a filter coffee machine in to the office.
The PAT tester came yesterday to test it, and this morning we had our
first coffee from it.

It makes good coffee, but very strong...

To save the ear-ache

Maybe I should have invited my Mum to my MSc graduation last Friday?

Britishness

I am 95% British, just like
HRH Prince
Charles
Though you'll never be king you certainly know where your
castle is.

Take the Brit Quiz at
darrenlondon.tripod.com/britquiz1.htm
Quiz
written by Daz

(I hope that works through e-mail blogging!!)

More from Derby

Spoke to Derby Hospital Medical Physics Dept again this morning and the job I was after has now been re-advertised, but I don't actually need to make another application as he can pick the information out from my previous application. The closing date is 9th Feb, and interviews, apparently will be around 3 week after this, so fingers crossed I'll get called for one then.

Blood Brothers

We went to see Blood Brothers when it toured to Bristol a few years ago, while we were still in Bath. It's now coming to the Sheffield Lyceum theatre at the end of the month.

If you've not seen it before, the stoyr is basically this: single, poor woman gives bith to twins, loses her job, sells one, a few years pass, by a twist of fate, the kids meet and become friends etc etc... she sings "Tell Me It's Not True"... end.

It's a brilliant show, and I would recommend everyone sees it at least once.

Holiday Booked

Last night we booked a break in the North York Moors during March. Some of you may say we're barking going to that area at that time of year, but it's got an open fire and a pub in the village so it'll be OK! Daisy pro'lly will be barking as she's coming too to stay with us in the farm house near Danby (Clitherbecks is the name of the farm)

Long Time, No Blog

It seems that most other blogs that I follow have given a short summary of their writers Christmas and new year exploits - I'm feeling left out, so here goes!

Both me and Charlotte were working right up to Christmas Eve, but we didn't have far to go, as we only went down to my Dad's house (about 45 mins drive) for the night. It was quite nice to see him (and his lady) for the night that was rounded off by the midnight service at Clay Cross church. Me and C were able to introduce him to the Bond family tradition of opening a present from someone who's not there on the return from Church, accompanied by the first slice of Christmas cake and the obligatory drink! We retired to bed, and awoke in the morning to a light sprinkling of snow and to see that Santa hadn't forgotten that we were going to be away from our home and had diverted some of our presents.

After breakfast and a bit more present opening, we packed up and set off for Skipton to see most of C's family. I was really surprised at how many people were travelling on the M1/M62 on Christmas morning. From a quick straw pole, it seemed as though most of those that were travelling were, like us, young couples without children. We arrived in Skipton just in time for lunch and afterwards, there was more present opening! Some of the Christmas dinner was saved for Daisy's tea (More on that later!) Present opening seemed to take most of the afternoon, patricularly if Molly was involved as she preferred to chew on the shiny ribbon and tear up other bits of paper!

The evening was taken up with most of us playing a game called "Pass the Bomb" where there was a card in the middle with two or three letters on, and you had to think of a word containing this letter combination while you had hold of a 'bomb'. After you thought of (and said) a word, you passed it on. If the 'bomb' 'went off' while you had hold of it, you pick up the card, and the one with the least cards at the end of the game was the winner. This could be turned in to a great drinking game, with the options of either "Drink while you think" or drink as you pick up the card. The bomb 'went off' after a random interval of between 10 and 60 seconds.

As we went to bed, Daisy and her basket were put in the Dining room for the night. At around 5:00am I was summoned by S&R as Daisy had managed to get on to the (very large) dining table and had tried to devour the Christmas cake, Mollys B'day cake and had broken a wine glass and knocked several other things over/off the table. :-( We decided to move her basket into the hall, so she couldn't wreck anything else, and retired back to bed. At around 6:30 I got summoned again as she had got in to the lounge, scared the cats and peed on the carpet :'-( By the time we'd got this cleared up, it was nearly time for Molly to wake upo, so there wasn't any point in going back to bed :-(

Boxing Day was Molly's 1st Birthday, so a kids bithday party was called for, complete with cheese & pineapple on sticks, sausages-on-sticks, sandwiches and jelly and ice-cream. Any of this that Molly got hold of, inevitably ended up on the floor!

The day after boxing day, we were up in Newcastle for the traditional Bond family gathering. Weds 29th, C was at work, and on New Years Eve, we were with my Sister near Leatherhead, Surrey, but without Daisy as she had to stay with my Mum in Nottingham as Wendy is apparently allergic to the hairs :-( New years day we got dragged in to London to see the Lord Mayors Parade, which Wendy was in, with her British Cheerleaders.

Sunday 2nd Jan saw us visit my Nana near Reading for her 94th Birthday (Red wine is the secret aparently!) and we were back home that evening.

Both back at work now - It's nice to have a rest!

That turned into a bit of a marathon blog, but I've already missed loads out!