we're all still here...

Just to update those who have been concerned.

My father-in-law seems to have settled at the moment. When I say settled I mean it in a relative sense. He hasn't got any worse in the last week or so. Eating is a problem as he eats a mouthful of his dinner at best, the nursing home are providing drinks with vitamins. The doctor called to say there is the option to have an operation to feed nutrients directly to his stomach. Our 'opinion' when discussing it together, is that in this state is he's just too weak to have an operation. We did feel we had to speak to him about it and although he can be confused at times, when we discussed this matter with him he was most adamant, 'No Operation'.

Too be honest I can understand this. If he really is on his last legs, he wants to make it as confortable as possible for himself.

The other thing which has been a concern is getting his finances sorted out. Thankfully as of Friday we have had approval for 'Power of Attorney'. So we can start clearing up bills and unnecessary direct debits from his accounts. Such as his broadband and telephone with BT which is a waste of time when you can't even hold a cup properly. Also, without wanting to be morose, we can make sure his funeral insurance is up to date.

I can't help feeling that we are too young to be doing this. I feel guilty almost all of the time. Especially when I am asked to make decisions that effect someone elses life. Dealing with someone else's finances, just feels so wrong! It's like i'm rummaging through someone elses affairs, as if it was my mothers handbag! I was always taught you don't go through someones handbag or purse. These thoughts make me feel like i'm stealing. I know we arn't but thats the feeling I get.

I will add an upbeat post very soon as we have been having some fun too. Need to get a photo or two added to it first.

Thanks for caring!!

How are you doing?

However you are, it's got to better than it is for our family. Especially my wife.

I've not had a chance till now to update my blog. Unfortuntely my father-in-law is VERY sick. He has now been moved into a nursing home, but it looks like he has had 2 more strokes recently and he's unlikely to recover. So we are now just doing all we can to arrange his affairs and to get ready for the inevitable.

I'm doing ok, its not my dad I guess. My wife is being so strong, but I'm sure thats because 'needs must' and she has no option but to get on with it. The vital thing is just to support her and listen, when she's had enough we can shed some tears together. I am very proud of her though.

Maybe thats the positive in this post! She is doing so well, and we all love her dearly and want her to know that. xx

How Old Are You?

We have the Wii at long last!!

After having my name down for what seemed like months I got my call to pick up the console. The thing they never told me was that the price of the bundles and extras was going to be increased greatly because of Xmas! The price when I originally requested the white box of wonder was £220 for the console and ANY 2 games. The price when its a few weeks away from Christmas is £260 with ANY 2 games!! That forty quid was obviously a booking fee, or maybe it was an Overly-Eager fee, and this was the way to cool me down. Maybe i'm doing them an injustice and the extra money is going to charity, and an orange elephant did fly past my window.

That said, we love it and are getting to grips with the delights of Wii Sports, Mario Galaxy and one for Jo we even got Boogie. I must admit all of these games have got a lot of entertainment value. The kids and I love it. Belting out Cool and the Gangs Celebration or watching (not listening) whilst my daughter does the moves to some Pussy Cat Dolls song. In fact a couple of songs i've even scored a million points, which sounds a lot but i'm not sure if thats good or that the game is being charitable. I am proud though that my rendition of YMCA didn't even get me onto the scoreboard it was so bad. Wii Sports has me being thrashed by an 8 year old in bowling, and bruised black and blue by a 6 year old in boxing.

It's definately a machine to get you up and active, and great for family indoor play or party play. I can't see many true gamers being that interested as the spotty, fat, baldy fellas with no mates, will only ever get up to go to the bathroom (if they've forgotten their bottle that is) or maybe to heat up some foamy pizza.

If you are concerned that you may be a bit old to play games anymore. Then I suggest you take the Real Age TEST. This takes into consideration many factors such as lifestyle and heredity to come up with how old you really are.

I was quite pleased when I discovered my Real Age is only 33, and i've knocked 4 years off. Have a go, obviously it's a bit of a laugh and shouldn't be taken seriously......and I can make no promises etc etc......

bunch of Chickens

It seems talking about ones families in public like I did on my last post scares people off from making any comments. Not that there is much to add to what I said. The saying goes that blood is thicker than water, which in a biological sense I accept. In an emmotional sense I don't. I have no problem in excepting my families flaws along with my own. If someone does something wrong they should get whats coming to them, family or not. Don't get me wrong I understand that there is a bond with family which cannot be replicated in other relationships....its just different and natural. If you recall my open comments about my feelings for my mother you'd see I more than understand that, and I loved her with a full, open and honest heart. That said, if I did something wrong i'd not expect my family to stand up for me. To be honest I don't think on the whole they would anyway.

This seems to be very different to many families that have a close tie. In a way I wish I felt like that too. The truth is my own family, my wife and my kids is where my loyalties stay firm.

Whats brought me to say this is that i've had a lot of people that have read my last post but have asked me privately about how we are getting on now. Let me reassure you I don't mind people commenting or sharing an opinion publicly on my blog. I'm prepared to be told i'm wrong and i'd be happy to have someone reason with me so I look at a point differently and thus change my stand.
SO be honest, be straight, share your opinion and don't be scared!!

on another note..........
Last nights Footie was a travesty against the game. England played like schoolboys. The only highlight was Beckham back in the team.(never thought i'd say that) They do say though that every cloud has a silver lining and it's now official, Steve McClaren has been sacked this morning. Personally i think they waited too long, he should have been handed his P45 after 15 minutes into the game last night.

Another rant over. Just so you know i'm quite alright and happy so no worries i'm just in a sharing mood!

I need a moan......

Father in law has been in hospital unwell for a number of weeks. So bad that although they have decided they cannot treat him anymore, he must now go into a nursing home. Last week wifey and I went a hunting for a suitable establishment. In particular to find one of these places where people werent actually 10 minutes from death, or at least pretending to be ok-ish. Surprisingly we found one with lovely carers who actually seemed to care. (St Paul's, St Leonards)

We told the social worker and hospital about this place on Friday morning. Late Friday afternoon we get a call that he is moving in on Monday morning. This causes panic because now we have to get his flat cleared and put as much as we can into the new home.

Ok its tough going but I guess it just has to be done. Not so apparently according to my family. My own father was moving this same weekend and my family didnt seem to understand I couldn't help with that move aswell. What irritates more is that this guilt they've given me for ignoring my own father is just plain unnecessary. Moving my dad is a handful of reluctant, yet local siblings. To move my father in law down here on the coast is me and my poor wife! Guess who's doing all the heavy lifting? AAAAAAAAArrrrgggghhhh families!!!!!

I have tried to call family since to see how it went and explain it all again, but the answer so far is,"can't stop i'm too busy helping dad!!!".

Needless to say this is making me uptight! My wife is upset over her dad, and she has a lot to do with clearing up his debts and bills. We are both working like nutters, and both feeling warn out with it. Every day involves work of some sort or another and it wont stop for a few weeks yet from what I can tell.

anyway moan over .....have a nice day. I bet someone from my family actually bothers to read my blog now and this post causes a huge row!! Stuff it, at least i live near the sea!

I hate that duck!

Keith Harris, the ventriloquist.....whatever happened to him eh? Cuddles the monkey was the better of his creations, who's main purpose was to abuse and destroy that flippin Orville. That blasted song!! Now I've thought of it I can't get it out of my head, its like that pregnant caterpillar thing that went in Chekov's ear in Star Trek - Wrath of Khan.

A past memory I have of Keith Harris with Cuddles was on a Saturday watching Seaside Special. (I'm so old!)) Cuddles was pestering him for a wee. Now, if you are sad enough to know what i'm talking about perhaps you recall this banter went on for a bit until Keith finally said, "have a wee then!", at which Cuddles replied "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee".

Just like Cuddles I want a wee too, but spelt Wii. And just like this furry fella i'm not able to have one. Stocks are out! So I'll have to just hold on and suffer the pain until I too can shout "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"

they're all flocking........

When i'm talking about flocking, I don't mean the Seagulls, or as I'm currently calling them, Vindictive Giant Flying Rats. These evil flying vermin of the coast, can dump on your car (moving or not) with such pinpoint accuracy that the Airforce has invested millions in studying and copying these birds for their next round of friendly fire. Its not just the accuracy though its the ......quantity! I need a trowel to clear the car nowadays. If I didn't know better i'd have thought cows could fly, (they can't can they?) and that they had a personal vendetta against mankind.

Enough sidetracking. When I'm talking about flocking I mean the people. Bexhill may seem insignificant on a map of the British Isles, but it does seem to be the Mecca of the South Coast, drawing people from the North in droves. (well a few at least) Especially those from London and it’s suburbs. I already have friends and acquaintances that have moved down from Slough, Cheam, Crawley and Chertsey.

For example. I had been looking for months for somewhere to have a decent coffee in Bexhill. Those of you from 'up North' and other sophisticated places take these simple things for granted with your Costa's, Coffee Republic and Starbucks, but we don't have these in our little town. In fact I was convinced that they had never heard the words fresh, ground, gourmet or premium applied to coffee before. Then one Saturday whilst walking away from town with my daughter toward the railway station for a trip to Brighton. I'd just sipped and thrown away another bad coffee that must have been made with a half teaspoon of Mellow Birds, when I stumbled on a coffee shop i'd not seen before. It was called Oasis, and is situated on on the corner of St Leonards Road and Sea Road. I still hadn't had a drink and we had a long journey ahead. Would this Oasis live up to its bold claim as a sanctuary for the parched, or was it just going to be another serving of muddy water, that tastes like it came from the washing machines outlet pipe? My confidence wasn't high.

This pessimism changed to confusion, that eventually led to elation. I know that smell, yes I’ve smelt it before. It was the rich burnt coffee bean aroma that I’d almost forgotten existed. Looking at the menu on the wall and my excitement was complete. Listed wasn’t just your well known Cappuccino and Espresso, but they also had other coffee variations that only people in the know would talk about, including Americano my staple drink for a few years. It wasn’t just words either, they knew the difference between this and a regular coffee. I didn’t have the time to savour this discovery as we were on our way to the station, so I had to buy one to go. So it was not until I sat on the train that I could taste test the coffee, which I am pleased to say was perfect! The taste was as good as the aroma that proceeded it. I had finally found the Oasis for my taste buds. I’d need to investigate this place further.

This is where the point of this post comes in finally. On my return to Oasis I discover why this Coffee Shop stands out in our little town. The owners are from the London area and have moved down recently themselves. This has to be the reason why they understand good coffee. They have tasted the delights firsthand and could see a gap for providing it in Bexhill. It gets spookier than this, because whilst chatting about the coffee and how they do their own blend and are considering marketing and selling it freshly ground for people to purchase and take home, that I discovered that Simon the proprietor worked for a computer company in my old home town of Chertsey up until the last few years. We knew the same people too!! This is not all . While we are chatting a lady nearby tells us she is from Cheam!! So she too must have been on the search for a place to rest up and drink what is now Bexhill’s finest Coffee Shop.

So they are flocking down here, away from the smog and the noise. Thankfully these ones have not brought that side of civilization with them. What the owners of Oasis have brought with them is a sanctuary of the taste buds, enhancing what is already our little bit of paradise.

To Cross the Road

Why should I feel nervous when I help someone cross the road? What have I come to, that my instinctive response when asked for kindness by a stranger is ‘what’s the scam’? What should have been a simple everyday case of humanity, made me look around for a non existent accomplice and then to feel guilt for thinking that way.

An older woman who obviously had some other ‘issues’ wanted help to cross the road in Bexhill town.

Are we really that suspicious and sceptical in the suburbs of London? I hate myself for thinking like I did. I want to thank that lady for helping me. It was her that helped me to cross the road.

Bexhill-On-Sea

These photos were taken a couple of weeks back just before the end of summer.

This is too dark but it's the only one I have of the coastline leading to Hastings.


Its amazing what you find in the rock pools! Fish, shrimps and more.


Wrestling an octopus by the looks of it!

He's been like that for hours.


Beach to the East.

The Lifeguards house on the East side.


Taken from the cliff on the Eastern side of the seafront.


It might not be paradise here, but we love it!

I never knew that........

Did you know that Midge Ure of Ultravox fame, was asked by Malcolm McLaren to be a Sex Pistol?

Midge also had his first appearance on Top of the Pops in 1976! He was with a Scottish band at the time called Slik. He was at that time 23 years old which makes him older than I'd have ever thought. A headsup for Delmonti on Midge Ure's performance of 'If I was', do you recognise the drummer?

Another interesting fact is that Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood fame is ALIVE! For some reason I thought he kicked the bucket years ago with aids or something, but I was wrong. So well done Holly!

One Hit Wonders!

According to Wikipedia, One-Hit-Wonders in the UK are a Top 40 phenomenon. Where an artist or band produce a single hit song that brings immediate yet brief fame.

It was whilst thinking on a recent post by PT that it made me think about my favourite One-Hit-Wonders. You can't always explain why you like a particular song like this but if you are like me you often felt disappointed that the group or artist were unable to repeat the glory.

These are the ones I could think of immediately when I considered the subject. You'll notice most songs were in the 80's and the performers had mullets! I've supplied as many Youtube links as I can to help relive the these glorious tunes.

King - Love and Pride. Also they did a follow up which I prefer called Taste of Your Tears but it did't get beyond no.26 in the charts so I dont count that as a hit

China Crisis - Black Man Ray

Alphaville - Big In Japan

Phyllis Nelson - Move Closer who can forget the gap in her teeth!

Tony Basil - Mickey (for some reason Youtube made me confirm my age before letting me see this video, maybe i've missed something)

Far Corporation - Stairway to Heaven (I prefer this upbeat version to Led Zep's, who never release it as a single anyway)

I'm sure i've shown my ignorance with some of these and that in fact the people involved have had huge success but never mind eh! Also i'm sure Delmonti will still be convinced I have 'Cloth Ears'.

So have you got any One Hit Wonders that have stuck with you? Where you shine a little light of remembrance for their all too brief flash of brilliance?

I would like to appologise to Altered Images, Transvision Vamp (Wendy James.....nuff said) and Billy Idol who I considered putting in this list until I went through Youtube and reminded myself of some of their other hits.....sorry.

Bird Flu.....

Yes it has been confirmed the 'man flu' virus has mutated into the 'bird flu' virus. Witnesses have confirmed that a woman in her 30's has caught this rare strain of influenza.

Her husband a popular local member of the community, had a severe case of the worst type of illness, referred to in the medical community as 'man-flu'. Hospital officals still believe it was a miracle that brought this man from certain death. One spokesman said,"Mr {name has been removed for legal reasons} has been what we can only describe as a hero and an inspiration".

Unfortunately the story does not end there. The man's 'bird', aka 'er in doors', aka his wife, now suffers from the mutated virus. She is said to be stable and expected to make a full recovery. The Hospital spokesman mentioned earlier said that "this illness is a much weaker type of virus and that the woman should pull her socks up and stop being a moaning minnie" he then added "what do you think Lemsip is for?"

The husband was asked to comment but refused point blank saying, "if the Mrs heard me talking about this stuff to you it would be worse than 'bird-flu' for me, it would mean BSE or CJD, and you don't want to see her when she's like that!"

Man Flu.....

I guess some insensitive people, mainly women, would say i've got a cold.

It's as simple as this, i'm dying. My head is splitting. My eyes are watering. My sinuses are painful. My nose is blocked and runny. This has got to be something serious right? Not just a cold, this is the plague or maybe even worse!!! This will show you what I mean.

So dear friends these are my parting words to you. Wish me a painless end to this cruel disease and say a prayer to ease my suffering in these last painful hours.

So long cruel and uncaring world!

A Quick One....If you could turn back time

What would you like to go back and change and why? (keep it as abusive free as the English language allows of course)

For me I have nagging reminders of events that I did wrong and people i've been mean too. I didn't do stuff like this often but when I did it was like cutting myself down too.

Also, i'd like to the change the conversation I had with my dear old friend Sheila who said on one saturday, shall we go see your mother in hospital today? I said "no, lets go to the garden centre like i'd promised you, as i'm seeing mum tomorrow". This of course was true, but when I saw mum the next day she was dead. (i'm not hating myself for this, just disappointed...)

***Rewind***

For James

My mate James is leaving today to go back to Uni. I thought i'd have a laugh and write a little ditty for him in the style of Purple Ronnie, here's goes......

My mate James has a brain thats bigger than a tree
He talks about clever stuff for breakfast, dinner and tea

That's alright as he's kind, funny, helpful and caring
And a big lad who could do with a girl for pairing

He likes to drink and see mates at the pub
And then all go home for a soak in his tub

It's sad to see you go, you're a flippin good friend
And even more so when I have a computer to mend!!

Famous James'

James Hunt - Racing Driver
James May - Top Gear Presenter
James Last - Musical entertainer for the mature audience
James Blunt - Rubbish modern Pop Artist

hmm can't think of anymore at the mo, maybe you can help

A little petting didn't hurt anyone....

Let me introduce the new family pets......

Snowy the Hamster and Sparky the Guinea Pig.











These fluff balls of fun are the result of a years worth of negotiations with the children on possible new pets. Dogs, Cats, Spiders, Snakes, Rabbits and even Stick insects have all been mentioned. At long last they've given up on those ideas (spiders.....shiver), and chosen something sensible instead.

Sparky is the Guinea Pig who does nothing all day. I don't think my son realised the irony in calling her Sparky. Here's a little video of her living it wild. It takes a while before you can see her as she's hiding the little minx!



Snowy is a Hamster on a mission. He's a crazy extreme sports sort of Hamster. He'll jump to get away if he can and he's blooming fast! Speedy Gonzales wasn't a mouse but a hamster I tell you!! The video of him was taken when he was only just awake so he's not doing his normal mad dash Roadrunner style. Otherwise we'd have had to slow the film down for you! I'm not kiddin.



The pets names have been the center of some smiling between me and my wife. Snowy the hamster, was given this name before it was even seen or bought. Since then it has had a few other names including Twinkle. The problem is my daughter isn't really considering that the hamster is in fact male! Thankfully Snowy which is the 'safest' of the names is the final decision. The situation isn't much better with my sons Guinea 'Sparky' which is the name you'd give a mate you'd play football with. The other possibility is the nickname for your favourite electrician. Certainly not the first name i'd use for a female, but my boy thinks otherwise. I have to admit I'm looking forward to the interesting names of the grandchildren we'll have one day!!

.... I know, i'm it!

PT has 'kindly' tagged me so i'm now It. He did this about a week ago but I was too comfortable to do anything about it until now.

Being tagged means someone who's meant to be a mate posts 8 facts or habits about themselves, they in turn are meant to tag a further 8 people to do the same. Unlike PT I can't tag anyone else as they have already been tagged by him.

here's my 8 things.....

1. Favourite Food Fact. I love Nandos it is the best. A Chicken with PeriPeri restaurant chain, that takes 10 mins from placing your order to being served it! This is a no fannying about place, just right in my books. I prefer to have mine medium hot and then to add some Garlic Peri Peri sauce on top. I like a bit of sauce! OH just to add to this I also love Ice Cream, a good vanilla being my favourite (not the cheap stuff) On Tuesday I ate two thirds of a tub of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, curse Tesco's and it half price madness!!

2. Friendship Fact. My mate Kerry is very poorly and going into hospital today. She's likely to be off for at least a month. Get Well Soon !

3. Funny Habit. Delmonti on his 8 items list, said he makes shapes in the air with his foot whilst watching TV. Well I do similar, but I mainly write my name in the air with my foot.

4. Health Fact. I have had Fibromyalgia for nearly 3 years. So everything either hurts or aches all the flipping time. I just try to ignore it if I can, maybe it'll just go away - ha ha.


5. Family Habit. Every night I fill up the dishwasher and wipe the kitchen tops. Then I check all the doors and lights. I go in and see the kids who are sound asleep and make sure they are comfortable and that their lights are off, before giving them a little peck on the head and getting myself ready for bed. If I didnt do this I wouldnt be able to sleep at night!

6. Blast from the past Fact. My school mate Lucie Sheargold (maiden name) has got in touch with me through friendsreunited, after 20 years. We went to the Ashcombe School together in Dorking. Lucie was always a straight talker, which still is a characteristic I like in people, including myself.

7. Sport Fact. Tennis is my favourite sport. I havent been able to play for a few years, but i'm determined to get back to it next year! Sports like Footy are lower down my list and I enjoy them when with others rather than as a personal passion.

8. Music Fact. I have been asked if i'd like to have a go at singing with a local band that playes Blues and good old fashioned Rhythm & Blues. This is a dream come true, and I know I can do it. BUT, I'm so scared I turned it down. People who know me might find it hard to believe that I suffer in the nerves department, but I do. I wish I'd done more singing in public when I was a kid. In those days I had a voice like an angel and confidence by the bucket load. It annoys me more than you can know that i'm like this.

A Year On.......

It's been a year today (9th July) since my mum died. I don't want to make a annual big deal of it because I think its unnecessary to make anniversaries of the harsh events in life. Its not yearly that I think about her anyway, but rather everyday.

I have been wondering what have I accomplished this year and have I learnt anything or improved as a person.

I certainly had to wake out of a self indulgent mood I had been suffering early in 2006. It made me think a lot more about where I was brought up, and about my relationship with my family and my children. You've got to always appreciate what you have!

The other thing of course is that I got the push I needed to go through with the move out of Surrey and into East Sussex. I think it was Jane Marple that always said you could learn a lot about human nature within a village. Well I think the move to Bexhill has certainly opened up a diverse menagerie of human character and nature.

So all in all the year has been a good one, except at the start. I believe I have made more progress in my journey in life, I have greater empathy and understanding with those who have lost loved ones. Also as a family we are doing darn good. As the saying goes every cloud has a silver lining. (the weather had to get in their somewhere!)

Some photos i want to share of my mums garden, it may not be anything special to look at but it was her special place. I took these when I visited my father last Thursday.

I know I'm no photographer, and using a cameraphone doesn't help, but thats not really the purpose of these photos.

It's positive thoughts........

....and loving memories.

It never rains but it pours.......

It never rains but it pours, I don't think this saying is meant to have such a literal application?

If you are anything like me you'll have had enough of the rain by now!! I just want to get out and enjoy the lovely Sussex surroundings. The few times its dried up I've been inconveniently doing something else, like working.

I live in the UK surely I should be use to it? Not in July I'm not!! June too, can you believe how wet its been. I'm almost considering building the Ark and getting the hamster in there ready.

An argument that might be used is that it is Wimbledon and it always rains during Wimbledon. This is very true, but I bet even Wimbledon didn't think they'd be dealing with hailstones in the UK. I tell you hailstones might be handy if Cliff Richard starts his old shenanigans again at the tournament. Also a spot of carefully directed lightening might come in handy if he breaks into Bachelor Boy or Living Doll! Unless he has the young ones with him then its allowed!

I guess you get the idea that I'm a bit miffed at the moment. I think what has brought this on is that I've caught a flu of some kind that has made me spend most of the last few days in bed. I'm on pain killers to help with the additional pains I'm getting from it in my legs, feet, arms, back and chest.

But what would you expect eh? As they say, It never rains but it pours!

results...........

No its not the footy back on again. This is to update you on what we did for our anniversary, and what i decided on after much deliberation for a gift.

Taking onboard a little of what you had suggested on the last post here's the results.

Initially I must say that Jo's suggestion of a box of her favourite things was a great idea. But! I couldnt get past a copy of Hello magazine and a Cadburys Twirl chocolate bar as things i'd know she'd like. Does that make me a bad man?

So I did the best i could do in the circumstances and went to have a look around the shops in Eastbourne. I looked at craft things. I looked at books, be it novel, biographies or factual and historical until I went crossed eyed. Smiths thats normally a good place, maybe some attractive stationery, but that has no passion!

Eventually I went to Past Times, which isnt a normal blokey shop but I must say if you are stuck for ideas it's worth a look. When you get past the throw cushions and sickening smell of pot pouree if has some nice little bits. It was here I stumbled over my eventual idea. I was looking at the unusual jewellery, which in my book is always over priced, and I saw a round locket with a Celtic Design. I didnt buy the locket but it made me think a locket might be a nice idea. Its not my wifes normal fare but with a couple of pictures of me and the kids she'd like it! So thats what I did, I found a nice locket. Even though I had previously said that I wasnt keen on buying jewelery.

Its a funny thing though, almost a law or rule unto itself, that if you choose and purchase one thing, suddenly you see a hundred of other ideas. I had to battle with myself not to buy much more. In fact I purchased a small box of hand made chocolates personally chosen and beautifully decorated, but thats it! Thats if you don't include the fine meal I cooked for her along with wines and cheeses. Main Course was an Indonesian Prawn dish, similar to a mild curry, bursting with flavour from the fresh corriander. Then we watched a soppy flick called 'Music and Lyrics', not my normal fare but appropriate for the occassion.

The anniversary was Wednesday and i'm pleased how it went. Its Friday today and my mother-in-law is down to stay and gonna babysit for us. So we are off out tonight for a meal in a Thai restaurant not far away in the village of Little Common, within the area of Bexhill.

Thats that, thought you might be interested and have supplied some rather poor photo's so you can see what i was talking about.

thanks for the help! have a drink on me!

I need your help............its life or death

You'll understand the urgency when I explain to you its our 15th (yes I was a child bride) Wedding Anniversary in less than 2 weeks!! I want to get my wife a present, but need some ideas.


With the big move to Bexhill we have decided although 15 years is a decent milestone in our marriage we dont have the resources to go to town with our celebrations, such as a party. I plan for us still to go for a nice dinner out together, but finding a good restaurant in an unfamiliar area is a problem. I'm randomly approaching 'locals' pretending to be a market researcher in an endeavour to solve where too eat. I'm sure i'll work it out. There is always KFC!



Its this present quandry that is muffling the activities of the grey cells. I want it to be something that will make her go ahhh and smile. I'm not talking about mega expensive here. In the past I bought her a white gold diamond solitare and so jewelery unless something really unusual and beautiful (and much cheaper than that ring) wouldnt be on the list. I have given her CD's and books, beauty treatments, perfume and smellies in the past but I want to do something else. Underware and chocolates have been done in the past too, but I don't really think they are my darlings 'thing' at the moment.


So I throw myself on your mercy and ask if you have any ideas?
What about gifts you have given in the past that had a good reaction? Or, maybe you received something that you always cherish or at least thought it was particularly sweet?

Its been 2 months

This living by the seaside melarky has been great on the whole! To show you, I have at long last had a go at using YouTube to get some of my camera-phone videos online so you can get a 'low-res' feel for the place.

here's kite flying with the kids. The bigger fella at the back is my mate Dave NOT my son in case you wondered.



Not far way is Middle Farm, its a working farm that allows visitors. We had a good time here and had a picnic. I tried to get the kids to talk about the place on camera but it went a little sour. Made me laugh though!



Place we want to check out soon is the Long Man of Wilmington, we'll make that one a walking adventure I think. Also there is Drusillas Park a childrens Zoo and play park between Long Man and Middle Farm which looks worth a family fun day out.

On a personal note I will make a discreet visit back to Middle Farm sometime as they have there own Cider and Perry production onsite that needs checking out. Whilst i'm there they have dozens of different bottles of Sussex ales and beers that I think would be worth trying. Just to widen my appreciation of the fine work these people do you understand!

and there are vineyards not far ............... oh the hard life I live

Take a look at my office..........

Take a look at my office its the only one I've got...... not much of an office I never seem to get a lot....
please excuse its that flipping song in the charts by someone called Gym Class Heroes ,they use lyrics from Supertramps, Breakfast in America.

That's not why I'm writing this post! I am finally relieved to get my office kit supplied by my most incapable company. You'd think being a full-time homeworker living miles from my nearest office, that getting me the kit so i can actually work would be a must. I have learn though over the years that the only thing reliable is their incompetence. Enough moaning here's my little office which is in the loft of our new house. There is other space in the loft for a spare bedroom, but this is my little personal corner. I think it's great and now I can even get on with learning to play the keyboard. What do you think?

The view out of that window is OK too, as I look over the gardens of my house and my neighbours.

Just one other thing before I finish. The Eurovision song contest!! What is that abomination all about eh? It has no relation to the platform that brought us Abba. I tell you now I'm not an Abba fan, but I believe they were special and deserved their fame. The contest is now nothing more than the worst sort of Europop or occasionally Eurorock introducing us to Europe's extensive legion of freaks and nutters. I was subjected to this program on Saturday as wifey wanted to watch it, but the only think that stopped my ears from bleeding was listening to Terry Wogans sacastic satire. He was a lord especially when he said here comes the Ejeet!

The political voting is shocking. The music is worse! That dreadful song done by Scootch for the U.K was enough to give Hannibal Lecter nightmares. The other Europeans didn't like it even though its just their cup of tea. My guess is it was too much like looking in a mirror for most of them, and nobody likes what they see in a mirror do they!

Lets go fly a kite, up to the highest height.......

A fitting tune from Mary Poppins I must say. But I'll explain that as we go on.

The move has been excellent so far. The Bexhill people seem genuinely nice. Its a regular thing to have a chat with a shop assistant about just stuff. The house is great too, we have emptied ALL of the boxes. (did you catch that ALL OF THEM!)

Work has tried to dampen my spirits by not supplying a broadband connection for a month, and when they did it came with the wrong sort of modem. I work for a technology company who don't seem to know how to supply and install technology. That's not even covering my office kit which hasn't arrived at all. But stuff em I say! It ain't my problem its their's.

A couple of things that have made living here that bit special so far are the older people and flying kites!

Let me tell you about the oldies in Bexhill. This area is know for being a place for older people to retire, and I'm not surprised its a very nice. So far though the oldies seem to come in 2 forms. There's the Schumachers and the Shouters. The Shumachers own the electric disabled carts and hurtle about the place. I thought old people were meant to me sedate, but no. The Shumachers of Bexhill only go one speed in there jet propelled trolleys and that is fast. Forget the other speeds it can do. They belt it about cutting up the youths who are genuinely scared of them knocking over bins and making a nuisance of themselves. I'm lucky because if one decides to have a go at me I recon I'd be the winner but for the skinnier people about they'd go over like bowling pins. The Schumachers have very little to do with the other group whom I affectionately know as that Shouters. These people are happy taking things a bit slower and generally speaking are very amiable and friendly people. That is if you can get past that fact that they shout all the time. WHAT TIME IS IT? or NICE WEATHER WE ARE HAVING? and when you reply they say WHAT, WHAAAAT? You need to plug your ears with cotton wool to speak to a shouter just so you can catch what they are saying without making your ears bleed. In fact I recon it wasn't the Island that made the plane crash in LOST but rather a Bexhill Shouter that sent the plane spinning. Bexhill shouters don't have to be like this, almost all of them have hearing devices so they could hear themselves and others without causing landslides and avalanches all over the world. The trouble is they don't know how to switch the things on, and when they do the screeching feedback makes dogs whimper. I'm sure that when they visit the doctor about tinnitus that 9/10 times its the hearing aid needing adjusting or turning off. I'm looking into developing cheap and efficient noise reducing ear plugs and muffs as a service to the local community. Of course at a small profit to myself! Its funny as the only people that can tame a Shumacher is a Shouter, who can use their sonic abilities to knock the Schumachers from their crazy rampage. The poor Shumachers are dazed in confusion when you look at their faces whilst the wheels on their supersonic shopping pods are pointing upwards. Its like looking at a beetle struggle on its back. Watching the shenanigans of this strange folk has brought me and the family many hours of entertainment already!

The other thing that has made the move special is flying kites down by the sea! It's great we've been down there a few times now. This week I bought myself a new stunt kite that has the warning not for the under 10 years olds! So i take it that means its good, and I'm going to try it out sometime soon. And this is where the Mary Poppins kite flying references comes in. I almost want to start shouting SUPERCALLAFRAG............ but i think i can hold off on that.

That's my update for now. I'll tell you about any other groups of special Bexhill residence that I come across in future updates. Sorry about the delay with this update but that's down to my companies incompetence.

all the best and keep blogging
Chux

ooh left a bit...right a bit....you're nearly there!

Yes not long now before the BIG MOVE to Bexhill-On-Sea (dont you know!). It's just around the corner. Contract exchange is now set for friday with completion on the 30th march.

Things are bedlam at home and wifey is getting stressed with it all, but its not for much longer so i'm sure we can cope. The most difficult thing i'm trying to organize is saying a decent goodbye to all my friends. I know i'll see people from time to time, but it will be very different from now on. It's a shame and i'll miss everyone desperately. I love the people i'm friendly with and the daily interaction with them is the only way i've been able to carry on in such a mundane job and life. BUT, I am convinced that the move is right for us and is just what we ALL need.

I'm a loyal friend by nature so i'll keep in touch as often as I can, even though I know not everyone will be quite so bothered.

Two things have inspired me to set up todays blog.

1) I've found out my new house has a pub in its shed! Yes a full on pub. With Guiness on tap!! Can you believe that. The fella who currently owns the house designed and built a fully working pub with satellite TV and draft beer. Its for real and he's named the shed pub the Collington Arms, click and see what I mean!!

2) Guiness are having some fun on their website for StPaddys day. Although I am not connecting myself to the celebration, I couldn't resist creating this fella for you to watch. You'll be asked your date of birth when you click on the link as apparently you have to be over 18 just to read anything regarding alcohol, go figure! Click on it now and my little ginger self will entertain you.

Top Gear.....am I the only one?

Ok just a quick one here!!

Did you see Top Gear last sunday or possibly on wednesday? If you did i'm guessing you think the programme is great too and that Jeremy Clarkson is a lord? That Richard 'the hamster' Hammond is pretty cool? Oh and that hairy bloke who's with them is ok too.

What I want to know is am I the only one who as disturbed by the behaviour of our American cousins on this weeks show? I'm not just talking about the bigotted rednecks. What really upset me was that charity that was going to sue Clarkson for 'giving' them an old car to help out a family in New Orleans!! Essentially because he got it wrong and the car he gave was a '91 year rather tan an '89,(or the other way around) the charity sent a legal representative to tell him it was misrepresentation and unless he gives them $20,000 they would sue.

Do you see what i'm getting at here? Those guys out of good motive offered a little help and ended up being blown out of the sky.

****STOP PRESS**** Most of the episode is now on youtube!

To my american friends who check out this blog please dont be offended by these remarks, but I hope you understand why i was shocked!! Shocked enough to let it get under my skin for the last few days and to eventually write this post on it.

I must say that this series of Top Gear has been class and I hope it continues for many years to come!!

....i do like to be beside the seaside!

House hunting has at last worked out. We've found a new house in Bexhill-On-Sea and had our offer accepted. We've definately got ourselves a bargain there too! 3 Bedrooms plus a loft conversion that will be my office and space for visitors to stay. Its only 10 mins WALK from the beach and Bexhill town.

I've been feeling nervous about the move, but I recon i've sorted out my head now. It has dawned on me that this summer I will be living down by the seaside. That means we can go as a family and play down by the sea WHENEVER WE WANT. We have a new area to discover and it'll be an adventure for ALL of us. Away from overbearing buildings and tight living spaces, that bring on clautrophobia. We can look out over the murky muddy sea and its long horizon whenever we need.

Moving just keep Moving....

That's me alright sold my house and now its time to move on. For a few years i've been thinking about my family and our life. It seems like we are just being pushed by this world into living a life that just isn't our own.

So I've negotiated with my company and they are going to let me be a full-time home worker. I didn't need to be told twice. We have sold up and are now looking for a home on the south coast. Around the Bexhill and Eastbourne area. (Not Hastings) Property is cheaper and we are close to the sea and the countryside. I hope and pray every day that this will help us get our life into balance. So we can concentrate not on reacting to our environment, but rather looking within and building up our love as a family.

......not on reacting to our environment, but rather looking within.......

The title is from the song 'Moving' by Supergrass, watch and listen here, they are one of my favourite bands. Also I love this Video for 'Pumping on your Stereo'

Making a Wish on a Death Star

It looks to me like Darth Vader's Death Star has already been busy with your requests. Two of the things most consistently requested to be destroyed have been!!!

Both Dave, Mark and myself wanted to be rid of the abominable cooking at the Weybridge office and our wish has come true, it's under new management! Fantastic!!

Chris, Jo and many others requested to rid TV of untalented yobs who have become famous for their stupidity on reality TV shows. Specifically i'm talking about the end of the line for Jade Goody. She couldn't help showing her true colours in the last series of Celebrity Big Brother and the bubble has popped for her!! As the saying goes, all it took was to give her a long enough piece of rope!!

There is some hope for our planet after all!!