Friday 11th October.
I don't believe it, part two. Microsoft office had started to behave like a Tory Politician. Fcuking up all over the place!
It has buggered up Word and now Outlook. I will have to spend a long time shouting at someone on the phone tomorrow. It cost a bloody arm and a leg to buy this new version. I was happy with old Office 2000 but my new laptop didn't like it. Grrr.
Busy day at work today. Meeting students, working on our translations, and a departmental meeting that just went on and on and on and on........ Jesus H Christ! If I ever become a Professor I hope I will learn to run meetings better than this! We had an agenda, which we sort of abandoned. People kept referring back to items after they had been closed. Some one tried to introduce a non-agenda item four times, and was told each time to wait until Any Other Business, and when that came around he'd changed his mind! I could have taken a cattle prod to most of them. Dozy old duffers!
The woman senior lecturer sat opposite me and I kept looking at each other and raising our eyes to the ceiling in despair. She told me afterwards she was seriously thinking of texting one of her students and asking them to set off the fire alarm! I mean, the signing of the previous minutes alone took over a bloody year - or so it seemed.
Laura has a massive assignment to do in the next few weeks so it is good that we cancelled visiting Cumbria this weekend. She is going to use Saturday and Sunday mornings to "break its back". That'll give me time to do a mega clean of the house.
The real reason we cancelled our trip was we are taking Peter and Angela to see "Room on the Broom" at the Crucible tomorrow. We are going to the 1.30pm show. The plan is Phil and Jane will drive down tomorrow morning. We'll steal the kids and tell them we are going shopping while Mummy and Daddy go to Granny's. After the show we'll drive them up to Granny's where we will all have tea together. Sounds like a good plan. Because the performance is only 55 minutes we will do a bit of shopping in the town centre too. They don't ever shop in Sheffield, they do all theirs in Leeds - living in Horsforth it makes sense.
I drove Laura to the restaurant in the howling wind and rain, and it hadn't eased up at all when I collected her afterwards. It had affected the clientele though, apart from the bookings they only had 10 walk-ins all night! Very slow. Dominic was bemoaning the British weather and telling us it wasn't ever like this in Italy. He comes from the heel of the boot, near Brindisi and they have lovely weather all the time! [According to him!]
We were expecting some news about the crash or at least someone to get in touch with us, maybe, but so far nothing. I guess it is only one day afterwards. I hope Henry is OK. We left before they'd even got him out of the car. He seemed fine to me. Yes, I know, I am hardly qualified to make a diagnosis.
Laura has had this pervy idea for the bedroom. She fancies tying me to the bed and using me as her slave and then letting me do the same to her! Mmmm... I wasn't sure what to think [or say] when she came out with this. It could be interesting. I am not sure how my OCD will cope with being restrained like that, though. She would even want me to be blindfold. I think that could tip me over the edge, TBH.
Saturday October 12th.
More horrible weather. Callie and I were drenched this morning again! That is two days in a row. It isn't usually like this here. At Dad's, yes. Sometimes you can go a whole week without a dry day in Cumbria; but usually here, to the East of the Pennines, it is much drier.
We swam the 100 lengths and then had a big breakfast. Loll decamped to the study [as my attic was grandly renamed when I moved in. It has a beautiful desk and all my books on seventeen book shelves - all of which I stained mahogany before assembling them] and I set too to give the house a mega clean. I didn't get too far because Phil & Jane arrived at 11am with the terrible two. I was expecting them at about noon. Still, not to fret. They had decided they'd like to do some shopping too, so we went to the theatre and then met them outside afterwards and all strolled round the city centre.
The show was really good and they both enjoyed it. Peter might have been a little bit old for it but Angela was entranced throughout. We have arranged to take them to see a puppet version of Peter and the Wolf in a fortnight. That should be very good too, and introduce them to Real Music.
We took them into three big toy shops in town and they dropped huge hints about what they would like for Christmas. You would think they had no toys at all the way they went on about wanting certain ones. In the second one I pretended that a huge fabric lion was attacking me [Lewis' Toy Shop]. I threw myself on to the floor, holding this enormous cuddly lion at my neck, yelling, "Get it off! Get it off!" Angela thought it was very funny, Peter was undecided. You could see some of the other parents in there pulling very long noses at me as I got up and dusted myself down.
Phil, afterwards, whispered to me "I wish you wouldn't do stuff like that. It makes it ever so hard for me to be a fun loving and silly Dad when Aunt Vicki does really mad things in public with them. You are just spontaneously mad and they love it. You do realise how ridiculous you looked. don't you?"
I was speechless. I mean, what did he think I was trying to do? I was just being me. Messing about. Being silly and immature and childish is what I am. I have always been like it. I enjoy doing mad things to amuse my nieces and nephews. I honestly couldn't think of an answer that wouldn't have lead to an argument between us. What was worse was the fact the fcuking git was whispering this to me so that no-one else would hear him.
In the last one Peter asked what would attack me in this shop? I said that I didn't think they would, as their big scary Dad had frightened them all off! Well, I know. It was petty and cow like, but he can be a bloody arsehole at times, even if he is my brother! Luckily, they had some radio controlled cars to play with so we had a go on those. They are much harder to operate than I imagined. We drove them round the floor and then tried to drive them round each other's feet. I tried to steer mine round the feet of some of the other people wandering around the shop, browsing. So Pete had a go, then Angela.
He did it again. Very quietly telling me I shouldn't have got them playing with those cars and being silly with them. I was being irresponsible and setting a terrible example! This time my eyes did fill. Laura dragged me off to the ladies room, saying she was having trouble with one of her contacts and could I help? Jane said they were going to the restaurant to have a cuppa and we should join them there.
She was a life saver. If the tears had fallen so would so many harsh words as well. I just know they would. Mainly from me; directed at him. That was what made me so upset. He knew he could push and push and I wouldn't do anything because I wouldn't want to show the kids the acid tongued side of their Auntie, which only comes out when really provoked.
Why does he fcuking do it? Is he jealous of me getting lots of their affection? Does he think I am doing it deliberately to undermine him? There are times when I see so clearly why he and Susannah do not get on. He can such a stupid pillock at times. I want to hit him!
Luckily at Mum's we were showered with love and affection and silliness from her too. Which helped me to put it to the back of my mind. Laura helped by answering Mum's "What have you all been up to?" By telling her I had been practising my surrogate parenting skills on the children. Jane piped up with, "You should have seen her. She is so on their wavelength. She'll be a marvellous Mum some day!" Good old Jane. Totally unexpected support and really, really welcome. [Mum gave me one of her looks!]
The kids went on to tell her all about Room on the Broom and the Lion Attack and how they were going to see a Wolf musical, with their mad Aunt. Mum asked if she could come too, and she told them all about taking me to see Peter and The Wolf in Norwich when I was 5!
When the others weren't watching I caught Phil's eye, touched my nose tip and pointed at him. This was our old childhood sign for "Got You!" In his favour he did give the right sign back, which is pretending to hold a noose round your neck and being a hanged man. "OK. You win."
Jane had brought her Friday's Ultra Sound scan disc with her and this time you could make out that the splodge in the middle of the screen snow was a tiny weeny baby. Mum was thrilled to bits. I think we all were to be honest.
Dinner couldn't have been better. Beef stew and dumplings, with mashed potatoes and squeaky cabbage. This was followed by apple crumble and custard, made from apples picked in Mum's garden. Absolutely perfect food for such a horrible day, weather wise.
We stayed for quite a while gossiping and looking at the ultra sound again trying to tell the baby's gender. When we left mum gave us a bag of apples each [each couple] so that is going to be my tomorrow's project. Bugger more cleaning I am going to have a mass bake and cook lots of apple pies to put in the freezer. I shall also make some of the Woman's Hour Amazing apple cakes too.
Laura drove us home, and dropped me off at the bench on the lane above Onesacre, so I could walk back with Callie for her last walk. It would save us going out again after we'd got in. We got bloody drenched -Again!
Sunday October 13th.
Nine 7" apple pies, three apple cakes and a mass of apple sauce later, I am all baked out. As they were cooling Kaybers and Jan arrived, they are back from Norway [obviously] and came to surprise us. Rah, rah, rah.
We had a really long chat and it turns out the real reason they came was to tell us they are going to move to Norway in the new year! Oh, No! Another I don't believe it moment. We lost touch for a while when Kaybers went to Sheffield Uni, only meeting back up when I came home to Mum's after Australia. Now we are going to lose touch again. I can just tell that will happen! They want the baby to be born in Norway, which seems fine but they haven't got themselves anything like jobs sorted out there yet!
Could just be wishing aloud on their parts or maybe they are off in cloud cuckoo land! They were extremely impressed by my baking so, of course, they went off with an apple pie and a cake and a couple of bags of sauce. [I ladle the sauce into plastic bags, in measured amounts, to freeze. Some in apple pie sized portions, some in smaller portions for eating with meat. ]
The rest of the day was spent watching the rain running off the conservatory roof; trickling down my Odessa steps and generally making everything damp and soggy. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's been flooding in valley bottom.
I don't believe it, part two. Microsoft office had started to behave like a Tory Politician. Fcuking up all over the place!
It has buggered up Word and now Outlook. I will have to spend a long time shouting at someone on the phone tomorrow. It cost a bloody arm and a leg to buy this new version. I was happy with old Office 2000 but my new laptop didn't like it. Grrr.
Busy day at work today. Meeting students, working on our translations, and a departmental meeting that just went on and on and on and on........ Jesus H Christ! If I ever become a Professor I hope I will learn to run meetings better than this! We had an agenda, which we sort of abandoned. People kept referring back to items after they had been closed. Some one tried to introduce a non-agenda item four times, and was told each time to wait until Any Other Business, and when that came around he'd changed his mind! I could have taken a cattle prod to most of them. Dozy old duffers!
The woman senior lecturer sat opposite me and I kept looking at each other and raising our eyes to the ceiling in despair. She told me afterwards she was seriously thinking of texting one of her students and asking them to set off the fire alarm! I mean, the signing of the previous minutes alone took over a bloody year - or so it seemed.
Laura has a massive assignment to do in the next few weeks so it is good that we cancelled visiting Cumbria this weekend. She is going to use Saturday and Sunday mornings to "break its back". That'll give me time to do a mega clean of the house.
The real reason we cancelled our trip was we are taking Peter and Angela to see "Room on the Broom" at the Crucible tomorrow. We are going to the 1.30pm show. The plan is Phil and Jane will drive down tomorrow morning. We'll steal the kids and tell them we are going shopping while Mummy and Daddy go to Granny's. After the show we'll drive them up to Granny's where we will all have tea together. Sounds like a good plan. Because the performance is only 55 minutes we will do a bit of shopping in the town centre too. They don't ever shop in Sheffield, they do all theirs in Leeds - living in Horsforth it makes sense.
I drove Laura to the restaurant in the howling wind and rain, and it hadn't eased up at all when I collected her afterwards. It had affected the clientele though, apart from the bookings they only had 10 walk-ins all night! Very slow. Dominic was bemoaning the British weather and telling us it wasn't ever like this in Italy. He comes from the heel of the boot, near Brindisi and they have lovely weather all the time! [According to him!]
We were expecting some news about the crash or at least someone to get in touch with us, maybe, but so far nothing. I guess it is only one day afterwards. I hope Henry is OK. We left before they'd even got him out of the car. He seemed fine to me. Yes, I know, I am hardly qualified to make a diagnosis.
Laura has had this pervy idea for the bedroom. She fancies tying me to the bed and using me as her slave and then letting me do the same to her! Mmmm... I wasn't sure what to think [or say] when she came out with this. It could be interesting. I am not sure how my OCD will cope with being restrained like that, though. She would even want me to be blindfold. I think that could tip me over the edge, TBH.
Saturday October 12th.
More horrible weather. Callie and I were drenched this morning again! That is two days in a row. It isn't usually like this here. At Dad's, yes. Sometimes you can go a whole week without a dry day in Cumbria; but usually here, to the East of the Pennines, it is much drier.
We swam the 100 lengths and then had a big breakfast. Loll decamped to the study [as my attic was grandly renamed when I moved in. It has a beautiful desk and all my books on seventeen book shelves - all of which I stained mahogany before assembling them] and I set too to give the house a mega clean. I didn't get too far because Phil & Jane arrived at 11am with the terrible two. I was expecting them at about noon. Still, not to fret. They had decided they'd like to do some shopping too, so we went to the theatre and then met them outside afterwards and all strolled round the city centre.
The show was really good and they both enjoyed it. Peter might have been a little bit old for it but Angela was entranced throughout. We have arranged to take them to see a puppet version of Peter and the Wolf in a fortnight. That should be very good too, and introduce them to Real Music.
We took them into three big toy shops in town and they dropped huge hints about what they would like for Christmas. You would think they had no toys at all the way they went on about wanting certain ones. In the second one I pretended that a huge fabric lion was attacking me [Lewis' Toy Shop]. I threw myself on to the floor, holding this enormous cuddly lion at my neck, yelling, "Get it off! Get it off!" Angela thought it was very funny, Peter was undecided. You could see some of the other parents in there pulling very long noses at me as I got up and dusted myself down.
Phil, afterwards, whispered to me "I wish you wouldn't do stuff like that. It makes it ever so hard for me to be a fun loving and silly Dad when Aunt Vicki does really mad things in public with them. You are just spontaneously mad and they love it. You do realise how ridiculous you looked. don't you?"
I was speechless. I mean, what did he think I was trying to do? I was just being me. Messing about. Being silly and immature and childish is what I am. I have always been like it. I enjoy doing mad things to amuse my nieces and nephews. I honestly couldn't think of an answer that wouldn't have lead to an argument between us. What was worse was the fact the fcuking git was whispering this to me so that no-one else would hear him.
In the last one Peter asked what would attack me in this shop? I said that I didn't think they would, as their big scary Dad had frightened them all off! Well, I know. It was petty and cow like, but he can be a bloody arsehole at times, even if he is my brother! Luckily, they had some radio controlled cars to play with so we had a go on those. They are much harder to operate than I imagined. We drove them round the floor and then tried to drive them round each other's feet. I tried to steer mine round the feet of some of the other people wandering around the shop, browsing. So Pete had a go, then Angela.
He did it again. Very quietly telling me I shouldn't have got them playing with those cars and being silly with them. I was being irresponsible and setting a terrible example! This time my eyes did fill. Laura dragged me off to the ladies room, saying she was having trouble with one of her contacts and could I help? Jane said they were going to the restaurant to have a cuppa and we should join them there.
She was a life saver. If the tears had fallen so would so many harsh words as well. I just know they would. Mainly from me; directed at him. That was what made me so upset. He knew he could push and push and I wouldn't do anything because I wouldn't want to show the kids the acid tongued side of their Auntie, which only comes out when really provoked.
Why does he fcuking do it? Is he jealous of me getting lots of their affection? Does he think I am doing it deliberately to undermine him? There are times when I see so clearly why he and Susannah do not get on. He can such a stupid pillock at times. I want to hit him!
Luckily at Mum's we were showered with love and affection and silliness from her too. Which helped me to put it to the back of my mind. Laura helped by answering Mum's "What have you all been up to?" By telling her I had been practising my surrogate parenting skills on the children. Jane piped up with, "You should have seen her. She is so on their wavelength. She'll be a marvellous Mum some day!" Good old Jane. Totally unexpected support and really, really welcome. [Mum gave me one of her looks!]
The kids went on to tell her all about Room on the Broom and the Lion Attack and how they were going to see a Wolf musical, with their mad Aunt. Mum asked if she could come too, and she told them all about taking me to see Peter and The Wolf in Norwich when I was 5!
When the others weren't watching I caught Phil's eye, touched my nose tip and pointed at him. This was our old childhood sign for "Got You!" In his favour he did give the right sign back, which is pretending to hold a noose round your neck and being a hanged man. "OK. You win."
Jane had brought her Friday's Ultra Sound scan disc with her and this time you could make out that the splodge in the middle of the screen snow was a tiny weeny baby. Mum was thrilled to bits. I think we all were to be honest.
Dinner couldn't have been better. Beef stew and dumplings, with mashed potatoes and squeaky cabbage. This was followed by apple crumble and custard, made from apples picked in Mum's garden. Absolutely perfect food for such a horrible day, weather wise.
We stayed for quite a while gossiping and looking at the ultra sound again trying to tell the baby's gender. When we left mum gave us a bag of apples each [each couple] so that is going to be my tomorrow's project. Bugger more cleaning I am going to have a mass bake and cook lots of apple pies to put in the freezer. I shall also make some of the Woman's Hour Amazing apple cakes too.
Laura drove us home, and dropped me off at the bench on the lane above Onesacre, so I could walk back with Callie for her last walk. It would save us going out again after we'd got in. We got bloody drenched -Again!
Sunday October 13th.
Nine 7" apple pies, three apple cakes and a mass of apple sauce later, I am all baked out. As they were cooling Kaybers and Jan arrived, they are back from Norway [obviously] and came to surprise us. Rah, rah, rah.
We had a really long chat and it turns out the real reason they came was to tell us they are going to move to Norway in the new year! Oh, No! Another I don't believe it moment. We lost touch for a while when Kaybers went to Sheffield Uni, only meeting back up when I came home to Mum's after Australia. Now we are going to lose touch again. I can just tell that will happen! They want the baby to be born in Norway, which seems fine but they haven't got themselves anything like jobs sorted out there yet!
Could just be wishing aloud on their parts or maybe they are off in cloud cuckoo land! They were extremely impressed by my baking so, of course, they went off with an apple pie and a cake and a couple of bags of sauce. [I ladle the sauce into plastic bags, in measured amounts, to freeze. Some in apple pie sized portions, some in smaller portions for eating with meat. ]
The rest of the day was spent watching the rain running off the conservatory roof; trickling down my Odessa steps and generally making everything damp and soggy. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's been flooding in valley bottom.
Kaybers and Jan couldn’t be persuaded to stay for a proper meal but they did enjoy some of my Apple Cake and a cuppa. Then they were heading off for some retail therapy at Meadow Hall. We had a good giggle at the times we got thrown out of there for roller blading. I can’t imagine she will be doing that any more, TBH. I hope they don’t move to Norway but that is just me being a stupid selfish little cow, I suppose.
We had a phone call, mid afternoon, from Henry’s Daughter. That was a surprise. She wanted to thank us for helping out with her Dad and asked if we could provide a statement for his insurance company explaining what had happened. He is fine. [Which is good.] His car is in a pretty poor state though. His ankle, although trapped was uninjured, which is so unusual, apparently. I am pleased his is fine, though. We are going to meet up on Tuesday lunchtime, in a café which overlooks the Cathedral for a chat and to exchange more details. She’s called Joan. Henry lives in Stocksbridge, which is the next village along from us. I was pleased we’d heard something. He was in the Northern General Hospital for two night but is now staying with his daughter who lives in Hillsborough.
Finally. It seems to have stopped raining. Callie and I enjoyed a rain free stroll before bedtime which was so nice. She was thinking of asking me for a raincoat and wellingtons [I often make up conversations with her. I am not mad really. Honest. No, I am not!]
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