A Distinctly Good Weekend

On Friday, at about lunchtime, I got a call from my daughter, Alysha. She had called to tell me that she had taken an exam, at college, and she had got the results. She needed a minimum 93 points to pass and 118 to pass with distinction. Alysha got 123 points, which was the highest in the class, so I am really proud of her, right now. A little later she called again. This time to tell me that while she had been in Watford for lunch, she had seen a film crew, so had gone to investigate. It turns out that some ‘TV Personality’, named Keith Lemon, was filming for his new show. From what I can gather from Alysha, Keith Lemon was interviewing everyday people about everyday things. Now Alysha, always the one to get into the papers or on TV, decided to stand behind the ‘everyday person’ being interviewed. This meant that she would be in the shot and, therefore, on TV. At this point a lady asked her to sign a declaration saying that they could show her on TV. I can imagine Alysha snapping the poor woman’s arm off to sign it. So, Alysha will be appearing on TV in the early spring, in a show called ‘Lemonaid’. After work, Jason and I went back to mine, as he was going to help me build my new ‘Garden Store’. A seven-foot tall plastic storage box, basically. An hour later, and it was done. A quick beer and then Jason headed home.

Saturday saw a lot of things get done. I managed to move the gardening tools into my new ‘Garden Store’, and go through everything in the garage. Emma phoned her brother, Adam, who for £20 would take away the rubbish. I then put some other things in the loft, put a plug on Emma’s hairdryer and fixed the bird box and reattached it to the wall. I then settled down to watch the Ireland v Italy match. Adam arrived just before half-time, at which point we emptied all the scrap and rubbish onto the back of his van. He was not a happy bunny. He thought it was just a small amount, not a van full. An extra tenner, shut him up. Jason arrived as Adam was leaving, so we had a beer each, before Jason had to leave. We were expecting Len and Emma Jayne to come round, but they decided to stay home, so we had a quite afternoon watching the rugby. With Ireland and Wales both winning, it was a happy household.

Sunday saw us up early. Erin was bathed and fed, before we headed out for a stroll. Last Sunday we had walked to and around Cassiobury Park. This week we decided to follow the Ebury Way to Rickmansworth. The weather was beautiful and we reached Rickmansworth in an hour, only to find ‘Annie’s Café’ was closed. A little disappointed, we headed into Rickmansworth Aquadrome to grab a bite and a drink at the ‘Café in the Park’. Once we had eaten, Erin awoke, so we fed her before continuing around the Aquadrome proper. I carried Erin for a while, and she couldn’t take her eyes off the water. Then she noticed the swans and geese. (In 16 weeks, Erin has barely noticed the cats, and every time we have seen other animals, Erin has been asleep.) So, these giant white things were intriguing to her. Eventually we headed to a little play area, where Erin took her first ride on a swing. (Check the vid on my ‘Movies’ page.) We then walked along Rickmansworth High Street, before heading onto the Grand union Canal towpath. To our surprise, the café was open. It turns out it is now under new management and is called ‘The café @ Lock 81’. So, we had a coffee before starting our walk home. Once home, we had a bite to eat and changed and fed Erin, before deciding to go to the ‘Oddfellows’ for a drink. We sat in the beer garden, and Erin had another go on a swing, and then we headed home. It worked out at a round trip of ten miles, or so.

Once again another great weekend.

Until next time,

May it be well with you.

It's Been A While...

It's been a while, since my last blog, and a lot has happened.

Christmas and New Year were exciting, as we now have Erin with us and, for the first time in years, I had the whole of the Christmas and New Year holiday off from work, so I was able to spend a lot more time with my family.

Once Christmas and New Year had been and gone, we turned our attention back to our wedding. My uniform for the wedding was ordered and has been delivered, after being tailor-made in Hong Kong. Emma's dress has been bought, as has Alysha's and Erin's. Also, my best man, Steve, has his suit, too. The invites have been sent out and the majority have accepted the invitation. My hotel room is booked for the night before the wedding, as well as for the night of the wedding. The cake is ordered and the food is sorted, too. Steve is organising my stag day, which will take place on Saturday 3rd March, with a trip to London. 

By mid January Erin was sleeping right through the night in her newly decorated room. 

Alysha is still doing well in her dance exams and competitions, and has decided to go into the sixth-form at school.

Recently, my friend Jason and I started to play darts again. Considering it has been about two years since I last played, it didn't take long for me to get back into the swing of it. I am currently winning five out of six games. I also gave Jason my PC, as I decided it was time to upgrade, so I bought Emma and Alysha laptop each, and myself a 'Chromebook'. (Hence one of the reasons why my blog hasn't been kept up-to-date.)

Towards the end of January, we tried Erin with some baby rice and some pureed apple. Since then she has gone onto porridge in the morning, followed by milk, and pureed fruit in the afternoons, along with milk inbetween.

Also, the RBS 6 Nations Rugby Championship has started, so I am back to supporting Ireland, who have lost their frst match, and had their second match postponed, due to a 'frozen pitch'. They will improve.

I think that pretty much brings everything up-to-date, so until next time... May it be well wiith you.