Alex asked me what my resolutions were going to be this year....
I don't really believe in resolutions as, to be honest, in a non-arrogant way, I quite like me! I always make silly resolutions really.
Last year I think I resolved to make Alex want to marry me - he already did (little did I know) and had already bought the ring! And that same year, we got married.
I think I resolved to leave my job and have more quality time for myself - I did, and I am now unemployed so have lots of time for myself!!!
This year, I don't know.
I told Al that I would get a job, that I would pass my driving test and try and have a baby.
I was proud of them as I thought, apart from the last one, they are very attainable.
But he told me that they aren't real resolutions.
He told me, for instance, he resolves to be cleaner and tidier. I agree - he should be!
I can't make that same resolution really as my whole day revolves around cleaning and tidying.
I think I resolve to keep in touch with my brother in Wales a bit more and to also keep in touch with my friends a bit more. It's easy to lose touch with people that you don't see very often, but I endeavour not to.
I definitely resolve to be a bit more easy-going at home and not take Alex for granted as much. He does so so so much for me and I just don't feel like I give him enough appreciation.
I resolve to have more patience with the pooch and always remember that she is just a baby and it is up to us to make her into the adult dog that she will be.
And I resolve to spend more time with Alvin. He and I were proper best buds before Olive came along, but whilst she is a puppy and needs a lot of commitment and disciplining etc, Alvin doesn't get quite as much attention. That will change my little buddy, just give it time.
And I guess I resolve to just keep having a great time, a happy marriage and appreciating my wonderful family and friends.
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
A Family Christmas
Well, I wouldn't be a true blogger if I didn't include a blog about Christmas!! I mean, seeing as this blog is almost like a diary for me, I can't exactly by-pass the two most stressful, emotional, amazing, chaotic weeks of my life.
So much preparation goes into it all year round doesn't it?
Personally, I am not a great believer in Christmas apart from it being a great excuse to have a few days off and spend time with all the people you care about the most. I am fairly religious in a spiritual way but do not believe in any bible or anything like that. To me, I could celebrate Christmas any day of the year.
Anyway, disregarding my own beliefs, I know that most people believe Christmas to be a very special time of year and I always do my best to accomodate everyone and to make sure that everyone is with the people they love and doing the things they love the most.
For me, Christmas started in September when I realised that nobody had yet got round to inviting my gran from Surrey to stay. She is on her own there and the rest of the family live up North. I asked my mum if she was planning on asking her, not wishing to tread on toes, and mum said she was too busy and stressed to think about anything like that. So, knowing gran would have to book train tickets and make plans anyway, I invited her to stay with me.
Al was pretty sure he would be going to Poland for Christmas to be with his family so it made sense for me to share out my three-bed house with family.
The lead-up to Christmas was pretty hectic as Al began to think twice about going to Poland. It was easy to book flights months ago when Christmas was so far away, but as it crept up, we realised we really wanted to spend our first Christmas as man and wife, together.
Anyway, there was no going back on those £240 tickets.
So, I thought I may as well invite my brother and sister and nephew too for a few days, who I love spending time with.
My mum lives in the Lake District and just wasn't feeling Christmas at all and was adamant that she would spend it on her own. Our emails went back and forth, emotions running high, and in the end we decided that mum would travel down early Christmas day to spend a few hours with us. Then dad would come and pick us kids up to go to Liverpool for lunch, and then I would return home to mum and gran.
All this fuss that goes into Christmas! One day to see everyone!
Well, Si, Kate and Jack all turned up on the 22nd. It was lovely. We had a really good night eating takeaway and drinking beer. The dog was hectic and Jack was naughty and so many things went wrong. Jack had just learnt to throw and practised with everything. He mostly threw things at the rabbit and revelled in the shouting he received from us. The dog loved that Jack was being shouted at and did all she could to aid his naughtiness.
There was a point that night when we would be laughing our heads off at the ridiculousness of everythig being destroyed and tipped over and stood on and lost. There was no sitting down for a second.
The next day my gran arrived. She was a lot slower with her walking than I remember and the 5 minute walk from the train station took nearly an hour in the freezing cold with the dog desperately pulling on the lead to walk faster. Kate and Si 'went to the shop' on the way home and disappeared for over an hour, leaving me to baby-step home with my gran.
We got home, and I think my gran literally took the armchair and glued herself there with a 6-day fixative. I hardly remember not seeing her sitting there and I had to prise her away from the TV to come and join me for dinner. Even then, she would be watching the TV from the awkward angle of the dinner table and all conversation was lost.
I felt her disapproval whenever Jack did something naughty and we shouted at him, or when Olive went crazy fighting with me and I quietly tried to discipline her whilst trying not to get in the way of the TV.
Not being able to sit down for a second, vastly reduced to a nano-second as the dog made the most of the amount of people and attention in the room. My gran welcomed the dog jumping up on the sofa and all of our training days took a nose-dive within an hour.
Pestering my gran to have a drink all the time, I was exasperated when at every meal time, just as I had asked her for the tenth time, and then finally sat down to actually eat the dinner I had been preparing for ages, she would then decide that yes, she would quite like a drink if it's not too much trouble - what do you have?
Grrr....
I looked forward to Christmas day so much when mum would arrive and look after gran and the dog for the whole day, and dad would come and pick us up and cook dinner for us and give me the day off!
Mum arrived at 7am!!!
Knowing that dad was picking us up at 10am and that we wanted to spend a few hours with mum, I was baffled that at 7:30am, my gran decided she needed to use the shower first!
My dad arrived at 10:30 and came in. It was fairly awkward as we went to get all of our bits and bobs together and he and mum were left in the same room as each other. I don't know if they said anything to each other but they were civil at least. And then I said goodbye to mum, knowing that my day off was courtesy of her and that she would suffer from my peace.
Christmas day has been a quite manic day in our family for the last few years, since we started having our dinner at the sheltered accomodation that my gran lives in. We use their kitchen to cook our dinner and invite any of the old ladies that are free and have nowhere else to go that year. This year was the first year that no one else from the home was coming. Still the kitchen is very basic and my dad and aunty split the ingredients between them and cook a lot of it in their own kitchens at home. Then we all transport it over to grans.
Christmas dinner was the best ever this year. Everyone else has turkey but dad got me a lovely piece of smoked salmon fillet from M&S, and it was all served with two types of potato, veg, cranberry sauce, stuffing and everyone else had pigs in blankets.
And then delicious christmas pud! My fave!
To be honest, it takes a lot longer to prepare the dinner and then to tidy up again, than it does to actually spend time together as a family eating everything. It's a shame and something which I've noticed the last few years. Everyone is so busy fussing about cooking and cleaning and setting the table that you don't actually get to spend much quality time together at all.
In the olden days, when we all lived in one house, we would wake up, go downstairs and have a bucks fizz, and then we could open one gift before breakfast. After breakfast we would open the rest of our gifts, and then there were always a few bowls of nuts and sweets around to nibble on.
We would eat our Christmas dinner and then spend the rest of the afternoon playing with our new toys, drawing on our sleeping dad, and nibbling on crackers and cheese and selection boxes. What happened? Why is it not like this any more?
These days we all live in different houses so there's a lot of transport involved, no leftovers, no nibbles.
At the end of the meal, rather than chill out, we had to rush off back to my house, as dad had to get back to see his girlfirend and I had to let mum escape.
Over the course of the 'festive period', I lost numerous plants due to Jack pulling them over or the dog uprooting them, I lost my mobile phone from Jack throwing it down the loo, I lost my two remote controls due to them being dunked in orange juice, the dog finished off two of my pairs of jeans, I got a cup of orange juice thrown over my suede sofa, my christmas tree lights and two lamps upstairs were destroyed, countless loo rolls decorated the landing and stairs.... can't remember what else but I do remember one night when me, si and kate all just laughed uncontrollably at the ridiculousness of everything going wrong!
I lost a huge amount of sleep, got extremely fit from not sitting down the whole time, got blisters from the sweeping brush being a permanent fixture in my hands, and now have the driest hands from all the washing and cleaning I have done!
I couldn't even walk my gran to the station at the end of her stay. I knew that the five minute walk would take her at least 40 minutes. So I called her a cab to get to the station, and the second I closed the front door on her, I looked down and spotted loads of mud on my hallway floor that she'd just wiped off her dirty shoes to make them look all nice and clean for her journey, and I did that thing that they do in Hollyoaks and Eastenders where you scrunch your eyes and up and melt down the door with your mouth open in a silent cry, and then just sit there crying for ages!!!! I needed that though!!
Alex got home a day later and that's when my Christmas holiday started! I let him wake up at 6am to go down to our barking dog, and I let him bring me a cup of tea, and I actually left muck on the floor after Olive traipsed it in from the garden. I left it there for at least a day. And I just chilled for about 2 days.
At the end of it, I got a cold and sore throat and muscle ache and headaches, but hey, that's Christmas!!!!
So much preparation goes into it all year round doesn't it?
Personally, I am not a great believer in Christmas apart from it being a great excuse to have a few days off and spend time with all the people you care about the most. I am fairly religious in a spiritual way but do not believe in any bible or anything like that. To me, I could celebrate Christmas any day of the year.
Anyway, disregarding my own beliefs, I know that most people believe Christmas to be a very special time of year and I always do my best to accomodate everyone and to make sure that everyone is with the people they love and doing the things they love the most.
For me, Christmas started in September when I realised that nobody had yet got round to inviting my gran from Surrey to stay. She is on her own there and the rest of the family live up North. I asked my mum if she was planning on asking her, not wishing to tread on toes, and mum said she was too busy and stressed to think about anything like that. So, knowing gran would have to book train tickets and make plans anyway, I invited her to stay with me.
Al was pretty sure he would be going to Poland for Christmas to be with his family so it made sense for me to share out my three-bed house with family.
The lead-up to Christmas was pretty hectic as Al began to think twice about going to Poland. It was easy to book flights months ago when Christmas was so far away, but as it crept up, we realised we really wanted to spend our first Christmas as man and wife, together.
Anyway, there was no going back on those £240 tickets.
So, I thought I may as well invite my brother and sister and nephew too for a few days, who I love spending time with.
My mum lives in the Lake District and just wasn't feeling Christmas at all and was adamant that she would spend it on her own. Our emails went back and forth, emotions running high, and in the end we decided that mum would travel down early Christmas day to spend a few hours with us. Then dad would come and pick us kids up to go to Liverpool for lunch, and then I would return home to mum and gran.
All this fuss that goes into Christmas! One day to see everyone!
Well, Si, Kate and Jack all turned up on the 22nd. It was lovely. We had a really good night eating takeaway and drinking beer. The dog was hectic and Jack was naughty and so many things went wrong. Jack had just learnt to throw and practised with everything. He mostly threw things at the rabbit and revelled in the shouting he received from us. The dog loved that Jack was being shouted at and did all she could to aid his naughtiness.
There was a point that night when we would be laughing our heads off at the ridiculousness of everythig being destroyed and tipped over and stood on and lost. There was no sitting down for a second.
The next day my gran arrived. She was a lot slower with her walking than I remember and the 5 minute walk from the train station took nearly an hour in the freezing cold with the dog desperately pulling on the lead to walk faster. Kate and Si 'went to the shop' on the way home and disappeared for over an hour, leaving me to baby-step home with my gran.
We got home, and I think my gran literally took the armchair and glued herself there with a 6-day fixative. I hardly remember not seeing her sitting there and I had to prise her away from the TV to come and join me for dinner. Even then, she would be watching the TV from the awkward angle of the dinner table and all conversation was lost.
I felt her disapproval whenever Jack did something naughty and we shouted at him, or when Olive went crazy fighting with me and I quietly tried to discipline her whilst trying not to get in the way of the TV.
Not being able to sit down for a second, vastly reduced to a nano-second as the dog made the most of the amount of people and attention in the room. My gran welcomed the dog jumping up on the sofa and all of our training days took a nose-dive within an hour.
Pestering my gran to have a drink all the time, I was exasperated when at every meal time, just as I had asked her for the tenth time, and then finally sat down to actually eat the dinner I had been preparing for ages, she would then decide that yes, she would quite like a drink if it's not too much trouble - what do you have?
Grrr....
I looked forward to Christmas day so much when mum would arrive and look after gran and the dog for the whole day, and dad would come and pick us up and cook dinner for us and give me the day off!
Mum arrived at 7am!!!
Knowing that dad was picking us up at 10am and that we wanted to spend a few hours with mum, I was baffled that at 7:30am, my gran decided she needed to use the shower first!
My dad arrived at 10:30 and came in. It was fairly awkward as we went to get all of our bits and bobs together and he and mum were left in the same room as each other. I don't know if they said anything to each other but they were civil at least. And then I said goodbye to mum, knowing that my day off was courtesy of her and that she would suffer from my peace.
Christmas day has been a quite manic day in our family for the last few years, since we started having our dinner at the sheltered accomodation that my gran lives in. We use their kitchen to cook our dinner and invite any of the old ladies that are free and have nowhere else to go that year. This year was the first year that no one else from the home was coming. Still the kitchen is very basic and my dad and aunty split the ingredients between them and cook a lot of it in their own kitchens at home. Then we all transport it over to grans.
Christmas dinner was the best ever this year. Everyone else has turkey but dad got me a lovely piece of smoked salmon fillet from M&S, and it was all served with two types of potato, veg, cranberry sauce, stuffing and everyone else had pigs in blankets.
And then delicious christmas pud! My fave!
To be honest, it takes a lot longer to prepare the dinner and then to tidy up again, than it does to actually spend time together as a family eating everything. It's a shame and something which I've noticed the last few years. Everyone is so busy fussing about cooking and cleaning and setting the table that you don't actually get to spend much quality time together at all.
In the olden days, when we all lived in one house, we would wake up, go downstairs and have a bucks fizz, and then we could open one gift before breakfast. After breakfast we would open the rest of our gifts, and then there were always a few bowls of nuts and sweets around to nibble on.
We would eat our Christmas dinner and then spend the rest of the afternoon playing with our new toys, drawing on our sleeping dad, and nibbling on crackers and cheese and selection boxes. What happened? Why is it not like this any more?
These days we all live in different houses so there's a lot of transport involved, no leftovers, no nibbles.
At the end of the meal, rather than chill out, we had to rush off back to my house, as dad had to get back to see his girlfirend and I had to let mum escape.
Over the course of the 'festive period', I lost numerous plants due to Jack pulling them over or the dog uprooting them, I lost my mobile phone from Jack throwing it down the loo, I lost my two remote controls due to them being dunked in orange juice, the dog finished off two of my pairs of jeans, I got a cup of orange juice thrown over my suede sofa, my christmas tree lights and two lamps upstairs were destroyed, countless loo rolls decorated the landing and stairs.... can't remember what else but I do remember one night when me, si and kate all just laughed uncontrollably at the ridiculousness of everything going wrong!
I lost a huge amount of sleep, got extremely fit from not sitting down the whole time, got blisters from the sweeping brush being a permanent fixture in my hands, and now have the driest hands from all the washing and cleaning I have done!
I couldn't even walk my gran to the station at the end of her stay. I knew that the five minute walk would take her at least 40 minutes. So I called her a cab to get to the station, and the second I closed the front door on her, I looked down and spotted loads of mud on my hallway floor that she'd just wiped off her dirty shoes to make them look all nice and clean for her journey, and I did that thing that they do in Hollyoaks and Eastenders where you scrunch your eyes and up and melt down the door with your mouth open in a silent cry, and then just sit there crying for ages!!!! I needed that though!!
Alex got home a day later and that's when my Christmas holiday started! I let him wake up at 6am to go down to our barking dog, and I let him bring me a cup of tea, and I actually left muck on the floor after Olive traipsed it in from the garden. I left it there for at least a day. And I just chilled for about 2 days.
At the end of it, I got a cold and sore throat and muscle ache and headaches, but hey, that's Christmas!!!!
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
1st December
1st December is my sister's birthday and this year it was her 21st! She woke up to this view out of my spare bedroom in the morning.
Kate didn't do what normal 21 year old girls would do for their birthdays as she has a 1 year old son to think about, but we had the absolute best time in the world.We went out Sunday night into Liverpool for a meal, then she and Jack came back to our house to stay. We woke up on Monday which was her birthday and opened presents and took Olive and Jack for a walk. It was snowing for the first time this year and the first time ever on her birthday. She was delighted. We don't think Jack had ever been in the snow before, and Olive certainly hadn't, she realised as she slipped over!
We piled into the car and went to meet mum at Knowsley Safari park. Its not the typical thing to do for a 21st as I said, but the most important thing for all of us is that Jack has a great time and then we know we will have a great time!!
Mum didn't want her car destroyed by monkeys so Al drove us all round in his car. We were a lot more fascinated than little Jack who just looked at the light shining down on him from the car ceiling.
..... until we got to the tiger.....
The tiger was just huge and really gorgeous. Jack seemed amazed it was so big. It plodded about it's little strip of ground by it's den for a bit, and then, once all the other cars had got bored and driven off, it came up to us and lay on it's back, showing us it's gorgeous white belly. I
t was brill!Then we drove through the lions which was scary. I'm a wuss with things like that.
Again, there wasn't a huge amount going on and when a lion corssed the path further down, all the cars took off to see it close up. What they didn't realise was that the lion crossed the path to herd all the rest of the pride over to us!! And suddenly we were surrounded. I was petrified actually, brushing it off as 'having a deep respect for lions and their abilities!'
More petrifying was when Jack developed a fascination with the car door, with a huge lioness sniffing the wing mirror!
It took a good 10 to 15 minutes for the lions to stalk us and take in some of the heat from the car before they sauntered off and formed a sunburst off the side of the road.
What we had been most looking forward to, and dreading, was the monkeys, who didn't disappoint! From their little hut where they were sheltering from the snow, on the command of the pack leader, they all headed over for a go on the new Audi climbing frame they'd been presented with. Al decided to keep the car slowly rolling forward to hopefully still lure them over but to keep them off. They weren't put off and there we were being attacked on all sides, monkeys sliding down all windows, hanging on to door handles and wing mirrors, running along next to the moving wheels and sitting on the bonnet having a little ride. Jack loved it! They actually didnt cause any damage that we've noticed yet, but when we parked later, our car was covered in tiny handprints!!We drove back to the car park to go and see the animals that had been kept indoors for the winter - the elephants and giraffes. The elephants didn't really want to play and hung about in the door to their house, unsure about braving the freezing conditions. They were huge and we were pretty glad we hadn't come across them on safari in case they'd crushed us! (You know my fear / respect of elephants!!)
And the giraffes were just great. So unusual and strange. I can never quite get over their appearance with their lumpy heads, huge long necks, round bodies that seem too short, front legs longer than back, and massive tongues and eyes. Kate thought these were Jack's favourite animals and actually they were the ones he made the most noise over!
On our way back to the car we can across a little pond of otters. There were two, right on the side next to the wall, seemed to be literally standing on some grass that was floating, although they must have been on some kind of bank. They were cuddling each other and making a high-pitched very cute squeaky noise. They loved us and climbed on top of each other to get a closer look. They were just absolultely adorable and seemed to be real little soulmates. For, me they were the best things in the whole safari park. I just really really loved them!!
After the safari we headed to Cheadle where Al and I had tested out TGI Fridays the week before! I'd never been there before believing that they wouldn't do much for veggies but actually they are just great! It's not often a vegetarian gets choice, but here they do a delicious San Fran burger (mozzarella and vegetable type burger) and you can have it with all the regular meaty combinations!
But what really made us choose it for Kate's birthday were the absolutely over-the-top, American desserts. Kate is a real sucker for huge, gooey desserts.
I had a BBQ San Fran burger which comes with gherkin (which veggies don't normally get), BBQ sauce, salad, onion rings and chips. Massive and really great!
But in the end, only Jack had a dessert and that was only because we couldn't resist ordering the childrens' 'dirt and worm' pudding!!
Mum let it slip I'd got Kate and birthday cake so I think we all forewent the dessert menu.
So, I dragged everyone back to mine and presented Kate with her Thornton's chocolate cake, boasting 6 Thornton's chocolates on top, and surrounded on ALL sides (incl base) with crisp proper Thornton's chocolate. Soooo goood!!Mum left a bit later and we got ready for the Chill Factor!!!!
We'd booked to go tubing which we were all looking forward to loads! We got there slightly early and had a drink in the cafe where we met everyone else, and then checked in, got our boots and helmets, got jack kitted out with his snow suit and boots, and headed to the slopes.
We did feel a bit uncool next to the snowboarders, and us with our rubber rings, but all those inferior complexes were over-ridden once we'd all had our first go!!!
It was great. Why do we all love experiencing fear and whiplash and backache and nausea???
Jack stayed in the children's playzone which he had all to himself and we all just took turns to look after him. It was actually a good break from the tubing and at one point, we had all snook in there to 'look after Jack'!!!
Afterwards, when we'd all had several 'last goes', we found ourselves in Nando's (the only alcohol-serving place that we could take Jack to) eating burgers and drinking beer and wine.
Wasn't quite apres-ski but a great end to Kate's 21st birthday celebrations and really really good weekend!
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Mumbai Under Attack
It was only 6 weeks ago that we were sat in Leopold's drinking one night after sitting on Chowpatty beach having our evening picnic.
We were delighted to have the opportunity to sit somewhere that we had all read about and which we knew so well through just reading Shantaram. The place oozed with recent history and was so special to us all.
The staff were so friendly and equally in awe of it's famous customer, Linbaba.
Last night, Leopold's came under attack by gunmen. The news is still breaking so we don't know who was injured, but the photos show bullet holes in the windows.
A more obvious place for terrorists to attack, but no less upsetting, is the majestic Taj Mahal hotel, a popular attraction equally for wealthy western businessmen and for backpackers taking an hour to sit in the fabulous tea rooms and restaurants to taste a piece of India's more opulent side.
It seems everyone was targetted, with no qualms about hurting nationals, tourists, rich or poor.
Opening fire in the main train station bares testimony to this. Having been there myself very recently and seeing the platforms absolutely packed - really packed - with people from all walks of life, it is apparent that the culprits were not interested in who they killed in their pursuit of whichever cause they were fighting for. Homeless people, beggars, children, mothers, fathers, businessmen and tourists all use the station on a daily basis.
To see the horror of the gunmen storming down the main road through Mumbai, the road we knew so well from spending 2 nights in our hotel on it, was terrifying. They were sparing no one.
It is said that the terrorists were asking for British and Americans to bring forward their ID in Leopolds, but in an all-out attack on a train station and busy road, it is impossible to seperate one nationality from another, whatever their reasons for doing so.
Mumbai just seemed such an innocent and vibrant place. It was bustling and hectic and we did get unwelcome attention from beggars, but they are now the people that I think of the most and pray that they were unharmed.
I also pray that there were no other Intrepid groups there at the time. It seems ridiculous to think that, as there are so so many people affected, but I guess you pray for those closest to home first and the ones you can identify with personally.
The trauma all these people have gone through, whether they were injured or not, is just immense. I just can't imagine a cause great enough for this to happen.
We were delighted to have the opportunity to sit somewhere that we had all read about and which we knew so well through just reading Shantaram. The place oozed with recent history and was so special to us all.
The staff were so friendly and equally in awe of it's famous customer, Linbaba.
Last night, Leopold's came under attack by gunmen. The news is still breaking so we don't know who was injured, but the photos show bullet holes in the windows.
A more obvious place for terrorists to attack, but no less upsetting, is the majestic Taj Mahal hotel, a popular attraction equally for wealthy western businessmen and for backpackers taking an hour to sit in the fabulous tea rooms and restaurants to taste a piece of India's more opulent side.
It seems everyone was targetted, with no qualms about hurting nationals, tourists, rich or poor.
Opening fire in the main train station bares testimony to this. Having been there myself very recently and seeing the platforms absolutely packed - really packed - with people from all walks of life, it is apparent that the culprits were not interested in who they killed in their pursuit of whichever cause they were fighting for. Homeless people, beggars, children, mothers, fathers, businessmen and tourists all use the station on a daily basis.
To see the horror of the gunmen storming down the main road through Mumbai, the road we knew so well from spending 2 nights in our hotel on it, was terrifying. They were sparing no one.
It is said that the terrorists were asking for British and Americans to bring forward their ID in Leopolds, but in an all-out attack on a train station and busy road, it is impossible to seperate one nationality from another, whatever their reasons for doing so.
Mumbai just seemed such an innocent and vibrant place. It was bustling and hectic and we did get unwelcome attention from beggars, but they are now the people that I think of the most and pray that they were unharmed.
I also pray that there were no other Intrepid groups there at the time. It seems ridiculous to think that, as there are so so many people affected, but I guess you pray for those closest to home first and the ones you can identify with personally.
The trauma all these people have gone through, whether they were injured or not, is just immense. I just can't imagine a cause great enough for this to happen.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Cold Call
Brrr.... brrrr....
Me: Hello?
Caller: Good morning ma'am, it is sbvkjnk calling from dklsjksja Travel, can I speak to snskj gdmjsdldgjmldkmgl please? (strong Indian accent)
Sorry?
Good morning ma'am, it is sbvkjnk calling from dklsjksja Travel, can I speak to Mrs Peterson please?
Speaking
Good morning ma'am, how are you today?
Fine thank you..... how are you?
Very good, thank you for asking. Ma'am your name and number have been specially selected and how would you like to be rewarded with free holidays?
....Pause....
How would you like to have free holidays to destinations all over the world?
Sure.
You can stay in any country all over the world.
Free holidays?
Ma'am, have you ever been to Australia or New Zealand?
Nope
Well, you could stay in a hotel for 6 days with another day for free!
Ok, but who pays?
Ok, and you get 15% reduction on your flights
But who pays the other 85%?
Ma'am, no you get 15% reduction. Very cheap flight, very competitive.
But who pays the 85%?
No, no, ma'am, 15% discount for you. You can also stay in Europe anywhere you like, at any time in the years. You can have up to 8 holidays in one years.
For free?
Ma'am, you get a very good discount
So, I don't have to pay for anything at all? It is all free?
Ma'am there is a one-off payment for £499 and then you get holidays for 2 years
But you said it was free?
No, TWO. Two years. One-off payment.
So, it's not free?
Ma'am for 2 years you get very good prices on your holidays
But it's not free?
Ma'am, nothing in life is free
But when you called up, you said I get free holidays
Yes, you get very good deals, cheap flights, discount hotels
But not free?
What do you mean?
I have to pay?
You have to pay £499 one-off payment
And then my holidays are free?
No, you get good discount rates. 15% off flights to Australia, we help you find good flights
But I have to pay for them?
Ma'am, we give you 15% discount
So, they're not free?
Ma'am nothing in life is free
But you said I would get free holidays?
....Pause.......
Free holidays then?
.....Hang up phone.........
Me: Hello?
Caller: Good morning ma'am, it is sbvkjnk calling from dklsjksja Travel, can I speak to snskj gdmjsdldgjmldkmgl please? (strong Indian accent)
Sorry?
Good morning ma'am, it is sbvkjnk calling from dklsjksja Travel, can I speak to Mrs Peterson please?
Speaking
Good morning ma'am, how are you today?
Fine thank you..... how are you?
Very good, thank you for asking. Ma'am your name and number have been specially selected and how would you like to be rewarded with free holidays?
....Pause....
How would you like to have free holidays to destinations all over the world?
Sure.
You can stay in any country all over the world.
Free holidays?
Ma'am, have you ever been to Australia or New Zealand?
Nope
Well, you could stay in a hotel for 6 days with another day for free!
Ok, but who pays?
Ok, and you get 15% reduction on your flights
But who pays the other 85%?
Ma'am, no you get 15% reduction. Very cheap flight, very competitive.
But who pays the 85%?
No, no, ma'am, 15% discount for you. You can also stay in Europe anywhere you like, at any time in the years. You can have up to 8 holidays in one years.
For free?
Ma'am, you get a very good discount
So, I don't have to pay for anything at all? It is all free?
Ma'am there is a one-off payment for £499 and then you get holidays for 2 years
But you said it was free?
No, TWO. Two years. One-off payment.
So, it's not free?
Ma'am for 2 years you get very good prices on your holidays
But it's not free?
Ma'am, nothing in life is free
But when you called up, you said I get free holidays
Yes, you get very good deals, cheap flights, discount hotels
But not free?
What do you mean?
I have to pay?
You have to pay £499 one-off payment
And then my holidays are free?
No, you get good discount rates. 15% off flights to Australia, we help you find good flights
But I have to pay for them?
Ma'am, we give you 15% discount
So, they're not free?
Ma'am nothing in life is free
But you said I would get free holidays?
....Pause.......
Free holidays then?
.....Hang up phone.........
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Playing the waiting game
Yesterday was the HSG I had been dreading for so long. A horrid, intrusive examination to find out if there is something wrong with me, the results of which I won't know for 3 whole months.
It marks the end of our examinations for now and also the beginning of a long wait.
The doctors have our results but stupidly we have to wait til our next appointment. I can't believe that from August, when we had our last apoinment, there were no available dates til February in which to see us!
Next week it will be a year since we first went to the hospital (not to mention the 8 years I have been going to the doctors to petition to them to send me to the hospital) and where are we exactly? We have not started treatment, we don't know what's wrong, we are no more wiser than when we started. It makes me sick sometimes to think about it.
Al and I have taken matters into our own hands and are both taking zinc tablets and I have Agnus Castus three times a day, although not knowing what it is that's wrong with us, it might all be for nothing.
It's amazing that the fate of your future and of your children is in other people's hands and the results are all there written on a piece of paper. The only people that can't see the results are the ones that are affected by them the most.
I went into the scanning room and was asked to give a water sample before undressing and putting on one of those awful hospital gowns (you know, with the open back).
Then I was sat down and a nurse sat next to me to discuss all the risks involved, have me sign lots of disclaimers, and to tell me what I was about to go through.
Then another nurse came in holding my pot in her hand and informed me that I was not pregant. You don't say!
The examination was uncomfortable enough. A girl younger than me carried it out whilst two others watched the screen where the pictures of my fallopian tubes and womb were being transmitted to. I couldn't help thinking how unnatural this was. It's the most natural thing in the world to have a baby, and here I am being prodded and probed and radiated.
Too much thought has gone into it. I wanted dearly to never have to 'try' for a baby but for it to surprise me nicely and for everyone to be amazed and excited.
Now it's almost like a chore and if it ever does happen, everyone will be like 'well, thank God, at last!'
I never want to have to lie in bed with my legs raised against the wall - I don't want it to be that forced.
I've got a pack of ovulation testing strips next to my bed, and a thermometer - I feel like a machine - one that doesn't work.
I felt like I had the worst period pains on that table, and I felt so ridiculous with a horrible tube inside me. So undignified. One day my kid is going to ask me where they came from, and I'll have all sorts of tales to tell about blood tests, and samples and doctors, and instruments and thermometers!
What's really got me this week is this awful story about Baby P who was killed following a year of abuse and toture from his mother and her partner. How the heck can people like that have children and not me??? I know, I have turned the story on its side and being very selfish about it. The story is not about me at all. But it does make me question why some people can have kids and others can't.
How can that mother not be grateful for what she has been given though? How can she not love it like I already love my future children?
And it upsets me too as I have been looking into adoption, and in this country it can take from 2 to 10 years for an adoption to go through - that long. I could have looked after Baby P and he'd have been healthy and happy and loved.
I have to go through all kinds of tests and interviews to be able to look after a child. My home has to be visited and I have to be analysed. But any evil and cruel person can give birth to a child and not have any of these tests!!! How does that work??
I don't know. I am feeling so low and fragile at the mo and it just cannot be doing me any good at all, especially in trying to have a baby. Let's forget about the hospital yesterday and just keep going.
It marks the end of our examinations for now and also the beginning of a long wait.
The doctors have our results but stupidly we have to wait til our next appointment. I can't believe that from August, when we had our last apoinment, there were no available dates til February in which to see us!
Next week it will be a year since we first went to the hospital (not to mention the 8 years I have been going to the doctors to petition to them to send me to the hospital) and where are we exactly? We have not started treatment, we don't know what's wrong, we are no more wiser than when we started. It makes me sick sometimes to think about it.
Al and I have taken matters into our own hands and are both taking zinc tablets and I have Agnus Castus three times a day, although not knowing what it is that's wrong with us, it might all be for nothing.
It's amazing that the fate of your future and of your children is in other people's hands and the results are all there written on a piece of paper. The only people that can't see the results are the ones that are affected by them the most.
I went into the scanning room and was asked to give a water sample before undressing and putting on one of those awful hospital gowns (you know, with the open back).
Then I was sat down and a nurse sat next to me to discuss all the risks involved, have me sign lots of disclaimers, and to tell me what I was about to go through.
Then another nurse came in holding my pot in her hand and informed me that I was not pregant. You don't say!
The examination was uncomfortable enough. A girl younger than me carried it out whilst two others watched the screen where the pictures of my fallopian tubes and womb were being transmitted to. I couldn't help thinking how unnatural this was. It's the most natural thing in the world to have a baby, and here I am being prodded and probed and radiated.
Too much thought has gone into it. I wanted dearly to never have to 'try' for a baby but for it to surprise me nicely and for everyone to be amazed and excited.
Now it's almost like a chore and if it ever does happen, everyone will be like 'well, thank God, at last!'
I never want to have to lie in bed with my legs raised against the wall - I don't want it to be that forced.
I've got a pack of ovulation testing strips next to my bed, and a thermometer - I feel like a machine - one that doesn't work.
I felt like I had the worst period pains on that table, and I felt so ridiculous with a horrible tube inside me. So undignified. One day my kid is going to ask me where they came from, and I'll have all sorts of tales to tell about blood tests, and samples and doctors, and instruments and thermometers!
What's really got me this week is this awful story about Baby P who was killed following a year of abuse and toture from his mother and her partner. How the heck can people like that have children and not me??? I know, I have turned the story on its side and being very selfish about it. The story is not about me at all. But it does make me question why some people can have kids and others can't.
How can that mother not be grateful for what she has been given though? How can she not love it like I already love my future children?
And it upsets me too as I have been looking into adoption, and in this country it can take from 2 to 10 years for an adoption to go through - that long. I could have looked after Baby P and he'd have been healthy and happy and loved.
I have to go through all kinds of tests and interviews to be able to look after a child. My home has to be visited and I have to be analysed. But any evil and cruel person can give birth to a child and not have any of these tests!!! How does that work??
I don't know. I am feeling so low and fragile at the mo and it just cannot be doing me any good at all, especially in trying to have a baby. Let's forget about the hospital yesterday and just keep going.
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