Saturday - Those trains again

As all jembie journeys recently it just couldn't go smooth could it!
DD went to Ange's on Friday night as she was travelling with them in the car but me and DS had to catch the train which was leaving Derby at 10.49am. I had already ordered our tickets and we were to pick them up from the machine at the station. We got there in plenty of time and although I was scared of the damn machine, I got my tickets without a hitch. We even had reservations so as to cut out the seating hassles- Or so I thought.

The train was dead on time and we boarded to find our seats...Guess what? Surprise Surprise! as it was a Virgin train we were travelling on, they had had problem with the computer. Not only were our reservations not made but we were booked on Coach D and there wasn't even a coach D!!!
Luckily though we managed to find 2 seats at a table once we persuaded a German man to move over and let me sit down. The train got very packed and I was grateful that we got on at Derby as further passengers had to stand. I wouldn't have fancied standing all the way to York.

So we settled down in our seats and got comfy with our MP3 players and our food. DS had his magazine and his Nintendo DS.
As we passed through Leeds, I got a text from DD saying that they were at the camp already. We still had the second stage of the journey to go. We had to change at York and then again at Scarbro' It would be another couple of hours before we would hit land.

When we eventually reached the park we met up with the rest of the family and had a drink in the bar. Soon we had to get to the caravan and do the unpacking - Well sod that I decided to just leave everything in there. DD and I were sharing a room and there wasn't room to swing a gerbil let alone a cat and it wasn't worth getting everything out. I just shoved the cases under the beds out of the way.

I had made the decision that for the first night we should all eat together. We all got changed and went down to the bar/restaurant and got a table. There was quite a good menu and most the meals were priced between £6-10. I went for the traditional Bangers and Mash which was absolutely gorgeous. DD had CHees and Tomato Pasta and DS went for the Sweet and sour chicken.

After the meal, the children spent some time in the arcades and we went into the Showroom. The good thing about going to a Holiday camp (Haven on this occasion) is the evening entertainment. In fact it is that good that you have to get there early for a seat. We couldn't find any spare tables anywhere so just had to find some spare chairs in a corner. We got chatting to a woman there who actually owns a caravan on the site and wasn't happy that she couldn't get a table to sit at even though she pays £3000 to the camp every year.
I enjoyed most of the show but the cabaret were awful and I ended up leaving to go back to the caravan because I just couldn't stand them any longer.

The rest of the family got back to the van about an hour later as they wanted to stay for the Party dances at the end of the night. Party dances which after a week of it I am quite ashamed to say that I do know off by heart...

I'm Baaaaack

Well If you have missed me (Which I seriously doubt) You will be pleased to know I have been on a short break up North.
I didn't mention it before I went as I was a bit cautious to let the world know my home would be empty for a week. You can understand now what all the laundry stressing was about. I ended up going to the Laundrette after all and paid £10 to do 4 loads of washing. I am also envisioning a long trip tomorrow to wash all my dirty holiday stuff as well as the kids uniforms in time for school on Tuesday. Fear not though as the washer is still be under warranty and so I will be able to get an engineer out to sort it next week.

So a week long entry coming your way soon to share with you the ups and downs of our Hi-de-Hi Holiday in North Yorkshire.

Laundry update

It seems I wasn't as handy as I thought. The washer kept spewing different error codes at me and in the end locked up completely.

I had to pack in all the 4 loads of washing that needed doing into a suitcase and drag it up to the laundrette.
When did it get so expensive to wash clothes? I took a bit of change with me but it turned out to be £3 per washer...How on earth do the residents of Albert Square manage???? It cost me £10 altogether then I had to drag it all back again and my back is just about done in. Can't wait to get into bed tonight but I bet I will be stiff in the morning LOL

By the way, anyone want any Chicken soup? I seem to have made enough to feed an army

Washing Machine engineer - ME

The last thing I wanted to be doing today when I have so much to do is be on my hands and knees servicing my Washing machine.
I have about 6 loads of washing to do. I put a load of towels in first as they are quicker to wash but longer to dry. I went off to do some dusting only to come back and find the washer lit up light Blackpool Illuminations. So went to the draw to find the instructions to find out what FP means and of course they weren't where they should be. Oh yeah I found the instructions for the Dryer; Fridge Freezer; cooker; my old stereo from 3 stereos ago; my old Camcorder; Kettle; 3 sets of toaster instructions but no Washing machine. I turned the house upside down looking in all the usual places for these kind of things and finally found them in the cupboard in the living room.

According to the pretty lights, It was the water in hose that was blocked or the filter was blocked and stopping water coming in. So I got the washer out from the wall (EWWW!) and checked all the connections but they were all fine so the next job was to get down on me hands and knees and open up the filter.
I gathered up all the dirty clothes from the floor to put underneath and catch the water. Before I knew it, I was knee deep in water - It's no wonder the blessed thing wasn't working. So after several goes at rocking the machine so that all the water flowed out, I cleaned the filter and put it all back together again.

Now it is all working thank god! The last thing I needed today was to have to take a trip to the Laundrette.

So clothes sorted, shopping sorted, just got the worst jobs to do which is the vaccuuming which I hate so much because I am already in considerable pain with me back and bending to vaccuum is only going to aggrevate that.

No doubt I will post another entry later but I promise not to moan too much...

Life is a Rollercoaster

After the upset and misery of Fridays unsuccessful job interview, Saturday brought me my second lottery win in 2 weeks. Another tenner to add to the holiday fund. Made me a bit chirpier anyway

It is weird, I gave up playing the lottery regularly years ago but it is only since that spider dream that I have started playing again and 2 wins in 2 weeks is really good going especially as lot of people can go for months and not win owt at all.

How manay weeks to make me a millionaire then if it continues???

Sorry you have not been successful

Par for the course for me really. I thought myself lucky to get an interview at all. The amount of application forms I have filled in and CVs I have sent off and cover letters I have written in the past year this is the first actual interview I have got to in months.

It started off badly with the fact that it was Friday 13th. I was still pretty positive though. I put me best clobber on, did my hair even wore me best coat.

I thought the interview went well. I managed not to blank too much and the couple seemed pretty positive when I left. I had decided not to tell anyone just in case I jinxed it but when the call came about 7pm It didn't make any difference. I am at the point now where I feel like giving up this whole job-hunting business. It's OK the government telling me I have to go to work but if no one will give me a job what can I do.

I have to say that this is the first time rejection has really upset me and I actually broke into tears when I put the phone down...the realisation that I am practically unemployable I guess

Everyone knows that my ultimate dream is to have my own business but it's a catch 22. You can't start your own business without capital and you can't get capital without first having a job to earn that money to set up your own business in the first place. I am a bad credit risk too so I can't even borrow that money. I guess I will just have to keep suffering the rejection for as long as it takes

Rain Rain go away come again another day

Wednesday was a terrible day. I had planned to go over to Debz' so we could go round to the Cash and Carry place together. She is managing to walk a lot easier now but wouldn't have managed to walk round and carry a basket.

I ended up having to take a taxi over there which I was a bit loath to do as it would eat into my holiday fund yet again. However I decided that if the rain was going to continue then it would be better for the kids to just come there from school and meet me then we could get a taxi home again. Debz house is just a 5 minute walk from school so they wouldn't get as wet as if they had to walk all the way home.

Everytime we go to the Cash and Carry it is a different experience. This time we got stuck behind a couple of women who were determined to look at every single item in the place. Deb on her crutches and me with the huge trolley that takes up the whole of the aisle with it wonky wheel that takes you everywhere but where you want to go. I could hear tutting behind me but I couldn't do anything. We were gridlocked for what felt like a lifetime and these women weren't in any hurry just to mind out of our way so Deb could limp past on her crutches.
I hate it when it is like that cos then I just want to get out of there so I miss seeing stuff and end up not getting what I went in there for.

In the end I spent £13 and only half of that was on Chocolate and treats. The other half was on household items (mouthwash; candles; batteries; tumble drier sheets; washing powder; socks) Incidentally when I got home and went through my receipt, I found that I had been charged for 2 extra items I didn't have. There were lots of stuff that was 10 for £1 and the cashier must have counted some twice. That is the other problem, you can't get the stuff out of the trolley quick enough so they just count it in your trolley which leads to those kinds of mistakes.

I waited at Debz' for the kids to come out of school and as they were drenched I got a taxi home straight away so they could get home and change into dry clothes.

Had to go back out twice in the rain, once because I needed potatoes for tea and then again because the electric went...I hate that when you are just settling down to the TV and it goes off.

Of course it is gorgeous today. Lovely and sunny outside!!

Hey It's nearly Christmas!

Don't knock it! I have started buying presents already and that is a big achievement for me. I have decided that I am going to be on top of it all this year and just sit back and relax for the last week before Christmas day.

It is being helped by me being a member of this group. Most of you reading this are going to hate me but I am getting really excited about it already...I am going to make Christmas last as long as poss this year as I am always so busy running around that I don't get to enjoy it.

It's just a dreeeeeeaaaaaam

There is a woman that I know that I envy so much, you would think I would hate her but I don't. I actually aspire to be her. She has the life I would love, the looks, everything in fact. I haven't seen her or spoken to her for so long yet last night my dream was focussed around her. She probably won't read this and even if she does I don't think she would realise that I was talking about her but if she does I want to apologise because in my dream she was Bev from Corrie. So as not to get confused from this moment on I will call her Bev.

The dream began when I was in this large Big Brother style house I had found something in the photocopier that belonged to Bev and proved to me she had been keeping secrets. I confronted her about these secrets but she pretended not to know what I was talking about. It appeared we were to be taking a Helicopter flight to Paris. Although getting in, it felt more like a space shuttle than a Helicopter (Not that I have ever been in one you understand) There were about 10 poeple in all. Some I recognised from Griffin events and some people I had never seen before - although in the dream I seemed to know them very well including another single mum with a small child.

The flight took off and was all going so well until we started to dive. The Helicopter was swirling round and round and descending at a great speed until it hit the ground. There was lots of smoke and screaming. I could feel myself trapped - my legs were numb and my vision was blurred. I could feel pain and my head was spinning. I stretched out my arms and was desperately grabbing at the grass and trying to pull myself out of the wreckage. It was then that I could see some kind of apparition before me. It appeared as a black mass of cloud floating towards me and as it got closer it took shape as a black Panther. It roared towards me and suddenly I could feel it on top of me and then the whole form seemed to enter my body. I immediately felt stronger and I kicked off the metal from my legs and jumped out. I stood and watched as the emergency services pulled other survivors from the pile of metal and loaded them into a mini bus. At this point I turned and walked away.

It felt like I was walking for hours when I finally found the city. I wasn't sure where I was but then I saw a sign for Anfield football ground and knew I was in Liverpool. I walked through the town (Which looked a lot like Derby to me!) I walked past a small group of people and then I heard someone shout my name. I turned round and it was Bev. I looked at the group of people she was with and noticed one of them was Will Young. As I walked over to her, he kissed her cheek and said he would see her later. She said she would take me to the station. She charged off through the town with me hurrying to keep up. I was just wondering to myself how she could walk so fast in those spiked 6 inch heels when I was rudely awoken by the postman at the door.

I lay in bed for a while running over the dream in my head. The irony of the situation being that I know in real life "Bev" can't stand Will so I can't imagine her ever wanting to get to know him.

I drifted off to sleep and drifted back into the dream. This time I was with DS. We were hunting for the Train station (still in Liverpool but not absolutely sure where the actual place I was seeing is located) and I was sure I knew where it was. I saw a sign for the Train station and charged off triumphant. We got there and found it was just a link to the station.

The link was just an MPV. We were invited to get in and put seatbelts on and the car roared off. It wasn't long before we reached the destination. Heaven knows where we were supposed to be. I asked the driver about payment and she pointed to a basket "Just make a donation is all we ask" I chucked a load of £2 coins in the basket and DS and I walked off.

We walked through a huge market where there was a large theatre in the middle. I recognised the voice coming from the stage and as we went to the front I saw that it was Will again. He waved and said "Hello there". I was about to wave back when I realised I was stood next to Bev and it was her that he was waving to and saying Hello. Before she could talk to me, I grabbed DS' hand and led him through the crowds. I saw there was an ice rink and headed towards it thinking we would see DD there. What I did see was My parents and of course there she was again - It was Bev with Will. They both hugged my Mum then my Dad and then skated off together.

I don't know what it was that made me wake up again at this point. The whole thing was rather crazy reading back and I can't think what it all means. I think Will might have been there because I watched Mrs Henderson Presents the other day but that is all that I can work out. I don't know where Bev came from or the person she was meant to be but the one thing is I am glad I got to see my parents again.

Is that what the Spiders were all about?

To dream of a spider, denotes that you will be careful and energetic in your labors, and fortune will be amassed to pleasing proportions.
f you dream that you see many spiders hanging in their webs around you, foretells most favorable conditions, fortune, good health and friends.
To dream of a large spider confronting you, signifies that your elevation to fortune will be swift, unless you are in dangerous contact.
For a young woman to dream she sees gold spiders crawling around her, foretells that her fortune and prospect for happiness will improve, and new friends will surround her.

This past week I dreamed of Spiders 3 nights in a row. In the most horrendous of these dreams I was in my dining room and there seemed to be spiders everwhere. In the kitchen there was this huge Spider spinning a web that was encompassing the whole room and around the room there were various other Spiders hanging on webs.
In another dream there was a huge Spider the size of my hand running round the lounge and I was trying to hoover it up.

Now it may be that my inherrent fear of Spiders was just playing out in my dreams. I hate this time of year as it is when the Spiders come into the house. I sit in the lounge in the evenings paranoid that one is going to run out in the room and I spend my time by being distracted with imaginary things I am seeing out the corner of my eye.
I did the research and was pleasantly surprised that my scared of Spiders theme could also mean that I was maybe going to come into some money somehow.
Excited by this I decided to have a go on the Wednesday draw of Lotto. I don't think I have played on a Wednesday ever before but there is always a first time for everything.

Imagine my delight when I finally got round to checking my ticket last night to find that I got 3 numbers and won a tenner YAY!!!

Now what will I do with all my newly found wealth?!!!

"What you need is a Shopmobility scooter!"


I always knew I would make a crap Nurse and I have proved it to myself this week. I think the thing is that I am just too darned lazy LOL

Last week my little (and by little I mean younger than me because she certainly isn't shorter than me ) sis had an op on her foot . So this week she has been housebound and struggling around on crutches. She has to take 6 weeks off work but even after a few days she is already frustrated going stir crazy.

I went up there on Monday because she had a problem with her computer that she wanted me to look at. It wasn't until it was nearly time for me to go home that I found exactly what the problem is. Someone else that uses the computer (Who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) has been visiting some less than pleasant sites which have installed several little viruses. So my plan was to come home and research further then go back on Wednesday and sort the problem out.

I spent all day up there Wednesday. It was then that I realised I am crap at taken care of invalids. I found that although I would offer help with simple tasks...I always seemed to wait until it was too late and she had struggled to do the easiest of things herself. Although she said that she shouldn't rely on me as she would have to do it all herself when I am gone, I should still have made more of an effort.
I did go shopping for her though but on my return, I managed to not only lock myself out of the house but I locked them into it. I had to bang on the door until her landlady came down to let me in and then I had to post the keys through the door so that she could complete the task.

So she has her first appt at the hospital tomorrow when they will take the dressing off to see how it is healing. Hopefully things will be all OK and I am hoping that she will be able to come here at the weekend as I have to confess I never do feel very comfortable at hers with her other housemates...I never feel like I can relax...

Mr and Mrs Smith

"Happy endings are just stories that haven't finished yet"


Although I bought the DVD in June, We only just got round to watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith this afternoon.
If you don't know this is the movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
I have to admit it was quite different to what I had expected but I really enjoyed it. I watched it with DD and as usual DS got interested towards the end. I thought that Pitt and Jolie had a huge amount of on-screen chemistry which obviously spilled over to the real world.

The movie has everything you could want. A bit of action, humour, romance and suspense.
My favourite scenes were the scene in the car and then the scene in the hypermaket.

Only gripe about the DVD is not enough special features for me. I like it best when they have an out-takes feature and maybe some interviews with the cast.

I will be watching out for the sequel to the movie and wouldn't even be surprised if there turned out to be a 3rd to complete todays trend of movie trilogies.