THE CREDIT CRUNCH KILLER!!!

This 'Credit Crunch' wotchamacallit is killing us!

I keep hoping something good is going to happen sometime (it's GOT to at some point!).

Latest problem is Hubs work is making redundancies and Hubs is in the firing line along with quite a few others!!!!!

We have been struggling so much this year already, this will just tip us over the edge!

I'm trying to see it as hopefully, a new beginning as things can only go up when you are at rock bottom can't they?
FINGERS CROSSED (and toes, and eyes and anything else I can cross!)

Hope everyone else out there are fairing a little better than us in these hard times.

Well folks, next post will be a bit brighter I promise!

Love Azzy
X

DICKIE KNEE

Just got back from the Docs with some extra strength painkillers as my dickie knee, which I mentioned in a previous post, isn't what I thought it was, I assumed it was Bursitis because of the swelling, and had been trying to ease the pain with just paracetamols.

Seems the x-rays have come back showing I have Osteo-Arthritis and I have been told I will need to go for regular pain killing injections into the knee every so often.
Arrrrghhhhh! I've heard they are not very pleasant and hurt a lot!!! FAINT!
I'm not good with injections, I love CSI, anything forensic or autopsy, even blood and guts, don't bother me, but injections! FAINT!.
I have been told by lots of different people over the years (even a few Doctors) that I should have gone into nursing, but I can't even stand the thought of needles never mind sticking one into someone. FAINT!
I've had loads myself over the years but I still go all icky at the thought especially now I know it will be painful!!! FAINT!

Two good things that have come out of all this though (always look on the bright side of life!) is -
1. The constant pain will finally subside.
2. The Doctor told me I was TOO YOUNG for a knee operation at the moment, whoo hooo, I'm too young!

Still take Max out for his daily walks though, I won't let my little lad have to stay in all day,
responsibility and all that.

Well folks, that's all for today. FAINT!

Azzy
X

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY - NOT!!!!

Well, Sunday just gone was our Wedding Anniversary, twelve years.

Did we go out anywhere together?......Nope!

Did we celebrate in any shape or form?......Nope!

Did I even get a card?...... Nope!

Did he remember at all?...... Nope!

Oh, come on, how are you supposed to remember your Wedding Anniversary when every year a bloody carnival parade passes your house with drums and trumpets blaring, majorettes dancing, streamers, balloons and whistles!!!!!

I said "Thanks for remembering our Anniversary"

He said "I thought it was last weekend"

I said "Oh, that's alright then, that explains why I didn't get a card last weekend then doesn't it?"

I think the guilt must have got to him as he went straight out and bought me a striplight for the kitchen, (he took my bank card to get the money for it though) I have only been waiting for one for about four years or so, so I can't complain!!!!

Roll on first week of August, I'm off to Somerset to stay at Big Bruv's with Little'Un, Hubs has insisted I don't put Max in kennels while I am away, he will take the week off work to look after him. LOOK AFTER HIM!!!! He never thinks of feeding him (unless it's chewy treats) and water! He never checks his water bowl, (I refresh and fill it every morning) in fact, he put his water bowl outside yesterday while I was at the hospital for xrays (got a dickie knee) and at two this morning poor Max was screaming at the door, when I went to see what was wrong and let him out, the poor mite drank gallons! I had no idea his bowl was in the back garden as it is normally in the kitchen with his food bowl. I will have to leave daily pots of fish food out and hope he remembers to feed them, same with the cockatiel, I will have to leave post-it's reminding him to give the poor bird water and seed. I can see I'm not going to relax as much as I would like to on this break. I'M WORRYING ALREADY!!!!
Mum and Lil'Sis have said "You know what's going to happen don't you? He will get fed up of Max and try to dump him onto one of us so he can go out drinking, he won't last the week!!"

Anyway, got to try not to worry. Really looking forward to Somerset and our visit to London to see 'The Sound of Music' in the West End. All together now........"How do you solve a problem like Hubby!!!!"

That's all for now. Hope you all have a great week.

Love Azzy.
X

THAT'S BOUQUET!

Hubs won the local election!!!!

I'm now a Councillors wife......La de bloody dah!
Yeah, I'm proud of his winning but I'm still me and still going to slouch round in my jeans, trainers and sweatshirt, it don't make me any better than I was, so why should I change who I am (I've always been a good'un), or conform to what I am expected to look like, couldn't afford to even if I wanted to!
Still got leaky radiators, rotten woodwork, broken light fittings, a door that we have to open with a screwdriver to get out and debts up to the eyeballs!

I'm an 'Onzlo' and always will be an 'Onzlo' - This is a character from an English programme called 'Keeping Up Appearances' about a woman called Hiacynth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet!!!) who is quite the snob and is always trying to show she is above everyone else.
Onzlo is her Brother-in-law married to her equally slobby Sister Daisy, Onzlo always looks like he needs a wash, slobs out in front of the TV and slouches round in his string vest but they both have hearts of gold, Hiacynth is always telling him to put a shirt on. Then there is Violet the other Sister of whom Hiacynth is always boasting "she lives in a big house with room for a pony!"
And last but not least is the other Sister, Rose, she's a real slapper and goes for anything in trousers.

Anyway, I'm me and I like me, I'll just not bother going to any of his get-togethers with his Council buddies. Wouldn't know how I was supposed to talk or act with any of them. They would probably all look down their noses at me! Don't have anything decent to wear anyway!

That's all for now, best finish this post before I get cut off again!

Loadsa love.
Azzy.
X

TALKING TO THE WORLD!

I don't know about you, but I still find this internet/blogging thingy fantastic.

I'm a bit of a dummy regarding all the techy stuff and mainly stick to the basics but I am getting a bit braver and fiddle about with things to see what happens.

The fact that you can talk to the world and read blogs of other peoples lives and thoughts from so many different Countries is absolutely fascinating.

There are so many friendly and interesting people out there, I can honestly say it has opened up my life. They may only be a virtual world of friends but I just love seeing all the places around the globe that my visitors come from.
My world has opened up from the four walls of my house, the local school and shops to.....Oceans, forests, beautiful scenery and the tops of mountains, sights I would never have got to see and I am so grateful to you all.

Quite a few don't leave a message or comment, but the fact that they have popped in for a look gives me a real boost.

Sometimes, when I am feeling a little down, just opening my blog can make my day.

So this little post is just to say a very big......
THANK YOU!

SCRAMBLED EGGY BRAIN DAY!!!!!

MOAN...MOAN...MOAN....
I'm having one of those 'brains like scrambled egg' days today.
Actually managed to get up and get Little'un ready for school, even managed to do her some breakfast and make her packed lunch. Don't know how, as it was all done in this sort of blank daze!
Apart from doing this post (in between brain shutting down completely and just sitting staring vacantly at my lounge wall or sobbing into my hankie) I have managed to make myself three cups of tea. That, the way I am feeling today, deserves a bloody medal!

Come to the conclusion that my brain has overloaded with all the events of recently.......
1) Neeza falling downstairs onto fishtank ending with a trip to A & E. (See photo proof on post headed 999 or 911).
2) 32 litres of fish-poo water flooding lounge.
3) Having bare concrete in the lounge after cutting out the sodden section which stank!
4) Central heating breaking down (no heating, no hot water).
5) Having a frightening bulge in my dining room ceiling from a leaking water pipe under the floorboards in the back bedroom.
6) Shower breaking down (having to boil kettles of water for washes).
7) Dog peeing and pooing (almost daily!) on what bit of carpet I have left, she is eleven and has become incontinent. Lovely surprise each morning when I come downstairs! Notice she likes the comfort of using the tiddly bit of carpet I have left in my lounge or the rugs I have put down rather than the cold concrete!!!!!
8) Cooking the evening meal and as putting it out, Neeza saying (on his way out the door) 'Just popping to the shop, do you want anything?' then him not returning for one and a half hours because he can't pass a pub without calling for a couple of pints.
9) Vacuum has also broken now! (not that I have much carpet left to vacuum but it's just another problem to add to all the others!)
10) To top it all off, I still have that cold and feel like s**t!

Anybody know where I can buy a noose?
Then again knowing my luck the bloody thing would snap and I would just end up with rope burns on my neck!!!!!

NO SYMPATHY PLEASE! JUST NEEDED TO VENT MY FEELINGS SOMEWHERE, IT WAS EITHER BLOG OR KILL THE DOG (OR HUBBY!).

MOAN...MOAN...MOAN...!
SOB....SOB....SOB....!

FATBUSTERS UPDATE.......

Not been exercising as much as I should although I think aquavaccing and industrial cleaning of the fish-poo water from the carpet (see '999 or 911' post) over and over could count as exercise, plus ripping it up and dragging it outside and running up and down the stairs looking after my beloved's every wish (beloved? - Whaa, ha, ha! More like Beer-loved!).

Anyway, up to now, I have lost SIX pounds. Woo Hoo!
OK, it's not a great amount, but at least it's a loss.

Will be able to resume my exercises when Neeza gets back to work, I won't do it anymore when he is in, I can't put up with the hysterical laughter at my pathetic attempts to jump about like they do on the exercise DVD, plus the comments he makes when I stop for a break, all sweaty, red faced and wheezing, then sit and then have a ciggy!


He constantly goes on about my smoking! He drives me mad, especially when I have a cold.

Neeza "You're coughing because you smoke!"

Me "No I'm not, I'm coughing because I have a cold!"

Neeza "Well smoking won't help!"

Me "Well, if I'm going to cough because of my cold, I might as well enjoy it!"

This is the type of conversation we have about almost everything , he eventually gets really annoyed because, as he says, "You have an answer for everything, it's not fair! I just can't win!"
I love it when he gets to that stage! He starts getting really annoyed but I just can't help
laughing! Ooooh I'm EVIL! Mwah, ha har!

BLOGGER'S BLOCK!

Either my life has become really mundane and boring, or I have 'Blogger's Block' at the moment.
There seems to be nothing happening other than being stuck in limbo due to having to wait for the result of our insurance inspection of the carpet (which we had to wait over a week for and keep a piece of the carpet as evidence!), we now have a lounge with just a cold concrete floor as the stink was so bad (even after shampooing it over and over with an industrial cleaning machine from Neeza's work) I ripped up the carpet and dumped it in the front garden. I am also waiting for my loan cheque to clear so I can pay off some debts, get the fish a new tank and sort out a Birthday party for Little'un (she was eight last Thursday but the party isn't until next Sunday). Her guest list was as long as a toilet roll! I have managed to cut it down to just FORTY kids and it will be held at one of those 'ball pondy, slidey, climby places' called 'Jolly Jungle'.

I have a feeling my problem is also to do with Neeza being off work for these past two weeks because of the accident, he is fine now and raring to go, I just wish he would!
Unfortunately, it seems work will not allow him back in until Wednesday as someone at his workplace has ringworm and they don't want Neeza to get infected due to his wound (that's what they are saying anyway, I don't believe them!).
He is driving me mad and I can't wait for him to be out from under my feet! I was right about his drinking, he hasn't learned any lesson from the accident and is slowly but surely building up the amount again.

Anyway, thats all for now.

By the way..... ........look at the watch..........keep looking at the watch..........
.........you are getting sleepy.....sleeepy.....sleeeeeepy.....this was a verrry funnnny post!..........verrrry fuunnnny!......

WHO YA GONNA CALL?............FATBUSTERS!

Guess who's decided to become a little less cuddly.......Yep, me!
Little'un keeps telling me not to go on a diet as she loves me as I am.
She says I'm lovely, cuddly, soft and warm (makes me sound like an electric blanket!).

I've promised her I will not become stick thin (as if I could achieve that in a million years!) but will still keep enough on me for her cuddles. (Just a little less like 'Jabba the Hutt' and a bit more like 'Princess Leia' minus the hair bagels) So she has kindly allowed me to start a diet.

I got one of those excercise DVD's over the weekend. Phew!.. It tired me out just watching it. You never see these people as an overweight sweaty blob, struggling to excercise before their weight loss do you? It's always when they are thin, in full
make-up, with hair straight from the salon and they bounce about like three year olds without getting the slightest bit out of breath!. Grrrrr!

Going to give it a go though starting tomorrow when I've packed Little'un off to school (Yipeeeee!).
Got no chance when she is at home, can't even watch a DVD of my own when she's about! It's 'Barbie', 'Happy Feet', 'Over the Hedge' and all her Disney's, over and over and over!!! (She does allow me to watch 'Shrek' though).

We have already started going swimming every Sunday, as now Little'un can actually swim, It means I get to swim too, previously she would just spend the time climbing on me, clinging to me, jumping on me from the side of the pool and generally using me as a float.

My diet is one of those eDiets off the Net, looks pretty good and easy to follow, although not sure about some of the ingredients, who buys fennel, cashew nuts, pine nuts and seeds normally? Think I will be skipping those or replacing them with something else......like the budgie, cockatiel and guinea pig food!.

Hardest thing about trying to diet is having to cook differently for the rest of the family, (then again, I do that already) they wouldn't eat half the things on my diet sheet, not too bad with Little'un I suppose, I can add mash and beans with the main ingredient, but Neeza! If it isn't hot and spicy and with chips, he moans that he would rather have a takeaway. Although last night the rump steak with chinese vegetables went down rather well. I'll just stick chilli peppers in everything for him.

How people can eat those things I'll never know? Neeza will sit and chomp happily on a chilli pepper, sweating, sniffing and going red in the face yet at the same time, telling me he enjoys them!!!! He looks in pain to me!

Now and again he does the cooking, but quite often sneaks some into whatever he is cooking thinking I won't notice. Eleven years of marriage, him knowing I can't stand chilli, and he still puts it in meals. Needless to say, it just goes straight in the bin and I end up making me and Little'un a sandwich. Does he think I will suddenly start to like them????

Anyway, that's all for now, hope I have enough energy left after the DVD workouts to do more posts and I promise a brilliant pic of the new me eventually (if I can stick with it), fingers crossed (which also makes it extremely difficult to do posts on my blog!). Wish me luck.....LOTS OF IT!!!!!

HUSBANDS!! (SIGH!!!)

What is it with men?
While dating us, they seem quite normal......but, once married......Blam!!!!!
Are you ALL this way or is it just MY Husband!

TODAY.........
This is quite a normal Sunday in our house.........
He goes out to buy a newspaper, a simple task you may say, THREE HOURS later he returns,
glassy eyed with a stupid grin on his face, the pub is between the shop and our home! He doesn't seem to realise that I may have noticed he had been gone for THREE HOURS! (Goofy grin!) Nor does he realise this happens so often, I now come to expect it!!
He then suddenly starts feeling guilty (still with a goofy grin) although I haven't said a word!
And insists HE will do lunch.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!.....I leap up to rugby tackle him.......the phone rings.......Bugger.......
.."HELLO!!!!......WHAT!!!........NO, I DON'T WANT BLOODY DOUBLE GLAZING!!!!!".....caller rings off.........I leap to wrestle him to the ground again........Shit, the doorbell rings!.......it's the eldest stepdaughter and her boyfriend......"Hi, come in, would you like a cup of tea?" .........TOO LATE!!!.....I go into my lovely clean kitchen..........ARRRRRGH!

In that short space of time, he has used the whole of the cutlery drawer, two frying pans, seven dinner plates, five side plates, wiped up spills with three previously clean tea towels, splattered food up the wall tiles, on the floor, up the side of the fridge, various wrappers (and screwed up tin foil?) in the sink which is full of greasy cold water, plus empty cans scattered about. "I'll tidy it up later" he tries so hard to say without slurring his words. "No, no, no, no, I'll do it", I say as my voice goes into a high pitch! (I haven't many matching plates left!)

After eating (I don't think his food even touched the sides on it's way down to his stomach!)

he plays ball with the dog (in the house!) knocking over various ornaments and photoframes in the process, causing my voice to become even higher pitched!.....stepdaughter and boyfriend leave throwing pitying looks over their shoulders and before they have even driven the two house lengths to the main road, Hubby is in bed snoring!
Please excuse me while I try to repair my kitchen. Sob, sob, sob!

Oh, how I love that man of mine!!!!!!

CONSIDERATION!!!

Morning............Bloody angry!!......We live in a small cul-de-sac, only seven houses on each side, lovely and quiet, but unfortunately, quite a few people who live on the main road at the top of our little street, park their vehicles down here.
This morning I couldn't get my wheelie bin out of my gate because some moron had parked so far up onto the pavement that it was blocking my gate! I had no intention of trying to lift the bloody thing over the gate, fence or his car!!! (maybe I should have, then sued him for damages when I injured myself!!)
I left a not very nice letter on his windscreen, telling him that next time this happens I will ram my bin through the gate and into his car, and will do so everytime this happens, so it would be better if, in future he does not park there.

Afternoon.........Still not calmed down!!......Just noticed the car has been moved to the opposite side of the road where there are no gates, why didn't the moron think of that in the first place!
Fan-bloody-tastic! But too late to have my bin emptied!!!!

We have a terrible problem with these people parking in our little street, it has been known for the bin men not to empty our bins, as their wagon cannot get through!
God help us if anyone needed an ambulance or a fire engine, we wouldn't stand a bloody chance.

To all car users....HAVE A BIT OF BLOODY CONSIDERATION ABOUT WHERE YOU PARK!!!

Got a comment off Maxxo (see No.7 on my tag list above) saying she writes about wheelie bins for a living!!! Wow, how much can you write about a wheelie bin? Anyway, here's a bit she can use if she likes.....
Re: bag overflow... I once put a bag out that wasn't IN the bin, this was when the 'overflow law' had only just started, subsequently I got a black and yellow 'naughty' sticker on my bin.
The bin men were still in our Street when I went to retrieve the offending item. I actually received a round of applause from them, so I picked it up, tossed it as gracefully as I could back into my front garden, gave them a bow, blew an extremely loud raspberry and returned indoors to the sound of laughter!

RIDICLEEUS!

Did any of you out there, when you were younger, have that funny way of saying things wrong?
I myself could not say the word 'ridiculous' it was always 'ridicleeus', same with 'ambleeance' (ambulance) and 'chimbly' (chimney). My Sister's were 'botatoes' (potatoes) and 'rullies' (lorries).
Same thing happened when writing, my Sister had terrible difficulty with her B's and D's, to this day we still talk about our pet 'Raddits'.
My Daughter was the best though, she couldn't (when younger) say the word 'seven' or the letter 'X' so she would just make a nasally sort of grunt, funniest thing I have ever heard, one..two..three..four..five..six..phgggt..eight..nine..ten. What silly words did you used to say?

BURNT OFFERINGS

I'm going to have to come off this computer at some point, or my family will starve! I have always been a fairly good cook, I'm the one everyone comes to for Christmas dinner. It has been known for me to be invited to Mum's for Christmas dinner, on the understanding that I cook it!

Unfortunately, the food I am serving up to my family at present, now shatters when you try to cut into it. Can't make my mind up if the cooker timer has broken or I'm so focussed on blogging that I don't hear it ring.

Today's menu - Slightly charred toast for breakfast (scrape...scrape), burnt cauliflower cheese for lunch, just scooped out the middle bit that didn't look too bad! Chiselled off the black part stuck round the dish as quietly as I could, don't think anyone noticed. Evening meal was quite edible (due to husband being on internet/e:mails straight from work) but dessert! Totally incinerated bread and butter pudding! (Usually a popular speciality of mine) Even the dog refused it!!!

BAD DAY, GOOD DAY!

Today is a bad day! A REALLY bad day. Don't know why I get like this. Sometimes I'm waaaay up there! Sometimes I'm down in the deepest darkest pit. Today (for no reason I can see) it's a pit day. Just looking at the dishes in the sink makes me burst into tears! How sad is that?
Got to pick up my little girl from School in 30 minutes, Don't want to leave the house! Don't want to talk (or listen) to the other Mums going on about the price of fish and other petty crappy little subjects.
My stomach is all jittery, my hands are shaking. Just want to sit here and cry! Feel like crap!
That's all, just wanted a moan!

BAD DAY, GOOD DAY! PART 2

Midnight in the UK........ Turned bad day to good by blogging (reading and replying). Found smilies and music sites so cheered myself up. Couldn't resist the song!!!

Mind you, I've turned the volume down, as hearing it every time I sign in drove me a little bit mad.