A Catch Up

If you have been wondering, which I know some of you have been, I have been busy being Christmassy and festive and so I haven’t had time to update my blog. Sorry about that !

Now let me have a think about what has been happening....

Oh yes, well, the woman from Iain Duncan Smiths office, was going to tell the woman from the benefits office to send me an expenses form to fill out so they could sort out my compensation. I was supposed to be sending in my phone bill and claim for the loss of free school lunches since August. Well, that didn’t happen and obviously isn’t going to happen because they sent me a letter saying they are giving me compensation of £75.

I think I am just going to draw a line under it all now and forget it. I don’t think that £75 is compensation at all but as there is no appeal process, it’s time to move on.

While we are on the subject of benefits, the DLA people wrote to us to say they can’t make a decision until they have spoken to our GP (still a lovely man). Our GP received a form from them to fill out. He rang Ady and spoke to him about it. Ady, being a bloke, won’t actually admit to what he can and can’t do, and his answer to things he struggles with is “Oh well, that’s just life isn’t it” *sigh* I like to know word for word what is said so I know what is going on. Unfortunately, Ady never tells me word for word what has been said, so God knows what is going on, and I don’t hold out much hope of being awarded even the lowest rate of any component! Oh well, never mind eh...they are scrapping it next year so everyone will be buggered.

When the children were young, I got myself an allotment. I was really excited about it and planned everything I was going to grow. I bought myself books to learn how to grow things and I was really looking forward to living like they did in ‘The Good Life’ with Felicity whatshername.

Ady kept telling me that it wouldn’t last and that I was mad. He went on about how it is hard work digging ground over and keeping everything watered and so on.

I told him he was talking rubbish and it is going to be great. The girls are going to love it and will learn all about growing things, and they can have their own bit so they can grow their own stuff.

Well, when I got my plot and the keys to my allotment, the girls and I went off down there with our wellingtons and spades. I planned in my head where everything was going and all the little paths I was going to have and everything.

I started digging the first patch ready for radishes (we don’t even like bloody radishes) cos the book said they are easy to grow. After about three digs, I realised that this whole operation is going to be much much harder than I first thought. The girls then started squealing at spiders, slugs and ants nests.

I thought to myself “Blimey noras, this is NOT going to plan at all” I thought that if I get the allotment completely dug over to get me started, THEN, me and the girls will enjoy it.

Ady had always made it very clear that he would have nothing to do with any of it cos he does digging and weeding all day every day.

Being a woman, I asked him to come and have a look at how well I had done so far (with my 3 digs worth, I told him I had nearly done half of it of course). He came to have a look. He said “For goodness sake woman, you haven’t dug nearly deep enough and anyway, I told you it is bloody hard work...you and your silly ideas!”

After a few more wordly exchanges, Ady set to and dug my allotment over for me. Blimey,I have never heard so much moaning and complaining in my life, and nor had the other allotment holders!

To cut a long story short, the girls hated the slugs, spiders and ants and the weeds kept growing everywhere.

The final straw was when I thought I was weeding my potatoes and realised that I was pulling the actual potato plant stalk things off, thinking they were weeds. Bloody things!

So I gave up my allotment soon after, but not to worry, because I am getting another one !

This time it is going to be SO much better, cos I am going to read the instructions on the packets and everything.

I am sharing with two of my sisters, so that should be fun and Ady is relieved cos he can’t help at all, although he says that the whole idea of me having another allotment has thrown him into a deep depression!

I asked the girls to write down what they wanted for Christmas this year, because we decided we would only get them what they actually want so there was no waste.

Charlotte (the 12 year old) went onto the Utterly Horses website and picked all the cheapest things she wanted that was Schleich. She really loves collecting these and has hours of fun making rugs and wotnots for them. She is not into fashion or the latest this or the latest that. She loves collecting, making, drawing and doing.

Steph (the 11 year old bless her) wrote things like make up, high heel shoes, microphone, false nails, things from Jack Wills and a blackberry phone (she has gone on and on and on for months about a bloody blackberry).....riiiight....

So, I went into the o2 shop to see what this whole blackberry business was about and realised that because she is on a simplicity contract anyway at £10 per month because the amount she texts, it is MUCH cheaper than PAYG (I got them both simplicity contracts last year when Ady was in hospital with his bowel cancer so they could keep in contact when they liked), all I had to do, was up the contract by £6 per month and we got the latest blackberry worth £350.00 for free!

That actually solved a whole big problem. I had no immediate payment to make up front, which was great, and even with a two year contract, it still isn’t the price of the phone.

As I had done that, I was able to get Charlotte her Schleich things she wanted.

Both girls were SO happy with their presents. Steph has been glued to her phone and is treasuring it and Charlotte has been in her room with her horses and bits ever since!

We had a really lovely Christmas.

I could say a lot more about the festive season and the whole family get together on Boxing day and about the girls deciding that now they are older and on school holidays, they are not going to bed until midnight and not getting up until lunch the next day but atm, I am trying to eat my dinner, do this blog and organise everyone to have showers and stuff ready to go out to the new Years Eve party this evening where I am staying sober so Ady can have a drink, oh and I have to pick Dave and Sue up too...bugger, and I need to get some petrol....damn it, and I was going to write a whole nother great big thoughtful bit about the year we have just had and get all profound and such like...perhaps I will do that tomorrow, we will see.

But for now, we really do wish you all a very happy New Year J xx