Tues, Jun 30th

Another scorcher in England with the mercury reaching 89 degrees today. Work was pretty eventless - thank God. However, I did have a nice surprise on the walk back to the station this evening in the sweltering heat. A couple of guys were raising money for local Enfield schools. I couldn't resist when I saw the cute Yak they had in tow. The photo didn't come out too bad considering I used my cell phone. I also threw a few quid into the bucket for good measure, too.

Mon, Jun 29th

The hottest day so far this year with the Met Office showing 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). Thankfully we had air conditioning in the office. I would have preferred to open the window, but oh well.

We had a late day today because Dawn had a PAF meeting she had to attend and didn't get away from work until close to 5pm (she normally leaves 3.30pm). I left work as normal and stopped at Costa in Enfield Town for a skinny cappuccino and a scone while I did some studying.

Tonight we watched a couple episodes of The One Show that we had recorded before going to bed. There is was sweltering with the temperature in the lower 80s. Thankfully one of the first things we did when we moved into our house was install a ceiling fan. It helped, but only just. Tiny had the best spot directly underneath it.

Sun, Jun 28th

Incredibly, 31 years ago today, I started the workforce as a cost clerk at RW Munro Ltd in Bounds Green. Looking back, there are several things that irk me now. One is that I never realised then that it would lead to a career in accounts. Two and three are: how dumb I was not to make the most of my education and that it was the start of many dumb decisions.

Anyway, today Dawn and I spent the day inside the house working. We spent a lot of time working on the computers before Dawn did some vacuuming and ironing. I made some nice spicy chicken kebabs for lunch, and then later some Pad Thai noodles with tofu for dinner.

During the day I watched a couple of Stargate SG1 episodes before we sat down and watched another special on Michael Jackson.

Sat, Jun 27th

I know it's Saturday and the work week is over. But, I didn't want to refer to work yesterday. It was MJ's day. Anyway, yesterday I emulated my good wife by publishing an environmental newsletter at work.

Anyway, this morning we both headed out to Tesco and returned with more fruit and veg than anything else. We are truly getting into eating not only more healthily, but also buying less and less packaged items.

We then had a ride into town to get our hair cut and grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks. I also picked up Delia Smith's Cookery Course book at the local Oxfam at a steal for only £3.99.

Tonight we enjoyed a wonderful mushroom risotto for dinner before watching a documentary on Michael Jackson we'd recorded from Friday.

Fri, Jun 26th

Woke up this morning as usual glad that it was the last day of the week only for Dawn to see the shocking news on the front of the BBC news website that Michael Jackson had passed away late Thursday night, London time. I immediately turned on the television and watched disbelievingly as the news unfolded that one of the true legends of our lifetime was no longer with us.

Dawn and I saw Michael Jackson on his HIStory tour at the old Wembley Stadium in 1997 and although we didn't really like the venue for concerts will never forget this concert. Especially when a full size tank rolled onto the stage at the end of his Earth Song.

Michael, you were sadly misunderstood. Like Princess Diana 12 years ago, you will be mourned by millions who had turned their backs on you. Thankfully though your music will speak for itself and your legacy will live on. At least you can rest in peace now knowing that you touched more hearts and made more people happy than you could ever have dreamed.

Thur, Jun 25th

Dawn had another day out of the office today. This time she was over in west London in the ritzy part of town. As we get a pretty early train out of Hertford North, Dawn arrived with plenty of time on her hands and was able to grab herself a coffee and a tea before attending a travel seminar sponsored by ACT Travelwise in the Millennium Hotel, Sloane Street in Knightsbridge. She even had time to kill afterward, too. And she used it to visit the Natural History Museum.

This was the first time Dawn had been to the museum and she really enjoyed it. That was apart from having to navigate the halls and corridors trying to avoid the hoards of rug rats, teenage school kids, and coachloads of tourists. Dawn did enjoy seeing all all the different exhibits of animals that she hadn't seen before. Some now sadly extinct and others from lands oversea. As much as Dawn dislikes stuffed animals, she much prefers this than seeing them caged in zoos.

Tues, Jun 23rd

Seems like work for the two of us revolves around keeping our to-do list from growing. I think I succeed more than Dawn on this one. She created a spreadsheet to help her manage her endless list of tasks, but she hasn't found the find the time to list her new to-dos let alone cross off the ones already outstanding. It's a bit like treading water in a fast moving stream. You're moving with the tide no matter how hard to kick. At least I had my quality meeting today.

Mon, Jun 22nd

Good news. Dawn made it back to the dentist today and had her tooth sorted. The dentist filed the filling down several times before Dawn felt that it was okay. At least the headaches that have been bugging her over the weekend will be over with now.

Sun, Jun 21st

Father's Day. Woke up and opened two cards. One from my daughter, Hayley, and one from Dawn and Tiny.

Today we had a ride on the train up to Finsbury Park and walked to Dad's. There we gave him our Father's Day card and certificate for the trees we had planted for him. We then had a walk down to The Landseer for a Father's Day lunch. This time we all ordered a salad. Which for some reason they forgot and took nearly an hour to bring out. Perhaps the table next to us caused the confusion as they had their fish and chips returned. I was going to get that again, and was glad that I hadn't.

Then it was back home to chores and more of the usual Sunday routine. Sometimes the weekend just goes by too quickly.

Sat, Jun 20th

Started the day with a trip over to Tesco on my own while Dawn tidied up the house. We then met Hayley at Hertford East station. Hayley texted me last night and asked whether I was free for her to take us out for a Father's Day lunch today.

As we had a few errands to run in town, we went straight there from the station and stopped off for a coffee as usual at Starbucks before finishing our shopping. We then stopped at the White Hart for lunch before making our way back to the house for a little while.

This has certainly been a year I will never forget. After spending so many years in Florida, I will certainly cherish being taken out for both my birthday and Father's Day this year.

Oh yea, believe it or not, even though I had my camera with me, I forgot to take a photo while we were out at lunch. Like I keep telling Dawn - my memory is getting pretty bad. Perhaps now she will believe me!

Fri, Jun 19th

Dawn's hectic week ended with Well Being Day at CU. Again more activities laid on to oversee, along with more things to do. At least she had the chance to get her vital stats checked. All okay. No blood pressure or cholesterol problems there.

Dawn then had to leave early to drop into the dentist to get her damaged tooth sorted. The one that she broke on one of my pita chips a few weeks ago. Well now she has a gold tooth. Well, part of one. Thankfully it's a molar and mostly on top and on the inside, so it's not so visible. Sadly, the dentist didn't set it very well, so tonight Dawn went to bed with a headache as she was grinding her upper teeth against it. The dentist wasn't able to complete the job when she was there today because the waiting room was filling up and also because Dawn had Novocaine and the dentist did not want to file the new tooth too far by mistake.

Thur, Jun 18th

Today Dawn travelled into central London to attend a sustainable food seminar in an office building next to City Hall (the Mayor of London's offices), overlooking the Thames and the HMS Belfast, and with glorious views of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

Dawn was in hog heaven. She loved the seminar and said that the content was interesting and gave her some really good ideas regarding food. The lunch, sustainable local food, was excellent and the neighbourhood where she was (she had a stroll around before the gathering) was mind blowing. As much as Dawn hates crowds, she loves culture and good architecture. I am proud to say in my home town we have an abundance of both.

Wed, Jun 17th

Today I had a quality meeting and had to issue my monthly environmental report. Sadly, as only a few turned up, the meeting was cancelled and rescheduled for next week.

Tonight, after days of deliberating about what to get Dad for Father's Day, we paid for five indigenous trees to be planted in Africa in Dad's name. We had been racking our brains to think of what to get someone who doesn't want for anything. What could be better than to give back to the environment and at the same time say we love you?

Tues, Jun 16th

Today I took the brownies that Dawn had brought home yesterday to work with me. Not to raise money for charity, but to see them scoffed down by my colleagues and not go to waste. Or better still, not add a few inches of fat to our hips.

Tonight after dinner I was back in the kitchen again to make a lunch salad for Dawn and me based on the recipe Hayley had given us. A tuna and pasta based meal with veggies and in our case our own dressing. It was good.

Mon, Jun 15th

Just three things to say today.

Happy Birthday, Mum. Gone but not forgotten, you are always in our hearts and minds.

Today the Bike Doctor turned up at CU (as arranged by Dawn) as part of the university's Bike Week activities. All week there are activities going on to promote a better way of life. Dawn took the brownies that I made to work to raise money for the Race for Life. Sadly, others brought a load of goodies too so she brought half of them home again. Half of which she handed to a delighted homeless person on her way back to Old Street station.

Tonight I watched the end of the England - West Indies T20 match. Sadly, after a great start, we lost again. Hosts to the tournament we may be, but champions we aren't. Not even a semi-final place. Roll on Wimbledon. Perhaps Andy Murray will do us proud.

Sun, Jun 14th

Tomorrow is the anniversary of my mother's birthday. So today Dawn and I had a ride up to Dad's and took him and George with us to lay some flowers on her grave. All four of us could not believe how overgrown parts of the cemetery were. I wished I had brought some shears with us so I could trim the tall grass around Mum's grave.

From there we had a ride down to Spaniards Inn over Hampstead for lunch. As we're planning to take Dad out again next Sunday, he treated us this time, and George bought the drinks. The other three each had a salad while I tucked into some fish and chips.

When we got home, I was back in the kitchen making a couple trays of brownies for Dawn to take to work tomorrow. I also prepared a couscous salad for our lunches over the next couple of days, too. Yet another first.

Sat, Jun 13th

Thank God for weekends. Even if they do mean that the chores have to be done.

We made the usual trip to Tesco for the weekly groceries, then popped into town to chill out for a bit. Dropped into the Vet's to get some food for Tiny, Waitrose for some odds and sods, Messages and then Starbucks for a nice relaxing skinny cappuccino where Dawn read the newspaper and I read some more of Al Gore's Earth in the Balance.

Back home we did some chores and relaxed a little before I made us some Pad Thai noodles with Tofu. Another first for me. And even if I do say so myself, it came out pretty good. That's another recipe for our list.

Thur, Jun 11th

Nothing to report in our lives. However, the day did not go totally without any news. Well for football fans, that is. Manchester United and Real Madrid both confirmed that Christiano Ronaldo will be moving to the Spanish club next season for a fee of around £80 million. Unless I am mistaken, is there not something of a credit crunch going on at the moment, with tens of thousands losing their jobs and unemployment reaching figures not seen in over a decade?

Wed, Jun 10th

Today London was being held to ransom by employees of the London Underground, which (as anyone who has lived or spent any time in London knows) is the lifeblood of the city. Hundreds of thousands of commuters and Londoners were forced to find alternative methods to make it into work. Even worse, find their way to more important venues like Wembley Stadium for England's World Cup qualifier against Andorra, or the O2 Arena to see Britney Spears. Well, maybe in one of those cases it may not have been such a bad idea (just kidding). Thankfully for Dawn and me, we travel by the National Rail network, so were not affected.

As for England, for those interested, we rattled off our seventh successive win in the competitive matches. A new national record. Just one more win and we'll have qualified for the finals in South Africa next year.

Sun, Jun 7th

Here is a photo of our new household waste bin. It's so small that it fits on the counter next to the draining board. I will empty it every night when I do Tiny's litter box, no matter how much is in it. It will also save using a dustbin liner, which is also better for the environment.

Anyway, today we woke up to torrential rainfall. So I decided that I'd give the yard work a miss. That meant that it was a more leisurely Sunday compared to the last two weeks. Dawn also had it easier, too. All she had to deal with today was some ironing as she did the cleaning yesterday.

So the two of us spent the day working on our computers and watching TV. In my case it was Stargate SG1 and the Turkish F1 Grand Prix, which saw Jenson Button win his 6th race in seven. Tonight we both stayed up late to watch Apprentice Final in which Yasmina Siadatan defeated Kate Walsh to become Alan Sugar's latest apprentice.

Oh yea, in between all this the two of us also worked on our IEMA assignments and coursework.

Sat, Jun 6th

Thank God for weekends. This morning I ran up to Tesco to do our weekly grocery shopping while Dawn cleaned the house. Mid morning I drove down to Hertford East and picked up my daughter Hayley who had popped down to visit us.

We chatted for a while back at the house and caught up on what we had all been up to the last few weeks. Then we popped into town to grab some lunch at the Woolpack before picking up some odds and ends, including Dawn's dry cleaning (clothes that she was able to pack away until the winter now.)

We also picked up a new waste bin for the kitchen. As I spent half an hour tearing up cardboard boxes for our recycling bin, it crossed my mind that we should get a small bin for the household waste and empty it daily instead of trying to fill a large bin and empty it once a week or when it begins to smell. We ended up getting a tiny bin that fits on the counter. I'll post a photo tomorrow.

Fri, Jun 5th

Last day of the week and it culminated with more environmental work on my behalf. Once again, I won't go into too many details. But what I will say is that my waste management programme is off the ground now that recycle bins are all over the office and I have placed laminated notices on walls, too.

Dawn, on the other hand, had to rush off to the dentist to get measured for her filling. You probably remember reading how she broke her tooth on my pita chips and had to get a temporary filling. Sadly that came out yesterday while she was eating a salad for lunch. Anyway, at least in two weeks time she will be able to put this episode to bed.

Thu, Jun 4th

Today I was finally able to carry out the privilege of voting for the first time since Dawn and I were married over 12 years ago. In fact, the last time I voted was actually on our wedding day. But that is another story.

Anyway, tonight when I got home from work I raced over to the Hornsmill Community Centre to vote and was welcomed by just two officials sitting in the nice cool building. After showing my election card I was handed one piece of paper listing the 4 candidates in the local county council election, and a long roll of candidates (about three feet long) listing the 15 parties for European Member of Parliament elections. I won't say who I voted for. But will say that I won't be on Gordon Brown's Christmas card list this year.

Wed, Jun 3rd

Well it's Wednesday and nothing of substance to write about this month yet. Well, nothing publicly that is. Dawn and are both pretty busy at work especially on the environmental front. Last night Dawn had to spend some of her own free time after she had eaten her dinner to respond to an array of questions from a student writing an article for the University news rag. Oh yea, I thought I would take the opportunity to show everyone how the old GE building site is coming on. As you can see, not very far.