Fri, Jul 31st

We ended the month with our second day off work. And, following all the food we ate yesterday, did not weigh this morning.

After taking it easy for a few hours, we headed out to Welwyn Garden City to pick up a part to stop the leaking faucet in the kitchen. We are pleased to report that when we got home I was able to complete my plumbing task without any problems.

This afternoon I then chilled watching Spurs beat Hull City in China to win the Beijing Cup. Not really a top honour, but better than nothing.

We finished the day off with one of my favourite things - eating fish and chips from the fish shop (Carleys). Dawn loved it too. Best of all, she had very little tidying up to do afterwards.

On a negative note, we were pretty pissed off over several postings on Facebook following an online debate concerning Obama's American health care plan. Dawn's own uncle accused her of abandoning the US by coming to live in the UK with me and not having a right to voice her opinion on American politics. It was just a mirror image of a lot of conservative movements in the US, trying to intimidate those trying to get the message out there that health care is a human right, not a benefit.

Thu, July 30th

Today Dawn and I celebrated the day we first exchanged an email 13 years ago. Best of all - we were off work.

After exchanging cards, we took things easy before heading out for an anniversary lunch. Dawn found what looked like a pretty good pub in Cottered, which is about a 20-30 minute drive north of Hertford.

Well, Dawn's research proved spot on. This quaint pub in a small village littered with thatched roof houses had excellent food. Again, we overindulged. We share a salmon Caesar salad followed by a burger and chips. Then we went for the kill by ordering two desserts that we also split. Dawn got a chocolate bread and butter pudding with ice cream, while I got fruit and cream. We finished the meal off with a cup of coffee.

We still have to pinch ourselves when we think how far an innocent email all those years ago has led us to where we are today.

Sun, Jul 26th

First task of the day was to send my stepson Chris an email to wish him happy birthday. Can't believe that he is now 30.

The rest of the day went too quickly. I updated the blog, tidied the paperwork and edited the countless photos we'd taken over the last few weeks. Still need to post them to Facebook, though. Relaxation was watching Lewis Hamilton winning the Hungarian F1 while editing photos before sitting down on the couch and watching Spurs lose 2-0 to Celtic on Sky.

Dawn, as usual, did her Sunday chores. But she also spent a good couple of hours on environmental matters (working on her newsletter and also reviewing her work's sustainable food policy).

After dinner, which was an enjoyable home-made Pad Thai, I made a couscous salad for work, called Dad and Dawn received a call from Brady to hear about her cousin Stephanie's wedding.

Sat, Jul 25th

We got up and out early to do our grocery shopping before popping to the doctor's surgery. The doctor checked out my leg, hips and back and I was pleased to hear that the problem was 99% certain to be muscular/skeletal, and not some kind of blockage or ligament issue. The bad news was that I would have to put up with the aches and pains and use ibuprofen and hopefully a non-menthol ointment.

With that out of the way, we did a little shopping in town and grabbed a coffee at Starbucks. Then it was off to Westmill Farm Estate to have a wander around the stores and grab some lunch. We'd passed this place many times on the way to the recycle centre and hadn't really given the place much thought. But a recommendation from someone I work with suggested it was worth a shot.

What we didn't know until we arrived was how breathtaking the view from the Three Lakes Restaurant was. Overlooking lakes and rolling hills, the view was incredible. There was a gazebo for couples to get married and a 9 hole par 3 golf course. Not to mention a remote-control race track, art shop, garden centre and hand-made furniture shop.

As for the restaurant, the food was excellent. We had the broccoli and Stilton soup with some bread, and also shared a home-made burger with chips. Just six huge chips. Dawn also enjoyed a glass of red wine and I enjoyed a couple of cups of brewed coffee. We'll definitely be going back there again.

Fri, Jul 24th

This is getting old pretty quickly. My leg woke me up and even though I had Tiny laying between my legs, I had to get up to ease the discomfort. This eased it, thankfully.

Tonight I enjoyed watching my first football match of the 20h09/2010 football season, Spurs versus Barcelona in the inaugural Wembley Cup live on Sky. I thought we faired well to get a draw against the European champions. But then again it was a friendly and the Spanish side didn't play their stars.

Thur, Jul 23rd

Another sleepless night, and then another hectic day at the office. I thought that once I had got the BSI audit behind me I would be able to relax a little. However, this week I had loads of deadlines to deal with and needed to help our accountants with the management accounts. It was relief that I was able to get away at my normal time this evening. However, all week I have been unable to walk back to Enfield Chase (and have caught a bus) because of the problem with my left leg.

Wed, Jul 22nd

This week has been another hectic week for me. This time it's the accounts. Worse still is that my left leg is really aching now. It's into the second week and finally I gave into Dawn and called the doctor to make an appointment to see someone. I have to wait until Saturday, though. The craziest thing of all though is how it's affecting Tiny.

I tried to use some heat rub spray. But the menthol in it drives her wild. It's as if she is hallucinating. This means that I can only take ibuprofen tablets and use the spray when I am at work. It doesn't help at night though because I can't use it when the aches and pains wake me up like it did last night and resulted in my getting up at 2:30am in the morning.

Sun, Jul 19th

Another busy day for the two of us. Today we had to head into Central London for Dawn to participate in the 5k Relay for Life charity event in Hyde Park. Over the last few weeks, we had been getting sponsors to make donations and baking goodies. Well, today Dawn had to walk the walk, so to speak.

We met some of Dawn's colleagues outside the Intercontinental Hotel before making our way to the park. Just before the event, the heavens opened and it looked like we would get drenched. Thankfully a collection of rain coats, umbrellas and a tree saved us. Plus the fact that is was a shower and only lasted about 1o minutes.

As for the run, jog, walk. Sharon (who turned up late because of travel problems) did the run, which started first, and met everyone else after they had all finished. Lindsey was the second to go and jogged around in under 35 minutes. Dawn, Jackie, Laura and Marcia walked (with the majority of the other 17,000 there) in about 90 minutes.

It was a tiring occasion, but well worth it. Especially as those kind enough to sponsor Dawn helped her raise over £213 for Cancer Research UK.

With Dawn needing refuel, we stopped off at Wahaca in Covent Garden for lunch. Dawn had been wanting to try this Mexican restaurant for ages and was not disappointed. She loved the pork tacos and everything else we tried. Now Dawn can't wait to get back again to try the sampler. However, she did reiterate that it wasn't going to be conditional of any 5k walk next time. Especially as the walk to through the park before and after the event, the walk to the start line, and the walk to the tube and restaurant meant that it was more like a 10k event to her.

(from left to right; Dawn, Laura, Sharon, Jackie, Marcia & Lindsey)

Sat, Jul 18th

Woke up this morning and sent my son Paul a message on Facebook to wish him a happy birthday. I'd already got a card off to him earlier in the week. It's hard to believe that is has been 28 years since I walked through the arches of Smithfield meat market in the early hours of that Saturday morning shortly after he had been born knowing that his mother had named him after me.

The rest of today was a complete rush. I ran up to Tesco to do the weekly shopping on my own while Dawn did some chores at the house. Then we dropped into town to pick up my prescription before we caught the train from Hertford North to Finsbury Park. We stopped off an Nandos for a bite to eat before calling in to see Dad for a couple of hours. He's doing well. Over the next week or two he hopes to have his second cataract operation.

Back home we chilled out watching the film Front of the Class.

Fri, Jul 17th

The day that I had been dreading since we received ISO 14001 certification back in March. The first review audit of our EMS and review to check that we had dealt with our minor non-conformancies. Well, I shouldn't have worried myself. Apart from the fact that I was tied up for seven hours with the BSI inspector, that is - and apart from one break of about three quarters of an hour that I spent in a meeting with our accountants.

The bottom line is that by the end of the day the inspector was more than happy with all the efforts we had made and even complimented me on my efforts and enthusiasm in his report. Which I felt was nice recognition for all the hard work I have put in over the last few months.

I celebrated my success this evening by picking up some fish and chips from Carleys and opening a small bottle of Stella Artois.

Dawn on the other hand spent the day in Welwyn Garden City and Hertford doing her birthday shopping. She was a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to get everything she wanted. But was more than happy with the clothes that she found. Not to mention she had been off work for two days now and still had the weekend to look forward to.

Thur, Jul 16th

Today Dawn tiptoed a little closer to another age milestone as she celebrated another birthday. Best of all, it gave us a good excuse to take a day off work and go out to eat. On the card front, Dawn received a total of 10 cards from family and friends and, even better, a collection of cash and gift vouchers that she can use tomorrow on part 2 of her birthday - shopping for herself. Dawn also received a DVD of the film Sideways that she loves.

To celebrate Dawn's birthday, we booked a table for lunch at The Cricketers in Clavering, which is owned by Jamie Oliver's parents and where he grew up and started on the road to becoming a world famous chef. This 400 year old pub in the rural Essex countryside just outside Saffron Walden was the perfect place for a special meal, and the food was a perfect match too.

We shared all the food as usual, and for once even had three courses too. For starters, we had a prawn cocktail and a quail dish. The main course was fish and chips, and chicken stuffed with feta and wrapped with pancetta and served with vegetables. We then shared a fruit crumble with clotted cream and a chocolate brownie with Baileys ice cream. All finished off with a nice cup of coffee. Dawn of course had a glass of red wine with the meal, and I even had a nice cold glass of lager for a change. To wrap up the bill, we added a signed copy of Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food, which gave us a nice memento to remind us of Dawn's special day.

On the way home we stopped off at the local castle in Clavering. It was originally built at the time of William the Conqueror over 900 years ago, but has been added to and changed over the centuries and looks like a church now.

We brought the day to a close with a phone call from Brady to wish her daughter many happy returns before watching the film Sex in the City.

Wed, Jul 15th

It's been a hectic for me at work the last few days with the usual issues tying up my time. Not to mention this week I have been counting down to the BSI audit review on Friday for our Environmental Management System. Not looking forward to that at all. I have also picked up a strain in my left leg. I know my age is probably the culprit, but these aches and pains are a little more intense than usual.

Thankfully I have been able to put both of these matters behind me when I get home. Already this week we have watched The Truth About Cats and Dogs and Eye of the Dolphin - both really good films in their own right and both leaving you with that nice feel-good feeling before going to bed knowing that you have another long day ahead at the office to come.

Tonight Dawn called Jim Kerr to wish him many happy returns for the day before spending a good half hour or more on the phone with her mother, Brady.

Mon, Jul 13th

Just thought I would mention that everyone in Dawn's office who was able to grab one of my blueberry cheesecakes absolutely loved them. In fact, two of Dawn's colleagues actually asked for the recipe!

Sun, Jul 12th

I think I spent the whole day in the kitchen. This morning, I made some home-made hash browns with potatoes and onion instead of using processed ones with our regular Sunday breakfast. For lunch, I made the pastry base for a home-made pizza instead of a store-bought base or pita bread. After watching the F1 Grand Prix on TV, I then made some blueberry cheesecakes for Dawn to take to work on Monday for charity. Dinner followed - this was a Cajun-seasoned salmon with green beans and a slice of bread from a home-made wholeground loaf I'd baked. Then, if that wasn't enough, I also prepared lunch for Monday and Tuesday. Some chickpea couscous salad.

Oh yea, almost forgot. Before all this, I helped Dawn with her environmental newsletter for work. I'm just glad that today is a rest day.......

Sat, Jul 11th

After the week we've had, today went pretty well. My daughter Hayley popped down to see us and the three of us were able to escape our usual routines and enjoy each other's company. We picked Hayley up at Hertford East station and stopped off for a coffee and tea at Starbucks. The three of us then dropped into Waitrose (where Hayley suggested some excellent biscuits), the Co-op (where I picked up my blood pressure pills), Clintons (to get some cards), and WH Smith (where I picked up some stationary). In between all this we dropped into the Woolpack for some lunch, and afterwards popped back to the house for a cup of tea and some of the biscuits Hayley recommended before I took Hayley back to the station.

Tonight we relaxed by watching Bill Cosby in Ghost Dad. I couldn't believe that Dawn had never seen it before. We really enjoyed this feel good movie.

Fri, Jul 10th

I don't think I have looked forward to a weekend as much I did today. It's been an eventful one to say the least. But then again, this is nothing new. Hopefully I will be able to forget about work for a few days, even if it's back to it on Monday.

Dawn has had a hectic week, too. Seems to me that she spends half her time in meetings and the rest of the time fretting about her meetings. This weekend she'll be focusing on doing her environmental newsletter for Monday. Or perhaps she might give it to me to take my mind off my job.

Tonight at least we were able to escape briefly while we watched the Celebrity MasterChef final. What will we be watching next week now that this is over?

Thur, Jul 9th

Today was dentist part two. Left work around 2pm and headed back to Winchmore Hill for the second session of my deep clean. This time the anesthetic worked too well. Not only was my mouth and gums numb, but so was my chin, jaw, and cheek all the way to my eye socket. I am not complaining as it meant that I hardly felt any of the treatment. Best of all was that when I left, having paid £70 for the two days treatment, I booked my next checkup which will be in 2010.

Tonight, once my feeling started coming back to my mouth and face, I made some Thai green chicken curry for the first time and it tasted excellent. Dawn and I agreed without a shadow of doubt that we will be having this meal many more times. Dawn is even interested to taste a red curry, too.

Wed, Jul 8th

Another eventful day for the two of us. In my case is wasn't one I'd really like to repeat. Sadly I will - tomorrow. I had to leave work a little early to pay my dentist a visit. She wanted to do a deep clean and felt that it would be better doing half my mouth one day and the other half the next. This meant that when I met Dawn on the Hertford North bound train home, the left side of my mouth was dropping from the anesthetic and drooling while I talked.

Dawn, on the other hand, had a half day holiday and met Keith (an old colleague from her Schiller London days) at the Archduke near the South Bank for lunch. Dawn really enjoyed catching up with her old friend, but in my opinion seemed to enjoy watching the hoards of tourists around the London Eye and other tourist attractions by the Royal Festival Hall.

Tues, Jul 7th

Tonight we watched the Michael Jackson Memorial Tribute from the Staples Arena. I will confess that both Dawn and I got pretty emotional at various times. I think it showed just how much his family loved, and still love, the real Michael Jackson who was obviously a very personal and caring person. I got choked up most when I heard "We Are The World", which always reminds me of my daughter Hayley, as it was number one in the charts when she was born. But the final words from his Michael's daughter Paris were most heart wrenching.

Mon, Jul 6th

An uneventful start to the working week. That is if you discount the little incident on the way to the station this morning. I was happily walking along with Dawn chatting away one minute before my feet just disappeared from underneath me and I found myself hurtling towards the pavement face first. I had been taking my odd train tickets out of my wallet on arrival at Hertford North and ended up face down in the gutter. Dawn politely put me in my place, if I wasn't already there, by reminding me that I can't do two things at once while I am walking. I need to focus on where I place my feet at all times. This was of course after she had asked me several times if I was okay.

Sun, Jul 5th

I like Sundays. In fact, it's usually my favourite day of the week. After getting Dawn's Sunday Times, I had a run over to the recycle plant in Ware to drop off some plastic bottles and paper. On the way home I dropped into Tesco to pick up some carnations for my good wife.

Lunch was a nice taco salad, and for dinner we had a spicy prawn and chorizo dish with basmati rice. In between we watched Roger Federer defeat Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 in the Wimbledon men's final. This victory gave Federer his 15th grand slam title. One more than the great Pete Sampras, who previously held the record with him at 14.

Sadly, the final lasted over four hours which meant that by the time we had eaten dinner, washed up and had some chocolate and tea, it was time for bed. Oh no, not another work week.

Sat, Jul 4th

Today is the day we quietly celebrate giving away part of North America to some of our colonies. And between me and you, based on some of the guys that had been president there, I think we were lucky to have got out when we did. Anyway, that's just today's trivia.

Did the morning run to Tesco before going into town to meet someone at Barclays to discuss our financial future. Would have been better to use tarot cards because it doesn't look too bright at the moment. They would have helped for the train journey we took to see Dad, too. At Hornsey, a lady on our carriage got so upset with someone that she got off and sat on the track in front of the train. We had to wait for the police to arrive to politely remove her and see what her problem was.

Once we arrived at Finsbury Park we stopped off for lunch at a restaurant Dawn had read great reviews on - Cats, a Thai restaurant that had won several awards. We had a red curry and Pad Thai, which were excellent. Will be back there again, I can tell you.

We then dropped by Dad's for a while to spend some time with him.

Tonight we chilled out watching Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck's first step into directing.

Fri, Jul 3rd

Well that's another week behind us. Nothing major to report on the work front, I am pleased to say. Did have a H&S meeting on Tuesday, but that was about it. Now we can enjoy 48 hours without thinking about work. Tonight we celebrated with some tacos with home-made taco mix and guacamole. No processed crap in our house (apart from the shells, that is), and a nice cold Stella.

Then settled down to see Andy Murray defeat Andy Roddick to meet Federer in the final at Wimbledon. Sadly, Mr Roddick played the better of the two and tore up the script. Maybe next year (again). It's a British thing. Like the footballers and winning the World Cup. Live in hope, but don't hold your breath.

Again it was a sticky evening here in Hertford with the temperature in the mid 80s in our bedroom when we called it a day.

Wed, Jul 1st

Half of 2009 is already behind us - Where is the year going?

Headline news! Dawn made the front page. Admittedly it was the CityScape. But, now that she has her face plastered all over the university newspaper, everyone will know who she is. Dawn was a little surprised at the size of the photo the students used, and its location. At least it gave her the chance to get her environmental message out to everyone.

Otherwise the mini heatwave goes on in the south-east. Tonight it was 84 degrees in the bedroom at 9pm.