Fri, Sept 10th

The day Dad thought would never happen. We laid George to rest at Islington & Camden Cemetery in Finchley after an intimate service at the chapel attended by Dad, Dave & Rita, Phil & Jean, Dawn & myself, along with Dad's grandchildren Hayley, Denise and David, and our cousin Donaghadh McDonagh.

The service was very moving and I had to fight back the tears as I gave a eulogy reminding us all just how much George had touched our lives and what a caring and loving person he was. Virtually everyone was in tears.

After George was laid in his grave and we all either placed flowers or and dirt on his coffin, we headed back to the flat were we shared stories and tried to celebrate George's life. Some of us found it harder than others and discretely went outside to shed a tear or two.

Thur, Sept 9th

Today Dawn dropped Dad's prescription off at his doctors. With Denise and young David here, I took a day off from paying him a visit.

Wed, Sept 8th

Again left early to drop George's clothes off at the funeral directors and pay for the their disbursements. Also dropped in on Dad once more.

Tonight I spent alot of time on the telephone speaking to the minister and Denise. Denise and young David had arrived from Dublin and would be here until the weekend.

Tues, Sep 7th

Left work early to drop George's clothes off at the funeral directors but no one was there. Then popped into see Dad before heading back to Hertford. Spoke to Dave and Phil to confirm details for Friday.

Mon, Sept 6th

Left work early to visit Dad and take the magazine articles up to him. Confirmed arrangements with the minister, including playing "He Ain't Heavy" and "Abide With Me" at the funeral on Friday.

Dawn placed George's obituary in this week's Islington Gazette and Hornsey Journal.

We also had the trees in the front yard trimmed. These really needed trimming and we'd arranged this before George passed away. Now they look like they have been butchered.

Sun, Sept 5th

Had a day off from visiting Dad. I spent most of the day going through George's papers and his magazines. Dad wanted me to search for articles on Pentax cameras.

Sat, Sept 4th

It was nice to be able to get away from work. It's been difficult doing my job while worrying about Dad, grieving for George, and making arrangements for his funeral.

Today we had our haircut and lunch at Old Orleans in Enfield (which was one of the worse I'd ever eaten out) before visiting Dad at the flat.

Fri, Sep 3rd

Again left work early to pop in to check on Dad. He's doing as well as can be expected.

Thu, Sep 2nd

Left work early to check on Dad. Also talked to both David and Phil, and dealt with more arrangements with the minister and funeral director. We've decided on September 10th for the funeral so Dave and Rita can now make their arrangements.

Wed, Sep 1st

This morning we heard the sad news that Brady and Jim had to let Chance go. He was just too unwell and they decided it was best to let him be at peace.

I left work early again to visit Dad at the hospital and was delighted to assist in him going home. I followed the ambulance back to the flat before getting the flat ready for him before he got up the stairs. He had countless sympathy cards that he placed around the living room. I left him with heavy heart knowing that he was not happy being home alone, but also not happy at being in the hospital either.

Tues, Aug 31st

This morning I finally broke down and told my boss about losing George and Dad being in hospital. He was very supportive and said that I could take any time I needed and offered to send some flowers.

Again, visited Dad in the hospital. He seems okay, but still no idea about when he is going home.

Tonight received a call from the minister to discuss George's funeral.

Mon, Aug 30th

The bad news just doesn't seem to want to end. Today we got news that Chance, Brady and Jim's kitty, is poorly and that they have had to call the vet to look into letting her go. I was already feeling numb with George and Dad.

Popped up to Dad's flat, my home for the best part of 17 years, and collected a load of George's paperwork as I need to sort out his estate. Then visited Dad again in the hospital before heading back to Hertford.

Sun, Aug 29th

Today Dawn and I drove to Wood Green and had lunch at Nandos before meeting Hayley outside the Whittington and popping up to the ward to visit Dad. He was still a little teary eyed, but that was to be expected. We have no idea when he will be allowed home, but that will bring problems anyway.

Sat, Aug 28th

Didn't visit Dad today. Phil and Jean popped up to the Whittington today, as did Dave and Rita before they flew back to Dublin.

Fri, Aug 27th

Dawn and I both took the day off work today and headed into London to sort out one or two things. The coroner had released George's death certificate which confirmed a massive heart attack so we could go to Islington Town Hall to register his death. We then headed to Archway to meet with the funeral director to discuss plans for George's funeral before popping into the hospital to spend some time with Dad.

Wed, Aug 25th

Didn't leave work early to visit Dad today. Dave and Rita arrived from Dublin and headed up the hospital instead. They, along with Denise and young David, seem to be taking George's loss harder than most because they are so far away and feel so helpless. It helped them a little to see Dad.

Tues, Aug 24th

Work has been a blur the last two days. I have told no one there about losing George or about Dad in hospital. My boss allowed me to leave early yesterday and today. Working in Enfield means that it's only a 30-40minute drive to the Whittington to see Dad. He is grieving a lot over George. I've already told him to leave everything up to me to sort. This is the last thing he needs to worry about.

I also popped into the flat to start clearing up alot of the mess in George's bedroom. You couldn't swing a cat the way he'd left it and I didn't want Dad to have to deal with it.

Sun, Aug 22nd

If we thought things couldn't get any worse this weekend, we were completely wrong.

This afternoon I got a call from Dad to say that he had blood in his catheter and had called for an ambulance. I once again jumped in the car and drove into London, rushed into the A&E and was directed to Dad who was in a cubicle no less than 20 feet from where I had seen George a little less than 48 hours earlier.

Sat, Aug 21st

Dad normally goes down Nags Head with George on Saturday mornings, or usually George goes on his own. We agreed last night that we would drive up and take him down there as usual. It wouldn't be the same as with George. But I think we all knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

Dad had wanted to go to the post office to get some cash out. But he wasn't ready, so we took him Morrisons to pick up his groceries and a cooked chicken that the three of us shared for lunch.

The three of us felt completely numb. I spoke to David, Rita and Denise on the phone and Phil and Jean made it up to Dad's too. We all knew that George was grossly underweight, but as with most things in life, we all thought it would never happen.

Fri, Aug 20th

The events of the week paled into insignificance following a phone call from Dad tonight. Dawn and I were relaxing in front of the television when the phone rang. With all Dad's health problems, we always dread a call out of the blue. However, it was Dad's voice on the phone this time and he said that my brother had collapsed and that it looked like George had just had a heart attack.

Dawn and I immediately threw our shoes and coats on and headed down the A1o to be with George and Dad. Shortly after hearing Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits, and after crossing the North Circular, my cell phone rang. It was Dad with the sad news that George was gone. It had been less than an hour and came as a complete shock that my eldest brother was no longer with us.

At the hospital Dawn and I made our way into the cubicle to be with Dad and see George. I then had to phone my other brothers Dave and Phil to give them the tragic news. Like me, they feared something had happened to Dad and were in complete shock that George had gone ahead.

We took Dad back to the flat and after a hot drink and some reminiscing we left Dad and headed back home with heavy hearts and feeling a little numb.

Here is the last photograph we took of George on 07/08/2010.

Sun, Aug 15th

The week started with Dawn calling Brady on Monday evening to wish her mother a happy birthday. I'm sure Brady enjoyed hearing her daughter's voice on her special day. But, I also know that it was bittersweet because she was so far away.

Another busy week at work. On Tuesday I went to a meeting in Luton to discuss our account and rebates. The rest of the time was spent working on July's management accounts. Something I have neglected to mention over the past few weeks is that I have been walking half way to work in the mornings and back to Enfield Chase Station after work. I'm trying to lose weight and get fitter and this is an ideal way to do it.

Yesterday I did the grocery shopping at Tesco on my own before Dawn and I headed into town to pick up some odds and sods and grab some lunch at the Whistling Duck.

Today I attacked the back yard. We'd decided to pull up the vegetables for the season and clear all the rubble and dirt that had been making the yard look a mess.

Sun, Aug 8th

Once more it was a hectic week at work. This time one of my senior colleagues was made redundant. And by senior I am not just referring to age. Still trying to come to terms with the changes and training someone new in accounts at the same time.

This weekend we caught the train to Finsbury Park and popped into PAKS for some toiletries before grabbing lunch at Nandos and popping into see Dad for a little while.

Two points worth mentioning is that today I finished the last of my double-sided steel blades. I bought twenty packs of fives early last year to cut down on waste and plastic. It's been a huge success. Also, I emailed Seahavens in Cornwall as we're planning to go back to Hayle next summer.

Sun, Aug 1st

This week was busy as usual. Dawn went to Greenwich University on Tuesday. I finalised the monthly payroll with Nat's help, and spent more time that I cared for working on several lists and questions from an external accountant that we have helping with our accounts at the moment. In fact, I never got the accounts finished until Friday.

Yesterday we did our errands in town before having lunch at the George and Dragon in Watton on Stone to celebrate the 14th anniversary of our very first email in 1996 before heading to Stevenage to pick up some litter for Tiny and a new laptop for me from PC World. However, after we'd sorted everything out, they would not let us leave with one because I couldn't remember the pin for my new credit card. This meant going home without it, finding the pin, and then heading over to Harlow where I picked one up there instead.

Today was spent setting up the laptop and moving files around. It's supposed to be a quick thing, but as always takes up the whole of the day.

Sun, July 25th

Another busy week at the office. On Wednesday I had payroll training with TRG. We use them as a bureau service. I also spent the best part of the week on June's management accounts. This is something Steve used to deal with. So although I knew what needed to be done, I had to do it in the context of how he did things in the past, as well as it being the first full month of the new business.

Yesterday we met Hayley and went to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in London to help Dawn celebrate her 50th birthday. Hayley had wanted to take Dawn out, so I suggested we go half on this place. It was well worth it. The food was excellent and Dawn fell in love with their Bloody Mary. As the restaurant was in Islington, we then drove over to Holloway to pay Dad a visit.

Today I spent a fair amount of time editing photos and uploading them to Facebook and Photobox. But, all in all, a good weekend.

Fri, Jul 16th

Today Dawn turned the big 50. So to celebrate we caught a connecting train to York for the day. We had a great time, spending virtually all day wandering around the historical streets, popping into York Cathedral and even having a wonderful lunch at the alleged birthplace of Guy Fawkes (the guy that tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and has a special anniversary celebrated in his name every November 5th). You can check out all the photos on our Facebook pages.

Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we caught the train home. However, the excitement wasn't over there. Our train to Stevenage was late arriving, so we had to wait another hour for the next connecting train to Hertford. Even a beer at a local Wetherspoon didn't calm Dawn down.

Thur, Jul 15th

Today we both took the day off work. Dawn because she was going to Champneys in Tring to enjoy a day of pampering at a spa, and me because I wanted to spend a day at home taking it easy. Little did we know fate would play a different hand. Well, for me, that is.

Dawn drove to Tring leaving me at home. However, an hour after leaving home, I got a phone call from her to inform me she had got a flat tire. Concerned that Dawn would not enjoy her special day, I called her a taxi and told her to enjoy her day at the spa and I would sort things out.

What that meant was walking to Herford North station, catching a train to Finsbury Park, getting a tube to Euston station, getting a train from there to Berkhampstead, and then walking a couple of miles to the car. I'm not complaining. I watched for the Green Flag guy, got the tire replaced at Kwik-Fit, and met Dawn at Champneys after a coffee at Starbucks in Tring. Dawn then informed me that she had spent a pound or two on extra goodies. This on top of the £20 for train fare and the cost of a new tire. Oh well, it could have been worse.

Sun, Jul 11th

One of those rare weeks when there is little to mention. Work has been work for the two of us. Dad hasn't been rushed to hospital.

Yesterday my daughter Hayley dropped down to see us again. We picked her up from the station and had lunch at The White Hart before heading back to the house.

I suppose the one thing worth mentioning is that a month of football live on TV came to an end today after Spain beat Holland 1-0 in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Sadly the interest for many English ended after we were sent packing by Germany several weeks ago.

Sun, Jul 4th

This week Natalie moved into accounts full time. That was a bonus for me seeing that the three people who had worked with me back in April were now all gone. In addition, two other colleagues resigned this week, too. Not to mention I had a meeting with our auditors. Then on Friday we had problems with the trains and had to go home via Cheshunt and Hertford East. So, all in all an eventful week.

Yesterday we had a ride up to Highgate where we had a nice lunch at DimT before dropping in to see Dad. Back at the house I spent several hours online dealing with invoices using terminal services.

Today we took things a little easy, bar the weekend chores. However, I did go in the front yard and pull up a load of weeds.

Sun, Jun 27th

Sunday after a holiday means editing photos. That meant I spent a good amount of time editing Dawn's photos from her USA trip. I also plonked my backside in front of the television to watch England's last 16 match versus Germany in the World Cup. This will be remembered for one thing. And that was the goal that Frank Lampard scored for England that would have tied the game at 2-2. The ball hit the cross bar and bounced 18 inches behind the goal line and out again. The referee ruled the ball had not crossed the line and the game continued. From there England went to pieces and lost 4-1. Oh well. Four more years of waiting.

Sat, Jun 26th

Today my daughter popped down to Hertford to see us. We had a coffee (in her case, tea) and lunch at the White Hart. In between we wandered around town and afterwards we headed back to the house where we just chatted. All in all, another wonderful day. Spent it with Dawn, Hayley and Tiny, so how could I complain?

Fri, Jun 25th

A fairly routine non work day. Went into town and visited WH Smith and Waitrose and did the grocery shopping at Tesco. Somewhere in between we had a coffee at Starbucks and lunch at the Salisbury Arms. Went home relaxed in front of the television and had pan fried salmon with potatoes and green beans.

However, this wasn't just a routine day. I'd woken up with Dawn, spent the whole day with Dawn and went to bed with Dawn at the end of the day. Of course Tiny was with us, too. But compared to the last 10 days when Dawn was in the US, this was heaven.

Thur, Jun 24th

Took the day off work and headed out pretty early to Heathrow Airport. In fact, I was there a good few hours before Dawn arrived back from the USA. However, I just couldn't wait and felt better being there and watching the hands on a clock.

Needless to say, it felt great to have Dawn home. She spent the whole journey home filling then gaps from the tales she told me on the phone.

Back at the house, Tiny was over the moon to see her mum and even spent the night sleeping next to Dawn instead of between my legs or at my feet. She missed Dawn as much as I did.

Wed, Jun 23rd

The last three days took forever to pass. As usual, I got through work the best I could and did dinner for myself in the evening. I have to admit that I have had more than my fair share of fish and chips over the last ten days. I enjoy cooking, but if it's for someone else as well as me. Cooking for myself when my mind is somewhere else is not easy.

Thankfully, I have had my daughter Hayley dropping me a line to check up on me and Tiny for someone to hold. She has been my crutch without Dawn.

Sun, Jun 20th

Father's Day started with me opening my cards from Dawn, Hayley and Tiny. I can't deny that it brought a tear to be on my own. But I always try and see the big picture. Dawn will be back soon and these few weeks will be history. I have Hayley, and Tiny loves me more than I could have ever dreamed.

Today I also had a ride up Holloway to take my own father (and brother George) to the cemetery to visit Mum's grave (it was her birthday on the 15th), and then to the Gatehouse for lunch.

Tonight I chatted with Dawn again and heard about all what she had been up to. I have also been spending the last few nights scanning some old photos into the computer so I can produce a special gift for Dawn's birthday next month.

Sat, Jun 19th

Another strange day. Tried to do the normal things at the weekend like Cafe Yumm for coffee, shopping in town and Tesco grocery run. I even had lunch at the White Hart on my own. However, it just didn't seem the same without Dawn.

I called her this evening at the hotel and it was great to talk to her, but hell when I hang up. Thankfully Tiny slept with me all night. She makes a huge difference.

Fri, Jun 18th

Last day of my first week travelling to work on my own. Work week, that is. Again, I couldn't wait for the day to be over so I could call Dawn again tonight. Dawn was now in Greenville and spending time with her sister, Kelly, and Kelly's daughter Michaela, as well as friends for years gone by.

Tonight I watched England in a bore draw 0-0 versus Algeria in their second World Cup group match. Not good.

Missing Dawn like crazy. Thank God for Tiny.

Thur, Jun 17th

Another lonely journey to work on my own. Work again was a pain picking up the pieces from the changes.

Tonight again I called Dawn at Brady's, laid with Tiny, and even did some laundry for a change. Usually Dawn does this while I do the cooking. But with Dawn thousands of miles away, this is my job now.

Wed, Jun 16th

Yesterday was same as before, feeling like there is a huge hole in my life that is only filled when I am talking long distance to Dawn in the USA or laying with Tiny. As with last night, I called Brady's house around 7pm to talk to Dawn.

In the World Cup, Slovenia let a two goal lead slip against the US.

Mon, Jun 14th

My first day without Dawn. Caught the earlier train to work and had an important meeting with my directors regarding plans for the future. However, my highlights of the day were talking to Dawn and hearing about her time with Brady and Jim, and sitting on the couch with Tiny laying on my chest for a couple of hours. We are so close; she is my precious baby.

Sun, Jun 13th

Both of us had heavy hearts today.

Drove to Finsbury Park and then we caught the tube to Heathrow Terminal 5. We grabbed a light lunch at the airport before we went our separate ways.

Watching Dawn leave brought me to tears; it was a horrible feeling. Dawn has been so much a part of my life for so long that I felt a huge hole in my life the minute she was gone.

When I got home I called Dad as I normally do on a Sunday.

Tiny spent at least three hours this evening laying on my chest while I watched television.

Sat, Jun 12th

Count down to Dawn's USA trip is now one day and counting. Again I did the grocery shopping at Tesco on my own before we popped into town so Dawn could pick up some last bits and pieces for her trip and grabbed a bite at Lussmans.

Dawn spent most of the afternoon packing for her trip and I ordered a take out from Paddyfields so that she didn't have to clean up my mess in the kitchen.

Tonight I watched England's opening match in the World Cup. A 1-1 draw with USA thanks to a diabolical slip by Robert Green to gift the USA their equaliser. I even missed our goal as ITV HD lost its picture at the time we scored.

Fri, Jun 11th

Today I had my third meeting in three days at work. This time it was with the company we are using to deal with our credit control. Most of the discussion was surrounded around collecting the debt owed to the old company. As part of the buyout we were able to use the debtors as collateral to fund many of the payments we have needed to make to get the new company off the ground. Including last month's final pay check from old co.

Tonight I watched the start of the 2010 World Cup from South Africa. The hosts got a well earned draw with Mexico to get the tournament started. We have high hopes that this time England can go all the way.

Thur, Jun 10th

Following on from my meeting yesterday, I had to meet our insurance brokers today. Once again we were left in a corner with little or no room for manoeuvre. At least we still had insurance coverage and could carry on trading. Dawn, on the other hand, chaired her Environmental Champions Award Dinner. How times have changed. At least Dawn seems to be relatively happy in her new role.

Wed, Jun 9th

In my new role of Financial Controller I am getting more and more involved with the business descisions being made at work. Today I met with a couple of people from our vehicle leasing company to discuss how to novate our agreements from the old company to the new company and get some trackers installed in our vans. It meant making a payment up front. But without them we wouldn't be able to function. So we didn't really have any choice.

Sat, Jun 5th

Monday we enjoyed the bank holiday as work has been taking its toll on me lately. Over the last four months I often wondered whether we would survive. Administration and buyout has given us a chance. But we need to make it happen.

On Tuesday I travelled to Old Street with Dawn as I had to catch the train to Haywards Heath in Sussex to meet our new invoicing discount funding company.

Today I went to Tesco on my own before we headed into town and got our hair cut and grabbed a quick lunch at The White Hart. Tonight we chilled out in front of the television watching the Britain's Got Talent final.

Sun, May 30th

We had a nice lie in this morning because we didn't have to go anywhere or really do anything. I watched recordings of Dr Who and Stargate Universe before making breakfast. Did a little work and then had a shower. Dawn did the vacuuming and I laid with Tiny while she did downstairs. But all in all we took it easy.

I did call Dad this evening and we watched some TV. But basically we did almost nothing for a change. It felt so good, to be honest.

Sat, May 29th

After the last few weeks, we were more than happy to make it to the long weekend. I know I had a long weekend two weekends ago. But life is hectic at the moment.

Anyway, we grabbed a latte at Caffe Yumm and then picked up some odds and ends before making our way to the Old Barge on the Folly, next to the river, for lunch. Then it was off to Tesco to fight the crowds and home again.

We spent the rest of the day chilling out in front of the television or with the newspapers. Although, if truth be known, I was also logging onto my work's network and doing the odd hour of work here and there.

Fri, May 28th

Well it had to happen. My boss started his 10 day holiday today and we needed to pay the balance of the salaries. To cut a long story short, we spent all day trying to get it done only to fail. We were using a new bank for this payment and it didn't go through. Needless to say, a lot of staff were not happy.

I had a meeting this morning with a couple of guys from the company who supply our vehicle trackers and this too didn't go as they had planned. Firstly they didn't realise that their company had disabled the trackers on Monday, and secondly to find out our company was now a new company. Fun ahead, that's all I can say.

By the way, Tiny has a new favorite resting place. While I lay on the couch, she wants to lay on me.

Thur, May 27th

I left work a little early today so I could have my periodical visit to the dentist. My visit in January was aborted prematurely because my gums were so sensitive, and I had to cancel last month's appointment because of work. You can therefore imagine my delight to know that all was well and that I don't have to go back for another six months. We get the simplest pleasures in life sometimes.

Tonight we watched the American Idol final and the results show. It meant that Dawn had to stay up until around 11pm. But she couldn't wait another night. She was also bitterly disappointed that Crystal Bowersox lost out to Lee Dewyze. Not that Lee is not good. She just felt that Crystal was different and deserved to win.

Wed, May 26th

Finally my company can move on after months of turmoil. This evening, after we had all gone home for the day, the chairman got the call to inform him that the management buyout was successful and a done deal. It doesn't mean that all our problems are behind us. But what it does mean is that we can move forward at last.

Tues, May 25th

Once again I drove Dawn into London so she could catch the tube from Turnpike Lane. This time she had a trip to Oxford for a seminar on Corporate Social Responsibility. Thankfully her return trip wasn't so late. I picked her up at Hertford North around 6:40pm with some Chinese take-away from Paddyfields.

Mon, May 24th

On the way home from work this evening, I dropped into Jessops in Enfield Town and picked up a Canon 550D for my birthday. Having read quite a few articles on the camera, I am sure that I will get as much use out of this camera as I did my old one. As for the old model, that is now in Dawn's trusted hands. She never really liked the compact one she had. Now she has a DSLR camera she can get her teeth into.

Sun, May 23rd

Dawn and I really tackled the back yard this morning. I finally got the big tree root up before extending the vegetable patch by fifty per cent. Dawn then transferred all the vegetables we had been growing inside the house into it. There are tomatoes and peppers in pots, plus courgettes, radishes, cabbage, cauliflowers and carrots. I think that's it.

By the time we were finished, we were both totally exhausted. This time my back and arms were aching more than my knees.

We tried to chill out by watching the film, The Wrestler, but we both felt it was crap.

Sat, May 22nd

Today we ran out and did our weekly grocery shopping at Tesco early so we could pop up and see Dad and George. After catching the train to Finsbury Park, we stopped off at Nandos for a light lunch before the walk down Tollington Park Road to see them.

This evening Dawn was glued to the television watching the Over The Rainbow finale. I had been routing for Danielle Hope for several weeks and was pleased to see her win the role of Dorothy in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's next box office smash. However, to tell the truth, I wasn't as glued to the TV as Dawn. I was watching the European Champions League final between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich on Sky Player. I was pleased the Italians won. They deserved their 2-0 victory.

Fri, May 21st

Following the problems last month with people getting paid on the last day of the month, our head boss decided to pay staff three quarters of the salary a week early. This way if there is a problem, at least they have the majority of the wages for the month. Last month it went down to the wire and with everything that is going on at the moment we don't want that happening this time.

Wed, May 19th

Today it was back to the train journey into work. Although Dawn had to leave work a little early today because she had her periodical visit to her dentist.

I am still fighting fires at work. No progress on my company's direction yet. Although I do have two of days of help to look forward to. With my boss and the credit controller now gone, I feel like the little boy by the dyke.

Oh yea, after some consideration, I finally decided what to get for my birthday. I had toyed with the idea of getting a netbook. But now I have decided to get a new camera. My Canon is over 5 years old and taken over 20,000 photos. It's only a matter of time before it plays up. Besides, I've already dropped it once this year and Dawn needs a good one next month when she goes on her trip.

Tues, May 18th

This morning I drove into London and dropped Dawn off at Turnpike Lane station. Dawn needed to get a train from Paddington to Bristol so she could attend a travel workshop in the west of the country and it was easier for me to drop her off rather than trying to leave even earlier by train.

Needless to say, Dawn was exhausted by the time she got home, which was gone 8pm. Considering we were up at 3:30am, she did well to stay awake all day and not miss her trains.

Dawn liked the look of Bristol, as the place she attended was on the water. It was just a shame she felt the time spent there was a waste.

Sun, May 16th

As much as neither Dawn nor I wanted to, we both headed into the back yard this morning to work on our vegetable patch. Within an hour we found a hidden wall UNDER the ground. Not what we wanted. After a little deliberation, we decided to cover the wall with soil and pretend it wasn't there. And surprise, surprise, we even finished stage one and got the first square ready for Dawn to transplant the stuff we have growing in the house. I then spent the rest of the day nursing my aching body while Dawn did her usual chores. She is a little dynamo!!

Sat, May 15th

Woke up this morning and spent a couple of hours logged onto my office network running countless reports needed for Monday. Although I wasn't at work the last few days, I was always in touch thanks to email. Yesterday afternoon I was informed that we have an audit scheduled for Monday morning, so it seemed sensible to print pdf files and just print out the hard copies when I get to work.

We then popped into town and did a little shopping, grabbed a nice latte in Cafe Yumm and then lunch in The White Hart. We of course made it home in time to watch the FA Cup Final from Wembley, which Chelsea won beating Portsmouth 1-0. Dawn was more interested in Over the Rainbow later in the evening.

Fri, May 14th

I could have gone to work today. But having booked two days off and with all the stress and additional workload I have to deal with, I thought it was well deserved. Sadly Dawn didn't book a day off, so I was on my own.

After dropping Dawn off at the station, I got stuck into the back yard before chilling out with Tiny. Before lunch I then popped out to Tesco to do the weekly grocery shopping and picked up some fish and chips from Carleys on the way home.

In between all this, I was in constant touch with the office with emails going back and forth.

Tonight I received a call from my brother David in Dublin to wish me belated wishes. That was a nice thought.

Thu, May 13th

Today I celebrated my 49th birthday with Dawn. And best of all was that we both had the day off work.

After waking up, I opened my cards and gifts. I received six cards in all. One each from Dawn, Hayley and Tiny, Dad and George, and Brady and Jim. Hayley also got me a Hairy Bikers cookbook, Dawn gave me a notebook (her main gift was later), Brady and Jim gave me some John Lewis vouchers, and Dad and George gave me cash.

After chilling out a bit, we had a ride over to John Lewis at Welwyn Garden City where I picked up a 1Tb hard drive before heading to Datchworth for a birthday lunch at The Tilbury. The food was excellent. We both had mushrooms and poached egg on toast with a Bearnaise sauce. I had fish and chips while Dawn had eggplant and veggies, and we shared a brownie with pistachio ice cream.

Tues, May 11th

Not surprising, today we were glued to the television as history unfolded in front of our eyes this evening. We had been watching the end of a film we had started the night before when it was announced that Gordon Brown was about to make an announcement outside Number 10 Downing Street. Little did we think that is was to resign as Prime Minister. We then watched in interest as, within less than 90 minutes, Brown had visited the Queen to resign, followed by David Cameron to accept the Queen's invitation to form a government and then he made a speech outside Number 10 himself to announce that the Conservatives and Lib-Dems would form a government. Five days after the Labour party had lost control, and 13 years after Tony Blair had defeated the Tory party, there was a conservative Prime Minister back in office.

Sun, May 9th

Today was a tiring day. With our fruit and veg growing in leaps and bounds, we really needed to get our back yard ready for them. However, that meant we needed to get out there today and make a start. I only did two hours before I had to call it a day. I cleared up the countless pebbles stones between the path and flower bed, attacked countless bamboo and tree roots, and turned over quite a bit of soil. Sadly, it felt like I had only made a small dent in the project. The back yard, on the other hand, had left my arms, legs and back aching again.

After lunch Dawn called Brady on the telephone to wish her Happy Mother's Day. Brady and Jim were getting ready to go to the beach, so they couldn't do their usual video call. Dawn then did the ironing while I watched Chelsea win the Premier League with a 8-0 win over Wigan. Spurs ended the season losing 4-2 to relegated Burnley. Thank God we beat Man City on Wednesday otherwise we would have missed out on the Champions League by finishing the season in 5th on goal difference.

The above photograph shows how far we have progressed in the back yard.

Sat, May 8th

This morning we did the Tesco grocery run and then decided to drive to Dad's instead of getting the train. My leg hadn't been hurting and I didn't want to push my luck. We filled up the car on the way and for the first time in my life it cost £1.23 per litre.

We dropped into Dim T for lunch and then popped up to see Dad and George. Dad has done pretty well since he got home from hospital four months ago. He had us worried, but he has been doing good.

Back at the house we watched a little television, had dinner and went to bed. I hoped that I wouldn't be woken up with pain in my leg, and again got my wish.

Fri, May 7th

Thankfully it was Friday. Again I had a late night last night due to the pain in leg. Went to work and again did my accounts colleague's work. I even did the banking on the way back to the station at the end of the day.

I caught the train home on my own as Dawn had her departmental meeting to attend and didn't get out of work until close to 5pm. I picked her up at the station when she arrived in Hertford and picked up some fish and chips from Carleys, too.

After dinner we watched a little television and were in bed by 8:45pm. Including me. I had hoped that the lack of sleep and my working week would enable me to get a good nights sleep. It worked.

Thur, May 6th

Election Day in the UK and I am pleased to say that for the first time since my wedding day in 1997 I was able to vote in a general election. I was in the US in 2002 and 2005 when Labour were returned to power.

When we got home from work I walked down to the electoral polling station, which was our local community center, and wrote an "X" on my ballot paper and placed it in the metal black box and returned home to do dinner. Again this evening I stayed up late (because of the pain in my leg) and watched the election results unfold. It was clear pretty soon that the expected hung parliament was on the cards. When I eventually made it to bed both Labour and Conservatives had 84 seats each with the target of 326 a long way off.

Wed, May 5th

I knew that this week was not going to be a good one. The accounts colleague who left early yesterday was off sick today. As luck would have it he is also on holiday Thursday and Friday. What this meant was that the Chairman asked me to step in and do his work for the next few days. We hadn't closed off April yet and we needed to get our debtors book up by the end of the week. So, in addition to doing my job, I am now doing his!!

Tonight on the way home we dropped into The Riverside so we could pick up some more plant pots for Dawn to re-pot our growing veggies. We also picked up a new stand too. One that we can place the pots on in the spare room and have them covered by plastic so Tiny can't eat them.

After dinner I stayed up to watch Spurs claim 4th place in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Manchester City. This means that we enter the qualification round of the Champions League next season.

Tues, May 4th

Back to work and the stress level was already on the rise. Today was the first day without my boss who finished last Friday. We are still having major cash issues, and my only full time accounts work colleague left early to go to the doctor.

I have still not been getting a good nights sleep due to the pains in my left leg and was luckily able to book an appointment with a doctor at my local practice on the way home from work. The doctor spent no more than five minutes with me and decided that I needed to see an orthopedic specialist. The down side is that it may take a month or two.

Mon, May 3rd

Thank God the first Monday on May is a bank holiday. This meant that we could extend our vacation by a day and made our working week just four days.

As Dawn had done most of her chores over the weekend, she only had to do the ironing today. I on the other hand spent a fair amount of time in the kitchen. Made a fry up for breakfast, made some crab cakes for lunch, prepared a vegetable casserole for a couple of nights this week, and then with a cooked chicken I had picked up at Tesco did some brown bismatti rice and sauteed mushrooms with gravy to go with it.

Sun, May 2nd

This morning I drove down to the post office to get the newspapers for Dawn. The last three nights, pain in my left leg has woken me up and I've had to get up to prevent disturbing Dawn. After breakfast I then went to Tesco on my own while Dawn did the weekend chores and later had her weekly video call with Brady.

Otherwise I took it fairly easily. I watched Dr Who and Sanctuary that I had recorded and later in the day we watched the results from Over the Rainbow.

Sat, May 1st

Today we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. And I have to say that the years have truly flown by giving us both countless memories that we can cherish.

We started the day opening the cards we received which included one from my daughter Hayley, Dawn's mum (Brady), and as always Dad and George. Dad even called to wish us happy anniversary.

We didn't do much today because we had gone into London yesterday. However, we did go out for a special meal and had a really enjoyable meal at the Fox and Hounds in Hunsdon.

Fri, Apr 30th

Today we used our Red Letter Gift that my chairman had paid for us. We caught a train into London and had a nice lunch on the Symphony restaurant boat as it sailed from the Embankment to Greenwich and back again. We both really enjoyed the views of London from the Thames as we relaxed with a nice meal. Shortly after the boat left the Embankment I got a phone call from my boss on my BlackBerry to give me an update on where things stood. One was that our salaries had just gone into our banks, two was to confirm that today was his last day as an employee as he was leaving, and third was about the financial state of the business and what was happening.

Shortly before 2:30pm the boat moored by the old GLC building and County Hall where we were able to go on the London Eye. The view from the small capsule looking over London was incredible and we would recommend it to anyone. Although I have to admit I did feel a little uncomfortable when it was near the top; I had to stand back from the window.

Thu, Apr 29th

Made our way into town and grabbed a latte at Starbucks before getting our hair cut by Louise. Then grabbed a light lunch at The White Hart before picking up Dawn's cleaning and heading home.

Back at the house Dawn was able to catch her sister Kelly on the phone and had a nice long chat catching up on Kelly's new job and what she had been up to since the last time they talked.

This afternoon Dawn re-potted all the fruit and vegetable seeds that we had picked up. Now we have several trays with cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, radishes and courgettes to name a few.

This afternoon everyone received an email from my boss telling us that we should get paid on Friday (2 days late).

Wed, Apr 28th

Today we spent the whole day at the house. After breakfast we went into the back yard and started re-organising it so we can start growing some fruit and vegetables.

In all, we spent about three hours out there. I removed the clothes line (a rotary line on a pole) from the middle of the yard to an area close to the back of the house and chopped down a tree that was in the way, too. Dawn, all the while,was pulling up weeds, replanting our jade plant in a larger pot and tidying up behind me. The above photo shows how the back yard looked before we started work. You will be able to see how it progresses over the coming weeks.

After lunch, feeling exhausted, we crashed in front of the television and just relaxed.

Oh yea, my salary (or anyone else's where I work) did NOT get paid into my bank today. I didn't think it would.

Tues, Apr 27th

We took the car to the BP station on the A10 and put it through the car wash before having a ride over to Hertford Heath and Balls Park. We've been in Hertford for over three and a half years and hadn't been to either before.

We then had a ride over toWelwyn Garden City where Dawn picked up a new handbag at John Lewis. We had a light lunch at Bebos and then headed home via Morrisons to pick up some groceries.

When we got home, I then popped over to Hertford County Hospital to see if a doctor could check out my left leg. I have been getting pains off and on through my knee and outside my shin for quite a while. While I was there they took a couple of x-rays but couldn't see or find a cause of the problem. The doctor suggested that I see my GP and possibly have some physiotherapy.

Mon, Apr 26th

It was so good not having to go to work this morning. We headed into Enfield by train and did some shopping. Dawn actually found herself two pair of shoes and I picked up an egg cup from the Spurs shop. After lunch at Nandos we jumped on the train again to Finsbury Park and paid Dad and George a visit.

Sent and received a few emails from my boss. Still no confirmation that the money will be in our banks on Wednesday for our salaries (mine, that is).

Sun, Apr 25th

Day two of our vacation and again we took things really easy. However, I needed to as I was awake at 2:30am with a stomach ache.

Sat, Apr 24th

Started our vacation time by taking things a little easier than usual on a Saturday. We popped into town and grabbed a latte at Starbucks, picked up Dawn's coats from the cleaners, and dropped into WH Smith and the Co-op. We also grabbed a bite to eat at Loch Fyne. I ordered whitebait as an appetiser and Dawn couldn't get over how the little fish (and there were a ton of them) still had their heads on. But they were great.

Back at the house I watched Spurs succumb to Manchester United 3-1 live on Sky Sports. We still have a chance to make 4th. But we really need to get a result at Manchester City for that to happen.

This evening we chilled out as usual watching Over the Rainbow again.

Fri, Apr 23rd

South Beach diet is going fine at present. I've lost eleven pounds in weight over the last two weeks. My work is still too stressful, Dawn's is too busy, and, to be honest, at the moment we couldn't wait for today to end so we can spend 10 whole days away from the office.

Thur, Apr 22nd

Cancelled my dentist appointment until the end of May. With all the hassle at work I was not in the mood for someone poking around inside my mouth. I am now counting the days down until tomorrow evening and having a break from the office. However, I will still be in touch with my boss in my absence. I'll be reconciling the bank accounts and trying to find out what's happening.

Wed, Apr 21st

As expected, my boss' flight was cancelled and so was his holiday. He will now see out the rest of the month. Thankfully meaning that at least one of us will be in the office next week. Our receptionist is due to fly out a week later than scheduled, too.

As for work, it is getting more and more difficult. We had a problem with our fuel card company and had to dish out cash to the van users to cover their fuel costs. Grounding our vehicles would not be good at this time.

Mon, Apr 19th

Today started strangely. My boss, who has been fed up with the situation at work for months, came in full of beans and optimism. However, as expected, by the end of the day events had unfolded to take the wind out of his sails. Needless to say, I am counting the days down until the weekend and 10 days away from the office.

We also saw how the volcanic ash that had grounded thousands of planes over Europe since last Thursday affected some of our employees. We have one girl in Australia who was due back today stranded on the other side of the world. Her first flight home is expected on May 2nd. My boss is due to fly to Spain on Wednesday for a week (now unlikely) and our receptionist is still stuck in Greece and unlikely to be in on Wednesday.

Sun, Apr 18th

We tried to relax a little today. Dawn still had to do the ironing, but most of the chores had been done. This meant that we watched some television, including a recording of the the first live televised debate between the leaders of the three main parties trying to get into Number 10 on May 7th.

I did spend some time in the kitchen. In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner (stir fried tofu and veggies), I also cooked some rhubarb. This is virtually the only fruit I can eat on phase one of my diet.

Sat, Apr 17th

Did the Tesco run on my own again today while Dawn cleaned the house. When I got back I prepared some soya bolognase and then watched some of the live football on Sky after lunch. Dawn and I then met my daughter Hayley at Hertford East and went into town for a bit. First we had a coffee (and tea) and Cafe Yum before buying a couple of odds and ends and heading back to the house.

There we gave Hayley her birthday gift (earrings) and a card for Monday before dishing up an early dinner. Dawn and Hayley had spaghetti while I had a plate of chicken and mushrooms. We then stuck five candles (one for every 5 years) into a carrot cake and sang Happy Birthday to her.

It was nice to be able to celebrate Hayley's birthday with her. And hard to believe that it had been seven years since we took her to see the musical Saturday Night Fever at Ruth Eckerd Hall for her 18th.

Fri, Apr 16th

More twists at work (sorry still can't say). But it has been an eventful week at work. Not in a nice way. But at least things are progressing with our current plight hopefully dealt with by the end of the month. Thank God I have the last week off and only have to be there next week. I need a break.

Wed, Apr 14th

Work is much the same now. I haven't been taking calls from creditors for a couple of weeks now. Thankfully I get in a couple of hours before they start and leave a couple of hours before they end. Doesn't make it easy for our receptionist though.

Tonight I watched in disbelief as Spurs' challenge for 4th spot in the Premier League got a great shot in the arm with a 2-1 win over our North London rivals, Arsenal. I do, however, feel that we still won't make it. Especially seeing as our next two games are against title rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.

Mon, Apr 12th

Work has been interesting. Obviously I can't write in our personal blog about events that go on at my workplace. Which is a shame because things were changing daily today. This meant that not only were moods changing hourly, but also the predictions and comments about what was happening. That was for those in the know. The vast majority didn't have a clue.

Sun, Apr 11th

Not a good day. Didn't start too badly with me walking down to get Dawn's Sunday papers at the Post Office. But turned sour after lunch watching Spurs lose the second FA Cup semi-final of the weekend to Portsmouth 2-0 at Wembley (after extra time) live on TV. We were hot favourites, and with Portsmouth already relegated and in Administration, it did not bode well for our challenge for 4th spot in the Premier League. Oh well. It is just a game. Even if I have been supporting Spurs for over 40 years.

Dawn, on the other hand, spent most of her spare time on her laptop editing the contents of Brady's high school 50th reunion book.

Sat, Apr 10th

Thank God the weekend is here. Even a four day week is more than I can bear sometimes. And I don't think it will get any better any time soon either.

This morning I did the Tesco run on my own while Dawn started on the weekend chores at home. We then had lunch at the house before driving up to pay Dad and George a visit. Back at the house I watched the first FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea beating Aston Villa 3-0. Later we chilled out watching Over the Rainbow.

Fri, Apr 9th

Thanks for my love of bread, fish and chips, pies, etc., I have decided to go back on the South Beach Diet. For one, I have put on more weight over the last five months that I shouldn't have, and secondly, I have been having major problems with my left knee and leg. I am sure losing weight will help with both!!!

Wed, Apr 7th

Despite not being at work on Monday, thanks due to the long weekend, work is still getting stressful for the two of us. Dawn's pile of work is increasing by the day, while my workplace is getting more and more difficult to deal with. Thanks to the constant phone calls from creditors and our bank causing one or two headaches.

Sun, Apr 4th

Day 3 of our relaxing weekend. Dawn did some vacuuming and I made a large pot of chili and a large chicken vegetable casserole that will last a a few days. However, all in all, we did very little else. I did give Dad a ring. But we did virtually nothing else. Sadly, though, although we are giving our bodies a rest, we still aren't able relax our minds. Both of us feel like they are still running on fumes!!

Sat, Apr 3rd

More relaxation. This time we drove into town, had a cafe latte at Cafe Yum, did some shopping for odds and ends, and then grabbed a lunch at The Salisbury Arms. We had decided to give The White Hart a miss because of the lunch time football match between Manchester United and Chelsea. By the time we left, Dawn suggested that we should go there in future as the ambiance was a lot better than our old haunt.

Fri, Apr 2nd

Good Friday in England is a bank holiday and Dawn and I made the most of it by lying in for a change. We then headed over to Tesco to do our weekly grocery shopping. I then spent the rest of the day off and on in the kitchen. First I made some home made ginger biscuits, then I dished up mussels in a chipotle sauce, and to end the day made some home made hot cross buns to have with a nice hot cup of Earl Grey while we watched television.

Dawn, on the other hand, ran her eyes over a copy of a directory Brady had sent and was working on that will be used in a book being printed for Brady's 50th high school reunion in June.

Thu, Apr 1st

It may be the 1st of a new month, but nothing has changed. I spent a good part of the day helping my boss do a cash forecast for the bank. Isn't the relationship between bank and client strange? They ask you to predict how much you plan to receive and pay out over a given period and then make decisions based on your guesses. Are their actions based on their opinions of your judgement, or who you are?

Anyway, both Dawn and I were more than pleased to escape our work places for four days and today we left work turning our backs for four days to relax, relax and relax.

Wed, Mar 31st

I am sure readers of our blog will appreciate that I can not go into details regarding my work and all what is causing me stress. All I can say is that I feel like the little Dutch boy trying to put his finger in the dyke to prevent the sea from overrunning the town. However, in my case, it's not a tide hitting the sea walls, but a cat 5 hurricane!!!

Dawn, on the other hand, is now well into the post ex-boss period. She would just prefer that all her colleagues didn't ask her how she is coping without him not being around.

Mon, Mar 29th

I knew this would be another stressful week. Despite getting some good news from our largest client, everything else is making life a little unbearable. I hate to say that I am wishing my life away, but I can't wait for the long weekend.

Dawn, on the other hand, had some mixed news. Although to speak to her you'd think it was all bad. She received her IEMA second assignment result and it was not as good as she had hoped. In a nutshell, she was disgusted and was ready to contact the University of Bath and give them a piece of her mind. Thankfully I was able to delay that until she had calmed down. Especially as her overall mark had meant that she had passed the course and, like me, was now an Associate Member of the IEMA. Dawn has such high standards and always wants to see justice done. This time she needed to see the bigger picture.

Sun, Mar 28th

Today was pure laziness. I did walk to the Post Office to get the Sunday newspapers for Dawn. But after that I spent most of the day on my butt. Most of which was spent editing several weeks of photos. This was in between two occasions when I just laid on the bed with Tiny.

Sat, Mar 27th

I don't think anyone can appreciate how much we look forward to the weekends at the moment. However, it doesn't stop me checking the bank balances at work and getting a head start for Monday working out how I am going to manage the cash situation.

This morning we headed into town for a haircut and then drove to Highgate for lunch at Dim T. We didn't have to do the grocery shopping because I went to Tesco after work on my own yesterday as Dawn was getting back late.

We then popped up to Dad's and chatted with him and George for a while before driving back to Hertford. We really hate this drive. But with my knee and leg still playing up, we didn't fancy the walk to and from the station, and to and from the station to Dad's.

Tonight we watched Dawn's new favourite reality show, Over The Rainbow, where Graham Norton hosts a show trying to find someone from the public to play Dorothy in a West End show.

Fri, Mar 26th

If this week hadn't been long enough already for Dawn, today pushed the boundaries even further. Thankfully she was able to get away from the office for a while at lunch time to enjoy lunch with my daughter Hayley at a Mexican style joint in Upper Street.

No, Dawn's day was extended because she attended the Student Union President's dinner as she had been nominated for yet another award. Sadly she was not successful this time. Even if she had, I don't think it would have helped her state of mind. I collected her from Hertford North gone 11:30pm and then took her home to where she crashed on the bed a little before midnight.

My highlight was that I got paid. After spending February on a three day week all month, it was nice to know that a full paycheck was paid into my bank account. Quite an accomplishment!

Wed, Mar 24th

Another stressful day at work. Somehow I am able to keep focused on the tasks in hand. However, I have to admit I have never found it so hard to motivate myself.

Thankfully, though, Dawn arrived home safely this evening. However, it was not without incident. After attending the morning seminars and grabbing lunch, she decided (with a few others) to take a walk to the local pier before heading back to the station to catch the train back to London. What she didn't realise was that the walk was longer than locals had said it would be, and that the walk to the station would be uphill all the way. She made it there with minutes to spare and with blisters on her feet into the bargain. She was not a happy bunny. I collected her at the station and took her home to a nice bowl of home made chili and some pita chips and salsa for dinner. She chilled out the rest of the evening with some newspapers while I watched Spurs beat Fulham 3-1 to make it to the FA Cup Semi-Final.

Tues, Mar 23rd

Did not get a good night's sleep as there was a space in the bed where someone should have been. Got up early as usually and then decided to drive to work. Dawn woke up around 6am and texted me so I could call her back. I was already at work by the time we first spoke.

Work for me is getting more and more stressful. In fact, tempers are beginning to flare, too. One of my colleagues had to go out and get some fresh air due to the stress. But it is still nothing compared to what Dawn is having to endure. Between networking, the various classes she was attending, and yet another late dinner to keep her up, I still feel like I had the easier day.

Thankfully Dawn's absence hasn't had too much of an effect on Tiny. She has been looking for Dawn. But I have spent a lot of the time with her to make up for her not being here. Tonight Tiny even slept between my legs all night as she normally does.

Mon, Mar 22nd

This morning we drove to the station knowing that when I got off the train at Enfield Chase that we would not see each other for a couple of days. This was because Dawn was heading to Bangor in northwest Wales to attend a EAUC conference at the university there.

My day was a typical mixture of stress and anxiety. However, compared to Dawn's, it was a walk in the park. Once she arrived in Wales, she had to contend with dragging her luggage around town getting lost on her way to the university, spending time networking (we did this when we had Just Sentimental and didn't really enjoy), and staying up past her bedtime for dinner with the other delegates. And, if that wasn't enough, she couldn't get a signal on her BlackBerry in her dorm room. Thankfully she had her work cell phone too, so we were able to chat before we both called it a day.

Sat, Mar 20th

Today we definitely chilled out the best we could. Didn't walk into town this weekend and drove to Tesco instead for our weekly shopping. I made some home made ginger biscuits and Dawn spent a couple of hours on the telephone to her sister Kelly. I can't remember the last time the two talked, but it has certainly been a few months.

In the meantime, I followed Spurs game against Stoke City on the Internet (watching live streaming) and biting my nails as we held on to a much needed win. Moments after the final whistle went, Dawn's cell phone rang and it was my brother David in Dublin who was calling me to share the news that Spurs had somehow won away from home in a game that in the past we would have lost. He had the pleasure of watching the game live on television in his local pub.

Fri, Mar 19th

Dawn said goodbye to her boss, Stephen McKinnell, today. After spending the last few months winding down his responsibilities, he finally moved on. However, this meant that Dawn had another long day at the office as she attended his leaving party (more of a do than party) at a local pub. I collected her from the station at 6:30pm with some fish and chips already collected from Carley's at Sele Farm and headed home for a much needed glass of red wine. For Dawn that is!!

Thur, Mar 18th

My wife Dawn just doesn't know when or how to take things easy. Today was the first day in a run of six out of seven work days where she would be up past her bedtime.

Tonight it was because CU had a visit from the Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Dawn's presence was requested as she was Environmental Officer. However, by the end of the evening, her presence was hardly noticed, let alone needed. Her outgoing boss found himself rubbing shoulders with the honourable MP and making a brief two minute speech. Dawn, who has difficultly hearing at functions like these, was stuck at the back of the room and heard very little from either her boss or Mr Miliband.

Oh yea, Dawn made it back to Hertford around 10pm. She had woke up a little after 4am as usual this morning and caught the 6:10am train, too.

Wed, Mar 17th

This morning we drove to the station to catch the train to work. Over the last week or so I had been having problems with one of my knees and it had been painful walking to the station and back. In fact, I have already started to get a bus to Enfield Chase after work, too. It's nothing too serious. I think it's one of my own footballing injuries that surfaces now and again. The pain will disappear in a couple of days and we will go back to walking to the station again. Worse is that not walking will probably result in both Dawn and me adding a few unwanted pounds to our weight.

Sun, Mar 14th

It was Mothering Sunday in England today, so we headed to North London to pick Dad and George up and take them with us to Islington Cemetery to lay some flowers on both Mum's grave, and Dad's mother's. Despite Dad not leaving the flat for nearly two weeks, there was no way he was going to miss paying his respects today.

We then stopped at The Gatehouse for a nice lunch. I think it was the first time that neither one of us had Sunday roast. The food was okay. But, it was really the company that we were interested in.

When we made it home, I then baked a couple of wholemeal loaves of breads and prepared a chicken vegetable casserole for the next few nights.