Sun, Feb 28th

I know it was two weeks late, but I popped out to Tesco this morning and picked up some flowers for Dawn. Then it was into the kitchen again to do my usual weekend baking. This time, in addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, I prepared a dish of soya mince lasagna for Monday and had my first attempt at home made bread. As readers of our blog will already have guessed, I used a recipe from one of Delia's books. And, as expected, it turned out pretty good for a first attempt. So from now on no more store bought ginger biscuits or bread for the Whites.

Dawn had her weekly video call with Brady and put the finishing touches to her IEMA course assignment before submitting it online.

We relaxed with a nice plate of bubble and squeak and the film Seven Pounds starring Will Smith.

Sat, Feb 27th

On Thursday, when I called Dad, I had cancelled our visit due to Tiny's condition. However, as she was now eating again and hadn't thrown up since Thursday, I am pleased to report our visit was back on.

We popped into town to pick up my blood pressure pills before catching a train at Hertford North to Finsbury Park, and catching a quick bite at Cats on Stroud Green Road.

Dad looked pretty good and ironically we spent a good deal of time talking about George who has received letters from the hospital regarding his recent MRI (he had passed out when Dad was in hospital).

Tonight we relaxed at home watching recordings of American Idol and CSI. Best of all we were able to enjoy watching Tiny moving around more freely and showing more signs of improvement.

Fri, Feb 26th

Today was my last lay off day which meant at least I was home with Tiny. However, during the night Tiny woke both of us up by climbing over us and was beginning to show signs of improvement. In fact, when we got up at 4:15am as usual, she was now moving around as normal and had a disgusted expression on her face when she noticed her two food bowls were missing.

After a little deliberation, it didn't take long for Dawn and me to agree that Tiny did not need to endure the trauma of a scan, or be refused food. So we replaced the bowls and allowed Tiny to eat a little food before removing them again.

To cut a long story short, I took Tiny to the vet for the 8:30am appointment as planned and told the vet that we didn't want Tiny to have the scan, but would appreciate if they could check her over again. Thankfully they were in agreement, but the next available slot was at 10:30am. So it was back home again before returning for Tiny to get a once over. As we had hoped, Tiny was on the mend. I was given a medicine to ease her stomach, but I could take her home with me. The night before we feared that Tiny would have to spend all day, and possibly be hospitalised there. So to say it turned out well is an understatement.

Thur, Feb 25th

Today was my seventh lay off day of the month. And seventh day without pay, too. However, more important than being off work and at home was that Tiny was still not eating. Today she had only been sick once, but we were now getting concerned.

When Dawn returned from work we called our vet who suggested we bring her over. An hour later the vet was recommending that we take Tiny to the Ware office for a scan and some blood tests. Needless to say, both Dawn and I were upset with the thought of this. But we couldn't just ignore the situation. The vet gave Tiny a shot and we took her home under the instruction to remove her food bowls.

This evening as we sat watching the Olympic skating again, Tiny began to show signs of life again. She still wasn't eating. But she had only been sick once in the last 24 hours and was happy to sleep with us like she normally does, but hadn't all week.

Tues, Feb 23rd

With Dawn having a late night yesterday, she had a work at home day today. As for me, tough. I don't get work at home days unless it is exceptional circumstances like six inches of snow and no public transport. However, I did drive to the station to rest my poor little legs.

I don't know whether Tiny was upset by us being out last night, but she was sick today and wasn't eating very much.

Tonight we watched more of the ice skating from the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Mon, Feb 22nd

My wife, Dawn, finally received recognition for all the hard work she is doing at CU this evening. At Saddler's Hall, a stone's throw from St Paul's Cathedral, Dawn received the Robert Kitchin award for the outstanding contribution she had made to CU over the previous year by implementing and managing the environmental champions network (over 100 strong), travel plan, sustainable food policy, and various other environmental initiatives.

The downside was that Dawn didn't leave Saddler's Hall (I was waiting outside for her) until close to 10:00pm, which was way past our usual bedtime. We eventually made it home shortly before midnight.

Sun, Feb 21st

Walked in the pouring rain down to the paper shop to pick up a copy of The Observer and The Sunday Times for Dawn. Dished up some breakfast, made another batch of ginger snaps, dished up some pita pizza for lunch and then made some home made lasagna for dinner this evening.

Dawn on the other hand did some of her Sunday chores before having her weekly video call with Brady and then finishing the remainder of her chores afterwards.

I relaxed this afternoon watching Spurs beat Wigan live on Sky Sports to move back into fourth in the Premier League. Now that was a surprise on both counts. We then relaxed after dinner by watching Revolutionary Road. Sadly the plot was so slow that it almost sent us both to sleep.

Sat, Feb 20th

Today we took things easy this morning as we had an appointment in town shortly after noon to get our haircut, and then stayed around town for a bit before walking home again. We had planned to visit Dad, but once we realised that Arsenal were playing at home, we shelved that idea.

In an effort to try and clear our minds following the the loss of Barbara, Dawn's study, and my job situation, we popped into the White Hart for a little lunch. However, with football on the big screen between Man Utd and Everton, the place was full to the brim and we had to wait forever for the food.

Back at the house Dawn watched this week's recordings of American Idol before we sat down and watched more of the Winter Olympics after dinner.

Fri, Nov 19th

We woke up this morning to the news from Brady that Barbara had passed away yesterday. Both of us were deeply moved by the news and sincerely saddened to read that Barbara was no longer with us. She was an incredible woman who saw the best in everyone and always saw the positive in life instead of the negative. I was lucky to have spent a week back in 1998 showing her and Lee around London and the south-east with Dawn, and those memories will last with me forever. Our thoughts were also with Lee and Eric who would feel the loss even more then we could ever imagine.

I didn't have work today as it was another layoff day. Dawn took the day off work to try and finalise her IEMA assignment. After she completed her first draft she called Lee and had a nice chat with him before Eric got on the phone. Then, shortly after she called her sister Kelly and was able to have a long chat with her. I, on the other hand, made a batch of ginger snaps and dished up a plate of chicken basque for dinner.

Tonight we again watched skating from the Winter Olympics before calling it a night.

Thur, Feb 18th

Today was my fifth lay off day of the month. Drove Dawn to the station for a change and then popped into Tesco at 6:30am and wandered around with the store virtually empty. Back at the house I muddled through things, but just couldn't get anything done. My head has not been in things this week.

Collected Dawn from the station this evening because it was pouring with rain. After dinner I spent the best part of an hour exchanging texts with my daughter, Hayley, before we settled down and watched some more of the Winter Olympics.

Still no change in Barbara's condition. At least Eric will have arrived there today so he will be with her and Lee now.

Wed, Feb 17th

Still no news on Barbara. At least her son Eric is now on his way to Greenville from Oregon. Hopefully he'll make it there in time. It's so sad.

Tues, Feb 16th

Still no news on Barbara's condition. However, there was a glimmer of positive news from work where it's hoped that everyone will be back on full time in March.

Dawn and I unwound as we had done last night watching the skating from the Winter Olympics in Vancouver that we had recorded overnight. Both of us can't get over the amount of coverage we get on TV here compared to what we saw in the US. Here we have over seven hours uninterrupted live coverage and two hours of recorded highlights. Well the seven hours is actually even more as you get a choice on digital TV by pressing the red button and watching a different sport.

Mon, Feb 15th

Back to work after two lay off days and a nice weekend with Dawn and Tiny. Walked to station as is the norm now and got into our normal weekday routine. However, halfway through the afternoon we received an email from Brady with the shocking news that our dear friend Barbara McDaniel had gone into cardiac arrest yesterday, Valentine's Day, and was in a coma.

This came as a major shock to both of us and especially Dawn who spoke to her at Christmas and told her that she was going to the US later this year and would definitely pay her and Lee a visit. Even more upsetting was how Lee might be coping. They are so close and the best example of true love between a couple we had ever known.

Sun, Feb 14th

Woke up this Valentine's morning and exchanged cards and gifts. Dawn received two cards and a cute little cuddly toy dog, while I received a card, a box of Fairtrade chocolates, and two creme eggs. Then I walked down to the shop to get Dawn's Sunday morning papers before making breakfast, which as usual filled us up until lunch time.

We then left the house mid morning in the car to head over to Stevenage to pick up some litter for Tiny. This was the first time that Dawn had driven the car since January 5th nearly six weeks ago. Collectively we have stopped using the car for environmental and health reasons. It's just that on the few occasions that we have gone somewhere by car in this time, I have been behind the wheel.

On the way back we stopped at The Tilbury in Datchworth for a Valentine's Day meal. We don't do late nights, so we decided to have a special lunch time event.

Back at the house, Dawn then got stuck into her environmental assignment coursework again while I watched a recording of the Bolton versus Spurs fifth round cup tie. We should have won. But at least we're still in the cup. Hopefully we will finish them off at the Lane in the replay.

Sat, Feb 13th

The start of another busy weekend. Walked into town to get our grocery shopping. The walk there and back takes the best part of an hour out of our day. In town we dropped into several shops, grabbed a skinny latte in Starbucks and headed home.

Back at the house Dawn started on her weekend chores before getting stuck into her coursework assignment. This is really weighing down heavily on her shoulders with the deadline looming at the end of the month. I did some work on the laptop while she was up in the bedroom with her study material.

Dinner this evening was an excellent home made pizza with anchovies, black olives, sun dried tomatoes, feta and cheddar. The sauce was home made too. I stirred together some tomato puree, wholegrain mustard and olive oil. The base, as regular readers may have guessed, was from one of Delia's books.

When we finally settled down, we watched the highlights of the opening of the Olympic winter games from Vancouver. It was pretty good. I liked the way the Canadians honour the native Indians. Shame their neighbours can't do the same. It's just so sad that on the eve of one of the most memorable days of his life, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili should lose it so tragically in a accident chasing his dream.

Thu, Feb 11th

Woke up this morning to the news that there was a signal problem between Hertford North and Gordon Hill. Seeing as trains leaving from Hertford North had been cancelled, we decided to drive into London. I dropped Dawn off at Enfield Chase so she could catch a train to Old Street and made it into work around 6:30am.

Work was a continuation from yesterday. I am working on finalising January accounts for my boss and dealing with creditors.

Dawn on the other hand has seen her workload increase drastically since her boss handed in his notice. Unfortunately between meetings, writing minutes, researching and chasing others up, she never seems to accomplish anything. Well that's her spin on it. From where I'm standing, she is always moving things along. Dawn just can't see the wood for the trees and is doing a fantastic job.

This evening I picked Dawn up in the car at Enfield Chase and we made it home before I normally board the train at Enfield Chase. Still doesn't convince me we need to drive to work, though.

Wed, Feb 10th

Back to work after six days. Walked to and from Hertford North and even to Enfield Chase from work at the end of the day.

At work I spent the day catching up with things and even had to raise several dozen cheques in an effort to pacify some of our creditors. Also took nine dustbin bags full of paper down to the recycle skip.

Tonight I followed Spurs on my laptop watching them lose to Wolves on a p2p website. Bad news is now we're down to 6th in the league and needing a change of fortune to get that elusive 4th spot and qualify for next season's Championship League.

Tues, Feb 9th

Again walked Dawn to the station and headed home to Tiny. Continued from where I left off yesterday, but today the depression set in. One is that I hate not working, two is that I hate not getting paid, and three is that I have no idea whether this three day week will be for one month or two. If it is two, then things will have to change.

Half way through the afternoon I needed to get out of the house. The situation was getting me down. So I jumped in the car and headed into town and picked up our belated anniversary picture. We used Christmas money Dad had given us to buy a framed picture of the Woolpack in town. It holds a special place in our hearts because we have had meals and drinks there with all the important people to us since we moved to Hertford. I then popped into Tesco and picked up loads of things that are too heavy to carry when we walk into town. Like boxes of coke.

Dawn was happy to get a lift home instead of having to walk. And enjoyed her dinner, too. This time is was left over lasagna from Sunday.

Mon, Feb 8th

Day three of eight for February. Walked Dawn to the station and then went home and laid with Tiny for a while. She was in heaven and probably hoped that it would be like this every day.

I spent the majority of the day sorting our files and paperwork on my laptop. Normally I don't get the time to do it at weekends and can't be bothered in the evenings. I also made a chicken basque for dinner. Once more it was a Delia recipe. We saw it on the Delia through the Decades series and had to give it a go.

As normal now, I walked to the station and met Dawn for the walk home.

Sun, Feb 7th

Walked to the station to get Dawn's papers and then things were fairly quiet for the day. Dawn did her chores and spent time on her environmental assignment, while I spent time in the kitchen and watched football on TV.

Today was the fourth day away from the office. Two days without pay and two days of the weekend. I have another two days without pay on Monday and Tuesday, too. But all this is getting to me. Others at work seem to enjoy the time off. But in my case it infuriates me because it shouldn't be this way. But this is not the time or place. Hopefully March will see a change in fortunes. You'll have to watch this space to see how things turn out.

Tonight I made a meat free lasagna using a recipe from Gordon Ramsey. However, I substituted soya mince for mince meat. It tasted really good.

Sat, Feb 6th

Today we walked to Hertford North and then caught a train to Finsbury Park. Popped into Nandos for a bite and then made our way to see Dad and George. Dad looked really good and even got up to see us off and wave to us from the window. Hasn't done that for ages. He was also pleased with the fruit cake cookies that I had made for him when I was off work.

Then it was back to Finsbury Park on foot, and then back home again on foot. We are certainly getting our exercise since we decided to stop driving to the station and town. We rarely drive the car anywhere now.

Fri, Feb 5th

We're still walking to the station every day together and with today being my second lay off day this week, I walked Dawn to the station at 5:45am as usual and then made my way home.

Today I walked into town with the trolley and did our weekly grocery shopping on my own after stopping at Starbucks for a latte and chatting with my boss on the cell phone. This afternoon I made a batch of ginger snaps that didn't come out as I had hoped. Our damn oven always bakes things too hot.

Dawn had a meeting to attend at work this afternoon so was late making back to Hertford North. So for once I jumped in the car to collect her.

Wed, Feb 3rd

Walked Dawn to Hertford North and then made my way back home again on my own.

Spent a lot of the time today with Tiny who loved having me home. I also spent some time in the kitchen where I made some more Cherry Brandy Fruit Cake Cookies for Dad and some butter biscuits for us to have with dinner this evening.

This evening I walked to Hertford North station to meet Dawn and walk her home again. After dinner I watched Spurs beat Leeds United in the FA Cup 4th Round replay live on ITV.