Sun, Oct 12th

Today we had a ride on the train up to Finsbury Park to see Dad and were welcomed at the station by yellow tape cordoning off Stroud Green Road. Arriving at Dad's we found out that there had been a stabbing earlier this morning near the station. Later we found out that two groups of men had clashed leaving two seriously injured.

We spent a couple of hours with Dad. His visit to the hospital yesterday proved a waste of time. He could have answered the questionnaire over the phone, but hadn't been advised. On the way back we stopped at Nandos before catching a train home again.

Dawn finished her weekend chores while I updated the blog. Apologies for the delay. Hopefully it has kept you amused.

We also heard some exciting news from some friends of ours who are moving back to Canada from sunny Florida. They received an offer that good old MK could not refuse. I checked the Weather Channel and at the end of the month they will have a high of 35 and low of 18. Boy, I know we wanted to get away from Bush and the hurricanes, but I didn't realise it had gotten so that bad........

Sat, Oct 11th

We had to reschedule our whole weekend because Dad had to pay a visit to one of his hospitals regarding his cataract operations. As we still wanted to see him this weekend, we decided to see him on Sunday and do most of the other chores today. First though we ran our shopping errands to Tesco, the Co-op Pharmacy, Oxfam, the local petstore and Waitrose. We then had a ride up to The Tilbury at Datchworth to use some coupons we cut out of local Mercury newspaper. Yes, I had fish and chips again. But, thankfully you don't have to endure the photo.

Back home Dawn then had her Sunday video call with Brady. Then, after I had prepared dinner (steak and bake), we sat in front of the television and watched Strictly Come Dancing and X-Factor. Dawn was in heaven when little Leon Jackson sang a song from his new album. No more need said there.

One other interesting thing happened today. Following my idea to study something in the environment field, I today I decided I may enroll for a distant learning course with University of Bath. It means three months of hard work, but if I complete the course in question, it would give me a pretty good qualification that may come in handy.

Fri, Oct 10th

Last day of the week and the two of us were more than happy to call this week over. It has been an especially long one for me. I am finally getting around to posting the September invoices onto the ledger, preparing the expenses for next week's payment run, and spoke to countless suppliers regarding why we have yet to pay their overdue invoices.

Dawn on the other hand had a nice chat with her sister Kelly. Thanks to the 5 hour time difference and Kelly's hectic weekends, the only time Dawn can get hold of her is during Kelly's lunch breaks (around 6pm our time). At least they were able to catch up on how things have been, and Dawn enjoyed that.

Oh, and for the record, Dawn still has her nasty cough. That's three weeks nearly...

Wed, Oct 8th

Today I finally gave into reason and decided that I should further my career instead of making excuses to vendors and suppliers as to why a cheque has not arrived in the mail, designing timesheets and generally playing with invoices and nominal codes.

So tonight when I met Dawn on the platform at Enfield Chase (she now gets the Gordon Hill train that arrives at 16:49 and gets off to meet me), I told her that I was thinking of studying something in the environment field. What that will be I don't know yet. But give it a chance and something will come up. At least I have made a decision instead of sitting on backside and waiting for the something to happen to me.

Sun, Oct 5th

Needless to say, the spare room never got done again today. I know. You all think I am lazy and can't be bothered. Sadly, I have to agree when it comes to DIY. But, it will get done eventually, I promise. At least I went into the kitchen and kept busy there. Excluding breakfast and lunch, I made a large pot of chicken soup after roasting some chicken, made some crab cakes and pepper sauce, and then roasted some chicken pieces to take to work for lunch. I got out of cooking a dinner tonight, though, as we had some of the chicken soup.

Dawn did the usual weekend chores before we sat down and watched American Gangster.

Sat, Oct 4th

Today we had a nice visit from Hayley. The last few times Hayley has been down we have gone back to the house and had a chat and something to eat. This time, though, we showed Hayley around Hertford and went for a bite to eat in the Woolpack. Dawn made a big fuss how once again I gave into temptation and ordered the fish and chips.

Afterwards we drove back via Hertingfordbury and St Marys Church so we could show Hayley where her great-great-great grandparents Eli Cooper and Lavina Furr we married over 130 years ago.

Tues, Sep 30th

I haven't mentioned it before, but Dawn has had a pretty nasty cough the last few days. Well today she decided to stay at home so she could see her GP. All the doctor could tell her was that she had a virus and that it would go in a week or two. Thankfully she left with a prescription for some medicine so hopefully that will help.

I, on the other hand, was chauffeured to Hertford North so that I could get the 6:35am train into town. I felt like an executive. That was until I was tripped as I got off the train at Enfield Chase by another passenger as they got on. I did a pike somersault and forward roll, springing alertly to my feet. Sadly, the umbrella in my hand resulted in grazed knuckles, while the impact of my knee on the platform left the same result under my trousers.

Sun, Sep 28th

Sunday is the day of rest. But, like most households, it ain't in the White House. And I don't mean the one in DC. The one in Hertford. As always, Dawn did the laundry, vacuuming and ironing. Again I gave the spare room a miss, but I did tackle the back yard. I finally got the sheers and spade out and hacked and dug out a ton of roots, weeds, and other things that were beginning to take possession of the area next to the shed. The hardest thing was getting bamboo roots out. And I thought the stuff I dealt with in Florida was hard enough.

Then, with aching back, I showered and sat down to watch Portsmouth versus Spurs. I wish I hadn't bothered. As usual now, Spurs lost. This time 2-0. Oh well.

Sat, Sept 27th

Today Dad celebrated his 81st birthday. After running out to the grocery store, Dawn and I caught the train to Finsbury Park before walking the rest of the way to Dad's. The four of us, including George, then walked down to the bus stop and caught the number 4 to Waterloo. We had lunch at the Fire Station and then walked to the Imperial War Museum. After wandering around the the exhibits, including a Blitz simulator, we headed home via Trafalgar Square on two bendy buses. That's a bus that has two halves joined in the middle by an accordian-type material to allow it go around corners. Dawn did not like the fact that the 29 bus on the way to Holloway was packed like Sardines. She also wasn't pleased that we arrived at Finsbury Park just as hoards of Arsenal fans were leaving the station for the early evening football match.

Dad seemed to enjoy the day with us. Especially as we were able to pass on a birthday card from his granddaughter Hayley. Hayley also called him later to wish him happy many returns, which no doubt was the icing on the cake.

Fri, Sept 26th

It was Big Bang Day for the Property and Facilities Department. At the meeting, attended by Dawn and everyone else in her department, the news was that is was planned to eliminate four positions, merge two, and create several completely new positions. Dawn has her heart set on one of the new positions, which would mean her getting away from being a PA and working full time on environmental issues. However, that is still to be seen. A consultation period will start now and after that applications for the new positions will probably be received, followed by interviews. Keep your fingers crossed that it works out for Dawn.

As for my job, we can celebrate that we have managed to pay the salaries again. Steve and I are performing miracles at present. However, watch this space.

Wed, Sept 24th

No change at work for the two of us. I am still getting a bus to and from work. My knee is feeling better, but as it's still aching I decided to see the week out and start walking back to the station from Monday. Again, the two of us don't really relish the thought of going to work at the moment. However, at least Dawn knows that come Friday her situation will change and she'll know exactly what's happening with her office and everyone's jobs.

Tonight I stayed up to watch the 3rd round Carling Cup match between Newcastle United and Spurs on Sky. Thankfully, we won. Our first competitive match of the season. However, it's nothing to crow about as Newcastle are only one place above us in the Premier League, and we're bottom.

Mon, Sept 22nd

Back to work and I have to admit that I got a bus to and from work today. I seemed to have jarred my left knee over the weekend (or on the way home on Friday) and didn't want to do it any more damage. Otherwise, it was much the same as normal for the two of us today. Dawn having to deal with the impending meeting regarding the restructuring of the Property and Facilities Department on Friday, while I was wondering how my company was going to deal with our own problems.

Sun, Sept 21st

This morning I headed out early to the recycle center in Ware to drop off a couple of bags of cardboard, glass and plastic bottles, and a pile of newspapers.

Back home Dawn and I then did a few household chores before sitting down and trying to plan the next three months. We have one or two things we need to get done before Brady and Jim arrive in December and if we don't plan it out, it will never happen. We also discussed what type of things to do while they are here and where to go.

We then spent the rest of the day following Europe's defeat at the hands of USA in the Ryder Cup. As with the last two nights I took my laptop to bed and watched it until the end. Oh well. It was good while it lasted. Hopefully we can go on another three win run again.

Sat, Sept 20th

This morning we did the weekly grocery shopping before heading back into town to get our haircuts and run a few errands. Then it was back home to do some house chores before Hayley arrived mid afternoon. Hayley decided that she'd come down after work, so she didn't get down to us until around 3:15pm.

It was good to see Hayley again. The three of us spent a couple of hours chatting and just catching up on a few things. I then dished out some home made spaghetti for the three of us, which we all cleared. I then dropped Hayley off at the station before Dawn and I completed the day chilling out in front of the television.

Fri, Sept 19th

The old saying is "Thank God it's Friday." Well that's exactly how I felt today. I've already mentioned that we had two late nights due to Dawn's trip to Guildford and the train problems. What I didn't mention was that twice this week I also logged onto my network at work (from home) to post sales invoices for one of my colleagues. And this was after I had worked on the redesign of timesheets at the weekend, too. So today I decided to leave a little early to meet Dawn and headed to Morrisons to do a little grocery shopping and grab a skinny latte at Starbucks, too.

However, the week wasn't a complete washout. Later this evening I got a text from Hayley asking us what we were doing on Saturday. She said she was thinking of coming down to see us. What a nice end to the week after all.

Thur, Sept 18th

Following my comments regarding us not wanting to have long days, today seemed to come along to rub my words down my throat. All appeared to be fine until I got a phone call from Dawn around 3:30pm. She had checked the First Capital Connect website to make sure our train line was free of problems for the journey home only to find out that there were major delays because of power problems around Alexandra Palace.

We immediately flipped into ad-lib mode. Dawn headed to Liverpool Street Station, instead of Old Street, to catch the Hertford East line. I left a little later and headed towards Southbury instead of walking to Enfield Chase. I met Dawn on the train as usual, albeit on a different line, towards Cheshunt. Then we had to get off the train and wait another 20 minutes or so for our train to Hertford East. When we eventually arrived there, we caught a cab from one side of town to the other so we could pick up our car. By now, I had pretty much made up my mind that I didn't fancy cooking when we got home, and I am sure Dawn didn't want to have to wash up after me either. So we stopped of at Charley's near Sele Farm for some fish and chips. Dawn's journey home took almost three hours. Just what she needed after Tuesday.

Tues, Sept 16th

Dawn may be a PA to several directors at City University. However, her role has developed over the last year and now she is doing more and more non-PA related work and more and more on environmental issues. Today she traveled for the second time in less than two weeks to the University of Surrey in Guildford. This time to attend a HEBCoN seminar. The problem with days like this is that she is on the road from 6:30am until gone 7:00pm. I know that a lot of people who commute have days this long, but this is not something we choose to do. Thankfully we are able to keep these kinds of days to a minimum.

Sun, Sept 14th

Today was one of those boring days you have now and again when little or nothing happens out of the ordinary. We do the weekend chores and just chill out. However, as boring as it sounds, both Dawn and I love days like this now and again after a hectic week and busy Saturday. Although by the end of the day, we are both dreading the next five days ahead and feel a little frustrated that we never made more of the time.

Sat, Sept 13th

Today we ventured into London to see Cathy Eberhart. Cathy, who we used to work with at Schiller in Dunedin, was in London on business. This usually means that we try and catch up with her while she is here. This time we had lunch at the Anchor and Hope on The Cut, just around the corner from the Schiller campus in Waterloo.

The conversation was as always enlightening as we caught up on what had changed in Dunedin since we'd left. The food, however, was a little odd. Rated highly in several publications, we left feeling that although the food had been tasty, it had been more adventurous than we may have preferred. It was okay though. But, I doubt if we'll be going back there again any time soon.

Later in the day we said goodbye to our old television. Well, not really old, but the oversize 36" that we had bought when we moved over here a few years back had passed its sell by date. We sold it after placing an advert in the Hertford Mercury. At least it covered the cost of our lunch today.

Wed, Sept 10th

Today Dawn was able to escape from the daily drudgery that is work at the moment. She met Mavis and Margaret at The Steam Passage pub at the Angel. It's amazing that despite us spending 7 of the last 10 years in America, Dawn's friendship with these two retirees from Schiller has remained in contact all these years and she still meets up with them now and again. I think deep down Dawn aspires to their lifestyle of enjoying retirement by jumping on a London bus and seeing where it takes them.

Mon, Sept 8th

Back to work again after a nice weekend. However, it was the activities out of the office that I need to report on today. Dad had a cataract operation on one of his eyes. It went well, but it will be a few days before we know how it really went. He was happy with it, though. Tonight, I stayed up late to watch the US Open final between Federer and Andy Murray. Not surprisingly, Murray lost in three sets. But, at least he made it there. Well done Andy.

Sun, Sep 7th

Today we drove up to see Dad and visit the cemetery. Monday is the 11th anniversary of the day we lost Mum, so we took Dad and George with us as we were going there to lay some flowers on Mum's grave. After laying the flowers, I wandered and found myself among several headstones that had been overgrown with weeds. It just made me feel strange to think that we make such an effort to install memorials to commemorate the lives of those no longer with us, only to neglect them years later as their importance wanes.

We then drove over to Spaniards Inn so we could enjoy a lunch with Dad and George. They treated us to a nice meal and some good company. However, time was limited as we had to rush back home as someone was coming over to take our treadmill off our hands. We placed an advert in the Hertford Mercury and fortunately someone needed a treadmill for his mother. By the end of the day the treadmill was gone and, although a steal for the guy who bought it, Dawn and I were so relieved to get it out of our shed.

Sat, Sep 6th

"Michelin Guide" Dawn found a new pub for us to try out. So, after doing the grocery shopping this morning we headed over to Stevenage and then onto a new pub listed for the very first time in the latest Michelin pub guide. The pub was called The Tilbury at Datchworth. Located in the middle of the countryside and surrounded by farms, we came across a gold mine. The food and ambience were worth searching out. I know that we'll be back. Hopefully it won't be too long. We spent the rest of the day talking about how excellent the food was.

Thur, Sep 4th

Dawn had a long day today. As usual we were up at 4.30am, showered, fed and out the door by 6.30am and on our usual train to work by 6.50am. However, today Dawn didn't go to CU; instead she had to make the journey to the University of Surrey in Guildford. Dawn was attending another seminar on sustainability. It's even harder when she is on her feet all day and doesn't get home and sit down to her dinner until nearly 8pm. Especially seeing we are usually in bed by 9pm. However, Dawn is not complaining. At least it got her away from her PA work. She she dislikes with a vengeance.

Tues, Sep 2nd

Nothing out of the ordinary today. However, I had to post a picture of Dawn's latest award. She received a specially engraved plaque to honour her accomplishment of passing her driving test at Stevenage last week. No, this isn't the norm for everyone who passes their test over here. Just something a husband arranges to say "Well done, you did a great job!"

Mon, Sep 1st

We may live in Hertford, but a little of our heart was left in Dunedin when we left America. This means that when the hurricane season comes we end up glued to Fox News on satellite to follow the progress of any deadly storms about to make landfall back in the USA. This morning we put the television on at 4.45am (we usually wake up this early, don't worry) to follow the progress of Hurricane Gustav. It felt like we were back in Florida again and nothing had changed. I suppose after the summers of 2004 and 2005, neither one of us will forget just how dangerous hurricanes can be, and neither one of us will forget, but for the mercy of God, how different things could have been for us. We missed the bullet with Charley on Aug 13, 2004. Our prayers go out to everyone that finds themselves in the path of mother nature's vengeance.

Sun, Aug 31st

The last day of the month was spent like we spend most Sundays. A little housework, a little cooking, a little laundry and a little ironing. Best of all was that I was able to watch Spurs pick up their first points of the season in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sky Sports. To some this may sound a little sad. But, to a life long Spurs fan, it was a lot better than losing to them and starting the season with an 0-3 record. If only we could learn to score first and stop the other team from scoring then we just might make a season of it.

Sat, Aug 30th

Another weekend where we got up early so we could do our grocery shopping before 9am and run into town to pick up a few odds and sods. Little did we know that by popping into the local furniture store that we would be ordering a new TV stand, corner unit and small dresser for the spare room upstairs. At least we know that they will last a while. They are made from quality wood and hold up more than the packed furniture that we have bought in the past.

Then it was back home to a couple of hours weeding the yards. Dawn and I tackled the front yard before I pitched in and did a little out the back. By the time we'd finished, both of us had aching bodies and a few odd blisters to prove that a little hard work can hurt. You just need to do it more frequently if you don't want to feel the aches and pains. It may not look like much, but it was a forest before we got stuck in.....

Fri, Aug 29th

With the database manager on holiday this week, it was left to me to accompany the Quality Director in a meeting with our database developer this morning. Sitting in the meeting, it crossed my mind that our chairman and leader had wanted EMP Manager in place for the start of our current financial year. Here we are at the end of August with just over a month to go to the end of the financial year he had in mind and we're still not where we need to be. Adrian is still working on mods and we are still a little off linking it to EMP. More important is that meetings like this remind me exactly why I don't like working in systems. This is close enough for my liking, and even this is too close.

Thur, Aug 28th

Although nothing out of the ordinary happened at work for either of us (in other words, it was the usual slog of commuting back and forth from Hertford and London, and enduring a multitude of problems and dealing with just as many people we would rather choose not to), the day did end on a kind of high note. When we got home Dawn received a card in the mail from Dad congratulating her on passing her driving test, and three emails from friends and family oversees. One was from Dawn's sister Kelly, while the other two were from Judy (who replaced Dawn at Clearwater Housing Authority), and Lee and Barbara (friends of Dawn's family that go back way before she was even born). It's nice when people remember.

Tues, Aug 26th

Our long weekend lasted one more day, thanks to Dawn's driving test. Shortly before mid-day Dawn's instructor, Stefan, arrived in his BSM logo car and the two departed for Stevenage so Dawn could take her practical driving test. Once she was gone, I then drove into town and picked up a card and bunch of flowers for her return.

Dawn arrived back at 2pm with a smile as big as a Cheshire cat, and a pass certificate tucked in her folder. The big red 'L' plates will be relegated to the trash, and no Dawn will not be donning the big green 'P' plates to tell everyone she has just passed. Needless to say, I never had any doubts that Dawn would pass. In fact, she did so well that the examiner only marked down two minor incidents; otherwise it was perfect.

Mon, Aug 25th

It was a bank holiday here in England today, and I had planned to finally paint the spare room. However, we really needed a new vacuum cleaner, so I suggested that we pop into Welwyn and pick one up. Dawn didn't object. Especially when I suggested that we use the tax refund that good old George Bush had given us. We also picked up a couple of other odds and ends while we were at John Lewis. Best of all was that it never cost us a penny. We covered the cost of all our expenditures with the money Uncle Sam had sent.

Back home, Dawn continued to swat on her driving test stuff before watching the successful British Olympians arrive home from Beijing in a jumbo jet donned with a gold-coloured nose especially for Team GB.

Sun, Aug 24th

With us enjoying a long weekend, the two of us decided that we would do little or nothing for a change. Dawn did a couple of loads of laundry, and I made some hummus, some crab cakes for lunch, and coconut chicken for dinner. But the rest of the day was spent taking it easy. Dawn had her Sunday video call with Brady while I watched the European Formula 1 Grand Prix.

We then enjoyed watching the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics with Tiny. I can't help but admit and acknowledge that once again I felt a little sentimental to be British. Again I told Dawn how pleased I am to be home, and how my 7 years in America have shown me just how privileged I am to have been born and bred here. We may not be able to complete on the same level as America, China or even Russia. However, Brits the world over should be thankful for what we have.

Sat, Aug 23rd

As usual we started our Saturday with a trip to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping. Now, though, we go to Tesco in Hertford instead of Morrisons in Welwyn so we are home by around 9am. We then popped into town to run a few errands before catching a train to Finsbury Park to see Dad. As we hadn't taken him out in a while, Dawn suggested we take him out for lunch this week. We ended up at The Landseer opposite what used to be Peter Pan Park. Although Dawn liked the look of North Nineteen, which (to anyone who is familiar with my old neck of the woods) used to be called The Enterprise. Nothing to do with Star Trek, I hasten to add.

We enjoyed a good couple of hours with Dad at the flat and down the road. George bought the drinks, which were appreciated.

This evening we watched The Matrix in high definition. An interesting film, to say the least, but I don't think we'll be watching any sequels........

Fri, Aug 22th

As we have done for the last two weeks, we woke up for work around 4:30am and within half an hour had the television on and were watching live coverage of the Beijing Olympics before our morning shower and breakfast. I'll certainly miss it next week once it's over.

Then it was off to work. We now catch an earlier train than we had been so that I can catch a bus from Enfield bus station, getting me into work by 7:20am. It certainly helps me having the office to myself for a good hour to hour and a half. It gives me the chance to do the daily bank reconciliation, review the invoices SF has posted to EMP Manager, and review my workload for the day before anyone else turns up. It also enables me to leave the office between 4:00pm and 4:15pm, which really makes it worth getting in early.

On arriving home I received the Olympic handover stamps first day cover. I've received every one since we moved to Oldhill Street at the end of the summer of 1997, so have probably got around somewhere between 150 and 200. Thanks Dad. Just one of the habits I picked up from him over the years.

Tues, Aug 19th

Two days into the week and we are really looking forward to the long weekend. A nice bank holiday followed by a day off work seems a long way off at the moment. We even had our usual evening routine messed up after Dawn had received a text from her driving instructor yesterday asking her if she would be interested in going out on a lesson this evening. After a little thought she agreed. We would get home around 5:30, down our dinner, and then Dawn would be ready for her two hour lesson. However, her instructor was already waiting for us when we got home, so dinner had to wait until around 7:30pm. For most that may not seem a major hassle. But for us, that was a huge change to our normal routine. We only had less than 60 minutes to let the meal go down before it was off to bed.

Sun, Aug 17th

As we have done the last week, we put the TV on early to see how Team GB was doing in the Olympics. By mid afternoon we were third in the medal table as we had our best weekend in nearly 100 years. We were both pleased and proud of Becky Adlington yesterday, winning her second gold medal in the swimming, and were both pleased that Michael Phelps had eclipsed Mark Spinx's record with his 8th gold medal at Beijing.

We, on the other hand, took things a little easier than our Olympians. I ran out to take the recycling up to Ware and picked up Dawn's rail ticket while Dawn did the ironing. Then after lunch Dawn had her weekly video call with Brady while I watched Ghost Whisperer that I had recorded.

And Tiny was in heaven, too. She hasn't been sick since we took her to the vet. That will be four weeks this coming Tuesday. She's also getting back to her old ways, too. She is laying with me on the couch, sleeping with us on the bed, and racing around the house playing, and purring like a powered motor when we come home from work.

Sat, Aug 16th

With Hayley expected down today, and us both needing to pop into town for a haircut, Dawn stayed at home and tided the house a little while I did the weekly grocery shopping at Tesco on my own. We then popped into town to get our hair cut, got some books at the local library, bought some more odds and ends and had a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Hayley arrived at Hertford East around noon and we collected her on the way home. The three of us then enjoyed a couple of hours catching up on things and enjoyed some lunch in the process. Hayley had store bought pizza, while Dawn and I had a home made quesadillas. It was good to see Hayley and when I dropped her back at the station she said that she would try and not leave it so long next time before coming to see us again.

After dinner we relaxed by watching a recording of Atonement. We'd both read the book a few months ago and were looking forward to seeing how the film compared.

Fri, Aug 15th

We recently received an email asking us how we have been doing on our diet. Well our weight has hardly moved the last few weeks. However, I am not complaining at the moment. I'll just stop eating wholemeal pita bread that I snack on while I am making our dinner in the evening and I should lose another pound of two without any difficulty.

Tonight I received a text message from Hayley enquiring whether we were busy on Saturday as she would like to pop down and see us. We let her know that we had our hair cut scheduled for the morning, but she was welcome to come down later in the day.

Thur, Aug 14th

We are finally able to relax and forget about our mortgage and home insurance for a little while now. I called Nationwide and was told that our reservation fee refund had been processed on Tuesday, so it was just a matter of time before we received it. We also received notification from the Chelsea Building Society that our new rate would be effective from next month. Sadly it's still 1.4% higher than we've been paying the last two years, but at least it is over one third of 1% lower than it would have been had we gone through and moved to Nationwide. We also received confirmation of our new buildings and contents insurance, too. It only took Nationwide 6 weeks to deal with it.

Wed, Aug 13th

Dawn took a day off from the the grindstone to enjoy a two hour long driving lesson. She was even happier to hear that her instructor was pretty optimistic that she should pass her test with flying colours. She still needs to iron out one or two things, but he sees no reason why she shouldn't be celebrating throwing away the dreaded red L plates she has to affix to the car every time we go out.

I, on the other hand, travelled to work on my own and made it in earlier than usual arriving at 7am. I left a little early too and sneaked in the front door a little after 5pm to surprise both Dawn and Tiny who came running down the stairs to welcome me.

Tues, Aug 12th

Yesterday the heavens opened and it rained off and on all day. Thankfully I can get a bus to and from work if needed. Appreciatively, I did not need to this evening and was able to walk back to Enfield Chase during a nice sunny break in the rainfall. Ironically I had received Dawn's new dome or birdcage umbrella which I had to carry with me with my own under my arm all the way. Dawn (as you can see from the photo) could not wait to try it out. However, I hasten to add, it was not raining at the time.

Sun, Aug 10th

No painting today. I went and got a couple of Sunday papers for Dawn and then watched this week's episode of Ghost Whisperer that I had recorded. After a shower I then drove back to Hertford North to pick up my rail card and weekly rail ticket.

Back home we both did some vacuuming in between watching Nicole Cooke win GB's first gold in the Olympics in the cycling and us miss out on the bronze in the archery. Dawn then did more laundry and ironing. I made another saucepan of black bean soup before marinating some lamb for an Indian dinner that we saw done on television earlier this week.

After lunch I caught up with our blog that we hadn't updated in nearly two weeks (apologies to our friends from afar that keep in touch with us this way), coded some invoices for work (because I have more work that I can deal with at present), and watched some television. After dinner, while I was making our dessert, Brady called and had a nice chat with Dawn.

Sat, Aug 9th

Again an early visit to Tesco for our grocery shopping, then a brief visit to town to do run some more errands. Following the week I'd had, I should have expected that today would throw up even more headaches.

The first occurred when we stopped at the pharmacy to collect the blood pressure pills that I had ordered the week before last. We were told that we would have to wait until next weekend as the pharmacist was not in and they could not release the drugs.

After a quick lunch we decided to head out to Hertford North early so that I could get my new railcard and a weekly rail pass. This time we were welcomed with a sign telling us that the desk was closed for 20 minutes. Unfortunately, we could not wait 20 minutes as it would mean we would miss our train to Finsbury Park so we could visit Dad. Just to make our day, the desk was closed when we got back so I couldn't pick up my tickets, etc later either.

When we got back from Dad's, Dawn called Brady to wish her many happy returns of the day on her birthday. I won't mention how old she is. All I'll say is thank God we don't have rings like trees for every year. Just kidding. I couldn't resist.

Fri, Aug 8th

I ended the week by catching a bus to work and walking back to the station in the rain. In between I had another crap day. However, I was still feeling pretty good because we were able to release 80% of the cheques that I had had drawn to our suppliers. Over the last two weeks I had promised countless suppliers that we would have a cheque out to them this week and up until this morning it didn't look like it was going to happen.

Dawn ended the week in her new office just off Goswell Road. Her department are being temporarily relocated to facilitate the school of journalism. In October they will be relocated to their permanent location. In the meantime she has to work in an open plan office with no partitions between the desks and shoulder to shoulder with one of her bosses. Worst of all is that they have no air conditioning. So if the temperatures get as hot as they have recently then there are going to be a lot of unhappy people there.

For dinner I made some home made fish and chips with a difference. The fish was made with soya flour and the chips with sweet potato instead of regular white. The deep fried chips came out good. But the soya flour seemed to burn too quickly. Next time I'll try with wholewheat flour instead.

A late night for us tonight as we watched a recording of the opening of the Beijing Olympics. The two thoughts that crossed our minds as we watched the games unfold were what an incredible job the Chinese had done with their ceremony, and how the hell is London going to be able to create an opening ceremony worthy of the Olympics?

Wed, Aug 6th

Today I called Countrywide to cancel our property and contents insurance polices. While I was on the phone I found out that we had made all our installments so we I could cancel my direct debits, too. That was a bonus because I thought we still had one more month to pay.

The surprise of the day was that the agent from Nationwide called me to ask me what we were doing regarding our life insurance and to inform me that she had heard that we had cancelled our mortgage application. I responded by asking why she had not called Dawn on Monday and was told that her computer system was still down. Needless to say, I told her that we were not interested in using their service if we couldn't complete an application within five days. She seemed a little puzzled with our decision.

On the way home I picked up some return tickets for Thursday at Enfield Chase. Dawn's also ran out today and we had decided that we'd get weekly tickets for the next two weeks.

Tues, Aug 5th

Again no phone call from Nationwide for Dawn. To say that we are completely fed up with Nationwide is an understatement. It's as if they aren't interested in our business. Thankfully we received some paperwork in the mail when we got home regarding our property and contents insurance application. It only took six weeks, though. So perhaps we are just expecting too much from them to be able to communicate with us in a timely manner.

Oh yea, I also lost my railcard and monthly season ticket on the way home. I had to buy a single ticket so I could catch the train with Dawn and now I have to get a new railcard and ticket. Luckily I only had one day left on the card otherwise I would have really been upset.

Mon, Aug 4th

Dawn waited all day for a phone call from Nationwide and none came. Instead, I called their head office and cancelled our mortgage application and requested a refund of our reservation fee. Dawn and I were not happy at all with the manner in which they dealt with our application and seemed to get everything wrong. We have no way of guaranteeing that we will get the refund, but there is no way we are going to commit ourselves to a building society with such bad service.

Tonight we relaxed with another bowl of dessert and watched a recording of Renee Zellwegger in Miss Potter.

Sun, Aug 3rd

We just took things easy today. Well as much as we normally do on a Sunday. We both did some vacuuming, Dawn did several loads of washing and the ironing, too. I on the other hand made a meatloaf and black bean soup for this week's dinners, and some crab cakes with pepper sauce for lunch. Before calling Dad after dinner this evening I sat down on the couch and watched Spurs defeat Borussia Dortmund on Sky Sports 3-0. Tonight we both relaxed with a bowl of home made strawberry yogurt desert while we watched a recording of Candles on Bay Street.

Sat, Aug 2nd

Today we popped into Tesco in town to do our weekly grocery shopping around 7:15am instead of running up to Morrisons in Welwyn Garden City. We decided that Tesco provides us with a wide range of choice when it come to produce. As for the time, we had a 9:00am appointment at Nationwide so took the opportunity of Tesco's 24 hour shopping hours.

The visit to Nationwide proved to be another fiasco. In the week we received a letter from the lawyers telling us that they couldn't process our mortgage application because they couldn't contact Nationwide. It was in the same letter that they also told us we were to close on the mortgage asap, and not in October as we arranged. Well, today we spent the best part of an hour discussing this letter and completing a life insurance application for the two of us. Then, as if fated to fail, just as the agent was completing the application the computer had a problem and did not complete the application. The agent said she would call Dawn on Monday after she had called the lawyers and would complete the application over the telephone.

Fri, Aug 1st

Thankfully this week was a shortish one for the two of us as a result of us staying off work on Wednesday. However, it always seems that by the time I board the Hertford North bound train as it arrives at Enfield Chase around 16:54 the two of us are fit to collapse.

This evening, though, I at least had some distraction to take my mind off work when we arrived home. I watched the new-look Spurs beat Celtic 2-0 in the Amsterdam tournament on Sky. We then both watched the film Firewall before calling it a night and reading a little before lights out.

Wed, Jul 30th

Today we celebrated the day that Dawn responded to my posting on MSN asking if anyone was interested in corresponding with a pen pal living in London. Little did we know 12 years ago where that innocent email would lead us, or how many lives it would affect. Looking back now, neither one of us would change it. We have made each other happier than we thought possible. It doesn't mean that we haven't given a thought to those who may see things differently. We just know it's down to each and every one of us to find our own happiness, and not put the blame on others if we don't find it.

As for the actual celebrating, we had a Sky engineer call to replace our Sky+ box and a surveyor call to look at the house as part of our remortgage application with Nationwide. After lunch Dawn had a two hour driving lesson with BSM. Her instructor felt that it showed she had been driving 30 years. She just needed to learn how to drive over here......

We didn't go out for a celebratory meal this evening. Instead we had some home made spaghetti meatballs followed by my strawberry trifle dessert.

Sun, Jul 27th

Even though I had every intention to paint the walls in the spare room, again I found other things to do. I vacuumed downstairs while Dawn did the ironing, then made some lunch, made some black olive hummus, transferred files from an old hard drive to my laptop, moved the computer table to the spare room, tided the hallway, cooked some stuffed mushrooms and burgers for dinner, and then made us a strawberry dessert. We did relax and watch Session 9 that had been on the Sci-fi channel in the week. But, again questioned the TV Guides ratings. It left us both scratching our heads.

Dawn then had her weekly video call with Brady before we downed the desserts with a nice hot cup of Earl Grey before bed.

Tiny Report - She is still eating the new food, and still hasn't been sick. She is slowly getting better, but we're sure the heat and humidity we're experiencing isn't helping...

Sat, Jul 26th

Again we were out early doing our grocery shopping at Morrisons. We were back home by 9:30am and within a hour were back out in town doing more shopping. Dawn picked up a couple of pairs of shoes with the money Dad had given her for her birthday. I picked up a couple of books from the Oxfam shop, and a drawstring bag for work. We chilled out at Starbucks with a skinny latte before dropping into Tesco on the way home. After checking out the fruit and veg, and seeing as we don't need to pick up Tiny's food at Morrisons anymore, we'll be going there in future. We'll have to get there early to avoid the crowds, but at least it's in town and we won't have to drive to Welwyn Garden City.

After chilling out watching Heath Ledger in Candy on TV, I made us coconut chicken for dinner. We then watched Hidden before going to bed. Now that film was strange.

Fri, Jul 25th

The end of another long week ended with a hot sticky walk to the station this evening. Here the temperatures have been in the high 70s the last few days and with the humidity the two and a half mile walk did not feel pleasant. At least I had the satisfaction of knowing that I had two whole days without having to deal with that walk. However, in all honesty, I have been getting the bus from the station to work in the mornings this week. With my boss out and with so much to do, I made a point of getting to work for 7:30am. It made a long day for me, but I got far more done.

This evening we started the weekend by watching the final of Celebrity Master Chef and were both pleased that Liz McClarnon won.

Again, best of all was that Tiny is still eating her food and not being sick. In fact, she has cleared every bowl we have put out.

Wed, Jul 23rd

After a week of juggling and cash monitoring, I was able to close the day knowing that I had secured enough money to get through the next week. Money had been pretty tight, and with my boss out of the country since last Wednesday, it was down to me to make sure that we didn't run short. Job done, feeling relieved.

But the best news of all is that Tiny hasn't been sick in the last 24 hours and is still eating her new food. She still isn't t herself, and is still not as affectionate as she normally is. But, at least she looks like she feels 100% better, and that is far more important.

Tues, Jul 22nd

When we got home from work this evening we immediately saw that Tiny had been sick again. This left us no choice but to take Tiny to the vet so they could check her out. After a little examination and some complaints from Tiny, the vet came to the conclusion that Tiny appears to have a digestive problem. We left within an hour of arriving with a couple of bags of food to try out. Hopefully a hypersensitive diet will make her feel better and bring an end to this three/four week cycle of starvation and sickness.

Sun, Jul 20th

Household chores again, plus a visit to the recycle centre to get rid of three bags of cardboard and two bags of plastic and glass. Thankfully we get the newspapers and aluminum cans collected every other week with our rubbish (trash) by the council.

Dawn had problems again with her weekly video call, thanks to Brady's broadband supplier. But, at least it gave her a chance to finish reading her John Grisham novel. That made it 21 books she's completed this year. The same number she completed all last year. Yesterday, I finished reading Peter Pan, which was my 29th of the year.

My afternoon was then spent editing the photos we'd taken on Wednesday and uploading them to our photo website. Shortly afterwards we got an email from someone who wanted to use one of our old ones on their site. They wanted the one of me eating a Ploughman's lunch. What can I say .......

Sat, Jul 19th

Saturday means grocery shopping and we were up and out early today visiting Morrisons so we could see Dad this afternoon. We hadn't seen him in three weeks and didn't want to miss another week so were pleased that we were able to get all our shopping in, and spend some time with Tiny before getting the train to Finsbury Park.

Dad and George are doing fine. Dad gave Dawn an envelope with some cash for her birthday inside. I am sure she'll have no problem finding something to spend it on.

Tiny on the other hand is not eating again. It seems like she eats for a week and then takes three or four days off food. Hopefully she'll be better by the time we go back to work on Monday.

Fri, Jul 18th

We were both glad to see the end of this week. My boss is now on holiday until Monday week, so it's up to me to make sure that we have enough cash in the bank to pay the wages next Friday. I am also jumping through hoops trying to get the historical data into EMP Manager, keep suppliers appeased and dealing with God knows how many other fires on the go.

It also hasn't gone amiss that it was my son's 27th birthday today. It seems like it was somebody else walking through Smithfield Market in the early hours that Saturday back in 1981. I suppose once again it proves that nothing is as certain as the unforeseen.

Wed, Jul 16th

Today Dawn celebrated her birthday by both of us taking the day off work. That in itself would have been good enough, but she also got some gifts and cards, too. Not to mention had a nice day out.

Her gifts (which came from Brady & Jim, plus Tiny and me) consisted of several books that she had said she wanted, a couple of DVDs, and a nice Parker pen and pencil. I won't list all the people she received cards from (16 of them) because you already know whether you sent her one. That's one or two more than the seven I received back in May.

To celebrate we caught the train into London and crossed the Millennium Bridge for the first time so we could have a wander around the Tate Modern and have lunch overlooking the Thames towards St Paul's Cathedral. We then caught a bus to Piccadilly and visited Linda McCartney's photo exhibit. Unfortunately we couldn't afford to buy a copy of any of the prints on show. £4,800 was just a little out of our budget!!

Tues, Jul 15th

Today Dawn took a half day holiday and caught an early train back to Enfield so she could have a walk around the shops and pop into BSM (British School of Motoring) to ask their advice on how she could pass her driving test. This in itself really irked Dawn because she has been driving for over 30 years. However, what irked her even more was having to book lessons so they can check on her driving before giving her the appropriate advice. She left their office having booked a double hour lesson on July 30th. Oh yea, they also booked her driving test for her while she was there. Nothing like striking while the iron is hot.

Sun, Jul 13th

Spent the whole day at home and although we didn't do anything special we seemed to stay busy all day. Dawn did the usual weekend chores while I spent several hours cooking as I always tend to do on a Sunday. I also backed up our computers and moved all the files from our desktop to the laptops. That was fun. But, at least it's done now. Brady had some visitors so Dawn didn't have her video call until around 7pm this evening. By the time she had finished it was almost time for bed.

Sat, Jul 12th

A quiet weekend again. Today we did our grocery shopping before popping into town for our monthly haircut. We also dropped off some books at the Oxfam store and as usual bought a few more to read. Paid a visit to Clintons to buy some cards and then made it home in time to avoid the rain and spend the rest of the day with Tiny.

Wed, Jul 9th

With Wimbledon behind us, the skies let loose all the rain that normally dampens the famous tennis championships. That meant that we had to contend with it on the commute to work. Which in my case meant that I caught the bus to and from the station to the office. No complaints with the cost though, as I use my Oyster card and it only costs 90p each way.

The bus rides also helped me conserve some of my energy today as Tiny again had me up in the wee hours. It would be nice if she could go a couple of weeks without feeling unwell.

Mon, Jul 7th

We had a fire drill today at work. In fact, it was so unrehearsed that even our health and safety department didn't know anything about it. Standing in the car park with rain coming down the staff wondered why they had to do a practice run today of all days. As it goes it wasn't a drill. A new company has moved into the unit next to us and inadvertently cut through our alarm cable. Once the fire engine had left with the crew of firemen our H&S office pulled out the fuse to stop the bell ringing so we could get out of the rain and return to our work dutifully.

Sun, Jul 6th

It may be the day of rest, but you would never know it. We did however lie in until 7.30am for a change.

Once up I got the Sunday Times for Dawn before getting stuck into cooking. For breakfast I made some home made Muesli, which was excellent. I then made some black bean soup and beef and leek meatloaf for this week's dinners. For lunch I made crab cakes with a red pepper sauce, and for our evening desserts I made some home-made ice lollies using raspberries. I of course cooked dinner this evening, which was a shrimp creole without rice.

Somehow in between all this I was also able to fill up the car with gas (now £1.189 a litre) and pick up our monthly rail tickets at the station. Not to mention watch Lewis Hamilton win the British F1 Grand Prix, and Nadal beat Federer in the incredible men's final at Wimbledon.

So much for having a relaxing weekend.

Sat, Jul 5th

Thank God for weekends. Both of us had a stressful time at work again. However, unlike when we had our own business, at least we have the weekends off now.

The day started with us checking our weights as we finally completed phase one of the diet. Dawn wasn't happy that she didn't lose any more weight. However, she was still lower than she had been since 2006. I on the other hand lost another three and a half pounds, making it eleven and a half over the two weeks. Now we can add some good carbs to our diet, so that should make meal times a little easier - especially breakfasts.

As usual we headed to Morrisons to do our weekly grocery shopping before heading over to Stevenage to pick up some stuff for Tiny and look around a few other shops while we were there. Back home we watched Venus Williams beat her sister in women's Wimbledon singles final.

Fri, Jul 4th

Today was American Independence Day, and everyone in my office thought that I had changed the ring tone on my cell phone to the Star Spangled Banner in honour. Especially when it rang half way through the morning. I gladly informed them, "No, that's my normal ring tone." At least I won't mistaken it for anyone else's phone when it rings. I of course hear Love Will Keep Us Alive when Dawn calls me.

The good news at work was that after four days we finally had EMP Manager back up and running. Best of all was that it was Friday and I could escape from the place for a few days.

Dawn on the other hand had a heart to heart with her boss about her job.

Wed, Jul 2nd

The July woes continued for me today. Again, we still had to cope without EMP Manager. It appears that our IT guy was moving things around on Monday and as a result created the problem. However, if that wasn't enough, shortly before 3pm this afternoon our building and all the neighbouring businesses were in darkness without electricity. Thankfully one of the MDs suggested that everyone should go home as there was little that could be done without computers and light. So much for modern technology. Oh yea, we also watched Nadal beat Andy Murray in the quarter finals at Wimbledon. Beat being the polite word. The Spaniard was in a completely different league for the Scotsman.

Tues, Jul 1st

Not a good day at work today for me. With my boss out of the office today, things seemed to go from bad to worse. The threatening letters are getting heavier by the day. In fact, we received a County Court Judgment from one supplier we have an outstanding dispute with. However, the biggest problem was that our new project management and costing system, EMP Manager, went down.

Mon, Jun 30th

Nothing exceptional at work. However, we stayed up late tonight to watch Andy Murray come back from two sets down to defeat Gasquet at Wimbledon. Earlier in the day Dawn and I both checked out our local Sainsbury grocery store to see if we could find some low fat Ricotta. Again no luck though.

Sat, Jun 28th

Weigh day in the White household and I am pleased to announce that I lost eight pounds this week, and Dawn lost 4. We were both pleased as this weight loss meant that we had been as successful as we had the first time we went on the diet back in 2oo4. We'll keep up phase one of the diet for another week and start introducing carbs back into our diet from next Saturday.

Today was also the 30th anniversary of the day I started work as a Cost Clerk at RW Munro Limited in Bounds Green, London. My weekly wage was £35 a week and seemed a huge sum then. Boy have times changed.

Back to 2008. After grocery shopping and lunch we caught the train up to Finsbury Park to pay Dad and George a visit. While there Dad got Dawn to program 999 (UK equivalent of 911 in the US), and then got me to help him with a problem he had with an Excel spreadsheet.

Fri, Jun 27th

It's been a real quiet week for the two of us. Basically that means the same as usual. We were both exhausted by the time we got the train home tonight and happy that we didn't have to go back for a couple of days.

As for the diet, we are still on course. Yesterday, we had another olive and feta omelet for breakfast and for dinner some pan fried Coley with some broccoli and cauliflower. The later had some low fat cheese grated over them, which really helped.

Today, we a mushroom omelet for breakfast and for dinner pan fried chicken with sauteed mushrooms and sliced tomatoes.

Now we have to wait to see how we've done tomorrow morning.

Wed, Jun 25th

Nothing of importance the last two days for the two of us. So, I will just mention our diet. Yesterday we had a couple of turkey rashers with a fried egg for breakfast, and a Salad Nicoise for dinner.

Today, we had a fried egg with some mince and onion hash for breakfast, and again a Salad Nicoise for dinner this evening.

We also had our usual lunch and snacks. I forget to mention that Dawn also had come cottage cheese with her mid morning snack.

As for drinks, if you are wondering, all we have had and will continue to have, is water, coke and a nice cup of hot tea.

Mon, Jun 23rd

Received a phone call from the building society this morning and was pleased to hear that we have reserved a fixed rate mortgage at 6.75%, pending property valuation and confirmation of application. That's one thing out of the way.

On the South Beach Diet we had an olive and feta omelet for breakfast and pan fried chicken with greens for dinner. We also had a couple of the quiches and pistachios for snacks, and a tuna salad for lunch. Before calling it a day we also had some more jello and mayo. To save repeating myself, the evening snack will be the same for the rest of the week, as will the food we have at work.

Sun, Jun 22nd

We had another food feast today. And to celebrate we took it easy and just did housework and relaxed in front of the television and watched Broken Bridges starring Toby Keith.

Now to the food as promised. For breakfast we had a couple of fried eggs with some turkey bacon rashers. It tasted pretty good. And the bacon tasted considerably better than the ones we tried in Florida. For lunch we had the rest of the fillet steak from yesterday with some sauteed mushrooms. Again we snacked on some pistachios. For dinner we had a Big Easy Creole. That's bell peppers, onions, celery and shrimp in a tomato sauce. No rice, though. We're not allowed that under the diet. Tonight we plan to finish off the jelly I made last night and make some more for tomorrow.

Oh yea, I also made some small quiches for us to take to work for snacks. No crust on these. Just egg, low fat cheese, bell peppers and spinach.

Sat, Jun 21st

Today, as we have already mentioned, we started on the South Beach Diet again. We both tried this four years ago and with mixed success. I lost nearly 16 pounds in phase one alone (2 weeks). This time I would be happy to lose 10 pounds.

Needless to say, today was all about food. And, boy did we eat well. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And who says that you can't eat well on a diet? We started the day with a mushroom omelet and followed that up at lunch with a succulent piece of fillet steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions. During the afternoon we had 30 pistachio nuts each before completing our meals with pan fried salmon with oven baked veggies (asparagus, red onion, zucchini, red & green bell peppers). We also found some room for some sugar free jelly (jello) with a small spoonful of mayo. Like I said, not bad for a diet. I'll let you know what we eat during phase one of the diet and see if you can guess how many pounds we lose.

We also popped into town to try and sort out our mortgage. Our current fixed rate mortgage runs out in September and we need to find an alternative one. It's not going to be cheap. At the moment it looks like the interest rate we'll be paying back will jump from 4.99% to 6.75%. Best of all, we'll have to pay £599 for the pleasure.

Fri, Jun 20th

Today was our last day of eating carbs unrestricted. And wouldn't you know it? Someone in Dawn's office decided that she should give up bread a day early. At lunch time today she went to the office fridge only to find her turkey meat sandwich and coke missing. It never fails to amaze me the things that people do and how some people feel that they have the right to take other people's property without asking. The sandwich and coke was found shortly after in the kitchen trash can.

Tonight, however, we did have one last meal to celebrate going on the South Beach Diet. I popped out to Paddyfields in town and bought some Chinese and had a can of lager while Dawn had her last glass of wine for a while. We followed that later with a bar of dark chocolate Kit-Kat that we shared with a nice hot cup of Earl Grey tea.

Wed, Jun 18th

My eyes felt a little better today. But, only just. I'd always sympathized with hay fever sufferers in the past because of my own sinus problems. But after the last few weeks, I can truly relate to how uncomfortable it must be for them and how it can really spoil their summer.

Tonight Dawn called Kelly and spent a good three quarters of an hour catching up with her sister. Tiny spent the time laying by the sliding door watching a small black and white kitty that has become her friend. The two lay either side of the glass door watching each other for ages. Part of me wanted to let the kitty in so Tiny could say Hello. However, that is the stupid part of me that normally comes out with crazy ideas. Thankfully the common sense part of my brain won out as usual.

Tues, Jun 17th

After years of suffering (maybe not the right word). After years of constantly putting up with a blocked nose, it now seems that I may now have to put up with hay fever. In the past I have put my nasal problem down to my sinuses. However, over the last two weeks I have also suffered with itchy eyes. Tonight was the worst it has been. After dinner this evening I had to lay on the couch with my eyes closed as I couldn't even watch television. I even gave reading my book a miss when I went to bed, and I love reading before calling it a night.

Mon, Jun 16th

Dad has well and truly stepped over the threshold into the twenty first century. This morning as I was walking to work my cell phone, which doubles as a walkman so I was listening to my music, came to life with the sound of Luther Vandross singing "Dance with My Father." Dad was playing around with the cell phone and accidentally called me by mistake. Dawn on the other hand received a couple of text messages.

Sun, Jun 15th

Today was Father's Day and I have to say I really appreciated getting a card from both Dawn and Tiny this morning. After some breakfast and a shower we then dropped by our local recycle centre to drop off four bags of cardboard and some plastic and glass bottles. Then it was up to Dad to spend some time with him on Father's Day - something I will cherish and something I am pleased to say was able to tell him to his face. Dawn and I gave him a pay-as-you-go cell phone so we can stay in touch when he's out and about. We then had a ride up to the cemetery to lay some flowers on Mum's grave to commemorate her birthday, which was today, and to let her know that she is always in our hearts and minds. On the way back to Dad's we stopped off at the Spaniards Inn in Hampstead for a Father's Day lunch. The pub that was previously an inn dates back to 1585 and has had some famous customers down the years, including the highwayman Dick Turpin, and authors Charles Dickens and John Keats. Even today the old pub had a famous visitor - Ricky Gervais of The Office popped in. And, no I was not trying to be an amateur paparazzi. He just happened to leave as I was taking a photo of the pub before we left.

Sat, Jun 14th

Today we had did the usual Saturday things. First we filled up with petrol despite all the media making a meal out of the strike by drivers who haul petrol around the country. Although, paying £1.18 a litre did not make me smile. Thankfully this tankful will last a couple of weeks. Next we did our grocery shopping at Morrisons, then popped into town to run a few errands. First on our list was to make an appointment at Nationwide to sort out our mortgage. In September our current fixed rate mortgage comes to an end and our rate will jump from the current 4.99% to 7.24%. Next week we'll go back to see what we can sort out for the next few years. Oh the fun of being a homeowner. To drown our sorrows we dropped into the White Lion in Bengeo. It had been on Dawn's list of pubs to visit since we moved to Hertford. We weren't disappointed. The food was excellent.

Fri, Jun 13th

Unlucky for some, huh. All I will say is that somebody's boss was pretty unlucky today. Again they completely missed the opportunity to acknowledge how much someone is appreciated. That mistake, my friend, will one day come back to bite you. Remember, what goes around comes around .........

Thu, Jun 12th

Today we received a nice email from our friends who live in New Port Richey, Florida. You know who you are because you'll be reading this on Sunday. We just wanted to let you know that we think about the two of you all the time and would love to meet up with you if (or when) you can make it to England. However, it may take a little while to fit us in with your busy schedule. One neither of us envy. Especially dealing with computer systems and having to spend time away from each other while one of you is in Pittsburgh. Although, as you know, the two of us would jump at the opportunity to travel and see things. Thanks again for keeping in touch. Love, P&D.

Wed, Jun 11th

Tonight Dawn and I broke with our normal routine and did not go to bed at 9:00. Which I will add for the record does feel strange as we wake before the sun rises (currently 4:45am) and go to bed before it sets (currently 9:20pm).

Tonight we stayed up to watch The Apprentice finale. We got into this show when we lived in Florida and watched the second series with Donald Trump. However, Sir Alan Sugar leaves Trump in the shade when it comes to entertainment. Old DT just doesn't get out of the blocks. Anyway, we were both pleased that Lee McQueen and Claire Young made it to the last two. Unlike I'd Do Anything, though, I picked the winner this time. I just felt that Lee's lying on his CV and being able to do a reverse pterodactyl impression made him more suitable for the boardroom. Just kidding. I felt that he was a hard worker, prepared to make sacrifices, and was a better candidate to be shown the ropes. Unlike Claire, who I felt was already very much her own person.

Tues, Jun 10th

Tiny again is not eating her food and tonight decided that she needed a little TLC. First she woke Dawn up, who went downstairs and got a her a bowl of food that she didn't eat. Then Tiny woke me up too. About 3:15am I finally decided to take Tiny downstairs so at least Dawn could get some sleep. Five minutes later Tiny had settled down on my chest and was resting. She stayed there for the next 45 minutes before climbing onto the couch next to me to grab 40 winks. That gave me the chance to grab half an hour, too, before Dawn came downstairs and we started the usual daily routine.

Mon, Jun 9th

Dawn got out of work later than usual this evening which meant that she wouldn't make the train that arrived at Enfield Chase at 16:54. However, she bust a gut to make it to Old Street and caught the first train she could, then sent me a text to let me know that she was on the train arriving at EC at 17:24. I immediately boarded the train and looked up and down our normal carriage for her, but she wasn't there. So I called her to find out where she was. I felt a complete idiot when she told me that she was about 20 minutes away and I realised that I had boarded the 17:09 and was now heading towards Gordon Hill. Thankfully, I was able to get off there and wait for her.

Sun, Jun 8th

All I will say is that I am exhausted. Like I can keep my mouth shut. Seriously, though. Today I walked down to the paper shop to pick up the Sunday Times for Dawn. Then made breakfast (grits and fried porridge) before a shower. Then went into the spare room to give the wall its second coat of paint. As expected, it will need a third coat. However, not next weekend because it's Father's Day next Sunday and we'll be spending Sunday with Dad. It's also my mother's birthday, so we'll be going up the cemetery too.

After lunch I tackled the front yard. For someone who didn't even like mowing the yard in Florida, this was sheer hell. There were weeds galore. I'm glad to say that two hours later, the front yard looked a darn sight better. Although we still have a lot of work to do to make it look pretty. Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Sat, Jun 7th

The cell phone saga continues. The two phones arrived at 8:30 am - hurrah!!
However, when we opened the boxes they had charged Dawn £100 for the phone and had not set it up on the monthly plan, or added her old number to it. I got on the telephone yet again. Eventually they sorted Dawn's phone out, but not mine. They said it would take between 10 min and 48 hours to change my plan. Give me strength.

All this meant that we got out of the house late and had a haircut before doing our grocery shopping. In between we popped into The Old Barge for lunch. The ambiance was nice. The pub had a cosy atmosphere and right on the canal so we could watch ducks swimming past through the window. However, for us, the food left a lot to be desired.

Fri, Jun 6th

So much for my good business sense. I have spent a good few hours on the telephone with Virgin Mobile sorting out our orders over the last few days, and we still are not completely sure that we'll keep them now if or when they arrive.

The orders I placed online on Tuesday did not go through because payment for delivery (all of £3.99 each) was not processed. Needless to say, no one contacted us to tell us this. I had to call Virgin myself. Then I could not complete Dawn's order because she had to do it herself. This Dawn did when we got home last night from work. However, today when I called Virgin to check on the order, again the payment was not processed. I was not at all happy. However, by the end of the day, we were assured that both phones would be delivered on Saturday.

Tue, Jun 3rd

The two of us enjoyed a day off work today after all the excitement yesterday. Needless to say, we turned the alarm clock off so we could have a lie in. The major news of the day was that we popped into town and opened a couple of savings accounts. We have been pretty concerned for quite a while that we are less than 20 years from retirement age and don't have a penny saved for the future.

I also ordered a couple of cell phones from Virgin Mobile online. At present we both have a couple of phones on a top-up tariff. The deal I got today meant that we could get a new phone each, have a fixed monthly rate for the next 18 months, and still pay less. Now that's what I call good business.

Mon, Jun 2nd

Shortlisted for Islington Council's Green Travel Plan award, Dawn was hopeful of receiving some recognition for all the hard work she had done at CU over the last few months. Unfortunately, as our alarm clock wakes us up at around 4:30am, she would have a long wait to find out. Not only did Dawn have to complete a full and busy day's work, but she had to attend a presentation dinner tonight to find out.

No complaints with the venue, though. The awards presentation was at the Honorable Artillery Company in central London. However, with a three course meal that resembled canopies and background chamber music on violins and marching band outside (nothing to do with the presentation, I might add), nothing seemed to detract from the elegance of the building. For fun she if you can spot Dawn in the photo above!

As for Dawn returning home with an award - not this time. She barely made it home Monday. First the meal ran on longer than scheduled; then she was overlooked for the award. Leaving the presentation around 10:30pm, she had to walk to Old Street station and catch the tube to Kings Cross. There she caught a First Capital Connect train to Hertford North, arriving there at 11:38pm. I was worried sick to say the least. But, thankful more than anything that the day was over with. Dawn felt the same, but more so.

Sun, Jun 1st

The first of the month. As always, I gave Dawn a card to celebrate another month together. I've done this now for 11 years and 7 months and plan to do it for the rest of my life.

After breakfast (grits for Dawn and fried porridge for me), we had a shower and I got stuck into painting the spare bedroom walls. Unfortunately, because the walls are so dark, it will take at least two, if not three, coats to finish the job. Dawn on the other hand did the laundry and vacuuming. For lunch, I made some home made hot wings with veggies and blue cheese before Dawn had a successful video call with Brady.

When Tiny went upstairs to lie on the bed, I popped into the kitchen to make a dozen banana/apple/walnut muffins and prepare our tuna-egg salad for work. Dawn finished off the laundry and vacuuming before we finally sat down for the day.