Fri, Dec 19th

Once again Dawn dropped me off and collected me from Hertford North. At work, I endured a battering from the BSI inspector reviewing our EMS manual. However, at least I received some recognition for all the work I had done bringing our environmental management system from ground zero through stage 2. I now have three months to get us through stage 3 and full accreditation.

Dawn, on the other hand, scheduled a more relaxing day than Thursday for the foot-weary Kerrs. No train journey, no ride on the underground, and no traipsing around looking at London's landmarks. Instead they got the grand tour of our home town of Hertford. Dawn took Brady to Tesco to experience a British grocery store. Surprisingly Brady was in awe of the amount of produce available - take that Publix and Winn Dixie!!!

The three of them did the rounds through town. Jim had a caffeine deficiency from Thursday so first port of call was Starbucks for some coffee. Then, store by store, Hertford learned (thanks again to Jim) that the Kerrs had arrived. Our two and a half years of anonymity gone in a few hours as Jim and Brady told every store owner that they had come here to spend Christmas with us. No doubt we'll be reading about it next week's Mercury newspaper. Lunch for the threesome was at the Woolpack where again the Brits impressed the Americans. Jim could not believe how natural our log fires look.

The day was not without mishap though. After I had got back from work I ran out to Carleys to pick up some good old British fish and chips from a good old chippie. Sadly, when I got home, they had wrapped up two pieces of haddock and three chips, instead of four fish and two chips. We coped with the disappointment though.

The day ended with Dawn, Brady and yours truly having a quick walk around the neighbourhood to view the Christmas lights. As expected, I took my camera and got some odd looks from many of the home owners as I took photos of their work.

Thur, Dec 18th

Dawn and I woke up today at 4:30am as I still had to go to work. She dropped me off at the station so I could catch the 6:10 from Stevenage.

As for Dawn, she ran Brady and Jim ragged once they were up. They caught the train, and then tube into London. First port of call was Buckingham Palace. The Queen wasn't in, but she hadn't invited them anyway. From there they made their way down The Mall and through St James's Park to New Scotland Yard and Westminster Abbey. No time to stop there, they made their way up Whitehall and past Downing Street to Horse Guards Parade just in time to watch the changing of the guard.

By now they were starving and Brady and Jim wanted to rest their poor feet. Reluctantly Dawn allowed them to stop at Wetherspoons for a light lunch before marching them off again to Trafalgar Square and along the Strand to Somerset House. There they watched as tourists tried to break their necks on the ice rink before heading to Covent Garden where they saw snowball fights sponsored by Yahoo, even though we hadn't had any snow.

Brady was walking with blisters on her feet, while Jim stared straight ahead with a glazed look on his face. So Dawn texted me to tell me she was making her way home. So I left a little early and caught the train they were on as it stopped in Enfield.

Back at the house everyone loved my chili and baked pita chips. But most of all, Dawn included, everyone was more than happy to just rest. Day two over with. Dawn is working on their stamina to get them through the weekend ahead.

Wed, Dec 17th

What a long day. We woke at 3.30am and were on the road by 5am. The journey to Gatwick wasn't too bad. We even got across the Dartford Bridge before 6am, so we didn't have to pay a toll. Brady and Jim landed, totally exhausted, around 9.10am. Their flight was two and a half hours late in leaving Atlanta. All the way back to Hertford all I could here was, "Are we there yet?"

For lunch we laid out a spread of chicken pieces and a sandwich assortment from Tesco with pickled gerkins, a cheeseball (Brady had made and brought) and pate with crackers, and a couple of bowls of olives. I think Brady and Jim then spent the rest of the day fighting to stay awake until bed time. Constant chatting, the television, checking emails and the Internet, and several cups of coffee and Earl Grey tea got them through until dinner time.

Dinner was one of my specials - home made cottage pie with peas. Everyone cleared their plates. As Dawn added, had we had bread the plates would have been wiped clean, too. We saw out the rest of the day watching The Royal Variety Performance on BBC. Brady commented several times to Jim about how good it was to watch something without commercials.

By 9pm everyone was totally wiped. So we all said our goodnights and called it a day.

For Tiny watchers, she was a total star today. She spent most of the time in our bedroom, but did occasionally come down to check out the company. Best of all was falling asleep snuggled up to Dawn in her usual place.

Tue, Dec 16th

Dawn dropped me off and collected me from the station today as she wasn't going to work. That meant that I could catch the 6:10am to Moorgate and was able to make it to the office by 6:30am.

My day was go, go, go. Thankfully, I was able to accomplish the three things that I needed to get done today. Including a report that needed to be done for Friday's BSI visit. The afternoon brought me bad news though. Steve informed me that from January 1st I will be on a 4 day week. In fact, everyone will be on either a 3 or 4 day week.

Dawn on the other hand was go, go, go at home. She finished off all the cleaning that she wanted to get done and wrapped most of her presents. She also ran into town to do some last minute shopping.

For the record, we checked Brady and Jim's flight on line to check that everything was going to schedule. Sadly, their 6:25pm flight from Hartsfield was delayed. When we went to bed the scheduled departure time was now 8:45pm. The last we heard was that they were leaving for the airport around 1pm. Boy, are they going to be in a great mood. We've never had a two hour delay and we've done the journey. Oh, well.

Mon, Dec 15th

Dawn's last working day of 2008. Well, half day that is. Around lunch time she set out with her colleagues for the annual Christmas dinner. This year around 350 of CU staff were herded into what she described looked like an airplane hanger. Thankfully the food was enjoyable. She had a cream of parsnip soup followed by roast turkey and all the trimmings. Dessert was Christmas pudding topped with cream and accompanied by mini Christmas pies and coffee. Best of all was that Dawn was able to get away normal time so I could meet her on the Hertford North bound train that pulled into Enfield Chase at 16:39.

At home we then spent a couple of hours tidying the house and doing quite a few things that we still needed to complete before Brady and Jim arrive on Wednesday.

Sun, Dec 14th

By the time we got to bed we had a pair of bodies that ached. Again, we had an early start. I tided the bookshelves in the spare room, the shelves in the recycle closet, hung a mirror by the front door, had a ride up to the A10 to get the car washed and top up with petrol (now at 88p per litre). I then did a South Beach pizza for lunch and stayed in the kitchen for the rest of the day. First I made several dozen fruit cake cookies, the mince meat filling for Wednesday's cottage pie dinner, and then made the sage and onion stuffing for Christmas. Then, if that wasn't enough, I did us a roast chicken dinner.

Dawn, on the other hand, did the laundry, ironing and vacuuming in addition to tidying the house, doing more cleaning in the kitchen, hanging the Christmas stockings, getting the bedding ready for Brady's arrival, and sorting out more Christmas stuff. Somehow she even fit in a phone call to her sister, Kelly, and Brady.

We ended the day watching our favourite film, now a Christmas routine for us, Love Actually.

Sat, Dec 13th

With just a handful of days before Brady and Jim arrive, we were up early and on the go like it was a normal work day. We were in Tesco by 8am, in town by 9am, and back home a little after 10am. We'd got our bits and pieces and now Dawn could focus on things that needed to be done around the house while I headed up to Holloway on my own (in the pouring rain) to pay Dad and George a visit.

Dawn finished her painting for the year by giving a radiator upstairs a coat of paint, the kitchen got a deep clean, and Dawn also attacked the laundry basket, too.

It wasn't all hard work though. We saw out the evening watching the X-Factor finale and result show, and were both pleased that Alexandra Burke was crowned 2008 champion. We were also pleased to see all three couples progress to next week's Strictly Come Dancing finale, too.

Fri, Dec 12th

Dawn was able to get through her last full day at work this year without any real problems. She even had time to meet her ex-colleague for lunch at their favourite old haunt - The Pride of Siam. Dawn ignored her diet and downed a sumptuous bowl of red curry. The two also exchanged a Christmas gift and as they went their separate ways promised to stay in touch during 2009.

Thur, Dec 11th

To celebrate our 700th posting on our blog, we finally have some exciting news to announce on the work front. Dawn attended her interview for the new post of Environmental Officer today at CU, and by the time she had left work for the day received the good news that she had hoped for. She got the job. Sadly, because they now need to advertise and find a replacement for her current position, Dawn is unlikely to move into her new role until February. But, heh, she only as a day and half left of December to work, so it's not different from working a month's notice.

Well done Dawn! Congratulations on receiving a reward for all the hard work you have done over the last year or more on CU's travel plan and other areas of the university's environmental program.

Wed, Dec 10th

Halfway through the week and we have survived it so far. However, it hasn't been easy. The two of us are worn out from all the work we have been doing. Progress on the "Brady Project" has been minimal. Dawn has written out some more Christmas cards, and I have sorted some paperwork. But that has been it.

On the work front, my job continues to spiral further and further into the abyss. I thought I had known worse times. But, not now. Having not enough hours in the day to get everything done is one thing. However, the cash situation is dire. I wonder when it will all end.

One other point worth mentioning is that we are now scraping ice off the car windscreen when we leave for work in the morning, and when we get back to it after work. It's dark when we leave for work, and it's dark when we leave for home in the evening. We put the gas fire on when we get home, and have the boiler heating the radiators so we have nice warm house, too. It's winter time in England. This will now be the norm for a month or two. Roll on the spring.

Sun, Dec 7th

Having spent seven years living in America, I could not start today's blog entry without mentioning that today is the anniversary of America's entry into the Second World War.

As for us, we had another busy day. We started the day slowly. Dawn had some grits and I had some fried porridge. Then we got going and didn't stop until Dawn took a break to have her weekly video call with Brady. In the morning I spent a couple of hours sorting out Tiny's box room before running down to Tesco, filling the car up with petrol (at 88.9p per litre), bought my weekly rail card, and picked up another pasty for our lunch at the Proper Pasty place again.

After lunch I changed and fixed a couple of light switches, hung a new curtain rail in Tiny's box room, and then helped Dawn hang the majority of our photos and pictures on the walls. Now the house feels more like a home again. It's just a shame that it also looks like a pigsty.

Sat, Dec 6th

Boy I will be glad when Christmas is here. This is like none I have ever known. It's go, go, go all the time. Today, we ran into town to do some errands. Stopped at the Co-op for Dawn's prescription, Woolworths for some household stuff, Messages for a handful of jars (I love jars), hardware store for screws and caulk, The Proper Cornish Shop (a new take-away in town) for an excellent Cornish Pasty, and finally our local frame shop. We'd seen a poster print of the Empire State Building last week and decided to check it out again. We ended up buying it as a belated 12th anniversary present for ourselves to commemorate meeting there.

At the house, I moved our dining table from the living room into the dining area. Dawn then spent the next couple of hours putting up the Christmas tree, while I made a large pot of chili and of spaghetti in the kitchen. We had already installed a new curtain rail and some blue curtains in the spare room, and I changed the front door bell. However, that wasn't without incident. But, I'll leave that for the moment.

Fri, Dec 5th

Today was a day off work for the two of us as we tried to get some things done before Brady's arrival in 12 days time. We drove over to Stevenage and picked up some litter for Tiny before stopping at the Howard Centre in Welwyn Garden City. There we picked up some bits and pieces in John Lewis before picking up our groceries at Morrisons on the way home.

Once home I sanded down the last of the walls that needed to be sanded before moving a box bookcase to the shed so we could move the dining table into the dining area. This will allow us to put the Christmas tree up by the back window.

After dinner we chilled out by watching our first festive movie of the season, Christmas Shoes. Needless to say, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Well, maybe Tiny wasn't as moved. But you get my drift.

Thur, Dec 4th

Dropped Dawn off at Hertford North and then drove into London for a change. As much as I hate the journey by car, I still felt that it would be easier taking the car in for a service in Enfield rather than locally when we're off work. Unfortunately it was raining and windy this morning though. I parked our car in the Astra dealer's car park (out the back in pitch dark) and stepped into a huge puddle which soaked both my feet up to the ankles. Then as I made my way to the bus stop, a huge gust of wind turned my umbrella inside out, destroying the stansions that held it together. Result - I was getting soaked. But I soldiered on and made it to work wet and weary ready to start another day. At lunch time I called the dealership to check to see whether the service had been completed. They seemed puzzled as they said I never specified when I needed it. Thankfully they assured me it would be ready when I got there a little after 3pm.

When I left work the sun was now shining and I felt a lot better than I had when I dropped the car off. However, when I got to the dealership I had to wait forever while they manually processed the invoice. In the end I paid for the service and suggested that they just mail the invoice to me. Best of all was that the service raised no problems for us. Tell a lie. What was best of all was looking in the service book and seeing that we had only done THREE AND A HALF THOUSAND miles in the last year. Well that has really helped reduce our carbon footprint in the last twelve months. A pat on the back for the two of us from Mr Gore, no doubt...

Wed, Dec 3rd

Another hectic day at work for the two of us. Although Dawn was able to get out for lunch and wandered up to the Angel and checked out some shops. She even poked her head in the pie and mash shop without stopping to eat. She did, however, have plans to call back in a few weeks. We received a shipment of linens Dawn had ordered online for our spare room. Soon we'll be able to have people stay overnight. It's a good thing seeing Brady will be here in less than 2 weeks. Finally, I gave studying a miss tonight. I stayed up to watch Spurs progress unto the semi-finals of the Carling Cup with a 2-1 win away to Watford.

Tues, Dec 2nd

Here are the main events of the day. I woke up with a painful shoulder. In fact, it kept me awake most of the night. Dawn took our Christmas cards destined for America to work with her and mailed them. That's another off our list of things to do. I finished reading Christmas Jars, my 54th book of the year. And again I sat up in bed and did some more environmental studying.

Mon, Dec 1st

The last month of 2008 and the both of us woke up shaking our heads wondering where the year has gone. Unfortunately we have so much to do still that it doesn't look like we will be getting a break until the new year. Dawn's housework schedule has us busy through the 16th getting the house ready for Brady's arrival, and now she's completed a schedule through the end of the year to run Brady and Jim off their feet the two weeks they are here.

In addition, we still have our jobs to fulfill. Dawn finally found out the date of her interview for the post of Environmental Officer. It's not until the 11th, so she was not too happy about that. As for me, work was much the same. Fending supplier calls, getting stuck into the month end accounts, and then assisting with the payroll.

When we got home Dawn finished some touching up with the paint before finishing off writing out the US Christmas cards. When we went to bed, I finally started on my environmental course. I was up until 11pm reading, taking notes and doing the exercises. What a day.

Sun, Nov 30th

The last day of our long weekend and Dawn spent a good part of it painting doors, skirting boards, and door frames. I spent some much needed time sorting out the kitchen. Or I should say rearranging the contents of the cupboards to make the items I use the most more accessible.
Dawn had her weekly video call with Brady after hanging her paint brushes up for the day, and I spent several hours running my eyes over the environmental course I was able to get stuck into. I counted over 500 pages of text to read and study, the best part of 250 exercises and self assessment questions to complete, and then an estimated 30 hours on the actual assignments that I have to submit for my grade. Looks like I am going to be busy for the next few months doing this it seems.

Sat, Nov 29th

This morning we ran into town and did some errands. Picked up my blood pressure pills, Tiny's food, dropped off some more books at the Oxfam book store, popped into Woolworths, and then stopped at Fringe Benefits for our haircut.

Back at the house Dawn then got stuck into more painting while I worked on editing our photos and the annual Christmas letter.

We did get some R&R this weekend. We plonked out butts down in front of the TV and watched some Strictly Come Dancing and X-Factor before calling it a night.

Fri, Nov 28th

The last few days had left the two of us exhausted. So today we decided to take things a little more leisurely. That was after the new futon bed had been delivered and I had assembled it. Then we had a nice turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich before hitting the road for a couple of hours.

First port of call was Hertford North where Dawn picked up an annual rail ticket. Dawn feels more settled at CU and had arranged for a loan from CU to spread the cost. B&Q followed where we picked up more paint and rollers before stopping at Morrisons. The place was packed and we couldn't wait to get out of there. Thankfully, I made a couple of pots of soup last weekend, so our weekly grocery bill wasn't too much.

Back at the house Dawn started writing out the Christmas cards and I got stuck into the Christmas letter. It was wild looking back on how this year had gone, so far.

Thu, Nov 27th

Today was Thanksgiving Day. And yes we did celebrate it here - well we did. We celebrated it in the typical American way, too. I spent the best part of five hours on the road with everyone else. However, here it was with the rush hour traffic when I drove to and from Dad's in London to collect him and take him home.

We gorged out on roast turkey, dressing, broccoli casserole, sweet potato mash, rice covered with a rich giblet gravy, and some cranberry sauce. Once we had given this half an hour to go down, we followed that up with more carbs in the form of an apple pie with vanilla ice cream. All the food, excluding the ice cream, being home made by yours truly.

Then to finish the day we lounged in front of the television watching football. However, in my case, I watched Spurs beat NEC Nijmejan 1-0 in the UEFA Cup. I could have watched NFL had I wanted to. Sky Sports were broadcasting three live games back to back.

Oh yea, we even found some room for a turkey sandwich, too.

Wed, Nov 26th

Our first of three days off work and we were more exhausted than we would have been after a normal day at work.

Dawn spent the best part of the day painting the landing and hallway walls and ceilings. She would have done it quicker had she used a larger roller (see picture). Then, if that wasn't enough, she vacuumed the house from top to bottom.

I, on the other hand, spent from 9am until gone 4pm in the kitchen. Apart from lunch and a trip into town to pick up a pie dish. First I made some broccoli casserole followed by some cornbread, which I used to make some dressing. I then roasted the turkey and made some giblet gravy. For dessert I made (hopefully) a nice apple pie. In between each of these I washed up the mess because Dawn hates me leaving the kitchen like a bomb has hit it. Boy this food better be good.....

Tues, Nov 25th

Today was the last day of our working week and as expected it was hectic. After two days reviewing timesheets I was finally able to pass all the paperwork onto HR to pay the salaries. The good news is that we have enough cash to pay it on Friday (just). Dawn on the other hand spent the whole day packing as her office is relocating once more. By the end of the week they will be in their new location. Boy, is she glad that she is not going to be there the next three days.

Tonight I tackled the walls in the downstairs hallway. As you can see from the photo, the damage to me was even worse that yesterday....

Mon, Nov 24th

Back to work after a long weekend of working on the house and running errands. However, being at work was a nightmare. Like Friday I worked ALL day analysing timesheets for the month's payroll due to be paid on Friday. I have never seen so much mess. It took forever to list all the sickness, holidays, lay off days, overtime, unpaid leave, and hours deducted not worked. Roll on Wednesday so I can have a few days break.

However, this evening was not much better. After a really good home made tomato soup, I spent a good hour or so sanding down the landing and stairway walls. Which is why I look so old in the photo. I assume it's the dust. But, then again, perhaps the last few months at work has really aged me.

Sun, Nov 23rd

We went to bed with a weather warning that snow was likely when we woke up. Thankfully it was just a thin layer of sleet. However, it was pretty damn cold.

After breakfast and a shower I went out to fill the car up. Petrol (gas) is now 92p a litre. A lot better than it was six months ago.

I then spent a couple of hours plastering over the cracks on the hall way and landing walls, while Dawn cleaned the extractor fan and stove in the kitchen. After lunch Dawn put up the curtain baton in the spare room while I made a large pot of carrot and leek soup, and a pot of tomato and onion soup. After Dawn finished her ironing, she had her weekly video call with Brady while I watched Spurs climb out of the bottom three of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. We reached the heady heights of 14th. However, we'll drop back a place after the West Ham - Sunderland match.

Sat, Nov 22nd

With 4 weekends before Brady and Jim arrive, and just 5 before Christmas, time is running out for us to get everything ready. This week we also have Thanksgiving to worry about too. Which was why Dawn was not looking forward to the grocery shopping today. Usually, the Saturday before Thanksgiving is one of worst grocery shopping days of the year. Thankfully, we picked up our turkey and trimmings at the local Tesco and not a Publix store (like Dawn was worrying about).

With that out of the way, we headed back to Stevenage to pick up the curtains we ordered last Saturday and some more bits and pieces from Homebase.

Back at the house Dawn put up some wall paper to cover the wall on the landing that had the worst damage, while I tried to plaster over a lot of the cracks and damage downstairs. By the time I'd finished, the floor had more of the white powder than the walls. But, with me that was a given from the outset.

One other good piece of news is that we ordered a cheap futon bed for the spare room from IKEA. Hopefully that will be here on Friday.

Fri, Nov 21st

Another late night last night. This time I was up until midnight working on the Aspect and Impact register. I had to create a method to score the impact that all the activities were having on the environment, taking into account severity of impact, frequency of activity, and whether it had a direct or indirect influence on the environment. By the time I had finished, I was not surprised to see that air pollution through CO2 emissions from our 60 vehicle fleet, depletion of natural resources, CO2 emissions from the use of electricity and gas, and increasing the depletion of land use and water pollution through increased use of landfills came top of the list.

Dawn on the other hand had a half day holiday today and met Nick and Keith from London City College for lunch on the South Bank. Dawn worked with the two during her time at Schiller before we immigrated to Florida and really enjoyed catching up on how they and LCC are doing.

Wed, Nov 19th

Over the last year or more, Dawn has been the secretary of HEBCoN (Higher Education Business Continuity Network), spending countless hours keeping everyone informed of what was happening, making more arrangements than she can care to count, and travelling the length and breadth of the country attending seminars and gatherings. Well, with the restructuring of her department, her colleague and chair of HEBCoN is standing down, and with him Dawn, too.

Today Dawn and all her efforts were acknowledged in the form of a colourful bunch of flowers and box of chocolate truffles from the other members of the HEBCoN executive committee.

It's nice when your efforts are appreciated. And, in my opinion, this was much deserved.

Tues, Nov 18th

Like I have been saying for a while, the only way I am going to be able to study and assist JT with the ISO 14001 accreditation is to do it in my own time. So for the last two nights I sat up in bed until 11pm working on the Aspect and Impact register. I had already spent several hours over the last three weeks reviewing my company's business streams to produce a list of almost 100 activities that affect the environment. Now I had to analyse this information. By Tuesday night, I had done the first draft.

Sun, Nov 16th

No decorating today. Instead we caught a train to Finsbury Park to pay Dad and George a brief visit. Normally we go on a Saturday. But there was no way that Dawn would battle with the best part of 60,000 descending on the north London to watch Arsenal. So, we left a little earlier than normal, had a lite lunch at Nandos, and spent some time with Dad.

When we got home, I made an excellent leek and carrot soup while Dawn did the ironing before ordering some Christmas gifts online for her sister Kelly and our niece Michaela.

Sat, Nov 15th

With 5 weekends before Brady and Jim arrive, and 6 before Christmas, Saturday and Sundays are going to become pretty hectic. Today I did the grocery shopping on my own at Tesco before the two of us drove over to Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage.

At Welwyn, we dropped into B&Q to pick up some DIY stuff before stopping at Parcel Force to pick up my study material. Almost forgot, I have to find time for that, too.

At Stevenage, we dropped into DFS to look for a futon (no joy), B&Q for more DIY stuff, and Paul Simon's for a curtain for the spare room.

If that wasn't t enough, when we got home I made a large pot of chili before making a cottage pie for dinner. Dawn in the meantime had her weekly video call with Brady. We did however get some down time. We watched Strictly Come Dancing and X-Factor.

Thur, Nov 13th

Today was a black day in the White household. Perhaps I should say a grey day. At work several senior and long standing employees were told that they would be placed on a 3 day week from next Monday. My boss then informed the accounts staff that the transport manager, who works in our office, was one of those now on a three day week. To make matters worse, we were also informed that December may see the rest of the accounts department going on a 4 day week, including my boss. So, not to end on a bad note, at least I still have a job. However, who knows what 2009 will bring.

Wed, Nov 12th

I know that this is our blog. However, being a lifelong Spurs fan, it would have been unforgivable to fail to mention that Spurs knocked Liverpool out of the Carling Cup with a 4-2 victory at White Hart Lane. We've now beaten them twice in a couple of weeks, the only team to have beaten them all season. Not bad for a team that had started the first 8 games this season without a league win and had recently fired the manager. Best of all, I had the pleasure of watching the whole game live on Sky Sports.

Tues, Nov 11th

A couple of bad days at work. It's been a very stressful few months thanks to the cash situation. In fact, it's now beginning to take its toll on the majority of staff now. Worse still is that it is not going to get better between now and Christmas.

On a lighter note, we escaped from the pressures of work by watching last night's Hell's Kitchen finale and were pleased to see Christina defeat Petrozza to win the right to be Gordon Ramsay's next head chef.

Sun, Nov 9th

Ditto. Same as Saturday. But this time no grocery shopping, and this time Dawn also did the laundry, vacuumed the carpets, and also did the ironing..............

How was this for a nice relaxing weekend?

Sat, Nov 8th

Weekend time again. As usual we drove over to Tesco to do the weekly grocery shopping before getting stuck into our housework. This time it wasn't laundry, ironing, vacuuming and cleaning. This time I spent several hours stripping the wallpaper of the landing and hallway walls, while Dawn did some more painting in the spare room. The spare room is really coming on well. Which is great, because the the hallway now looks a complete mess.

Fri, Nov 7th

Dawn got out of the office this afternoon by attending the Archant Environmental Awards presentation near Marble Arch with a couple of colleagues of hers. City University was again up for an award, although Dawn felt like the last time she went to one of these events that it was just to make up the numbers. She couldn't have been more surprised. This time they picked up the award for Best Environmental University in London. Boy, if Dawn's application to become Environmental Officer is successful, then next year they'll probably win best University in the country...........

Thur, Nov 6th

Got to work at 7:00am as normal and proceeded to attack my workload with vigour. However, that soon changed when I was asked whether I wanted to attend a Legionnella Awareness seminar we were running. As I felt that this knowledge would be advantageous to my environmental role, plus the class was virtually empty, I joined the class.

Wed, Nov 5th

Woke up without an alarm clock this morning at 2:15am. I threw on a housecoat and went downstairs to watch the US presidential election unfold. At 3:30am I then woke Dawn up so she could see the historic moment when all the news channels announced that Barrack Obama had reached the required number of electoral votes to become the President Elect.

The two of us then watched both John McCain's humble concession speech, and Obama's acknowledgement speech, making me quite emotional. Over the last 8 years Dawn had become embarrassed and ashamed to be an American as it lurched from one travesty to another. Finally, the American public had come to its senses and realised that democracy was reflected in one's actions, not one's rhetoric.

Tues, Nov 4th

Today I had a meeting with JT to discuss how we plan to get ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation. It was quite simple. The two of us have to do all of the work required in addition to our already overtaxed workload. I am of course primarily the Cost Controller. So, this comes first and any time spent on this project, plus my studying, is in my own time. This is what happens when you volunteer for something.

Mon, Nov 3rd

Today my post school education, and career adjustment, took another little step forward today. When I got home today there was a letter on the mat from the University of Bath confirming that my application to enroll as a distant learning student had been approved. Now I just need to find the time to do the studying.

Oh yea, our back hedge finally came into contact with some shears. We had to pay someone to trim our extremely overgrown conifer hedge to a more manageable size. It's just a shame that the sun sets around 4.45pm at the moment, so we were unable to get any pleasure from spending our much needed cash.

Sun, Nov 2nd

The last day before we go back to work and we really needed to make the most of it. Dawn did the laundry and ironing while I took several bags full of crap from the loft to the recycle centre. I then dropped into Tesco to pick up some carnations for my wife to say thank you for 12 incredible years before buying our monthly season tickets at the railway station.

After lunch I changed the socket outlets and light fitting in the spare room before the two of us carried the two tall book cases from the hall way up to the spare room. By the time we had put the photo albums and books back on the shelf, our aching bodies were crying out for a break. We're not as young as we used to be, obviously.

Dawn then worked on the computer for a couple of hours while I watched Lewis Hamilton become the youngest Formula One World Champion in history by finishing 5th in the San Paolo Grand Prix. After dinner Dawn then called her mother before we chilled out for an hour watching the Strictly results.

Sat, Nov 1st

Today Dawn and I celebrated the 12th anniversary of the day we met in New York City at the top of the Empire State Building. Neither one of us can believe it's been twelve years. After getting up, we exchanged cards and we both wrote the same thing. How fortunate we were to have met each other, and how much we appreciate the other for being there with everything we have been through. Then, looking forward we both acknowledged that no matter what the future had in store for us we would come through it all as long as we had the other by our side.

To celebrate we went into town and had a nice lunch at Baan Thitiya, a Thai restaurant we like. We also splurged by picking up a brownie and carrot cake at Waitrose, too. We had that as we enjoyed the evening in front of the television watching Strictly Come Dancing and X-Factor. I was also following the Spurs' recent revival on the Internet where again they scored in the last minute. This time to beat the previously undefeated Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Fri, Oct 31st

Our last day off work and we had a ride up to B&Q to pick up some paint and some rolls of insulation for our loft. That took half the day, by the time we'd got home and had lunch. The rest of the day was spent upstairs again. Dawn finished the painting in spare room (all but the radiator), and I got about 2/5 of the loft insulated. I would have got more done, but I had so much crap that I had to move including the old insulation which consisted of pebble-like stuff, carpet, wood, an old television aerial that was bolted to a joist and what was left of a huge wasp nest. At least the house felt a little warmer even if I didn't complete the whole loft.

Thur, Oct 30th

Today we took a day off from DIY and paid Dad a visit. Thanks to the snow, the Hertford trains were suffering cancellations and delays. So, for once we decided to drive up to see him. As luck would have it, we hit traffic problems on the A10 into London, so we took a detour through Broxbourne.

I'd been in touch with Hayley earlier in the week and asked her if she wanted to come up with us to see Dad, and she said yes. So we picked Hayley up at Finsbury Park station and stopped at Nandos for lunch before visiting Dad, then dropping her off at Dalston on the way back.

Our drive home to Hertford proved (as if we needed it) why we don't like driving into London. Our drive home took almost two hours. Much of it in built up traffic. Needless to say, we will be avoiding this type of journey if we can.

Wed, Oct 29th Part 2

Now that we had power back we could officially proceed with our holiday plans. A quick breakfast and a shower was followed by the two of us getting stuck into decorating. Our two projects this week had been to finish the paint work in the spare room and start stripping the wall paper. Dawn decided to do the painting because she hates stripping walls.

By 5pm we'd both had enough. Dawn had repainted all the walls, ceiling, baseboards, window sill and door. I'd stripped all the top layer of paper along the top landing and down the stairs to the hall way. We were both aching, and knew we still had quite a bit to do.

Tonight, I then watched Spurs' revival continue with an incredible result against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sky Sports. Spurs were 4-2 down with a minute to go. Then, a goal from Jenas and a second by Lennon in the 4th minute of injury time gave my good old Spurs a famous draw.

Wed, Oct 29th Part 1

We woke in the early hours to a cold house and darkness. The heavy snowfall that came down last night had taken down several power cables, so we had no electricity or heat. Thankfully we didn't have to go to work so we stayed in bed as long as we could before getting up and having several hot cups of tea while we read a book or yesterday's newspaper.

At 10am we heard a couple of bleeps as power was restored. We immediately put the fire on and started to enjoy our three days off work.

Tues, Oct 28th

Today was the last day before Dawn and I have five days (including the weekend) away from work. Dawn started her vacation early with an afternoon dental appointment. I got away around 4pm as normal and caught a bus back to Enfield Chase so I could catch the 16:21 train home with Dawn. To say we needed this break was an understatement. It's been a long summer and both of us have had to endure a lot of pressure at work. So it was with relief that my wages went into our bank account, and we said goodbye to work until next Monday.

However, the evening brought us one surprise that we didn't expect. We had just chilled out watching television and were about to turn the TV off when we suddenly lost our satellite picture. I went upstairs to the spare room to check the television up there and was shocked to see heavy snow falling outside. It was so heavy that not only was it settling, but it had also interfered with our television reception. Thank God we didn't have to go to work in the morning.

Mon, Oct 27th

Today I mailed my application to the University of Bath to enroll for the IEMA Associate course. Thankfully JT did a letter of recommendation, and my employers have paid the fees. In the current climate the fees would have been pretty steep. Hopefully now they will accept my application so I can start on retraining in a whole new field. It will be starting from the beginning again. But, I have done that once or twice before so I am not afraid of doing that.

Sun, Oct 26th

We woke this morning to the news that Spurs had fired Juande Ramos as their manager last night, and replaced him with Harry Redknapp. That certainly added some spice to the game we were going to see later in the day.

As for the game, we had the pleasure of a 3-course meal in the Legends Lounge before the game and two really good seats in the East Stand almost level with the half way line. For those interested in the food, we had a mushroom soup, followed by pork chop and veggies, then a kind of cherry custard-cheesecake. This was washed down with a couple of glasses of wine. Definitely better than being in the stands with a hot dog and plastic container of beer.

We then made our way to the seats and enjoyed watching Spurs take a half time lead before returning to the lounge for a nice hot cup of coffee. Spurs added a second goal in the second half before we left at full time knowing that Spurs had won their first league game of the season at the 9th time of asking.

Sat, Oct 25th

This morning I ran up to Tesco on my own so Dawn could tidy up a little. Then it was into town to get our haircut. It's amazing how quick the five weeks between cuts fly past. After that we popped in and out of several shops before stopping at Serendipity for a cup of coffee. We normally stop at Starbucks, but they didn't have any seats. We'd been to Serendipity once before, and again we had to wait quite a while for our two cups of coffee.

Back at the house Dawn did her weekly video call with Brady today instead of Sunday because we're going to Spurs tomorrow. I also looked in the Hertford Mercury and called someone out to give us a quote to trim our back hedge, which we have not had trimmed once since we moved in. The guy said that it was too high for him to reach the top of it, but would quote to cut the inside only or inside and outside. This was because his quote was a little more than we had budgeted for, or planned. We said we would call him back tomorrow.

One other interesting piece of news. Tiny has found a new place to rest. Check out the photo above. She now nestles down her after dinner in the evenings and can lay there for an hour or more.

Fri, Oct 24th

Today was a sad day at work as half a dozen members of staff were made redundant and we closed down our Northern Office. As you know, we have had cash problems for a while now. Well they have now come to a head and the powers that be felt that something had to be done. It's definitely a worrying time at present. But, all we can do is knuckle down and try and work through this. Some people will of course jump ship. I just hope that things can turn around soon.

Thur, Oct 23rd

Today, having only been involved for a few weeks on the company's environmental issues, I was thrust into holding the 14001 gap interview on my own. I am pleased to announce that it went okay. Although we're only starting out on the environment road, we did have some pretty sound procedures already in place that we could feed the 14001 process into. I was also pleased at how well I was able to hold myself seeing as it had only been agreed this week that I could undertake this role officially. Now we have until December 19th to get ready for Stage 1 with the final accreditation review at the end of March.

On a separate note, I watched Spurs demise at the hands of Udinese on television tonight. We lost 2-0 again and our performance was even worse than on Sunday. We need a miracle if we are going to salvage something from this season.

Tues, Oct 21st

My boss returned from his vacation yesterday and was pleased (although he had no doubts) that I was able to keep the cash situation at work from imploding. It doesn't mean that things will be easier this week. But, at least we're still coping. JT has also spoken to him about me taking on some of the workload in getting our company through the ISO 14001 accreditation and he was supportive of that, too.

Sun, Oct 19th

Up early to watch Louis Hamilton win the Japanese F1 Grand Prix before making some grits and fried porridge for breakfast. After a shower, I had a drive over to Ware to drop off a couple of bags bottles and cardboard at the recycling center before dropping into Tesco to pick up a bunch of flowers and a box of Earl Grey tea bags for Dawn.

Dawn did the vacuuming and laundry, while I made a pot of chili.

This afternoon, I finished reading my environmental book while Dawn had her weekly video call with Brady. I then plonked my backside on the couch to watch the Spurs' visit to Stoke City live on Sky Sports. It sank deeper than ever after I watched as Spurs lost again. Their worst ever start to a league campaign.

Sat, Oct 18th

Nothing out of the ordinary to report. We did our weekly grocery shopping at Tesco before heading into town to run some errands. We popped into the library to see if they had some books on the environment. They had just one worth getting. We dropped into Woolies, Waitrose and the Oxfam book shop. We had hoped to stop at one of the local coffee houses for a nice relaxing cup of latte. However, there were so many people in town that we decided to give that a miss and headed home.

Back home I spent most of the day reading 'Managing the Environment the 14001 way'. I'd already finished reading 'Easy Eco Auditing' in the last four days. Dawn just had to laugh every time I mentioned something I had read. Deciding to re-train has certainly invigorated my attitude towards work. Keep your fingers crossed that I can incorporate my new ideals there.

Tonight, we relaxed by watching this week's episodes of 'Strictly Come Dancing' and 'X-Factor'.

Fri, Oct 17th

Dawn emailed her line manager yesterday to fill her in on her visit to the doctor and hospital and was told to take today off work and rest. She felt it was more important that Dawn put her feet up for the next couple of days and come back Monday.

Well, Dawn followed her bosses words to the letter. Unlike yesterday when Dawn drove me to the station, I had to take myself this morning. Just like I did yesterday, I caught the 6:31am train to Moorgate. Then, once I had left she settled down with Tiny and took it easy for the rest of the day. On one occasion when we spoke she was stretched out on the bed with Tiny. As for her cough, it's still there. And doesn't seem to be getting better any time soon.

Thur, Oct 16th

Dawn has now been suffering with her cough for over three weeks, and despite completing one course of antibiotics still can't clear it. So today she took the day off work and visited our doctor. He felt that Dawn didn't have anything for her to be too concerned about. But did agree that it needed to be looked at, so sent her to our local hospital for an X-ray. Unfortunately, we will have to wait a week for the results. However, the doctor did put Dawn on another course of antibiotics.

By the the way, before anyone complains about the wait for Dawn's results, let me put the NHS service into perspective. Especially for Americans ready to criticise social health care. Dawn called the doctor shortly after 8.30am to make an appointment. She was given the time of 11:20am. Dawn arrived five minutes before her scheduled time and was seen dead on time. She left the doctor's surgery and made her way to the chemist (pharmacy) to pick up her drugs. It cost all of £7. She then drove to the hospital where she was seen immediately, had an X-ray, and then drove home. She was home by 12:15pm. She had visited her doctor, chemist, and had an X-ray in all under an hour. Best of all is it cost her JUST SEVEN POUNDS..........

Wed, Oct 15th

Today I had my six monthly check up at the dentist, and am glad to report that all is well. In fact, my dentist is so pleased with my progress that she doesn't want to see me for another six months. For some, this is normal. But for me, with my track record, this is great news.

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.