Sat, May 2nd

Well the holiday is almost over. Tiny woke us up at 12:30am with the sound of her throat heaving. I think we had upset her with all the packing we did before going to bed. She had been laying on the bed with me, but ended the night on the chair in the other room.

Anyway, we were up and out early. Well, earliesh. We left The Old Haven chalet around 7:45am after we had downed an authentic saffron fruit bun and cup of tea for breakfast. The sun was in the sky and the forecast was for no rain. If only the drive could be as easy as the one down.

We left Hayle along the A30 which would take us all the way to Exeter in Devon and the M5. I tuned the radio into easy listening on Radio 2 and got into cruising mode around 60mph. Tiny though was unsettled and wandered around the car. Dawn again had to love on her and I had to pull off the road and move the framed picture as she wanted to sit on it.

That done, we continued on the drive east. All went well. Several pee breaks and more for Coca-Cola kept up the progress home. In fact, we hardly even stayed stationary for long. We just enjoyed the sight of thousands of sheep and hundreds of cattle as we passed farm after farm. We did stop a little longer for lunch. We picked up a sandwich once we had reach the M4 motorway and had less than 150 miles left to go.

Sadly, the good time we made on the road wasn't to last. As we got closer to London we saw several signs warning of congestion on the M4 between junctions 4 and 6B. Worse still was that there was worse congestion on the M25 (the way we were going) just after our exit onto the M25. After almost coming to a standstill on the M4, I decided to stay on the M4 and get home via the North Circular and M1. That too proved problematic. Here the volume of traffic was even worse. We crawled along the road from one traffic light to the next. Eventually we reached the M1. Signs telling drivers to use the North Circular to get to Westfield, the largest shopping mall in London, did not help.

To cut a long story short, Dawn suggested that we stay on the M1 and go via St Albans rather than the M25 which we did. This meant that we made it home around 4pm after over 8 hours driving. The whole holiday we had only done 809 miles including the trip to and from Cornwall. Not too bad for these two environmentalists. Best of all is that we both agreed that it was the best holiday either of us had ever enjoyed.

For those of you interested in checking out the photos we took, go to our Facebook and see them there.

Fri, May 1st

Today we celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary just as we had our first, in St Ives. This time we had a ride over with the hope of finding a framed picture of Hayle to commemorate the holiday and as a gift to ourselves. However, I am getting a little head of myself.

After exchanging cards, receiving a anniversary text from my daughter Hayley, a shave, bath (no shower), and breakfast, we headed into town to get some photos before the so called rains came. We also wanted to have a drive around the residential part of Hayle, after I'd grabbed some photos of the Parish church in Phillack that had been there since 500AD, and The Bucket of Blood pub, to get a better feel of the place. That took all of five minutes. Like Dawn said, it's a pretty small town. But for those who visited Dawn in Oriental, NC, nothing as remote or isolated. This is bustling in comparison.

We then drove to St Ives and parked the car so we could check out the art gallery for a painting or print. Dawn went first and found some she liked. When I went I had to plump for the panoramic print of Godrevy Lighthouse from the beach at Hayle. It cost more than we had hoped, but we put the money Dad gave us for our anniversary towards it so it didn't break the bank.

The ride back to Hayle was the scenic route and with the windscreen wipers moving back and forth. As predicted, the rains had come. Thankfully after we had picked up the framed print. In town we stopped and picked up some more ice cream from Mr B's and a couple of pasties from Philp's Bakery. They had only been in business since 1958, so they weren't as good as Warrens. The ice cream was for dessert after dinner.

The pasties were so filling that I decided to go for a walk on the beach even though it was raining to lose some weight. Sorry, an excuse. I wanted to photograph some windsurfers on the waves. The wind and rain certainly brings them out. Then it was back to editing photos while Dawn did the journal again.

Our anniversary dinner was some really good fish and chips from Loggans Fish Bar in town. We spotted it when we went for a drive earlier in the day. It was so much better than Hubbard's. And, all things considered, an appropriate anniversary meal. Especially with the Ferrero Rocher and Cherry Ripple ice creams with chocolate flakes for dessert.

I did the washing up for the first and only time while Dawn went for one last walk along the beach. This time she headed towards the dunes just north of us and ended up along the clifftops. She arrived back exhausted and totally thrilled by the views from the clifftops. Another fitting end to our anniversary.

Thur, Apr 30th

Another day trip for the White threesome. Today we headed north of Hayle, this time along the cliffs and coves that surfers love. We headed along the B3301 towards Gwithian and stopped several times within the first couple of miles to get some photos of the Godrevy Lighthouse and then the beaches at Gwithian. Next stop was Hell's Mouth where Dawn decided she wanted to take the photos. When she returned to the car, after her knees had stopped shaking and she had edged herself back slowly from the 200 feet sheer drop, she asked me nicely if I would give this landmark a miss and drive on. I agreed and half a mile up the road I pulled into a parking area and made my way towards a barrier and took some photos looking back towards the cliffs that made my good wife nervous. However, even these cliffs made Dawn nervous too as the cliff edge was only 10 feet from the barrier and probably the drop just as sheer.

From here the road meandered in a little. The next stop was Portreath were there was a nice cover for surfers and the smell of bacon so great that we just had to have a bacon butty for lunch. Even Tiny got into the act by licking Dawn's hand. Here there was an incredible harbour which was designed almost like a lock with three chambers. Then it was onto Porthtowan where there was nothing other than two headlands either side of a cove, a bar which was overcrowded with midday revellers, and a couple of people our age walking a couple of dogs. Even so, it was tranquil and we loved it all the same.

Next port of call was a car park at St Agnes Head. We drove round and round a single lane road with no idea where we were going except the directions Dawn was following on the map. Like she said, "There's a car park. So there is bound to be something of interest there." Mistake. There was a nice view admittedly. But not the best and it was in the middle of nowhere. We had a laugh and then headed to the cove that was St Agnes. However, not before I had to reverse up a 20% gradient hill because a couple of riders on horses were coming up the single lane damn road. We decided to take another route and got to it a lot easier.

Again, the small cove seemed a haven for surfers and pet lovers. Again, there was just one bar and a couple of small shops. There was a Royal National Lifeboat Institute hut with a boat ready to launch and save some poor soul lost on the waves. But like all the other coves, that was it. Tranquil, peaceful and away from everything.

By now we were ready to head back to the chalet and were thinking about dinner. Tiny was good as gold again and we didn't want her cooped up much longer. So we headed back to Hayle. Again, I walked along the beach and again we enjoyed another fish dinner. I have to admit the calories have been passing our lips this week. However, we have been good by eating fish instead of red meat so much. Don't mention the wine, fish and chips, and of course the Cornish Pasty which was probably 1100 calories on its own.

One special note of interest. We stopped in Hayle on the way back and picked up some fresh Cornish ice cream at Mr B's. We had it after dinner as we watched television tonight and it was the best I had ever tasted. Thankfully we only found the place today. Had we found it on Sunday we would have gained 10 pounds just from the ice cream.

Wed, Apr 29th

It had to happen. Today the skies opened and it effectively rained all day. So today is going to seem boring to some of you. But to us it was heaven. We didn't have to go anywhere or do anything. We had a bath, had breakfast, I walked to the local convenience store to get Dawn some newspapers, we had lunch, I edited photos, Dawn wrote in her journal, we watched television, we had dinner, and we loved on Tiny.

The background to all this was Smooth Radio blaring from the digital television. It plays music that we like and in fact is the same station we usually listen to when we drive to the station in the mornings. In between I would check out the news on the BBC News channel to find out there have been more reported Swine Flu cases. The WHO is getting a little anxious about where this is leading. Although thankfully it seems that outside Mexico the cases don't seem too serious. Oh yea, I also ran into town and picked up some fish and chips for dinner at Hubbard's. Sadly, it was not as good at Charley's in Sele Farm, Hertford. Oh well.

We watched The Apprentice on television this evening and best of all Tiny got comfortable laying on my chest and settled there for what must have been over an hour. Most of it just sleeping with her head on my shoulder. And I am pleased to say that she also slept with me when we went to bed, too.

Tues, Apr 28th

Today we decided to head out a little further than St Ives. Although we again had to go to St Ives as we were going to head along the coastline southwest of us. The scenery along the way is always breathtaking to me. Whether it's the rugged cliffs, sand beaches and coves, hills and crags with cows, horses and sheep, or just the isolated farms and small villages all with buildings made from local slate and granite surrounded by gorse and heather, the place is so mesmerizing to me.

We stopped along the way for several photo opportunities. Once was at an old disused tin mine, another to get some photos of cows just chilling out. All the time we drove at about 30-40mph as the two lane roads with slate/granite hedges either side of us had only passing places just in case a car (or usually a tractor or plant vehicle) was coming the other way.

We arrived at out destination, Lands End, just as the heavens opened. Not at all what we had planned. Before we left Hertford Dawn saw that it was to rain a lot this week. We were just hoping the forecasters had it wrong. Thankfully the rain ceased as quick as it had began and in no time there was glorious sun. We grabbed a bite to eat as we took it in turns to head out towards the cliff end and stand at England's Lands End and look out to Longship's Lighthouse and the Atlantic. It was hard to believe that it had been 11 years since we came here to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. Less hard to believe is that we had to pay £3 to park the car otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see the incredible clifftop views.

From Lands End we headed east along the southern end of the peninsula to Penzance. This was a flying visit. Last time we walked to St Michael's Mount. This time we wanted to find a fresh fish stall so we could get some fish for dinner. We were in luck. I founds Stevenson's and picked up some plaice. Then it was back to Hayle and the chalet.

All the time Tiny was as good as gold. She got in and out of her carrier and wandered around the car when we parked. But usually she just rested in her carrier.

Dinner as you can imagine was plaice, which was excellent. I did it pan fried with some veggies. Again I went for a walk on the beach and took more photos. Dawn relaxed by reading a newspaper and the Cornish factoid book she picked up at Lands End. However, I wasn't finished with the camera when I got back to the chalet. Tonight we finally had a sunset to boast about. So I was outside taking dozens of photos just so I could get the right one for our photo album.

Mon, Apr 27th

Today was our first real travel day. After the usual morning rituals, we put Tiny in her carrier and laid it on the backseat of the car and headed towards Hayle and then on to St Ives. The drive was only about 5 or 6 miles from where we were. It wasn't really a long drive. However, when we arrived there we immediately knew that we didn't need to be in a car. The narrow streets were crowded with people and we had to head a snail's pace to the harbour. I of course took several photos before we headed back out via the hills and got some more shots of the town looking towards Gwithian and Hayle. St Ives is definitely a town best covered on foot.

On the way back to Hayle we stopped at Warrens, the bakery, to pick up some pasties for lunch. Warrens have been making them since the 1800s, so we know they are good. And they were. A little too big for Dawn, but excellent all the same.

As we were back at the chalet, I jumped at the chance to head back out to the beach again. I couldn't get enough of the golden sand and jagged cliffs. I felt like I had never been away. This was the 13th time I had been down to Hayle for a vacation and Dawn was beginning to see why I wanted to retire here.

Dawn stayed with Tiny at the chalet and caught up with the diary notes. This time she is doing the diary while I take the photos. This meant that when I was at the chalet I spent lots of time editing all the photos that I took.

Tonight we had a wonderful steak and bake for dinner and then watched the finale of Hell's Kitchen. Normally we would be in bed by 9pm when we're in Hertford. However, here we couldn't record anything. So either it was stay up late or miss - which basically meant 10pm bedtime for the week.

Oh yea, Tiny is having a ball. She is completely puzzled by the white waves as they crash against the beach. She is also enjoying having one of us with her at all times. And she is as cosy as can be at night sleeping between my feet at the bottom of the bed.

Sun, Apr 26th

Our first full day in Hayle and we started it with a nice lie in. Then we had a nice fry up for breakfast and planned the rest of the day. As it turned out that meant just chilling out without a thought of work, household chores, and best of all the Internet. Having no Internet, we had to rely on the Freeview television set to find out what was happening in the world. This was obviously the Swine Flu and more locally the tragic story of three people who went missing when a car got carried away in a local stream that turned into a torrent the early hours of Saturday morning between Zennor and St Ives. These two pieces of news were headlines all week.

A little after we had our second cup of tea there was a knock at the door. A German guest from one of the other chalets had no electricity. He hadn't realised that he needed to put £1 coins in a meter. I showed him how, then gave a message to self to pick up plenty of coins so that we didn't run out either.

I won't go into all the ins and outs. However, between getting up and lunch we both had a walk along the beach. In my case, the memories came flooding back from my childhood as I walked along the sand and along the cliff tops. Dawn went out for a walk when I got back and went a different way. Mainly because she missed the path up to the cliffs. However, it did give her a chance to see some more of the beach.

We headed out towards St Ives after lunch, but when we reached downtown Hayle the traffic was gridlocked. So it was back to the Co-0p for some groceries and then to the chalet. We weren't too disappointed, as it gave us a chance to rest a little more and unwind. Dinner was Shrimp Creole which went down really good before we chilled out watching the BAFTA awards. However, not before I had been out again to get some photos of the beach and cliffs with the tide in.

Sat, Apr 25th

This morning we woke before 4am (without an alarm) in eagerness to head off on holiday. We left the house around 6.20am and headed west via the A414 to Hatfield, where we got on the A1(M) that took the M25. We headed anti-clockwise until we reached the M4 and then headed west again. We of course stopped several times along the way for the usual pee break and to fill up with coffee and Coca-Cola. But I was good. I kept the speed down to around 60 mph, even on the motorway. Just before Bristol we took the M5 exit and headed southwest towards Devon. Still everything was fine. That was until I noticed the exhaust warning sign on the dashboard and started worrying about the temperature gauge. Thankfully the temperature anxiety was just me worrying for nothing. Sadly the exhaust light did not go off, so now we have a car repair to fork out for. We stopped at a Little Chef and picked up what was supposed to be a southern fried chicken bap. Sadly the only thing that was authentic was the bap. For the rest of the journey Dawn's stomach felt queasy. Thankfully again she was okay despite the tummy grumbling.

We finally arrived in Hayle (I forgot to mention it rained off an and on for the whole trip) around 3pm. Not bad for 330 miles at the speed I was going. We stopped off at the Co-op for some groceries before heading to the chalet on the Riviera Towans. The drive through Phillack was just as I remembered it. It hadn't changed one bit since I first went to Hayle over 40 years ago.

The rest of the day was spent at The Old Haven chalet unpacking, looking out the patio windows to St Ives, eating, watching television, reading and drinking tea. Dawn of course had a celebratory glass of wine.

Fri, Apr 24th

The last day of the week, and the last day of work for 10 whole days. Both Dawn and I spent the best part of our days tying up loose ends and making sure that we didn't leave any problems behind for others to deal with or to explode on us when we returned to work on May 5th.

Tonight, after dinner, Dawn spent most of the time finishing (or I should say doing) the packing for our vacation. We then settled down and watched Apprentice, You're Fired and the American Idol results show before calling it a night. We have an early start in the morning.

Wed, Apr 22nd

Back to work and today attended the Management Quality Meeting. There wasn't as many people there was usual because several directors were out of the office. But I was still able to present the stats on our environmental progress. The bad news is that although fossil fuel consumption in the office has gone down, any improvement has been outweighed by the increase in petrol (vehicle gas) use. It looks like our carbon footprint target for the end of the year is going to take some doing.

Tues, Apr 21st

Had a meeting with my boss and the chairman of the company to discuss the work I had done on getting ISO 14001 accreditation. The outcome was that from the beginning of this month my job title has been changed to Environmental Manager. That's one of my goals for the year accomplished.

Mon, Apr 20th

Today was health and safety day at work. Which for me meant a couple hours doing the fire warden training. It was scary, to say the least. In one video it showed how a smouldering fire in a couch set the WHOLE room ablaze with billowing smoke in less than 5 minutes. I also got to put out a controlled fire with a CO2 extinguisher, and better still another fire with a fire blanket. Everyone watching saw how the flames flew over my head as I placed the blanket on the burning pan. Thankfully I didn't see or feel a thing.

Sun, Apr 19th

Woke up this morning and sent a text message to Hayley to wish her a happy birthday. It's hard to believe that she is getting up there in age, now. Doesn't say much for me.

I then spent the rest of the day chilling out. Watched Vettel win the Chinese Formula 1 motor race and Spurs beat Newcastle United 1-0 on Sky Sports. Dawn and I also watched the film "Bucket List", too. Now that was a thought provoking film to say the least. Perhaps I should make a list of things that I need to do before I kick the bucket. I already know of several things that I need to put down.

The rest of the time was on the computer either updating the blog or downloading photos from the Flickr site so I can post them on Facebook. I was also backing up the original files digital photos, too. I am now onto my 20th DVD of files.

Sat, Apr 18th

The weekend again, and once again we popped down to Tesco to do our weekly grocery shopping. However, this time we ended up spending almost twice as much as we normally do. No we're not having a party or anything. We were picking up a load of stuff to take on holiday with us. We're collecting bits and pieces to save buying them while we're away. Not perishables, obviously.

We then popped back into town for a haircut and stopped off at Starbucks for some coffee.

Back at the house we both spent many hours on the computers. Dawn on Facebook again, while I was backing up photos. With all the pictures I have taken over the last few years, it took forever.

Again, we relaxed watching another film. This time The Russell Girl with Amber Tamlyn.

Fri, Apr 17th

The end of a long week. I know we only worked 4 days this week. But, it felt like six after having the four day weekend. I even heard through the grapevine that someone at work complained about me. I'm not surprised. I'm not really a team player and do have a tendency to take the piss out of some of my colleagues.

Tonight when we got home we had a package in the mail that I had been waiting for. I ordered Photoshop Elements 7 on Ebay because version 4 that I've been using since we were in America stopped working a couple of weeks ago. This is why I haven't been able to post any photos. I haven't been able to edit them to make Dawn and me look younger than we really are.

Wed, Apr 15th

Day two of this short week. Yesterday was much of a non-event, which is why I never posted anything. Today, however, I had to leave early and make my way to Winchmore Hill for my six month visit to the dentist.

The good news is that I was able to get in early and out again so I could meet Dawn on the regular train we normally catch back to Hertford North. The bad news is that the dentist wants me to have one of my deep clean sessions. That means I'll be back in July for two consecutive days where I'll also need some local anesthetic to dampen down the pain - Not good....

Mon, Apr 13th

Day Four of our long weekend. Yes, in England Easter Monday is a public holiday. I won't repeat myself. But, it's nice to know that at least in this country we acknowledge that Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. I sometimes wonder whether Christmas would have been so big in America if it weren't for Hallmark - Just Kidding!!!!!!!!!!!

We took it easy once more and this time we popped into town to wander around the shops that were open and had a skinny cappuccino in Serendipity. Back at the house we did do some IEMA studying again. We also had an excellent meal, too. Today it was my special chicken casserole where the chicken has been marinated in white wine, honey, brown sugar, peri-peri sauce and chili powder, and then baked in a dish with some carrots, swede and parsnips.

Sun, Apr 12th

Day three of the long weekend and we did Jack. I popped out to get the newspaper in the morning, but that was about it. Dawn spent a few hours on Facebook, and I chilled out with Tiny resting on my chest watching a couple episodes of Stargate SG-1 that I had recorded. We then had intervals where we moved around the house, put food in our mouth and spent time on the computer and watched television. I know it was a complete waste of time. But, it felt so good knowing that we didn't have to go to work tomorrow.

Again we relaxed watching a film at the end of the day with a nice hot cup of Earl Grey tea with a biscuit and some squares of Cadbury fruit and nut chocolate.

Sat, Apr 11th

Day two of our long weekend. We ran into Tesco for a few bits before heading into London to visit Dad. As usual when we pop up to Holloway, we stopped at Nandos in Stroud Green Road and had lunch. We decided to do what we did the last time we were there, when we took George. That was share half a chicken, a pepper dip with pita, and some olives.

Dad looked pretty well all things considering. He hasn't been out, but he had more colour than the last time we saw him. He had even added a few pounds of weight on. Perhaps that's because he preferred his own cooking to the stuff he got at the hospital.

Back home we relaxed in front of the television after I had made an excellent dinner of pan fried salmon with wild rice and cheese sauce on steamed broccoli. We saw the night out watching No Country For Old Men.

Fri, Apr 10th

Hey, it's time to celebrate. Here in England it's Good Friday and we don't have to go to work. I know it's Good Friday in America, too. But, here we get the day off work. How is that for a Christian country?

Needless to say, with work being the last thing on our minds, we chilled out and took things easy. I ran into town shortly after 8am and picked up some hot cross buns for breakfast. I also popped into Tesco and picked up some carnations for my good wife.

Like I said, we chilled out. That meant we spent most of the day on the computer, either Twittering, Blogging or on Facebook. The latter can be addictive if you're not careful. We then watched the film The Shell Seekers. I have to admit that I got pretty excited when I saw Hayle in the background when they did a scene from St Ives in Cornwall. In a couple of weeks we'll be back there to celebrate our anniversary.

Thur, Apr 9th

Dawn is really getting into Facebook now. She has been searching out old friends and seeing who is out there in Internet World. I even invited Dave Eggers, our friend (and recently elected mayor of Dunedin) from Florida to be friends and he accepted. However, I have to confess that the majority of my so called friends are from work. Sometimes I feel that it should be called an acquaintance book. Especially when you see how many so called friends others have accumulated. I know that I am anti-social. But some of these people have more friends on their Facebook than numbers of people I have even met.

Tues, Apr 7th

Dawn and I also did some more IEMA studying. However, it is pretty difficult to stay focused at the moment with what's happening at work.

Mon, Apr 6th

Back to work. Thankfully it's just a four day week here in the UK. Over here Friday is a public holiday for everyone to take time out to acknowledge that Jesus Christ died on the cross. It makes it easy for people like me to have hot crossed buns, too. If you're lucky, Dawn will write about them on Friday. It's also a holiday next Monday, too. He (JC) rose from the dead on the Sunday, but with all the partying to celebrate, we couldn't be expected to go to work the next day.

For Christians offended by this, I apologise. Especially Americans who have started calling the Christmas period the festive holidays. However, I believe that humour is a great asset in this day and age. So JC will be looking down and saying, "At least he remembered!!!!"

As for work, it was crap. Enough said.

Sun, Apr 5th

A nice day at home taking it easy. Popped out to the newsagent to get Dawn a copy of the Sunday Times and Observer while I filled the car up with petrol. Then the rest of the day was spent in the kitchen, at the dining table, or watching television.

Dawn and I spent a good couple of hours working on our IEMA course work. This is the third time I have picked it up. For Dawn this was the first time she had tackled it. We hope to complete all the modules and assignments by the end of July. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED.

Tiny was in heaven having us both home. Especially with Dawn being absent for a couple of evenings last week. I think it was the first time in several weekends that she didn't try and chew any paperwork first thing in the morning.

Sat, Apr 4th

It's the weekend and we're so glad this week is over. Obviously it was good to get ISO accreditation for our EMS, but it's even better to have Dawn home.

This morning I ran over to Tesco to do our weekly grocery shopping while Dawn did some chores. We then received a visit from my daughter Hayley. Again it was good to see her and we enjoyed a good few hours catching up on what she had been up to. We all enjoyed a home made chicken wrap before I dropped Hayley off at Hertford East so she could catch a train back to Hackney.

I then watched a recording of the Blackburn-Spurs game. Sadly we lost, but I wasn't too disappointed with everything else I had going well.

Thur, Apr 2nd

Normal service resumed. Tonight I caught the 15:41 train at Enfield Chase and am glad to report Dawn and I travelled back to Hertford North together. It just did not feel right the two of us being apart. However, we can both confirm that absence DOES make the heart fonder. Even Tiny was over the moon to see Dawn, too.

Dawn was also pleased to have a home made meal after snacking and downing all the calories she had the last few days while she was at the University of Warwick. Tonight she tucked into an nice homely vegetable stew I had made yesterday full of swede, celeriac, carrots, tomatoes, kidney beans, haricot beans and green lentils mopped up with some freshly baked store bread.

Tonight Dawn plans to chill out in front of the television with some Apprentice and American Idol. Roll on the weekend...........

Wed, Apr 1st

Following all the work I have been doing recently towards ISO 14001 accreditation, and with Dawn being away from us, I decided to take the day off work. I can tell you, it was needed. I felt mentally exhausted.

With Dawn away in Coventry, and being restricted to just talking on the phone, I spent the day taking it easy and cooking. I made one large pot of chili, and a second of something that will be a surprise for Dawn. In fact, I'd never made it before so it will be a first for me, too.

Tiny is again coping well. It has helped having me home with her all day. No doubt she will be over the moon (as will I) to see Dawn home tomorrow.

Tues, Mar 31st

My big day. First I had to deal with leaving Dawn on the train knowing that I wouldn't see her again until Thursday. She is attending an environmental conference at the University of Warwick and will be staying overnight in Coventry both tonight and tomorrow night.

Then, once I got to work I had accommodate BSI with as they reviewed our EMS. One that had only been put together over the last 6 months. Well the good news is that, as with 9001, BSI will recommend our certification to ISO 14001:2004. However, I did better than with the QMS. I only had three non-conformances. What an accomplishment. Even more rewarding is that I did this while also dealing with my accounts responsibilities and being on short time through January.

Another highlight was picking up fish and chips on the way home for dinner. I then spent the evening with Tiny. She was alot better than we feared. Needless to say, we still missed Dawn.

Mon, Mar 30th

Day one of the week I can't wait to be over with.

Today we had BSI in to complete stage 2 of our ISO 9001:2008 application. I can report that it went as expected and they recommended certification. We just have to notify them of how we plan to deal with the 5 minor non-conformances. Now we have part two of the plan tomorrow to get our other accreditation. The one that was left up to me to deal with.

Sun, Mar 29th

We lost an hour's sleep due to the clocks going forward. But on the bright side, it's now British Summer Time. However, the ice on the cars would seem to contest that point.

Watched the Australian Grand Prix and was delighted to see Jensen Button win the season opener for the Brawn team in their very first race. Even better was that Hamilton finished 3rd. Once that was over, it was go, go, go. Dawn did some of the weekend chores, but we spent most of the time on the laptops. I must have spent over four hours looking at over 100 pdf files to produce our company's legal register. We need it for Tuesday's ISO 14001 audit.

On the bright side, we didn't have to go out and were able to enjoy the cosiness of the house. We also had the pleasure of starting our compost. I tore up loads of cardboard, cut some grass and then added dead flowers and a container of tea bags and vegetable cuttings. The White (or should I say Green) family are on the go.

Sat, Mar 28th

Thank God it's the weekend. We just couldn't wait for last week to be over with. In fact, we chilled out so much that we didn't get to the grocery store until gone 9am. For us that is late. We then popped into town so I could get my blood pressure tablets and do some more grocery shopping and chill out at Starbucks.

The afternoon was more chill out time as we both worked on our computers and watched TV. We ended the day watching Juno. A nice relaxing film that enabled us to unwind even more without too much thinking.

Fri, Mar 27th

Our scales showed that I have now lost weight for 11 consecutive weeks and am back below 12 and a half stone at 174 1/2 pounds. Seems like Christmas increased my love handles just a little more than I would have liked.

Talked to Dad tonight and he sounded a lot happier to be home. Even better is that he won't have to go to the hospital on Monday for his blood test as a district nurse will be visiting him to take it.

Wed, Mar 25th

Dawn had another stressful day at the office today. She had a student work-shadowing her and her boss almost all day to see what goes on in environmental management. Best of all was that the student wasn't even registered at CU, and she was majoring in physics.

However, the day wasn't all bad. I can confidently look forward to getting paid on Friday. Plus we arrived home to find our new composter at the front door. Now we can look forward to composting all our used tea bags, toilet rolls, dead flowers and of course our vegetable peelings.

Mon, Mar 23rd

I am glad to report that Dad is back home after spending four weeks in a hospital bed. He wasn't happy that he didn't get a copy of his discharge letter, and that it was hell walking up several flights of stairs to the front door. He celebrated with a tin of spaghetti and toast. I am sure that compared to what he has been eating recently, to him it must have tasted like a gourmet meal.

Sun, Mar 22nd

As mentioned yesterday, we were away from the house most of the day. After our usual breakfast of sauteed mushrooms, baked beans, waffle and fried egg we headed out in the car towards Holloway. First we picked up George and took him to Nandos for lunch. We shared a pepper dip with pita, olives and half a chicken. George had a chicken pita with chips. It was the first meal that he hadn't cooked for himself in four weeks.

We then drove through God knows how much traffic to the cemetery. A gorgeous sunny Mother's Day brought out everyone and their son, causing us to fall a little behind our schedule. Anyway, we all laid some flowers on Mum's grave, and George laid some on our Grandmother's. Sadly neither of us knew her as she died 25 years before I was even born.

Then it was up to see Dad. He was in good spirits and looking forward to going home tomorrow. However, we still have to keep our fingers crossed as his INR was way up on Friday. If it's up again tomorrow they may keep him in there a little longer.

George stayed with Dad after we left and we headed home to Hertford for Dawn to finish her weekend chores by doing the ironing. Neither of us is looking forward to the week ahead. It's anyone's guess what we have in store.

Sat, Mar 21st

Today we spent all day at home. Or well as good as. We ran over to Tesco to do the weekly grocery shopping, then spent the rest of the day at home because we would be out most of Sunday. However, this also meant that Dawn had to do most of her chores today which she did in between lunch and an excellent honey roast chicken with butternut squash dinner. Dawn also had her weekly video call with Brady. All in all we were just pleased to be able to chill out after the week we'd had.

Fri, Mar 20th

Thank God it's Friday. Both of us said that. For me, I am counting down the days until my next pay day. I am also counting down the days until the ISO 14001 audit. That has a few more, but thankfully will be behind me once we hit April.

For Dawn, she had to do two presentations today. One was to some of the 65 environmental champions that she has rounded up through one method or another to assist her in changing the world. Well, at least what she has an influence over at CU. But heh, she is making an impact. And far more than those of you who feel they can't make a difference. She then had to do a second one for her department's quarterly staff meeting. Both in fact went very well. But it doesn't alleviate the stress that builds up until they are over. Well done, Mama Beaver. Check out Dawn's Facebook if want to know why she is called this.

Good news (hopefully) from the hospital. Dad called and they have scheduled to send him home on Monday. Of course he needs to get through the weekend first. But compared to last Friday when we thought he was still waiting to have surgery, this is a huge step.

Thur, Mar 19th

This isn't really something just for today. It's been happening a lot over the last week or so, but I wanted to write about it when I had nothing else much to report. Dawn is getting hooked on FACEBOOK.

Dawn set up one for us ages ago for our personal friends, although most of the friends on it are people I work with and some people we know from Florida, and one for her to network with her college folk. However, neither really hit off as we aren't that sociable. But recently she was contacted by some people she knew way back when (won't say how long ago) and now she is dredging up old acquaintances from everywhere. In fact, both our blogs have links to our Facebooks now.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we're just amazed at how easy it has been to contact people who haven't been in contact for the longest time. If you haven't tried it, give it a go.

Wed, Mar 18th

Once more Dawn had to travel all the way to CU on her own on the train as I was driving to work again. Neither one of us likes this, but hopefully there won't be too many more times now.

Again, I drove over to the Whittington to see Dad and was delighted with his appearance. I know that I keep saying that he is looking better each time. But this time he looked as good has he had before he went in. Even better was that I was able to speak to one of the doctors face to face.

The latest is that the bone scan came back with nothing to be alarmed about. They are also not going to operate on his kidney because that has begun to function again through medication. The plan is to see if he will be well enough to go home next week. I think he wants that more than anyone. Bumped into George as I was leaving. Still no sign of my other brother Phillip paying Dad a visit yet.

Tues, Mar 17th

Worked all day on environmental matters at work or as Dawn puts it - had my environmental hat on today. With just two weeks to go until our final ISO 14001 registration audit, I have enough to do.

No news from the hospital on Dad's condition. I will have to wait until Wednesday, when I go up there myself.

Finally, ordered a small electrical appliance meter so we can check how much electricity we waste leaving pieces of equipment on. Worse still how much they use when we are actually using them.

Mon, Mar 16th

No milk today, as the old 60s song goes. We had no milk delivered and no explanation. Oh well, I thought it was too good to believe.

Dawn mailed out our 2008 US tax return, which will keep good old Uncle Sam happy for another twelve months. Thankfully he won't be getting his hands on any income thanks to the foreign income threshold being so high. Or should I say our joint income being so low!!

Finally some progress on Dad's situation. He finally went for a bone scan. Now we just have to wait for the results.

Sun, Mar 15th

First an update on Dad's condition. Tomorrow will be three weeks since his admission into the Whittington. He arrived with a heart problem, which changed to a kidney problem coupled with breathing issues. He has also been scheduled for a bone scan and a kidney operation. However, neither of these have occurred as of yet. He has lost a few pounds in weight and is as bored as can be and can't wait to get home. Sadly I can not predict when this will be. He has looked better each time I have seen him. However, he still seems a little too weak to go home just yet. But, that is my opinion and I am not a doctor.

As for the two of us, today we took it easy for a change. Dawn of course did her chores, but the rest of the time we spent on the computer, watching television, sorting paperwork (including our 2008 US tax return) or eating. I add the last because I did a wonderful oven-baked chicken with butternut squash and broccoli that we just loved.

Sat, Mar 14th

Thank God it's the weekend. Today we spent the the day around Hertford and the house. Did the weekly shopping at Tesco and then ran into town for our haircut. As usual we stopped off at Starbucks and chilled out for a while with a skinny cappuccino. I wrote some notes for the upcoming week at work, while Dawn did some Suduko. We called into the Co-op to pick up a prescription and ran into the Oxfam shop before making it home in time for some lunch.

On our never-ending path to becoming as environmentally friendly as we can, we ordered a composter over the web. We have already reduced our general waste substantially through recycling and being careful of what we buy. Now, when it arrives, we will be able to recycle uncooked food waste along with plant and brown waste.

Dawn had her video call with Brady today for a change. I am not sure exactly why it was brought forward a day, but it will help with Dawn's chores the rest of the weekend.

Fri, Mar 13th

Yes, Friday the thirteenth again. I had no fears about this being an unlucky day. This has been an unlucky year so far, so one day wasn't going to make any difference. However, I do have a cold now. But I can assure you this is the last of my concerns with Dad back in hospital again.

Today was also Red Nose Day in the UK. Every two years the entertainment industry in the UK leads the country by example in laughing at itself and raising money for charity. So far, despite the credit crunch, over £54 million has been raised. This was up a third on the previous record two years ago.

Wed, Mar 11th

Dropped Dawn off at Hertford North so she could catch a train to work, then drove to Enfield. Thankfully I only had half a day today (which was still nearly 6 1/2 hours). Then it was over to the Whittington Hospital to visit Dad again.

Dad, I can report, is in good spirits despite no sign of his much-need kidney operation. Now they want to do a bone scan, too. He did look a little better than he did last Saturday, but was still on the oxygen. He has lost a little weight, too. But he could do with that, so that's not a problem.

Finally, this evening we got an unexpected knock at the door. A local dairyman wanted to know whether we would be interested in receiving milk deliveries. We jumped at the chance to have milk delivered in glass bottles that can be collected and recycled. Our new deliveries should start on Monday.

Tues, Mar 10th

The good news is that Dawn has finally received her coursework from the University of Bath and can now start doing the IEMA course alongside me. I have already had three months head start, but work and other pressures have made progress pretty slow.

Sun, Mar 8th

Today was our day. After all that has been happening, we felt that today we could just try and relax a little. However, Dad's condition and my job were not far from our thoughts. Not to mention Dawn's workload. She is more than happy with her new role as Environmental Officer. However, she has more work than she can hit a stick at. So in addition to her Sunday chores, reading the Sunday papers, and her weekly video call with Brady, she also worked on environmental stuff for work. Like the old saying goes, no peace for the wicked.

One last thing before I close for this week. I don't know whether you regularly check Dawn's blog, but every week she posts a brief comment or two about a topic close to her heart. Or more to the case, the public's heart. There's a link on the side of this blog called Dawn's Diary. Check it out and come back every week.

Sat, Mar 7th

Saturday at last. What a week. Thankfully I didn't have to go to work today, and I could also see Dad so would have a better idea of how he is doing. First though, we had to do the Saturday chores. I ran up to Tesco to do the weekly grocery shopping and then dropped into our local sorting office to pick up two environmental books that I had ordered that were too big to deliver through our letter box in the week.

Together we then popped into town to do a little more shopping before trying out Brasserie Gerard for lunch. It's a new (chain) restaurant that opened up in Hertford a few months ago. We shared an onion soup, salad nicoise, and pork pate with bread. Sadly it was overpriced and the service left a lot to be desired, so we won't be going back there again.

We then drove over to Highgate in North London to visit Dad. When we arrived at the Whittington I was pleased to see that Dad looked even better than he did on Wednesday. On the down side, he was still on oxygen and had still hardly been out of bed. Monday will be two weeks since he arrived. We also discussed his forthcoming surgery. Because of Dad's health, the doctors have decided to carry out the surgery under a local anesthetic. That made me feel a little better. But I have to admit that we're still concerned about his long term health.

George arrived before we left so at least this time we were able to talk with him a little before heading back home. Back home, we saw the day out watching American Idol and a 1971 film, Walkabout.

Fri, Mar 6th

When Dawn and I arrived home there was a brief message on our voicemail from Dad, so I called him back immediately. Hearing his voice on the recording was encouraging because it meant that he had come through his surgery. However, when I spoke to him he had news that I did not expect. Instead of a pure exploratory operation, the doctors had planned to insert a stint near his malfunctioning kidney. Sadly his IR was too high, so now it's scheduled for Monday.

Thu, Mar 5th

Tonight we got a call from George to tell us that the doctors are taking Dad down for an exploratory operation in the morning. Some of the things George said did not make sense. However, it didn't alleviate our concerns regarding Dad. Now we will be on pins and needles wondering what the doctors are looking for and whether it has anything to do with his cancer.

Wed, Mar 4th

This morning I dropped Dawn off at Hertford North and drove into Enfield. My boss had approved my request on Monday for me to leave around lunch time and visit Dad at the Whittington. However, it didn't make this morning any better for me at work. I'll be glad when this week is over. Things are just too tense for my liking.

As for Dad, he looked a lot better than he did on Friday. That's mainly because he seems to be getting over the chest infection. However, he is still on oxygen and is still not getting out of bed much. I just think it will be a while before he is back on his feet again or back home. On leaving I bumped into George who seemed a little too preoccupied with something else to notice me.

Tues, Mar 3rd

Update on Dad. Spoke to George again this evening. He said that Dad has a bad kidney, can't breathe very well and isn't eating much. Thankfully I'll be popping up to the hospital on Wednesday so I can see how he is for myself.

Mon, Mar 2nd

Back to the grindstone and the recognition that the problems faced in February have not gone away. Within 10 minutes of arriving at the office my boss recieved a call from the bank. Several more phone calls took place before I left for the station. Now they want to come in and see him to check one or two things over. Great.

Dawn had attended several meetings at work today and was back in the environmental mode. I just wish I had a job where I could deal with environmental issues day in and day out. Instead I have to explain to creditors why their cheque is not in the mail. I used to explain that we hadn't paid because the cheque must still be in the mail. However, some of our debts are so old that that explanation doesn't wash.

Tonight we had leftovers of the chicken bake from Sunday and it was excellent. Will make another variation of this dish at the weekend. We also watched Junebug.

I also called the hospital and the staff nurse said that Dad hadn't been coughing today and that he seemed a little better. I asked her to let Dad know that I had called and would be up in a day or so.

Sun, Mar 1st

Let's hope that the new month is a little better than February.

After the usual Sunday morning routine of picking up a Sunday Times for Dawn, relaxing with an episode of Stargate Atlantis, and a nice plate of baked beans, mushrooms, waffle and egg, we got stuck into our list of things to do. Dawn finished off her weekend chores while I drove over to Ware to drop off a load of aluminium cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and cardboard before stopping at Tesco to pick up some carnations for Dawn.

Again I went through some of Dawn's environment papers (as well as completing one of my IEMA assignments) before making a seafood cocktail for lunch.

This afternoon Dawn's video call with Brady didn't happen again because of technical problems, so Brady called Dawn. I meanwhile watched Spurs lose the Carling Cup Final to Manchester United on Sky. In between I prepared a baked chicken dish from a Weight Watchers magazine. I made enough for two nights and it was excellent.

I called Dad on his cell phone this evening and was pleased to speak to him. However, he was constantly coughing. He is still on oxygen and a nebulizer though.

We ended the night watching the remainder of There Will Be Blood before calling it a night.

Sat, Feb 28th

Thank God today was the last day of the month. We had a little bit of a lie in before doing the weekly grocery shopping at Tesco. We then dropped into town to pick up a few odds and ends and stopped in Starbucks for a coffee.

Back at the house we took things easy for a change. Dawn did some of her weekend chores and I had a look at Dawn's environmental paperwork for her.

I think that after the month we've had so far we both just wanted to see it out. However, we were both feeling a little guilty that neither of us really got stuck into the list of objectives we had set out for ourselves.

Dad is still in the Whittington. No real change at the moment.

We ended the day watching the start of There Will Be Blood. However, it was too long for us to watch in one sitting before our bedtime.

Fri, Feb 27th

Today I took half a day off work and drove over to the Whittington Hospital from Enfield to visit Dad. He was surprised to see me, but pleased. As I walked in he was being wheeled to x-ray to have a scan done on his kidneys.

I was surprised to see how rough Dad looked. He had difficult breathing and his hands were shaking. But then again he did have a lung infection. An oxygen tank and nebulizer were helping him to breathe. However, that was the cause of the shaking, too. George turned up a little later, so it was good to see him too.

Later on George called to say that Dad had been moved to a different ward and that he had had a scan on his chest after I had left.

Thur, Feb 26th

Dad is still in hospital. I tried several times to contact him on his cell phone, but it was always turned off. Eventually I got hold of George at the flat and he had disturbing news. Dad now had a chest infection to worry about. This is what happened the last time he went into hospital. He had one symptom and ended up with a couple of others before he was discharged. However, I am not complaining. I'd rather have the NHS than a payment only system like in the US.

Wed, Feb 25th

Again, I tried to call Dad on his cell phone with no joy. Eventually I got hold of George at the flat around lunch time. He'd been up the hospital in the morning and at the moment Dad hopes to be home tomorrow or Friday. George did add that Dad was bored out of his mind and not at all worried. Dad had said the same things when I spoke to him yesterday morning.

You will be pleased to know that we arrived home safely tonight and are counting down the days to March one by one.

Tues, Feb 24th

Update on Dad. Dad called me at work around 8:15am. However, there was very little he could tell me as he was still waiting to see the doctor. He added the reason for last night's delay in admitting him was down to the doctor being too busy with emergencies. It made me feel a little better that he wasn't in that category.

I called my brother Phillip at work and again after talking to George when I got home this evening. I couldn't get hold of Dad on his cell phone. George said that they were keeping Dad in for another day to see how things went. At least he would be up there for Wednesday morning. It'll save him getting a cab for his other scheduled appointment.

Mon, Feb 23rd

Dawn and I survived another day at work. However, tonight as we sat relaxing in front of the television, this month took yet another twist. We got a call from Dad, on the cell phone we gave him last year, to inform us that he was at the Whittington Hospital. He had called for an ambulance a little after lunch and spent the rest of the day waiting for the doctor to decide whether he should stay overnight or not. They did carry out various tests, but it wasn't until shortly before midnight that they made a decision. My brother George didn't get home (alone) until the early hours. At least Dad is in the best place should there be a problem. Hopefully it's just a precaution.

I hate to keep going on about this. But we can't wait to see out the next five days and get to March. What else are we going to have to contend with this month?

Sun, Feb 22nd

Woke up around 7am and popped down to the newsagent to get Dawn the Sunday Times and Observer newspapers. Then with Tiny stretched between her and the fire, Dawn read them while I watched a recording of Stargate Atlantis.

Again we had our usual Sunday morning feast of potato waffle, mushrooms, fried egg and baked beans before grabbing a quick shower and making our way to Dad's on the train stopping on the way at Nandos for a chicken pitta.

Dad then gave us the wonderful news that he had been up the Royal Free Hospital yesterday. He woke up with chest pains and called for an ambulance. However, after several tests they sent him home. Although it did take the best part of the day. At least we can count our blessings that he was okay and was able to go home again.

Sat, Feb 21st

It's the weekend at last - Hurrah!

Dawn and I did the weekly grocery shopping at Tesco, and after taking the shopping home popped into town to do the rest. Dawn needed a new watch battery and we had a look in Oxfam for some secondhand books, too. Best of all was being able to take time out in Starbucks and relax a little with a skinny cappuccino. However, Dawn didn't relax as much as I did as the screams and crying from the little rug rats really got to her.

Back at the house Dawn then did some of the Sunday chores as we plan to visit Dad on Sunday because Arsenal were playing at home today and we all know Dawn can't stand the crowds. Back at the house we had a home-made South Beach pizza (pitta bread with tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, anchovies and cheese) for lunch.

Dawn had her weekly video call with Brady, again because we would be out on Sunday, before I made a bowl of mussels in a white wine sauce. Boy was it good. We saw the day out watching the film The Nanny Diaries.

Fri, Feb 20th

The last day of a crazy week. Emailed some important forms off, and got the deposit for our holiday in the mail, too. We also made it home without any more mishaps. Oh yea, three things to be thankful for. One is that I finally got back down to 13 stone again. Two, that we had £50 in our bank account to pay the deposit on our holiday after being on a four day week all last month. And, three, IT'S FRIDAY................................

Thur, Feb 19th

Today I had my environmental manager hat on as I had to attend the Quality Meeting at work. It went well, I think. I gave everyone an update on the ISO 14001 work. And, was even able to tell everyone how much energy we waste on leaving lights on when they aren't needed. However, I don't think the message got through. An hour after the meeting closed, I passed the boardroom and found that no one had bothered to turn the lights off. According to my audit, there were eight light fittings containing four 36w light bulbs in each, and four wall lights, too. Perhaps when I complete my IEMA assignment question where I need to summarise the environmental challenge faced by industry today, I should write that management and employees need to learn how to listen. Better still, learn how to care.........

Wed, Feb 18th

Finally a couple of things went our way today. Hopefully this means that the bad luck that has been filtering through this month has now run its course. The first thing that we can be thankful for is that we found a cottage in Hayle, Cornwall that takes pets so we can go on holiday this year with Tiny. We haven't been away since we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in Scotland two years ago, so we are really looking forward to this.

The other thing that went our way was that we had broadband working again when we got home from work this evening. It's amazing how we have become dependent on the Internet and the immediate availability of information at our fingertips.

Tues, Feb 17th

More bad news today. Dawn found out that CU's Fairtrade application had been turned down. Why should we be surprised? It's February. What can go wrong will. Thankfully neither one of us have any speeding fines hanging over us. If we had, we would probably be found guilty of murder!!!

As for the broadband, it's still not working.

Mon, Feb 16th

Woke up this morning and again another February surprise. We had no broadband, so we couldn't check the Internet or send and receive emails. Great! Thankfully we were able to check our emails at work. Otherwise I may have missed receiving an important email telling us that we had won the National Lottery, or that I had been offered a job interview for a position of environment officer. Sadly no such email came. The latter had no chance anyway as I haven't applied for any jobs as environment officer. However, if anyone reading this blog knows of an opening that they might to like me to fill, by all means drop me a line. Oh yea, tonight when we got home I spent an hour and a half on the telephone with BT finding out that we had an external fault on the line. I had already worked that one out for myself. What I hadn't deduced was that it would take about 48 hours to fix it.

Sun, Feb 15th

After an enjoyable Valentine's Day, we enjoyed Sunday at home. Dawn did do some chores as usual and I also spent some time in the kitchen cooking a nice large pot of beef stew. However, it was a lot better than going to work or exposing ourselves to the chilly conditions outside. Although I have to concede that there was no ice on the cars when we woke up this morning.

Dawn also had a successful video call with Brady today, too. This must have been the first the two had had in almost a month.

Otherwise there was very little else to report today. Don't forget to keep an eye on our blog though. I am sure that if the first two weeks are anything to go by, the rest of the month still has some fireworks in store.

Sat, Feb 14th

Valentine's Day started with Dawn and me exchanging cards before I did the grocery shopping on my own. I then dropped the car off again to get repaired and hopefully pass its MOT. I then walked all the way home again and headed back to town almost straight away with Dawn to drop a couple books off at the Oxfam shop and grab a coffee at Starbucks while we waited for the car to be done. Thankfully when we arrived at the service station we got the thumbs up. The owner was happy too as he charged our credit card for the cost of the repair.

We then drove over to the Tilbury at Datchworth for a Valentine's Day lunch. Luck was again on our side as we got the last available table. We both chose the onion soup for starters. Dawn followed that with a bowl of mussels and I had some beer battered fish and chips. Dawn also had her first glass of wine this year. WELL DONE.....

Stevenage followed where we picked up Tiny's litter and then headed off home to enjoy the rest of Valentine's Day in front of a nice fire.

Fri, Feb 13th

Friday the thirteenth and I am glad to say that no more snow had fallen overnight and we were able to leave for work as usual. However, with the temperatures still a few degrees below freezing, we decided to park the car in West Street and walk over half the way to Hertford North Station.

At work, my boss and his boss were out of the office today so I was able to concentrate on environmental stuff again. However, while the cat's away, the mice will play. So, I had to put with the mouse who got on my nerves again today, including listen to him telling everyone that the dust from the GE building that was being demolished was probably polluting the local environment with asbestos. God give me strength. For those who remember the GE building in Enfield, I've taken a few more photos. Above is probably the last you'll ever see of the main building. This time next week it will be gone.....

Thur, Feb 12th

A few weeks ago I wrote that I was glad January was over. However, following the first 11 days of this month, I am not looking forward to March. Tonight just added to that wish. Leaving from work snow once again started falling and by the time we went to bed tonight there was more than a light dusting of snow everywhere we could see from the window. It looked like it was a couple of inches deep in places. We just dreaded what we'd wake up to in the morning. What a week, so far..............

Wed, Feb 11th

I dropped Dawn off at the station as I was working at home today. Following the problem getting the car MOT'd last Friday, I booked the car into a local service station for today. However, that too didn't go as planned. I dropped the car off at 9.15am fully expecting to pick it up an hour or so later with the pass certificate. However, when I arrived back to collect the car, I was informed that it had failed because of suspension problems on the nearside. This is the side of the car that we normally park on the pavement outside the house. I immediately decided that in future I would park opposite the house just in case this had done the damage. Our pocket also had damage. The repairs required so that it could pass its test would be around £150.

I spent the rest of the day working on environmental stats for work, and preparing dinner for when Dawn got home. As disappointed as she was that the car had failed its test, she had no complaints with the fish pie that I'd made for dinner tonight.

Tues, Feb 10th

The heavens opened overnight and Hertford found itself dealing with floods. We were lucky. We got out of our neighbourhood before the rising water blocked off our cul-de-sac and trapped several cars in about four feet of water. Unfortunately our train journey wasn't so good. Our 6:25am train was cancelled, then the 6:34 train that we then boarded was also cancelled and became the 6:55am. It finally left the station gone 7:00am. Little at the time did we know how bad elsewhere in the town it was getting. Several rivers broke their banks and many fields and businesses were totally flooded, including Hertford Football Club and the Riverside where Santa got Tiny's house. They had to lay off a third of their workforce because of the damage and lost 60% of their stock.

Dawn and I decided to leave work early because there was just one train an hour to Hertford, instead of the usual four. We were delighted to make it home again at all. The flood water that had blocked Lower Hatfield Road had receded enough for us to get into our road. However, there was still no way under the viaduct.

Above you can see, a photo that we took on the 14th shows flood waters that still hadn't receded four days later.

Sun, Feb 8th

Our day of rest again today. Yes I know that Dawn did the ironing, laundry and vacuumed the carpets. However, she still feels that it's easier than other things she can do. We also had a feast of food, too. For breakfast we had our now regular Sunday breakfast, a plate of Heinz baked beans, fried egg, baked potato waffle and fried egg. Of course this came with a hot cup of tea.

For lunch we had different things. I had three Ryvita slices with some cream cheese and a couple of olives. Dawn too had a few olives, but had a Philadelphia snack pack that had cream cheese, salsa and chips. Dawn also had some melon, too. And, I almost forgot, we also shared a pack of salt and vinegar flavoured Ryvita chips, too.

This afternoon I watched Spurs draw with Arsenal live on Sky. However, prejudiced as I am, I feel we should have won. Dawn then called Brady a little later because Brady had problems making the video connection.

For dinner we'll have one of Dawn's new favourites. Baked cod in breadcrumbs and tartar sauce with streamed new potatoes and peas.

As for this evening, we'll relax in front of the television with half a kit-kat and a cup of tea. While doing our best not to think about Monday.

Sat, Feb 7th

Hurrah for the weekend. No work for two days. I am really appreciative that I have a job. However, it's been really tough at the moment.

Anyway, I went to Tesco to do the weekly grocery on my own today, because we had a busy schedule. Then the two of us popped into town to get our haircut. This time Dawn commented on how thin I am getting on top. It's probably a hereditary thing. However, I could have blamed the job and got away with it. We then stopped at Starbucks for coffee before making our way to the station to catch the train to Finsbury Park so we could see Dad. While we were at the station, I renewed my train pass for work. However, with things as precarious as they are, I only got a weekly one this time instead of a monthly one.

We stopped for a chicken pita sandwich at Nandos for lunch before calling at Dad's.

One last thing to mention about today. I picked up a bag of fresh Scottish mussels at Tesco this morning and had them in garlic-wine sauce this evening for dinner. Dawn had been waiting weeks for this, so she was really pleased.........

Fri, Feb 6th

Thank God it's Friday. However, I would have laid money on it being the thirteenth, though. We woke up as normal and left the house pleased that we had not got the snow that had been forecast. Especially as I had to drive to Enfield to drop the car off for its annual MOT. But we counted our chickens too soon. I dropped Dawn off at 6:15am and headed for the A10 to drive south when the heavens opened and dropped a deluge of snow. Thankfully I was able to get to PNG without incident and put the car key through their door. Then, wouldn't you know it? The snow stopped falling once I made it to the bus stop.

Work was the same as it had been all week with me fending off suppliers. I was almost counting down the hours it was so bad. But it got worse. I called PNG to make sure I could pick up the car around 2-2.30pm to find out it would not be getting its MOT done. The dealership had gone into Administration last Friday with all the staff being being let go that afternoon. Thankfully the Administrator answered the phone and said I could pick up the car key later.

On the way to PNG, I got call on my work Blackberry telling me that I had forgotten my house keys on my desk. Thankfully I had taken my camera to work to take some photos of the GE building on the Great Cambridge Road being torn down, otherwise I would probably have been at PNG.

Thu, Feb 5th

Yes, there is still a blanket of snow everywhere in Hertford today. There has been little if any new snow here over the last day or two. However, the temperature hasn't got high enough to melt it. So, once again we parked the car in West Street and walked the rest of the distance to the station.

Just to make my day, I had to make my own way home as Dawn had to stay behind as she was on the panel of three who had to interview the two candidates for her old PA position. Dawn didn't make it home until around 6:30pm (she had caught the 6:25am train in the morning).

Wed, Feb 4th

I wouldn't call it back to normal, especially as there was still a blanket of snow everywhere and ice and slush in the road. However, at least the two of us made it to and from work today without any problems. We did do things slightly different though. We parked the car halfway between the house and the station so we could park on a flat road. Neither one of us wanted to try and park the car where we usually did, which was on a fairly steep hill just north of the station.

I met Dawn again on the 16:39 as it pulled into Enfield Chase and we walked halfway home once we arrived at Hertford North. However, it was a lot easier than having to deal with driving through town so there were no complaints there.

Tues, Feb 3rd

Woke up this morning, and although the ground was still covered with a blanket of snow, I decided to go to work. Dawn on the other hand decided to work from home again. If I could I would have. However, I would probably lose a day's pay if I had.

With so much snow, slush and ice on the roads, I decided to walk to the station. It was still several degrees below zero and I didn't want to risk losing control of the car on black ice and sliding into something. In fact, I ended up jogging half the way to the station and caught the 6:10am train instead.

Work was hell. But, that is how it feels at the moment. It's going to be a long month. One that at this moment in time does not offer a great deal of confidence.

Although the above photo was taken yesterday, most of the snow was still in the backyard when I got home this evening. Thankfully, for me, Dawn wiped all the snow off the car and met me at the station.

Mon, Feb 2nd

To say that it snowed today was an understatement. We woke this morning to a blanket of snow and the news that London's red buses had been taken off the roads for the first time in their history. Needless to say, we decided pretty early that we were not going to try and fight the conditions to get into work, especially as the snow was still falling. Instead the both of us worked from home.

At my place of work, only 14 out of around 80 made it in. I found out later that everyone will not lose a day's pay despite failing to make it in. Perhaps I shouldn't have made the effort to work. But, that's me. I spent most of the day working on the ISO 14001 procedures before quitting halfway through the afternoon. However, by then our attention had turned to Tuesday and Dawn and I were debating whether we could make it in then either.

One thing can't go unsaid, I am afraid. Dawn and I spent nearly 7 years living in Florida and one of the things I missed the most were the seasons. I missed a real winter, not to mention spring and autumn. However, I never dreamed we'd see so much snow. I've seen more snow in the last 18 months than I'd seen in all the years I lived in England before moving to Florida. And, that includes all the years before I even met Dawn.

Sun, Feb 2nd

The best day of the week. Even though we had the usual chores to do be done, it was nice knowing that we didn't have to go anywhere and could spend the day with Tiny. However, I did run out and fill up the car with petrol. We would have had enough to get us through the week if we were only going to the station every day. But Friday I need to take the car into Enfield as I need to sort out the car's MOT.

Sat, Feb 1st

Thankfully January is behind us. It hasn't been the best of months. Sadly, though, I feel that February is not going to be much better. Especially where I work.

Today we did the weekly grocery shopping at Tesco before heading into town to do some more grocery shopping and stop at Starbucks for a skinny cappuccino. I read some of my IEMA paperwork and Dawn went on her Nintendo DS Lite.