A new addition to the family

Well here we are, monday again - back to work, what a drag. At least its cooler this week so no more melting at my desk. Nearly didn't go to work, my back was killing me when I woke up ( no joke, my back had my pillow over my face trying to suffocate me ). I suffer with back problems following a car accident 3 years ago & sometimes like tody it is a lot worse than others. The problem being that my stage 1 attendance warning only expired on 17th july so don't want to start taking time off again so soon, hopefully my solicitor will have got an appointment sorted soon for me to see a osteopath soon for a medical exam, it'll all count towards any compensation i'll be entitled to once we get to court.  Nic had the day off work today, she woke me up this morning with the delicate sounds of her throwing up!!

We did have some good news again today though, i found an advert for a cat needing a new home ( check out www.freecycle.org you register in your area & advertise if you have anything to get rid of or want - its all free, no money changes hands for the items, its just a way of redistributing items you no longer need ), we went to see him tonight. He is a cute 1 year old black & white cat called Bailey. We are going to pick him up tomorrow after work, can't wait. I really hope Angel takes to him, apparently he is very playful, although he is 2 years younger than Angel I think they should  ( fingers crossed ) get on fine. Poor Angel, we got back from checking out Bailey & got the cat box ready to collect him tomorrow night, Angel was sniffing around the box for ages - I think she can smell Cleo as the last time we used the box was the horrible night we had to take her to the vet. I expect lots of hissing and spitting between Angel & Bailey but I'm pretty sure it'll work out in the end. My poor baby just seems so lost with no other cats here to beat up on!! I will make sure I get a picture of our new addition as soon as possible so you can all see how cute he is.

I will say goodnight for now, hope you're all getting a better nights sleep now the heat has dissipated a little. Take care & remember, if you stop to smell the roses along the way.....be careful of the bees...Vamp x

weekend stuff

Hello again, I hope you are all having a good weekend. My weekend is pretty uneventful, unless you are a Ferrari fan. Yes today was once again a good day fro the red team, we had another 1/2 with Alonso finishing in 5th so Schumi is seriously eating away at Alonso's lead now...we can all see another title within our grasp...it's only going to get more exciting & we have another race next week, can't wait.

But apart from my racing nothing much has happened this weekend. We went shopping on saturday but not for anything exciting. On a positive note we did get travel vouchers from Virgin rail to compensate for the disastrous trip to my sisters, gives me another chance to go visiting without having to pay a fortune in rail fares.

When I spoke to my mum last week she told me she's been looking after my nephews, last tuesday they went to get their hair cut & the oldest one was very reluctant to get his hair cut - apparently he didn't want all his hair cut off like uncle Vamp!!! I love my nephews to bits but they are very strange, the youngest who is only 3 was being measured by my mum for a new jumper & he decided he wanted to measure himself...I will leave it to your imaginations to work out what part of him he decided to measure, oh well boys will be boys.

I haven't really got anything else to tell you, I lead a pretty boring life. I guess I got all my partying done when I was younger, I'd rather read a good book than go out & spend half an hour trying to get served in town. Talking of which if any of you come across a book called 'Minotaur takes a cigarette break' by Steven Sherrill give it a go, it is a bit surreal but strangely compelling. You should also check out the trailers for a new film called 'snakes on a plane' featuring Samuel L Jackson...trust me I am not making this up, he really is in a film with possibly the best title this decade. 

Anyway I have half a bottle of wine left downstairs so I'd better go and make sure it doesn't go off!!! Night all....Vamp x 

The longest day....

Hello again, how are we all today?

I was supposed to be up early today & you'll be pleased to know I did not oversleep. I was at work nice & early to make up the time I missed by leaving early yesterday for the doctors, my bloodspots have played join the dots overnight so I now have a nice big patch of red in my eye, makes me look like i've had a smack in the face, then again perhaps I have - Nic does like to stick her elbows in my face while i'm trying to sleep!! I was lying in bed last night listening to the pouring rain hoping it would help to put an end to the sticky heat we've been having, i got up about 1.30am to go to the toilet & when I went into the bathroom there was the brightest flash of lightning i have ever witnessed - good job I was on my way to the toilet cos i nearly $*** myself. I sat at the bedroom window for a while watching the rain run down our street like a river, yet by the time I left for work at half 7 you wouldn't know it had rained at all. Us brits always like to moan about the weather but once again I sit here melting & praying for snow!!

Because I had to make up for the time i lost yesterday it seemed like today was never going to end. It is soul destroying spending all day doing the same thing over & over & over & over, the customs issues are driving me mad now, thank goodness tomorrow is the last day doing these files, more interesting work next week. I was playing agony uncle at work, i don't like it when my friends are having problems, I feel so helpless but i guess being there for them to talk to is better than nothing. My other friend who is sorting her wedding out was showing me the jewellery she wanted to go with her wedding dress that she's just bought, I am flattered that she asks my opinion as a bloke but doesn't she know all us blokes are supposed to do is nod politely & say yes in all the right places? Honestly though I am flattered she asks me what i think, she doesn't have any family around to ask & in some ways she is like a little sister to me ( better be careful what i say now cos she reads my journal!! )

Eventually it was time to escape the asylum & come home, luckily Nic's mum is okay, she has to stay in hospital for a few days but at least we know she's okay. My own mum has been in & out of hospital for years with pancreatitis ( did i spell that right? ), diabetes & other ailments. She's been in so much that I joke she has her own bed now, this might seem cruel but she has had so much wrong with her that I can't take it all in so I don't know all the details & sometimes it looks like I don't care but that couldn't be further from the truth. My family is huge, both my mum & dad are one of 7, nearly all my uncles & aunts have kids & quite a few of my cousins have kids but to be honest the only people I really care about in my family is my mum, sister, brother in law & my 2 adorable nephews. Nic's mum & dad are like family to me ( well i guess they are family now ). I am not one of these people who likes having family around all the time, as a teenager I developed my independence & would regularly take off around the country to see friends or go to gigs. That is one of the things I am anxious about when the baby arrives, having the in laws here all the time. I know we will probably welcome their help but as long as it doesn't get to the point of feeling that they are intruding. I think i might even call my mum after i finish this just to say hello.

I was going to take a dip in the pool again but it started raining just as i was about to take the plunge, so instead i let all the air out & emptied the pool, found an easy way to empty it, just let the air out & watch as the water flows like niagara falls towards the back door!! Much as i dislike the horrible sticky weather we've had recently I hope we still have plenty more sun & warmth so we don't have to put the pool into hibernation too soon, silly as it sounds I look forward to coming home & being able to cool off in my own pool. i don't care if it makes me sound like a little kid - we don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing. I have always loved water, my mum's family comes from the south coast & we were always holidaying in brighton & playing on the beach. Nic has always loved the water too so we decided one of the things we really want to do is start the aqua babies class once little vamp is here, it's never too soon to start the little ankle biters swimming.

Before I go i would like to say thank you to those of you who wished me happy birthday, it is appreciated. One of the best things about this journal is the comments I get, it makes my day when someone says something nice to me. It never fails to put a smile on my face & hopefully i put a smile on your faces when you read my journal. Until next time take care & don't forget...mine's a JD & coke!! .....Vamp x   

Birthday boy

happy birthday to me

happy birthday to me

happy birthday dear me-ee

happy birthday to me......

In case you haven't guessed its my birthday! Started really well, I normally hit the snooze button for an extra 5 mins in bed but today I  had washing to hang out ( yes I know, even on my birthday ) so decided not to hit snooze. Biiiiiiiiig mistake, 50 minutes later I wake up & have to rush to work without my ritualistic morning coffee & without hanging the washing out, I didn't even have time to make my sarnies for work - good job L was going to Subway at lunch ( i can recommend the turkey sub, mmmmmmm ).

So I got my Star Wars dvd's, although not been allowed to watch them tonight, spoilsport, it is my birthday after all. To be honest as birthdays go today has been pretty uneventful, well with the exception of having to leave work early & go to the doctors. I have 2 bloodspots in my left eye which I was concerned about but apparently it's nothing to fret about, ever noticed how easy doctors say that - its okay for them they aren't the ones with the problem. Had a nice dip in the pool tonight, disturbed only by the phone ringing, Nic's mum's not well. She's on holiday but been taken to hospital so hope everything's gonna be okay there.

Anyway gotta go and get an early night so I don't oversleep tomorrow. Night all.....Vamp x

 

Freedom of the remote!

Hello my loyal readers ( and of course any new readers who happen by ), today I have been granted the FREEDOM OF THE REMOTE! Nic has gone out with the girls for her birthday so I get to watch what I want for a change, normally I get the choice of sitting through neighbours, hollyoaks, coronation st, eastenders, the bill, bad girls, bb OR I can sit here at my pc or read a book ( yes some of us still choose the paper version of online stories !)....but tonight...i can watch.....well......erm....you know something, tv is pretty crap these days. Maybe I'll watch another superman film or possibly ghostbusters, very sad I know but what the hell.

The downside to watching films is that usually somewhere, when you least expect it, IT happens....the company I work for gets a mention, someone gets a package, a van drives down the road, billboards at sporting events...my company must spend a fortune on product placement. I just want to come home and relax without being reminded of where I work every time i turn on the tv or read a book - i'm never gonna be able to watch castaway again! Particularly the last coupla weeks, i've been working files where I have to call customers & tell them what information, or paperwork customs want before they'll clear the package...US customs have definitely lost the plot. I kid you not I was even asked to call a customer last wek to ask them what books were made of!!! & today the description for one package was ' chassis & seat unit for baby stroller' - they wanted a better description & wanted to know what it was used for....FOR GOD'S SAKE WHAT THE HELL DO THEY THINK YOU DO WITH A BABIES PUSHCHAIR????????????

Anyway I'd better get off this subject before Bush declares war on me. So what else is happening, to be honest not a lot. One of my friends is stressing out planning her wedding. The date is (hopefully) 14th april next year, a saturday. They did want to get married on the friday but would you get married on friday 13th? Another friend is desperate to go on holiday this year, she only has the summer as she works at a school & is trying to get Nic to sort out some time off & has even offered to pay for Nic. Bless her she hasn't long split from her bf & looks set to miss her foreign holiday this year unless Nic goes with her. Much as I love mummy to be it might be nice to have a week on my own, i'm sure she feels the same about a week away from me too. Lets face it between now & march next year we are really going to get on each others nerves. We'll wind each other up, argue, cry, laugh, scream & everything under the sun.

I am getting impatient about the first scan now, its not until 31st august but knowing we have the appointment is enough to make me impatient. I must admit to being very excited about the birth of my first child, nothing else seems to matter so much now. I guess I am becoming just like the rest of the 'now' generation, I was always the person who thought waiting for something meant you valued it more when you finally managed to get it but not this time, mind you wait until it happens.....the screaming, the crying, the puking - & thats just Nic!! Actually she is being sick quite a bit these days, I am under orders not to let her have any more mcdonald's as she has had 2 in the last week & chucked them both back up later...not sure if thats because of the pregnancy or just a normal side effect of eating mcdonalds.

Talking of food ( well okay so maybe that was loosely talking about food ) i'd better go & rescue my dinner from the oven otherwise I will be having charcoal for dinner. Take care all & don't forget to check back regularly, its worth checking out some of the other blogs I've added - if there's any others you can recommend let me know. See you all soon....Vamp x

Strike!

Been a busy weekend this week, we had to go town yesterday. We waited until the ( torrential ) rain had stopped & luckily it held off until we got back. Nic bought me the Star Wars dvd box set for my birthday, I was going to get her a new bike but she has now decided she doesn't want one - she tells me after we have are back from shopping so I don't have time to get her anything before tuesday cos I'm working. Haven't got a clue what to get her now but I guess I'll take her shopping to get somehting next week.

Because of the weather we cancelled our planned bbq/pool party in the afternoon so had to let everyone know it was off. E still came round to see us though so we decided we'd go out for dinner. Bless her E's boyfriend split up with her a few weeks ago & I think she's still feeling a bit lonely so off we went, no one knew where we should go so we drove round until we decided to go to Frankie & Benny's. When we got there the car park was jammed so we decided to go across the road to pizza hut instead & had a very nice meal, even though we had to wait 20 minutes for a table, that they had ran out of large pizza bases & that the bill was wrong when we got it. Afterwards we went to Tesco as it's on the same complex, managed to get Nic something for her birthday as she found 3 dvd's she wanted, not much but at least she's got something she can open on tuesday. Decided we all wanted to go bowling so off we went, I must admit at this point that bowling is one of my weak points, I have never in my (nearly!) 34 years had a strike. It was great cos the guy at the cash desk told us to hang around for 10 minutes we could get unlimited games for less than the cost of 2 games if we paid straight away. WOW! The second game I actually got a strike - and several more followed throughout the night, just when I was beginning to think this was something I would never achieve in my life. We didn't get home until after 1am but it was a great night & we are all planning on doing it again soon. Off to bed planning on sleeping in today.

Well that was the plan but I woke up fairly early so decided to get up and do the ironing whilst watching Superman, I treated myself to the boxset a few weeks ago & only now have had the chance to watch them. Nic's parents came round later bringing our cards & some food, they are going away tomorrow for 2 weeks so they emptied their fridge - very nice of them to bring us all the stuff that would have gone off. We've been cleaning for the rest of the day & moving our lounge around, we've still got the spare room to clean out as well, its full of books, video's, xmas stuff, suitcases & other rubbish. No doubt it'll all get listed on ebay soon, I have got rid of loads of stuff since moving to cov but I still seem to have loads more crap - where does it all come from & why do us blokes feel compelled to keep it all? Our tenancy is up at the end of august & we've asked if we can renew the agreement for 12 months, this time it was only 6 months but cannot stay here if they will only do another 6 months. No way can we agree 6 months here unless we can't find anywhere else cos the baby will be due then & I am not moving knowing the baby could arrive at any moment or if it's just been born. This house is quite small but we both like it here, its convenient for town, my work ( Nic has to cycle to work but there are buses cos she will eventually have to stop cycling to work ), its not too bad an area. I think if we can renew the tenancy for 12 months we will look for a 3 bed house next year.

This weekend has also been notable for my nerves again, I don't know why but all weekend I have been thinking about when the baby arrives, will I be a good dad, will Nic be a good  mum, will our relationship cope with the added pressure of a child, will I ever sleep again! I am really looking forward to it now but still it scares me, I have never had responsibility for another persons life & really do not know how well I will cope. I know these feelings are probably the same for all expectant parents but I still feel isolated because i'm not that good at talking to people about my feelings, thats why I love having the outlet of this journal. I guess my thoughts & emotions will change hundreds of times before the baby is born so expect some very strange entries in the coming months. One thing I think I can say is that I will probably be one of the most over protective paretns ever, I just hope my friends & family can keep me grounded & stop me making too much of an idiot of myself.   

Anyway it's about time I got on with the cleaning again, if I don't do it now it'll only get put off for another few weeks. Bye for now...Vamp x

my brain's melted

It's no good, I just had to get up. Been lying in bed awake most of the night cos of the heat so decided to get up & have a shower. Sat here now with a nice cup of coffee, I know we always moan about the cold wet weather in Uk but this damn heat is so draining. Gotta go to work in half hour but at least I have a fan by my desk & I sit next to the windows, its great cos my team leader is a friend I worked with at my last job so everytime they change our seating plans to accomodate new team members I always get to stay where I am. It's definitely a case of who you know not what you know.

I've been a bit quiet this week on my journal as nothing much happening. Nic's parents are being really nice to her so I think they are quite pleased about being grandparents again. Her mum was even checking out what govt handouts we are entitled to ( i must point out at this point that we are not benefit scroungers as we both work but if we're entitled to help when Nic finishes work then so be it ). I feel a bit selfish at work as I have told a couple of good friends about the baby & one of them has now told me her doctor's told her she might not be able to have children & has put her on fertility treatment. L is really great & never shows her disappointment when I talk about being a dad but I feel really bad now, she wants to have a baby so much, hope the treatment works for her.

Last night we were trying to get our cat Angel in for the night, we heard something in the bushes in the back garden & thought we had a hedgehog....oh no. It was Angel, & not on her own, she was stalking a bird that was obviously injured & unable to fly away. I know cat's are predators by nature & think those people that call them murderers should let it be, nature has worked for years - but I hate to see animals or birds hurt. We finally managed to coax Angel in with some biscuits but we couldn't find the bird so hopefully it managed to get away somewhere safe to recover. We are not going to get another cat at the moment, we were going to check out the local shelters so Angel wouldn't be on her own but she seems to be adjusting to life as an only cat quite well now. We'll just have to keep an eye on her & maybe find her a friend later if she gets lonely.

Looking forward to this weekend, its mine & Nic's birthdays next week so we are having friends round, hopefully weather will be nice enough for a bbq & pool party but if not then we'll just have to cook indoors. Our friends are great but its very hit & miss wether they'll turn up at our regular get together's, someone always forgets they had made prior arrangements or ends up having to go somewhere for work. I moved to cov to be with Nic after working over here for a while & must admit that I do miss being able to have my friends from back home come over, its a bit far to come just for a few hours & we don't have the room to put them up yet. I've been looking at jjb's website cos Nic needs a new bike, I could do with one too & at the moment they have an offer on - buy the mens bike & get the womans free so might have to splash out on them so she can have a new bike for her birthday. We have everything already for the house, got too many dvd's/cd's & as we only hae a small house we are looknig to get rid of loads of other stuff to make way for the baby so don't really know what else to buy her apart from the usual flowers/chocs.

Before I go I just want to say to Phoenix that yes I definitely miss 24 on sunday nights, got my brother in law hooked on it when I visited them the other week ( can't believe he'd never seen it, gotta lend him all my dvd's now ) & the attraction with motor racing is...well...I guess you either love it & understand the passion or you don't. As long as i could get 24 & all the F1 races on dvd I could do without everything else on tv.  My racing is probably my biggest passion in life, I hate football but get just as worked up as a lot of footie fans when it comes to racing, it's not something I can easily explain it's just in my blood.

Anyway better go & get ready for work now. Vamp x

The heat is turned up....

It is sweltering here in coventry but the heat has really been turned up in france! Yesterday morning I was met with the news that in practise Schumi had an engine fire so would be demoted 10 places on the grid for changing the engine - but when qualifying started no such bad luck, the Ferrari mechanics sorted it so he didn't have to change the engine, phew!

Today I got up in plenty of time to fetch my newspaper ( 2nd free 'learn italian' cd - wonder if it'll teach me to say 'up yours frenchie' ), enjot a morning cuppa & the RACE TIME. I know this has nothing to do with my impending fatherhood but what the hell, this is my journal & racing is my passion. It looked for a while like we were going to get another 1 - 2 but as ithappens only a 1 - 3. It's looking good for the rest of the season, we can win this year & then next year we have a better start to the season as Ferrari are used to designing cars around the bridgestone tyres that everyone will be on. I'm gonna go jump in my pool shortly to cool myself down, what a fantastic day, I hope you are all enjoying this weekend as much as me.

Anyway the biggest news this weekend is my best friend R has got engaged. Years ago when we were teenagers ( maybe early 20's ) we were talking about having to stand up in front of people to give a speech & both agreed that we would never ask each other to be best man....well guess what?, that's right R has asked me to be best man. He says it will be a while before the actual wedding as they have to save up & will probably get married abroad so really looking forward to that. It was really nice cos told him as long as I can afford it I will be best man ( the baby's obviously going to take most of our  money ), he told me I was the first choice & he will give me loads of notice. This means so much to me as we only get to see each other about once or twice a year since I moved to coventry but I know he is always going to be there for me & me for him. hey, maybe this means we are both growing up! When he tx'd me to tell me I sent one back saying he'll be a dad next, haha.

Anyway enough of my incessant nattering there is a pool waiting for me to jump in....see you later & take care in this sweltering heat...love Vamp x

The deed is done - finally!!

Today was the big day, we were definitley going to have to visit her parents to give them the news. Had a nice lie in this morning as her mum wouldn't be back from work til after 1, got up bout 1045 & pottered about finishing cutting the hedge, defragging the pc & generally killing time.

We took a walk to her parents bout 1.30, on the way we passed an estate agents that deals with spanish properties - saw a place advertised for £43k, wish I had the money to go for it, it would make everything perfect if we could move to Spain just after the babies born. I love my job but i would do anything to get out of this country & especially now i'm about to become a dad I really would prefer to bring my child up in Spain rather than this country. Don't get me wrong its just that I feel this country has nothing to offer for young people anymore, all the industry we were once renowned for is going abroad, immigration is out of control & the people charged with protecting this country only care about lining their own pockets...I may have people hating me for these comments but I do not speak ignorantly, I live in a city that was proud to have a strong automotive industry & recently it has come crashing down, but also look at other job losses, the govt pours millions of the taxpayers money into trying to save the jobs in car production plants ( recently there was a threatened job losses of 900 people at one plant, the govt wanted to give more of OUR money to save it but at the same time 6000 jobs were going at another company but as this was only call centre work it wasn't worth the govt bothering with ). We are the lowest paid workers in europe yet we work longer hours than other european nations - where does all the money go....to support lazy arrogant french farmers. Anyway enough of my rantings & back to the point of this entry.

We got to Nic's parents to find them out, when they returned it was nerve wracking stuff. Eventually Nic told her mum she was going to be a nannie again, the reaction was not what I was expecting - she just said 'you're not are you' then told Nic to tell her dad cos she wasn't going to do it for her! We told her dad & he just told me to look after his daughter better than I have for the last 4 years - cheeky sod. Although I was expecting a little angst with them I was hoping they would take it well but never thought they'd take it as well as they did. Mind you, I'd love to be a fly on the wall when we left!!

So now they all know, feel kinda weird again cos it still doesn't seem real. I guess when we go for the scan in 7 weeks it will all suddenly become very real when we get to see the baby for the first time.

Gotta go town tomorrow to find a gift for my oldest nephew, my sister told me she got the end of year report after we left this week & J is exceeding expectations for all his subjects so we're going to send him a little something for being so brainy! It was a shame the weather as bad last week as his sports day got cancelled so we missed seeing that. He is a little tart, his teacher is a young woman & he is always going on about her. When we went to watch him at swimming class on monday his usual instructor was away so he had a young woman teaching him & he was hanging on her every word....just like his dad & uncle!!

Anyway gotta go as hopefully going out tonight for a nice quiet drink & gotta have my dinner first. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend enjoying the hot weather, will be watching the F1 again, france this week so would be nice for Ferrari ( italian ) to beat Renault ( french ) on home soil...whatever you're upto have fun & be careful.....Vamp x

First midwife appointment

Well today was the first midwife appointment. Nic is not too happy, she has been given a list of foods that she is not supposed to eat while she's pregnant. She is most upset that mr whippy ice cream, mcflurry's & brie ( yuk! )are off the menu! So the downside for me is that when we're in town I will not be allowed to buy myself a nice ice cream - unless I want to spend the next few months in hospital. Nic is blaming me for some of her forbidden items, such as peanuts. They do not know for certain about the efffects of eating peanuts while pregnant but as I have asthma, hayfever & occasionally eczema the midwife advised her not to eat peanuts in case of the baby having an allergy ( okay so I suffer with allergies but is that really a reason to blame me? ).

We have been given lots of books & leaflets to read through as well, Nic doesn't read very often, she reads the occasional biography or more likely the latest scandal rag filled with gossip bout bb ( absolutely hate that programme ) but she now has lots to keep her occupied. It was quite worrying when the midwife was asking about family medical problems, Nic's answers were no, no, no, etc whereas my answers were yes, yes, maybe, yes....by all accounts I think my family should have been wiped out years ago!

We were given the date of the first scan - 31st august, supposedly the 12th week, working it out after we left the surgery we think its nearer the 14th/15th week. The last couple of weeks have been weird because it seemed that after the initial excitement of finding out I felt that I should be experiencing more emotion at the thought of being a dad but somehow my emotions seemed flat & my feelings empty. Now that we've had the first visit with the mw it seems to be resurrecting all my thoughts & feelings, god knows what's going to happen to my emotions tomorrow after we tell her parents!!! We are definitely going to visit her folks tomorrow to give them the news, hopefully they will be supportive but even though they are really nice people I am still scared.

My brother in law told me that I need to get on the 'net & sign up for all the freebies that companies give away for babies so this is my mission for the next week or so - find all the freebies I can. I'm not a penny pincher but hey, if companies want to give us free stuff who am I to refuse. If anybody knows of any such websites please leave comments or email me to let me know.

Last night we put the pool back up in the back garden so we now have the luxury of a nice pool to jump in during this lovely hot spell we're having. Apparently next week is supposed to be better still, shame I have to go back to work really. I saw a friend of mine today, he's quitting his job as retail manager in town to open a english tea room in New York with his wife - I am so jealous but also really pleased for him. He has been planning this for ages but has had to wait for US bureaucracy to issue his visa's, now he just needs to apply for his licence to sell alcohol once he's out there.

My dream is to go back to Spain, I worked out there a few years ago & fell in love with the place & people. Luckily when I met Nic she told me she's always wanted to live in spain as well, I would love to go while the baby is still small so it is brought up with the spanish life but it's difficult finding a job that pays enough to support us both (all 3 of us! ). I would ideally like to be in the countryside, near enough to the sea if we wanted to go but away from the tourists. The most likely thing is that we will have to live near the tourists in order to find jobs as we can both speak spanish enough to get by but not fluently by any means.

I will of course let you know how we get on at the in laws tomorrow, in the meantime take care & don't forget the sunblock!....Vamp x

Holidays are stressful

Well I'm back, I survived another trip to my sisters! I very nearly never made it, bloody rail travel.

We got to the station at 10am last thursday ( went by taxi instead of walking cos it was raining quite heavy ), the train was due at 1024. There was an announcement that due to a lightning strike in the Rugby area trains were severely delayed, okay so we can't control the weather, inconvenient but you have to put up with it living here. Eventually the train arrived at coventry only for it to be terminated there due to a mechanical problem, the next train was due in less than half hour at 1124 - eventually turned up at 1224 & sat in the station for 15 minutes, by which time we were well & truly fed up, my back was aching as I have back problems, & there were no seats. It took a further half hour to get past leamington spa ( usually about 15 mins ) due to signal failure...at least my coffee was free on the train because of the delays. We finally got to Southampton at 1505!

We had a flying visit to Nic's aunt ( during which she asked when we were going to have a family, as her paretns haven't been told we thought it best to keep quiet ), my sister picked us up & it was great my nephews always give me a fantastic greeting & its great to give them a big hug. My brother in law wasn't home until the friday so we thought we'd tell them both about our news together, typically he was late getting home so we told my sister before she went to work on friday evening & told my brother in law when he got in. My sister is so excited, I think she's more excited than we are. She's still got loads of baby stuff from my nephews so she said she would pass it on to us once she's sorted it all out - its gonna save us heaps!

My sister told my nephews not to jump on auntie Nic cos she's got a baby in her tummy, the youngest J kept asking Nic all weekend if she's still got the baby in her tummy, he is such a cutie. As always the boys demand our attention the whole time we are there, its great that we are so wanted but very draining, thank god I've got the rest of the week off to recover. Much as I love visiting my sister I love getting back home & having a sleep in my own bed so really looking forward to that tonight.

We need to sort out the front garden tomorrow, cut the hedge, trim all the plants/flowers back & get rid of the weeds so that'll keep me busy until thursday when we have the first midwife appointment, then the dreaded task of telling Nic's parents. We were going to tell them today when they dropped us back home ( they very nicely picked us up at the station ) but once again they were in such a rush to get back home themselves that it just wasn't right, so we are going to go round to their house so they haven't got to rush off anywhere. I hope they take it well, it was very weird telling my sister so telling them is going to be really strange.

While we were at my sisters we took my nephews J & J to school/preschool & there were a few women there with twins & Nic keeps winding me up saying she wants twins...NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

We are under orders from my sis H to scan the ultrasound pic once we get one & email it to her. I think she upset my bro in law K cos she told him she will be a real auntie, she loves his nieces/nephew but this time she will be a blood relative & that is making her really excited, mind you I'm beginning to wish I hadn't bought my nephews a drum a coupla years ago as now H is gonna get her own back.  She talked to my mum while I was there who said she is really happy, as I told her about the baby the same day I told her about having to have Cleo put to sleep she wasn't sure wether I was happy so didn't want to make too  much fuss in case I didn't want the baby. I think I will be seeing a lot more of my mum after the baby puts in an appearance.

Anyway I guess I'd better go & unpack my case, put the washing on, have a shower, do last weeks ironing, wash the dishes & give Angel lots of fuss to let her know how much I missed her while I've been away...until next time, take care....Vamp x

what a day...

Well last night at home until next tuesday, off to Eastleigh tomorrow.

Been struggling to get to sleep this week with the heatwave we're enjoying, but beats the freezing soggy weather we're used to. Got up early today cos couldn't get back to sleep after Nic got up for work, decided to be good & put the washing in, caught up with some of your journals & decided to go to work early as I was up. Saw one of my friends on the way, she's on holiday this week so was nice to catch up.

At work was told I look like a member of the national front cos I finally shaved my head last night, or rather Nic shaved it for me! Didn't think she'd back down so easily.  Only half hour into the day & my eye started itching, think I've got conjuctivitis ( did I spell that right? )starting, I was going to come home early but under a stage 1 attendance warning already cos I had several sick days at the beginning of the year, so had to stick it out all day only being able to see properly out of 1 eye.

Got home & put some drops in my eye, wish I hadn't bothered - had a letter waiting for me about an old debt that should be wiped clean due to the limitation act 1980 so had to call the debt company & tell them to stick it. The agent I spoke to was trying to trick me into admitting I owe the money which if you admit it then you have to pay it so just kept quoting the relevant act to him, he was probably sitting there thinking ' oh god not another one who knows what they're talking about'. I'd hate to do that job, mind you most people probably wouldn't want mine - this week I've been dealing with customs clearance issues. I have to call customers to tell them that unless they provide me with whatever info customs want we'll return their packages to them & charge them for the priviledge!! Most customers are okay but occasionally you get an idiot that thinks we can tell customs what to do.

But that's all over now until 17th july & I fully intend enjoying my time off. Really looking forward to seeing my nephews again, the eldest has got sports day on friday so we'll be cheering him on. Quite nervous about the midwife appointment next thursday though, don't know why just having never been through it before I don't know what to expect.

Well better go now cos gotta have a shower & pack my case before 'the f word' comeson at 9. Be good while I'm away & take care of yourselves, i'm sure i'll have lots to tell you when I get back.

Vamp x x x

The best made plans...Pt 2

Okay so here goes, don't all shout at me at once...

We got up early on saturday & went to town, knowing full well that Nic's ( never told you her name before have I, well thought it time for you all to say hello )parents would be in town......arranged to meet them only for them to basically dash off very quickly so couldn't tell them then. I mean, come on...they're checking their watches talking bout the time & very obviously wanting to go, we could hardly say to them while standing in the middle of town - oh by the way you're gonna be grandparents again - it just wouldn't be right. So we were goin to go see them on sunday, only Nic can't be bothered ( she frustrates me at times, she can be so lazy ). I know she's scared of telling them as am I but it's gotta be done and soon.

Anyway we ended up goin to my friends for a bbq, they'd only just bought the bbq & everyone kept singing the 'when will i see you again' song from the advert currently running bout cooking food properly!! We left when the footie started as really can't stand watching footie at any time, it bores me watching a bunch of supposedly grown men chasing a ball around for 90 minutes, but I suppose it bores other people watching a bunch of cars driving round a track for nearly 2 hours. At least I got home in time to watch the F1 qualifying & was I glad I did - Schumi on pole! I was busy building my shed so didn't get the pool filled up in time to have a dip on saturday night but sunday was a different matter.

We had just got in the pool when our friends came round with their god-daughter so we had a laugh soaking each other with the hose ( freezing cold water - lovely ), can't beat lazing in your own (paddling) pool on a hot sunday afternoon.

Sunday night tv was great, I hardly watch tv but the US grand prix was on & Schumi won so was in a really good mood ( really don't hold out too much hope for the Ferrari resurgence to carry over to other tracks though ).......then '24 the finale'. I could not believe what I was seeing, those of you who watch this programme will I'm sure be a surprised as me at the ending....mmmghmgmm ( sorry had to gag myself there in case some of you haven't seen it yet ). Roll on season 6!

Back to the in-laws though, I really wish we could have told them this weekend. It is making it worse having to wait to tell them, my mum knows, my sister will know on thursday when we go down to visit her, our friends know but yet we haven't found time to tell her parents. We were going to tell Nic's aunt on thursday as well but that looks like it'll go out the window now too. I want to be able to talk about my feelings openly with people but am having to watch what I say all the time, coventry is a big city but everyone seems to know someone who knows someone you know ( did you follow that? ), it also means our friends have to watch what they say when they bump into Nic's parents. Oh well I suppose it'll get sorted soon. In the meantime I'll just have to keep you all in suspense about their reaction.

I will be having a quiet week on my journal this week as I have already mentioned I am off to my sisters on thursday & won't be back until next tuesday. I probably won't have chance update my journal while I'm away as my sister doesn't put the pc on much as she has 2 young kids who never give her a moments peace ( oh joy, am i ever looking forward to that! ). We are both off work all next week too & have the first midwife appointment on thursday 13th, lucky it isn't friday 13th!!! I will of course let you all know exactly what my sisters reaction is & how it goes with the midwife.

Take care & I will see you all real soon.....Vamp x