All Grown Up

I stay home this morning so that I can deal with British Gas who arrive to have a look at our recently broken thermostat while L heads off to the parkrun at far flung Rosliston on her own. She says making it there on her own, even without the help of that nicely irritating woman on my iphone, makes her feel all grown up.

British Gas aren't terribly impressed with our electrician’s hot wiring of the old thermostat. Tell me about it. We’re not terribly impressed with our electrician full stop but the BG man doesn’t want to hear my sob story and quickly fits a new one just to shut me up.

The jobs soon a good’un as they say and I take the dogs on park. Then I meet L at John Carroll where she has headed post-parkrun for Pilates. I’ve just come for a hot shower because obviously we don’t have one at home any more. Turns out she’s in the shower as well, so we could have saved water and shared. Instead I share with a couple of families who appear to have just turned up at the leisure centre purely to shower their offspring.

Then it’s Derby v Leeds, a tasty reintroduction for Steve McClaren’s first game back. McClaren has been apologising profusely for the last few days about pretty much anything he can think of that might have been his fault. Yep, probably even Brexit, Donald Trump and the making of the new Bridget Jones film are all down to Steve.

So a contrite McClaren doesn’t quite get the hostile reception he probably deserved just an indifferent one. The indifference is then eased by a rare Derby goal and an even rarer 1-0 win.

(Saturday 15^th October)

Bathroom Project Day 3 (Progress Report)

The bath and sink have gone, so it’s a strip wash in the kitchen then before getting on the bike to work. The workman rings, he’s running a bit late... again. He doesn’t like starting early.

Today they are doing the ceiling. I think that’s because after yesterday’s flood it’s the only bit that’s dry enough to work on. Then, suddenly, we have no central heating. So we blame the workmen naturally but apparently that’s not the case and the thermostat is bust. Good job it’s not cold. Although I think L disagrees.

She escapes the building site (and the cold) to go into work. She takes the dogs with her but unfortunately the route to work is the same as the route to the Forest Rec parkrun, so they get a tad excited. 

Frank Turner personally emailed me yesterday to tell me that his 2000th gig will be at Rock City in December and that tickets will be available this morning by way of a ballot. Of course I’m rubbish at ballots and he also tells another 20,000 other people. So obviously I don’t get any tickets.

While I am out at lunch, in the pub naturally, Derby reappoint Steve McClaren. What? Would you take your ex back after she'd ran off with someone richer and more famous than you? Would you hell! 

I go dog training and then meet L afterwards for a Wainwright in Masons.

(Wednesday 12^th October)

A Female For Christmas

A very nice day for a bike into work. Although I wore far too much and was a ball of sweat by the time I arrived. Which didn’t stop one of my colleagues wanting the heating on at full blast. It was ok for a while, that is until, even with a window open, first my eyeballs start to melt and then the race of my face turned to liquid. I suppose we should all be used to people with different thermostats, I have one at home. Although it’s usually women who feel the chill and this was a chap.

L tries to take some photos of our delightful children and dog eating (not proven) deer on Wollaton Park to swap for kangaroo photos with a friend in Australia. They are a bit blurred though, probably because they were chasing her at the time or because a certain little collie had nil paws on the ground while he repelling their attack with some good old fashioned yawping.

L leaps to the defence of the poor creatures. Hang on, poor creatures? The deer? Are these the same ones she’s ordered for Christmas lunch? Apparently not, these were Stags, she has no problem with the males. It’s a female she wants for Christmas. Funnily enough that was always top of my list too, when I was a teenager.

Dog training tonight. Clearly traumatised by the deer, MD’s a bit obstinate tonight. Not that that’s unusual.

(Wednesday 7th November)