Floods and Couchsurfing.

The wind and rain over in Wales has finally washed down the river to arrive in Bewdley. The bridge, whilst not actually closed, was flanked with signs threatening closure and the flood barriers were in use up and down Severn Side South and North. The geese and swans didn't seem to mind.

I took Yuki, our current Couchsufing guest, to look at the floods. He's from Japan, where they have tsumanis. He didn't seem impressed. Oh well.

Have I been Hexed?

Have I been hexed? A friend suggested it, having heard about my torn shoulder ligaments, new hard drive and defunct DVD player.

Since then I've had the vacuum cleaner repaired, crashed the car and replaced the silent telephone. The boiler is still very sick. As I mentioned before, XX has cancer and each new scan raises more questions than answers. Yesterday, the washing machine was diagnosed with a terminal motherboard condition that requires, well, a new washing machine.

I really am starting to think someone has it in for me.

It's OK. You won. You can stop now.

Grandad's TV

The world is going digital. Very soon, the analogue signal will be turned off. I think it will be in April. We decided to upgrade.

Our old TV used to belong to my Grandad. He bought it in the '80s, second hand. We inherited it when he died, age 96, in 2002. It's still going strong, so I didn't want to chuck it out. We upgraded to a digital one and Grandad's TV sat in the hall for a month.

Then Sally said she knows a little 89 year old lady called Betty, who would be pleased to have Grandad's TV, as hers has gone kaput. So, that's where it has gone. I hope it has a long and happy existence being watched by Betty.

Sally's for Tea.

The weekend has been busy and social. On Friday night I went out ten-pin bowling with the staff I worked with before Xmas. It was really nice to see them all again. While I was out, Mel went to the panto with the cubs to see Red Riding Hood. I think he enjoyed it, although he was mega-tired afterwards as it was such a late night.
Saturday, Mel went off to his friend Daniel's for most of the day, so he didn't get much of a chance to catch up on his sleep. Nick and I sat like book-ends on the sofa, glued to the Stieg Larsson trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo/Played with Fire/Kicked the Hornet's Nest). Once you start to read them, you can't stop.
Today, after the little ones went to gymnastics and I managed to run continuously on the treadmill for 24 minutes, we went to Sally's for Sunday lunch. Sally lives in the back of beyond, with horses and dogs. Once we found it, we had a lovely afternoon, just chatting and playing games with the children.

Hello Shiny New Car

It's taken me a week of being stranded to sort out the lack of car. My little red car is now sitting in a garage waiting for the garage mechanic man to sell it for salvage or scrap. Despite the overt cost of buying a car when I don't have an income, it just really isn't practical to live in the countryside without one. So, I had a search and came up with this black beauty. She's got 5 doors, which is more practical now the kids are getting larger. She's diesel and about 3 years younger than the last one. She's also eco-friendly, meaning she has low emissions and therefore low car tax. All in all, I'm quite happy.

Goodbye Little Car.

This thudding great Were-rabbit lept out of the hedge. I swerved, skidded (possibly on ice) and ended up in the tree. The car is, unfortunately beyond repair. I am sad. I liked my little red car and it seems a sorry way to go. At least Eartha and I were unharmed; as was the rabbit.

Had My Three

They say bad things come in threes. Well, I'm ready for the good things now. I've had my three.

1. We need a new boiler. The long drawn out diagnosis is that the boiler has had it.
2. I wrote my car off tonight swerving to avoid a rabbit. The car hit a tree. The rabbit survived.
3. Someone I love very much has breast cancer. Extent and treatment to be determined.