Boxing day well another Christmas done and dusted roll on 2012 , it was not a good Christmas no real atmosphere again went to Helen parents house and i took my laptop to put some James Patterson novels on to her Kindle she received , i would have liked one myself put needless to say no chance this year also i was hoping to win a i pod classic on eBay but never watched the bidding on it through as money is tight again this year as there is only one wage coming in , it was always going to be a difficult time , least we had some nice food and we are having another turkey dinner today with Yorkshire puddings and sweet potatoes and a few bottles of pear cider then its back to work tomorrow which i am happy that i have a job

Yesterday we got our dinner for boxing day bought a turkey crown from the village of Uppermill at Saddleworth along with a load of fresh vegetables including sprouts and satsumas but no dates hopefully they all grown locally ,We also stopped at the local bakery and bought some steak pies to eat there , a pork pie some Christmas truffles and mince pies and sliced Christmas cake , We went to the local Tesco at Greenfields
and bought some sweet potatoes lager and cider and some chocs and other provisions all ready for our feast on boxing day .

today we went visiting called to see my Daughter at the hair salon she works the called to a old Friend who watched me grow up from my birth and was a true Friend to my mum for over fifty five years we said we will invite here over to dine with us , form there we went to Lawnswood crematorium to leave Christmas cards for relatives that are passed over.









Went to Christmas mass to the church at Adel where Helen grow up and used to play in its grounds,went with Mark and Sue the church is a 12th century building its small and very architectural in its design with its big old door and exposed beams it was full its the first time i have to Communion in many years.

Its been decided by us both to go to Helen's parents for Christmas dinner , we will get a turkey crown and do another Christmas dinner on boxing day with sweet potatoes and honey roasted parsnips washed down with my favorite pear cider , as always we are skint its been another hard year with lots of ups and downs and various peaks and troughs , hopefully in 2012 things will level out and improve.

Its been hard to save for this Christmas i would have loved a kindle and a i pod classic two important features in my life reading and music its not going to happen ,for Helen i wanted to get her a Buddha water feature and a reiki bed its not likely to happen.

That doesn't mean we wont have a great Christmas we will have a great time together although i will miss my children Christmas is not the same and Helen will miss her children , we have both had great Christmases in the past and hopefully will have a few more great ones yet , Christmas costs we all want to give nice presents to our loved ones its not always possible we both know if we had more money there would be loads of gifts under the Christmas tree and why not , ever one we know never seem to struggle like we do have holidays go out and have money for the sales we never do for the last four years we have been on a tight budget.
But we CAN NEVER forget we left everything to be together and started again with nothing , we have between us created a home and house we are proud of.

We have done alterations and modernised the house which we never thought we would work which is still on going , our first Christmas together we was in the apartment near to town and we didn't have a Christmas tree we moved in a few days before Xmas and didn't have the time , now we have two trees and numerous lights round the house both inside and out have two light up reindeer's out on the patio maybe we have more than we realise.

went for a interview for supervisors position today at one o clock , it went very well hopefully i will be the best and get the job , hope i do if not well i will keep trying.
Christmas looms as does the new year if Santa was visiting this year and money was no object here's what i would like.

Have been allocated a interview for a supervisors position were i currently work on the 20th of December as before will give it my best shot and hopefully get a job offer.
have bidded on four wooden tarot card boxes on eBay for Helen's collection of cards she uses for peoples tarot readings all are ornately designed and carved.Also she has designed and ordered 500 business cards from vistaprint all done online online to distribute where necessary.Helen is also ordered a domain address and is building her own website.
I got my son Guy interested in I-tunes and listening to music via a i-pod nano he was using but only after a couple of days went kaput we think the battery is dead so i sent him mine as he was a little pissed off to say the least after building his play list, i will have to use my i-phone until i get a new i pod touch or i-pod classic i am undecided the touch does a lot more things but the classic will hold lots more songs/albums at 160 gig and the white touch is a sleeker piece of design.
bought a pair of K-Swiss trainers these were used but in very good condition for a princely sum of £2.91p plus £2.50 p/p , also i bought some original i-pod earphones if they aren't they are very good copies and i would buy them again also i bought now 10 i-phone screen protectors for £1.49 free p/p and i now hold 22 stars and 100% feedback , seeing as i only buy and don't sell and pay for each item as soon as i win a item , this is likely to drop.
worked all week this week and i am working all next week this will be a good start to the new year also i receive this months salary on the 23rd of December a few days early because it is Christmas holidays.

Listening to - Akon Koncrete

Reading - I Steve-Jobs in his own words by George Beahm

This morning in the rain i fixed the blue icicle lights to the eaves of the garage using drawing pins we passed the cable through the window then just shut the window trapping the wire in place hopefully it wont strip the protective cover that protects the wires.Then i did the white icicle lighting to the front of the bay window also using drawing pins this time just running it back inside via over the front door threshold.We have two Christmas trees one in the living room and one in the hallway which Helen decorated we have quite a few strings of lights now scattered throughout he house we are going to get some for our wrought iron bed just to be on the safe side will get batteries ones not type of shocking experience i want in the bedroom would really go with a bang

From the visit to the building society our mortgage has dropped by a £150 a month which now makes our house cheaper than renting somewhere , which is a result in a way i suppose it would have been nicer to have a repayment of around £350 we are now paying £433 a month.
Bought some hand crafted sky lanterns to let go at Christmas and new year also bought some blue and whit icicle lights to go on the bat window and on the garage.

We have to go see the mortgage advisor tomorrow at the Leeds we have been on a fixed term contract since buying the house three years a go this is now up for renewal and a new term to agree we have been fixed at nearly 6.5% for the last 36 months.Hopefully it will drop a decent amount and make life a lot easier , hopefully it will be a early Christmas present that we both benefit from for the nest few years to come.

Last few weeks i have still been able to work extra shifts . I have applied for a supervisors job vacancies which would mean a minimum of 45 hours a week one hour more than what i am currently doing , starting at two in the afternoon and finishing at ten in the evening which is only a hour later than my current evening shift , plus they would be a wage increase and sick benefits and pension would increase so all in all it would be a good promotion IF I GET IT.Stocked up on a case of Magners pear cider which was on offer eight bottles for seven quid we ran out of incense sticks and night lights , Helen did some card readings totalling four with another three to do next week .

Ebay i bought recently a white Breo watch a in car-charger for our i-phone's and a phone case for He lens i-phone .All for under a tenner . had to buy a new car battery for the freelander £93.00 Other purchased Skullcandy head phones lasted a few hours before they got trashed due to the wire getting mysteriously cut in a few places rendering them useless good job i only paid £12.99 for them 50% off from Hmv.

reading - Steve jobs biography

Watching Sarah Millican - "Chatterbox" which is brilliant and Peter Kay "The tour that didnt tour".

Listening to Snowpatrol "Fallen Empire's" and James "Millionaire"

Got to decide what we are doing over Christmas dinner this year do we cook it ourselves or go out to eat at a rustic country pub or go to Helen in laws a toughie , advantages of cooking our own -

1.it will be cheaper.
2.wont involve any driving.
3.know we Will enjoy every mouthful.
4.free drinks.
5.can watch TV whilst eating.
6.can have 2nd and thirds.
7.cat and dog get to pig out too

disadvantages
1.have to prepare and cook it.
2.washing the dishes.
3.turkey rest of week .

so inlaws or Pub?

Guess that's decided then will eat out , out on the moors at a little country pub within about a 45minute drive of our house , unless it snows which will be another issue .

Not done much this week a friend Louise is working on her new hair salon should be completed in a few weeks picked four large gold mirrors up for the walls above her new workstations in her salon once its all decorated each mirror was £99.99p got them all in my freelander but was worried if one cracked , smashed or broke on route to her house , not so much the cost but cant do with another seven years bad look. Been engaged a WHOLE week now no nearer to Vegas , Went to the supermarket bought a dragon fruit , papaya , mango and a persimmon to try out my favorite was the dragon fruit a lot kiwi except its white inside with black seeds but tastes very similar they are well nice the cost £1.49 each.bought of eBay a new phone case for my apple 3gs phone with free p/p only £3.50 ,plus a charger plug unit for i pod/phone/ipad docking lead for charging up at work around the house £1.65 free postage packaging and the new Steve jobs biography hardback edition for £1.49 also free p/p.

LISTENING TO JAMES - GREATEST HITS

Sunday lazy lazy Sunday well it was until i decided to go to Thruscross reservoir near Harrogate/Otley for an afternoon walk with Helen and Pip our little Jack Russell .about five miles from home realised we had forgotten pips lead , had to go back home i thought about buying a new one put finding a pet shop was pointless task so did a u-turn and went back home.
We finally got to our location and parked up and started the walk the first bit was nice and steady easy peasy stroll the the trail was littered with pine needles from the fir trees it was either muddy or hard going and in ways it was a bit like walking on a carpet , when we passed the mill ruin we came to a bridge to pass over the water , to get here took just under a hour it was around half past two the sun was out and it was a pleasant afternoon i thought we had completed one side of the reservoir , so we crossed over the bridge to come back to the car park .What we didn't realise at this point is that the three off us had completed less than a third of the walk as you can see from the map , which we only looked at when we got back home .From THIS POINT ON on it was muddier it was darker , it was up and down hills over fields and meadows and sty's it was twice as hard going on a few occasions we lost sight of the reservoir Helen was pissed off the dog was pissed off i was knackered my back and hip was playing up and aching terribly i had fallen down an embankment and to cap it all it was getting darker and colder bt he minute,over another hill and we saw the road going over the reservoir on which we drove on to the car park it was in the distance and guessing it was about another mile and a half away we made it back to the car i was in that much agony Helen didn't want me to go to work on the Monday , we got home Pip slept from getting home at half past six till the following morning , i did get up the following morning and did go to work , next time will look at the maps and distance we are walking we covered seven miles on our trek Helen has vowed never to go back to Thruscross reservoir again.

Today we went back to the Trafford centre Manchester to pay the balance on He lens engagement ring , And of course to get engaged on the 5th November Bought from HMV a gear4 smart dock reduced from £99.99 to £39.99 with a built in FM radio remote control and equalizer with i phone app to turn it in to an alarm clock so pretty chuffed at the price and quality.

evening went to the Leeds Cathedral in Leeds city centre it was the Filipino yearly mass we was invited by my co worker i clean operating theatres with on a evening , to sample the the local cuisine and dishes cooked by him and his Friends very good very nice a very empty plate , After we called at Helen's parents house to tell them we was engaged and to show them the ring we had got a few hours earlier , we ended up playing the card game whot and playing domino's before going home.

Listening to - Manic street preachers "National Treasure the complete singles"

watching - 300

Thinking is it possible to go back to the Trafford shopping centre Manchester to pay the remainder off on Helen's engagement ring so we can get engaged on bonfire night , that way we can never forget the date and they will be fireworks on every anniversary , I have tomorrow but if can't then there is always Saturday i will have to see if I can stretch my money to cover the remanding balance if not there is always Cash Converter's my laptop and camera on the buy back option would raise me the £200 I need.I could even buy a cheap ring get engaged then once we get the diamond ring from the jewellers swap them problem solved.

listening to - Birdy eyes Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher high flying bird

watching - channel 4 Top Boy

Yesterday we went over to the Trafford centre Manchester to look at engagement rings we finally decided on one and i paid a deposit will pick it up at the end of November its white gold with four diamonds in a square set it fitted perfectly afterwards had fish and chips then drove back to Leeds.

Steve jobs death and the fact that his autobiography is out , got me thinking it was reported in the press and no doubt Forbes that he was worth in the region of 5.5 billion dollars or sterling not sure which but what the heck he was still worth a load of cash , so how much would he pay to come back from the dead and to Live again for one whole year.to be in perfect health for the whole twelve months And to be fit enough to do or go where ever he wished .to see the sunrise and sunset to feel the wind and rain on his face to eat a favourite meal washed down with his favourite tipple to read a book , watch a film , listen to his favourite music and make love to his women , I reckon all of it he would part with ever last dime , so why that anybody alive that can still experience all or some of the above seem to spend time bitching and moaning how shit life is all because the cost of living has gone up , one life live it

Helen and I are to get engaged we have been through so much together in the last four years .
I love Helen without compromise I will always do my utmost to provide for her, look after her and watch over her.

In the time we have been together we have played some aces and sometimes the cards we have been dealt both good and bad ,sometimes we have got it wrong when we should have got it right , but at the time probably didn't have the choices that where are own making , if people along the way have been upset pissed off or annoyed with us then tough it was never intentional.
We started out with nothing first week Helen walked out of her marriage we was living in a hotel in Leeds city centre until we arranged a viewing and got the apartment at Clarence dock that's is where we spent our first Christmas together.it was fully furnished but we Still had lots of things to buy even the little things add up when you are starting again with nothing but love .

Christmas day we finished dinner and went down to the canal to feed the ducks the city centre was deserted it was like a ghost town.we moved into the apartment a few days before Christmas day we had jotted no trimmings but had everything we needed for the best Christmas Day dinner ever Three months later we moved in to a four bedroom stone built through terrace with a garden to the rear also near to the canal by a few weeks we had the house transformed even the landlord was impressed with how it was looking Having a garden meant we could sit out on a evening we could hang washing out have barbecues and by plants shrubs and flowers we also bought a rabbit .Six months later we was signing a mortgage for the house we have now we have been there three years we have transformed the kitchen dinner knocked the toilet and bathroom in to one with a new bathroom suite , the garden is totally changed with raised beds boarders we even Planted a pear tree .

What else has happened well Helen is still with me through thick and thin she is at my side she left everything to be with me her house belongings and possessions her children even her dog and the best part of her wardrobe she turned up at the hotel with a couple of suitcases and a few of her belongings why to be with me she trusted me not to go back home , she trusted that I loved her would lo look after and care for her that I wanted to be with her forever she trusted me with her heart and soul , and she believed in me above anyone else to be true to my word and She gave it all up to be with me in a double room in a Holiday Inn in Leeds city centre that's why we are getting engaged and that's why we are looking at engagement rings this coming Saturday . still love Helen and i know Helen still loves me , if that upsets anyone that we are still together or are totally pissed off or they have trouble understanding we are still in LOVE , then tough your problem not ours.

No work until my evening shift woke up to a glorious morning the sun was shining the sky was blue we don't bother with drawing the curtains on a night in our bedroom nothing is opposite us apart from the church Helen got married in years earlier our house features on some of her wedding photos Nine years earlier I actually went to her evening reception and kiss her in her wedding dress know I get to kiss her naked who would of thought not my wife who had accompanied me , Helen I meet at work and as soon as I saw her I was in dream world I missed her when I didn't get to see her we both just worked on the weekends and of course when sickness and holidays occurred meant no weekly fix for me .
Today we went to kirkstall Abbey it's only a five Minute drive from where we live, Pip our jack came on our outing , never really explored the abbey or studied it's history it dares back to the 1500,s from reading plaques throughout the ruins the monks where called to pray six times a day starting at one in the Morning drank up to two gallons of ale a day had one bath once a month if they needed one or not and only had fires for warmth from November to Easter too much comfort was considered a sin, guess I am a sinner in more ways then one but hey only God can judge me.
Went to Toby carvery were we sinned some more they now do coke with unlimited refills , the waitress asked how many I would like , I said one glass and unlimited refills she said yes I replied do you see a rolex on my wrist NO so just the one glass and two straws we will share.

Standing at the bus stop this morning just before half past six i realised i had left my id badge and swipe card on my bedside drawers.Also it had the key for my locker on it so i trundled on back home hopefully in the process not missing my bus i dashed home unlocked the porch unlocked the front door dashed upstairs grabbed the lanyard with my id and swipe card dashed back downstairs locked up got back to the bus stop and caught the bus in to work result.got in to work signed in couldn't find my id badge etc shit search my jacket pockets jean pockets and back pack no joy shit.reported the lost to security to cancel my swipe card which gave me access to all areas.
I had to get two forms filled out one for the swipe lock card and my photo id card took them over to security located at other side of the building to where i work quite a trek , only to find the computer was down couldn't print my photo id out the swipe card takes 24hours to process , So all fcuking day i had to be buzzed in and out which was totally annoying pissed me right off. By the end of the day i had my photo card id only need my swipe card should be tomorrow after twelve and a key to my locker so i can get my theatre shoes hopefully can get in using a master key if not get another key.WHY DID I BOTHER GOING HOME,

Tonight we went to the Marriott hotel in Leeds city centre to watch the clairvoyant Steven Holbrook , i have seen him once this year in Oldham ,Helen has seen him numerous times , and was watching him at performances way before she meet me.I have his three autobiography's to read that chart his life from a child to present day.Tonight i got a message and so did Helen , he knew it was my birthday today which it is and no i wasn't wearing a birthday badge, hat or carrying a helium balloon saying happy birthday he got my name right and the length of time my mam had passed he knew i had been speaking with her today and knew the last five years have been very turbulent that she approved of Helen and that she had a part in getting us together he also gave Helen a message from her grandmother Lily who's name he got right we both felt he was speaking from his heart quite a few other people received messages quite a few where left without any doubt that it was the loved ones departed relying the messages through Steve all i can say is this if you have not seen him go to one of his shows and make your own mind up about his ability to speak with the dead .The next time he is in or near to Leeds we will go again.

Been a average week nothing earth shattering has happened worked every day plus today.Yesterday went to see the Damion Hirst exhibition at Leeds art gallery what a pile of rubbish was not impressed 90% of his work i wouldn't class as art but suppose he is laughing all the way to the bank so who am i to criticise his work .Helen's dog Sam is being put to sleep Monday , she wants the vet to arrange a cremation and to receive his ashes Damion would just drop it in to some formaldehyde in a perspex box , its my 52nd birthday tomorrow i am not working we might go to see Steve Holbrook the clairvoyant.Have been watching Dynamo the magician illusionist on tv i know he cant walk on water or push things in to solid objects even so i think not knowing is part of the fun so i am happy not knowing i dont want to know , i like not knowing for me he's brilliant i don't want my illusionist to be a delusion.

Well a third day off grey leaky skies how things always look better when its a hot summers day and the skies are clear blue and the birds are singing , love when frank says on shameless we live in Manchester and were charged for water about sums this country up and worst of all we stand for it.




Our Jack Russell Pip messed her bed this morning i took her outside so she could wee when she came back in she jumped in her other bed and urinated straight away getting fed up its all the time and its getting me down i love her to bits but the house cant take her using it as a toilet its worse than having a baby.





No matter what time Helen and i go to bed even if i am working or not i am always the first out of bed , Helen just lays there even if she is awake first she doesn't stir don't know how she does it but it happens all the time .

only working two full days this week apart from my contracted evening shift of half till half eight working full five days next week which is more like it be nice also to get another weekend in this month .

The above pictures are taken with my Fuji finepix which is a brilliant camera for the price 14 mega pixels and 24x optical zoom.

LISTENING TO - The very best punk rock songs ever

Still looking at docks for my i-phone got to be loud enough and compact enough to fit in my work bag , two out of the three theatres now have neither pc speakers or docks i can use to play my music , TH ATS once all operations are done and patients are out of recovery and back on their wards.

Pip still needs house training we are making little or no progress , as she does not seem to grasp the idea of toilet training and that she needs to do it out of the house . Bless her she is a great little dog but is being very Blondie will have to look in to taking her for some type of training she is loving cute and all in all brilliant we love her dearly and will hopefully educate ourselfs so we can educate her .

Still not made it to the charity shops to look for Richard Montanari paper backs.
Won on the euro lottery 2 numbers and one star netting £5.90 and won £2.50 0n plus five might get me three books.

Not been to Starbucks for ages missing my white chocolate mocha's , also i am missing my Starbucks extra grande coffee mug its no where at home and have not seen it for ages which is annoying , thinking Helen has slung it cause it didn't match with the rest of our pots she saying i took it to work i never lol.

Not applied for any other jobs since i have been doing extra shifts at work if these end will be well in a mess and life will be very difficult specially all the bills i pay for house and car and loans etc.

Listening to P J Harvey

watching Shameless AND NY Ink

reading - Stuff gadget magazine

Not working Tuesday Wednesday or Thursday apart from my half to nine at night slot that means three days of sleeping in well at least til half eight or nine o cl cock the latest , taking pip out for mid morning walks tormenting Helen going shopping and hopefully breakfast at subway for sausage egg and cheese sub.might look at a speaker dock for my i-phone depending availability of monies looking at a gear 4 or a Sony also want to go to the charity shops to see if i can get some Richard Montanari paper backs there will always be some James Patterson ones maybe some i haven't read if all else fails.

watching - idiot abroad 2

film to watch - Son of Morning

listening to - The Manic Street Preachers and Miles Kane

Saturday we Went to Todmorden to visit centre vale park to pat the allegedly lucky dog which was featured on the Calender news programme featuring Derren Brown who is doing his own show on good luck and fortune , various people have had very good luck happen to them after stroking the statue of the dog , on getting home Helen did a scratch card she bought before we left she won £15 hehe who knows could do with six little numbers.After went to Hebden Bridge to visit all the hippy shops apprently in the 60's lots of hippys settled in the tiny village

thinking about Christmas already bought some one million aftershave its a while since i bought my self any new designer aftershave wanted a bottle for ages and as we were going out last Saturday night i though rather than buy a new shirt or jeans i get some one million and for some reason it got me thinking about Christmas be our third in this house. The fist year we didn't even have a cooker this year we have a new bathroom windows and central heating in the upstairs rooms , a lot has happened this year and no doubt next year is going to be just eventful as they say life goes on.

After I finish work this Friday I will have worked nineteen days without a day off , so I am really looking forward to this coming weekend .
Need to get out on the moors explore new Parts we have not walked on before take new photos and of course take Pip with us .Getting up at six every day has taken it's toll need to have a sleep in and have a relaxed weekend , Plenty of fresh air to clear my head of bleach and the smell of hospitals , I know i won't sleep in and I bet it will be raining but least it will be time of from work ,

Everything is fine for the past fourteen days i have done nothing but worked.life goes on day to day i rise at six to go to work and arrive home at two in the afternoon to go back at four thirty till nine.
.At least its helping me keep on top off bills and its not getting me down not having a full time job after being made redundant , even though helen is hating me being away all the time and me being permanently knackered.

Well all in all been working none stop almost every day , sometimes finishing at half past one or three o clock or even four o clock , still its the only job i have and am grateful for the chance of doing extra shifts.
Pip still is not house trained , we have been up to malham and Goldern acre park with her on two occasions have taken her of the lead and its good seeing her race about.
other than that done very little apart from sleep and yawn.

Monday finished at one at night off went to The Three Nuns pub for a psychic night for a demonstration and a reading . All I been doing this week from Tuesday is working from seven in the morning until one in the afternoon , then starting at four thirty in the afternoon until midnight.Doing this shift the rest of week . My daughter is in Aiya napa for two weeks and I am jealous wish it was me .Helen came home in a Ferrari the other night louises accountant dropped her of very nice ride, very nice price

worked mon to weds on neonatal ward worked Thursday on Friday went for a interview first one in over ten years , it went could gave it 110% completed two practical skill test to a high standard answered every question put to me i wouldn’t do it differently if i had to do it again , hopefully i will get a result I want I will have to give my part time job on a night cleaning the theatres i cant have two employment contracts , anyway its 22k a year and it is full time starting 7.30am until 16,00pm no working bank holidays and no more working two jobs finish at four and its home time.

THINK its better to do one blog for the week thenn individual posts , sometimes its less time consumiming not that is a main issue ATM but some days life just plods on even though i usally take the dog out if not working and do bits around the house apply for the odd job nothing dunbfoundling good always happpens to report or commemt on or bore people with on this blog .thats not to say i am not reading watching films listening to great tunes , along with sex eating dating and doing other things. worked all day Monday and all day Tuesday seven till one then half four till nine at night .also its been confirmed i can work this Saturday.

Thursday.
I finally meet up with my son Guy picked him up from Pocklington where he lives with my ex , and drove in to York city centre had breakfast at a bistro type cafe was a bit to nice no greasy spoon and came with no baked beans. He bought some jeans and a t-shirt he liked he is having girl trouble which was irritating him my advice was dump her if she is cheating ditch her which wasn’t the advice i think he was craving after.

Friday
went shopping at Primarni bought a pair of jeans four t-shirts two grey and two black and twelve pairs of socks went to Subway for breakfast for two sausage egg and cheese subs one with tea the other coffee £4.00 ten times better than MacDonald’s they have apparently just changed their coffee got to say was one of the nicest tasting coffees i have had for a while, bought nine cookies to take home.My old friends Nik and Erky visited he brought me windows seven enterprise for my desk top it’s all up and running with new key board and wireless mouse also stuck in 4 gig of memory instead of the one it had in ,They liked what we had done to our home knocking through the kitchen and knocking through the bathroom to make larger rooms It was the first time they came to see us was always a bit embarrassed about our bathroom it was antiquated.

Saturday

Went to work at half nine had to nip out to take Helen to her well being class at Bristall, she was attending ten till five i finshed work at hal past one. When i picked her up we was both starving so we decided to go for for an Italian our favorite all time restuarant is PICCOLINO in Leeds City centre i took Helen her for the first time whilst i was still married one luch time i skipped work and saved up enough money for a few beers and lunch and this is where we ended up , the food here is always brilliant my only bitch is the dont do pears cider had to settle for a apple Magners the onion rings and handcut chips always go good with the carbonara.

Took Pip over to Uppermill again today she was well behaved in the car and slept most of the way , parked up at Dovestone It was beginning to rain so we had a coffee and headed back to Leeds.On the way home we stopped at Marstons chicken shack you can smell the chicken well before you get to the actual shop depending on the wind today we stopped and bought some fried chicken and chips which we ate once we got home very tasty better than kfc , Pip and Harvey both approved .Visited Helens grandmother grave Helen took a single pink rose cut from our garden and left it on her grave.

saturday
Well its the first time ever i have done a full week at the hospital , i worked on a ward where a lot where in due to bowel cancer one man had been in hospital for the last eight months , in a side room with no real view it a sentence and how he copes is beyond me no going for fish and chips going to the take away going shopping in to town or the supermarket cant even walk out to the news agents to buy a magazine or a morning paper.So i am not going to moan again how shit life can be , i shouldn't moan or grumble loads of people worse off then i , got to be thankful for what i have and not dwell on what i haven't got.



Bought the above monitor from CCL at Tong it was £81 inc vat its 22" and so far so good the power supply cable that came with it was one of those new weird leads every one seems to be using with two round pins on the end as a plug lucky i had another monitor lead that fitted other wise i would not have been able to have it running , its is to replace my old monitor which gave up the ghost for some unknown reason

The bathroom is now completed the flooring is down we opted fora slate looking lino we also fitted two charcoal blinds its took longer then we expected but we are both happy with the end result , no major hiccups and no hassles on the way with new windows and with a double radiator bath time in winter should be a lot better than the last three years we have been living in the house , also we have had radiators fitted in each of the three bedrooms upstairs previously only ever had the one small single radiator in the bathroom which had a single glazed window so hopefully we will be able to be warm providing we can afford the price of the gas to fuel it .

On the job front i have been working all week at the hospital working on a ward from seven till one in the afternoon as well has doing a extra half hour i worked a sunday previously and i am working monday and tuesday next week with a following saturday so although i have not found a new employer it looks like we wont be starving just yet.

Thursday
Harvey went back to the vets for his post operation check up he was fine no problems and he has made a full recovery , no little Harvey's will be ever running around the neighbough hood.

Saturday
walked pip a good few miles today Helen was doing a a craft stall down at Rodley nature reserve so i took Pip down just before dinner time today was a first day out of the house on the lead , we bought a body harness for her to wear and she was very well behaved she walked most of the time at the side or in front of me only a couple of times did she get under my feet .

Sunday
Went to Saddleworth with Pip , once again she was well behaved she didn't suffer from travel sickness and once again she was well behaved on the lead , went up to Uppermill every body who passed commented and stroked her , she impressed everyone she meet on route .

Saturday
picked my daughter up from her house after she had finished work at her hair salon at around four o clock , went to the Crown buffet for a chinese meal pigged out .she was eager to see our new pup Pippa.The house is in a bit of a mess due to having the old bathroom demolished and a new bigger bath room created as always with building work dust gets everywhere , of course she adored Pip and spent a few hours in the garden with her.Bought a new high gloss white mirror and white bathroom cabinet.

Sunday
Called over to see my Nephew Mark who has spent the last three weeks in the States traveling around , he has also recently been made redundant after leaving there we went to the Red Bus which is a double decker and is located on the A64 the road to York , this was for breakfast but it was well after twelve o clock when we got there dropped my daughter off back at her house , early evening started to do the tiling in the bathroom whilst Helen painted the tongue and groove cladding , skirting boards and boxing in.Its still work in progress but should be completed in the next few days

It has been a miserable week not only weather wise i was told one of the theatre sisters is retiring early due to being diagnosed with cancer which has returned for the second time ,Pip as a ear infection and we had to take her to the vets , Harvey the cat is being very tolerant of her and is making allowances for her puppy behavior he has hissed and smacked her a few times but on the hold he has been very laid back.
Also have been watching the wide spread riots unfold throughout the country until the common man and women are elected as members of parliament , until the working class and those living in urban decay and council estates areas, until there is a control on immigrants for those gaining entry to our shores , massive hand outs to other countries and funding wars we have or should have no interest in, and until there is the right for people wanting to own there own homes to be able buy affordable housing and until there is jobs for everyone , until gas and electricity stop increasing their prices every time its winter when the said companies and utilities are making billions of pounds in profit there are always going to be riots when people feel they have hold of the shitty end of the stick there are always going to be riots when every government lies and are governed by greed and overloaded expenses accounts have ignored promises have changed policies once elected have no care for the ordinary folk there will be thank you always riots.

well over a week since i bid farewell to my full time job , applied for five jobs but no interviews , have increased hours slightly at my part time job not substantially enough to order my over finch just yet , but might make the difference from eating or not eating . I also paid the next six months mortgage repayments up front which will take us off your fixed term agreement . and had the car mot'd and serviced. Also bought a few items of clothing from Bench which where in the sale and up to 60% off the original retail price other than that nothing earth shattering to report , Helen completed her reiki level two qualification last sunday , whilst i worked at my Hospital job.

Well i cant claim job seekers allowance from being made redundant from job number one ,basically because job number two i work at on a evening five nights a week is over sixteen hours , and is twenty hours a week and i cant claim tax credits because job number two is not thirty hours ,on one its too much the other not enough bloody typical.So the fact that i have not been unemployed for the last twenty years and for the last ten years have been working two jobs and paying two lots of tax and national insurance contributions count for sod all i basically have just £550 a month coming in which wont even cover the mortgage, never mind council tax, water rates, gas and electric and even food , one good thing when the house is reposed i wont have to worry about the council tax every cloud. Fact is my country does not need me now i am unemployed , and now i need my country i can more or less go away and starve . well fuck you.

Not entitled to JSA because i work twenty hours part time CAN NOT CLAIM TAX CREDITS BECAUSE i dont work thirty hours so all i have to live on is 80 hours wages which is around six hundred a month so after twenty years working i get fuck all after paying twenty years national insurance income tax get nothing for working two jobs and paying double national insurance paye i get nothing no tax credits no dole no rebates no help with council tax nothing big fat zero BRILLIANT.

FRIDAY
Finished work friday we all went for a curry to Aagrah on Clarence Dock i received a set of wireless headphones which are brilliant and totally unexpected bottles of pear cider and some packets of mars bars , straight after work picked helen up and went over to Blackpool to see Dereck Acorah at the north pier he was very good it was a small audience which i guess didn't help but on the whole cant criticize afterwards he did a signing of programs and allowed people to be photographed with him him , we stayed at a friends mother guest house for the night helen did a couple of readings.

SATURDAY
7.30 AM i was up on the beach taking photos of the central and north piers the ferris wheel and beach front.drove over to Southport on the way there saw a sign for jack russell pups shouldnt have but went to see them i have missed my dog bandit and have always wanted another jack other dogs are really not for me Moby was too hyper and easily knock helen over plus she felt threatened by him and he did snap at her on various occasions, westies to be honest are not my favorite dogs.







SUNDAY
Evening went to Chilli White my daughter was supporting her hair salon and close friend Abby who was doing the hair for for the models that was appearing in her fashion show it was a great venue all went well

Well mid week approaching three days left to complete at work till its all over , my work mates and i are all going for a curry friday lunch time at Clarence Dock afterwards i am picking Helen up and heading for Blackpool. We have tickets for Derek Acorah who is appearing at the North pier we are staying over aT friend's mother who as a guest house we have been invited to stay, Helen will be doing some readings later that night for three people the following day i would like to get some panorama photographs of the beach front and the pier and hopefully the tower it will be a tight schedule as we should be heading back Saturday early evening.No matter what OR WHERE i do it Friday will always be remembered for the day i got made redundant REGARDLESS.

Listening to :- JImi Hendrix

SHOULD BE READING DEREK ACORAH'S BIOGRAPHY BUT I,M NOT

Well tomorrow is the final week i will have a full time job , we are doing the house up ready to put it in the hands of an estate agent to sell up and move on to pastures new.
Hopefully we will make enough money to tide us over for at least a couple of years in a place well away from Leeds We have both lived in Leeds all your lives and seem happier when we are away out and about.
If we make 40k we can start anywhere again with enough for rent and food for a good two years whilst we both get new jobs the lower the rent the better.We want to live in the country away from police sirens and helicopters barking doors and loud music away from street gangs and street crimes burglaries and muggings away from a cultural society as far as that is possible.
We need to sort out the bathroom , we need a bath at the moment we shower i four years i think i have had around four baths i shower every night at work , our toilet and bathroom are separate we are going to knock down the dividing wall and have one room we have a new bath already just need wash basin toilet and taps , another thing we need renewing is the guttering its wood and it leeks and over flows every winter it freezes the timber and it gets works which wouldn't make a good selling point other than that its a paint job and re-stain the floors cut the grass and trim the hedges and re paint the security grills and gates.

Listening T :- Meat Loaf Greatest Hits

Watching :- Source Code/London Ink

R.I.P AMY A STAR YOU BURNED OUT TOO SOON.

well received my p45 and final pay slip money goes in next monday night also applied for another job at the west yorkshire fire service as a maintenance worker/caretaker, which is only down the street from me and is on a part time basis.
Enquired about extra day shifts at my other job and hopefully some will be available to cover sickness,holidays and maternity leave.

mid week this time next week should have my redundancy and final paycheck in bank looking at applying for a job as a maintenance joiner 22k a year which if i get will be a godsend dont think for one moment that i will,it would be too good to be true but i will apply for it regardless it would also mean that i could continue my pension which is a big plus not that i am planing on every receiving a penny but just in case i do make it need as much funds in as possible once your in a pension scheme you really got to go for gold.

Writing this at work , and i,am already on my third cup of coffee . Just can't get motivated seeing that I finish next Friday for good thanks to redundancy , be no more walks down the canal into to town cutting through Clarence dock will miss crossing the bridge that I use to meet Helen on so much water has flown under it so much has changed so much continues to change on a daily basis.

My nephew flys to the United States today for a 3 week vacation , he left with 55k for his redundancy payout I get 40k less and be lucky to get a long weekend in Southport life so unfair.

Need to change need to on the ball go for gold get a job change the way I live need to sell the house and decide a new path to walk down , twenty years service what do I buy myself to commemorate this should I buy myself anything , I think I should with in reason need cheering up some how.

Once I am not working until I gain employment will have to follow a routine of getting up and getting out cycling in to the city to look for work and visit the job centre , agencies and other outlets. Will rejoin the library and see what other organisations can help me with looking for work and gain employment .

Will spend less look for bargains eat cheaply clothe my self of eBay or Primark or from ongoing sales everywhere seems to be sale time can get some real bargains.specially now I will have the time to shop no buying on impulse be a case of buy one get one free or what ever is on offer , no more take sways which might not be a bad thing .
No more luxuries , Helen can give up smoking , I won't give up Internet I will pay the bill for at least a year up front . Along with car insurance and the road tax, i will get the beast mot'd and serviced and anything else needed to keep her on the road , might have to tow a caravan if things go pear shaped or sleep in it if things get that bad, it has happened have read people's blogs about people livig in their cars in times of economic gloom.
must buy a couple of bikes and a bike rack a tent some camping beds or air beds and of course sleeping bags .

if I was a writer I write more books if I was a artist do more paintings , photographer more photos , a singer another album a actor another film or play but being just me it's going to be a case if I am lucky of doing or getting any job no matter how bland and boring , it's ok doing these jobs and I am not proud but you need a exciting life away from work to compensate or balance it out which wouldn't be the case , or to do it travelling .

My Bucket list of things i would like to achieve before i kick the bucket in no particular order , hopefully all achievable. Will update ,add to and change this as and when i feel fit , a on going working document hopefully from today will be work in progress.

1.GET A NEW INTERESTING JOB.
2.MOVE OUT OF LEEDS.
3.GO TO JAPAN.
4.WATCH THE SUNRISE ON A FOREIGN SHORE.
5.BUY A RETRO CAMPER VAN.
6.LIVE ON A BARGE FOR A WHILE.
7.BUY A TENT.
8.STAY IN A SHEPHERDS HUT.
9.LEARN WEB DESIGN.
10.BUY A MOUNTAIN BIKE AND CYCLE MORE.
11.GO ON A FERRY TO EUROPE.
12.BUY A APPLE AIR BOOK.
13.SEE MY GROWN UP CHILDREN MORE THAN I DO.
14.BUY A KINDLE AND DOWNLOAD TWENTY BOOKS ON TO IT.
15.GO TO THE CINEMA EVERY WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS.
16.SWIM WITH DOLPHINS.
17 SET FOOT IN EVERY CONTINENT.
18 SWIM IN EVERY OCEAN.
19.VISIT ORLANDO STUDIOS USA.
20.GO UP AND PHOTOGRAPH THE EIFIEL TOWER.
21.MAKE FILMS OF MY EVERY DAY LIFE FOR MY OLD AGE.
22.GET ANOTHER TATTOO.
23.GO ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.
24 GO SCUBA DIVING IN THE RED SEA.
25.TREK ACROSS A DESERT ON A CAMEL.
26.GO UP IN A HELICOPTER.
27.GO ON THE LONDON EYE.
28.DRIVE UP NORTH TO SCOTLAND AS POSSIBLE THEN BACK DOWN SOUTH AS FAR AS POSSIBLE.
29.GO ON A CRUISE TO THE CARIBBEAN.
30.STAY IN A FIVE STAR HOTEL.
31.EAT IN A CELEBRITY CHEFS RESTAURANT.
32.BUY AN ORIGINAL WORK OF ART.
33.LEARN TO DRAW AND SKETCH.
34.DO A PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE.
35,LEARN TO COOK A SIGNATURE INDIAN DISH.
36.BUY A SET OF QUALITY CHEF KNIVES.
37.PURCHASE A SECOND HAND LECIA CAMERA.
36.BUY A SECONDHAND BMW X6 IN WHITE.
37.GO SEE A WEST END PLAY.
38.GO SEE MY FAVORITE BAND LIVE.
39.GET A SIGNED NOVEL OF MY FAVORITE WRITER.
40.SLEEP ON A BEACH.
41.LIVE THREE MONTHS IN A CARAVAN.
42.GO DEEP SEA FISHING.
43.BE A EXTRA IN A FILM.
44.BE IN TIMES SQUARE FOR A NEW YEAR.
45.SEE MY CHILDREN MARRY.
46.SEE MY GRAND CHILDREN.
47.GO ON HOLIDAY JUST TAKING A DEBIT CARD AND PASSPORT.
48.BE A SPECTATOR AT THE MONACO GRAND PRIX.
49.WRITE MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
50.WIN OR BE LEFT A SMALL SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY.
51.ADOPT A ANIMAL.
52.SMOKE A CUBAN CIGAR IN CUBA.
53. EAT PIZZA IN ITALY.
54.GET A CONSERVATORY OR A ORANGERY.
55.MAKE A 12FOOT WELSH DRESSER.

My Daughter called me at half past five in the morning didn't go to bed until two so it was not a welcome wake up call at least she was ok she had been partying in the city centre and booked in to the Etap hotel.

Did nothing again cooked a Sunday dinner with roast chicken sweet potatoes and roasted parsnips so i we was well feed if nothing else , watched harry potter disc two was falling asleep so went for a afternoon siesta which was fatal woke up at seven o clock at night was not a wise thing to do , another two weeks at work before i leave made redundant.

Listening to :- Deep Purple and Black Sabbath

Watching:- Harry Potter complete box set 1- 7

Reading anything but :- The News Of The World

Today had a lazy day as the weather was wet we decided to go nowhere fast.I went out around half nine did some shopping for eggs bacon and baked beans and bread so we could have a small fry up , also did the lottery and bought some coke and chocolate , ended up watching the first Harry Potter film we are now going to have to watch the rest of the older films then watch the final one at the cinema of course in 3D.

Well two weeks off is finally completed apart from this weekend will be back at work this Monday at least until the end of the month. Its going to be similar to the scenario of dead man walking, and i am not going to like it one little bit. After twenty years employed going to be classed as unemployed even though i am still working four hours a night at my evening job five nights a week hopefully overtime will eventually reappear but cant rely on it on a regular basis if at all. Will consider any type of work will even try to get a full time post at the hospital will even consider night shifts anything to bring in a regular salary.
Today we drove over to Borough Bridge cant remember ever being there before it was a small town centre very quaint and pretty had something to eat in a deli/cafe Chiuso i had a tuna and cheese panini Helen had a ham sandwich with a side salad all very nice , from there we drove back to Knarseborough walked down through town to the river Nidd some gorgeous cottages and house close to the river we then walked back to the top of the cragg and back to the castle car park.

Second week off from work got Helen,s son moving back in with us which is the last thing i wanted to happen . obvious its going to be at a cost to no one else but me he lost his job just after we moved in the house that we are in now in 2009 and has not worked since , and with no chance of getting any proper employment its not going to be short term ,so as you can guess , i am well over the moon i get made redundant in three weeks time and the money i am getting for twenty years service is going to diminish faster than a fiddlers elbow,its already putting a strain on my relationship with helen and i can honestly say i am totally depressed , i don't feel like returning home knowing her son is going to be there we don't talk and we have nothing in common and its affecting me to the point where i am not happy anymore and i feel like what,s the point in doing anything constructive , not only that he told me today that he back handed our cat Harvey for snagging the carpet upstairs , our cat has never known any hate or violence towards him ONLY LOVE , and he AS NEVER BEEN HIT ONCE and that to me is totally unacceptable,i no longer feel comfortable with him being in the house alone when Helen and i are out.

ANOTHER TWO WORK MATES HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY ARE TO LOOSE THEIR JOBS , SORRY LADS JOIN THE CLUB.

Watching - limitless online

listening to U2

Thinking about - good luck is surely due

Went to Chorley to a antiques warehouse called Bygone Times it was ok a load of old junk with some very good bits thrown in also we bought a wooden wall plinth shelve very ornate only paid £5.50 for it will look good in the hall or top landing,from there we went to Southport i have not been here for twenty odd years when i was shop fitting and working away from home, we ended up walking down the pier it was very warm and sunny but a nice sea breeze blowing,afterwards we walked through the town centre it was still sunny and the only photos i took was using my i-phone .

Another week off after this week then only three weeks until i get made redundant,MY nephew was made redundant yesterday and walked away with 55k or round about that mark , if only a similar offer was on the table for me would be a lot happier.

This week has been ok but its been a longer week than what it would have been if i was working, i suppose thats what it will be like after the three weeks have gone by and i leave work until of course i get another job.Already gOt Sky TV put back on seeing it was half price for the first twelve months with no contract its got to be worth it , will get a games console and a few games whilst i play whilst waiting for replies to application forms that i have filled out and doubtfully no one bothers to read or acknowledge specially if completed and done online.

will have to get a few thick novels to read from the second hand shops or from the local charity shops there is at least four on the centre near where i live , along with a Cash Convertors where i might buy my bike from so i can cycle along the canal bank in both directions might even make it to Liverpool or at least Manchester might even be some jobs there i will take a good supply of egg mayonnaise sarnies with me just in case , and of course my mobile phone only of course if its not been cut off .

A new hobby I will have to find or join free classes for the unemployed , maybe web design course or art and painting classes and if life gets totally boring will buy loads of viagra and will get totally fucked off on a hourly basis , who needs to go to work as someone i know said i quote " now i am retired i wouldn't have the time now to work" the fact is that i am just too busy its a wonder i ever had the time to go to work on a daily basis at all , another three years and i can get pension number one,hope it wont affect my benefit payments.

Just had a curried duck and noodles from the local take away and strawberries and ice cream so life might not be a box of chocolates , but not complaining just yet.

well this week i have the gas boiler being serviced along with a faulty light in the kitchen dining room getting fixed that will be on thursday ,and on friday e are getting virgin hd box installed at a a cost of £6,50 a month for a twelve month contract with 61 tv channels, sorted the lock on the side gate myself although i could have got someone to call out and fix that too if i so wished its all part of the home service plan i am in with British gas.

off for two weeks yesterday went to Filey it was sunny and hot and the A64 was jam packed ,walked on the beach it was very hot had fish and chips then went over to Runswick Bay , would have been nice to have been in a caravan and spend a few nights there , would have gone over to Robin Hoods Bay as well.Helen said i had been to Filey with her perviously ,which i cant recall as far i was aware last time i was in Filey was with my Mum and Dad many years ago, there was nothing i recognized we have been to Runswick bay before i remembered going to Staithes has well

Woke up this morning and had a large bowl of Jordan's strawberry country crunch with strawberry pouring yogurt it would have been more enjoyable sat on a patio of a villa in Italy or Greece with a view of a blue sea and a white beach, oh to be on foreign shores with a sun tan and a camera and of course a i-pod loaded with favorite tunes.I watched U2 on BBC2 last night i would love a rock and roll lifestyle well the traveling and hotel room bit i would not complain about living out of a suitcase if i had the money i be gone today well with one other person of course.

Break up tomorrow for a fortnight off , i am still working on a evening but will have the days free. Which means late nights with a good chance of a sleep in.
After these two weeks i work for another three weeks then i am officially redundant.
i will be looking for another full time job be lucky to get one on the salary i am currently on although its was going to drop in November by around £4500 a year.
Not sure what i am doing on my two week break i had to take the time of or loose it they would not pay me my holidays if they had would have worked straight through and got another £800 in my final wage.
I have not had a decent holiday in years so once i do get made redundant its a possibility to go off abroad for a few weeks,the way i see it i have worked twenty years at one company for the last eleven years of that twenty i have worked two jobs i reckon i deserve some sun sea and the other .

LISTENING TO :- Pitbull "Planet Pit"

WATCHING :- Scott & Bailey with Leslie Sharp

THINKING ABOUT :- Tents and sleeping bags and mountain bikes

went looking at caravans today some proper bargains really high spec a mobile home is out of the question looking at three times as much and getting the same interior obvious the extra cost is to cover the van aspect engine towing is by far a better option ( will update this post later)

Saturday
woke up to sunshine decided to go to York using the park and ride ,arrived just after one love the layout of york its a roman walled city and really wanted to walk along the wall and take loads of photos today we didn't really have enough time,would also like to photograph as many gargoyles as i could again not enough time , as always took photos of york Minster , a lot of japanese tourists doing the same wish i had a penny for every photo every took every body with a camera must take at least six photos.
Went to Drakes fish restaurant which was very good value although helen thought the chips could have been fried for longer.



There was a lot of buskers out on the streets and a artist doing caricatures of people there was a man playing a piano and another artist painting and selling his scenes of around york .
There was new shops that we had'nt seen before one selling Apple products and we still would like to do a ghost walk and go to the dungeons and Jovik centre we really need to do a long weekend.

Well mt redundancy comes in to force on the 31st of July , hopefully it wont be all doom and gloom and i will eventually get another job. There is chance i have got extra shifts cleaning on a weekend when the theaters we clean on a night and at last audit got 100% pass mark i can and go clean them when they have a operating list on certain Saturdays forthwith.hopefully there will be cover during the week as well so not on the bread line just yet.
contemplating buying a caravan only two berth for around £2500 already got a tow-bar and electrics fitted on the Freelander and if the worse comes we can be gypsy's no that would make this blog a lot more interesting

listening to Ed Sheeran the A-team a brilliant single watch it on you tube.

reading the Secret and Steve Holbrook

watching the season of the witch

eating hot pork sandwich and strawberries and ice cream

thinking about the seaside

Sunday
went to Meadow Hall my daughter took her i-phone 4 back because of speaker problems it was exchanged for a new i-phone 4, my partner Helen took her i-phone 3 back because of reception issues and was given a new phone as well in both cases no arguing , no asking for receipts , no hassles , no interrogation just a straight new for old swap , a result in both cases.

There was other there taking apple stuff back from air books to screens as far as i see every one was being treated as good if i need to buy anything apple its nice knowing if there is a issue it will be dealt with fixed or replaced free of charge , no one was getting stressed out we did have to make an appointment but it was well worth it.

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Finished work last night collected my daughter from her house she is staying over we are going to my aunts Ivy's funeral today, we cooked some gammon steaks and chicken breasts for tea with new potatoes.messed around on the pc just relaxed , hopefully the weather is looking good for tomorrow

Yesterday went back to the moors stopped at the Ford Inn just before twelve for dinner i had sausages with bubble and squeak helen had slow cooked lamb both dishes where excellent.This time it didn't rain and it was warm walking,did another three hours walking and taking lots more panoramic photos , On the night i went over to my nephews house with my external hard drives one is corrupted due to it not being ejected properly and the other is a new 1T/B western digital external to back up all the data from the corrupted drive ,Helen had some readings to do,and its my last night off from my evening job , really do need to win the lottery .

Saturday
bought a new drill from Wickes was a bit dubious hope its value for money, Tried it out at Louise she needed a key cupboard fixing to the wall which it did no problem but they where only block walls.

Sunday Went to the moors took a load of panoramic photos which turned out better than i thought it was cold wet and raining the mist came down and within twenty minutes Dovestone was completely shrouded in mist , a hour later the sun is out and its hot.





Monday bank holiday - Went to meadow hall to the Apple store to get both Helens i-phone and my daughters i-phone checked out Louise also came with us , picked my daughter up from her house then it was straight on the m1 to sheffield it was packed what with it being a bank holiday and lousy weather it was a night mare parking , we have to go back sunday we had to make an appointment to see one of the technicians.
Went back via the moors stopped off at the Ford inn for a drink

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I have the next ten days off and the next five nights off from work today its just a chill out day doing nothing in particulate , Went to White Rose shopping centre to PC World and bought a 1T/B Western Digital external hard drive , had fish and chips then went to Primania and bought a pair of jeans so much better than river island whose also go under the crotch after about a year and are four times the price.

SATURDAY
my aunt ivy died bless her she was 97 years old and hopefully winging her way to meet her son Paul who died way too soon before her her husband jack and my mother and father Ethel and Ted another one of the clan now gone R.I.P.

Received a letter from college offering another added two years on to my redundancy package which equates to around another £1000 more the better got to look at a thousand quid means food for another three months electric and gas paid all helps.

I will also insure my car and tax it for a year outright plus a service and any other work that is appropriate either in case i need to sell it or just because its unlikely i will get another one so have to look after the one i have.

drove to Mattock Bath where they have the cable car taking you across the gorge up to Abraham heights cost of two adults was £25 once at the top there is a mine and cave to explore didn't go up this time might go back and do the cable cable car to get some ariel shots of the town below , from there we went to Bakewell which was only 9 miles away a great little place to stop off with some shops and cafes to visit.



Sunday
went to garden center at Uppermill called in to the Ford inn for lunch the weather was not has good as yesterday and it was cold and grey

Saturday we spent most of the day driving around the villages near to the Peak district going from place to place just taking photos every so often stopping for a coffee , it was raining very overcast very windy and dark with lots of rolling clouds cloudy.At Holmfirth we called in to the local baker and bought a pork pie and a apple pie to go with the flask of coffee we made.We called in at the local Antique shop
Ended up going in to the Ashley Jackson gallery/Studio which was just over the road the artist himself was in residance he took us upstairs to his private gallery to show his most expensive art work all done in water colours ranging from a few thousand going up to £60,000 ,why i have no idea we where dressed in our walking gear , he was down to earth and very chatty telling us about the meetings he had with L.S.Lowry the artist famous for his matchstick men paintings.He also should a print he had done for the world trade towers attack which Hangs at Nato head quarters in America , it had me wishing i had studied art need money do another painting, he was very interesting and i am glad he took time to show us his work and to chat to us, we was with him for twenty minutes , and it did make me feel to go out and by a sketch brushes a easel and some water colours.


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From Holmfirth went to Castle hill to the Queen Victoria tower which we have seen many times on the horizon but never checked it out made it to the top the view was endless could see for miles including Saddleworth Moor and the transmitters at Emily Moor.

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The tower was opened in 1899 and twenty thousand people turned up to witness the opening of the tower by the Earl of scarborough , it was original called the jubilee tower but was changed to victoria after the queen herself gave permission for her name to be used




Today Helen did part one of her reiki masters course which will take her a few months of self healing and other courses to attend and pass .

other stuff this week as just been work and sleep obviously work is still ending on the 31st July hopefully i will find a full time job as quick as possible , Pity i cant paint 40k to 60k a painting would be nice even if the tax is around 45% , was told by the man himself every piece of his art who ever owns it and is selling it on through the auction houses Ashley gets 1.5% of the overall sale price , which he also pays tax on , he is currently 70 years young might be a idea to use some of my redundancy to by a piece of art 3k will buy me a original and £400 a limited edition print , hopefully he be painting out and about for years to come.

Last night off we went up the m62 to Oldham heading for the the Bower Hotel to see the medium spiritualist clairvoyant Stephen Holbrook. He was very good in fact he was excellent the amount of incidents details along with time and dates he was telling different people was truly amazing , He has been doing readings for nearly thirty years and getting messages from his spirit guide Archie May who was a sergeant in the first world war, either killed in action or seriously maimed.Archie has guided Stephen whilst he has been doing meetings for the last twenty nine year.
With the help of James Christie three books "The light in the Darkness" "out of this world" and "survival" which all chart his life and are also on going autobiography and highlight his work.




Helen as been to see him six times now and has been impressed each time me only the once next time he is in Leeds i will go again.Comparing Steven Holbrook along side Sally Morgan i was more impressed with Stephen's prediction and performance i came out of his show wanting to know more about him as a person not so with Sally Morgan.

last day off from full time job working tonight going to clean the car it needs the black bumpers and door trims doing could also need a good t-cut and waxing got to start looking after it better than i do going to be a while if ever before i get another set of wheels.The body work is sound no rust as far as i can see and no dents or major scratches inside needs a good clean and some new car mats would,nt go a miss also a new cd/mp3 player would be nice nothing mega bucks just something bottom end of the market maybe if possible with a i-pod connection as well.



This one above does all required and at 10p under sixty quid is quite affordable at the moment its got the original land rover cassette player fitted which is a bit in the dark ages and seeing as i got rid of all my cassette tapes a eon ago very pointless , i wont bother getting any speakers loudness is sufficient with what i have in the car already years ago on my mark 111 escort i had a cheap graphic equalizer fitted which made a ton of difference with extra speakers on the rear shelf , but not bothered the volume half way up is loud enough these days. i could do with a leather steering wheel cover as well and a decent air freshener.

Then again when i loose my job and of course do less driving is it all a bit pointless should i be saving every penny i get to help with bills and buy food and clothes is tough don't know July is going to be here before i know it hopefully i will get another job but i get the feeling from people i have meet that are out of work have all said something similar twenty years in work and being made redundant with a very meager payout which equates to three quarters of a years salary as they say life goes on, when the disaster hit in Japan and all the people and country was torn apart it made me think why should i moan about anything perhaps i just get on with it and adjust when needed until then sod it i have another three months salary and the means of paying another years or 18 months mortgage repayments alot can happen in year and a half.any people out there got was of coping with less money please pass on your advice it would be appreciated.

Listening to :- The Stranglers Greatest Hits 1977-1990

Yesterday bought a black and colour cartridge for the Kodak printer , a ream of a4 paper and some black plastic folders and some plastic wallet inserts all for Helen's psychic work , after dropping her off at her Friends house in crossgates i went over to visit my daughter at her house in Woddlesford only a few miles away , ended up watching the James Bond film with Roger Moore "Live And Let Die " it was ironic it was one of the few films i went to the pictures to see with my father the other two being "Papillon" and "The Sting"





i suppose they was all classic films back in the days i remember going to see the James bond film it was at the odean in Leeds city centre and i should have been at school i to a note in and got out of the afternoon lesson so we could watch the film to this day still love the James bond films , Papillon was the first book i read from cover to cover whilst on holiday with my family at Scarborough.The Sting i guess it was one my Dad wanted to watch which i loved for its story line and of course the good guys won in the end.

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just remembered there was another classic film i watched with my father " Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" that we watched together at the Clock Cinema Roundhay road which now is a electrical retailers was a great little cinema as was the Lyric on Tong Road which i went to years later.



last film i went to see with my Daughter was the Resident Evil film "Afterlife" after watching Jame Bond i stayed with my daughter and had a Chinese take away for tea with her it was nice to spend a couple of hours with her alone as i don't see her as often as i like , when you do reminisce and look back life is gone in a flash time is too short and unlike your favorite film we cant rewind play again our press pause , Just might buy all the four films shown abov ,and e Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid just might be the first.