HAPPY 2018

SATURDAY - Went over to Halifax Piece Hall , piece of crap what a white elephant it is no better than it was two years ago after all the money spent there are no more shops the empty shops are twice as many as shops selling goods the only good thing parking was easy no people are bothering to go , the council needs to reduce the cost of the  rents so more shop owners want to trade there .


SUNDAY - Went to Ilkley bought a light blue and white stripped shirt in the sale at Fat Face for less than half price .
Cooking a chicken roast dinner with all the trimmings Helen is not well we was supposed to be going out to a neighbouring van for New Years eve but I doubt we will go .

Happy new year to everyone who reads this blog ,  in all the countries around the world , here's wishing and praying that hopefully we will all be around for another year , so all the best to everyone for 2018 , lets stop the killing and stop all people dying of hunger and diseases , lets stop all the terrorist activity and the loss of innocent lives m do our best to save the planet and respect all living life Amen.

DOG NOT IN THE HOOD

Ebay bidding on two X-box one games Sniper Elite 4 and Resident Evil 7 don't no whats more fun killing Nazis or killing zombies .
Got the Tombraider Definitive game it is winging its way to me I bought that also of Ebay.

Woke up to a half white and black car  due to the snow we had over night and it is laying and after this picture it was also getting deeper .
We took the Christmas tree down we had pine needles everywhere , took the lights off and baubles and boxed them away until Christmas 2018 . I always think will I see these baubles again I will put them away this year and  like thousands of people across the country but not everyone will be unboxing them next year sad but true .I always think this not sure why .

Picked my car from the Skoda dealership just after dinner  it is all fixed it was just a hose that was leaking through a rip or tear under the header tank and all is now good no charge I was glad to get shut of the courtesy car ,  and more than  happy to be getting my own car back .
Went to Trinity centre  bought a Vans grey hoodie sweatshirt and a Levi T-shirt for myself I bought Pippa our Jack Russell a grey doggie sweat shirt  no hood and Helen a Levis hoodie and a Firetrap hoodie as well as a pair of Converse and Adidas trainers .
For tea we had lamb chops mash sweet corn and Yorkshire puddings with mint gravy the only meal I have had all day .

COFFEE AND GAS

THURSDAY - Took the car to my Skoda dealer just after two o clock this afternoon .  I am not at work YIPPEE  I have two days and the weekend off . I was loaned a Monte Carlo in a metallic black with shinny black alloys it is on a 2017 plate and of course  it needed petrol ,  I only  put £8.00 the mileage went up from 15 to 80 not that good my diesels over twice more economical than this , I would not like to own it by the time I got home the gauge was showing only sixty miles left in the tank although I had not driven twenty miles .

I booked a table at the Kaye Arms for 19.00 it is five minute drive from home see how the car does on gas  .
Made it without going to a petrol station we had a nice meal I had nachos to start Helen had the soup and we both had the fish and chips excellent very nicely done as always .

Went to Asda bought cat food two boxes and three boxes of Dolce Gusto cappuccino coffee pods three for £12 or £4.49 a box should last me the rest of the week .

Defiantly will have to put more fuel in the Monte tomorrow we are going to Piece Hall if the weather is ok .

CAR NOT COOL

Boxing Day worked that's two days in lieu if I work New Years day which I am penned in to do it will be three days extra holidays . I will use them when Helen's parents move home if I am allowed those exact days .

Got in the car tonight to drive home and the coolant level warning light came on I checked the reservoir tank it was way below the minimum level .
I drove to the nearest garage a couple of miles away and bought some coolant and maxed out the reservoir tank I filled it to the top line . The warning light did not reappear and I drove home with. no issues not sure why the coolant level dropped but I will have to keep an eye on it over the next few days the remainder of the coolant is in my boot .

Stuck on Tombraider game I keep getting killed too many soldiers to take on need two sub machine guns with auto aim ain't life a bitch .

The cats and dog are still eating the left over turkey we have just carved in to the other side of the crown half way there .

Working Wednesday then two days off it is Helen's birthday on Thursday the 28th will have to take her out for dinner I know there is a pair of Adidas training shoes she wants I will get her them too .
Not sure where to dine either a Inn or Indian or steak house .

Got in the car today the coolant level had dropped it was just above minimum I topped it back up and  I called the garage that I bought the car  from and it is booked in for Friday morning  ,I can either drop it Thursday night or Friday morning I am getting a courtesy car at a cost of £10 to cover the insurance.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas Day - Opened some presents got Tim Peake's the British astronaut's book on the ISS book which I really wanted and a bottle of Jack Daniels , got a silver key ring of my Daughter which will last forever which is what I wanted it has DAD and 831 stamped in to it .

I had left overs from yesterdays turkey dinner for my Christmas dinner before going to work .
I dropped Helen off at her parents house she had Christmas dinner with them roast pork , it will be there last Christmas in that house they are moving in the new year .

I got to work for two in the afternoon it was very quite double time pay for no extra work it was appearance money really I finished at ten picked Helen up and went home had a coffee with an extra large shot of JD in it and read some of my book midnight went to bed another Christmas done and dusted.

2018 FASTLY APPROACHING .

In just under one hour it is going to be Christmas Eve and it is just starting to feel like Christmas .
My Daughter is calling over at around dinner time we will exchange gifts .We had had some good Christmas's  past specially when she and her brother where very young having kids always makes it special .

Just had my first Baileys coffee using Latte Macchiato as my coffee of choice seeing that I am all out of cappuccino and a added shot of Jameson's Irish whiskey for added kick .
Well it is off to bed  tomorrow is the Eve of Christmas .

SUNDAY CHRISTMAS EVE

Went to the petrol station  filled the car to the max with fuel then went back home wrapped up all the gifts for my daughters family they came just after one we exchange gifts the also gave us a Mexican pine shelving unit it goes in the spare unit it as shelves in the top section  and doors and shelves in the bottom half it will help us de-cluter and make life easier when we look for stuff.

The turkey crown is cooking in the oven it won't be ready for another three hours , we will chuck in the potatoes and do the veg later . I am relaxed I have just wrapped Helen's presents up and I am just sat down I have a very large Irish whiskey and coke by my side and I am watching "Bright" on Netflix its  not Wills Smiths best film but its ok .Helen is in bed chilling out with the dog Pippa .

THE EVE OF CHRISTMAS EVE

Mad Friday it is my last shift doing six till two and I am guessing that our A&E department  at the hospital where I work is going to be manic there will be drunks throwing up and being argumentative  cant wait .
We have done all our shopping what we have not got we will do without we are dropping presents off tomorrow , and Sunday we will have our turkey Christmas dinner seeing that I will be working both Christmas and Boxing Day.
Went out this morning to Marks and Spencer's the car parking was wild people are so thick cars just stop and go nowhere when you get sick of waiting and decide to go round them they decide to move .
 Cleaned the spare room out got rid of a lot of junk went to the local tip with a boot load of rubbish I also got rid of a table we did not want or need that got smashed up and skipped .

SATURDAY - Got up early have had five hours sleep wrapped some presents up for Helen's family and my sisters presents took a good hour and a half my sisters where coming around visiting just before ten .
In the afternoon we went to both of Helen's son's house's they are different as chalk and cheese we dropped presents off then went to Helen's parents house they are moving in the new year it will be there last Christmas in the house .
After we went to see Sharon and Martin we have not seen them since there wedding four years ago they have a nice home which is more like an apartment they also have a nice fish tank we have arranged to go out for a meal some time over the festive period .
We did not get home until half past seven we left just after one , was glad to get back home cooking steak egg chips and onion rings for the/supper .
Ordered a ethernet tv box of Ebay it should arrive in the new year 2018.

FIRST TIME 2017

Starting to miss my iPhone 7  and not sure what to do about it. I phoned a Apple store up and have been told I can get £320 off the price of a new iPhone if I trade in my Samsung S8.Should I go back or stick it out with Android some features are really good expandable storage brilliant the operation system not 100% happy with , I message was good option Helen just got charged £10 for sending picture messages if she was on Apple it would have been no charge.

Driving home last night it started to snow as I came of the motorway the snow started to fall visibility was not too bad , all it takes is one car fcuking around going too slow specially up hill when there is no need and everyone gets home way too late or stuck got to keep driving judge junctions and roundabouts so you can get across .

SATURDAY - Went to a auction at York did not buy anything we had a breakfast Ken bought a wrought iron weather vane Helen liked it so he gave it to her as a gift I will have to get some coach bolts to fix it to the shed .Bought a wooden box for Helen , not a coffin just a box for her cards need to upgrade the hinges before or after I give it to her .

SUNDAY - Ran new Ariel cable from a new Ariel that we fitted  below the older Ariel which goes to the bedroom tv we had to take the panels off and pass the cable up through the floor in the living room the picture quality is now perfect .
Went to Toby Carvery for dinner was ok had turkey and gammon doubt we will be going again very soon once a year is sufficient .
Won twenty five pounds on the lottery first time this year I have one anything .

EYE BITERS

MONDAY - Went out this morning to get some ink for the printer had to go to three different places before I got the ink cartridges that I required , we got the printer free from Ken our friend across the road and it is the first time w had to replace the ink .I have since ordered replacement copies of Ebay they was cheap enough that if they don't work or are shite it is no great loss.

WEDNESDAY - Bought another five fish three yellow labs and two black Calvus Compressiceps they are only tiny  they are the smallest fish in the tank so they should be ok they can be some what aggressive to smaller fish but seeing they are the fry we should not have any worries some breeds  also go by the name of eye biters it is not the breed that we have and we was told they would be suitable for our tank .

Kicking it on x-box one I am enjoying Rise Of The Tomb raider it is a ok game I have been lent the first instalment of 'Gears Of War" I won't load it until I am either stuck on ROTTR or I have completed it .

Want to get the British Astronaut Tim Peake's book he  was on the ISS and he asked people to post questions online via twitter and face book it is called  "Ask An Astronaut".

SNOWING AGAIN

SATURDAY - Had the gas engineer out the boiler was making strange noises which did not happen until we had it service a few weeks ago he arrived just before midday I was up just after eight it as not ruined our Saturday , Went to the farm shop bought a shoulder of pork a whole ox -tail , lamb chops and two massive pieces  of braising beef  as well as veg and fruit pies it was trying to snow but never really settled .
We will go to Asda then for fish and chips .

SUNDAY - Was out shopping we bought some more presents from books by Dawn French  and Monkey Shoulder whiskey  got a couple of  gift tokens for M&S Helen's parents  and a Game voucher for x-box one  games  ,  two Adidas track suites for Helen's young nephews plus two dressing gowns one for their Mother  and the other for the older daughter .We have more to get for  but we are getting there .
Afternoon it really started to snow for a few hours it was laying but not deep we went out just after five in the afternoon and the roads where alright some of the side street was still covered in snow the main roads clear .
 I was  taken Helen to spiritualist church she as not been for ages and wanted to go I went to the service as well to be honest it was ok we meet up with Erin a friend whom we lost touch with over something silly so that was good .
Got home to slow cooked  roast pork we did it before we left sweet potatoes , swede carrot and roast potatoes pigged out .

SNOW FALL

FRIDAY - We had a little bit of snow falling as I was doing the drive home Sunday is supposed to be the worst day .Bought a bottle of Jameson's Irish whiskey to go with the vanilla latte coffee I ordered on line got to admit its very nice the coffee machine makes perfect it was a good investment going back to drinking normal coffee if I ever run out of pods is going to be a killer . Even bought some cappuccino coffee Sachets for work so I don't have to drink instant .

Playing on the Xbox one on the Tombraider latest game "Rise Of The Tombraider" doing pretty well on it one of the early levels I got a bit of a loss but figured it out in the end it is a open world to explore with a lot better graphics , I have also "Gears of War" and "Watchdogs" to play once I complete the Tombradier game .

It is getting colder the car was seriously iced over and I physically had to remove it before driving ,more snow is predicted for this coming Sunday if it gets that bad chances are I won't be going to work , if I get snow  at work and it is bad chances are I won't get home I cant risk only getting half way home if I have to abandon the car I cant risk walking miles to reach home it is always a major dilemma .

2 X TABLE

SATURDAY -  big bread cakes fresh pork sausages streaky bacon and eggs for breakfast delicious home cooked by me .
Needed to do some food shopping got the essentials pear cider and peanut butter resse's bars plus the ingredients for our Sunday dinner .Hopefully getting a new Ariel for the tv and new cable which means we can get proper telly and Freeview to boot .
Looked at new Samsung Tv's the one we have is nearly ten years old and the picture quality not that good anymore also one of the cdmi ports is not working and there is some good deals on at the moment .

SUNDAY - Went to Hebden Bridge bought a second hand kitchen table that extends with two pull out leafs we also bought a solid pine coffee table with two drawers that can be pulled out from each side .
They are getting delivered Tuesday hopefully before I go to work .

MONDAY - Bought a 30metre stretchy hose ideal for washing the ar the old hose I am cutting up for the filling and emptying the fish tank at two  Back at work enough said .

TUESDAY - Both tables got delivered this morning the dining table top and leafs were bare wood I satined them with a coffee solution then waxed them looking good .

LA TREE IS UP

Washed the windows and the car it was quite cold it was trying its best to snow yesterday but didn't quite make it .Car cleaned went to Blacker Hall farm for a Christmas tree bought a six foot tree fo £39.95p it was worth it some garden centres are selling trees half this size for the same amount of money.We went to Dobcross other side of Saddleworth Moor  and bought some decorations to add to the ones from years gone by and 30 candle lights .

SADDLEWORTH MOOR 

Went to Compo"s for tea did not have fish and chips had the steak and onion pie with a Yorkshire pudding gravy and chips Helen had the scampi .

When we arrived home we sorted the lights out and then the decorations looking good hopefully the cats will leave the tree alone ,

LARA REMEMBERED

THURSDAY - Picked up the two pairs of reading glasses today  from Spec savers and Helen got her's too they seem ok reading is a lot easier clearer and more defined but it might take a few days for my eyes to adjust to the lenses .

Bought two pairs of Adidas training shoes from USC  a store in the Trinity Centre one pair in grey with four darker grey stripes and  white soles and the other all in black  stripes as well both  cost forty quid the price reduced the all black ones  when they are needed will do for work .

Took the Shark Vaccum back on some of the carpet it was not picking pet hairs up the vacuum literally sucked but not as much as a Dyson so we swapped it and paid the £20 difference we had to drive over to Pontefract as the Wakefield store did not have the Dyson Animal upright we wanted .

Bought a couple of Christmas presents one for my daughter and one for Helen .Went round to my daughters house she cut my hair and cit and coloured Helens hair we had a Chinese for tea honey and chill ribs and salt and pepper chicken was good .

Lara the tabby cat we bought when My daughter was only seven and was named after tomb raider Lara Croft was put to sleep  today at the vets , it was a very sad day but she was a very old lady of 19 years old and in very poor health suffer hopefully she did not and she will be missed R.I.P Lara x.
She was taken home and buried by my son Guy.

Changed the media in the filter added the volcanic rock the plastic media beads and the Seachem Purigen the water is looking good already after a few hours

PRISTINE CLEAN AND CLEAR

WEDNESDAY - Bought another thirteen African Malawi Cichlids today and it as doubled the number of fish in the tank  ,we did a two thirds water change this morning before going for the fish after lunch .  On the road to Kev's Rifts realizing  I had forgot my debit card I only realized after I had filled the tank up  with diesel lucky I had enough cash on me to pay for the fuel .We had to do a u-turn back home so I could get my card to draw some cash out of the ATM .All the fish got home safely and are all in the tank doing fine .

We also bought two plants for the tank from the garden centre along with two Plecos and another four fish as well as some plastic media for the filter tray with some volcanic rock media also for the filter and and a big bottle of  Seachem Pureigen  that is 500% better at removing impurities from your water when it goes brown around the six month mark then  use a cheap bleach to soak it for a few hours then rinse and soak it a a Prime solution overnight then its good to go again it should polish the water to a clear crystal appearance , The  Prime we got also goes into  the water for the ammonia nitrate and nitrite levels making even more sure that the water is the best it can be for the fish , the things we do the things we add and the filter we have is overkill but it should keep the tank pristine  clean and clear .

Well tomorrow hopefully Helen and I pick up our new glasses I have bought Stuff magazine to read and this months GQ , reading the printed word on paper again will be well cool no need for extra large text on the Ibook app .

THAI IN SHEFFIELD

MONDAY - I bought  myself  a Dolce Gusto Lumio shiny red coffee machine from Curry's PcWorld and  it makes fantastic coffee which seriously as good as Costa and Starbucks each cup is ready under 60 seconds at just the right temperature  for drinking . I bought the cappuccino  and Latte Macchiato pods both excellent tasting drinks in their own right ,  I also got some Chocchino a chocolate drink for Helen seeing that she does not like the taste of coffee even though she  loves the smell.

TUESDAY - Went to Meadow Hall to Chaobaby A Thai buffet restaurant means as much as you can eat for £12.50  without having an heart attack , I had chicken curry soup with prawn crackers  and a couple of onion rings that was just to to start this was followed by my second visit to the buffet bar was dish of very big chucks of mouthwatering beef which was so tender it must have been well slow coked I had this with a Thai curry sauce  .The staff where very polite and ready to help the chefs outstanding and the interior was very nice and clean the fish tank was empty I think they are getting it ready for more fish but the food was exceptionally well presented and cooked and to top it all they sold Rekorderlig pear cider .

Went to Costco whilst in Sheffield , the American style supermarket bought some coffee pods which was a lot cheaper than what  the supermarkets charged I should be good for a couple of weeks and I ordered a 36  pod holder on ebay .

ILKLEY TWICE

FRIDAY - Went to Meadow Hall I needed some new jeans ,  it has been awhile since I bought any and had to throw my favourite pair in to the bin .Went to Jack Jones and bought two pairs one was in black the other denim  both with  button flies and both comfy fit there 30% off the marked price at the till which brought the price well down to under £70 thanks Black Friday .
Bought a couple of shirts from Fat Face and a padded quilted jacket which is warm but light .

Went to the Hare and hounds for dinner I had sliced lamb with lamb shepherds pie with a side order of sweet potatoes fries Helen had fish and chips , for desert I had the raspberry milkshake cheese cake with coated cream delicious .The last time I did  six two on a Friday we went here for dinner .

SATURDAY - Five hours sleep was up and drove to Ilkley it has been a while since we went called in to  White Stuff and Fat Face Helen bought a coat it is going back tomorrow wrong size fcuking typical ,Did some food shopping bought oxtail and braising steak will cook nice in the slow cooker not sure what day but I am off all week .

SUNDAY - Went back to Ilkley Helen changed her coat and  this time she got the right size this time was starving so we went for breakfast to the Filmore and Union cafe never heard of this place before but  the food was excellent everything was cooked to perfection and totally grease free the poached eggs just right and the tomato chutney went well with the bacon which was crispy maple syrup would eat there again 10 out of 10 .

Went to the Masala hut a Indian restaurant we have been to before with my sister and her husband Alan we had a late  tea the food was ok but not as good as it can be it was still edible the poppadoms and nan breads freshly cooked the buffet dishes a little bit dry been out too long not enough sauce .

TWO HORSES ROCKING

MONDAY - Four days doing 14.00 - 22.00 then one day at 18.00 02.00 then nine whole days off work great too much work is bad for my soul .
Christmas is zooming and time is running out , Charles Manson won't see another Christmas which is great news and Ian Brady is spending this and hopefully the rest of his Christmas's in hell and here's praying that  the Yorkshire Ripper will also be dead before the new year making the world a better place.

Will be seeing things differently in another ten days our glasses will be made I got two pairs one with transition lenses and  one with just normal lens , Helen has two pairs of varifocal with transition lenses £408 didn't see that coming oh well eyesight is a precious thing .

Bought Frontline flea treatment for the cats a dog for a full six months treatment for them all was around the £98 mark also got Pip a new bed and some fresh broth foam and a bottle of coal tar  shampoo.

TUESDAY -Bought a new dinner set a four place setting it is in red and white separately we also bought six small coffee cups which are really a bit too small for a serious coffee addict but they are nice we also purchased  a heavy wooden butchers block for our worktop and chair cushions to match the red and white crockery  all from Sainsbury very Christmasy .

WEDNESDAY - Started Christmas shopping  we out and bought two small  brown and white stuffed rocking horses for two of the Grandsons , which for us is an early start.

LAKING ABOUT

FRIDAY
Next Friday I break up for a week I am also working a six two shift .This Friday I just need it to be home time its like being young again and  living for the weekend .

SATURDAY
Got up at  06.00 went to Asda bought cat and dog food and cat and dog biscuits filled the car up with diesel we have to be at my daughters house we are going to the Lake District to see Beatrix Potter attraction near Lake Windermere.It is a few hours drive  through villages and towns no motorways which is always nicer.

We got there and unbelievably got parked up the attraction was a few hundred yards away and at a reasonable entrance fee of £7.50 for an adult think everyone at some stage of their life has either read a book or seen a cartoon based on her work the attraction was ok great for kids it took under a hour .

We went down to the lakes edge we was going to get a ferry across Windermere to go visit the first house Beatrix bought with the royalties from the sale of her books , it is closed until February 2018 .

We ended up going to The Lakes Aquarium which was ok it only took an hour to go around the they had some otters which are really interesting to see .

Afterward on the way home we stopped at the Courtyard in Settle I bought a print Helen saw it is a couple on a park bench surrounded by  ducks guess it represents Helen and I.

We did a u-turn and went to the Craven Arms at Giggleswick for dinner ,I  had rabbit and black pudding parcels Helen had pumpkin and ginger soup , for main Helen had the gammon and eggs I had the blue pig sausages with mash deserts bread and butter pudding excellent food really enjoyed all of the courses .

SUNDAY.

Went for breakfast to the garden centre at Crofton both had a full English Helen had an extra egg as usual .Bought a cleaning pad stick to clean inside of our tank also bought some more cichlid sticks that will do us easily for the next six months I also bought a plastic vacuum tube for the gravel and some algae dispersing formula that pours in your water .

Got Helen's Yamaha guitar back that we sold to my nephews girlfriend Sue few  years previously she does not use  it , so I thought it be a nice gesture to buy it back we got it was cheaper than what we sold it when we need the cash to move house ,  Helen is chuffed she has it back on its stand in the bay window .

WORK NOT WORKING

Only two more pay cheques until Christmas scary always get caught out last minute shopping hopefully we will be sorted this year fingers crossed .Will buy some food this month that will fresh or not go off will also buy some drinks need Baileys Irish cream , and whiskey as well as cider and lager .Not sure what I will get Helen funds allowing something nice she could do with some new charms for her pandora bracelet , and some perfume .

Helen's parents are in a bit of a pickle they are not happy the person buying the house of the person buying there house as pulled out and the chain as collapsed as a result it is going to delay them moving it will be unlikely or a very slim chance  that this will happen before this Christmas which is sad because it would have been nice to spend their first Christmas in their new van ,the person whose van they are buying have agreed to wait which is a huge relief so fingers crossed all goes well.

Did another 50% water change on the tank 100 litres out and a fresh 100 litres in the fish are all still doing great no further casualties since changing the light settings the algae as been kept at bay will get another ten fish at the end of the month .

Got another six shifts doing six till two am which will help after Christmas 2018 is looming hopefully it will be a great year for everyone .

WEDNESDAY
Got a refund from my old phone provider went into my bank this morning all ties are now completely severed, We can apply for our Vr headsets for our Samsung phones at the end of this month .

People still not happy at work most of the staff I work with are looking for other jobs even at less pay yet the managers don't seem bothered and are not listening to ongoing issues . Everyone is in a deep depression its dome and gloom all is black no shades of grey thank god for a constant supply of coffee . I have always said "We are Eagles lead by donkeys".

APPLE AND PEARS NO STAIRS

SATURDAY - Went into Leeds this morning Helen wanted to go to John Lewis to buy some wool only to find out you can only purchase it online .Before calling in to John Lewis we went to see her son Liam he is working at a barbers shop in Leeds city centre , meet some great outstanding people at the shop it was an uplifting experience everyone was happy and highly creative one young man was especially warming and was truly a 100% nice person , even sharing his food with the other members of the crew ,  spicy cod mash and rice extremely nice expertly cooked by his mother , I would love to work in a vibrant happy environment .

Had hands on  the iPhone X  whilst at John Lewis and to be honest it was nice but the price not justified for me and if I am truly honest I think I would prefer a iPad Pro and keyboard and pen  or even  a new Mac book .

Called in to our local fish restaurant and chippy at Durkar for a fish tea the curry sauce excellent the scraps perfect washed down with iced coke at a reasonable price .

Not sure what is happening at Christmas I know we will get a real fir tree last years was not that bad needles dropping was not a major issue .It would be nice to get some new decorations and ornaments for the tree and fireplace going to do the pets  Pip our dog  , Bentley and George our two cats Christmas stockings they can hang up on the fireplace till Christmas Day .

SUNDAY .
Washed the car using Greased lighting excellent cleaner and polish no need for water saves time no rinsing off cuts the cleaning time by half .
Went to Haigh's farm shop bought lamb steaks , braising steak , a shoulder of pork and a chicken and mushroom  pie , and for deserts bread and butter pudding and a apple and pear pie which where all home made .
Cooked a roast chicken Sunday dinner second Sunday in a row did same a last week bought some root mash which was exceptionally nice with a knob of butter .

 Listening to - Stereophonic's and Sam Smith's new album both excellent .

BORING

Boring week work boring life mundane done nothing worth mentioning did some food shopping from the local farm shop bought some wicked tasting chicken sausages sounds weird chicken sausages but these where divine .

My son is still giving me the hard shoulder silent treatment he needs to grow up won't happen I guess it won't happen in my lifetime , when I am no longer he might realize what a stupid person he has been but then again maybe not .

My daughter on the other hand is absolutely brilliant she is true and a pleasure to go visit she is really interesting person and is a great mother and all in all a generally nice person .
Still need to get a couple of wireless charger for the two phones Helen an myself own  will get them off Ebay plus I still need to get  a case clear silicone I guess .

The German Christmas market is in Leeds city centre I can step out of the Hospital cross the road and it is there also the Christmas lights got switched on not sure who did the honours , anyway who ever it was the switch was flicked , and the lights came on job done.

ANNIVERSARY

We have not lost any more fish in over two weeks which is excellent news they all seem to be getting on and all are doing fine .Booked another weeks holiday for the 27th of November a full week away from work will do me .
Cant complain with the Samsung 8 Edge it is a great phone cant say I am missing Apple's iPhone saying that I would definitely have the iPhone X  if it was £400 cheaper .

It is the weekend and Helen is in bed with the flu I  bought her some Beecham powders and tomato and basil soup obviously to be taken separately .

SUNDAY - It is our anniversary of when we got engaged Helen lost her engagement ring awhile ago then found it , she has since lost it again wether it will re-appear a second time who knows but it is bonfire night they will be fireworks always on our anniversary they are fire works in hindsight November the 5th was a good day to get engaged on .

Went food shopping bought a fresh chicken , Yorkshire puddings , carrot and swede mash , roast potatoes  ,sage stuffing ,  cranberry sauce and roasting parsnips I will cook it later this afternoon we will eat around six .

Helen is still in bed watching Ghost adventurers and Alaska the last frontier , I am just chilling on my own I might read more of my current read "The Couple Next Door". Wish I had a big bottle of scotch some Irish coffees would be a godsend .

PHOTO - George's leap of faith   , taken with the Samsung S8 Edge.

HOLLOW HALLOWEEN

Halloween  was last night but we still have loads of sweets and chocolate left  to eat we only got one kid that came trick or treating which was very sad . We had pumpkins lighted ,  skeletons hanging and a big bowl of treats and only one kid and that was my good friend Kens Grand daughter fcuking typical .

Three pumpkins I went for the simplistic design I craved last year think it is as good as any novice can do with a steak knife and limited imagination .

Bonfire is looming once that is gone Christmas is going to come at us full sped that is scarier than any Halloween costume .Every year we get caught out hopefully this year will be better and  we will be a little bit more more organized , saying that I don't know where we are having dinner or even if I am working .
Think the Samsung S8 is as good as and in some cases better  the iPhone seven can up the memory to 256gb , can do wireless charging amoled screen , face and iris  recognition.

EYE EYE

Went to Carphone Warehouse at Trinity and got a new mobile phone we switched went with the Galaxy edge 8 straight away we have doubled the storage and have the option of wireless charging I am  getting used to Android  again its been awhile since I had my Google Nexus and since Apple released the 3g I have used a Apple device , I put my music on and some ebooks and transferred other data and phone contacts etc by connecting my iPhone to the new Samsung and transferring information from one  device to the other .Anyway for two years we have committed to Samsung and Android to be honest there is quite a few benefits making the switch .

Had Sunday lunch cooked by my daughter once again it is getting to be a nice habit she is a great cook she also cut my hair and coloured and cut Helen's another so two  big thanks you from me and two from Helen .

MONDAY - Day off went with Helen for her 10.30 cardiology appointment she is thinking about having an ablation done there is a four month waiting list so it will be in the new year at the earliest , I think she as made the right choice , cant stay on beta blockers rest of her life they will start to work less effective over time.

Went for eye test £38 for us both I  think Helen eyes have worse vision than mine although  I differently need reading glasses , we both got our prescriptions but I think we will look at various opticians before deciding what glasses we are going to get .

All the fish we bought Saturday are doing fine one of the pleco got killed bitten to death by big blue the dominant Milawi  which resides in our tank , I think both of  the plecos that was sold to us where way to small  but hopefully the other one will live and grow , the cat fish are both doing fine .

SWITCH OR STICK

Rest of the week for the next three shifts I am doing six two's that suits me fine more the merrier .Looking at getting some more fish this week we saw a brilliant yellow and pure white fish .We also  took a fresh water sample from the tank and we had it tested for nitrate , nitrite , ammonia , and ph it was perfect we are happy the fish must be delighted we also tuned off and turned down the white and blue lights to help keep down the growth of algae we will get more medium for the filter which should help keep our tank running sweet.

Need to wash and vac out  the car it as not been done for a while hopefully weather permitting I can do it over the weekend it also needs a good polish .

FRIDAY - Had a Barney with my phone provider Three we are terminating our contract with them we have a year left to run , but seeing that they cant provide a service that was promised  by them when we got the iPhone 7 everything would be great a year in and it just hasn't happened , so  in the end they agreed that  if we send the phones back our contract will terminate we are waiting for them to send the packaging out so we can return the phones .We also got our PAC numbers so we can keep our existing phone numbers when we change courier.We need to decide what courier we are going with and what we want to pay a month and see what deals are available , I am not sure I want another iPhone seven I have had the I7 for the last year if I get another over two years contract it will be the same phone for three years not sure I can live with that , iPhone 8 is not a major difference and the iPhone X to damn costly , might have to look at Andriod , Apple Mac book pro to much money might make the switch to Samsung .

Ordered of Ebay some Grease lighting car wash and polish it is suppose to be wicked stuff and is highly recommended for being the best .

Last six two shift until the end of November mores the pity was just getting used too them who knows I might get more to do hopefully asp .

IF ONLY

The fish tank seems to have settled down we have not lost anymore fish in over five days which is good , after a 50%  + water change yesterday the fish seem to be thriving hopefully will continue to do so if we don't loose anymore fish I will add another six to eight fish on Sunday or Monday , this will replace what we have lost and will also increase the amount of fish we have ever had in the tank if theses all survive will add a golden nugget pleco  two.

Getting older makes you realize how time progresses and moves quickly on .My daughter was there with her son my grandson he is only 2.5 years old . I remember going to family get together with my Mum this was when when my children were two and four  .  My mother is now  dead  and as been for a while , it is sad to think they will be family get together's that still going on when I am dead . My daughter will see her son grow up and have kids of his own they will be celebrating her birthday and I will be only there in spirit form   .  The circle of life keeps turning , how much our loved ones who are no longer  with us miss out , it is so sad . If for just one meal only all those relatives passed over from bygone eras , if we all could just sit down together eat drink and party , it would be a great photo session and I would learn so much  if only .

WOULD BE WEIRD

SUNDAY - Did a fifty percent water change on the fish tank , cleaned all the ocean rock , plastic tubing inlet and outlet valves , cleaned the gravel and cleaned the inner walls of the tank we have had no fish die in the last four days .When I get paid I will buy a new heater in case we need a back up at some distant time I will also buy another aqua stop valve ribbed hosing suction cups out put nozzle and filter  intake just in case we ever need replacements.

Tonight all the close family meet up we went to a local Harvester for a get together it is me and my twin sisters birthday Monday we did the same last year in Swillington we all went for an Indian this year we all had burgers , ribs and mixed grills the food was good we all had a ball loads of photos was taken My daughter did a great job of organizing it like she did the year before this year my Grandson Jenson and Lewis also went . I t is not often we all meet up it is good when we do so a big thank to my daughter your time and effort well appreciated thank you.

MONDAY - So many years ago today my mother gave birth she had no idea she was having twins there was only ten  minutes between us I said to my sister when I die you got ten extra minutes before you join me joking of course but wouldn't it be weird if that actually happened but fingers crossed  hopefully not for many years  .

DONKEYS

WEDNESDAY - Doing another six , two shift today hopefully for the rest of the week would be nice for my next pay cheque although it does take its toll I arrive home at around two thirty in the morning by the time I go to bed it is after three I usually up for eight a,m on the plus side it is nice leaving home at five in the afternoon to start my eight hour shift.

THURSDAY - Working rest of the week doing six till two shifts roll on the weekend .We have not lost anymore fish in the last 48 hours .

FRIDAY - Last six two until next Thursday and Friday rumour going round I am to look after another wing as well as my own wing I look after now total impossible it is not practical I can only physical be I one place at a time , another case of Eagles being lead by fucking donkeys.
Thank fcuk it is the weekend .

GRAVE NEWS

MONDAY - Back to work after two weeks off the first day back is always the worst but if I knuckle down it will go fast and I will be on my way home before I know it .

Going to the East coast yesterday was a great day out we will go back in the winter time when it is dull grey and windy .At the moment we are getting battered by hurricane Ophelia I don't think we are under any major threat but the storm blowing out or passing is preferred ,

Lost another two fish today Helen did another 25% water change hopefully things will settle and the fish will no longer die it is a worry and of course we don't want to loose any fish we do feel we have an obligation to do the best we can for the fish in our tank and hopefully things will start to pick up .

TUESDAY - Starting work at 18.00 and finishing at 02.00 today not sure if it is for only one shift or more will find out today .
Did a 30% change of water in the fish tank we had another fish death and it was my favourite fish sad news Helen took it's body  out of the tank whilst I was at work yesterday upsetting fingers and toes crossed things settle down .

My favourite fish below which died yesterday but I will buy more when I know for sure they will survive in our tank .

BRID & SCAR

Was up early showered we are going to the East coast with Ken and Sharon in the Disco last time we was out in the Disco it broke down and cost £6k to drop a new engine in this time it was fine .
We stopped at Timber at the timber cafe all the goodies are pre baked I had a sausage bacon and cheese pastie like Patti delicious and a coffee cheap home made excellent taste quite a lot of bikers stop of  here .We sat outside it was not too cold to say it was only nine o'clock.

We made it unscathed to Bridlington it s been a while since I was last here I seemed very clean and the sun was out we got some freshly cooked doughnuts eight for £3.00 and decided to go to Scarborough for fish and chips we went to Wackers fish restaurant the food excellent as well as the service .

After eating we drove over to the North bay this as been really redeveloped over the last couple of years the afternoon sun was out the breeze had dropped and it was warm not bad for mid October
I doubt my Father and Mother would recognize the old place from the 70's when they use to go which is illustrated by the photo below , the photo below that is showing how it is looking  today .

The white building are apartments a lot of these you can rent for weeks in the summer and later into the year some a one bedroom which start at £120 per night ,around the corner is a decent size open air concert which attracts some great musical artist to perform there .
Building work is still going on and wont be finished until 2018 , if they were able to transform the main front beach arcades and shops and the spa end Scarborough would be the best place on the East coast without a doubt .The first proper book I read was Papillon which I manage to complete on my two week holiday sat in a deck chair on the beach at Scarborough .

LOST ONE

Helen's parents have a buyer for their house and have found a static home that they want to buy it is costing them three time the amount that we paid and the ground rent is double a month what we pay .
They are selling off most of the furniture an extending table and chairs , a corner drinks cabinet a long side board the wicker conservatory furniture a leather chair and getting rid of other things in general power tools hand tools ladders and a trailer .
They are going to be left with very little when they move , the trouble is if it all falls through then they have a empty house to live in hopefully they have not jumped the gun and been too eager .

Cleaned the fish tanks external filter , and cleaned the rocks we also vacuumed  the gravel and did a 25% water change using a pump on a cordless drill , it took a good hour to get all sorted the pump did not look too dirty we washed out the pads and other filters in the four trays and the sponges in the main housing I also scrubbed the rocks , we replaced the water after placing the rocks back in to the tank .

Wiped  and re-seated the light and switched the power back on no leaks , the seal on the inlet and out let pipes were seated correctly and the pump filter running fine Woke up in the morning just after 08.00 to feed the fish and one was laying dead on the bottom of the tank this is the first fatality no idea why it looked unmarked and the rest of the shoal of  fish all seem  fine .We tested the nitrate and nitrite levels which where high the ph and ammonia levels are fine , we will cut back on feeding we think we have been over feeding them and will do another 30% water change every two days .

WORK LOOMING

Put a slice of cucumber in the fish tank for the cichlids to nibble on , they did not seem that impressed  personally I also cant stand the stuff either  .One of the first fish we bought seems to be acting slightly weird its behind the air pipes pointing down and is just stationary hopefully he will be fine .
Need to do a water change tomorrow , need to get a gravel vac .Green algae is appearing on the rocks the rocks and water have been n since 27th of September .

Today is very windy I was going to wash the windows doubt it will be today looks like rain is on its way too .Dead leaves are every where and twigs and small branches are getting snapped of in the strong winds and landing on the roof of the static home , the roof is metal so there is little or no risk of damage .

Th Skoda Fabia is running great no problems what so ever I am quite happy driving it will have to get more car shampoo and polish when I get paid .Saying that the touch screen radio was unresponsive then corrected it's self not sure what the problem was seems fine now

Christmas is coming fast hopefully we will be ready for it I am not sure if we are going to Lincoln Christmas market this year or going to a different one .We will be getting a real tree again this year.

My Daughter got paid out for her car hopefully Friday she picks up her latest whip a Ford Focus Titanium

FRIDAY
Last day annual leave not looking forward to going back TO BE HONEST just looking forward to pay day ,but  hopefully in the next few weeks ,  I will be getting a decent sized deposit of money transferred  in to my bank account fingers crossed.

NEARLY MID WEEK

Stocking the fish tank we have over spent and We have to survive until Monday night with the food that we have just bought. Which included  a medium joint of pork and a tray of Irish casserole steak we also picked dup a veg pack including a parsnip , carrots , swede and a onion which will be chopped up and diced and will go into the slow cooker with the casserole steak. , also bought was suet and self rain flour for dumpling mix  we also got a loaf of  bread , milk and gravy mix , the pork will be roasted in the oven with roasted potatoes the left over meat will do pork sandwiches the stew will also do two meals .
Luckily Helen had a Skype reading this evening gout of the blue which helps but we would have mange we sail close to the wind , some times to close .

I have next week off work this week as not gone that quick next week will fly by sods law it will go three times as fast and I will be back behind my desk doing the job I loathe the most and it is getting worse .

MONDAY
Went over to Helens parents house we got another lawn mower and a few other tools Helen got some sewing stuff and candles she was happy .
Helen had two readings tonight I was in the bedroom on my Mac listening to Morrissey , 'The Smiths , Joy Division and the Cure brilliant bands .

TUESDAY
All the fish we have in the tank seem to be happy and doing fine we are happy the water still looking good and the lights now I have re programmed them are better suited for day and night times .
We still need to get a couple of Plecos roll on pay day .Freshly made chicken and mushroom pizza on a 14 inch stone baked base with extra mozzarella slices for tea .

Reading - Shari Lapena "A Stranger In The House".

Listening to - Liam Gallagher "As We Were".

Watching - "Alaska The Last Frontier".

MORE FISH

THURSDAY - Helen bought another six Cichlids for the tank which now makes a grand total of eleven and all are doing fine and so far no signs of any overly aggressive behaviour problems and no fishes getting bullied .The tank is looking clean but obviously soon as fish go in along with food I have noticed small particles floating I the water even though all  the water goes though the filter around eight times every hour 24/7 .
Eleven fish does nowhere near look many in our corner tank we reckon we need another eighteen fish of course the ones we currently have are nowhere fully grown but even so we need more fish and a couple of golden nugget plecos , I will also get a Jebao wave maker machine to move the water around the tank .I have also altered the dawn , sunrise  , dusk and sunset settings on the led light hopefully they are more apt for the UK environment and the clocks go back an hour end of this month .The fish below soon retired their colour moving Cichlids they tend to loose their bright colours and get was he out .

FRIDAY - We got another three fish so now we have a total of fourteen fish swimming around our 195L tank .
My holiday in Ibiza I have had the leave granted from my employer  I would have taken it anyway I so need a holiday but it as been granted so all is good .I  will sort out the passports in the new year .

STABLE

The holiday is now booked for next year we will  fly from Leeds and Bradford airport on the 3rd of September and return on the 10th .I have emailed work we are suppose to request the time off before we book the holiday hopefully it will be ok .We will stay for seven nights in Santa Eulària des Riu which is a town on the east coast of Ibiza, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands .

The first time I travelled abroad was to Lindos in Greece I had a 35mm Olympus camera no such things as mobile phones with digital cameras and a bottle of  Kouros men's aftershave that had just come out and I bought a bottle duty free on the plane .

MONDAY
It is windy but sunny and the leaves  on the trees around us are starting to turn brown and fall from all of the trees.
Took away the divan in our bedroom and re-assembled the cast iron and brass knobbed bed frame it took me about three hours to get the frames bolted together and the slates in place the old bed is outside I will saw it up in the morning and take it to the local tip .

WEDNESDAY
Went to my daughters house she coloured Helen's hair and cut mine as always perfect she also cooked us stew and dumplings with Yorkshire puddings again perfect .
We took her horse riding it was raining and windy it was the same stable I use to take her when she was a little girl years ago ,  this time I was not only with my daughter was with  her two year old  son my grandson Jenson a lot of water as gone under the bridge , hopefully there is a lot more to flow .

FIVE LITTLE FISH

FRIDAY
Break up tonight for two weeks I bet it flies by hopefully the first week will be slower than the second week .
My Daughter took her car a a Seat Leon to a garage the garage was broken into and a lorry was taken it crashed into my daughters car and as a result it is now a write off and because it is a total write off she can't get a courtesy car she paid £7k a couple of years ago she be lucky to get £3k which is what the outstanding Finance is owed on the car .

Had to cut out the lid of the tank for the inlet and outlet pipes I made a card board template and cut the hole with a Drimmel drill and a cutting disc that Ken my good neighbour lent me the cut outs I marked out were exact and the lid fit like a glove which was a relief as ordering a new one would cost around £38 of Ebay.

SATURDAY
Went to Tong garden centre to look at the fish and set ups we meet Helen parents we left them to go to another fish outlet which was crap its nick name is dying world , leaving there we went to another fish retailer pet shop they had very little in wasted journey .We went back  Helen's parents house got back my old electric planner and electric jigsaw as well as a angle grinder and hand held electric rip saw , I also got a load of racking and storage boxes a crowbar and other bits and pieces when you live small good storage solutions are essential .

SUNDAY
Went to Ferrybridge and bought five Malawi Cichlids our first five fish for the tank two are the same black and yellow then we got one which should turn out a great shade of blue a black stripped one and another which will be a love red colour so far all fish are doing well .They were feed later in the day that really darted around the tank quite fast they seem to be enjoying their new surroundings .

BUBBLING UP

Bought the led lighting and the Fluval 406 pump the FX model was too big the lighting system is really good well built and changes through the day and is totally programable to set lighting patterns which emulates dawn to dusk .
The ocean rock is in the tank we connected the filter intake and outlet to the inside of the tank the ocean rock is in place the air stones w have two a strip at the back and a ball stone at the right hand front of the tank the water is in and it is up and running it looks good specially when its on blue mode at night.We will let it run it might even be a month before we add any fish we have to make sure the water and set up is just right so the fish are happy and live well in their new surroundings .

AWAY AWAY

SUNDAY  - The tank stand is now completed its finished and  it looking better than ever , we ended up using a stain and varnish rather than a coloured wax .Wednesday yes it's pay day we get the filter Fluval 406 filter canister the FX4 is way too big for the unit and we are also getting the Juwel led lighting system that you can turn from blue to white at the turn off a switch.Then its get the tank in place  the gravel washed and  into the tank   , the mango wood is soaking otherwise it will float and decide which pieces of ocean rock to put in . I guess the overall weight is going to be over fifty stone .

Tuesday I am working one shift at six till two I break up Friday for two weeks can't wait .
My sister Anne and her Husband Alan are wanting us to go on holiday next September to Ibiza they have told us they want to pay for us to go which is  unbelievable generous of them , Helen and I have never had a holiday abroad together since we have been a couple in nearly ten years .

We will fly from Leeds and Bradford airport and I think the flight is just over two hours can't wait I am getting in the holiday spirit already it is amazing how lifted I feel just to know we are jetting off somewhere coming back home will be a nightmare going back to work even more so after this holiday I hope we jet off again .
I have to admit I would not be able to afford to take me and Helen here if it was not for my brother -in -Law Alan a big thank you .

We have nearly a year to plan and get sorted and try and loose some weight which might be harder than ever but will give it ago not that we are are obese but losing pounds would not hurt .

THE TANK

Helen's parents have sold their home they have a buyer they are after buying a static home similar to ours .They are already panicking about being homeless because they have not found somewhere to move into , not sure why they are worried there are plenty within a 20 mile radius of Leeds and York which are currently  for sale on Rightmove.

I have been working the fish tank stand that we had wrapped in a black vinyl it is no more it was stopped off and  I have made two new doors and covered the other laminated panels in pine it has not been easy , my tools are well blunt and my planes and chisels need sharping I need to get a sharpening stone and get a decent edge. Saying that I managed to complete the stand I edged the top and bottom with moulded strips and mitred  beading on to both the doors we are waxing them to match the pine furniture hopefully.

When I get paid next Tuesday  I am buying the filter and the lights which will be the best part of £350 we can then finally  add the water 198 litre to be precise and the ocean rocks which are still outside on the garden table and the three bags of aquarium gravel and finally the fish themselves or should I say the Malawi Cichlids  I can't wait to see it as a proper aquarium . just a few more weeks .

I have the first two weeks in October off work might not have loads of cash but will have to get out and about even if it is only local pubs and restaurants .

WEEK OVER

Fcuking hell Apple is having a laugh no way can I afford buying a iPhone X the prices are too astronomical I know they have had a big bill for the new Apple campus but honestly £1149 plus the cost of the wireless charger insane , which you can't buy until next year not even sure how much that will cost as the price is  tbc .

Bought a doner meat pizza from the local farm shop and some almond slice and a mince an onion pie have run out of cider .

The couple down the road Jill and Rob got married a week  last Friday and to celebrate  we was all invited round for a drink  they have also spent a load of money doing their van up it looks totally amazing from the kitchen , bathroom which are too of the best rooms to the living room and bedrooms , apparently most of the things they bought was via Ebay .

Helen bought another little pine unit for the side of my chair it needs new wooden pine handles and she also waxed it it is just the right hight and for £20 was well worth it we bought it from a little cottage in Holmfirth .

WET WEEKEND

SATURDAY
Heavy rain woke us up yet again I guess we are lucky not to have hurricanes and earth quakes and we should not moan it always rains in England . we are used to it .
Coming up to the anniversary of 9/11 and years on we as a world still can not live in peace it is true we never do learn .

Went to the Trinity then to the farm shop to by the mince for the shepherds pie we was going to have for tea .

SUNDAY
Went to my Daughters house with Helen she cooked us a Sunday dinner bless her she did a pork roast with all the trimmings it went down well we stayed until around seven then drove home and busted chilled no "Games Of Thrones" to watch seeing that I am unto date but we do have the latest series of "Coldfeet" to watch .

MONDAY
Have requested the 23rd and 30th of October off work annual leave the 23rd is my birthday and the 30th a hospital appointment with Helen at the hospital I work at talk about a busman's holiday , I have the first two weeks off in October which will make it a short working month.

Listening to - "Imagine Dragons" and "The War On Drugs.

Reading - Stephen King's -  "It'

Watching - New series 'Grand Designs' and "Coldfeet'

TGIF

The bottle of Rain X came yesterday whilst I was at work thought I would apply it in the morning after I had my first cup of coffee , Started cleaning the exterior glass of the car and no soon had Started than  it started to rain oh well there is always tomorrow .

The Rain X does make a difference to visibility it does make things clearer not sure about the anti fogging one I was finding it harder to see at night when cars travelling towards me with their headlights on made it unclear I guess I did not buff the glass enough when I applied it .

Kept thinking yesterday was Friday I told Helen this morning she said "I am Blonde and even  I know it's Wednesday " .Thank God it's Friday .

Have been invited to my daughters house for Sunday dinner she is currently in Spain and flies back tomorrow which is Saturday.

My friend and neighbours Ken took his Landrover Discovery in for the engine doing I might have to drive him down to Wolverhampton to pick it up when it is finally repaired .

ONE SKINNY FRIE

This Time last year I was on sick it seems a lot longer than a year ago and  I wouldn't go back until March the following year .How time flies when you look back specially when I read older posts that I did a decade ago also picture and photos of where I have lived the furniture and ornaments we no longer own .Thee book collection and cd collection gone forever , the magazines I had on tattoos hundreds of pounds spent it is amazing how your  life changes and evolves into what we are today as rarely nothing stays the same .
When I look back further to my teens and early twenties its was a different planet it is like back to the  future the past always seems better less solution less wars less acts of terrorism the world was a nicer happier place to live in .

I was cooking chips the other evening and Helen walked over and asked if she could have chips for a sandwich I "said yes but only one "  when they was finished cooking  she walked to the bowl of chips and  picked up her bread cake that she had already  buttered and picked one solitaire chip and placed it dead centre of her bread cake and reached for the salt and vinegar . I just looked at her amazed and dumbfounded , and she said "what" I said to her I meant for her to do one sandwich not to have just one measly chip she really was going to literally going to have "A chip sandwich" , the thing was it was not like they were big potatoes wedges the where skinny French fries which made it even more laughable  I really wouldn't and couldn't be that cruel .Tomorrow I am cooking beans on toast just for a laugh  can't wait .

DISMAL MONDAY

Bought some Rain X for the car windows it is a water repellent and has been round years they also sell on to stop the interior glass fogging up as bad Autumn and winter just around the corner .
The car is well good on fuel consumption so far getting around 60 mpg which is about 12 mpg better than the Fiat 500 surprise , surprise .

Bought a deep fat fryer so we can cook proper chips oven chips are good and easy hand cut chips better by far .

I also bought a magnetic vent phone holder so I can use my I phone 7 as a sat nav , it should be delivered next week .Other items I am currently watching on Ebay include Grease Lighting polish and wax , aluminum door sills for each of the four doors and a fire extinguisher just in case.Chemical Guys Black Forest air freshener , and seat covers and mats .

SATURDAY
Dropped Helen of at Holmfirth just before three in the afternoon she was getting picked up from the car park by her friend Jill she doing some readings and a past life regression for her and some other people  I was to pick her up from Tintwhistle at around ten at night .

I filled the car to the max it has been a week and it only took £20 to max it out , I went home and cooked fried chicken and fries and watched tv whilst Helen was away for the afternoon early evening .

SUNDAY
Bought food from a few different supermarkets bought a 2.5 litre bottle of Magners cider went to the new lidl that opened in Midfield then went home and cooked a roast beef Sunday dinner with roast potatoes veg and Yorkshire puddings .

NONDAY
Back to work after the weekend its grey and wet and dismal Summer seems to be on its last legs .
Need chocolate digestives and banana milk shake .

UTILITY RIP OF

People ask me what its like having a newer car got to admit it is good but at a great expense it is not free I pay instalments for the privilege and  I do not own it it is not mine until it is paid for in full ,and  the chances are it will be changed before that day comes. And then I will then be financing another motor which I will never own . Over the years that  I have been driving and owning cars I have paid back thousands  of pounds in car finance  and in road tax and insurance  repayments and repair bills. The amount I have spent on new tyres and batteries and the exhaust systems , not to mention the M.o.t bills on cars older than three years and then there is the cost of fuel I won't even dwell on that I reckon now it is around £1250 minimum each year , if I could claim the v.a.t  back on everything I guess I would have enough cash to buy a new Jaguar F type .

I have booked two weeks of annual leave in October I am off the first two weeks hopefully the weather is half decent and we can get out and about .

Cant believe the length of time we have to wait to see season eight "Games Of Thrones" hope it is worth the wait .

I was in credit with my gas by £220 and a similar amount in credit for my electric I cancelled the direct debit a couple of months ago and not made a payment I am still in credit by £35 and have re-set the direct debit up for £30 less then what I was paying at what stage was they going to reduce my payment and give me back what I had over paid , who else is paying for gas and electric before they even use it no wonder they make so much money if everyone is in a similar position then they owe millions in refunds.

COASTAL

SATURDAY
Went over to Borough Bridge to pick up a pine cabinet it is to go next to my chair it is solid pine at cost £50 well worth it I re- polished it once we got it home and it is looking good as new  .
I Bought a D.A.B radio for Helen it was from Sainsbury and it as a flora design and you can do up to  ten preset stations and for the price of £40 the sound is really clear .

SUNDAY
Drove to Whitby via the A1 it took over two hours I didn't mind it was a sunny day we parked at the Abbey and walked down it was £6 for six hours on the pair we had prawns , crab meat and crayfish tails later we had fish and chips the Magpie fish restaurant was closed they was queuing for the take away shop we went to Hadley's which where as good .I doubt we will go to Whitby again to be honest it is quite boring nothing changes there was loads of people the crowds in parts jostling each other too many prams and dogs on leads I want to go to Spurn Point and Withernsea two places I have not been to also I would also  like to go to a Welsh coastal town .

After walking back up the steps to the car park we drove to Filey it was late afternoon parking was not a problem we walked down more steps to the beach and walked along the beach to the far end eating ice cream they where quite a few swimming in the sea and the life guards was still manning the sea .We would have been best coming here first than driving to Flamborough head or Brunswick Bay.

MONDAY BANK HOLIDAY

Washed the car  , and bought fresh pizza from Asda and went to work for a change it was a sunny bank holiday .Completed season seven "Game Of Thrones" what a cliff hanger it just gets better .

SIGNED SEALED DELIVERED

At High Noon I went to  the  Skoda car  dealership and it is now all signed up and the deal is done and dusted . I drove it out of the show room after completing all the paperwork and  I am now the legal owner of the car a gleaming white Skoda Fabia 1400 SE TDI and so far it is a great car  I think I even prefer to the Nissan Juke I had from new this also has stop and start a D.A.B radio along with cruise control , and it is a lot more quicker and a nicer driving experience than the Fiat which is what I expected , but saying that fair dues the Fiat 500 if bought  new and looked after would be a great little run around I think I got ripped off buying the one I had from  Piccadilly dealership  but that's all water under the bridge now it is someone else's problem .

I pay upfront each month for the yearly servicing package I need to keep up with the servicing also it includes the  M.O.Ts  starting  next year .Filled it up the dealership put £25 in and I put another £25 in the tank was full I even remembered it is a diesel and not petrol .

BYE BYE 500

Waxed the grandfather clock and the table and the key box all polished and shining looks good have a feeling Helen wants them doing darker rather then the antique pine she wants them rustic pine oh well more waxing and rubbing need wax on wax off .

The service light came on the dashboard yesterday driving home a little amber spanner telling me to get it serviced the trade in is still on for this Friday I just want to get rid and get  a new motor .

Thursday and Friday off work roll on the end of my shift tomorrow ten o clock and four days off .

Wednesday today I drove to and home from work hopefully for the very last time next time I go to work I will be in the new car .

THURSDAY
I have to go down to the car dealership and sign the paperwork for the finance for the car that I pick up tomorrow at midday .
I vacuumed my car out and polished the interior for the very last time got to admit , it is looking neat.
Anyway hopefully this Friday at noon  it is bye bye 500 .

STRIPPING

On the way to a auction at York when the car we was traveling in a Land Rover Discovery , the cam belt broke not good , we think but hope that it is not terminal it would be ten grand for  a new engine and around four for a reconditioned one . The belt was only replaced a few months ago it should not have broke it was done on the year of car and not on  the mileage the garage that fitted it are to blame and  they need to step up with a new engine a twenty thousand pound motor ruined not good the cost of the engine is the same cost as the car I pick up Friday.

Finally made it to season seven of "Game Of Thrones" can't wait to watch the first episode .
Stripped our Grandfather clock which Helen stained and lacquered a few years ago it took me around six hours to get it looking how it looked like when we first got it , we also bought a coffee table with a side drawer in it from the same person we bought the tv stand off it was £25 another bargain .I cut the legs down so it was at a lower level it was a lot higher than needed we need to get some Briwax one of the best you can get for finishing off pine furniture , I hate stripping and restoring furniture .

SEVEN DAYS AWAY

Well one more week and  hopefully another seven days and  I can collect the new car it should have been totally valeted and has far as I know I get twelve months breakdown cover and roadside assistance not sure home start is included .It should smell like new even though it has done eight thousand miles it is has good as new to me anyway.Hopefully it will be a lucky car .

Tomorrow hopefully it is good weather we are going to an auction to get some more pine furniture  to go with the tv stand and corner unit

The unit below cost us only £40 and the one above a mere  £35 it is amazing how cheap you can buy furniture for if you look online at what people are selling , if we had bought them new both pieces would have been around £325 ,  Helen had to go  over to Keighley about an hour away  to pick the corner unit up ,and  it should have been fifty pounds but the owner was still in bed and she had to wait half an hour for him to get his arse out of Pj's and open up the shop hence a ten pound discount hehe.