I'AM SCRATCHED

 SUNDAY - Nowhere to go today although staying is boring starting to realise need to get out to break up the day I might go to Asda get something for Sunday dinner , was thinking of another curry masala or Balti .

 I was woken by an Amazon delivery a Nokia phone case and screen protector for the phone Helens mother bought yesterday super quick delivery who needs to go out to shop tech has its uses without a doubt , it makes life a lot fcuking easier .

Cooked breakfast couldn't really be bothered eating it most of it went into the dog or bin did have two glasses of orange juice and a coffee .

Loaded Zombie Army 4 on the X-box killing Zombies breaks the day up waiting for the upload to finish its download and the installation is complete .

Ended up going to Asda to buy food for my Sunday dinner I got a chicken Balti well its not traditional but not cooking a full dinner just for me .Also bought some chicken enchiladas and a tikka masala I could easily have curry every day the icing on the cake was a chocolate fudge cake with  a tub of fresh double cream . Guess my life expectancy wouldn't be great if lived alone for too long .

I finally got to wash the car it has not been washed for ages , after I had hosed it down  I noticed a scratch starting on the drivers door and going on the door trim not sure when or how this occurred but it will need fixing . As soon as I finished and was back inside then  thirty minutes later it rained typical if it had rained whilst I was washing I would have just left it .

MONDAY - Booked a scratch repair with Autoscratch they are coming out Thursday morning to fix the paint work they have really good reviews , but  its at a cost of two hundred pounds and the pair comes with a two year guarantee wouldn't like to guess what Skoda would charge recon it be at least double if not more .

BUSY BUSY IN YORK

 FRIDAY  - Cooked breakfast for one , no cup of tea to make this morning as I am home alone day 2 .

I am off work and its boring think I will go to the shops get a few supplies that we need .Ended up going to Fox Valley to Home Bargains bought cat and dog food 80 pouches of each should last a couple of weeks .I bought some fresh orange juice , coffee pods and fried and orinetal chicken thighs .

Being on your own although I have the cats and dogs is boring not having another human to interact with is not normal even though we have faced timed and message each other its not the same .How people live on their own for years is amazing the cooking cleaning bit isn't a issues its just having a person with you .

Helen's dad as ever so slightly improved but is nowhere near ready to come home something was mentioned about his hernia operation being botched by one of the doctors and the doctor was not happy we are not sure what .

SATURDAY - Last night I had trouble sleeping the wind was bad it was howling and rattling the rafters I woke up various times through the night and early hours not good .I was suppose to go and visit my son but he rang to say he was not feeling well so I cancelled nothing to do with covid people still get ill.

I drove over to Helen at Acaster Malbis i took her a few things over that she had asked for .We took her Mother shopping to a nearby Tesco she also bought a smart phone a Nokia G10 unlimited texts and messages and 30 gb of data for £11 a month which Helen set up using her bank details .The  took ages to set it up it needed a update and the stores wifi was totally crap but  we finally manage to leave the store with the phone and food . I set up a Google account for hop w e could access Google play I put on Whats app and Facebook messenger so Helen and her sons can face time her after all its 2022 now .

Her Father has been moved to a different ward they now know that he has a tear in one of his heart valves what cause of treatment he will have we don't know getting any info from the hospital is a nightmare too many relatives making too many calls I guess .

I got home just before seven p.m I had nothing all day to eat so I oven cooked some gastro chips and fried chicken pieces I was Hank Marvin .

STAR FISH

 THURSDAY - No work until Tuesday evening at 18.00 hours which hopefully will not fly buy .

It is my daughters 31st birthday she was born the 27th January 1991 which seems no more than a few years ago it is my sons 29th birthday this coming Sunday .

Taking Helen over to her mothers in Acaster Malbis she is staying with her until Saturday morning when I will pick her up .it is going to be a very long day with lots of driving but it cant be helped .

After dropping Helen off at her mothers I stayed for forty or so minutes before leaving on the drive home  I called into my my daughters house at Stanley to give her a card and her presents from Helen and I . Didn't stay too long I was tired and still had to go to pc world and Asda , 

Arrived at Pc World bought Helen her Mp3 recorder that we tried to get a few weeks ago when their system crashed and we couldn't leave with the goods because they was not sure if the payment had gone through even though £50 was taken off the gift cards and £5 from Helens bank account anyway we got the money returned on the cards and into the bank hence the purchase .

Went to Asda bought a fresh chicken Balti curry for my tea  with onion bhajis  and nan bread I also got some fried chicken and triple cooked chips , basmati rice and coffee pods  , for my cats a bag of dreamies.

I feel asleep on the sofa it was weird waking up and thinking Helen was in the house before realising she is at her mothers .

Finally went to bed just after midnight I Ama star fish for the next two nights . 

HOME ALONE

 Yesterdays tea was pretty awesome did some green beans and curly kale as well as Yorkshire pudding and mash potatoes there was enough for four the cats and dogs got feed as well .

SUNDAY - Went to see Helens mum it was her 78th birthday we took her a few things over there is nothing the really needs so it was difficult .I think she was just happy to see her daughter on her birthday .neither of her two sons visited not sure why ,We stayed a few hours before setting off for  home ,

Ordered two pizzas for tea Helen had a reading at eight and there online order did state that the pizza order would  be delivered between 20.55 to 21.10 ideal it came at 20.35 way too early typical when your starving its always late when you aren't bothered it arrives twenty minutes before you are ready.

MONDAY - Short working week as I break up on Wednesday and don't go back until the following Tuesday yippee.

It is my daughters birthday on the 27th and my sons on the 30th I will get my daughter a gift token from  Mountain Warehouse as she needs some walking boots for when she is out walking her dog Bee . I have ordered my son a wallet and a key chain so hopefully he won't ever loose his wallet and bank card again .

Waiting for the new Air books coming out I don't really want to buy anything Apple until I see the new editions hopefully it will be in the first quarter .

TUESDAY - Helens father is in York Hospital the ambulance took him he was in A&E all night until they found him a bed on a ward . He is having trouble breathing and his heart is irregular the doctor  also think he may have had a minor stroke we will know more over the next few days .

THURSDAY - Helen is going to stay with her mother the next two nights her Dad is still in Hospital they don't seem to  know how to treat him hopefully they will decide quickly enough that he does not deteriorate , there are not allowing visitors so the only way we can find anything out is over the phone of course this is the same for everyone and of course the phone is not always answered the nursing staff are busy but it is frustrating . Hopefully he will be treated and his health will improve and he will be allowed home in the next couple of days , the other worry is will he get covid during his admission .

CLEANING WINDOWS

 TUESDAY - Ordered a screwdriver set with every screw driver haed you will need , it comes with 101 different inserts sick of never having the right screwdriver when it comes to different shaped heads on screws bolts and other fittings I should be covered .

WEDNESDAY - Nothing major just another day made a really awful cup of coffee the worst one yet .

The Ring door bell is good we had an alert whilst we was out we spoke to the delivery guy and told him where to leave the parcels he could hear us and we could hear him we was five minutes from home when we did get home the parcels were left where we had told him .It does wake us up in the morning with alerts we need to find out how to enable the do not disturb .

FRIDAY - My son received his first wage he lost his bank card and cant draw any money out he ordered a new card it might be next week before he receives it guess he is going to have a quite weekend .

Roll on the weekend lazy day Saturday I will slow cook some bracing steak for a pig out stew ,

SATURDAY - Washed all the house windows the windows open so you can reach out and clean the outside glass from the inside I did both inner and outer needless to say we have now clean smear free windows.

Slow cooking a very large piece of braising steak for tea so far this has been cooking for the last four and a half hours be ready for tea .

SERVICED AND FITTED

 MONDAY -Took the Skoda in for its service needed new wipers front and rear £241 ouch also took out a service plane paid £325 up front then its £22 per month to cover each service and M.O.T talked about changing the car there is at least a seven month waiting time which is fine by me my car is not two years old yet .

Bought a Silver Line SDS drill so I could fix the Ring door bell to the stone wall at the front of the house it was only £54 so its very inexpensive and at the bottom end of SDS drills  but to be honest the four holes I drilled did it well easy its not a every day drill but I won't be using it every day so it should be fine.

The Ring is fitted and working it gives a good view of the front of the door and walk up to the house as well as the car the app is set up on both our I-Phones and on the Alexa Echo Show so we are pretty covered for deliveries and others that knock on the door .

ECHOES

 SATURDAY - The Ring door bell got delivered today had to fully charge the battery before setting up as we had to go out in the afternoon .Helen had two reading to do in Linthwaite and had one reading to do at home so the set up and installation will have to wait until tomorrow or Monday .

Went to the harware shop to buy a new broom for the outdoors needed a good study broom the will stand up to all the weathers and last a good few years new brooms are shit give me a used one any day a new handle is a big negative too new better aged that's why I want da plastic but got over ruled .

Tried bending a ring to day with the machine I bought a total waste of money its not any good for what I need just does not function its cheap and inferior looks the part but don't perform .

SUNDAY - Connected the Ring Door bell to mine and Helens phone it wouldn't connect with our Amazon Alexa but will with the Echo show 82nd gen so went out and bought one for £85 also bought the latest Echo dot in white set them both up the Echo show 8 in the dining area and the echo dot in our bedroom .

The spare battery came for the Ring its on charge we will always have one battery ready to go when one runs out .

The one from the living room went upstairs in Helens office to replacee the replace the first dot we bought.

LIFES A GRIND

 WEDNESDAY - Hair cut day for Helen and I might treat myself to a box of chicken see if its got any better .Went to a local cafe for a hot dog and fries mine had chilli sauce on it was very good .whilst I was waiting for a Helens hair doing I went to the antique shop over the road and bought some silver spoons all ready for bending fingers crossed I don't fcuk up .

ordered a Ring door bell 4 and a Ninja air fryer both we have been considering for ages finally decided to get the order placed should come in next few days.Hope the Air fryer is more updated than the one we had a few years ago when they first came out the chips or fries where not that good .

THURSDAY - Ordered a West Coast Chef coffee grinder with a ceramic burr from Amazon its a manual hand held grinder as two bags of coffee I ordered online came as beans so it made sense it supposed to give better tasting coffee that's it now the coffee station is complete I am not bothering with any scales.

My coffees are improving the taste is good the coffee is not always hot enough but this is also improving I need to zero my coffee grinder but its fun my coffee station is my sanctuary even if its covered in coffee grounds milk and water all is good fun and easily tied up ,The other two things I might buy are walled coffee glasses and a coffee tin so I can grind enough coffee for a few days .  

FRIDAY - Last day at work its been a long week been hard getting back in the groove lost my mojo think it went west years ago never to return its a grind .

GREAT TRUTH

 MONDAY - Back to work at six quite a lot happened whilst I was away my line manager died whilst on the dentist chair he had a injection and he clinically died .Luckily the dentist noticed in time and was able to bring him back , I was quite shocked it was not something I would want to hapen I mean his dying bit not his revival I which him a long and happy life , live each blah blah because tik tok .

Another worker who as been married to his husband for the last twelve years he was gay , Left him  to be with a lady coworker and its all so far roses,  I do hope he makes ago of it hopefully for all concerned everyone moves on and all ends well for all concerned .

My daughter moved into her new house the Tuesday before Christmas her partner found out yesterday he was being made redundant , but already has interviews lined up with other companies .

My son has a new job making wooden pallets it is good pay and a good bonus scheme I hope he can manage to stay here for the next few years so he gets some stability in his life .

Helen is worried about me returning to work at the hospital with the Omicron virus being so wide spread she has registered with a online company doing telephone readings she did it before with another company and liked getting a monthly wage a lump sum is always nice and does give you more spending power .

TUESDAY - Another packet of coffee I ordered online came first thing this morning from the  Divine coffee company I have not tried it yet so far I have not had a bad bag which I more to luck than anything .

Roll on the weekend done two days two days done at work is two days too many oh for a job you love slave to paying my taxes and paying my bills its a life long task .As Bob Geldof said "its a rat trap Billy but you're already caught ".No truer lyrics ever written .

COFFEE AFTER COFFEE

 The Sage coffee duo temp came yesterday I can honestly say it's way better than I thought in fact its way better . I have ordered a tamper mat and a Sage knock out bin . Each cup of coffee I have made and I have made a few have got better by the cup . Not one has been thrown down the sink I am totally impressed . If you want  to drive fast buy a sports car if you want great coffee buy a Sage .  But I am not getting rid of my Dolce Gusto  coffee pod machine that I have had the last few years .

 If any faults with the Sage they are not major the drip tray gets full too quickly and the cup plate at the top of the machine does not get warm enough I put hot water into my cup before extraction but saying that it is well worth the money a friend I know has one he was a barista and has had his five years no issues  .The big question is do I fork out for a decent coffee grinder and some coffee scales I think no I might in a few months time for now  I like the lottery of every cup being somewhat different no matter how slight  its all done by eye which for me is working out just fine .

If I had the money spare I would go the whole hog and buy the Sage Barista pro espresso yes I would why not  its well over double what I paid for mine coming at £699 but anyone reading this if  money is not an issue go for it . If not buy the above it makes great coffee for a lot less cash .But then again if you use decent coffee aren't you going to get a decent drink anyway .

The Smeg toaster and kettle came yesterday they should have been delivered on Friday but due to the snow the delivery got cancelled the best thing about the kettle its well insulated and the water stays warm anyway Helen likes them . I was looking at the Smeg coffee machine but it was dearer and I believe nowhere near as good as what the Sage is which costs way less .

PCR test came back yesterday all was fine a pity it took so long to sort it out I can go back to work Monday I have been to work two shifts since I  broke up on the 22nd of December which seems forever .

CUPS OF COFFEE

 SATURDAY -The rain has got rid off most of the snow that fell yesterday which is always a good thing if you want to go out driving .Or are expecting Amazon deliverers .

 I have been looking at refurnished Apple Macs on Amazon some have had memory upgrades and ssd 1tb hard drives fitted at half the price of a new Mac it has opened a different way of thinking about purchasing a new Mac .This Mac I have is 2012 model I can get a 2017 or 2019 model way cheaper with a years warranty should I play ball or go with brand new .

Ordered a SAD lamp for Helen you sit in front of it half hour daily and it boosts your vitamin D and lifts your spirits , she does not get out much in winter no sitting in the German its mostly grey and dull till spring hopefully she feels the benefit from it.

Ordered two bags of ground coffee one from Volcano Coffee and the other from Divine coffee will see which I prefer have one 250g bag of each should be enough for a dozen cups of each . I also got a bag of Taylors rich Italian coffee as well as two bags from Ueshima coffee Tokyo roast and Fuji mountain this rate I will never sleep again .Hopefully the Sage duo temp coffee machine arrives safely .

BEING SMUG NOT

 FRIDAY - Helen does not want me to go back to work ever , Trouble is we need the money I earn to afford a reasonable lifestyle walking away or hand in my resignation is not that simple .They have said if my PCR test results don't come back they will send someone to my house to carry out a test .They can send someone I said no I problem what I didn't say if they turn up at my door they will not be walking through it and no way is anyone doing a test I will do it myself they can wait outside if the don't like , then  fucking tuff.

I was told by the same line manager to stay away from work and get a Pcr test done asp  it was not my fault I had to wait due to having slight symptoms and the new year bank holidays and the surge in new cases wanting tests done .

I have ordered all the stuff I need to make silver tea spoon rings I have my practice tea spoon coming Friday I will use old silver spoons and make them into rings the will all have hallmarks and and stamps and all will all be solid silver one spoon can cost up to £20 - £35 the dearer the spoon the higher I will sell it on for I have a ring press to shape the rings and other tools and items that I need down to silver polish and files I should start  receiving items sometime next week .

Had a call from someone working for the Nhs from where I work they wanted my address so they could send someone out to do a home they needed my address so they could do a PCR test which would be test number two  after telling them over the phone that  I am back at work Monday and that I don't work weekends they would be little or no point. I  also pointed out to them that it was snowing and a normal  car would have trouble getting to my location I also explained I was awaiting results from a PCR test that I posted Tuesday evening ,  By the end of the call they decided to cancel the visit .

Then a hour later I answered a  phone call from my manager asking why I was refusing a home visit I told him I wasn't it was agreed by them to cancel the visit I did say they would not be allowed into my home and I would do the test would be done by me and me alone , long story short the  visit is back on I was on the list once more  . 

A few moments later I got a call from the same line manager at work , which was regarding to the people or person coming out to my house so I could complete the PCR test they told him they couldn't reach my house and had to do a u-turn , because of how bad the snow was ,  how deep the snow was , how winding , narrow and step the roads are  they found it  impossible to get to my home address they abandoned the trip. .What a  result not being smug but didn't I tell you so .

I was also able to tell my manager if it was snowing Monday I would not be in regardless of any tests he was fine .The packages I was expecting to day that was getting delivered by Royal Mail was cancelled due to the weather conditions , this is the first time this has happened the Queens mail had not got through since we moved here nearly two years ago 

NEW APPLIANCES

 Took Helens watch I bought her for Christmas to a jewellers in Holmfirth to get the bracelet altered it was shut until next Monday which is only a few days away .

Broadband was up for renewal sticking with BT upped my package should be faster and more stable only for a few pounds more each month starts tomorrow I will do a speed test before and after see if anything has changed .

Keep craving fish and chips from our local fish shop with a bread cake and curry sauce its crazy what the heart desires sometimes I can see taste and smell them as I write this .

Will I get the results from my PCR test today if I do it means back to work tonight cant say I am over joyed be nice to have the next four days off , and go back Monday be crap going back Friday for one shift least it will be a very short week .

Order some stuff of Amazon got Helen a book 'Girl A" that my daughter is reading looks like w will all end up reading it .I also ordered her a Emf meter this one is with sound the one I got at Christmas was just the flashing lights this has an alarm and flashing lights .I bought a bottle of our Arabian aftershave might be a good buy will see when it arrives .

From Ebay I ordered two white wireless charging stands for our bedside cabinets one for me and one for Helen , I also ordered a MagSafe case for my iPhone so I don't have to take the case I am currently using off when I want to use wireless charging .

Have bought a 2.5 litre 900 watt Kenwood conventional microwave the one that we own although was not that old was way too small and the plate inside kept knocking off  very irritating to say the least .

I have ordered from Amazon a Smeg toaster in white and a Smeg kettle also in white the ones we have at the moment are old they are both are Breville Helen had been wanting Smeg appliances when we bought them .  And for myself I have ordered a Sage duo temp pro coffee machine . it will pay for its self the amount of coffee pods I go  through is not cheap hopefully the machine when I get the hand of using it will give me better quality coffee at a lower cost . Got to find a good ground coffee to put through it.

SERVICE BOOKED

 Helen wants us to purchase an  Amazon ring door bell although we have cctv cameras she would also like a smart door bell as another back up . I guess it makes some sort of sense can no such thing as too much have too much security specially in these current times .

We did get a Brita water filter its more of a tank that sits in the fridge and it holds 8.2 litres of water it does take up a lot os space but Helen does drink a lot of water . if I drank as much cider has she drinks H20 I would be permanently half drunk ,

Booked the car in for its oil service it is £180 , wow why so expensive for some oil and a filter or is it just me when its 4.5 litres of oil and a new oil filter which is around £55 how come so dearer only in the U.K both car insurance and car tax are going to increase driving is getting to be a luxury .

ISOLATION & RELAXATION

 This is my eighteenth year of writing this blog and in that time which seems forever ago I have had .

eight cars three of them brand new out of the show room .

seven houses that have been a home .

three jobs one of them that I am still working at .

five cats two still living with us George and Bentley .

and seven dogs two still with us Pippa and Bailey  .

MONDAY - Couldn't complete my PCR swab as Monday is a bank holiday no collection I will have to do it Tuesday before I can send it back for  processing then its just a case of waiting the result hopefully I will get the result in 24 to 48 hours  if I do and its all clear I can go back to work which is inevitable in the long run another few days off wouldn't hurt I have a few days off at the end of the month .If I am not there less chance of catching covid .I will have to phone work I know they are short staffed but until I get the all clear my hands are tied. 

Staying indoors is a pain we have plenty of milk and food as both freezers and the fridge are full and the kitchen cupboards .The only thing we are running low on is eggs we ae down to four when we buy eggs we usually get 2 doz specially if Helen is baking or doing Yorkshire puddings .

We also have plenty of cat and dog food both wet and dry so they are fine , toiletries plenty including loo roll , we are slam fine for dishwasher tablets and washing machine pods.

We also have Netflix , Amazon Prime with loads of content to watch or catch up on we also have our regular You Tubers that we follow on a regular basis , and of course I have books to read , podcasts and face time we are hardly on a desert island . Isolation does not mean boredom it means relaxation.

Helen had a go on the X-box one getting he used to the controls is the hardest bit she docent exactly move about gracefully I was getting sea sick .Thought I was crap at gaming compared to Helen I am a pro lol .

PRIORITY

 SUNDAY - Hope this year is going to be a better year for a many people as possible  even if it only slightly better  , Guess some people will settle for life too carry on as normal .Whatever normal is not sure if normal is good enough we have got to make it better than the year that's passed .

Got my PCR test Sunday off all days I have to post it back one hour before collection from a priority post box so it will be Monday tea time at around half five the post is collected I will post it back around half four .

Helen cooked a quiche with bacon and mushroom and also made a apple pie which we will have with custard .

Started watching Downton Abbey the  tv series I have never watched one episode before it was Helens idea to be fair its ok I can sit through it how the other half live .Still got to finish Squid Games and "Alice in Borderland".

New Years resolution been thinking about what to commit to not sure what I can muster up stay safe don't take risks what will be will be live for today all seem appropriate 

HOLDING HANDS 2022

 NEW YEAR 2022 - Will defo get a brand new Mac book I think before the end of January I want a newer model with the M1 chip .Even though this Mac book I have fingers crossed is currently still ok even if it is ten years old . it still boots up and does everything I need maybe just slower .So why do I want a new one well a ten year old Mac book won't last forever .and because I do have the money to buy one  if I don't get one when I have the cash its doubtful I will ever get one . I was thinking about getting the new Mac book Air but not sure the when release date is and how much they will cost .I think they are doing the Airs in different colours with a white keyboard I would like to wait .But how long is a piece of string too fcuking long sometimes .

NEW YEARS DAY - Well we made it I know plenty out there didn't and some took way too early which is heart breaking its a crazy messed up world but w have to be grateful for what ever time we have on this doomed planIt.

I have read already that both car insurance and car tax are both expected to go up in April car drivers hit again its going to be more expense owning a car not to mention the £1.59 a litre for E5 unleaded petrol I have stopped using the E10 too many unknowns people reporting its messing up their engine seals and milage .

I am cooking the NewYears day dinner  its another Christmas dinner but this time just for two of us which suits me .We have a full sized turkey crown they will be left overs they will be turkey sandwiches tomorrow with stuffing and cranberry sauce .

We did a stone casting of our hands this afternoon one little defect the heart on one of Helens rings came off apart from that all is good .