Graeme’s Work & UK trip
You probably don’t know this but work was beginning to take its toll on me and therefore making me ‘not me’ at home so something needed to give! I’m glad to say home life won and work has started to get better over the last month or two as things weren’t quite going to plan and I was doing ‘stuff’ that I wasn’t brought over to do, which was stopping me doing the things I should have been doing! Well things came to a head while back in Blighty, while there for some meetings with one of my many boss’s who needed me to commit to producing more.. More, I said?! You having a laugh, I said?! I don’t have the time to do the things I’m supposed to do, I said?! And so the start of a bright new future started! Many discussions amongst my many bosses and I, came to the conclusion I needed to be freed up to do what I came here to do and hence now, things have become more exciting (in a workie sort of way) and I can do the challenging things I’m good at! Apparently.
As you know, I’ve travelled back to the UK 3 times now, twice with work and once on holiday to meet Dee and the kids. With the work trips I actually find that I want to get in and out as quickly as possible.. no smug comment’s from my wife or my friends please and anyhow, this is a clean blog unlike your minds!! The reason being is I actually want to get back home and as much as it’s nice to visit friends and family, the bits in between tend to drag on. However, I do plan the trips so that I fly in on a Sunday lunchtime and can drive straight to my mum’s for Sunday roast.. some things are worth coming back for!!
Now as Dee mentioned, she and the girls went back to Swindon a week before me for holiday, so while the cat was a way the mouse could play.. or so I thought! Beer, parties, BBQ’s films and all sorts of shenanigans could begin.. The slight flaw in my plan was a ginger fluff ball of a dog and work! My day would start at 5.30am to get ready, take the ginger thing out for a walk and feed her, make my breakfast and my lunch before starting off on my commute at 6.30 to work. On leaving work for the day, I would come home and take the dog out for a long walk as she had been stuck in the house all day (we do have a doggie door so she can go out and have a pee, we’re not that heartless!), get home, do a workout, shower, cook, eat and if I’m lucky I would have enough energy to have ‘a’ beer and watch some TV or a movie!! I’m sure it wasn’t this hard being single before I met Dee, but then, that was a long time ago and the memory isn’t what it used to be!!
Well eventually, after putting the dog into kennels and the long flight back, I met up with the family and it was good to see them all. Feeling better knowing I could actually still look after myself on my own, it was none the less good to be back as a family. The question we all had on our minds though, was ‘How would we all feel being back ‘home’ with family and friends in a town we had lived all, or most of our lives in?! Although, Dee stayed with her mum the first week, we decided to stay in a hotel for the second week and because of a good deal we got, stayed at the Express by Holiday Inn, in central Swindon. We checked in around 5pm and decided to go into town to get some water to be confronted by approximately 30 policemen with truncheons marching into town in front of us. As nice as it was to get a protection squad for us, I never expected to need one in Swindon! However, we found it wasn’t for us but was for a raid on the Flag pub (formally the Lamb & Flag) and for whatever sins were happening inside, they piled in leaving us to battle through new Eastern European quarter of Swindon centre just outside BHS on our own.! My how things have progressed in our short time away!!
After returning to the hotel, we decided to look at the views over the town (we were on the top floor) and noticed something going on in Fleet Street by all the pubs there. Lots of pointing, crying and staring.. What could it be?! A police car soon turned up with sirens blaring and a police man got out and walked to the corner of the street. Saw what was going on and decided to get back in his car!! It turns out that rival football fans from Cardiff decided to fight Swindon fans and for the next 20 minutes running battles and fighting took place while the lone policeman sat in his car! Until that is a policewoman decided to try and break it up, at which point the policeman thought it prudent to show his bravery (well you can’t be shown up by a woman now can you!!) and decided to do his job! At last after 25 minutes, the Calvary showed up in the form of two police vans full of policemen (and women) to take charge! “It’s just like TV” said Harley leaving me and Dee thinking that we all watch the wrong types of programs you typically find on Tru TV and the Bravo channels!!!
Safe to say that we were under no illusions about our home town and there was no way of looking at the place with rose tinted glasses anymore and once we had done all the nice things of family, friends, Curry & Chinese (not necessarily in that order of preference) we were in fact happy to come home to the safe and sunny haven of St Louis. Well, what I mean by safe haven is that Wildwood where we live seems safe, but we all know that East St Louis and Downtown is a different matter!
August 09
So, how are you all & what have we been up too? Before I begin… if you see these messages appear in your inbox or you get a notification from facebook telling you the news is in, all fresh & shiny, ready for you to read & it fills you with dread you do know it’s not a legal requirement to carry on reading don’t you?! Someone recently mentioned to me about how they look at it & give a groan to how long it is…YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ IT YOU KNOW! I write if & when I feel like it & then put it out there for anyone who wants to read it, simple as that.
We are thinking of moving from facebook to an actual ‘blog’ site which I think may put it in an easier format to read so watch out for news on that!
So back to business… I can’t believe it’s August already…. the girls go back to school in just under two weeks. Now we’re almost at the end it’s speeding along fast, it’s scary how fast actually but I still think just over 11 weeks is waaaaaaaaay too long to have off & they need to go back to school for their sanity as well as mine!
I’m sat out on the deck (under the umbrella for a change!) & it’s just after 11am & it’s a beautiful day…a hot but not too hot 79 degrees, sky is blue & there is a slight breeze… girls are in the playhouse & not arguing (that will only last about another 5 seconds) & the dog is here at my feet…she’s going to have to go in, in a minute though because she has a fur coat on & is panting like a sprinter already…she loves the sun so much but doesn’t recognize when she’s well done & needs to stop cooking! Stoopid dog!!!
It feels a little like the end of summer where the girls are about to go back to school but I have to keep reminding myself it’s nowhere near over yet! God I hope by the time you’re reading this you’re having some nice weather again too! As most of you will know we were back in the UK for a mini ‘vacation’ the last two weeks of July…we picked these two weeks purposely & for a few reasons, we wanted to visit the girls school before they finished for the summer, to break up our school holiday this end (the girls were ready to kill each other before we came out!) & at the hope that we may also carry on with the summer there…I mean HELLO it was the middle of July! It rained everyday apart from one & it was very strange being fully clothed again (not that we spend any time here naked you understand!) fully clothed as in jeans, socks, cardigans etc as we didn’t realise how much we’d been in shorts, vests & flip flops! But the weather didn’t spoil our time & to be honest it probably would have made it hard work as it’s not exactly as air conditioned as we are now used too! (**,)
It felt very strange flying back to the UK & ‘home’…it didn’t feel like coming home though & it also didn’t feel like we were on holiday either…it felt very strange to be honest & not as I expected. The first week the girls & I stayed with my Mum (G flew over & joined us for the 2nd week) she was brilliant even though I’m sure it felt like she’d been invaded! She lent me her car, her bed, her food…everything & we really appreciated it! THANKS MUM! Big love to my fabulous Sister who picked us up at ‘cosy’ Heathrow & never seemed to tire of me moaning on endlessly about being jet-lagged (yes I’m still tired Sis!) I felt & how small everything looked & for a fab trip out to Malmesbury for a proper morning of English-ness & also for the closest I’m ever going to get to a festival as we drove past the car park for WOMAD! I caught up with the other two musketeers Elke & Tash, (felt like I hadn’t been away girls!) & it was great to see Louise & Ian (am so in love with the new kitten!) & Claire & Brad (funny how Tala wanted to eat Nyah!) I had my brows threaded to perfection & a long overdue pedi with the beautician to the stars (well stars of Swindon anyway!) the fabulous Jo! It was great to catch up with lots of friends at Catherine Wayte School & see everyone again… we also loved visiting our old street Arley Close & catching up with friends there & in Abbey Meads! It was funny seeing people do a double take when they didn’t know we were back visiting & we thought it a shame Borders was closing but loved the new M & S! We saw G’s Mum & Dad & it was Elsie’s birthday when we visited & instead of being waited on herself…she cooked a yummy roast dinner complete with my fave dessert rhubarb crumble which was the best ever (& Elsie you really are the greatest Mother-in-law!!) I had a lovely evening with girls I went to school with many many years ago & saw some funny photos & we also caught up with the (in)famous Nige & Jules…it was great to see you ALL!
The two weeks went so very fast but after all the visiting, shopping & I’d eaten all the foods I’d been craving such as toast (MMmmmmmm proper toast!) chips (just a couple with salt & vinegar did the trick) curry (& it was oh so yummy!) & a few Cadbury’s crème eggs I was pretty much done & ready to get back ‘home’ again! We couldn’t get to see everyone due to lack of time & in the end money...OMG it cost a bloody fortune & that was with the free flights!!
This month I’m loving…smiling to myself when thinking about friends & family!
This month I’m not loving… saying goodbye all over again!
