Horace's Biting the Bullet Diary

Horace

Good morning world.

It is a tad foggy here today but despite that I have looked out of the window and the aged apple tree outside is already bursting into life with leaves:D

I have a load of washing on and I have set the water heater on too as I need hot water for washing up. When the fog clears I shall go out and sort my car windscreen out as it is filthy both inside and out - I shall use meths to cut through the grease and road crud.

Jobs for today - amend my Profile on my CV - need to add an extra paragraph. Upload the new CV onto various websites and send a copy to Randstad. I also need to work on the online application for a university job that I have seen that I would love to have - not to worry it isnt with my ex employer. My ex employer seems to be having staffing issues at the moment as I saw quite a few jobs on the jobs.ac.uk website - mainly in departments that are notoriously troublesome which speaks volumes.

Horace

Where has the morning gone? I have been tinkering with my CV and tinkering with my profile on the Reed website. I have also applied for two jobs - one as an administrator and the other as an office manager. I have yet to do the application for the university - that is the plan for today and it will be done today!

I have also been exchanging emails with a speaker and have now booked a speaker for the business club meeting in May.

My smalls are now hanging on the clothes airer in the living room (cannot be bothered to shift the furniture blocking the balcony door). My water heater was on and now it is off. Chicken breast for dinner tonight.

Horace

My NI Exemption request has been done and it needs to go in the post.

I have been pointed in the direction of an ideal job for me - it is job that I would enjoy and it is about a 15 minute walk from my new abode (I know I am not in there yet but I will be soon). Fingers crossed I get the job as it means that I would be saving money by walking and won't have the faff of having to leave early on dark nights. Must admit I submitted my CV online, however, on reading the website they actually want application forms and will not accept CVs so now I am completing an application form and will be emailing it across to them.

Horace

Tackled my windscreen yesterday - the outer looks ace, the inner is greasier than a greasy pole:mad: The meths didnt work and I am now at a loss as to what to use - I have in the past used Mer, another liquid cleaner and now I am stumped.

I drove to my parents yesterday morning so that mum could get some driving practice. We took dad's car and drove to Webbs garden centre and had a good mooch in there as well as in Hobbycraft. Mum spotted some lovely crock individual stewpots which were being sold as two for a fiver plus 20% discount but I already have some stewpots so although they were quite sweet I felt that I had enough. On the way home we dropped into Aldi as mum wanted some carrots and catfood (she feeds a neighbour's cat and gives him a brush as his owners don't bother). We also looked at runners and mum bought me a runner for my lobby - I hadn't even thought about runners for the lobby but now I have one.

Afterwards, we went back home and mum headed upstairs to type up her neighbour's assignment, I had to be closeby in case mum had difficulties with the Vista programme she was using (she had already rung me in a panic on Thursday night). We had a spot of lunch and then it was left to me to try and persuade dad to have sky tv so that he could watch the F1 but he is adamant that he doesn't want to pay to receive tv programmes. After lunch, mum went back upstairs to do the typing, dad was in the front room with his headphones on watching the racing from Cheltenham and I was in the back lounge watching the racing there. Mum joined me to watch the Gold Cup - what was fab was her ex jockey and now a trainer's horse came in second at 50-1, neither of us had realised that it was his horse. If I had thought about it then I would have put an each way bet on that horse but I didnt so didnt win anything:(

Petrol light was flashing on the way home, I have now emptied my £2 jar and will use £10 to get petrol and I need some bits from Aldi next week including a new toilet brush (I have been looking for a decent one for a while).

Mum and I will be going driving again - as we will be going to BHS to look at light fittings. Mum can drive perfectly well but she rarely drives and has lost confidence in her ability - I still can't get her to drive on the motorway though because she finds them to be scary, she tried once after she passed her test but dad shouted at her so she never ventured onto the motorway again.

Horace

Was invited over for dinner today so went and had dinner at my parents, plus mum wanted me to sit with her whilst she drove to Aldi - we got a few bits including some stuff that was reduced. Now I had wanted to pay for my little bits but mum refused - so I had a packet of thick ham for 30% off, a pack of 3 powerforce antibacterial cloths reduced from £1.49 to 99p (wouldnt pay £1.49 for them) and a small tube of lacura handcream.

Helped mum move three large gro-bags out of the boot of the car and up the garden too - must admit I had to ditch my heels in favour of mum's gardening clogs.

I had a lovely dinner and have spent the afternoon trying to persuade dad to seek medical help - he has hurt is back and is now bent double when he walks to the downstairs cloakroom. Mum tried to get him to take some ibruprofen which he did in the morning only taking one tablet and not two and refused point blank to take anymore this afternoon. I saw him pick up the packet so went and got him some water and stood over him whilst he took one. I also asked mum where his walking stick was (he had a walking stick when he had a car accident in 1971 and as he bought it himself, kept it). Mum found it in the garage and we dusted it off and now he is using it around the house so that he doesnt have to cling onto walls or furniture. He looks frailer by the day.

We had a good chat about the house and mum has decided to employ a decorator - we have decided that the paint colour will be natural calico (same as mum's lounge). We also talked about curtains and it could be that we go to the rag market and buy fabric and make the curtains ourselves - mum's friend has said that she will help as she is a dab hand at making curtains. Mum is off to Aldi on Thursday to get a small pedal bin for the bathroom, a white bathmat and a toilet brush for me.

I came home with my Aldi goodies, plus the remainder of the joint of beef from dinner and a large slice of apple pie. Mum offered me some of Aldi's soft ready to eat dried apricots but I declined - I would only scoff them and I am trying to lose weight.

Now none of us can wait any longer for the other side as we want to get things moving with new lintels, windows etc.

I made a decision yesterday to do away with a tv for a goodly while - I have plenty of DVDs to watch, CDs to listen to plus I have the radio. So instead of a freeview box I can get a lawn mower as one will be needed. I can get a freeview box and a newer telly when I have the cash. The reason I don't want the telly I have is that it is rather cumbersome and heavy and I feel that someone is likely to drop it down the stairs. I think it is also on its way out as it keeps making odd noises and I know that some of the buttons don't work so I have to switch it on and off at the wall.

greenbee

You'll have so much to do when you move in Horace, you won't need a TV plus they are ugly. I moved in without mine over 10 years ago and haven't missed it yet...

Millie2008_2

Fab news about the house How exciting!

I could definitely do without a TV- I'd be in heaven. J, on the other hand, couldn't cope. Pah!!

beanielou

Happy days
Sorry that your dad is getting more frail

Horace

Stayed up late this morning to catch up on the motorracing that I missed yesterday afternoon. Emerged at 7.15am this morning - so far I have washed up (using one of my new cloths), taken the rubbish bag down to the bin (bins are overflowing downstairs as some nit has filled one with large suitcases:mad:).

I have also phoned Scottish Power who sent me a sorry you are leaving us letter and offering me some new deals. I didnt really want to switch to UW so rang up - I now have a cheaper deal with Scottish Power for my electricity and have fixed my price until May 2013, I need to let them know 2 days before I move home and then they will remove me from the Flat and switch me over to the house. I will then get my gas from Scottish Power too as it is quite cheap - think low numbered pence as opposed to the electricity cost. I like Scottish Power as they are always helpful and quite friendly. I am so relieved to be staying with them. This means that I can get my telephone and broadband from someone else - probably the post office or Sainsbury's.:D

Must go out to Aldi to buy a doorstop - one will be useful for propping the downstairs door open when I move plus I can use it with new home as the front door shuts and locks itself behind you which can be a pain when you are getting shopping out of the car.

I have sorted more books out for dad to read - mum has to keep a note book containing details of the books he has read, any books that I have given him that he has read before are given to one of mum's friends as she passes them on to her dad. I might ask for some books back as I am about to lend dad my 3 Jack Higgins books and I want to read them again.

Cannot wait to get into my new house - I am full of plans and it means that I will be able to cook properly instead of just relying on Mosky and Sloth (Ping has died). This means biscuits, cakes, roasts, etc.

Had my Lakeland gardening catalogue today and felt quite gleeful that they had given me a free packet of sweet basil seeds.

Horace

This morning I have been to Aldi - to replenish my store cupboard. I needed milk, a tin of spuds (I always like to keep a tin in stock for Justin Case), a tin of peaches, some Norpak butter, veg, beefburgers and other bits. Thought I would try their shampoo to see what it is like as my last shampoo cost me £14 :eek:and it has now run out. I also got a couple of door wedges (these will get used a lot) and a double mattress protector as I have been looking for one for quite a while and the Aldi one was the best I had seen for less money than the others I had looked at.

I am off out tonight - minimal cost to me:cool: Must finish the application form now I know what I am putting on the additional information page. I am already visualising myself in that job - visualising seems to work as I visualised myself in the house and that purchase is going through:D