Happy Days

Good Friday. Yes i agree it was good. A wonderful afternoon spent with The Glums in the local woods, walking, climbing trees, taking photos, throwing tennis balls at each other and generally enjoying each others company.
I don't have natural brothers and sisters but in Mr and Mrs Glum I feel I do.
Mr Fink was turned into a 'ninja' by Nelly and he tried to locate her zombie style. It was really quite spooky!
We finished our walk with tea (supplied by me) and cake supplied by Mrs Glum. Then we headed off to the Grand Union pub at Three Locks near Leighton Buzzard. A lovely meal with good humour.
We headed home (Mr Glum got a bit lost) and had a smashing day.
Thank you friends, we love you. xxx

2012 - Day One in the Fink House

Well happy New Year to you, may health, peace and happiness be your constant companions this year and beyond.
As is our tradition, we teamed up with the Glums and headed to Southend for New Year's Day - fish and chips.
We took Nanny along for good measure, but accidentally forgot Graham (sorry mate, next time, perhaps).

We had fish and chips at a lovely little cafe then went off to the pier for a mile long walk...but the pier cost a pound each so I said, "No, I will not pay!" and voted with my feet!
Nanny and I went off to do some metal detecting (very uneventful) while the others went off to the arcades.
After a while it started to rain so Nanny and I headed back to the car.

All in all a very gentle day with good friends, the perfect start to a new year.

A Peaceful and Happy New Year to you all!

Wow, didn't that come and go fast?

Christmas Eve was spent with The Glums, wonderful food by Mrs Glum, great home movies by Bambi (Mr Glum). the most amazing surprise came when the glums insisted (as they do) that we open each other's gifts on the spot. Mr Fink and I were handed a long package. We looked at each other in puzzlement, this gift was about 2 metres long by half a metre wide???? as we unwrapped it, we realised what it was. (In the blog entry, "you can take the girl out of Colney" - you will remember Mr Fink and I went to a junk emporium, while there we spotted the most beautiful paining of a lady in a red velvet dress reclining, we both fell in love with it but couldn't quite justify spending the money just before Xmas, so reluctantly we left it there. We mentioned this in passing to The Glums' the next day and thought no more of it. The next day Nelly and I went back to the junk shop to get the picture for Mr Fink but it had gone. Doh!) The Glums had visited the shop early the next day and bought it for us. We were speechless, what a lovely gift. Thank you!

On Xmas Day, Mr Fink, Nelly (aka Little Fink) and I spent a wonderful day with my parents, Nanny and Shouty Grandad. Shouty Grandad spent most of the day looking for The Scotch Tape (a cassette of bagpipe music with which he tortures Nelly in the campervan) and for the campervan keys. The sight of him alternately looking worried and then smiling at the annoyance of knowing the keys are in the house but "Where?", was very funny to watch and had me giggling all morning.
In the end the keys were located in one of the many hiding places he has for items of value (you've heard the one about him stashing the holiday money in his going out shoes, forgetting and being crippled all night at a party due to ten pound notes taking him down a few shoe sizes?)
We shared gifts, swapped stories and generally had a lovely morning.
We had the best dinner ever, Heston eat your heart out. Mum, you are the best.
After dinner we played the now traditional round of homemade Deal or no Deal, which can be a bit of a trial unless Shouty Grandad is losing, then it gets really funny. Nelly made a Christmas quiz for us, this year it was boys v girls and nanny and I won! Woo Hoo - we didn't brag tooooooo much.

Mr Fink has made himself a digital jukebox, which he is enjoying playing with. 2 days ago I went to collect a pasta maker from a Freecycler and got a puncture in Mr Fink's car. Yesterday I took Nelly horseriding, Marsha was also there, Marsha's horse reared up and bucked her off. Bambi and I though we were going to have to call an ambulance for her but after a few minutes she seemed ok and has suffered no damage, thankfully. (ALWAYS wear your hat and body protector if you are playing with horses.)

It's now New Year's Eve, I received a phone call this morning from my bank, checking the validity of a purchase I apparently tried to make yesterday, £291 to Emu-Oz's Party Shop in Australia. I agreed with the lady from the bank that it was not me trying to buy £300 worth of party gear just after Xmas, so they declined the transaction and stopped my card. Well done to the bank for monitoring my buying patterns and preventing a fraud I probably wouldn't have picked up till my next pay day.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and our traditional 'fish and chips on the beach' new Year's Day with the Glums, Southend, here we come!

Well, may I wish you all peace and good wishes for the coming year, may it find and leave you in good health, good spirits and with the people you love. xxx

Opened my mouth and put my foot in it.

Last night, Mr Fink, Little Fink (aka Nelly) Mrs Glum, Bambi, Marsha and I went to London to see Les Miserables. Mrs Glum works at a local school that organised a coach and the tickets. We boarded the bus and set off in the rush hour traffic down the M1.
Mr Fink took out his phone and began to play the on-line dart game he enjoys. Often when he goes to bed, he will have a few games of darts on the phone while I'm reading. I hear him muttering under his breath at his opponent, "miss, miss, miss". Sometimes he even tilts the phone to divert his opponent's shot.
Anyway, there was lots of banter on the coach, as there always is when The Finks and The Glums get together. I chided Mr Fink about his on-line dart playing ability and in a too loud voice said, "You're no good at it in bed, what makes you think it will be any easier bouncing up and down on the back of the coach."

You'd think that would have shut me up. No.
On the way home, one lady had been declaring that she couldn't eat any of the treats, sarnies, buns or chocs that were being shared as she was on a strict diet. During the journey through London's food quarter, she finally cracked and said, "I've not eaten for 6 weeks!" To which I replied, "I thought I could smell Lighter Life!" (Oops - i meant, "that sounds familiar - Lighter Life by any chance?" but it came out wrong. DOH!

Les Mis was terrific - I loved it, powerful voices, intimate venue, great story and amazing visuals. highly recommended.

Catch Up!

Well, What a bizarre and busy half term I have had!
MONDAY - came back from a lovely weekend in York.
TUESDAY - household chores, spring cleaning.
WEDNESDAY - spent a lovely afternoon at my friend's house, was looking forward to a curry with a work colleague in the evening but when I arrived, they were just starting on the mints and coffee - Oops - how embarrassing!
THURSDAY - Went to the V&A in London with The Glums, very amusing day, the children were not keen on the museum so by way of a bribe we said we'd go and have a look at Oxford Street and shopping afterwards! Mrs Glum's son, Bambino (son of Bambi) said he would like to visit the Gibson guitar store near Bond Street if possible. So I looked it up on me superduper Myphone, 23, South Molten Street, just round the corner. We looked and looked, number 23 is 'Brown's'. We found a bobby, he said there was no guitar shop in South Molten Street - pah - what did he know? We found 'Gibson & Sons' at 1st floor, 23 South Molten Lane. I rang the intercom and we waited expectantly. No one responded, we tried again. still no answer. I checked the internet again, only to find out it was Gibson & Sons ESTATE AGENTS. Oh how embarrassing - we ran back to Oxford Street. (but if you type 'gibson guitar shop' into Google, it shows that address????)
FRIDAY - Took Billie Psychorabbit to Agatha's Annexe where she was groomed (Billie, not Agatha!) and she behaved perfectly, I even had a little cuddle.
Little Fink and I took the rats and Harry the cat to the vet. He wouldn't go in the cat carrier, kept spreading his arms wide, then sticking his head out so I couldn't shut the door. He yowled, all the way to the vets, becoming more and more insistent - I realised he had done a wee in the box. Oh the smell! We got to the vet's, I tipped the box up on it's end to empty the urine, that wasn't soaked into his coat, into a drain.
The vet diagnosed Harry the cat had fractured his lower jaw requiring it to be wired together for 4 weeks. Poor old boy! Later, dropped Little Fink off at overnight Scout camp - just as the heavens opened, then headed off to The Horn Reborn in St Albans for an 80's tribute band The Nearly New Romantics. FANTASTIC night.
SATURDAY - Made it home by 2.30am (designated driver) and was up again at 7.30am to pick a very muddy, but happy, Little Fink up from Lees Wood in Rickmansworth. Picked up Harry (£80, which I didn't think was bad, considering.)
I think I'll go back to work for a rest!

Merry Christmas 2009

Well, we've had chance to make the most of our Christmas. We enjoyed the company of Nanny and Shouty Grandad. Nanny and I cooked the duck and turkey on Christmas Eve (I have no idea how other people fit it all in the oven on Christmas Day!) and enjoyed an evening of silly games and fun.

Christmas Day Little Fink had the itinerary all planned out and we opened our gifts in relative calm! We watched the Queen's speech and had lunch.

we played some more games, watched Doctor Who - a little light on anything actually happening but beautifully set up for New Year's Day.

All in all a good couple of days, I'm enjoying being away from work and just relaxing to be honest. I've also decided, for several reasons, to go tea-total for next year - I've already done 3 weeks and it's not as easy as it looks! I like to relax on my days off, Mr Fink is not like me, he gets ants in his pants and feels like he should be up and doing things. Not me. My normal week is full of charging around, when I have a week off, I like to slow right down!

I had a lovely day at the pictures watching Avatar - 9/10. We've just had a smashing evening playing board games with The Glums. Always an entertaining time. Off to Ikea tomorrow, pictures again, Sherlock this time. New Year's Eve Mr Fink is off for his second consultation about having his eye lenses replaced to correct his vision.

It's all go!

I Did It!

I Did It. I did the Christmas food shop. In one morning, this no tears, drama or screaming. I did have a little moral support and chauffeuring from Bambi - I did a swap, I got him and Mrs Glum looked after Little Fink!

Little Fink made a lovely cake for Christmas Eve tea when nanny and Shouty Grandad come over ready for the big day!

We've just got a few cards and presents to deliver (on behalf of F.C. himself) and it's all ready.

BRING IT ON!

Buncefield Bash

The Buncefield Bash was a great success. Lots of lovely friends, a beautiful cake (thank you Mrs Glum)and lots of silly games. We played Chubby Bunnies, where you have to place marshmallows in your mouth one at a time and take it in turns to try and say "Chubby Bunnies" coherently. If you can't you are out - oh and you mustn't eat the mallows in between. (Mr Hammer would have won this one I think if the last players hadn't started to go green!)

We also played, Eat the Donut off the Washing line without Using Your Hands. (Greedy Big Mac!)

The chocolate game, (Bambi in the lead along with Loo) was very hard this year.

The indoor fireworks from Mr Fink provided the highlight of the evening, coaxing 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the astounded crowd - mostly when we all suffered smoke inhalation!

The main event of the night was Homer allowing the children to draw on him with felt tip pens. He had it everywhere, on his tum, in his ears, he looked like a gang had graffittied him! The funniest bit was 3when Little Fink was trying to wash his face with a cloth, he was sitting on the floor and every time she rubbed his face, she banged his head on the sideboard! Poor Homer.

A BIG Birthday

I had a wonderful birthday. Little Fink gave me a home made Hacker puppet, complete with moving arms and mouth. Mr Fink gave me a beautiful ring with my favourite stone in it. In the evening we went out to the local carvery for a meal with my mum and dad, my in-laws and my honorary sister, brother (Mrs Glum and Bambi) and their children Marsha and Bambino.

We had a wonderful night, mediocre food but great company and lots of laughing and fun.

Bambino gave me a keyring. Marsha gave me a Barbie doll, because she knows how much I LOVE BARBIE! Mrs Glum and Bambi gave me a lovely pearl choker and jewellery box.

I am a very lucky 40 year old! thank you all.

Little Fink's Birthday Day Out

Mr Fink and Little Fink about 30ft up a tree about to jump off the platform into a cargo net. And she calls this a treat??

Little Fink asked if she could visit Go Ape for her birthday treat with some friends. she missed it when the Cubs went as she was unwell. We took, Mrs Glum, Bambi, Bambino and Marsha, J1 and his mum Lara Croft (she is fearless and will have a go at anything, must be the Aussie in her?)

They were fitted with harnesses and had a safety talk, after all, they were going to be 30 feet up in the air walking on wires, jumping off platforms and whizzing down zip wires.

Then they were off, they were so brave and careful and full of fun. None of them chickened out and all of them enjoyed it. The zip wires were quick and high, some of the landings were pretty hard but the men soon managed to brush the dirt off their backs (and their pride) and carried on! All in all everyone agreed it was a great excursion, several of them claiming it was good value for money and the best day out they had had for ages - and that was just the adults! We'll definitely go again.

It's Little Fink's birthday on Sunday so we can expect an early start in the morning. We've got Silver Surfer and Astral, Nanny and Shouty Grandad coming round tomorrow for dinner and cake.

(Hopefully next door's dog will have barked itself hoarse well before then!)

Graham lands in Wales

Graham has landed in Wales on his holidays with The Glums.

Here is the first picture of Graham enjoying his vantage point from the Glums caravan in the foothills of Snowdon.

I'm glad to see he has arrived safely as Bambi (Mr Glum) did say Graham was not welcome on their holiday and something him being an endangered species and breaking him (or was it me) into small bits...or something. However, If I'm not mistaken, Graham's plumage looks a little 'dull'. Like someone has picked all the colour off him?

How very dare you? Poor Graham.

Fink Family Revels - Mark I

We had more than 50 friends and family at the first Fink Summer Revels. We had people travel from far and near, Carlisle, Cambridge, Leeds, Hastings, Basingstoke and some from just round the corner. Bambi showed his will to beat Mr Fink in any type of competition by sporting his, "secret weapon" a T-shirt designed to strike fear and respect into Mr Fink's heart! We had picnics, football games, skittles and even a primus stove boiling up water for tea!

We had two huge games of rounders, lots of good natured barracking, distraction, dissent, great batting and fielding. There were some heroic catches and terrific glory shots.

Everyone had a terrific time, chatting, catching up and seeing the babies and young people was a real treat. Thank you Mr Fink for bringing us all together again. Hopefully we'll do it all again soon.

Food for Thought - Happy Birthday Mr Fink

Today was Mr Fink's forty (ahem) th birthday! He was woken to presents and a huge Happy Birthday badge from Little Fink and a bacon and scrambled egg breakfast from me.

Little fink had asked me to book a table at Frankie & Benny's to celebrate and of course The Glum's were invited. Mr fink didn't know the venue for the meal until we were nearly there, he did know The glums were coming so we were a little puzzled as to why they were hiding in the cinema next door until we arrived? Odd!

We all enjoyed lovely food, sharing and trying everything. The 3 children (Marsha, Little Fink and Bambino) shared an enormous pud called The Godfather. It had chocolate brownie, cream, ice-cream, wafers, berries and all manner of things on it. Bambi had one all to himself and I bet him he wouldn't eat it all. I owe him 5p and he almost finished it before I'd eaten my slice of cheesecake! (Bambi is usually the one that things happen to, but today at was I who spilled my sauce down my front!) We had a lovely time, good conversation, good food, good friends.
Thank you and Happy Birthday Mr Fink (The Glums win the prize for the largest birthday gift - we could hardly shut the boot of the Finkmobile!)

New Who, Bambi and Truffle Dog

Well, well, well. There you have it, the new Who, not Jeeves as he claimed "I told you, it's me, I've been up all night polishing the TARDIS!". I'll reserve judgement till 2010 although I did think he had a crazy look in his eyes and mad arms.

I'm going to miss David so much, I bet Matt won't be able to make me cry at the end of an episode I've seen a hundred times (Girl in the Fireplace and when Rose is left on Bad Wolf Bay).

Anywhoo! today Mr Fink mostly spent the day at home, trying to breathe, hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon and he can get back to normal. It's been 3-4 weeks since he took ill.

Little Fink and I went for a tramp in the woods (he didn't mind) with most of The Glums. Little Fink, Marsha, Bambino and Bambi (Mr Glum) on their bikes, me following along behind with The Glum's dog, Pongo. Pongo likes to mark every clump of grass, mark on the road and stone with a sniff and a wee. I called him Truffle Dog, which i think he quite liked, although, if he had found one, I wouldn't eat it as he would have wee'd on that too!

As i was walking along I encountered a couple with an Airdale, it had mud all round it's chops and i said, "He looks like he has eaten half the forest!". The owner explained that the airedale likes to carry BIG sticks in it's mouth. He described how the dog will carry a 10 foot stick/branch in it's mouth and 'take out' passing joggers with it as he walks past.

We loaded the bikes, kids and dog into the cars and set off for Mrs Glum's yummy shepherd's pie, as we were travelling along the dark country road, a deer bounded across the road in front of Bambi's car, a stunning sight and a close shave for the deer.

Not more than 50 yards along, I caught sight of a deer in my headlights, lying on the verge at the side of the road, it seemed like it was struggling to stand. I flashed the headlights at Bambi and pulled over, we investigated and as we walked to the deer, it was clear it had been hit by a car and had been left injured and unable to stand. I phoned the police and gave them the story, they said they would send out the deer warden to deal with it.

Little Fink recons that when she grows up, she is going to be a vet and I am going to be an animal rescuer, she said she will even buy me a van to collect the animals in. (She did suggest a push bike but I declined her kind offer)!

Happy Nyew Nyear to everyone

May I wish you all a Happy New Year and hex you all with the best of health and the most happiness for the coming 12 months.

New Year's Eve was a very quiet affair, Mr Fink and I alone in the house (Little Fink had gone to The Glum's for a sleep over) watching Jools' Hootenanny, in bed by 1am. Our 'event' is the yearly trip to the seaside.

Jan the first and up early to collect Nanny (Shouty Grandad didn't want to come - he is still recovering from the shoulder op he had this week) and thus to The Glum's. Off we go in convoy for 2 hours to Brightlingsea, a place that Nanny, Shouty Grandad, Little Fink and I had enjoyed last year.

It was very cold and there was not much beach, the chip shop was closed and I lost the will to live with all the complaints about my choice of venue and had a good old sulk.

Then Little Fink, Nanny, Bambino, Bambi and I had an impromptu game of foosball (a combination for netball/football and wrestling!) which soon got me out of my strop.

The consensus was for us to go to Clacton where it's more populated and we have been before. We had a lovely couple of hours there with fish and chips - why does Bambi take photo's of his food? Beach combing, metal detecting - still no gold - and a trip to the pier and arcades, where Bambino and I searched for the 'ugliest doll' offered as a prize - there were some horrors! (Watch out for pics in the coming weeks).

On the way back we (Finks and Nanny) checked out St Osyth's, which had been recommended to me by a couple of people at work. The village looked lovely, in the dark!, but as we followed the signs and Sat Nav to the beach, we were guided through a caravan park. The clientele of the park must have been an 'interested' bunch as on one parade of shops there was, on the end - a bookmakers, next to that a tattoo shop and next to that an off licence - on a camp site????

We headed home, Little Fink and I fell asleep and Mr Fink's cold returned with a vengeance.

We start the New Year, happy, optimistic and full of bogeys!

(Oh, and it's been a year since I had a fag! Yay me!)

You know you've had a party when...

...you're eating onion bahjiis and sausage rolls for breakfast!

The Buncefield Bash was a terrific success. Everyone brought a little bit of something to eat and drink (tea cake, chili, trifle, nibbles, booze). Everyone joined in with all the games, the cereal packet game is now considered 'old hat' by the children. The 'jelly baby in the flour game' claimed Marsha and Bambino as it's first two victims and the 'eat the chocolate with the gloves on game' was played fiercely by Bag Mac and Bambi - with MUCH cheating by both. Unfortunately we didn't get time to learn Big Mac's 'toilet roll game' perhaps next year. The children were well behaved and had great fun too, dressing up, karaokeing and playing buzz.

Mr Fink's legendary indoor fireworks were the stars of the show, we were all warned to stand well back and as ever, no one could believe their eyes at the roman candles firing out of the Buncefield cake!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and laughed all evening. Thank you all for taking the trouble to come (Mr & Mrs Fogg travelled down from York to be here) and making the evening what it was, another wonderful night of fun with the people I care most about. Thank you all. It would be nothing without all of you. xxx

Whirlwind

Rowan Atkinson in a sketch from The Secret Policeman's Ball where he and Peter Cook are doomsdayers discussing the end of the world. Rowan says, "Will this wind, be so mighty, as to lay low, the mountains of the earth? (All will become clear as to why this is relevant in a mo!)

Alright campers, all back on Terra firma. The Fink family had a great time with great friends. The weather was patchy, ranging from beautiful sunshine (4 days in total) to gale force storms (5 days and nights one after the other!), the rest was grey and overcast. The winds were so mighty as to lay low a lot of the tents and awnings. Many campers packed up and went home but our little group battled it out with the help of industrial size tent pegs and the Glums' awning (we sheltered in there for warmth and company during the worst of the weather).

Dorset was beautiful, lovely sunsets and big skies. Weymouth beach as always a pleasure. Mr Glum earned a new nickname from Ched and Doris, he is forthwith to be known as "Bambi", because he is long legged and accident prone, like the young Bambi - very apt. The Big yellow Bambiboat made its inaugural sailing at Weymouth, which was great because Mr Fink and I didn't think it was going to arrive at all on the top of the Glumbus, secured to an inflateable roof rack (I kid you not). You should have seen the Glumbus going down the road at 50mph with a 15ft inflateable yellow canoe strapped to the top of it! So funny. We all had a turn in the Bambiboat and it was good fun, especially when ALL six of the children got in!

The children where a delight and so funny, well behaved (in the main) but terrible at washing up! I have a terrific video, which I will treasure, of Stinky wrestling with her brother Slash on the ground, when I ask her what she is doing, she looks up in mid scramble and says, "I'm trying to kiss my big brother." He howls, claims to need the toilet and runs off. In the next film, Little Fink is wrestling Bambino (Son of Bambi, aka Goober), I ask her what she is doing, she replies, "Trying to kiss Marsha's big brother!" She fails and resorts to giving him a noogie instead!

LMI's mum and dad - Pisky (she is Cornish and looks like a Pixie) and Homer were good fun and helpful too, when Doris's tent canopy needed zipping up she needed someone really tall to help, Bambi wasn't available so Mr Fink and Pisky joined forces and with her on his shoulders, reached up and did up the zip! Mad. Homer and Mr fink went on a 9am bike ride to Abbotsbury that wiped them out for a good couple of hours after. They vowed to go again the next day but chickened out when the time came, claiming sore botties!

Big Mac and Abu Dhabi were great fun too, Big Mac kept Mr Fink entertained on trips to Lulworth and Chesil Beach, she is so funny, had me in hysterics more than once! Especially with her shrimp impression! You go girl!

The campsite was lovely, well kept, clean and tidy. When the winds were at their worst, the staff were patrolling the fields and fixing or tying down damaged tents while the owners were away, so caring - All hail the staff at East Fleet Farm Touring Park, 10/10 from The Fink. Might see you next year!