Don't Play With Your Food

So, there I am, watching the Jewellery Maker channel; mushroom and tomato linguine on a plate in my lap. I stretch along the sofa to reach the note from school to tell me Nelly is in the final 13 for the Stage 3 spelling bee, when, SLURP.
The whole plate of paste slides off the plate, down into the gap where the seat cushion meets the sofa arm and promptly disappears.
Bugger Bugger Bugger, it's all up my arm, all over my trousers and somewhere in the depths of the leather sofa.
After some digging around and leather polish, I think I've retrieved all the linguine.
Note to self - eat at the table - oh, and well done Nelly!

Secret Admirer?

My front doorstep Friday 3pm (ish)

Friday at work was, as they say, 'challenging'. Brain numbing calculations and sudoku-like substitutions of doctor's clinic duties; so that each clinic and emergency area has the right cover by the doctor with the best skills, meant that my brain was fried. I then headed to ASDA to shop for shepherd's pie ingredients - I detest shopping in person - I'd much rather have the lovely Asdaman deliver but the meal was a short notice affair and a prelude to a poker night with friends. I managed to exit the shop unscathed but with only minor nerve damage to the ends of my fingers (why do those carrier bags cut in sooooo much?)

I plodded home in my little green car, running through the list of chores still to do before I could relax.....unpack shopping, make shep. pie, take cat to vet for update on white blood cell count and cancer stage, tidy up, hang up washing (if it doesn't smell of mildew - if it does, wash it AGAIN). I parked the car and struggled to the front door with the tortuous shopping bags, to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the doorstep - addressed to me. What a lovely surprise!

I abandoned the shopping and carefully took the flowers inside and opened the card, expecting a billet-doux from Mr Fink. To my surprise they were from an online gift giving company which I had criticised on facebook for having poor customer service. (The Zombie experience I gave hubby - he is having trouble booking a suitable date due to slow email correspondence.)

As well as the flowers I have received attentive email and personal phone call service and offers of help from the company (www.wish.co.uk) to try and get the gift back on track. 

To be fair, www.gift.co.uk are not the people we are having trouble with, they just sold the voucher. We are having trouble with the company that organises the zombie-fest.

The flowers didn't help solve the problem but they did go a long way to showing that some vendors do care about business and listening to the customers. For that I am pleased.

Right, I must hide the card before Mr Fink gets home, so he can wonder all evening who sent me such a lovely arrangement!

Nose to the Grindstone

I went back to work today after having had a lovely relaxing week off.Ii was so relaxed in fact that, when I tried to leave a message for a colleague to call me back, I couldn't remember my phone extension number - I had to phone back once I had copied the number off my email signature. DOH!

A 'senior' moment?

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

WINNER! OH YES!

I always think of the snappy retort about an hour after the event. But not today.

Phone rings....
"Hello, my name is Steve I'm from blah blah research company, we doing a short 1 minute survey, would you like to answer some questions?"
Me," Erm......no, not really."
Steve, "It will only take one minute, I'm sure you have time?"
Me, "No, sorry, I'm off to the pub now, the taxi's just pulled up, have a good evening."

Clenches fist, air punch - WINNER, oh yes!

Having an old friend for dinner

Last week the printer tried my patience, conking out so much I had to call the engineer in twice in 2 days, I'm sure he thinks I fancy him.
This week started badly, Monday 3 doctors complained to me about the duties I had set for them, some rightly and some wrongly. Tuesday we had a clinic of patients waiting and the doctor did not arrive - this is highly unusual, I was getting worried for his welfare as they always inform us if they are going to be late. My colleagues made alternative arrangements for the waiting patients who were mostly understanding...apart from one man who became argumentative. I appreciate how frustrating it must have been to be waiting for the doctor however, all the patients were given regular updates as to what was happening, alternative arrangements were made and the people the man was moaning at were the ones helping him. Did the man come back and moan to the doctor who thought he had booked Tuesday as leave? No of course not. Grrrr.
Wednesday i had computer problems, the spreadsheet I use to help me in my job is like a bible, I'd be utterly lost with  out it. today it wouldn't open. The error, "spreadsheet is locked and in use by user...Mrs Fink" Oh no it's not. anyway this went on for most of the day. Grrrr.
Today i find some of the info I added to the spreadsheet last week is missing. OH NO! disaster. Thankfully one of the ladies that used to work in the department came to take me out for lunch at the local Chinese buffet. I laughed long and loud, it was great to catch up. I returned, sorted the spreadsheet problem and came home!

All in all a tough week, but I'm not complaining, a year ago I would have been crying, unable to cope and heading out of the door, never to return. Amazing what a little white pill a day can do?

Crimbo Limbo?

I've been back to work for 4 days, the routine (if you can call it that with my job) is settling down again, I am capable in my job, plenty to do and the odd challenge every once in a while. However, when I'm at home in the evenings I'm restless, Nelly needs me much less, Mr Fink is busy cannibalising computers and I waste too much time surfing the tinterwebs. I need a project to occupy me. I really enjoyed and surprised myself when I did the Medical Terminology qualification a couple of years ago. it was a lot of work but at the same time interesting and rewarding, so I've been looking round for another educational course to take up my time. I wonder if my work will sponsor me to do the Access to Higher Education - Science course? Hmmmmm must be mad!

Good Deed

I did a good deed for the day. yesterday when I moved my car out of my garage to head to work, I noticed a bundle in a plastic bag, done up with rubber bands lying right by the garage door.
On closer inspection i found it to be a group of bicycle repair tools, spanners, puncture repair kit, alan keys etc. I thought perhaps Mr Fink had lent them to a neighbour and they had left them outside my garage for collection?
Mr Fink denied all knowledge so i posted a note on the adjoining garage with my number on it.
The next day a chap called and described the tools, we arranged for him to collect them last evening.
When he arrived he was so surprised and grateful that the tools had been returned he asked what he could do as a favour in return. I said, just pass on the good vibe!

Red faces all round

Guess who is locked in her house and can't get to work?

DOH!