Bugger.

I've decided to post this tonight, before tomorrow which is going to turn out to be the most heartbreaking day of my life.

Don't get me wrong, March 1st 'was' going to be one of the most stupendous days of my life. We are going to pick up a brand spanking new motorbike for myself, nicknamed "Greenie meanie" This I was very much looking forward to. Unfortunately it has now been over shadowed buy another thing that will now be happening which is going to knock me for six however I try to cope with it.

Seems Diefenbaker the daft black lab has been developing some quite evil type rasping symptoms over the past two months. She's done well bless her. A long on stint on antibiotics & daily anti inflammatory tabs for everything else she has which has been progressively falling to bits, to hang in there as long as this has surprised me, especially how even though she is getting uncomfortable, the tail still wags and she tries her hardest to still be the big puppy that she always has been. 

So tomorrow afternoon, with a very heavy heart we are going to have to take her into the vets to have her put to sleep. I've been blubbing today every time I think of it, she's been at Nanny day care today of which knowing it was for the last time she was in bits when I went to pick her up after work, set me off again.

It's that same thing I went through with Schmoo back in September - only this time my baby, puppy, companion for thirteen years who has done nothing but had me in utter stitches with her daftness will be going. 

Its gonna kill me.

Happy with my wash....

Yep, I think today can safely go into the "Fucking superb" category of those little tick boxes of life.

Today, 1st February 2011 I gained my motorbike license and by god am I chuffed.

Been through all the tat that is need to acquire one these days including today, which was the MOD2 test... the road ride with instructor.

It went well, only had 2 faults one of which was just me being a complete plank, stalling - twice but other than that a clear run. Yes I was also told off once again for not getting up to speed but fuck it, who cares? 

I PASSED!

So here come the general thank you speeches normally partaken in such guff.

Firstly, Thanks to Stuart my instructor. Without you constant whining in my ear I think I could honestly say I could start to hear again soon. And as much as you love shouting GO GO GO!!!! Into my lughole via said radio ala' Murray Walker, as you found, it isn't going to make me go quicker, in fact it just makes me just ignore you all the more. 

BUT for teaching me in the best way to actually drill the bloody stuff in, thanks. You did good you dafty twat. I cannot recommend CJ Ball in Norwich enough for their training, in particular Stuart HOWEVER if you get Matt, watch it, he can be a bit of a monumental grumpy one.

Then and most importantly, much love & thanks to Little legs for actually realising I had potential and being kind enough to actually buy me the lessons as a pressie. It has been the best ever thing anyone has ever given me and for that, also everything else, love you to bits my little short loud one. 

We are both now itching to have our own bike so we can BOTH go out for a jolly & not just me lumped on the back of his.

So as much as I would like to drivel on more, I am actually quite mentally knackered and intend on knocking back this vodka, having a bath then off to bed for a bloody good well deserved kip!

I would also like to point out I will NEVER look anything like the image below:

EVER

Really? It's 2011 already???

OK, so I'm rubbish. Tell me something I DIDN'T know eh?

Finally I have realised that the only way I will actually get off my arse and keep my blog up to date is by adding a link onto my twitter account - which in itself 'encourages' me. 

Yeah, I know, delusional I know but work with me here.

So hello to any twitter peeps who are finding me for the first time. I'm a bit unusual. Get used to it.

So - (she nips back to last blog post to see where I had gotten to)

Ahh yes.

Yep, I had passed my CBT test - for those not in the know this is compulsory basic training for riding a motor bike) Initially my lesson were due to start just before crimbo - which, as stated before the snow, sleet, ice and general nastiness put pay to. A bugger but hey, cant control that fucker now can we?

I decided when I rescheduled them to actually be kinder to my boss - having them on Saturdays not weekdays and so we get to now... 3 weeks later of every Saturday on a 600cc Honda Hornet, with my MOD 1 test this Friday. - being such a daft country the testing for bikes has changed over the last few years and now - *here comes the science bit* we have to do a test within a test centre, consisting of :

Moving the bike whilst its not running. 

A low speed slalom ending with a figure of eight.

A slow speed U-turn.

A rather quick swerve test

An emergency stop.

A slow controlled ride alongside a walking examiner.

All of these things I have now practised quite a few times at an airfield and feel plenty confident enough to get there and absolutely shit a brick. Time will tell.

I will tell you about the MOD 2 bit once I've passed this bugger first.

Other than that, what have I skipped over - oh yes... Christmas!

It was grand, We had Mumsie & uncle Marmite here, as per usual caked up and chilled to the bone.

Just quite relieved Sister decided to spend the day at her new above.

Hmmmmm what else? Do I need to share? Ahhh yes.

Db (the daft black lab) has since christmas developed quite a nasty hacking cough, which we knew from the start wasn't going to be anything innocent for sure. The vets gave her a dose of antibiotics on the hope that it could just be a minor infection. That was a week ago and he's just extended them for another 5 days.

Granted she has improved but I know deep down in my heart this will be the demise of my beloved mental dawg.

But as I have said before in the past, whilst the tails still wagging and she's a happy git, I will make life as comfortable as possible. The moment she's not enjoying life then time for the big injection.

REALLY not looking forward to that, I can tell you.

So other than that - life is good. Little legs is still as daft as ever. (but lovely)

Work is a bane, but when isn't it?

Madness I tell you!

you have good days, you have bad days... today is just a bloody cold day.

It's a funny old life. I am currently sitting, hunched over my laptop in the side 'shop' next to the garage fixing the tremendous amounts of stuff needed for the MOT of my van. Not that this is a problem, I have since being here measured & drawn up the plans for the building, hacked into their wifi which means I can now pretty much play silly buggers online until they finish working on the beast.

Now bearing in mind I did as asked and brought said van in at 9am as requested am still a tadge miffed that at (its now 14:25) they have only just started working on it. 

Now wouldn't you have thought with me here they could have at least started on it a bit earlier so as to not have me sitting about nicking bandwidth cluttering up the place? Obviously not.

I have though been most productive since being sat on the bottom rung of some stairs as a chair, with a shelving unit for a desk, hat coat & gloves on, a fan heater next to my feet & and extension lead powering me & laptop all to high heaven.

Managed to have an email argument with clients, a good old fashioned barney with my boss on the phone, sort out some banking, play on twitter and generally drink them out of house and home in tea.

Then at noon promptly toddled off to the shop for a snack coming back now, only to do yet more chuff all I guess. Hence my now useless desire to blog.

So whats been happening in life here then? All good and exciting stuff you will be pleased to hear.

I passed my motorbike CBT the other day which was certainly very pleasing. I 'should' start training on the 600cc bike tomorrow but can see the weather scuppering that bugger as they are saying we will get more snow... booooooo

So really just looking forward to Christmas all in all! 

Cold lady parts? I should say so!

Today was defiantly a top notch on the 'fantasticfuckingday' o'meter.

Considering in my life I have acquired many a driving licence (right up to class 1 articulated lorry type shit) Today's efforts to start learning the smallest (being a motorbike) was certainly a giggle and a half. 

Now for some reason in my life, I have never actually ridden or had any instruction to ride one. You would have thought I would have, but alas no. This actually turned out to be an advantage in the "professional learning curve" And for that *thanks fuck!*

So with my passing my theory & hazard perception test yesterday with various spotty little oik's preparing for standard car driving lessons the fact I was actually getting arse straight onto two wheels the next day was certainly an eye opener!

So, getting back to today's efforts. We arrive at the training centre, bundled into the back of a tatty transit and scoot off to an airfield with a "spare bit" especially for the training of numbnuts such as myself.

We are quickly explained the controls, how to ride and toddle off on bits of the runways to get the hang of riding. Then, how to start to go up the gears, then how to stop abruptly (not really difficult!) Then are shown how to do the slow manoeuvres with control and precision. 

This was purely a "getting used to how to ride a bike" with a bit of examples of what sorts of stuff we would be doing during the MOD1 test of which I will be taking on Dec 22nd.

But before I rush into that, I have my actual CBT test (compulsory basic training) which will allow me to ride on the road with 'L' plates.  This is happening on the 4th and after today's efforts I am really looking forward to that!

So there we are, I am still mad, but loving every bloody minute of it and can't wait to be able to go out riding for a jolly with little legs on our own bikes!

GET IN!

 I would like to point out that anything even remotely close to the lady parts region got colder than a penguins bollocks also. Will certainly compensate with ever so slightly more thermal pants for the next stage!!!

Eco friendly, maybe so but not functional in the slightest.

Bearing in mind I used to be an electrician, a lot of the light fittings here in Clements Castle are of the halogen bulb variety. Only three are the "sunk in" type taking the straight pin connector bulbs but the other three fittings (each with three bulbs) have the pins with knobbly bits on the end - these are the more common of the two I can only assume.

So a few months back after seeing a great deal online, I decided to purchase 12 of the new fangled LED version bulbs to not only be gentle on my electricity bill, but to do that little bit of personal effort to being environmentally friendly.

All three of the smaller fittings got them. Bedroom, Kitchen & the office. 

The bedroom ones lasted 2 days, mainly because when switched off the buggers still actually glow, which in a room you are trying to sleep in is not really the best situation.

The office and the kitchen did actually do quite well, until I finally decided to give up and take them out again today. 

In themselves they are a wonderful idea and probably did reduce the electricity bill for the duration of time spent in. There was however one major factor that I just couldn't put up with any more.

They are absolutely rubbish for lighting a room! 

(So if you are thinking of changing yours - please don't, utter waste of money until they manage to uprate them to a decent lux level!)

So ok, I tried, but here's something I now cannot quite fathom out.

I took out 12 bulbs to replace with the LED ones. These were lovingly placed all together in a box in the shed with many other spare light bulbs. 

On going to the shed to collect them to place back in, I can only find 5. Not 12 as was removed before. So I have replaced the 3 in the kitchen, and have put one in each of the other two rooms but I'll be buggered if I have any idea where the other ones went!

Maybe I have a light bulb eating spider in my shed, who knows!

The good news is, I can now actually see what I am cooking, working on and we are in complete darkness in the bedroom when the lights do go out!

Seeing as I mentioned a visit to the chiropractor yesterday, I figured I really should explain exactly how that came about and what the hell has been going on.

In the last couple of months I had started to get a niggly pain at the lower end of my neck back down to between the shoulder blades. Over the course of the final week of that it turned into a full blown, dogs bollocks - felt like I was being poked in the back with a broom handle type thing which also resulted in not being able to turn my head and also walking around like I had said broom shoved up my arse.

All in all it was, even for me with quite a high pain threshold bloody agonising and after a trip to the local GP and being given anti-inflammatory pills and told to sod off for two weeks and see how I got on.

Now dont get me wrong, I realise these people are very busy and do a great job but I really couldn't move without what felt like a lightening bolt shooting down my spine so wasn't impressed with the diagnosis.

It was at that point OH said I should really try going to see the chiropractor he had seen after running off a cliff last year (plank :P)

So had my first appointment, when they strip you down to all but undies, slap you in a gown and do all sorts of checks to see how your body is actually doing.

Evidently the fact that I was described as a bit lop-sided and they can do me some good was certainly a good thing. So after the initial 'consultation', back scan, stood like a lemon in my mad cow pants in front of an oversized frame with elastic bands all over the shop was sent on my way... still at that point un-adjusted.

Two days later I'm back (and it seem this place NEVER runs on time) The first initial (clothed I might add) adjustment was done in the back enclosed area which wasn't a bad thing. 

The last time I had anything like this done I can certainly remember at the point after the 'crack' my usual involuntary response was to say "coooorrrr fuck"  of which I did, quite a few times but am assured by said Dr chiro he has certainly heard worse.

The good point? (bearing in mind I am now into my 3rd week of twice a week) It's actually starting to help.... the back and neck at least. The one thing it didn't help with which I was initially told it could help was for painful periods. Well if helping was the utter doubled over, fainting hot and cold sweats I gained last Thursday at 4am then all I can say is he must have angered the gods of menstruation that day as it was a bloody doozy. I have since been advised that bit could take time. (He would say that)

So I'm seemingly a bit more upright these days. Granted, not completely but getting there. 

Who knows maybe in the future I will stop dragging my knuckles along the floor!