FINALLY

Well it was about 8 this morning when the music finally stopped - When DS was just getting up for his paper round.
There was still a lot of people noise though, laughing and singing so they didn't hit the pillows, I can't imagine how they can manage.

I tried to get some shut eye but I was just too restless. I put Soccer AM on the TV and then all thoughts of sleep were lost when Jason McAteer and Neil "Razor" Ruddock came on as guests.
(Wanted to put a video or a screencap but can't find any)

I have to catch up on my sleep as I really want to get my room sorted but I have no energy right now.

Anyway, Derby Vs Bolton now and I am quite optimistic. DD is there and that is always good news for The Rams.

Still awake

So I have been awake now for 25 hrs and still the party goes on downstairs.
Thump Thump Thump!!! Aren't they getting tired by now? I really need to sleep, this weekend was going to be the time to sort out my bedroom so I can sleep in there but I am going to be too exhausted for anything. I just seem to have been catapulted into some kind of Hell as this thumping is never ending.

One or two times It has stopped for a minute and I thought YAY it's over but then it just starts again but louder. You just know I am going to be crabby for the rest of the week now, Her from downstairs better not Cross my path as I will probably deck her 1!

First bad night

Its now 2.27am and the downstairs flat have been playing loud banging music since about 11pm.
I thought that normal people had parties that started about 8pm and went on to about midnight maybe 1am but this one doesn't seem to have an end in sight. Every so often it goes really quiet so you think it is all over but then it starts up again even louder.

There was a lot of banging of doors and shouting earlier so I thought maybe an argument would mean the end of the party but nope there are still a lot of people's voices outside. I have no idea how my children are managing to sleep. DS has to be up at 8am tomorrow for his paper round.

It isn't as if it is decent music either (At least at my sister's parties it is all classic 80s/90s stuff, this is shitty club dance rubbish that I can hear). They are singing along now. I am wondering how much more of this I can take...surely everyone will want to give it up soon. They have 2 small children too so it isn't as if they are young people I would say they are in their 30s.

I know how my sister's neighbours felt now when they used to complain to her but I don't want to complain to them as I am new and it might set us off on a rocky downward spiral of neighbour disputes.

I just wanna sleep :(

LASTFM

I think I really should get the kids their own account on LastFM on the main computer...I promise you I am not obsessed

..

Ooo-eerrrr

I was searching Youtube to see if I could find any footage of The Sky series Premier all-stars.
Alistair is playing for Boro so I was hoping I would find some clips of him.

I didn't but what I did find was this....



This is my favourite mix of the song and I remember listening to it on repeat for several weeks when it first came out but watching this makes me feel a little bit dirty.....

Bye Bye Boys

This morning was a sad one as we said goodbye to JK and Joel for the last time *sob*


I know that I haven't listened too much to them recently as I just can't seem to get up so early but I always love dreaming about them early in the mornings when the radio alarm comes on and I am only half awake.

They have 1 more chart show to do on Sunday for Radio 1's 40th birthday and then that is the end of their radio days for a while as they concentrate on their TV work. They have a few projects on several channels coming up so I am looking forward to seeing more of them on the Telly especially as JK's hair is looking really lush these days. I hope we don't have to wait too long.
If you want to listen again to JK and Joel's last ever early show you can do by going here

Busy Tuesday

I was supposed to get up and get out early to take DDs computer over to Chaddesden to get it fixed. However, I am just enjoying the Golden hour too much on Chris Moyles at the moment so I couldn't leave until after 10am.

While I was listening to the show I worked on a few Halloween designs. I haven't been motivated recently so it was good to get the creative juices flowing
Trick or treat
Cats and Bats
Cute Bat

I got up to the Computer repair shop around 12.30 (I am not sure the exact time as I forgot my phone and my watch) They took the laptop off me and I signed the forms and they said they would ring me when they had looked at it.

I got the bus back into town and did a few bits of shopping before getting the bus back home (I had bought a day ticket so had to get its worth out of it) I had only been home about half an hour when the repair shop rang me to say that it is all fixed. Luckily it wasn't too much of a big job and I can pick it up Thursday. It will cost me £25 but at least I don't have to share my laptop with DD anymore.

DS got home absolutely drenched about 3.10pm only to get a call 5 minutes later offering him a paper-round at the local shop so off he went. He got home about an hour and a half later. He didn't get anyone to show him the round so he had to find all the streets himself so he did well. I guess when he has been doing it a while, he will find his own route around.

Once again I fell asleep with the TV on which means we are going through TV money like crazy. I am looking forward to getting in my own bedroom so I can have a proper night time routine. The novelty of sleeping on the sofa is certainly wearing off now.

You have not been succesful at this time

Yep that's right. The Build a bear workshop rang me Monday morning to tell me I haven't got the job. To say I am gutted is quite an understatement :(

I didn't question them for reasons as my friend Elaine was here for coffee and I was quite embarrassed anyway.

Ho Hum keep on trying I guess.

A whole week in one entry

I have not been in any condition this week to blog at all so I will do a whistle stop tour of my week.

Tuesday

Ages ago before I even knew I was moving I offered to help out with a coffee morning to raise money for the PDSA. Although everything was in a mess I didn't want to let anyone down so I got up Tuesday morning and checked the map to find where I was going then went and got the bus. You know what's coming don't you? Yep I got lost. I thought I had it all pinned in my brain. Catch the bus to Iceland then walk in a straight line...It looked a doddle on the map maybe a couple of miles walk but I needed the exercise

Still an hour later I was well and truly lost in Littleover having walked and walked and ending up nearly back home. I ended up having to use my last 10p of credit to text a friend to tell her I was lost. Luckily she came and picked me up so I could make it for the last couple of hours of the coffee morning. Although I didn't seem to do much to help, it was a very successful morning. They made about £100 altogether for the charity and all in 3 hours.

In the afternoon another friend of mine Dot and her boyfriend Al had offered to come up to the old house and help me fetch DS's bed that got left behind on moving day. DD and I had managed to get it apart at the weekend but I was unsure if it would go in Al's car. I needn't have worried because his car really is like a TARDIS. The bed went in no problem and we got it in before the kids were even home from school.

Tuesday night All 3 of us got to work putting the bed back together and then DD and I screwed the lounge door back on the hinges now that we have all the furniture in.

Wednesday

A total waste of a day. I could have done so much yet I spent the whole day twiddling my thumbs at the old place. There are lots of items that we couldn't bring with us:- 2 wall units that used to belong to Mum and Dad, the old chair that Grandma gave me, Old armchair, 2 wardrobes, my bed and a chest of drawers. I had advertised them on Freecycle and arranged for people to come and collect today.

I was up there at 10am and a woman turned up straight away. She took both the wardrobes and Dot and I helped her load them into her car as well as all the good car boot stuff which I was sad to give away as It should have been me making a load of cash off of it not her.
After she had gone no one else turned up. I was glad that I had Dot there to keep me company although she had to go off at 12 for a hospital appointment she came back later. Good Old Dot, she brought back with her a little camping stove and boiled water for us to have Pot Noodles and coffee. I would have gone mad without her and we had a bit of a laugh while we did some cleaning - Well I have to admit Dot did more than me...
I was on my own from 4pm though and time just ticked away so slowly I wondered if I would be stuck there forever. As soon as 6pm came I was outta there.
I stopped at the chippy on the way home to get fish and chips for all of us and collapsed in a heap on the sofa.

Thursday

This morning I had an interview for The Build-a-bear-workshop. I got there in plenty of time unaware that it was to be a group interview. Sometimes these can be good but I had so much I wanted to talk about with my experience of The AA and McDonald's that I was a little disappointed. It was fun though. We got to play with the bears and we did little group exercises as well as individual activities and after the hour and a half we were in there I thought I acquitted myself rather well. Only time will tell though as I wait for my call on Wednesday. They said that they call you either way so that you know where you are.

Thursday afternoon was my own so I did a little shopping, went to see Debz who had a nice pair of curtains for me and bought a pole for them to go on. I went home had some lunch and put my feet up a bit.

In the evening I had arranged to meet Dot and Al back at the other place to fetch the remaining of our belongings. We met there at about 6.30 and soon got the car loaded up with the first lot. A woman from Freecycle turned up to look at the carpets and ended up taking the bed for her sister which was a bonus. We arranged for her to come back Friday to take the carpets. D&A were back in no time from the first run and they finished off the rest. I had to wait though as they were then going to come back and take all the rest of the car boot stuff to Dots mum's garage where it will live until such a time as we might actually do a car boot ourselves.

I was exhausted by the time I got back home about 8.30 and although I had been starving, I just had some toast and fell asleep.

Friday

This was to be my last visit to the old house. I planned to meet Chell there for the carpets then to lock up for the last time. She ended up taking the carpets from the entire house barring the lounge (Damp from the cellar has caused the carpet to be stuck fast to the floorboards)so with a little help from me she ripped all the others up and loaded them into her 4x4. She had to do 2 trips but on the second trip she kindly offered me a lift home where I was just in time to sit down with the kids and watch HSM2. We ordered in Pizza too as a little treat to celebrate finally being a one home family lol

Dining out

I took the kids out for lunch today - well early evening meal really.
I am sick of Pasta and noodles now and I thought as it was Sunday we should have at least 1 proper meal.

We went to the local Wetherspoons pub which is about 15 minutes walk away.
I had the Braised Lamb Shank (In a redcurrant & rosemary sauce, served with creamy mashed potato and fresh buttered British seasonal vegetables), which was absolutely divine. The meat was gorgeous and the sauce was to die for.
DD had Fish and chips because the only other thing that looked good to her was the Pasta and she has been eating that all week. DS on the other hand had the Mixed grill which would have been my second choice.
The meals are very generous and we all struggled to finish but it was wonderful to have an actual proper meal for once. Of course the downside was that after eating our fill we then had to walk all the way home again but on the plus side we had walked enough of the meal off to have made some room for ice cream when we got home.
I wish we could afford to eat like this every day but unfortunately my rainy day stash is speedily drying up.

Spoke too soon

Well the hot water is gone again. There is a fault with the boiler and it now has a flashing red light.
I managed to get a bath while there was hot water but the kids didn't so they will be going back to school again tomorrow without a bath again.

Friday was a lovely night. Both the children were staying at friends so I had the place to myself.
I bought a great microwave Chicken and Pineapple curry with some Coriander and Garlic Naan and a bottle of Caribbean Twist with Cream cakes for after.




I spent a couple of hours on the phone to my wonderful friends Brian in Notts and Tracy in Sheffield. Then I had my long relaxing bath and found that with the bathroom door open I can lie in the bath and still watch tv YAY!

Saturday we spent the day at the old house sorting out the rubbish and working out what we still have to fetch over. It was very dusty work and I haven't stopped sneezing since. I can't wait until I am done over there and the keys have been handed in. Then I can focus on just settling down in my new home.

We're cooking on Gas

Well not quite as I have to get the cooker connected for that but the council came out and switched on my gas today and serviced the boiler so I now have hot water and heating should I want it. To be honest I can't imagine wanting the heating on for ages as I am having to have all the windows open at the moment to bring in some cool air.
I think being upstairs is going to benefit us in the long run.

Just like being on holiday

We still don't have any Gas in our new home which means that I can't get the gas cooker connected and we can't cook any proper meals. I have been doing my best to cook worthwhile meals in the microwave but that is faltering due to the fact that it has never had so much use.

Tonight as a treat and a break from nuked food I offered to get take aways. DD doesn't like the local Chinese so opted to go get her own from another local takeaway. DS was quite happy to have the battered burger and chips and I chose to treat myself to Curried King Prawns with Chicken.

It is just like being on holiday as we sit around and tuck into our various take out meals. Only we have our valued possessions around us as well as the cats.
There will come a time when I will have to get the cooker connected in and start cooking proper nutritious meals but until that comes we can have some fun.

The pieces of chicken in my curry were enormous and I ended up having to get a knife so I could them into smaller sized pieces. There was also loads more than I could eat so I ended up throwing a lot of the chips away but I made sure I ate all the curry YUM! and all for £4.50

Citizen's advice bureau

Wednesday morning I was up and washed ready to leave the house with the kids at 8am. It is sad but if you don't get the the CAB by around 8.30am even though they don't open until 9.30 you risk not being seen at all. So I was 3rd in the queue with a guarantee of getting that all important advice on my removals situation.

At about 8.45 they opened the doors so that we could go inside and gave us all tickets.
I was the 3rd person to be seen at around 9.45am. I saw a very nice elderly lady and started to pour out the whole story. She was very sympathetic to my problem and took lots of notes.

Then she left the room to consult with her colleagues and look up the relevant info.
About 15 minutes later the advisor returned with her findings.

Basically I have to write a letter to the original firm that I made the booking/contract with and inform them of everything that happened and attempt to get some recourse from them. This letter will be sent recorded delivery. The CAB have also made me an appointment with a legal advisor for 2 weeks time. Hopefully there will be some satisfying result to the whole thing.

I was out of the CAB by 10.30 so then I went across the road to Deb's shop to look at some curtains and although I still didn't get any nice ones for the front room, I did get some nice blue ones for DS' room.

Ashar Update

Well I couldn't sleep for worrying about Ashar. I posted on loads of groups asking for advice and there was a lot of great advice coming back at me. So much so at 5am I was wide awake and went out to try get my kitty back.

I had taken some food out before and I went down and called Ashar's name and he came running. He wasn't going to make it easy for me though so I went walking off in the oposite direction to see what he did. To my amazement he ran in the door and up the stairs. WOOHOO!!

So we spent the next couple of hours laying on the room floor having a massive love-In (Lots of fuss and cuddling) Of course I included Pica so they both know they are very loved cats.

Needless to say that DD and DS were over the moon when they got up to find Ashar curled up in the corner.

Losing another cat

I am so angry at myself for risking letting the cats out already. I thought they would be able to cope but it seems not. Ashar has decided that he doesn't want to come back inside at all. When we call his name he comes running and meowing his head off but then he stops short and runs off the other way. He keeps diving under parked cars (There is a car park for residents out the front) and when we try to slide in and get him he darts off under another car.

Pica is fine, he isn't bothered about going out, only to do his business. I don't know what to do as Ashar has been out there for 24hrs now and hasn't had any food.

I couldn't cope with losing him like we lost Jason

We're In

Saturday was the big moving day and beforehand, everything that could go wrong did...but that was nothing compared to the day itself. You could have guessed that as it was us, it wouldn't go smoothly and would be full of drama and disaster. Even a bit of heartache.

First off the removal firm I booked bailed on me on the day beforehand as he said that his lorry wouldn't fit down the street. Start panic mode as Virgin had already cut me off so I couldn't ring round for a new firm. So he said leave it to him to ring round some firms that he knows have [Luton] vans.

Being so anxious and stressed as it was, I just said yes to the first company that rang me. BIG MISTAKE!!! I should have waited as another firm EasyMove rang me half an hour later and I bet they would have been better than the bunch of cowboys i ended up with.

Saturday morning came and i hadn't slept much so i was running around trying to get all the last minute stuff done. At 9.23am I got a call from the "Removal men" saying they would be here in 30 mins. I was running a bit behind with getting the beds down but I knew if we sped up we would make it.
By 10am they hadn't arrived but we had managed to get DD's bed dismantled...DS's bed wasn't as easy though and I had to give that a rest hoping that the big moving men would be able to do it easier than me. 10.13am and still no sign of the movers but I got a call from the cable guy telling me he is already at the new house to connect the cable. I panic but negotiate with him to allow DD and DS to meet him there to let him in. By 11am the cable is all fitted but still no sign of the movers.

Finally they arrive and start taking all my belongings onto the street. I had an uneasy feeling as they just dumped boxes and bags out there with no security or care. They were a bunch of Black guys. Not that that is a problem but they also didn't talk very good English and were chattering away in another language the whole time. They also stunk! I am sorry but if you are doing a demanding job you should have good hygiene habits and use plenty of deodorant.
At 1pm they announced that as they had packed the van they were going to get lunch. I didn't see them again until way after 2pm. At this point I was starving and dehydrated and so were the children stuck up in the empty flat with nothing to do.

Once they left on their first trip I spent my time cleaning up and tidying. I couldn't really bag up anymore rubbish as there were 8 black bags out the front and another 5 out the back waiting to go out.

They were gone a pretty long time. In fact I was getting anxious because the England match against Israel was due to start at 5pm and it was already 4.30pm. It was about 5.45pm when they arrived back for the second lot. They didn't hang around and were getting everything in the van when one of them told me they tried and couldn't get Ds's bed apart. I doubt they tried very hard but i just wanted to be reunited with my children in our new home so I agreed that they could leave it. Finally the van was shut up for the last time and off they went. Now tell me I am stupid after the fact but I know I should have checked before they left but as I went for one last look around the house, I found they had left lots of stuff behind. A huge box of mine, lots of items belonging to DD and also my ironing board and a bookcase. Plus as I went out the house I found they had left all DS's bedding on the street so I had to gather all that up and take with me in my taxi. When I got to the house and told the cowboys what they had done all I got in reply was "Is it?" I just wanted to tell them to FUCK OFF at this point.

Well the aftermath is this...DD's printer was broken, my TV (from bedroom) is broken there are several broken pictures. None of the boxes I bought online are re-usable as they are all wet and ripped and mushed up. Everything was just dumped in DS/DD rooms as well as the boxes just being chucked on top of each other and items lying all over the floors. The suite was stuck in the hallway as they couldn't get it in the room and I just wanted to cry. I know that I should really have withheld the money but I wanted it all to be over so I handed it over and they were gone.

I am not leaving it at that. I am going to get advice from the CAB and take legal action if need be.
It is a good job that I could be distracted by the England game and be consoled in the afterglow of an England win 3-0 no less.

As all the rooms were jam packed with boxes and bags we got the 3 mattresses and all 3 of us slept on the living room floor.

4 days to go

Its Tuesday and today I have been up at the new place continuing with the wallpapering. I had to be there to let the furniture guys in to remove the old stuff still in there. They actually came at the pre-arranged time which is a first. So now the place is all mine and ready to move all my nonsense into.

The front room looks so much bigger and brighter too now that the bed/wardrobe/chest of drawers has gone. I can't wait to move in now to see what it looks like with my stuff in it...

Back to School

Its that time of year again where I face the scrummage to purchase school uniform. Luckily I didn't need to get shirts as the ones from last term are still good. Last week I got the bus to Asda and only managed to come home with 2 jumpers so we still needed to get 2 pairs of trousers and a pair of shoes. DS could also so with a new coat but he can wait a week or 2 for that as I bet he won't be wearing a coat to school yet.

We tried Matalan and Woolworths and then BHS. It isn't that they didn't have any school trousers, just that they didn't seem to go any higher than 10 years old. BHS did go to 12 but they seemed to stop there.
Our last hope was M&S. We struck lucky there but instead of the £20 I put aside, I had to get out my card as it came to £40 altogether with the shoes as well.

Now as the kids go back to school tomorrow I can concentrate on getting the packing finished ready to move on Saturday.