Brand New Bathroom at last!!!

YAY my bathroom is finally finished after a week of disruption and waiting in all day long for Workmen to appear.

A couple of weeks ago the council Plumber came round to tell me we were getting a bathroom refurbishment and he was there to measure up. I hadn't heard anything about it before that and when I asked him when it will be done he said the next week.

And sure enough on Wednesday July 23rd the Plumber was back at 8am sharp to rip out the old bath/sink/toilet and put the new ones in.

Unfortunately the work took a whole week as a different man had to come each day.

Thursday morning the Electrician came to put the electrics in for the new shower and also to put in a new light.
Thursday afternoon the plasterer came to level the walls ready for the tiles and on Friday morning he came to put the tiles up.
I had a choice of tiles and chose the aqua/green ones.
Monday morning the floor tiler came. I also had a choice of floor tiles and went for a Dove grey colour.
Tuesday afternoon the Plumber returned to finish off the job with the Shower.
I have never lived in a home with a shower before so it is a real novelty and I keep forgetting that I don't have to wait for the Bath to fill up. I always dreamed about being able to just jump in the shower at a moments notice but it still hasn't sunk in.

So here are the before pictures


And the after photos

Wot a Flaming weekend

This weekend was Nottingham Pride in the Park. It has come around so quickly.

I got on the bus to Notts in the morning and met with Tim at the lift to Brian's place. Before long we were sipping wine in Bri's front room.

We finally ambled down to Nottingham Arboretum around 12.30 and the place was heaving.


There were stalls selling Gay Pride souvenirs, t-shirts, adult gifts as well as lots of information stalls about health, Community, Notts council, safety etc.
This year I was on a mission to try and collect as much free merchandise as I could.

We made our way down to the beer tent and Tim bought us all a pint. There was the same 2 Drag Queens running the show as last year...In fact they were wearing the exact same dresses.
There seemed to be a lot more people than there was last year too. So much so we couldn't get anywhere near the stage for any of the acts.
We lay on Brian's Pride flag for a while people watching. There were some great looking drag queens and some not so great. Some of these men have perfect bodies and gorgeous long legs. They can wear skimpy little skirts and how the hell they walk in the massive heels I have no idea.


We walked back down the path picking up more freebies and made our way towards the bandstand area where the Abba tribute was to be playing. We missed them completely though and were just in time for the very embarrassing speech by the mayor of Nottingham. He could hardly speak english and he was just reading from a piece of paper, there was no heart or belief in what he was saying at all.


We stayed to watch another Drag act but it was way too hot and there was just nowhere to sit so we made our way to some shade to sit for a while. Brian bought us ice creams as we settled down to watch the world go by some more.

I was quite tickled by a large group of students nearby who were playing truth or dare. Some of the dares were hilarious like go and ask an old guy if they could have a lick of his ice cream and go ask a tranny with huge pink candy floss hair if they could touch it (the hair)



We had another wander around the stalls and headed back to the beer tent but it was just too busy the line seemed to stretch for miles so as time was getting on and we were all hungry we headed back into town.


It had been a fabulous day but I was glad to get back to Bri's and take off my shoes and just lay back and relax.

I did really well on my quest for freebies. I got handfuls of sweeties, 25 pens & pencils, 2 free duffle bags, a couple of car air fresheners, loads of leaflets, a couple of keyrings oh and an alcohol calorie calculator.

Rose Tyler Ale anyone?

I thought this deserved a post of it's own.

The Wetherspoons pubs that Lisa and I go to when we meet up also carry lots of real Ale brewed by local breweries. Each month there are different varieties on offer including a Derby County Real Ale.

This one caught my eye though and although I wouldn't be brave enough to try it, I just had to get a picture...

Lunch girls on tour

As you know my friend Lisa and I like to meet up about once a month and go for lunch.

This time around we thought it would be lovely to go further afield to Burton-on-Trent where there is a Chinese buffet restaurant called Wing Wah. I have heard a lot of good things about it in the past. Lots of people travel out there regularly just to go there so it was worth giving it a try.
A little sweetener to the deal was that Lisa had collected tokens to get a free bus trip to and from Burton. DEAL!!

I met Lisa at 11.30am and we caught the bus which took about 20 minutes. I had checked out beforehand where it was and according to the bus route map, the bus stopped right outside - However this didn't seem to be the case...All because of roadworks the bus had to take a detour so when we got off in Burton, we were a bit lost. After a short while though we did find it.

The place was huge inside and bother the food area and the bar were in the shape of Ships.


I wasn't all that impressed with the choice of food to be honest. They did have sesame toasts which I have missed as they don't have them in Wokmania.
There was Garlic bread, Chicken balls, bbq spare ribs, prawn crackers, spring rolls, fried chicken and lemon chicken in the starters. The lemon chicken was very dry though.

The main courses were a bit better. There was a good selection of curries, sweet & sour Chicken and Pork, Rice, Noodles, Lots of beef dishes, Pork dishes and chicken dishes. There was enough for us to have to have 2 trips to the main course area.
We also went halves on a bottle of wine to drink with our meal which was gorgeous - I am not really knowledgable about wines as you know but It was a medium sweet wine which was very nice.

The desserts at Win Wah were the most disappointing I have come across. There was a chocolate fountain but it wasn't working - I know it was lunchtime but the place was heaving so I still don't understand why they wouldn't have it on.
There was a soft Ice-cream machine but to go with it only a couple of jellies, some cornflake cakes, Oranges and Apples. No gateaux or sponge cake or Strawberries or grapes to be seen makes for a dull pudding.

We sat chatting for a while finishing our wine and had a good laugh.

(None of the other buffets we have been to so far have offered us finger bowls)

We took a walk through Burton's main shopping centre to get a drink as it was so hot and we were both very thirsty, we made our way to the bus stop and didn't have to wait long for the bus to Derby.

Once back in Derby we headed for the nearest pub which was a Wetherspoons and they have a nice little terrace to sit on. It was really nice. Mind you the view of Babbington lane isn't very inspiring

We stayed there drinking and chatting and laughing until about 7.30pm then we said our goodbyes and headed home.

Next time we are going even further afield as Lisa is booking us on a organised bus trip out for the day. Something to look forward to as well as the trips out I am hoping to have with the kids.

Car boot sale Sunday

We were up at the crack of Dawn today to go down to the Derby Cattle Market for the Sunday Car Boot.

As we walked towards the Cattle market we passed people coming back laden with lots of random stuff. Stuff like lawnmowers, standard lamps, barbecues, record players, bags of clothes, mirrors, framed painting and the list goes on and on.
The walk is long but the anticipation is great.
We got there around 9am and the place was heaving.


There are cars parked everywhere and so we try to walk round with some kind of method so that we don't miss anything. In some instances it is impossible though so we had to go back on ourselves.

It took us a couple of hours to see everything, I say everything although that is impossible. You have some people with big trolleys or prams that hog the stalls and you just can't get anywhere near.

Of course even though I had money in my purse, I didn't buy anything other than a bag of donuts. Bill bought a tile coaster with Cybermen on for 50p and DS bought a book of Urban legends for 20p.

On the way home we walked alongside the river Derwent and the beautiful river gardens of Derby. It is one of the most gorgeous parts of Derby City and makes you forget all the ugliness for a while.


We stopped off at McDonald's for a milkshake then got home around 12.30pm.
I was so bored for the rest of the day because we had been up so early.

Monitoring monitors

I am sorry for my lack of updates recently. It is all down to my monitoring problem.

A while ago the power pack on my tft monitor gave up the ghost but luckily my sister had a spare one to lend me. It wasn't up to much though as it was an old compaq 14inch CRT monitor. The stand was dogdy and I never could get it to sit right so it dipped and that meant I couldn't work on it long without getting a stiff neck. It was better than nothing though and it meant I could get on the internet when needed and do the important stuff.

But then disaster struck when I was sat here working away and I could smell something like burning. I jumped up not knowing what it was. I sniffed the candle behind me but it wasn't that, so I investigated around the back of the monitor and sure enough there was smoke coming out the back. So I immediately unplugged it.

There we were left without a monitor. The computer was still on and we were unable to close it down.
I emptied my piggy bank in the hope that I might be able to nip to a local electronics shop and buy one second hand. Unfortunately there just wasn't enough so I was stuck.
You know what it is like to go 48 hours without being able to go on a computer at all? It is sure Hell. OK it was fine for Bill cos she has her own Laptop but for DS and me it was the longest 2 days of our life.

I gave my friend Dot a ring and asked her if she would put a wanted on Freecycle for a monitor for me. Within a couple of hours she got back to me and told me that her sis in law had 9 monitors going begging at her work.
By Friday lunchtime everything was right with the world again and Dot and her SIL brought me my new 17inch monitor.

It's the end of a another school year

It's that time again when we drag ourselves out to school to witness the great end of year show. Unfortunately it wasn't so great this year, In fact it was like pulling teeth and made me want to cringe in places.
Not Dear Son's parts though. Oh no if it's one thing he knows how to do well and that is put on a great performance in front of the crowds.

Its been a turbulent year for the School band, several of the year 11s gave it up to focus on their studies and they lost 2 music teachers within the year so there was no stability. I sense even DS himself was losing interest for a while but he kept on and through the determination of those left and one young yr 11 who worked doubly hard to see it through, they ended the year on a high.

The evening started with the band playing us in. The young girl who MC'ed was brilliant - she had great stage presence and a good sense of humour and timing. It is a shame the rest of the youngsters couldn't follow her example.
There was a poetry reading and a solo singer and a game style show maths quiz. This could have been a great idea but it fell on it's face as the kids involved just seemed to want to mess about. There was also a showing of a Yr 11 GCSE Media film which was OK. Oh there was the dreaded choir set. Luckily only 1 song in the first half. The young lad who I mentioned earlier that took over the choir was working so hard and was trying to be serious and professional but all these young whippersnappers wanted to do was giggle and do silly little dares. Their mums must be so proud.

The interval was only meant to be 10 minutes so that it didn't finish too late but it went on for 25 minutes. The second half was pretty much more of the same but we were treated to a round of "Who's line is it anyway?" Lucky that DS knew what he was doing and he held it all together. The rest of the group just giggled and looked at each other red faced.

When it came to the last performance of the band it dawned what a sad occasion it was. Especially for Bill's friend Emma as she had been with the band since it's formation 5 years ago and this would be her last performance.
Emma is the band drummer and a lovely gesture by the school means that she now has her own set of drums at home so she can continue.

I was so relieved when it finally ended and we managed to get home before 9pm.

As well as seeing DS perform this week, Tuesday I also got to see my nephew perform in a Dance event in the city. Lots of schools from all over the city put on performances to celebrate Derby6 Dance week. Its all part of a national sports and fitness program.

The event was £5 entry and doors opened at 9am so it was an early start. I met up with Debz in the queue.
We had kind of hoped that DN's school would be somewhere near the beginning of the program but guess what? His school was 3rd from the end so we got to see all the performances.

There was lots of styles of dance including Hip-hop, Jive, ballet, interpretive dance, creative dance, freestyle, Bollywood and a bit of cheerleading. We were treated to 4 lots of High School Musical including the same school twice. There was even a couple of excellent performances by the Royal school for the deaf.
I think the group that got the biggest cheer were a group of nursery children that did "ABC123" They were so cute and danced beautifully, it was truly a star performance.

I would say check out the photos here but they don't seem to have updated yet. That is no help of course.
We got out at around 12.30 into a very hot humid marketplace.

Dear Nephew was performing a traditional country dancing routine and he performed wonderfully. For 7 year olds they were very together.

Cafepress Clearance sale

Cafepress are upgrading their Jr Jersey range so they are having a clear out of all the old stock.
Why not pick up a bargain while you can?

• $4 off Jr. Jersey T-Shirts
  
• Coupon code: 4JRJERSEY
• Sale starts: Monday, July 14, 2008
• Expiration: While supplies last*

* This is a liquidation sale, so as colours and sizes of the current Jr. Jersey T-Shirt are sold out will be permanently removed from shops.

Checkout my Jr Jersey range at Jembie Creations and don't forget to use the coupon code 4JRJERSEY to get your $4 off

My new toy :)

Today I took delivery of my Brand new shiny Breadmaker!!

I had been planning it for ages and had it saved on Tesco ready for when my CP money came through.
It is Tesco own and does up to a 900g loaf.

Of course I had to get it out straight away and have a go. Thing is, as it does it all for you I found it quite boring.

I had a packet of bread mix to make a normal white loaf so what better place to start?

You just bung the water in first then put the mix/flour/ingredients/yeast in on top.
You shut the lid and it starts it magic.
First it mixes it all in to make the dough and then it rests to proof it. Then it mixes and kneads and then it rests again. It even beeps when you have to any other bits in like seeds or cheese or currants etc...
When all that is done it cooks it and when it is finished it beeps to tell you.

I tried this first one with the lightest crust setting as I know the kids don't like really crusty bread. It is more like shop bought with a lighter crust.

This is the finished loaf
It is lovely as toasted with butter and it was gorgeous this afternoon too as a ham salad sandwich.

I can't wait to try lots more delicious recipes.

Doctor Who - Journey's End AKA End of an era

The long awaited finale finally played out on Saturday night (OK so we had only been waiting since last Saturday but it felt like way longer than a week)

Of course we were left with that cliffhanger last week with The Doctor in the throws of regeneration. I think we all kind of knew that DT wasn't going anywhere but it could have been the world's best kept secret.

So how relieved was I when we were thrown a curve ball and the Doctor saved himself from regenerating "You see, used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but as soon as that was done, I didn't need to change. I didn't want to, why would I? Look at me. So, to stop the energy from going all the way, I siphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle, namely my hand. My hand there. My handy spare hand."

One of the great points of this episode and it's near feature length movie style was that all our favourite characters from the last 4 series all appeared together.

First Jackie Tyler and Mickey Smith arrived in the nick of time from their alternate dimension to save Sarah-Jane from the Daleks (Well it was actually her that saved them to be honest)


We also had Jack who had been fighting through out the previous episode and now was reunited with Rose and the Doctor. As I mentioned in the previous DW entry I thought it was funny how they turned the tables and had Donna perving over Jack instead of the other way round It was funny when she was practically begging him for a hug.




On the Dalek Crucible the scenes with Davros were amazing. Julian Bleach was Brilliant as the Mad Scientist and looking back at the Davroses of yore he stayed pretty much to the original as if it were the same actor not to mention the great work by the make-up department.


Of course the biggest thing in this episode that most people (Well me anyway) didn't see coming was Doctor!2 & 3

Donna gets locked into the TARDIS and all of a sudden the hand starts bubbling and the yellow regenaration lights ooze from Donna's eyes and before her lies a brand new "NEKKID" Doctor

Donna: I-it's you!

Human Doctor: Oh yes!

Donna: [looks down at him, and then away in embarrassment] ...you're naked!

Human Doctor: Oh yes!

He doesn't stay Nekkid for long though...


OK so we have a second Doctor who is half human but hold on that human is Donna WTF?! Oh yeah the Ood talked about DoctorDonna this must be what they saw. But can you imagine having all the brilliantness of the the doctor with that gorgeous face and that 10inchness but with Donna mixed in too

Human Doctor: ...I grew out of you. Still, could be worse.

Donna: Oi, watch it space man!

Human Doctor: Oi, watch it earth girl! (surprised) Ooh... I sound like you. I sound all... all, sort of, rough...

Donna: Oi!

Human Doctor: Oi!

Donna: Oi!

Human Doctor: Spanners! Shh! Must have picked up a bit of your voice, that's all. Is it? Did I? No! OHH! You are kidding me! No way! One heart... I've got one heart! This body... I've got only one heart!

Donna: You're human!

Human Doctor: Ohh, that's disgusting!

Donna: Oi!

Human Doctor: Oi!

Donna: Stop it!

Human Doctor: No, wait, I'm... part Time Lord, part human! (sarcastically) Well, isn't that wizard?!

Genius writing by RTD though even though I still never softened to Donna, It's all about the writing.

There were so many Highs and lows in this episode taking you on a complete emotional rollercoaster.

One of the best scenes in the entire episode for me was the 2 Doctors and all his friends driving the Tardis to tow the Earth back to its rightful place in the Universe. Its almost what the TARDIS was designed for all those years ago when the BBC first brought it to our scenes.

At this point we were still wondering which one of them was going to die to fulfil Dalek Caan's prophecy.

The finale of this great finale and love it or hate it, it was a complete Squeeing fantasy Happy ending. The Doctor took Rose and Jackie back to Bad Wolf Bay and gave Rose her very own Doctor to keep forever and ever. Only he is more special because even though he has the Docs brain and all his memories and all his gorgeousness, he has only 1 heart and as he is half human unfortunately he will grow old and die naturally one day and no regeneration. I pity poor Rose though because remember that human half is DONNA! Would you really want to settle down and have babies with Catherine Tate????



I personally would like to sned my thanks to RTD for giving us this. I might be as jealous as hell and had a little hate moment for Rose/Billie but this is what rose/ten shipping fangirls have wanted since season 2 began...



Oh yeah and The Doctor took Donna back home and wiped her memories of everything because her brain was about to melt or something.

So the end of another Doctor Who series and end of an era really. There isn't going to be another complete series until 2010 and by then RTD will have handed over the reigns to Steven Moffat but he isn't gone yet because he has written the Christmas special and of course the feature specials that are to come for next year.
Producer Phil Collinson also ended his tenure with the shoe and Exec Producer Julie Baxter (Who talks weird and I can never properly understand what she is saying.