Author Archives: Daddybean

Slowly, slowly catchee monkey.

At last, finally got the contracts and other paperwork today for the house sale and purchase, we’ve been rather frustrated as a whole month seems to have passed to achieve very little, and not down to us, as we’ve have been very quick in replying to letters etc. A combination of stuff being queried by us and our buyers, buyers and selllers being on holiday/honeymon, people not responding as quickly as they could to things, solictors being slow at doing stuff….. it all adds up.

Anyway, at least exchange of contracts is now on the horizon, hope we can get them to agree to a quickish completion.

It’s a bit of an odd situation really, we are still in the old/current house, but my head is already thinking and planning about the new house.

It’s been an odd year really, as it has been both very full, but also it’s often felt like we were treading water much of the time. This time last year Helen was in the throws of getting a consultant appointment, the Cambridgeshire job was on the cards, but it looked like a Leeds job was a real possibility – hopefully part time. But it was not to be, though it took many months to arrive at this point. Then we had the whole finish doing up the house, Helen working away from home, getting the post, being pregnant, having Butterbean thing. Lots happening, but under it all a sense of waiting to get on with things – garden went by the board mostly, plans for this year were put on hold etc. this has of course grown as the whole selling/moving thing progressed. Helen has found this harder to handle , as many of the changes impacted her rather more directly and she hates change at the best of times, let alone a year of it. And we do feel that we have missed out a bit on the maternity leave. Rather than a nice calm relaxing :? 6 months with Helen at home, we’ve been selling houses, buying houses, zooming backwards and forwards across the country , and now it’s almost over :-( We had hoped, long ago, for me to take time off during the Mat leave and for us to go travelling somewhere for couple of months, but it was not to be this time and with SB we couldn’t afford it, next time…….

We just want done with it all now, to be packed up, moved, to have got over saying all the good byes (actual and psychological), to be in the new house, getting settled, getting on with new things and enjoying the summer.

Blogging the rest of today can wait, I supose I ought to be in bed really.

PS Well the smoke alrms work fine, went off in response to a bit of singed toast before I noticed the smell. Shame it was 1.15 am……….

Actually working hard!

its called networking, and evening still going on, but I’m getting so old that the too loud music has drven me away! Various consultants from cambridge there frightening me about going back to work and having to turn into superdoctor – sigh!
Anyway, have listened to lots of drivel on incontinence and a few pearls of wisdom, and done m own bit too [drivel I'm afraid!]
Chris has nearly used up nearly all the ‘pute time, so this is short!

Making ourselves at home.

Up in Glasgow for a work conference for Helen, just for couple of days. We’ve all come mostly becuase BB needs her food :-). Not been to bad as the hotel is attached to the conference centre so aquick text can bring mummy running, and we can pop back in during the day easily enough. Looking around the room -we’ve certainly made ourselves at home ….:-(

The site is in the old docks area though, and not much actually around here. Me and the kids ambled around in the morning, crossed the river on a couple of bridges, nosed about a bit etc. Helen bunked off for couple of hours and we walked down to see this old sailing ship It was pretty good, SB enjoyed looking round the boat in that sort of flighty – ok what’s next 4 year old kind of way. She was keen to go when I showed her the leaflet, and enjoyed it. There was a little indoor musuem bit as well, sadly not a proepr cafe, so we had to head back to the hotel for our dinner (H had gone back to conference)

Gatecrashed the conference coffe break for BB BF, while I had coffe and cake and SB charmed (she does it so well) numerous chocloates from one of the company stands :-) popped out for a quick shop essentiaals such as beer…. – failing to find any black leggings/tracksuit bottoms etc. for SB for her Stagecoach class we’ve booked her into down in Huntingdon

Once H went off to her evening do me and SB settled down on the bed, a bit of Webland and then we watched ‘What the Acients did for us’ With Adam Hart-davis doing his thing about the Egyptians. I thought/hoped she’d drop off during it, but obviously was interested enough to watch the whole thing -though she did keep wanting to know when we would get to the pyramids :-) Once in bed though she did zonk out before the end of the story book.

After a couple more interupptions of H’s meal by SB getting the munchies I settled down to couple of hours time wasting on the ‘pute with a beer.

H back, better leave her bit of net time :-)

Easter families

Easter families


my mum and nan with BB

at the swings

at the swings


Helen

at the swings

at the swings


with dad doing the pushing Helen

family easter

family easter


finally all 4 grandchildren in 1 piccie
Helen

family easter

family easter


Helen

Easter pic – faerie princess

Easter pic - faerie princess


Helen

P*E*S*T

Just got back from the Easter visit to Helen’s Mum and Dads, had nice relaxing time, one of use will blog a bit about it at some point I guess. But one little amusing snippet:

Sitting round the table at dinner, Nanny phonically spelled out p,e,s,t in reference to E, Stringbeans and Butterbeans 18 month-ish cousin. Stringbean pipes up ‘Pest’ ! – that’s our girl :-) We were quite impressed.