Imust admit, I rather enjoy being back on my daily commute..

Childrens toys appear to be very misleading nowadays..

I was watching the TV earlier when an advert informed me that "children like to bounce up and down - and so do zebras"

hmm.. interesting image..

The case of the missing website..

Email from my Dad.

"Hi Kate, thanks for the email, unfortunately I can't find my website so I can't give you any comments yet. Here are some pictures..."


I am curious - how does one "lose" a website?

I am issuing a test! If you cannot view this website please let me know! (it is still under construction and may appear distorted! do not worry - it is being dealt with by James!)

www.ajm-pembrokeshire.co.uk

Apologies for random spellings in previous post

I am sorry all you spelling freaks out there - I am very tired having had 10 hour day after 4 months off - as a result I am typo-ing everywhere.

Pls ignore

Brain Ache

Oh dear god!

First day of the last year.. I feel like my brain has exploded. We were in for an hour before the first project began resulting in me having to present to the group exactly what my proposal for this new project was. We used to get a week for that - this year we have 2 hours!

Still, it was nice to see everyone again.

This year I am glad to say that I have no crazy foreign tutors. I have gone from last year (the year of Cyril - ie. NO tutor) to 3 tutors! Hurrah!

Unfortunatelt we don't enrol til Wednesday meaning I will have to wait for my loan *grr*

Anyways, back to my brainwave of a project! If anyone else happens to be applying for the same competition for the RSA then please look away now ;)

"The Value of Water"

Odd topic but there you go. Basically we have to produce an exhibition stand which represents, somehow, the Value of Water.

My stand would float accross the Midlands on behalf of British Waterways promoting the regeneration and possibilities of using the canals of Britain - of which there are over 1500 miles - as a means of transportation, thus cutting down on congestion and therefore pollution.

Watch this space.. RSA award winner.. I like the sound of that! :P

How very odd?!

I was sat at my beautiful desk tapping away on my laptop (crazily trying to remember how to use autocad ready for start of semester tomorrow) when I looked up and saw this big hawk-type thing looking at me and squarking.

How weird

Man walking past my window holding a bird of prey whilst walking his dog..

Very cool though...

Those who know me understand the madness

me: We have our fish now

mum: What did you get?

me: A goldfish and a lionhead goldfish

mum: What are they called?

me: Howard and Mr Fish

mum: That's an odd name... Howard.....


And there resolves my argument with James that Mr Fish is an adequate name for a goldfish

Announcing the arrival of Howard and Mr Fish

Today we brought home two little fish - Howard (James's) and Mr Fish (mine) - I would like to point out that the object to the left is not in fact a dead fish but a biro...

(what is going on with the crazy weather?!? Our garden and driveway has flooded again and sewage is squirting up like a whales blowhole in the field in front?! Bloody global warming...)


Major point no. 2

I have done the unthinkable..








I have had a fringe cut in again! dum dum durrrr!


(although as you can tell by picture it is taking some getting used to.. have already started parting it in a manic fashion)

Major point no. 3

Have had an awful week.. I went out with James's sister Amy on Saturday and have felt like crap ever since (must add a note of thanks to James here who stayed up with me whilst inebriated and ill and made everything better)

Major point no. 4

Hurrah! I no longer have Crazy Tutor Woman next year! Hurrah!

Major point no. 5

For those following the growth of my Parents extention - we have the floor joists for the first floor in place. Also, builders managed to build the house the wrong size and shape but it has all been resolved now!

Back from the void..

Wow this has been a long week!

Since saturday my internet connection has been down, and after 6 days, 3 hours of phonecalls to BT, 2 complaints and half a phone line we discovered that James had plugged the cable into the wrong socket...

Will fill in the 6 day void tomorrow, am knackered

It confuses me when half of the waxwork models turn out to be people..

Today was our Holiday Day Trip!

Location: Warwick Castle

Today we managed to navigate our way to Warwick and find the entrance to a very large castle.. James then proceeded to embarass himself by pressing lots of buttons on the chip and pin and realising his card wasn't even in. He then knocked the keypad off its stand putting the card in..

Day of fun, we wandered around the castle taking in the sights of battlements and armour, trying on various helmets (see image of James below)

Highlight of day -

Strange exhibition of archery by a man (who reminded me of Brian Connely) reinacting a battle single handedly..

A trebuchet firing a blazing boulder

Also, the peacocks (they had baby peacocks!)

Where is a bloody ark when you need one?

Came home from Wales in nightmare rain journey, unpacked car and ran into house. Within 5 minutes we had become marooned in the house!





Luckily after half an hour it had subsided enough to allow us access to the car so we could go for the MOT test..



The Journey Home

We made the decision this morning to take the "scenic" route home. Unfortunately this ended up being a view of a cloud enveloping us for 4 hours..

Memories

This morning I woke up at 6:15am to my Dad turning on kids tv at volume 30. It seems a crazy thing to miss but I do, it kinda sums up my memories of living at home..

On that note - a couple of pictures from my trip to sunny Wales..

Homecoming

At last...

My parents will be home in little under 2 hours. The dogs are still alive, the cat has not ran away and I still retain most of my sanity.

I must apologise for not writing, James had his Macbook delivered and has since been hogging the power source and internet. (I must add that I am creating a voodoo van of UPS, evil people have lost the package containing my iPod nano! Lost it!) According to their internet tracking system it is still due to arrive on the 5th.. I must discover the power of time travel which they must posess.. Anyway, enough of the bitterness!

Round up of Yesterday
We went to Porth Clais yesterday, very pretty (although not alot there really) there were some big lime kiln ruins and a harbour wall which I sat on for a bit until James started having panic attacks that I would fall off.
Have tried to add a picture but the "done" button wont load and therefore it wont add!

Building update - Builders missing and presumed drunk

Have not seen builders since thursday. House is still as it was last post although a man appeared today and tidied up (it seems most people are scared of my Dad and his wrath!) Apparently they will be coming back thursday to build up to the roof (I'm presuming that it will take more than one day to do so.. but they were very speedy!)

Anyway, got to go, I have lots of mopping and hoovering to do in antiipation of their return!

Bit of a dilemma..

Oh I am so crap at saying No to people (although not in that sluttish way you were thinking)

Just agreed to go into town with one of Mum and Dad's friends tomorrow at 10am.

I'm perfectly OK with that part.

Slight problem occurs when my Dad has paid the boy next door pity money in order to take me out during this week. (I highly doubt anyone can top that one for embarassing parents) As it is in fact Friday tomorrow, and he has not come over yet, it kinda suggests that maybe he was going to come over tomorrow - and I will have to look like a fool and say:

"thats OK, I went with a random lady who phoned me instead! just keep my Dad's money - I have purchased all that I require from Tesco!"

(bear in mind that the first time I met him I was wearing my Dad's bright yellow road worker jacket, a black summer hat and was digging a trench in his driveway)

Oh well... I only see him about three times a year! who gives a damn eh?

At least James gets here tomorrow - hurrah! With a lovely car that we can drive anywhere without the need for charity..

Surreal..

I awoke today to the image of a man applying moisturiser to a rhino..

Fortunately it's not that type of place here and I had just forgot to turn off the TV last night..

Still odd though


(as I type this a cockerel is wandering around the driveway - it's not even one of ours?!)

Not quite visible from space - but it's a start!

Hurrah!

After letting out the chickens and giving the dogs a walk at 7 this morning I climbed back into bed to fester in my illness..

Half 8 the builders arrived and by the time I had got ready and had a wash etc. they were well underway. As you can see from the picture they have done the blockwork up to about 6 courses (nearly as tall as me) and just visible are the windows! Yay!

I can't wait til Mum comes home and sees this! She thought it would never happen with all of our evil planning issues. By the time she gets back I reckon they will have the first floor in.. This is already more than they said they would have done by next Tuesday..

Although, random builders strike again - they have vanished?? Their van has gone but all of their tools are lying around our garden.. hmm...

Anyway! I am going to go and walk around in my new bit of house!

Are my builders playing jenga?

As you can see this is the total work achieved by my builders today..

They arrived at half 8 and vanished an hour after.. very confusing..

I had also locked my cat in the litchen overnight due to wet cement but when I woke he had gone leaving his own little mark on the building..

Have had the worst nights sleep ever last night.. evil cold has filled my head with snot which swishes from side to side depending on how I position myself.. Also dog from hell Rosie appears to have finally gone mad and spent half of last night crying and keeping me awake. I took her out on her lead at 11, 2.30 and 4am but to no avail. I think she just misses Mum. Finally realise how people with babies must feel and am amazed how they ever get up in the mornings. I actually sat crying and shouting at the dog "JUST TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT!!!" in a very crazy-lady sort of way.

Have also discovered that James has the sore throat that I had two days ago, very worried now that he wont be able to drive down on Friday night. Illness has made me all clingy and pathetic, i just really need a hug! :(

Luckily my Dad is the worlds number 1 hyperchondriac so there are plenty of lemsips etc. in the house.

Nothing happens here in the countryside..

Ohhhh whenever I go away somewhere something really interesting always happens at home and I miss it!

When James called last night to tell me he had arrived home safe I was informed that there was a police officer at our house.. How odd? James wasn't quite sure what was going on but gathered it had something to do with Vandals.

Apparently - as I have just gained info off James - a group of lads from Tamworth had come during the evening and sprayed "LBA" in writing over 5 peoples homes in the village, including ours, and one unfortunate mans car.. My informant has told me that the kids were stupid enough to get caught on the CCTV at the pub looking easily recogniseable and have been identified.

The best bit in my opinion was that "LBA" stood for "Leyfields Barmy Army"

oh deary me..

When I got home half the house was missing...

Where to begin!

I had a blog all planned about my strange journey down here (including old ladies who spent a three hour train journey texting) but somehow the past couple of days would have made the blog larger than my anticipated dissertation...



I had a nice couple of days with Mum and Dad, a nice meal at their friends, fish and chips by the sea etc.

On Friday the builders arrived at 6:30 in the morning. Oh yes and they were demolishing half of the house.

Fortunately there was a property-ladder-esque problem with feuding families (our builder needed access from the field that was owned by his uncle who was mad at his dad and promptly held our digger hostage until everything was sorted out)

Keen to avoid the mayhem we left Dad and Owen watching the digger loom into view (it was as big as our house)



When we got home half of the house had gone, and in true fashion my parents packed their bags into the van and left for the airport.

I was on my own in half a house with no electricity and possibly no waste (meaning i couldn't go to the toilet)

Well, anyway, a few minutes after they left it got worse.

"Can I just nip in and look under your sink?"
"errr.. ok.."
"Do you know how to turn off the hot water to outside?"

My dad has hired builders who put a digger through a hot water pipe, get covered in boiling water, and then cannot even find correct valve to turn off water..

Next to occur-

"I'm afraid we have had a bit of an accident and cut your Sky TV cable in half"

Great... So now I am alone in the house with no Sky (and signal here is poor) having to watch Welsh TV programs all week with an erratic water supply resulting in me having to brush my teeth in warm water.

Thankfully James arrived for the weekend and his Dad being an ex BT engineer, at least I now have a phone line (well at least until they brake that as well!)

Apart from that I have had a bit of a decent time whilst James has been here. Yesterday we went to Abereiddy which is one of the most amazing places around here. It actually has a blue lagoon! I love it there... We bought a picnic of food stuff from tesco and drove all the way there in torrential rain. Having parked on the beach we climed over the coastal path in the rain and wind with the sea spray stinging our cheeks and sat on top of the world for a while.



If only he could stay this whole week..

Looks like it's just me and the dogs and the cat and the chickens and the builders..