Tuesday - work and quiz night!

So, I got up mega early (6.45am) and ready for work, and headed out to the office.  I wasn't hung over thankfully, but I was tired!  My eyes were also killing me - hay fever I assume!  

I got into the office around 8am and then had nothing to do!  I tried to keep busy learning things about the computer system and chatting to colleagues....I nipped out in the car around lunch time to try and get some hay fever stuff for my eyes but all the supermarkets had big socially distanced queues outside so I gave up and went back to the office, and had some lunch.  Then about 3pm I was asked by two people to take multiple statements! Luckily for me - only one was available and this took me right up to 5pm.

I came home - knackered with sticky horrible eyes - not really in the mood for the quiz, all I wanted was to sleep!  However, once we all got onto the call at 7pm I livened up!

So - the first round we asked the girls to make-up the boys like drag queens, and the second round we asked the boys to make-up the girls like pantomime dames!  They were all such good sports - here is a screen shot and then pictures of the results of that!

(Connor enjoyed the lipstick a little too much I think!)

So - all great sports!  Lissa and Antony and Adam and Erika ended up not very happy as they ended up with lipstick and eye liner all over their furniture/bedding!

We then had a round of family questions - and I had got in touch with Erika, Antony and Emily's families secretly to be able to ask questions about them! lol - didn't want it to be all about us!  Hopefully some of the questions got a few laughs!

here are the questions that were asked in the first round of family questions:

we then did a round called monster mash where each of them had to combine two things and draw them - these are the things that they were given:

Adam	giraffe	mouse
Erika	reindeer	crocodile
Connor	hedgehog	hammer
Emily	peacock	dog
Lissa	turtle	monkey
Antony	octopus	coconut

These are the pictures that they came up with:

         

THEN round 2 of family quiz questions:

THEN - FUN-KNEES where they had to draw a self portrait on their partners knee! lol

 ADAM AND ERIKA  

ANTONY AND LISSA

CONNOR & EMILY   

  We then did a set of general knowledge questions which I won't reproduce here - and then we had the third set of family questions:

and we also had clips of me playing the flute badly - and they had to guess what I was playing!!

So we had a lot of laughs and everybody were such good sports for getting covered in make-up and drawing on each others knees!!  In the end it was Connor and Emily that won!!

 

Bank Holiday Monday

The sun was out - it was amazing weather!  Me and Andy made bread buns in the bread maker for burgers on the BBQ as we can't just nip out to the shops - with the lock down its not that easy anymore.  

We were also preparing for our family quiz, getting ready to host Tuesday night.  We thought it would be funny for me to try and play some popular songs on my flute - knowing I'd play them badly making it more difficult to guess!  We recorded 6 different songs which we will send to the kids via whatsapp during the quiz.

We then moved out into the garden, got music going and got ourselves a selection of drinks in the cool box - took out some books and a game from which we could put some questions together.  We properly had a chilled out day - trying to forget the state the world is in.  

It was so hot that at one point we moved under the Indian Bean tree for some shade....here is Andy chilling....

  

Here is our quiz prep, alcohol fuelled mess.....

Whilst in the garden we came across this HUGE dragonfly - I assume that is what it was....

We stayed out in the garden all day - didn't put the BBQ on - all we had was 2 burgers so it seemed like a lot of trouble for just that - so we came indoors quite late, quite squiffy - and ordered Chinese AGAIN!!

Then I dragged myself to bed about 11.30pm hoping I wouldn't be hung over for work the next day.....

Wednesday/Thursday

Got a little behind again....

Tuesday

Total world cases: 4,936,240------------------- 94,683 increase

Total fatalities:  324,484------------------------ 4,565 increase

UK total: 248,818------------------------------- 2,412 increase

UK Fatalities: 35,341--------------------------- 545 increase

Wednesday

Total world cases: 5,037,019-------------------100,779  increase

Total fatalities:  329,137------------------------4,653  increase

UK total: 251,290------------------------------- 2,472 increase

UK Fatalities: 35,704---------------------------363  increase

Thursday

Total world cases: 5,142,326-------------------105,307  increase

Total fatalities:  333,987------------------------4,850  increase

UK total: 250,908------------------------------- 382 increase (this looks wrong - but that's what the figures                                                                                                     said!)

UK Fatalities: 36,042---------------------------338  increase

So - Wednesday/Thursday - the weather was gorgeous - I was working from 2pm to 11pm.

I don't remember much about Wednesday - I think it was quite uneventful!  Yesterday though wasn't a great day.  I started off in the morning chatting to my sister Joanne on Messenger -we asked how each other were and ended up talking about Dad, and I ended up getting upset for the first time in a while.  I had not been allowing myself to think about him at all - because it is upsetting.  So when Joanne mentioned something I said that I'd thought about him on my birthday - as he'd normally call and mention the nice weather, and tell me again how I was born in a heatwave.  I got upset - just as Andy came in...

We ended up going and sitting in the garden and talking about all the stresses of the new job - him not being able to find a new job - the virus, the crapness....so not great really....

Then we came in - made a Sri Lanken Curry for later on - and then I started work.  Spent hours just sat at the laptop reading through cases, doing an online course....trying to keep busy....all the way through until about 9.30pm when I stopped to eat...actually just prior to this Helen had finally received the video of my Dads funeral - so I started to play it - got upset again almost straight away and turned it off again.  So felt fed up all over again.

Once I had finished work - we watched some TV for a while - then I got to bed.  I sat in bed going through my dads facebook page looking for videos of him - I just wanted to hear his voice...

so - all in all not a great day....

Tuesday - The News

Hi,

Here are the figures....

Monday

Total world cases: 4,841,557------------------- 100,952 increase

Total fatalities:  319,919------------------------ 4.035 increase

UK total: 246,406------------------------------- 3,103 increase

UK Fatalities: 34,796--------------------------- 160 increase

Tuesday

Total world cases: 4,936,240------------------- 94,683 increase

Total fatalities:  324,484------------------------ 4,565 increase

UK total: 248,818------------------------------- 2,412 increase

UK Fatalities: 35,341--------------------------- 545 increase

So - UK fatality figures up again.  We are still the highest in the world after the US and they have a bigger population than us - so as a country we are not doing well.  That is not new news though is it.  

Here is the BBC news front 'page' online...

Thought it might be interesting in the future to see what an average day in the lockdown looked like.  

One thing I did think was interesting was this image from an American news site...

Sunbathing in New York.....people still look too close to me....but I guess it must be okay...

Anyway - yesterday - I finished assembling the lasagne's which took forever, and by the time I finished I only had an hour until I had to start work (2pm - 11pm).  At 2.30pm we had a Skype meeting with the team.  I can't contribute much - I am just getting ad hoc tasks - I don't have my own work load because it is too difficult really in the current climate, being new and stuff....  I did have enough work though to keep me busy and was busy for most of the shift!  I am having some problems with the computer system and uploading things so I am going into the office tomorrow.  Hopefully, not for the full shift, but I'll be in the office by 2pm.

Lissa was texting me - she is getting shooting pains or 'lightening crotch'! which is shooting pains in her cervix, and she is getting nervous about going into labour - she is due in next Tuesday!  I realised that I am quite nervous about her going into labour too!  I was supposed to be there :-(  now I am going to have to worry from a distance....I hope she is okay!!!  Almost all her life I have told her how horrendous giving birth is, and she watches programs about woman having babies all the time, so I am hoping she is much more prepared than I ever was - but it will still be painful!  Maybe she will have the epidural and think I made a big fuss about nothing!  I can't wait to see her little baby girl!!  I can't wait to see Lissa on the other side of having the baby, and really happy with her gorgeous daughter!! Hopefully she won't take after Antony have have 6 fingers!  It's so close now!!  This was her yesterday....

She has done SO WELL keeping fit and not piling on weight whilst pregnant - she will be back to normal in no time!!  Wish I had done the same!  

Post Birthday Fun

HI,

Well yesterday - the day after my birthday - I was quite tired and not as hung over as I deserved to be! 

I spent so much time sat on the couch and not moving that on 3 occasions my fitbit thought I'd had 1-2 hours sleep!  

I am pretty sure that we watched a whole series of something I can't remember the name of, in fact I can't even remember what it was about! Oh yes I do - it was about a woman going to Ibiza to try and find out how her brother had been killed 20 years earlier!

So yeah that was my day yesterday!  I have today off work again before working late's for the rest of the week.

So - Coronavirus - I've given myself a few days to not think about it, not really look at the news and trying not to get upset thinking about my dad.

The last time I made note of the figures was Tuesday last week and I did a snapshot of the figures last night - so almost a week....

Tuesday

Total world cases: 4,341,420------------------- 91,359 increase

Total fatalities:  292,846------------------------ 5,921 increase

UK total: 226,463------------------------------- 3,403  increase

UK Fatalities: 32,692--------------------------- 627 increase

Sunday 5 days later

Total world cases:4,740,605------------------- 399,185 increase (average daily increase of 79,837)

Total fatalities: 315,884 ------------------------23,038 increase (average daily increase of 4,607)

UK total: 243,303-------------------------------16,840 increase (average daily increase of 3,368)

UK Fatalities: 34,636--------------------------- 1,944 increase (average daily increase of 388)

Monday

Total world cases: 4,841,557------------------- 100,952 increase

Total fatalities:  319,919------------------------ 4.035 increase

UK total: 246,406------------------------------- 3,103 increase

UK Fatalities: 34,796--------------------------- 160 increase

Sunday was our smallest death increase since the lockdown apparently - 170, although we are still the country with the biggest losses in Europe - then today (Monday was smaller still at 160) I can't wait until we report no deaths in a day, because 160 sounds quite good considering at one point we were having 800-900 in a day, but it is still 160 families going through what my family have been through - and obviously 160 people actually losing their lives....

Nearly 35,000 people now - that is a lot of people.  In addition, we have had more deaths from other causes too because people have not gone to hospital when they should have....it is still a crazy crazy world.

Strange that we seem to be getting used to it now.  Doesn't seem that weird anymore when you go outside and cross the street if somebody else is walking towards you, or give people a wide birth, not go in a shop if you can see people already inside, have shopping delivered outside your front door and leave it there until the delivery guy has gone - not see your family and friends other than online, all the news being about coronavirus because everything else pales into insignificance....

A small price to pay really, for your life I suppose.

Today the sun is out again....we have got all the excess alcohol out of our system - maybe we'll go out into the garden again? not sure yet - I can hear Andy getting up, I might suggest we go for a walk - I'll have to see how he feels.  Oh according to Alexa we can expect partly sunny weather with a high of 20 degrees.  Many days have been really nice with a forecast much colder/cloudier than that!

I'm trying not to sound it - but I feel fed up again today.  We are back to groundhog day I suppose.  If I am correct - Andy will feel the same.   - I'll catch up again later - and we'll see how the day pans out!

1.12pm.....so far - have lasagne ragu in the oven.....have chatted to Helen online....little catch up with Lissa - received scan pics from Adam and Erika:

Erika said the second pic is the baby looking at us!  When you look at it like that it seems a bit like The Scream! lol

She said the weight of them are 3lb 8oz and 3lb 6oz - but that is down a little since their last scan so she is going to have another in 2 weeks.  

Okay - need to go and get changed and cut the grass....

So - I cut the grass - takes ages! looks awesome!  Then I went to a garden centre - not many ppl there so easy to distance from people....got some cabbage plants, 2 tomato plants and some mint and 2 bags of soil.  Came home and re-potted some house plants - then Andy helped me dig up a square of grass to make a small vegetable patch - never done it before so no idea how they are going to turn out - have 12 cabbage plants and one butternut squash! lol.  Have sweet pepper and tomatoes on the bathroom window sill....

I was knackered - ended up doing over 15,000 steps - over 6 miles walking in the garden!  We then sat in the garden for a while - but was getting a little cold by then so we came in - and sat in front of the TV - was about 6pm by then - was really bad again and ordered pizza!!!

Amazing Birthday in lock down!!

Hi,

well, I haven't really posted on here for a few days - funny how going back to work throws my life into chaos! lol.  That's not really true....it is not chaos it just means I don't have hours in the morning to sit write my blog!

Today is Saturday and my day off!  I've actually had 8 hours sleep for the first time in AGES! 

The last few days I have been working from home - and I've actually had work to do which is good, because I didn't want to be sat at home bored and feeling guilty about not actually having any work!  So - because of the nature of my work I can't really talk about it - but I've had enough to keep me busy!  Yesterday I called a girl I used to work with (Clare) and we had a nice catch up! and she talked me through some stuff I haven't done in a while! So that was really nice - being able to get some advice and speak to an old friend!

The last couple of evenings we have got online on the Oculus and played Arizona Sunshine with Helen and Paul - its a zombie killing game, so that has been a nice change too!  

So this morning - after making myself get back to sleep and then sleeping until 8.30am, I felt pleased that I'd got 8 hours sleep! I woke up to some birthday messages!  

Lissa posted this on Facebook....

She is so lovely!!  I could not have wished for a more perfect daughter!!! I miss her so much!

I miss all of my kids - how they all turned out so well, I'll never know!!  

So - I've emptied the dish washer and had a tidy up - I'm very disappointed that the weather has gone a bit crap!  Our plan was to spend the day in the garden, playing games and maybe having a BBQ - but now its cloudy and not very warm!

------------------------------------

So - It is now Sunday.....so here is how the rest of my birthday went.....

The sun came out!  Andy got up - and I opened a few pressies - crochet hooks off my mum!  gin off Lissa and a paint by numbers canvas thing (I'd actually fancied one of these and had nearly bought myself one!) she got me one which was a monkey which made me think of my dad as that was his thing!  It actually looks a lot harder than i thought it would!

Then I got onto a video chat with Helen to open hers - she'd sent a big box and there were a few presents in there - each had a note on - mostly about how awesome each present was going to be! lol.  I got a sprouts jigsaw - which I think was re-gifted back to me after I got it for her at xmas! lol.  I got a glass ball which produces pictures like this:

How cool is that!!

She got me some bubble bath! lol and then the big surprise was a aboard game than me and Helen have spoken about often - and we tried to find it in mums attic when we were in Manchester...this game was one we played together as kids, like snakes and ladders, but would go on for AGES as you were constantly sent back...we loved it!  I have looked online for this game many times and failed, because it wasn't a standard game.  Mum got it after sending off tokens - I thought from cereal boxes but as it happens it was from tins of spaghetti!!  Helen apparently found it in her own attic!  Here it is:

I am SO PLEASED about getting this!!!

So after that I opened my presents off Andy - he always manages to get awesome stuff!!  I got a bottle of whiskey - for the first time ever as I only discovered I like whiskey so much when I was at my mums and tried my dads....I got a very expensive looking bottle of brandy - a bottle of gin, and a gin making kit (or gin flavouring kit....) a huge big heavy, weighted blanket, a jigsaw lol....a camera that you put outside to try and capture wild life!! and a new Canon camera!!  I may have missed stuff.....but it was all so very awesome!!

We then went outside with our camera's and had a play!

After playing for a while - we chilled out in the garden and I tried some of my new gin!  We'd been sat in the garden for an hour or so when Connor and Emily turned up!!!  That was an awesome surprise!!  It was so very cool to see them! Actual other humans (that were not from work!) we obviously kept more than 2 metres away - which was difficult because I wanted to hug them both! They also bought me a bottle of gin - so obviously I sampled that too!!  Emily had made cookies as well - so I tried one of them too!!  It was amazing!  So we sat chatting and catching up for a couple of hours and that was so good! It just went really quickly though and then they had to go....

We tidied up and came inside and had a few games of pool - I lost probably because I was quite drunk by this point!  I had a video chat with Yvonne which was really nice - and then Lissa tried to connect with me via Zoom - but it would not connect on my phone - Andy was pushing me to go and sit at my computer to connect with her, and I was resisting because I wanted to connect with her and carry on playing pool - but he insisted!  I came into the living room - connected to zoom and everybody was there!!  Helen and Paul, Adam and Erika, Lissa and Antony and Connor and Emily!!  They had all pre-arranged it and each of them had sorted out a round of quiz questions!

Its a little bit of a blur if I'm honest - Lissa said this morning that she's never seen me so drunk! So I must have been bad (although I did point out to her that she probably has seen me that drunk - but normally she would have been more drunk!).  

Things I remember - Connor got his testicles out and nobody really bat an eyelid! lol I sang really loudly down the microphone to Wham! (I sent out an apology for that this morning lol)...actually there are pictures.....

This one really made me laugh as Lissa drew a face on her pregnant belly!

In this one Adam and Connor compared their bellies to 

lissa's!

I think this one was taken just as I logged on and was surprised!!!

Apologies for the graphic drawing!!!  I think this was drawn by Connor as he is taking the picture!!

I don't know why this one was taken - but Andy is obviously killing himself laughing at something!!!

Lucky for whoever is looking at this it is a still picture rather  than a video as I was singing - obviously badly and drunkenly!!

So - it was a great night!! We had lots of laughs - and I am so grateful to them all for making my birthday so special!!!

I was the first to leave - because I was so drunk! but I didn't cut the night short - I think it was almost midnight - or 11.30pm somewhere around that time!  I went to bed thinking I was going to be getting up again to be ill but thankfully I must have passed out!

I'm feeling a little worse for wear right now - but I am about to make lots of unhealthy food.....

First day back at work - take two!

Hi,

So today I went back to work (again).  I have been employed since 30 March 2020 - I went in for a weeks training course (this was during the lock down) and it was during that week that my Dad was first taken into hospital...the week after I went into work, did half a day because I couldn't get onto their IT system, and the following day - I came home again - before I had arrived at work - then it all went very downhill - I ended up in Manchester - self isolating, dad's funeral etc....  So, today I was finally back in work again.  

It went well - I could get onto the system - I looked at a potential fraud, I have been tasked with taking a few statements...so I managed to keep fairly busy until about 2pm - when I was told I could go home!  I am working from home tomorrow - going to be taking statements over the phone as well as a couple of Skype calls....all good!

Yesterday - I had a lazy day again really - got few things ready for work today - and then we had the family quiz last night.  Adam and Erika were hosting, however, Adam was nowhere to be seen - he was apparently sat next to Erika out of camera shot but he was really annoyed about being let down by his mate - who had supposed to have given him the questions for the quiz.  He ended up having to rush to put together a load of alternative questions, then refused to join in!  Good on Erika for continuing or else the quiz would have been cancelled!  Adam eventually joined in about half way through but was obviously still really pissed off.  It made it difficult (for me at least) to try and enjoy it, knowing that Adam was so annoyed, and Erika was probably just putting a brave face on it.  In hindsight, maybe they should have just postponed it for a night....  I messaged Erika briefly earlier and she has made me worry that last night with Adam wasn't just about the quiz - he is getting down in general.  That is not surprising, with the coronavirus, job uncertainty, stress with work being done in the house (and a problem I've been trying to help with concerned a tiler who has done a crap job) and twins due next month...he has a lot on his plate, and he is a worrier...  I've just messaged him....hope he is okay.

So - we all did quite badly in the quiz - and Lissa won! What is the world coming to! lol

I got to bed fairly early, knowing I had to set my alarm for 6.45am....so didn't do the coronavirus figures - and at the moment I'd quite like to keep up with them - it might (or maybe not) be interesting in the future to see how it all played out...

so - here are the numbers I missed last night:

Monday

Total world cases: 4,250,061------------------- 73,549 increase

Total fatalities:  286,925------------------------ 3,291 increase

UK total: 223,060-------------------------------  3,877 increase

UK Fatalities: 32,065---------------------------  210 increase

Tuesday

Total world cases: 4,341,420------------------- 91,359 increase

Total fatalities:  292,846------------------------ 5,921 increase

UK total: 226,463------------------------------- 3,403  increase

UK Fatalities: 32,692--------------------------- 627 increase

Wednesday

Total world cases: -------------------  increase   Missed it!

Total fatalities: ------------------------  increase  Missed it!

UK total: 229,705------------------------------- 3,242 increase

UK Fatalities: 33,186--------------------------- 494 increase