A very busy week

Bank holiday Monday

As we all know, the week before a holiday is incredibly stressful. Ian and I have a completely different method of packing. Now, 5 days before departure, I have all but packed. In a trick I learned from one of my big sisters I get my case open on the spare bed (you can’t use this method if you don’t have a spare bed) then I put everything I could possibly take in it. This is done at least two weeks before departure. Ideally sooner than that. (you have to delay if someone is using the spare bed). 

Over the following week or so, I add other items I come across. A travel adaptor, a crossword book, a sun hat I discovered in my cupboard. About a week before departure I take everything out and look at it all again. Now is when I make my penultimate selection. I count the outfits and remove any superfluous ones. I check that I have enough of each item. God forbid I need to make an emergency trip to Boundary Mills. I pack them all away in my (and vickys) fabulous little packing bags. I take a good look at my toiletries selection. Do I need anything else? I get all my documents together and check that all is well in that department. Looking good. 

Ian, meanwhile, has found out his sandals. He dosen’t even know where his case is. 

I am now free to watch the Championship play off final between Frank Lampards Derby and Jack Grealishs Villa. A game in which I am desperate for both teams to lose. I am also insanely jealous of all the fans heading off to Wembley. That should be us. We should be walking down Wembley way swigging from wine bottles and drinking beer from bottles opened with a phone. Ah, the memories.

Maybe next year

In the end Jack Grealish’s Villa beat Frank Lampards Derby to win promotion to the promised land. Frank Lampard is probably not too bothered as he’ll be off to Chelsea before I return from Thailand.

Tuesday

Unfortunately I had a few days work to complete before my hols. Why, oh why is my husband so stubborn. If I retired I could be waiting at home for him with his tea and slippers every night. Which is, essentially, what happens anyway I suppose. I need a better plan. 

Anyway, if it’s Tuesday it must be Baaaarnsley. Today’s Pharmacy has the most food orientated cohort of staff I have ever worked with. On the plus side I now have several new recipes to go with Ian’s slippers on a cold winters nights. Only four more days to go though.

Mmmm. Fajita casserole. 

Wednesday

Yay, I’m back in Baaaaarnsly. A chance to do some more food talk. And get some more recipes. Also, George the drivers wife, Rosie, had made a quiche. Yay. What is it with these Barnsley folks and their stomachs. In the evening we were excited to find that BT had very kindly allowed all those poor people without BT sport to watch the Europa league final on U-Tube. As everyone knows, the final was between two London clubs, in Baku Azerbaijan. The stadium had spectators so far away from the action that it was just like bing back in Block 6 upper at the Don Valle Stadium. (Sighs with amazing memories). 

View from Block 6 Upper

View from Baku

We coincidentally saw Man in Block 6 Upper recently, but that’s a story for another time. Around about the Don Valley Days, while watching an abject performance from ‘the lads’, Ian and I stared wistfully dreaming of which team we would support if we hadn’t been, tragically, born in Rotherham. We decided on Arsenal. Thus, we were rooting for a reds victory tonight. Alas, the Arsenal players were not in the same frame of mind and clearly wanted Chelsea to win. Which they did, 4-1. 

Where were you Weds night?

Thursday

My last working day before ‘The Hol’. Just a nine and a half hour shift at Burngreave to get through. Generally, most of the stabbings in Sheffield take place in this area. The customers are invariably rude,  bolshy, or both. The staff are really nice though. No food talk here. None allowed as one of the poor girls was fasting. How do they do that? We could, however, talk about pregnancies. And did. Ad Nauseam, as two of the other girls are pregnant. I now know more about prams than Mothercare. No stabbings in the area today though, today’s was over in Shiregreen. Kathy arrived late on for Chris’s birthday meal and was immediately mobbed by all three dogs at once. They settled down eventually. 

One girl and her dog

One more day to go.

Friday

I’m free! I have given myself today off to repack. It turns out, that with Big Eid being next week, most other pharmacists have given themselves today off as well. There are some astronomical rates floating about. Don’t tell Ian though, I need to paint my nails. I added a few extra things to the case. A raincoat (hopefully that will be a white elephant), some flip-flops, a small first aid kit (ian will see to all his miriad hay fever items himself), some nice looking clothes I had found in vickys room, and, of course, the mozzie protection items. (MPIs). These consist of room plug ins, 110% Deet, garlic caps, vit B tabs, and skin so soft. You may recall we took all these necessary precautions in Sri Lanka and came out with not a single bite between us. Packing complete.

We all went off to Sheffield in the evening to Wasabi Sabi for Chris’s birthday meal. As usual the food was excellent. Kathy and Grandma were, as usual, more interested in the drink

Happy birthday Chris!

Chopstick lessons for Grandma (she got rather good)

Happy days

And that’s it. Home to bed. Waiting over. Let the hols, and the real blog, begin

And now, back by popular demand

Man of the week

Has to be Mesut Ozul. Who else could play in a major tournament final without anyone actually noticing he was there?

Toilet Watch

Today I’m reviewing the toilets in the shop in Baaaaaarnsley. Not great. Really small room down a dingy cellar. Crumbling paint. Good quality air freshener though. 4/10