Dad's operation

Left for hospital this morning with Mam and Dad at 0800, his appointment was 0830 and of course, being typically early it was 0815 when we got there, i dropped them off and drove to Tesco's to top up with dog food for Megan as i am off to work tomorrow and don't expect others to supply her food.
I was back at hospital by 0900 and found my way to the Surgical day ward on 2nd floor of Shotley Bridge Hospital. Dad was in a side ward with mum and had had all his particulars taken and paperwork was all done, the surgeon was there checking the lump on his finger to be removed and the small tumour to the right of his right eye on the side of his face, the proceedure would be quick and it was, he left us for theatre at 0909 and was back by 0935, he had a cup of tea and a biscuit as had only been under a local anaesthetic and i ran to get car and picked them up and drove home, I walked Megan in the afternoon and then packed and sorted out clothes ready for my trip.

The weather has been dry but thsi evening it is raining (28/12/07), nothing worse than damp weather when you have a dog to walk who likes to run through muddy puddles.

Hospital pictures below

Back to Reality

Well it seems Christmas has come and gone as quick as it usually does, the traffic has returned to the roads as the "back to work" season is here, either that or people are returning broken or unwanted gifts ir rushing to the sales.

Christmas day was nice, the lunch almost made me explode , so much so that we had to wait for Christmas pudding until tea time as we could not eat it after lunch.

Presents were amazing, new electric razor, new Loius Vuitton "REAL" holdall, new 10 megapixel camera, a commissioned painting of the view from my parents window, including myself and Megan in the corner on our walk.

We stayed in that evening as i had done all the visiting or relatives prior to 25th so settled down to TV, very uninspiring as usual, i think i even fell asleep and missed the queens speech which use to be a family highlight which is now a chore.

My brother and his wifes gifts did not arrive and as we speak i have just answered th door to Royal Mail Services and there is a box awaiting them when they get back from shopping.

I have had many walks with Megan, she loves it down the woods, the ground has been frosty and crisp and although there has been no snow it was white in a frosty way which added to the spirit of things.

Today 27th the weather has turned mild and the ground softened so Megan will be very muddy after her afternoon walk,the temperature is almost 50degrees which for december is really warm.

The tree now looks sad and lonely, opened gifts still litter it's base and remnants of wrapping paper and labels can be found stuck to objects or the bottom of your shoes.

Dad is having a tumour removed tomorrow at 830am from the side of his right eye, the proceedure should take no more than 5 minutes but he is not allowed to drive so i am taking him and bringing him back with mam, Ged will still with megan then return to his sisters in the afternoon.

I fly to Heathrow on 29th, not working until 30th at 0925 but cannot get there on time on 30th so having to go the day before and stay in Renaissance hotel ( BA rate £45.00) and flight was £81.00 so an expensive trip to work eh!!!
Fly to New York on 30th and back in Arora hotel Heathrow on 31st at 9pm, leave for New York again on 1st Jan 2008 check in at 1625 and back about 830am on 3rd January, flying to Newcastle on 1250 flight then driving home to Surrey with Ged and Megan on 4th.
I do miss my new scottish friend but understand his committments to his family and him having to get used to losing something he loved dearly and getting used to someone else, he is a great person and i miss him as a friend.

Last UK shopping trip

Today 20th December mum and i went to the Metro centre in Gateshead, only M&S opens at 9am all the other shops are 10am but we were there by 915am just to get a parking space as an hour later at this time of year is stressful and annoying with patience wearing thin with a lot of people.
I had a free £10 voucher for Argos with buying the TV/DVD flat screen ( £299.00) for bedroom so mum wanted a nose/ear hair trimmer for dad so she used it and it was £11.99 so only £1.99 to put to the voucher, i do like to help them if i can.

Dropped of duty free cigarettes at Gabi's so waiting for th money for them, walked Megan for an hour down the woods and she loves it down there, she was bouncing about like a spring lamb.

I also spent an hour this afternoon wrapping up final gifts and also ironing some clothes for work and also for Christmas day, there is nothing worse than trying to iron and manouvre while parents are trying to make Christmas lunch.

I also worry about people that ar eno longe rin my life as poor Chris buried his mum today after suffering for a long time with cancer, the dreaded C word. I thought of him and what was happening during my shopping trip with mum and had my eye on my watch constantly. The poor lad has to perform in panto 2 hours after the crematorium service, this takes strength.

I will sign off and hope you all have you gifts and are looking forward to the festive period with friend, family and loved ones. That does include you Graham who is one of those men who deserve the world and i would give it, if i had it!!!

Bad days

I really hate days that are filled with bad news, firstly i fell out and then fortunately made up with a good friend, then i received a text message to say my old friend Chris's mam had died of cancer ( see evening chronicle family notice below).
It seems every year at Christmas time bad news rears it's ugly head. Poor Chris is starring in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal Newcastle and i bet he is still having to do the show before the funeral and probably the afternoon of the funeral, how strong must he be to be able to do that or just 100000000% loyal to his showbusiness career.
I did text him anonymously to send my condolences and he asked who i was but i said it was not important, just to let him know that people are thinking about him right now.

I am lucky to still have my parents, i have lost a brother, sister in law and two nephews though, not through death just by falling out, pretty pathetic really but stubborness runs through the Gleghorn family.

I am here in Calgary Canada and being alone in a hotel room does not help when bad news arrives, especially as the hotel has been plunged into darkness on and off for 2 days with no lights, tv or internet.

This is not one of those cities on my "Must have a holiday there" list, its depressing, miserable and because it is winter it is like a ghost town at night as so cold outside.
ALl the buildings are linked by tunnels so you never have to step into the open unless you want too.



HAYWARD (Byker). Peacefully on December 15th, aged 66 years, Anne (nee Brennan), devoted wife of Fred, loving mam to Christopher and Gary and his fiancee Karen and sister of Betty. Family and friends please meet at St. Anthony of Padua, Roman Catholic Church, on Thursday December 20th at 10.00am, followed by cremation at The West Road Crematorium at 11.15am. R.I.P.


God Bless Anne

First appeared on 17 Dec 2007

Wrapping day!!!

I have spent hours today wrapping up presents, i do enjpoy the chore as long as i have chosen the right wrapping paper and nice lables, bows and other shiny things.
I have kept presents small, not in quantity but size as then i can wrap them and plave them in one big box or Christmas bag with a decent label and a classy bow, rather than have to write a load of labels for one person.
The dog was aware i was wrapping her presents as she was sniffing around them. On Christmas morning she opens her own presents and the lead up to Christmas the presents are under the tree but she does not touch any of them until Christmas morning when we give her her own gifts.
I also helped to decorate the tree todaym dad put the lights on and i put on the toys and miles and miles of beads which always fall off.
The frost was heavy today and very cold outside, same for tomorrow which adds to that Christmas mood.

Seattle Shopping

The day started early at 830am, met for breakfast and then headed to the Hilton hotel and the Alamo car hire desk, i was told to book this via the British Airways crew website which had a link to Alamo with the discounts, i could not believe the car for 24 hours, fully inclusive was $40 or £20.00, that was divided by four of us and with the replacement fuel we payed $12.50 each or £6.25. I have paid more for a taxi to travel a short distance and we did almost 80 miles today.
We travelled north of Seattle to the Premium Outlet Mall in Tulalip, it was around 37 miles and we did hit some snow on the way, we never once got lost as i had printed out directions from Mapquest before i left home in UK.
The mall was quaint and not as busy as i thought it would be two Sundays before Christmas, we found a good parking spot and set off on the hunt for bargains.
The first shop i entered was the Calvin Klein store and i spent $140.00 then i spent $80 in the Polo/Ralph Lauren store and my biggest purchase was a $700.00 diamond necklace for my mother, i bought her a diamond ring last year and this will match the ring for special occasions.
I think spoiling your parents is important, they spoilt me all of my younger life and even now, and as i work and they are retired spoiling them is only saying thank you for my great upbringing and childhood which was full of great things as well as love.
Anyway, back to the shops................we stayed there in the Outlet mall until 130pm and then called at Wallmart next door where i bought gifts for Megan and some real great squeaky toys and a doggies furry mobile phone which rings,doubt i will be popular on Christmas day when Megan is making noise squeaking toys etc when people are trying to nap after a rather large lunch.
We got back to the city about 330pm and headed off to shops in the city after returning the car full of fuel, Ross is a typical "rummage store" where you have to really search to find designer brand items and seriously reduced prices, usually i cannot be bothered so only browse.
Bed Bath and Beyond is a really nice store, it is not typically bathroom items but as it's names suggest...Bed bath and......BEYOND, so it carried everything except clothes, lots of gadgets and photo frames, candles, bedding,etc. They were selling huge pampering bath item baskets all in cellophane and ideal for Ged to give to my mother as a Christmas gift so i got one for him, the holder is green suede and it looks nice.
I am now back in my hotel room, it is cold outside and although it is only 8pm my body is still on UK time at 4am so i am struggling to stay awake.I land back in Heathrow around 12pm on 11th December and driving home to my parents on Wednesday 12th, it usually takes about 5 hours and my car will be packed with gifts and clothes as not returning home until beginning of January. I will be flying on staff tickets from Newcastle to Heathrow 3 times leaving Megan with my parents while i fly to Calgary, Bangalore and New York ( twice) over New Year.
Fuel is UK is at a record high at an average of £1.07 per litre which is astronomical so the journey home will be more expensive than usual, however when i spend £50+ in Tesco's i get 5p off every litre of petrol so i am currently getting it for 96-97p per litre.







The Car we hired, the Chevrolet Impala, a nice comfortable car!!!

The build up to Christmas

I suppose i am lucky as with my job i usually stay in major cities all over the world, so i don not have to drive, find parking spaces etc etc i just leave hotel and im in the shops, very lucky i know!
I have been doing some research into Seattle Outlet malls as i am going there on 8th and we usually stay there for 24 hours but this trip i have all of 9th off.
The plan is to hire a care and head 36 miles north to Tulalip where there is a massive outlet mall featuring Calvin Klein, Armani, Polo etc etc and i have also joined some online club and have extra money off vouchers to spend, i have also remembered to pack my driving license as this can be handy when hiring a car HA HA!!
I have my dollars, credit cards and although i have most of my Christmas shopping i know i will buy much more than i need. A great saying i once overheard was " would you still buy it if it was twice the price" if the answer is NO then you don't need it in the first place whatever it cost, otherwise your only buying it because it is cheap.
I am sure some of the crew may come with me to share the hire car expenses but i would be quite happy to go on my own, it can be a little daunting when your thousands of miles from home and driving on the other side of the road alone so i suppose the company would be good and also someone with navigational skills, ( i have printed the driections from mapquest).
Lets hope i get a nice car, have a safe journey and get lots of bargains.
Will let you know in a future blog.

Christmas Gifts

Christmas is a great time of year so i hope you all enjoy it!!!!





Christmas becomes more and more difficult every year, it's not the money thing but the "what shall i buy", I do spoil my parents and after diamond and emerald rings for mum and dvd recorders etc for dad i am stuck as to what to buy so i have opted for many lower price gifts and one expensive one each.
They spoilt me as a child and on Christmas morning myself and my brother would go downstairs to see an array of brightly wrapped presents arranged on the lounge furniture, in those days i think it may have taken 10-15 minutes of frantic unwrapping or should i say ripping of the paper until it was all over.
Mum checks ( and still does) all the wrapping for gifts that may still be hiding in there before she loads it into large black bin bags ready for collection, i suppose some years ago a gift may have been thrown away by accident so i understand why she does it.

FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it so wrong to be a little over protective with your parents. Would i be wrong to question family members who had a slight minor disaster and thought it appropriate to contact my parents who were on a cruise ship at the time and turn it into some major world crisis for no reason, this made them worry and possibly spoilt their well deserved holiday.
Then when i contact them with my condolences about the ceiling collapse and also use this time to question contacting parents, it was then all thrown back in my face for no reason at all.
I was accused of "once again" turning things into a family issue, i also have decided that my parents are th only important people in my life and i will disown the rest of my immediate family as it is pretty obvious they do not want any part of me on their lives so i have to get used to the fact they do not exist anymore. Should not be too diffiult as my brother has never been in my life so it is not really a life changing decision.
His wife is a control freak who has to decide who,when and what is happening, she has friends who use her for what they can get out of her financially and although she is intelligent she is blind to this fact.
As for my brother he is a selfish, self centred, obnoxious unloving person who is so mean its unexplainable.
They waste money on themselves and although if i had worked as hard as they have in their lives i would too , treat myself , however i would also look after the two people that brought me into this world and made me the person i am, my parents but others do not see it like this and would rather waste money on wasters and sponsoring children in dark corners of the earth.
Poor dad drives around in an M registration Toyota which costs him more to keep on the road than it is worth while others by large BMW's and 12 carat diamond bracelets.
I would operate differently, they would have a new kitchen, house redecoration, new car, nice holiday, regular weekend breaks but then again i am proud to say im a loving, giving son and not a mean tight fisted one.
When my parents die i will get by on the memory that i did what i could for them with what i could afford. They knew i was kind and considerate and always put others before myself unlike my mean nasty brother and his false family.
My nephews are like chalk and cheese, one smokes dope 24/7 and has his fingers in s om many pies but unsuccessful in most, the other is gay, hates his father and is driven by his mother, so not only do you have a controlling woman figure but a male gay version which in fact is worse.
He is self opinionated and always thinks he is right, no one ever communicated and everything was like a big secret. eg my sister in law obviously had be planning to go overseas to see "whoever" but she only told my parents as my brother was driving her to the airport for the flight, if that was me i would have mentioned it to my mam and dad when i had thought about going months before.
I do not want to go into the reason why my brother and his wife sleep seperately but put it this way, when i ranted at them it sort of took presidence over what he did so he felt let off the hook, this he has bled dry to make himself look better.
His wife has been on a mission to darken the name of me and my brother and uses any and every opportunity to do so.
I was really upset when their dog died, being an animla lover, so i sent a text, yes i had a frosty thank you reply but i do not think i would get a text of any of them when anything happens to my dog.
I am proud that i help others and put myself out for people, i would hate to be like them and im so pleased that i am not and never will be.
They can now get on with their own sad lives as one day they will come down to earth with a bump and i will not be there to pick up any of the pieces.

Im Warm

Well after two weeks of no heating and hot water, living in layers and layers of clothes, hot water bottles, electric blankets, electric heaters they finally fixed it on Thursday 29th November.
I have lived in the luxury of bubble baths as it used to take 2 hours to fill one with pans and kettles.
I have been offered £100.00 compensation and £100 off a new boiler, i think that is appalling for what we went through and i have questioned their offer and waiting for a reply.
Off to Seattle tomorrow and i will be stressed as Ged working and although Angela is looking after Megan i still stress out about her when she is here on her own.

Im cold!!!!

British Gas Problems

Over the years I have had many problems with my boiler and British Gas, However, showed up and ruined it with their after care service and punctuality:-

I was hounded to add 3 kitchen appliances to my policy and pay £64.00 in total per month for everything.

When my cooker broke down they found small print and said there was no cover and I had to buy a new one.

I have had engineers who show up to mend a boiler which has already been checked out and when they arrive to fix it they say " what is the problem". Surely information should be passed on from one engineer to another.

I had a leaking boiler and it took 6 months and 4 engineers before the leak was even noticed.

Engineers promise a time to come back and dont show up.

Engineers swap jobs amongst themselves to be closer to their own homes and turn up not knowing what is wrong.

My father who is in his 70's installed his own central heating system and had to point out to engineer what the problem was.

EXAMPLE:-

17th Nov boiler stopped completely

18th engineer arrived ( would come back on 20th between 11-3pm)

19th day three with no heating or hot water

20th called British gas at 11am to clarify appointment in system and all ok

20th called 2pm as no engineer had shown up

20th called at 1515 told job was cancelled as no part and someone from parts would call me in 90 minutes

20th called 1700 as nobody called and told 3 parts were needed, one had arrived and one had not.
This is now day four or no heating or hot water, I now have a cold and a headache. I was told someone would call in next two days but I may have to wait until Friday this will be day 7, my house is becoming cold and damp with no heat.
An email was sent to Watchdog at the BBC and also 2 emails to British Gas which have yet to be responded too.

21st November no one called

22nd November no one called

23rd I contacted British Gas and spoke to a supervisor calle Chris who apologised and said he was working on Saturday 24th and would do some research and call me back personally.

24th November No one called, not even Chris as he promised, the temperature was below freezing last night and house very cold.

25th another cold day, day 9 without heating or hot water.

26th day ten, no heating or hot water

( will update saga)

Christmas preparation

I really do like Christmas, the build up, the shopping, the carols, great tv entertainment but then after Christmas lunch it seems the weeks of preparation is over with before you can blink.
I am having problems this year as although i have money to buy things i don't know what to buy, i have spoilt people so much in the past that it becomes more difficult each year to buy nice impressive things. It is not a showing off thing, i think it is a way of spoiling people, so when they are not with us anymore i can say i did what i could with what i had.

Being Controlled

After watching a show on tv yesterday with people calling in with their comments on many topics it all came to light that we are being controlled as a nation by the powers of politician, MP's and managers of companies.
They employ people who constantly need to justify their existence and come up with ideas that are supposed to make all out lives better.
For instance, the show wanted to know if the UK was still a Christian nation or should we change things to help other intergrate into our society.
Apparently 99.99% of Muslims are not offended by Christmas so who decided we should change things within our schools to adapt to Muslim children.
Our story of Mary and Joseph ( i played Joseph in junior school) should not be killed off,i would love to know who is accountable for these decisions as they never come to light do they??
I work for a large UK based airline and we see the same controlling behaviour, individuals have made decisions that have cost the airline millions of pounds and it has been a bad decision but they either crawl under a stone and keep their heads down or disappear from the airline with a two million pound handshake.
If we take a free passenger paper priced at 40p and get caught with it we are sacked for stealing,where is the justice in all this.
Our pension fund has a massive hole in it in the Billions of pounds but the company seem to be able to buy new aircraft worth a fortune and never think of the staff who will be surviving on a pittance when they retire.
CEO's come and go as they are not really attracted to the job for passionate reasons, they are attracted by the great salary, the bonuses, and after two years a few million in the bank, free first class travel and a guaranteed million pound pension and the wonder why moral is low in cabin services and the crews who see this on a daily basis and work tirelessly for the the benefit of our customers and try to promote our company and make it profitable, but we never see the profits.
My only wish is to have a huge win on the lottery so i can retire and have a life, win a substantial amount on the premium bonds so i can pay off the mortgage and not have to worry about that.
The mortgage is another story, we bought this property in 1997 and it was a 3 way mortgage with a good friend, he waited 3 years for house prices to sore and then left, we owed him one third of the equity of the house which at the time he got £30,000, ( borrowed from parents and now all paid back) and if it was now we would owe him about £70,000.
We all had seperate endowment mortgages worth £36,666 each so our mortgage is £110,000 so we are £36,666 short when endowment matures minimum, they are not doing so well so we are short on our own policies as well as his which he took with him when hge left along with his £30,000 cash.
To sum up, we need to sell and move before 2017 as otherwise we will have to pay all the above, if we sell and take the equity to buy a new place with a smaller mortgage maybe back up north to our homeland we would be better off, no mortgage, a bit on the bank and a better quality of life.
Airlines managers and other managers should read this and realise how lucky you are in your leafy surburban mansions with a few cars on the drive and millions in the bank!!!!!!
I would really consider myself as a controlling person when i come to think about it, as a small child i would do any chore if i decided myself to do it, if i was told to do it i would not do it.
I was the same when i was looking for a job, my parents would say, " should you not be out looking for a job" as i was about to go out and do exactly that so i would say " not today" and stay in. If they had said nothing i would have gone but i would NOT be told.
As i have matured i try and anticipate what people will ask and expect of me and just do it before they tell me then i am ok. I suppose sometimes i forget and get irritated by them when they remind me i need to do something.
I do not go into an immature strop but become angry with myself by allowing myself to be told to do something when i should have done it without being asked.
WOW i confused myself with that one!!!!

Cruises i have done ( So far!!)

FUTURE CRUISES COSTA SERENA



CARNIVAL VICTORY 2007



NORWEGIAN JEWEL 2006



BRAEMAR 2005



BLACK WATCH 2004



ROYAL OLMYPIC TRITON 2001



NORWEGIAN STAR SEPTEMBER 1999

BAD BANKING DAY

I have yet another company that has give me grief after my business, I ordered a silver cooker and they delivered a white one which i sent back and then asked for a refund as it was easier and quicker to buy another one from a local company. They decided to take £31.00 off my refund to cover carriage of cooker back to manufacturer, this i disputed as they had not sent me the correct appliance in the first place but i was met by an agressive guy who basically told me how it was and to accept it.
This was 15th October and they say they have refunded my account on 22nd October and today is 1st November and still no money.
There emails when i email then come back as abusive and rude, saying things like "do you think we are sitting here with our feet up doing nothing" and " we will not respond further" and "YOUR REFUND HAS BEEN DONE"( also in upper case)!!!

www.appliancebargains.co.uk
This is the company so stay away guys!!!
I contacted my bank and they are investigating them as a bogus amount of money was taken from my account on the same day as my purchase from them and i had to query this with barclays and after filling in fraud forms they have refunded the amount in full.
I am not pointing the finger but it seems their negative and abusive reponse to my query points the finger at guilty!!!!

Barclays are now going to leave it 15 more days and if the money has not appeared they will refund it personally and then fight for their money back.

What a world we live in eh!!!!

Also had another trip to the Chiropractor today and had my back clicked twice and also my neck which made an odd noise.

I am off work sick until Wednesday 7th November.
This is my least favourite time of year as it is so unfair to pets to have to put up with fireworks, there are enough organised displays so why people have to set them off in gardens is beyond me, and surely less injuries would occur if more attended organised events.
Years ago Fireworks were set off on 5th November only but now it seems to be two weeks before and two weeks after,i think the fireworks afterwards are the cheapskates who go and buy them half price and save some money.
I could cope with one night but almost a month is horrendous, i cannot walk the dog when it gets dark ( around 5pm) as if i end up in the middle of a flash bang firework parade i cannot protect her so we have to battle on through it until we get home.
BAN FIREWORKS is what i say!!!!

WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why...If flying is so safe do they call the airport building the "terminal"?

Why...is there no mouse flavoured cat food?

Why...are aeroplanes not made out of the same metal as the black box?

Why...do your pubes not go grey like your hair on your head?

If you know anymore please let me know and i will add them!!

Things That Annoy Me ( will update on regular basis)

Mother's who walk down street in pairs both pushing pushchairs and making no effort to move for people coming the other way.

People who chat and block supermarket ailes while others try to squeeze through.

Bad timekeeping, if i say i will meet you at 7pm i will be there at 655pm NOT 715pm.

Celebrities who go on daytime and evening chat shows and all they are doing is promoting a new book, film, cd, single or tv show.

Footballers salaries ( SAY NO MORE!!!!!)

Drivers who use middle lane when not overtaking!!!

Drivers who drive with full beam on lights or fog lights when it is not foggy!!!

Passengers on aircraft that stand up when the seat belt sign is on and also turn on their mobile telephones in flight, there are plenty announcements telling them not too so there is no excuse.

EASTENDERS!!!! too depressing and annoying.

Hotels that charge more for 24 hour internet access than i pay for a month at home.

Young people in mature senior jobs but have no people skills or any idea how to handle certain situations.

OTHER IRRITATIONS ARE:-

Cold Callers

Tailgaters

Queue Jumpers

Slow Internet connections

People who read over your shoulder

Stepping on dog poo

Brownnosers

Dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs

People who cpmplain about how fat they are when they are obviously so skinny

Auotmated phone systems

Chavs

Able bodied drivers who park in disabled bays

Noisy eaters

Noisy neighbours

Junk mail

Screaming kids

Rude shop assistants

Heather Mills

People who talk on mobile phones on public transport

Mosquitoes

Email spam

Spots

Public displays of affection

The hot water running out when you are running a bath

Cashiers who put your change on top of your receipt

Russell Brand

Victoria Beckham

John McCririck

Trying to find the end of the cellotape

JADE GOODY!!!!! ( HUGE ANNOYANCE)

People ramming your heels with trolleys

Paris Hilton

Stubbing your toe

People pushing prams in shops

Not having change when you really need it

Leaving your mobile at home

Embarrassing farts

Rubbish opening times and doctors and dentists

Flatmates who use oall the milk

Crazy frog

Coldsores

Sunburn

Roadworks

Running out of petrol

Britney Spears.

The Chiropractor

I turned up for my appointment 45 minutes early as absoulutely hate being late for anything,he had two other clients to see before me so after filling in pages of forms and flicking through a couple of "Hello" magazines and the daily paper i was called into his room.
The room was rectangle in shape with an electronic bed which looked like something from a torture chamber with metal feet plates and arm holds.
I was asked a few questions then i was examined in only my underwear which i found embarrassing,( i had showered and changed as i was always advised to do by mum,)
He examined my back thoroughly and reflexes with the hammer on my ankles and kneecaps. I was diagnosed with disc problems and the fact i had long back and short legs put pressure on my lower back anyway.
There was also something about small hairs on my lower back whic apparently told him something else that may be going on which i have forgotten.
I was told to make another appointment for Thursday and go home putting a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel on my back for 20 minutes then 10 minutes without it then back on again,but surely the peas would start to defrost!!!!
I did feel better afterwards however the most painful and noisy treatment he performed was laying me on my side, one leg straight, one leg over other leg knee bent and he snapped my back making a noise that made me laugh, maybe that was fear, he did the same on the other side and i laughed again.
His name was Neil and obviously very good at his job.
I have to remain from work for a minimum of a week and see how i feel from then on. I have kept all the receipts just in case anything comes in the form of compensation from my employer.

Work Injury

These injuries can be a thorn in your side, they could affect promotion if damages are fought for.
My nightmare started on 26th October 2007 on a flight from London to Lagos Nigeria, i was attempting to retrieve a first class duvet bag from the first class wardrobe but it was buried under three passenger bags which were over sized and overweight but the company allows this and turns a blind eye because it is "first class" and they have "a right" due to the extortionate fare they pay for their tickets.
As i attempted to pull the duvet bag out as i was not going to lift the bags or wake up passengers seated nearby, i did position myself correctly, feet flat on floor, knees slightly bent and gave a huge tug to release the bag. However the bag came out and so did something in my back. I was frozen to the spot for what seemed like hours but was only minutes as the pain was horrific and i did not know how i would move for the best comfort.
I managed to get back to the galley area and the pain must have been etched on my face as my colleagues immediately asked if i was ok.
It was towards the end of the flight so there was no more work to do except sit down for landing which was also painful.
I limped through the airport and took a hot bath once i managed to get to my room in the Sheraton, i slept badly as movement during sleep woke me up constantly, the next day i contacted the lady in charge of my flight and she supplied Ibruprofen and i also had a couple of paracetamols in my bag which saw me over until i got home.
A guy on the crew had been ill previously in Lagos and taken to hospital and the hygiene was horrific, a bucket was given to him with a ladle for drinking and flies and insects crawled all over the room.
I did not want to experience this first hand to lived on the painkillers, i have a Chiropractor appointment on 30th October and will seek a solution hopefully from him, well i do hope so as it is costing me £76.00 for a consultation and treatment of about one hour.
I also had some news of a company called O.H.Parsons and Partners who fight companies who's staff have been injured at work and all through the works union who i have already contacted.
I hope to find a solution to this as i cannot survive without my job but they must be held responsible for not monitoring what size and weight of baggage is being allowed onto the aircraft. The company supply large metal frames with a sign " if your bag does not fit in this frame it is too large for the aircraft" however i doubt they ever use them as some items are like suitcases and not wheelie bags.
The result is i am in pain, i can hardly sleep or get out of bed, trying to get up off the sofa is also a struggle and the poor dog is not getting long energetic walks as i cannot do them right now.

Bad Day

Do you ever have one of those days that you just feel like screaming. Today was a day like that, i was still having internet connection problems and wanted to throw my lap top through the window ( closed window) i think the sound of shattering glass would have been a wake up call.
The cooker was delivered without a galss lid, afeter many annoying telephones calls listening to dreadful music and then the 5th person i spoke to utters those words "let me put you through to someone else who will help you" and i wanted to stretch my arm down the telephone and grab them by the neck!!
The connection for the ove was not correct and i tried to email photographs to my dad, but guess what, internet not working. After calling British Gas for assistance and taking into account i pay £63.00 per month for gas assisted problems they would not help unless i was charged as i was not covered for gas cooker fitting. At this point i had no gas as i had turned it off due to the loose gas pipe in kitched waiting to be attached, this meant no heating, no hot water, no ways of cooking food, Now i would take that as an emergency!!
Ged's work colleague's son works for a gas related company ( naming no names due to moonlighting)He came to the rescue and fitted cooker and tested it, he checked metre for leaks and all was ok. A hero to the rescue.
Today is a new day, i have heating, although the "official" gas boiler check is due to be carried out between 12-6pm, the water upstairs is still warm and you can run a bath and get into it without using any cold water, the shower also keeps running hot and cold, but im not holding my breath as they have been here so many times and not really solved anything.
Don't you really hate it when you pay for a service and the company swapms you in all the good things they can do, they happily take your money but then keep taking it but are not supplying the service they had first offered. That should really be illegal!!!!!
I will name and shame these companies:-
BRITISH GAS
VIRGIN MEDIA
CURRYS ELECTRICALS

A few airlines we worked alongside

However they went bust in the 80's

Looking Back

I often lie awake at night thinking of the past and the good and bad things. London Gatwick Airport has played a big part in my life and i will always have a soft spot for the place.
The memories consist of great trips, happy flights, great social life and friends. I saw airlines come and go, Dan Air, Air Europe, Cityflyer and Paramount to name a few, the golden era of flying.
I even have flashbacks to great times when i hear certain songs expecially 80's classics like Luthur Vandross and Alexander O'Neill.
In those days the flight deck door was never looked and bolted or monitored by CCTV cameras, the door was open, we wandered in at our leisure, children would be taken to see the Captain with their over excited fathers who probably used the kids to get in there, this could make a childs holiday and it's a shame that those days are now gone due to the invention of the in flight terrorist.
In th 80's trips were longer, im not sure if that was a charter thing as we did not have daily flights to most places so when we flew longhaul we had to wait until the next flight came in for us to take home and that was 9 times out of 10 seven days later. I had a week off in Mombassa Kenya, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Bangor Maine, Orlando, Grenada in Caribbean. Also took Ged with me on trips so we had some great free holidays ( except the price of his ticket which was usually no more than £50 return)NO TAXES!!!!!!
I loved flying on the L1011 Tristar and the B747-200 with spiral staircase to the 12 seats upstairs. i was not keen on the 737-200 but quite liked the 757 ETOPS for short flights only however Caledonian would cram in 233 passenger in a 757 and send us to Bangkok via Bahrain with 12 non reclining seats and very cramped conditions, i did feel sorry for our passenger but then again it was charter and they probably chose us as we were the cheapest. The DC10 a great addition to the fleet allowed us to fly direct and not make refuelling stops.

An ok Day

What a day i had yesterday, the new cooker arrived and it was the wrong one, the gas board emergency service had to call as we could smell gas and i noticed £247.00 to a strange company had beed debited from my online bank account. Now i do spend a lot online but i do not recognise this at all so my card has been cancelled and fraud paperwork has been posted to me.
Technology was the talk of the day today when my plug in I-pod in car players arrived, one for dad for christmas and one for me. SO simple to operate, plug into car lighter socket, tune your car radio to a blank channel then tune the unit to same frequency and all your music plays through the car speakers, AMAZING!!! Megan has been like a puppy/spring lamb today, bouncing about on her walk this mornning and Ged took her out this afternoon while i installed the above and also gave the car a vacuum as Megan is terrified of the vaccum after getting the cable caught in her leg when she was a puppy and dragging the vaccum behind her as she ran away. She is the same with white vans and the bin lorry is not a favourite of hers.
It really cold today so first time i had worn a scarf and gloves since last winter but i love the crisp mornings and the winter period, it becomes all festive and Christmassy. I do hope i get Christmas off this year, well i should not complain as after 20 years i have never been away for Christmas and the nearest i have been is landing on Christmas Day and still being home in North East for Lunch, or being on Standby so parents had Christmas in the south and i did not get used for a flight until 2nd January.

The Funeral 16th October 2007

This started off at 0430 in the morning in Surrey, i jumped out of bed, showered and drove to Heathrow arriving at crew car park at 530am, i caught tha 0545 U3 bus from the Bath road to Terminal one central area and then walked through the tube station to check in. The flight at 0715 was not full so i got on ok on my staff ticket, and landed in Newcastle at 0825. I was met by mam and dad and we drove to the chapel of rest to see Aunty Bell and were led through a lovely decorated reception area to a nice lounge, tastefully decorated with two nice sofas. The owner came in and said the paperwork had not been signed so the body was still at University hospital. Mum and Dad knew there was a mix up as she was never in that hospital. He went top check and came back all apologetic as there were three people in that day all with the same surname of Robson so we almost saw the wrong body.
This was a start of fiascos, in the church the vicar/priest was Polish and his english was bad, plus he got her shortened life story all mixed up and there was no mention of her sister Eva who dies almost two years ago. The organise did not show up so there was no accompaniment to the Hymns. It turned into "CARRY ON DEATH" it's a good job Aunty Bell liked a laugh and had a good sense of humour.
We all went back to a local golf course for afternoon tea etc with the usual passing around or photographs and families catching up. We left so i could change for my flight home about 530pm and i was at the airport by 700pm, my flight took off at 810pm and landed at 925pm. I was back at home by 1045pm after a very long day. It was so nice to see all my family again but it always seems to be under the same circumstances of death. I do hope we have a happy event soon and not a sad one!!!!

Gone Forever

The telephone has been ringing on and off today and my heart skipped a beat every time. It was at 1800 this evening my mum called to deliver the news that my Aunty Bell had slipped away in her sleep after almost a week of being unconcious and without food or water and on very strong medication. He is obviously very upset and i took a late walk with the dog just to be on my own and deal with it in my own time.
She was not only my aunt but my godmother, she was also a second mother to my father who spent the school holidays living with her as his friends lived closer to her than they did to his parents. He slept downstairs on two armchairs pushed together. He now only has one living sister left and she is not really very well and it will be a downward slide for her now as her two sisters are dead.

OH DEAR

Bad news awaited me when i arrived home after 4 atlantic crossing to New York in 5 days, two westbound and two eastbound. My fathers oldest sister has been scanned after a short period of illness and she has cancer of the colon and spreading up to brain. Her life is almost over and is now in a home, unconcious, on Morphine and has not eaten for four days.
I have my annual exams coming up which i need to pass to continue to fly in my job otherwise i would have gone up north to see her before anything awful happens as she is not onloy my aunty but my godmother.This i feel guilty about but i will see how things go after my exams and she will then be my first priority.
My friends fly to Montreal today to join Fred Olsen Cruis ship Black Watch to cruise from Montreal to Nassau, they are currently at Gatwick waiting for their flight to Montreal to join the ship, they get back in 20 days and then cruise again 5 days later in Mediterranean. Lucky Devils!!!

01st October 2007

Well i attempted a walk this morning, at a slow pace things were ok, what a relief, little Megans injury seems to have been a strain, Thank you God!!
I am going to work tomorrow and my dog walker doing tomorrow afternoon and in charge all day Wednesday and i was worried how she was going to cope so now i will heave a sigh of relief as today i saw the improvement i was so praying for.
It the first week we have ahd the central heating on, a sign of winter on its way. Leaves are constantly being raked in the garden and it wont be long before the annoying bonfire night arrives and the once, one night of torture for animals can now last weeks as fireworks are sold off cheaply after the event and hence it never seems to end. Will have to do some christmas shopping soon or the big day will be here before i can turn around.

More Stressed

Megan is now limping on her front legs badly, i am going to try and get some weight off her to alleviate the stress and weight on her legs. This is not easy, she has an incredible appetite and with not walking as much it's a long road.
Her medication from the vets (anitinflammatory) gave her the diarrhoea and made her uncomfortable.
I still hope it's a strain on a muscle and with my parents staying when i was on holiday she much have got onto their bed in the spare room which is higher than ours and also the floor is laminate and slippy when she jumps off the bed so fingercrossed the next blog contains positive news!!

STRESSED AGAIN!!!!

When i returned from holiday i realised that Megan's limp had become worse and i noticed she was putting a lot of weight on her back right leg while walking on her toes on her left back leg.I could not sleep last night and think i eventually fell asleep crying. She has been with me now since 1999 and yes, she is nine years old on April 12th 2008, i am taking her to the vets tomorrow for their opinion and i guess a diet plan as she is a little heavy, but has struggled with that since i had her spayed when she was about one year old.
When you receive unconditional love for a period of years, no arguments, no disagreements, just love and kisses, its sad when you see them in pain or suffering. I think it will all be ok once i get her some medication from the professionals.
Megan has really been the only living thing that has truely loved me and i think once she has gone from me i will never be loved again.
Maybe i am worying for no reason, maybe i will have her for another 5-6 years, but it comes to me after a bad 12 months of stress, upset and fighting with my own sanity and emotions so im teetering on the edge right now.
A week ago i was enjoying the luxuries of a cruise now i am thrown into reality and stress, the dermatitus will rear it's ugly head if i get too stressed.

Great things don't last

When i returned from holiday i realised that Megan's limp had become worse and i noticed she was putting a lot of weight on her back right leg while walking on her toes on her left back leg.I could not sleep last night and think i eventually fell asleep crying. She has been with me now since 1999 and yes, she is nine years old on April 12th 2008, i am taking her to the vets tomorrow for their opinion and i guess a diet plan as she is a little heavy, but has struggled with that since i had her spayed when she was about one year old.
When you receive unconditional love for a period of years, no arguments, no disagreements, just love and kisses, its sad when you see them in pain or suffering. I think it will all be ok once i get her some medication from the professionals.
Megan has really been the only living thing that has truely loved me and i think once she has gone from me i will never be loved again.
Maybe i am worying for no reason, maybe i will have her for another 5-6 years, but it comes to me after a bad 12 months of stress, upset and fighting with my own sanity and emotions so im teetering on the edge right now.
A week ago i was enjoying the luxuries of a cruise now i am thrown into reality and stress, the dermatitus will rear it's ugly head if i get too stressed.

New York 14th September

I knew this was going to be a long day when the alarm clock went off at 0600, taxi was coming at 0630 for the trip to Heathrow terminal 4, we arrived safeand checked into our confirmed club world business class seats 14E and 14F, comfortable and even better after take off and we were escorted into First class seats 4E and 4F, we landed with the 5 hour time change at 1145am so we had the entire day to walk about, jet lag permitting. We were staying at the Hilton near central park, we took the underground ( subway) to ground zero and as only 3 days after the 6th anniversary of 09/11 the flowers and tributes were still there. On returning we walked through central park and around some of the local shops as well as Broadway, it was a warm day and a little humid but we enjoyed it before collapsing into bed at about 830pm (0130am uk)and we slept like babies and looking forward to our 7 day cruise the following day.










Leaving New York

Sailing out of New York is quite spectacular. After a bad start in the embarkation process which was total organised chaos and we were standing for almost 2 hours in queues but once we were onboard it was ok.
We sailed at 5pm behind the Norwegian Spirit, sailing past downtown Manhattan and passing ground zero which we had visited the day before and the statue of liberty and going under the verrizaro( forgive my spelling on that one) bridge which we looked like we cleared by a matter of inches,not sure how they judge that with high tides or it could have been our overweight american travellers which were helping to keep the boat deep in the water!
Once again spectacular views and a glorious day.

New York 15th September

Sailing out of New York is quite spectacular. After a bad start in the embarkation process which was total organised chaos and we were standing for almost 2 hours in queues but once we were onboard it was ok.
We sailed at 5pm behind the Norwegian Spirit, sailing past downtown Manhattan and passing ground zero which we had visited the day before and the statue of liberty and going under the verrizaro( forgive my spelling on that one) bridge which we looked like we cleared by a matter of inches,not sure how they judge that with high tides or it could have been our overweight american travellers which were helping to keep the boat deep in the water!
Once again spectacular views and a glorious day.

Boston 16th September 2007

As the Boston skyline appeared it was another great day weatherwise, it was unsual in my 5 prior cruises to arrive somewhere at 2pm, usually very early in morning but we were not sailing until 10pm. I have been many times with my job so knew my way around. We walked to the shops and into the main square, a cancer walk had been going on so it was hectic with walkers and spectators, we ended up in the park and bought a coffee. We tried to get on a duck tour but they were all booked up until 6pm so we thought that was a little late so missed out. The shops were all we had and a few local sights that we managed to find. We were back onboard by 6pm and had dinner as we sailed to our next port of call.