22 - 28 Oct: More "normal" week

Mon:  Took Suzuki for service to Hemel, cycled back in grey damp, 7miles, not very pleasant.  Attempted to change options on my BT phone and broadband. Website in consistent and customer service on phone appeared helpful but actually could do nothing, then promised to ring me back tomorrow.

Tue: Today was a "total disaster, darling" as they say on Strictly Dancing.  The electric fire came that we ordered last week.  I carefully measured where it was to go in the kitchen, and drilled a support hole to only go through a central heating pipe.  A jet of hot water sprayed across kitchen.  PANIC.  Grabbed towels and mop, moved furniture out of way, tossed carpet aside, ran upstairs and turned every tap off in the airing cupboard, then down to find house stop cock that easily closed, and cascade reduced to a gentle trickle (phew).  Called Brian, who gave me Dave's number (plumber who redid kitchen waterworks) who was available and came over on 45 mins.  Cut away plasterboard which now was soggy and sagging, and he fitted a joint.  Repressurised system and bled radiators.  Big clean up session,  got fan heater to dry out wall.  Adrenaline crashed down, and I collapsed for the rest of the afternoon listening to my choir music.  Felt calmer and fitted fire - conveniently it covered the hacked out hole so no plastered was required (unless I remove the fire in the future of course!).
Slightly suburban, but cute and comforting for the winter.

Other courier deliveries during the day, but not one expected from UKMail.  When I went to their website it said "delivery attempted, card left".  Bollocks, I was in all day, no card was left, and 3 other couriers managed to deliver during the day.

BT never called back, should I be surprised?????
Choir in evening, went well and my sight reading wasn't bad for a non-musician.

Wed:  UKMail say they will attempt delivery again today, ha ha.  Claimed it was an agency driver yesterday, and maybe he couldn't find the address.  Failed to explain then why he had entered "card left" into the tracking system.  Gardening girls came, sorted out front and back beds.
UKMail delivered at 4pm.  Popped to shops then cycled to Hemel to pick up car.

Thu: G&P round for coffee and chat, then off to T5 to pick up Jon who was stopping over from NY to Kabul.  Lunch at Rootz Brasserie.  In evening Mrs M went to Ballet (Swan Lake) with Lulu & Henry (plus drinks afterwards with Jon) and I attended my first HHT Council of Governors meeting.

Fri: Hosed down and swept patio, then front drive, removing gravel to see what was underneath the caked gravel/mud. G hair duty and shopping took till 12:00.  Jon came back at 4:30, we went to Tamarind Thai for quickie before getting him to airport at 7:45

Sat: Light snow on ground, cold and very clear.  Took G&N for coffee in Wendover, then shopping in PR.  I bought a pair of slippers, very GOMish.  In afternoon, we walked down to vill for a bit of shopping and got rained on, the skies stopped being clear!
This will hurt me more that it hurts you ...
Last minute decision to go to see Skyfall - tried Watford Vue but it was full and website was crap, managed to get into Hemel Odeon whose website was slightly less crap.  SPOILER ALERT Film was tosh, and not even enjoyable tosh at that.  Unmemorable song intro with bizarre graphic storyboard.  Bond was shot in the shoulder with a depleted uranium bullet yet carried on fighting as though nothing had happened.  Then he was shot again by a rifle and fell 100s metres into a river, over rapids etc...then next scene he is fit and well and in bed with a woman on the beach.  No explanation as to how he survived.  Usual type of chases/stunts, wooden dialogue, unrealistic villain, disconnected episodic scenes, quite a few holes in plot, not much humour, I could have added much more.  And the last gun fight in Scotland was far too long.  AND M DIES!!!!!!!!!!  We wished we hadn't bothered, but the reviews to date have been that it was a good film.  Are we odd or does the emperor really have no clothes?

Sun:  Clocks back one hour.  Lulu came home to pick up car, and we had Sunday lunch with G&N.  Afterwards Mrs & Miss M made cakes, very Mary Berryish.

18 - 21 Oct: Berlin

Thu - Sun:  short break in Berlin, flying from Luton early on Wed.  Great weather - clear blue sky, and warm in sun.  Stayed in NH Hotel Berlin Mitte in Mitte district (!).  Lots to see/do/eat, highlights including Berlin Philharmonic, Reichstag, Holocaust memorial park, bits of Berlin Wall, Reichs Air Ministry, Olympic stadium.  Very thought provoking about Germans and the War (who knew?), and how nearly al destruction has been obliterated by "authentic reconstructions".

East German "we can do better" tower

Sophie our Fat Tires guide

catching train

Afternoon tea at Hotel Adlon



Have to shop in Esprit!

waiting for our beer


Berlin national dish - currywurst

Top of Reichstag

8 - 17 Oct: Normal continues ....

Mon: Wandered by Notting Hill/Portobello Road.  Rainy so not much going on.  Up to see Damned by Despair at NT.  ABSOLUTELY AWFUL - tedious, rambling, unconnected, gratuitous violence, morally confused, badly staged. Pretentious crap.

Tue: Choir
Wed: Alex's funeral at Peterborough/Stamford.
Alex at our wedding
"A perfect gentleman"
Thu: NT live fim showing of Last of the Haussmans at Watford Vue,  good, but not as good as the Stalin we saw.

Fri: ?
Sat: With Lulu, met Jon for breakfast at T5.  He was enroute from Delphi to NY.

s

then took Lulu up to her new flat in Clapham,  Met Ollie and went to Brixton market for coffee/snack.


Sun:
Mon: Took G&N to Bath for shopping via Royal Wotton Basset where we bought her a flire place (and one for ourselves!).  Rainy and not much fun in Bath, nasty driving in wet with queues coming back.
Tue: Fitted G's fire:
Choir
Wed: Packed and pottered.

29 Sept - 7 Oct : Back to "normal"

Saw "Lost in Yonkers" at Watford Palace
Quite close to home with a domineering Granny.

Little exercise to report, just a short gym session on Monday and a walk with C&L on Sunday.  Rest of week doing usual Granny duties, getting to grips with paper work, evening dinner/show by Tring Performing Arts at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill with Angela & Ian on Wednesday, War Horse on Thursday (story weak, puppetry amazing and lifelike balletic), unpacking bike, washing gear and putting it away, ticking off the DIY list around the house that has been building up for a month (like finally after 2 years stopping the upstairs toilet from running water all the time).  So back to what oasses for "normal" for the Marshalls at No 2.

My Raid certificate and badge arrived: