It's been a while...

so goes a line in the Staind song, and it's been a while since I had the time (or inclination) to post a blog entry. In the last week or two, I've been for a new job interview (and shortlisted for a 2nd interview next week), worked my arse off in the garden after the trees were taken out, worked my arse off in the orifice (as I like to call it, compared to office which sounds so drab), finished making a frame for a mirror that Steph wants to put in one of our bathrooms, been in endless meetings at work, and...and...and... But best of all, was my birthday on Wednesday 31st (and no, I'm not telling how old). To me it was just the day after Tuesday, but it was made special thanks to Steph, not only for the gifts she gave me (not necessary, but really appreciated), but also for flying my mum up from the coast for a surprise visit. I was working from home (as I do regularly) and had popped out to drop a friend off at the bus station (she was going to visit her father who, coincidentally, also shares the 31st as his birthday, though he's a FEW years older than myself) and found it strange when I got home, that Steph's "Pose-mobile" (Peugeot 206CC convertible, pose factor 10) was parked in the garage. Stranger was the fact that I had also been on the orifice instant-messaging system with a colleague earlier, whom Steph had said she was going to meet for coffee, who had told me that she hadn't seen Steph all day. I saw Steph sitting under the thatch next to the pool and suddenly one and one made eleventeen and I knew that she had arranged for someone to come and visit. I walked into the garden, looking up at the upstairs window, expecting to see the visitor there, but there was no-one. Turns out, my mum was actually hiding behind the pool table and jumped up singing "happy birthday to you, you were born in a zoo..."...thanks for the compliment mum. To cut a long story short, mum was with us until Sunday morning, we had a blast while she was here, and I dropped her off at the airport in the Pose-mobile (driven like the 2L motor should be driven - white-knuckled - mum must have thought I was trying to get rid of her). We're going to go down this weekend so that we can see dad as well (cranky old git that he can be, he's still great to sit and have an intelligent conversation with, and we go fishing and drinking together), and to do some salt water fly fishing too. We'll take the Pose-mobile down so that it'll take us a mere 5hrs or so, instead of the usual 7hrs in my pickup. Looking forward to going down to the coast again. Anyway, that's me...hope everyone else is healthy...