I want one!

There are a couple of emails I enjoy getting every week, and then of course there are the rubbish ones and even lower than that is the mountains of spam. I sift through the rubbish ones and I even cast an eye over the spam, finding an email in there of interest is liking finding a bargain at the car boot.

Well my 2 emails are Martin's Money Saver email and Mike's list. Now Martin's email guides through how to save 20p at Tesco by buying a CD you don't want but you get more money back in vouchers - a prime example. You find the odd nugget of information, but more importantly I feel like I am doing my bit in this time of recession and in most cases if people vote with their feet then retailers will listen. I would love to think that I can have this impact on fuel, but I don't feel so positive about that. Saying that there is on more email and that is my petrolprices - fantastic and a necessity for anyone with a car!

Now with Mike's List this is an information overload of gadgets, mostly pointless ones but never less we will probably have them as essentials in our house in 5 years time! There are also the humorous items, and here are just a couple;

• The item I want and really is for boys who like toys - bike
• The movie you have to watch - Baby
• The blog to read - wish you were here

A man walks into a bar...

...Ouch!

There I was lying in bed last night thinking I need to blog! yes, blog! I was thinking through content and grammatical corrections as I went along and now unfortunately I come to blog and it is gone. The journey of blogging in my mind took me to sleep. All except for the Title which for some reason I did remember.

I have had an important Starfleet meeting this morning which only carries individual importance. But I am pleased to say that I am not a red wearing shirt member of the star-trek away team - Mr Badman analogy! :-)

Now where was I?

It seems that too long has been "wasted" in a pursuit of finding enough red shirted people - Thailand residents do not fear as I only refer to Star Trek! Now we have to continue with our usual daily lives as if nothing has happened except for the fact that there are now not enough people to operate the ship.

I was going to reveal to you a story the other day, but I delayed it for a better time. However you will be pleased to know that that time has come (isn't it strange when you write "that that"...that is not the story). I had to get some watches fixed the other week. Yes, plural - watchES. I know some people consider me as OCD and I have to agree that I am borderline. I get an obsession and I can't stop until Mrs Stretch takes my wallet away! I got one of my ideal Christmas presents last year - a watch box! It holds 12 watches! Of course everyone said that is ridiculous what are you going to put in there - ahhmm...I have filled it! Now some of those watches were broken but one of the contenders was a fake (a Thailand special) and I knew that most jewellers would smash a fake in front of you, I know that as I used to be a jeweller (not a story for today). But I managed to find a diamond in the rough - a proper old school watchmakers. It was tucked away in a residential street with no web presence but certainly character. I took in my 4 watches and I was met by the most appropriate Rainman ever! A 40 year gent with clear learning problems and the dress sense of a gypsy traveller, but WOW did he know his area of expertise - he should be on Mastermind. He spotted the fake within seconds due to something, and reeled off prices and durations for fixing all watches in seconds. A couple of watches could be fixed there and then - the obvious battery ones are easy! Whilst I waited for those, a lady came in with a Rolex, he immediately spotted it didn't have a crest or something on the strap and stated it was a fake - like I said he was rainman! Anyway I just wanted to mention him and give him credit as a few people have an impact on your life and he was one! Just to finish off I ended up walking home with 3 watches round my wrist, I felt like a proper wheeler-dealer!

Mmmm Interesting!

...Well you might not think so, but I do. And by the fact that you are still reading this you must be hoping for a little of something interesting in your life, therefore any minuscule amount of "interesting" would suffice.

I missed out on a story a few weeks ago, and that is basically due to the fact that I have been rubbish at updating my blog. I don't know why but it seems that my work/life balance is askew at the moment and I need to address that. But don't fear I have got a course booked at work to address my life! However right now it feels like I need a life/life balance and work is partly a means to an ends but also a distraction from everything else in life. It helps that work is so busy as that I am fully distracted and I can be h0nest and say that I still want this job. However this week could deal me the card that says P45, but we just have to wait and see.

If you are not already then get on Spotify, get the latest version and share with your facebook friends. Always interesting to see what someone else playlist or most played song is. FYI my starred song is Fyfe Dangerfield, She's Always A Woman.

Another update, my son referred to his "first single" discussion last week and there was me thinking that it had fallen on deaf ears. He was worried that his first single was Geraldine McQueen, Once Upon a Christmas. I was pleased to inform him that actually that was brought for him so it doesn't count. The relief on our faces was clear to be seen by both of us! That leads me to another story... the reason we discovered that CD was that we were having a clear out leading to a car boot sale... as a result the loft looks a lot better, my wife has got rid of lots of tosh and we are £90 better off! We would have made even more money if my Mrs Stretch hadn't purchased more stuff we didn't need from other car-booters! To make it worse she brought some stuff off her friend who went with her (I didn't go till later as I had Daddy Day Care to run). I'm quite pleased I wasn't there as I then didn't need to fight off other "professional car-booters" that try to climb into your car whilst you are driving in and then haggle you down to 15p for an item that was clearly too expensive at 20p!! I also didn't then need to get enraged at the immigrants who have driven round the streets of Portsmouth collecting the charity bags from people's doorsteps before the official collectors can get them, just so they can then sell the clothes at the car boot sales.

I started writing about a story I missed out on writing a few weeks ago and as it turns out I am going to wait and share that story with you another time. I don't want you to get an information overload and declare this as TOO interesting.

Travelling

I have spent a good couple of hours today travelling to another Starfleet site. Surprisingly the traffic was good, the journey was good and the Kia Ceed was pleasurable. I have to say I was never expecting to say any of those, especially the latter.

My journey to another starfleet destination has resulted in several colleagues sat in a room together trying to determine if a new tool does the job for us and that has quickly disseminated into discussing everything else work related and has been a very therapeutic session. In summary; I really don't get out enough!

I think most people (general summarise coming up) try to work from home to achieve a greater output of work. I actually worked out yesterday that I needed to come into the office to get more done. I think that change in scenery is the catalyst, or maybe it was just the event of having to wear pants before midday???!!?

Of course we are all educated enough to know we have to embrace change, but sometimes we have to vent frustration especially the likes of "bandy ears" scenarios. And I have to apologise for that being an "internal joke" and one that will not be explained on my blog, but you might get a more detailed explanation from Golfy's blog!

So the update since my last blog is that we have lost our buyer for house, which means we can't currently pursue the house we want. That is actually sitting okay with us at the moment, however it was disappointing at the moment. Especially when it delays us getting chickens.

Well it is time for me to get on, "kindalike right"! :-)

Some are good and some are great...

Well the bank holiday weekend has come and gone. Now sometimes your weekend can be riddled with disaster usually some extended family event that you could never plan for, or someone weekends just whittle out which is usually caused by weather or illness. But some weekends hit us with success and make us type that bit more cheerfully on the next working day. I am pleased to say that my weekend was classed as a successful one.

Now as you may recall last week was not so successful with Betty being hit my some dork who probably doesn't have insurance and so decided to drive off. I am sure I will never find out whether they get the lethal injection but here is hoping... anyway I got my courtesy car the Kia Ceed which should only be seen driving round a legoland dream. But she is helping me out greatly. And I wait still with baited breath (what a strange term) to hear about Betty's repair or demise.

On Thursday night I managed to win a pub quiz for Faith+Football (a local charity arranged by Linvoy Primus). That got me 2 tickets to see Pompey play their last Premiership game at home probably for a while. I took Mrs A who has consistently nagged me about wanting to go to see a game again but I can never justify splashing out that cost for 2 of us to go (tight wad that I am!). Great news is Pompey won! Now bring on Wembley!

On the remained of Saturday we squeezed in some house viewings, probably 2 of the best we have seen, but the good news is that is clarified which house we will put an offer in on. That also helped by some putting an offer in on our house = Grrrreeat News!

Sunday was a nice day and consisted of some chores - not so good, but essential and somewhat enjoyable to tidy up some storage in the loft! How can so much stuff be squeezed into a small area! We really are hoarders! I think this task classed as an essential bank holiday weekend activity.

Monday we went to Moors Valley and we had a fab time with friends and family. The rain was a bit of a dampener but it still did not stop us and the picnic went ahead. = Great time!

So there you have it my GREAT weekend.
And now it is Tuesday and I have short week at Starfleet. I have paid off our summer holiday (the #2 holiday, I still have to pay for holiday #1).

I should be able to make a start on all house purchases/sales today! fingers crossed and I'll keep you posted