suddenly it's gone

So last week was a return to posting, I then went on leave for a couple of days and then ended up being off sick, now I am back at my computer nearly a week later.

A few lovely events have happened, I managed to win a Phil&Teds buggy on eBay.  I can't believe how popular these things are.  I love buying bargains on ebay, but getting one of these as a bargain is a hard thing to do.  I even did the searches for peoples spelling mistakes - there was a website for this, but I can't find it now.  But simple typos by people mean that less people can search for it - great for the buyer!  Anyway the buggy has finally arrived after problems with the courier and Mrs Stretch thinks it is brand new which is great.

So as I mentioned I was on leave for a couple of days, I was actually on the Isle of Wight and if I had foursquare I would have got my "I'm on a boat" award, but I haven't, so I didn't!  I did however have a great time with the guys from church.  If you didn't know that I go, then "surprise".  Don't worry I will not be going on a christian crusade and slaughtering you all :-)  It was a very inspirational time and lots of male bonding with bonfires, golf, go-karts, croquet and lots of table tennis aka whiff-whaff.  The top quote from the weekend was "Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known."  Which when you have kids is a great motivation to achieve so much more for them to be able achieve so much more.

So today sees me at a Starfleet office, hopefully accompanied by Golfy if he can be bothered to travel! :-)

On the opportunity front, it seems I am not going on the route that I expected.  It seems I am too valuable and they can exploit me further somewhere else.  Which suits me at this point. Now I just have to tell the man who has the dog that the dog is not wanted (for now) 

Let me hear a "Whoop Whoop"

So yesterday I got my long awaited phonecall and it looks like I am on the move soon.  However it does depend on when they will let me go!  I might be gutted if they say I can go straightaway - but 2 weeks would do lol!

Starfleet is as exciting as watching your walls dry, actually watching them dry actually was quite interesting.  Yesterday then saw going round the house with Decorators Chaulk and filling the gaps and getting ready for the decorator!  I decided that the tube of chaulk was harder to reseal so I just used the whole tube  - my house is now stuck together - lol!  Not as badly as my fingers were at one point!  I am not lazy enought to pay for a decorator, but Father-in-law is a painter/decorator by trade and has offered - so who really look a gift horse in the mouth?  what a really strange expression... what is a gift horse, who looks at anything in the mouth unless you are dentist...but did you know that horses teeth never stop growing (the facts gathered from X-Factor)

Mrs Stretch has the brainwave idea that we NEED to go to IKEA.  I don't think anyone NEEDS to go there!  So the house is now measured and visio'd (shouts of NERD can be heard)  I don't want to come home with a new desk to find it doesn't fit!

I am off on Thursday and Friday and Saturday to Isle of Wight (if I had foursquare I could get my "I'm on a boat" award).

A Time to reflect

So it seems that people actually might miss my blogging!
Now I think that is rubbish (paraphrased), but I will see.
So an update of my Summer...
been away
came back
been away
came back
All in all it was quite nice, except for the coming back! :-)
Starfleet is the same old.  But then it does pay and that is bad if that is the only motivation!  I am pushing other doors and waiting to see what opens and following a phone call I received yesterday it seems that my persistence might have paid off and I should be moving on soon.

One of my aways was a holiday in Turkey and although it was sunny and nice, I certainly wouldn't rush back to Turkey.  I have heard that Turkey is nice and cheaper than the rest of Europe, however I would have to differ on both of those reported facts.  The resort we were in was nice and the Germans were there usual self.  Isn't it sad when you come back from a Turkish holiday having learnt more German!

On other news; the house sale has now stopped we are off the market as seriously nothing was happening and with the impending doom arrival of baby we have got to transform the house around.  We are now living in a bedroom that has been re-plastered and no furniture.  The DIY list for the next few months is long and expensive!  And Mrs Stretch is wanting to nest!

So for now I wish you well...
Auf Wiedersehen

And so it returns

I am pleased to report that I had a great holiday - not fantastic, but great.  I don't think you can class the Mill Rythe resort on Hayling Island fantastic, and if it was not for the fact that so many of our friends were there it would definitely have dipped from greatness.  It was helped by great weather.

We had the most miserable waitress from Russia and I think she had a part in starting the cold war.  However after complaining on the first day, she actually improved after that (and hopefully did not spit in our food).  However I did get a cappuccino everyday and I don't know how she made the brown sprinkles on top?

Other highlights, our team won the pub quiz for the 2nd year in a row.  We entered the talent competition as Take That and came 3rd, which is not a bad thing as the winner has to come back in October and do it again in the final.  The wine I took with me was lovely!  The bruises from water polo are fading now, my addiction to trying and winning a Toy Story character from a grabbing machine in the arcade is starting to fade and my exercise on holiday counter balanced the cooked breakfast every morning.

Following on from my last blog, I can now remove #10 and #7 from the book list and replace them with Deadline by Simon Kernick and No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay.  I have managed to remember these books as A. someone returned one book to me that I lent them a year ago - they only returned it because they wanted to borrow another one.  And "Vicar" I will remember what book you have this time! B. I have purchased another book for my upcoming holidays.  It is another Linwood Barclay book and I am hoping it is as good as the last.  As an update I read a Dean Koontz book whilst away (a book in a week is the way to go), but I have to admit it will NOT be entering my Top 10!  I had other people singing his praises, but I won't be joining them.  I have some personal homework to carry out and that is to follow up on a couple of book related web links, which should help me with my future choices of reading material.
  www.bookarmy.com and TV book club which was by Richard and Judy originally.  Mrs Stretch had brought me a new book before holiday knowing that I was lacking any good reading material and she was delighted to come back with the latest Dan Brown book.  However it was one I had read a year ago... good effort though.

So now I have one more week at work and then a week off.  Tick Tock.

Saturday night was also good as a friend gave me tickets to a charity bash.  A nice saving of £70 for the tickets and a 3 course meal and entertainment was greatly enjoyed who says there is no such thing as a free lunch.  The dance troop were good, the solo dancer was "interesting" and the band were fantastic!  Check out http://www.soulshackproductions.com/ and keep your eye on the horizon for Juliette Ashby.

Top 10

Yesterday on a Starfleet call we were honoured by Leon the cleaner which is a great film and prompted Golfy and I to talk about our Top 10 lists.

One of my motivators for this is a great book - High Fidelity.  The film is however not as good, but then that can be said for a few book to film conversions.

So I will start with books and although this is a Top 10 there is actually no order to them.  This list is actually quite tough as most of my books are boxed up and in the loft.

1. High Fidelity
2. Deception Point
3. Digital Fortress
4. The Tesseract
5. The Beach
6. About a Boy
7. Fever Pitch
8. Man and Boy
9 Boy Called It
10. Notes from a Small Island

Actually # 10 was going to be a different book, which I read recently but I annoyingly can't remember the name of it.  It was one of those books I read in 2 days and I lent it to a friend -  I am sure I got it back, but now it is in the loft.  I have to say that has got me in the mood, to A. finish my current book by Jack Dee and B. find a new book for my impending holiday.

I was going to write a Mystery Book, or was I?

So Top 10 Films (again in no particular order)
1. Groundhog Day

1. Groundhog Day (see what I did there) :-)
2. Ferris Buellar's Day Off
3. Stand By Me
4. Leon
5. Remember the Titans
6. Shawshank Redemption
7. Pay It Forward
8. Good Will Hunting
9. Twelve Monkeys
10. Kill Bill II

and in closing an album to try and listen;

Ups and Down Under

Well my friend whom went on Recon to Australia has returned - we will now call him Ozzy.  I met up with him and his wife Sharon the other night and enjoyed a lovely bottle of red wine Black Stump.  Now this wine was recommended to me by a member of Starfleet, now you would not let him recommend ties or blue blazers to you, but he knows his stuff when it comes to wine!  We tend to invite them over for a "Coffee and cake" night it is like a cheese and wine night but we don't eat cheese, actually we didn't drink coffee either!  So a bottle of wine later and we discussed how the recon trip went and it seems that it is a viable option and now it seems there house is going on the market and they are preparing the cats for deportation.  Can you believe it costs about £2k per cat for their trip - however much I like my cat, if I had 3 then they would find a nice home with someone else and not be struggling with jet lag!  I could fly business class instead!!  I would love to go now with them but I need to wait 2 years and then reassess it.  Hopefully by then they would have done all of the research for me and I will have a base of operations too :-) such a cunning plan!

So it is Ozzy's birthday next week, so we are out for dinner with Ozzy and Sharon

on Saturday to celebrate, which I have been told will be at Zizzi.  The jury is out on restaurant choice, but I will see and assess.  So I was charged with finding Ozzy's birthday present.  So of course I have gone for Australian theme hunt for a pressie and hopefully he will be pleased with the result!


So when it comes to Starfleet, my Harry is still in captivity.  It seems other opportunities are not as available as I first hoped, but I will keep digging and practicing vaulting!  Maybe my call on Friday will open another door.

But the good news is that I am on leave next week, then back for a week then on leave for a week, then back for 2 weeks then away for a week.  I think this Summer might just fly by!

Last year the family stayed in Norfolk and we managed to find a Country Show and wow it was amazing!  We really did stick out as the "City people".  We didn't have our 4x4 (which was actually needed to park in the field) and  our flat caps, our wax jacket, sheepdog or shotgun - yes there were a couple!  However it seems we have missed it this year.  So we hopefully be returning to BeWilderWood which is a great day out.  So with things to get tied up at Starfleet I bid you adieu.

Another Day in Paradise

On a positive note, I am alive.  There you go, I think I am done blogging for today! ;-)

Okay, I will expand further on my life for today.
We have luckily managed to get a babysitter for Saturday night.  This is an achievement and more importantly the babysitter is booked for no reason, i.e. we have no wedding, no birthday party, no BBQ, no funerals and no bar mitzvahs to attend.  Actually we have been invited to a birthday party/meal out.  But we have decided (or rather Mrs Stretch has decided) that time together will be more rewarding.  This is where you get quality time!  With the increase of pitter patter and ickle stretches this is probably a good time!  So the plans are afoot and I tried to have a discussion with Mrs Stretch to discuss what film and food venue. As discussed already with Golfy, I knew I would not win on my choice.  But a wise man once said it is about having a battle to fight and not beating your opponent at their detriment.  So as it goes it looks like I am going to see Eclipse.  Now as it goes if you have to watch a chick-flick then the Twilight saga (and yes it is a Saga - see point 5) is tolerable.  Oh, for the record Mrs Stretch has also won on restaurant choice - Frankie & Benny's.  Now you see sometimes you let them think they have won, when actually you know you haven't lost!

I have a new widget on my blog of Zemanta - I will try it and see.  But no I am NOT deserting blogspot for the lures of Wordpress! :-)

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