13th December 2014 - One Last Time

4:10am Paul came home. Yeah. Guess how impressed I was at that.

I pretended to be asleep as I knew that the alarm was set to go off at 7:30am and so wanted to get at least a few hours sleep.

I managed it and woke up with the alarm. Paul wasn't impressed at the alarm going off. Neither was he best pleased that he had to get up. Get up we did, though, as we had to get Barney to fat club for his last weigh in of the year!

We were bang on time, rather than early like we normally are, as we had to defrost the car as there were lovely patterns on the window. Probably should have taken pictures of that. Oh well!

When we got home, we headed to bed for a couple more hours' sleep. I was really grumpy so it was probably for the best to get me unconscious!

The time came for us to get up and go out again. We had a prior engagement that I wasn't going to cancel for ANYTHING!

We went to the local burrito place for a hangover-curing burrito for Paul, then headed from there into town. We had some time to kill before our important appointment so had a quick drink in a local mead establishment.

Whilst enjoying a cold foamy beer, I perused the extensive cocktail menu. I noticed something curious...

The Egg Nog contains 'some stuff'. What the heck is that?! Cat food? Steak? Ribena? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!

I don't really know what Egg Nog is. I can't say I've ever had any...so if people can tell me what the 'stuff' might be, I'd appreciate it!

We hurried out of the bar and over to our meeting.

One Last Time.

I loved it. I may or may not have had a little tear or two. I am going to have to see it again. Soon.

From there, we contemplated getting a little snack, but I started feeling a little poorly (I hit my head yesterday and the bump was a bit painful) so we went home. Paul went to bed as he was 'tired'. I watched Strictly and then X Factor. It was the final and seemed very...stretched. Got a bit bored so started watching comedy instead.

I then started nodding off so sent myself to bed. I'm so sensible.

PREVIOUSLY...

2013

21st November 2014 - Shivers!

I started the Friday with a couple of grumps. Firstly, Paul had to work. Secondly, Felix let me DOWN.

We feed our fussy cats Felix 'As Good As It Looks' cat food. It's not the best, I know, but Maia is soooo fussy that it's pretty much all she would eat for a while!

Not much longer. Todays' offering was beef and carrots. Allegedly.

See - labelled as beef and carrots. So you get the idea of what you think you're going to get when you open the packet.

Um. I'm not convinced that there is much in the way of beef...or even carrot in there.

Maybe it's all fallen to the bottom half of the packet?

Nope. No beef in there either! I even mushed it up to try to find some. Nope. Just jelly. Cue unimpressed Cagga.

Anyway, I didn't feed them any of the packet. I threw it all away and gave them one of the expensive ones we know is pretty much only meat! Screw you, Felix!

After I had calmed down a little, I needed to make the most of my day, so I got the ironing board out and got all the ironing done. Will a little Hobbit commentary in the background for entertainment!

I don't normally do the ironing downstairs but as I was alone, why not? Maia came to join me and curled up on the radiator behind me!

I may have taken a million and one pictures of her because she looked so damn cute! She was also snoring. A LOT. She's very loud. I don't know whether to be concerned or not. Hmmm.

Barney was also being cute, just in case you were wondering!

He can't just sleep on the bed, oh no. He has to have the fleecy blanket as well.

More Maia. AW!

I got the ironing done and sat down for a while before preparing myself to go out. Yes, I had to leave the house. Shocking. I don't like having to leave the house but we had made plans!

It was pouring with rain outside and the wind was really strong, so my umbrella broke fairly quickly into my outdoor journey.

I met Paul from work and we went to have dinner at Nolita Cantina, which is a little place we had never been to before!

Paul had a bacon and blue cheese burger which I didn't take a picture of. I had belly pork in Dr Pepper sauce.

I didn't use my flash as I feel as though people would judge me for taking pictures of my food. I'm a blogger! Don't they understand?!

The sauce was very rich but I enjoyed it very much! We will definitely go again!

From there we went to have a couple of drinks before our evening really got started. We went back to Brewdog, where we went last weekend for a few.

It's quirky. They encourage you to play games. On our table we had an interesting option...

Dinosaur Top Trumps! We didn't play but we had a look through at the various dinos. I found my instant favourite dinosaur of all time.

Obviously.

We also found something that I can't believe exists.

Really? REALLY?! That's something out of a horror movie, not real life!

Anyway, instead of a beer, as I didn't fancy a beer, I had a beer cocktail!

It was called 'Punch Drunk Punk' and it was very nice (and boozy) and I enjoyed it so much I had another one!

Then it was onto the Philharmonic. We were not going to see a show, though. Well, not in the way you would imagine anyway!

We were going on a Shiverpool Ghost Walk!

We were trying to look afraid. We more shivering more from the cold and rain than the fear!

The girls who took us round were good fun and there were about 20 of us! I was really impressed and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun evening!

We went back to the Philharmonic Pub where we started from and needed to warm up before heading home. So I reacquainted myself with my friend from earlier in the week!

Mmmmm! Mulled wine!

We went home and I went straight to bed as I was exhausted! Good times!

PREVIOUSLY...

2013

4th September 2014 - Aaand we're done!

Not the best sleep but no time to lament that. There's work to be done!

I was in the office at 7:30am. WHAT?! I know, right? Considering how rubbish Tuesday was, how come I'm so eager to get there? Well, it's my last day in the office for nearly a week, so I needed to make sure everything got done! T had a bit of a stress yesterday that I was leaving her with bucket loads of work while I'm off, so I needed to be sure I wasn't doing that.

I got pretty much all of it done! Go me!

We also were given some support by A, which is very good indeed and we both ended the day feeling far more positive than we had been a few days earlier!

After work I headed into town to meet Paul as I had a few bits and bobs to get. Ended up not getting them as I couldn't be bothered to shop! It was too nice a day to be walking around shops! So we went for some food instead!

I had a chilli-dog!

It was messy, but good!

Paul had a traditional hot dog which was also good. Although we both agree that we don't like American mustard very much. All tang no trousers, in our opinion. We need heat, darn it! :) Give us English mustard any day! :)

I also might have been a little naughty...

Mmmm...gin cocktails! :) They were yummy!

We headed home and watched a bit of tv and watched Maia be cute on her boxes again!

Gorgeous and silly all in one perfect package!

I then went to bed. We get a lie in tomorrow morning! YAY!

PREVIOUSLY...

2013

28th July 2014 - Naughty Cags...

OH EM GEE GUYS - guess what we did this morning? WE WENT TO THE GYM! The first time in forever!

We got there just as it was opening, which was later than billed as the chap with the keys clearly forgot to get out of bed! Still we got to do about 20 minutes which was good! Better than nothing, which is what we've been doing for ages!

All to soon, it was time to go to work, sadly, so Paul dropped me off with my bag of tricks (food for a week etc). I got ambushed as soon as I got in! BossMan T doesn't even let me take my bag off my shoulder before firing questions at me. I should be used to this now. I suppose I am as I can generally answer anything he wants to know.

Try to connect to our office network and I can't. Keep trying for the next hour...and fail. The system is down. On a day when I really don't fancy being in the office (a little more than usual!) I am there and can't do any work! Typical!

This lasted for well over an hour and even when I could connect, it would kick me out again. Repeatedly. It wasn't until about 11am that it settled down enough for us to be able to actually do any work without the risk of everything being lost.

That's when I got a text from Koran asking if I fancy going out for tea tonight. She also text on Friday but I'd forgotten all about it. Well, why not?! So over lunch I found somewhere for us to go, booked it then had something to look forward to, which got me through the rest of the day!

After work we went home and I freshened up before Paul drove me over to Koran's house, then dropped us both in town.

We headed to a place called House and Koran proceeded to be a rebel and lead me astray. It's all her fault. Not at all mine. Nope. Not one bit.

My strawberry daiquiri. It was lush.

Koran's English Martini.

We had some food as well, so you're not too concerned that I'm having liquid meals. I had a chilli burger which was basically meh. It was ok. Nothing special.

We ate up and caught up on all the latest gossip...I have none and Koran had loads, as usual!

We hoped to head over to a pub quiz round the corner but by the time we got there all the tables were full and no one would share their table with us. Meanies.

So we left there and went to a different bar around the corner. More cocktails were had. We both had a Basil Grande while scouring the rest of the menu for something more interesting.

Yes, we were getting slightly tipsy at this point.

Koran moved on to a Pornstar Martini, while I had a Jammie B*stard.

Koran's came with a shot of prosecco. If I liked passion fruit more, I'd have been loving that! Instead, my lovely cocktail came with a cool glass/jar!

Mmmm. Plus it came with a raspberry and a blackberry in it, which I saved to the end so got some healthy fruit infused with booze! DELISH!

How cool is that glass though? I love the jam jar tankard!

After 2 (sigh) of those I told Koran I needed to call it a night as I have to work tomorrow. So does she, but she's on nights so could sleep it off!

I called Paul and asked for a lift home. While we waited, Koran MADE me have another gin and tonic which we finished just as he arrived!

He drove K home, then we got in and it was time to go straight to bed. It wasn't even 11 yet so it wasn't too bad...right?

Yeah, I'll let you know tomorrow!

Yes, I was naughty but we were celebrating as Koran has been accepted into the Army Reserves which furthers her nursing career and she gets a cool title like Lieutenant or something! That's pretty ace! So y'all have to call her Ma'am from now on. Them's the rules! :)

PREVIOUSLY...

2013

11th July 2014 - Busy Day!

I didn't feel great this morning. Paul had to work this morning but I wasn't in work. I felt sorry for myself for a little while but there were more pressing matters to attend to...

That's right - it's holiday time! As if you hadn't already guessed! Which means a lot of work, stress and heartbreak. Let's not thin about that right now. Let's just get on with the packing.

Which is difficult, when you have cats.

I think Maia wants to come with us. I'd let her in a heartbeat!

 Barney got strapped in and ready for take off!

We got it all done pretty quickly once Paul got home which is good in some ways and bad in others. Being done means that the kitties have to go on their holidays as well. They go to Kennotels for the week and have for a few years now.

While we were there showing the cats their home for the next week, we also got to meet their neighbours, a couple of Sphinx cats! It's the first time I've ever seen a hairless kitty and got to stroke one of them who had leathery skin. Weird! They look so grumpy but we were assured they were purring away!

I came home and sobbed. A lot. I hate this house without kitties in it.

So we went out! If you've read last year's post you'll know that every year we go to Frankie and Benny's for our dinner to get out of the cat-less house relax a little before going away!

Not that this is the only way to relax. It helps. It helps numb the pain of my lack of kitties. I miss them already. :(

Paul had a pizza and I had barbecue chicken skewers. They were lush. We also had an extra cheeky portion of macaroni cheese. It wasn't the best mac and cheese I've ever had but it was pretty yummy! :)

Polished off the lot. Awesome!

Not to be sent home early, we headed to the bar for a cheeky drinky before heading back home.

 I had a 'bramble' (gin cocktail) and Paul had a Long Island Iced Tea. Very nice they were too.

Then home to our sad and lonely house. It's not home, not without the kittens.

We got the last few things we could get done sorted before heading to bed. A looooooong day tomorrow!

PREVIOUSLY

2013

5th July 2014 - Wrist Slap.

We were awake at silly o'clock. I woke up around 3 and dozed for a while. Paul was awake at 4. Wide awake. I kept on dozing (and cuddling Barney who was curled up on my pillow with me!) but Paul got up to watch the Portland Timbers game! Joys of time difference means he often isn't able to watch them but today he was! :) May as well make the most of being awake so early I guess.

He watched most of the game while I dozed for a while but we never really got back to sleep again. Which was a pain as we had to be up and out early today.

We had an appointment at the vet to give the cats their boosters which they need to have to be able to go into the cattery when we go on our jollies.

Yeah. They were both so well behaved, even when the vet told them they were fat. Yikes. Maia was 4.5kg (9.9lbs) and Barney...he was...8.1kg (17.8lbs). Yeah. That's really quite heavy. The vet said that we need to put him on a diet to get him down a few kilos. Ideally to 5kg! He's fine and healthy but a little overweight so we need to measure his food and play with him lots to get his bulk down as he's in danger of developing diabetes as he gets older.

We felt bad. Very bad. So we're going back in a month to see if the changes we make help and get some weight off him before he gets put on a specialist diet. Obviously Maia could stand to lose a little bit of weight as well so the diet affects her.

We came home, with our tails between our legs, via the pet store where we got some lighter cat food to see if that helps. We came in and weighed out both Maia and Barney's share of biscuits into a tub. Yeah. We've been overfeeding our cats. If this is what they're supposed to be having, we are bad parents indeed.

So, no more grazing for the kitties. They get fed 3 times a day and if they eat it all, then that's their problem. It's going to be easier on days when we're out, that's for sure! Maia doesn't half beg when she's hungry.

The vets were very nice and didn't shout at us at all. I think because they're indoor cats we just need to be more careful. So we will be. We've been suitably informed and we're now on the road to making things better.

On another note, they weighed Barney again on the nurse's scales and he was 7.9 kg. I like those scales better. I don't think Barney is a 5kg cat. He's so big! We're feeding him for a 6kg cat and will see what happens. So long as we can make a difference, I'll be happy.

Once we had fed the kitties their meagre portions (sob) we headed out again into town to do some shopping for when we go on holiday! It's usually a big day thing that we do but today it was more of a sombre affair as I've felt awful, like we've let our kitties down or something. :(

We both went to our usual cafe and had breakfast so Paul doesn't get hangry, then we headed to the shops to get what we needed. Spending a fortune in the process.

I was feeling really disheartened and miserable. I wasn't enjoying shopping one bit. So we went for a drink to regroup and decide what else we need to buy.

Meet Lady Madonna. Citron vodka, strawberry syrup and prosecco. DELICIOUS.

While I enjoyed my fizz, Paul unwrapped his most exciting purchase, possibly ever. While I was shopping for clothes, he was shopping for an iPad!

 Not at all staged. He was THAT happy to finally be an iPad owner!

It's pretty nifty. Although I have no idea how to use it! :)

We got the rest of our shopping done and headed home to give the cats portion 2 of their tiny dinner. :)

We also insigated play time. OH YEAH! Paul played with the iPad and I played with the cats. Seems fair...

 The first picture taken from the iPad!

Barney and bathroom floor!

We tryed to get his 'rave face' in while frantically waving the teaser. Didn't work.

How beautiful my baby is?! To say the camera isn't the best quality on the iPad, it takes quite good pics.

Handsome fatty, isn't he?!

Maia joined in on play time as well! Delightfully curious!

After play time we had dinner of spicy lamb meatballs which was delicious!

There's leftovers for me in the week as well! WINNER!

We then watched Zoolander which was on telly. Paul went to bed early but I watched it to the end. It's all good fun! I then was ready to pass out as well from tiredness so I headed to bed as well!

Long, expensive, painful and emotional day!

PREVIOUSLY...

2013

3rd May 2014 - Blurry

Saturday. It wasn't too late a night last night but we were still a little lazy this morning. In that laziness time I got grand designs on the house and that I wanted to wallpaper the living room and also redecorate the bedroom. So I made Paul take me to the local DIY shop to get some wallpaper samples!

When we got back Paul got into the shower and I tried to decide which wallpaper I liked best. There was a knock at the door. Now generally I don't answer the door as I'm crap at telling sales people where to go. They knocked again so I answered it. It was the lady who lives in the house opposite saying that a car had just rolled down the hill and collided into Paul's. GREAT.

Yeah.

Seems as though the person who owns the car forgot to put his handbrake on properly so it rolled into us. So our next job was finding who the car belonged to. It turns out that the chap lives halfway up the street on the other side of the road!

He was mortified, of course, but once he backed his car up there was only a tiny dint by the registration plate so no real damage done.

Paul went off to the football and I was chilling when the guy knocked on our door with a bottle of wine and a small bottle of whisky to apologise again! Bless him! I suppose it is pretty embarrassing for him! Then again, had our car not been there, it would have rolled further down the street and could even have gone into the next road and done more damage. EEKS.

Pretty soon I had to shower and get ready as I had a hot date with an ITU nurse! Koran and I were going out to celebrate our birthdays in style!

So once I got ready (and it took a good while!) I headed out to town to meet Koran for our catch up.

Yeah.

These are some of the pictures I took...

So yeah. You might have gathered it was a  bit of a boozy one! Things I remember:

- The cocktails were expensive
- My feet hurt a LOT (wearing heels while dealing with bad calves/ankles is not a good plan).
- Some guy hit his head on the brick floor and Koran helped keep him conscious while waiting for the paramedics (the picture of floor above is actually of all the blood that was left behind)
- I somehow ended up in The Raz, where I used to go on student nights out and haven't been there for a VERY long time
- My Cat Eye glasses are very popular and got a lot of attention!
- Koran went to get pizza and I stood outside talking to a guy from New Zealand. I managed to convince him that I too was from New Zealand so clearly my Kiwi accent (learned mostly from Lord of the Rings special features I imagine) is awesome!

Yeah...that's about it! Was a good night! Boozy and costly but we haven't partied like that for a good long time!

Of course I woke Paul up when I got in, which was around 3am. Dirty stop outs!

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2012
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