Tempus Fugit

I know it's a day early but I'll probably be too busy to post tomorrow.

First thing is it's completion day for my late Mum's house. By 1pm, it will no longer be my responsibility, phew! It's taken just a year from the month she died and two years from the month Dad died. Saying our last goodbye today when we go to take the final meter readings.

Second thing is I'm going to York tomorrow!!! Not seen my girlie since Christmas. We have tickets to see 'Wonderland' at The Grand Opera House on Saturday. Also having breakfast with Mark and Darcie on Saturday morning. It'll be nice to catch up :)

I'm staying there till Sunday so it'll be a nice break. The husband has promised that we'll spend a few days in The Lakes at our honeymoon hotel, now the house sale is complete. I'm looking forward to a relaxing time and possibly finding a remote area for a huge primal scream!

Went to York last weekend to go the Grand Opera House with Jenn for the Saturday matinee of 'The Perfect Murder' by Peter James. Excellent production, very good use of space on stage to show different rooms in two different places and exciting plot. Husband and wife both having affairs decide the best way out of their marriage is to murder their spouse...tension abounds!

Stayed with Mark who is on the cusp of making the decision to leave York (and Jenn) behind. He's saving up money to tide him over during the move and we've offered him somewhere to stay until he can find a flat. First thing to do is get a job over this side of The Pennines. I teased him that by the time we see 'The Producers: the musical' at the Liverpool Empire next June we'd be going to his flat afterwards for a cup of tea. Here's hoping! Liverpool is the city he grew up in and still has friends there. As I've mentioned before, he's the son we never had and we want him to be happy.

Edit: Forgot to say that while at Mark's I saw 'Only Lovers Left Alive'. Wow! What a film! Fabulous choice of actors and they played their roles superbly. Highly recommended.

Jenn is still with Rich, three years now, and is enjoying her new job. Better paid and more intellectually stimulating than hanging clothes up! Rich is recovering after his spell in hospital, during which it was discovered that his kidneys were functioning at 28% at one point! Possible biopsy for him to look forward to, poor soul.

I saw the dermatologist at our local hospital, almost two weeks ago now. I took my two pages of 'history' and all the medications, including those that didn't work, and he listened and inspected and kept shaking his head, bemused. He agreed that I'm suffering from chronic urticaria and gave me a prescription for further antihistamines but we couldn't nail down what had caused it, apart from my suggestion it was the belt I'd worn as part of the 24 hour blood pressure monitoring kit. I told him to go two doors down in Outpatients and borrow one to see what it's made from. He decided to do a Patch Test so I've been given three appointments for November on alternate days for the test to be administered and results examined. That will be five months after it all began!

The husband is fine, as always. He's had an air of being apprehensive about him since he turned 67 because his dad died at 67 years and 3 months from pancreatic cancer but now he's past that age he's back to his usual lively self :)

Have the latest photo of this year's young fish taken last week. I've not bothered to count but Jenn counted 41. They're probably all goldfish but we'll have to wait and see. Two of the four 10 cm long fish hatched last year have changed colour but the other two are still black so they might be crucian carp after all or a cross as they do interbreed. The three old crucians haven't been seen since August so they might have died. I hope they bred but we'll have to wait and see, as I said.

It's been a busy few days, beginning last Saturday with meeting Jenn and Mark in Manchester to see A-ha's farewell tour. Poor Gav did the home/Manchester drive twice in each direction that evening. He's a lovely man :)

Jenn and Mark came home with us for the night. They both approve of what I've done with the little front room (pics another time). Then on Sunday, we all went back to York by train from Liverpool Lime St. Arrived in York just as it was going dark.

Mark had to work on Monday but Jenn has the week off so the rest of us went Christmas shopping. Walked the feet off ourselves but bought everything we went out for. Most of the city Christmas lights were lit but the main tree will be lit next weekend during the St Nicholas' Fair.

Jenn and I went to the Grand Opera House in the evening to see 'Spamalot' on tour from the West End. Hysterically funny and very well acted. Practically word for word from the 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' film. They even managed the fight scene with the Black Knight at the bridge losing all his limbs. Great audience participation. 'Always look on the bright side of life...'

On Tuesday, we went to Leeds Armouries again. Gav had never been before and was very impressed. That evening we went for a meal then watched HP and the Deathly Hallows pt 1. It's not a film to enjoy but was very good. I WILL have to read that book before pt 2 comes out!

Yesterday, after spending £££s at the supermarket so Jenn and Mark are okay until February!, we stayed in and watched some lovely films. 'The Fall' is beautiful. Do find it if you haven't seen it.

Then last night it snowed, so we decided to come home in case we have a repeat of January's whiteout. Some roads on the coast east of York are closed after the first fall of this winter. Minus 5C recorded in Oxfordshire last night, colder than usual for November.

Been home for three hours and feeling warm now. Jenn phoned. It's still snowing in York. Hopefully, we will be meeting in Manchester again on December 5th to see Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds.

We had a lovely time, even going on one of York's Ghost Tours at last. Jenn has two job interviews lined up so fingers crossed.

I know I haven't posted anything worthwhile for ages--work is soul-destroying at the moment and takes all my 'spare' time. However, I finish for the Christmas break tomorrow afternoon. We're off to York on Friday to stay with Jenn and Mark and do some shopping. I'm looking forward to leaving my problems behind. We'll be back on Tuesday so gairid I'll phone then. Sorry to mess you around but I can't pass up the chance to get away for a few days. And l_starr, if you still read lj, I'll try to contact you as well.

Season's Greetings to all my lj friends!