nickandhayley.com

JOURNAL

SUNDAY 31st AUGUST

In recent days our squirrel has been coming closer and closer to the house. Yesterday she hopped all the way into our room and informed us it was time for a peanut. She's so cute, we just couldn't say no. Our housemates are beginning to suspect that we are more than a little bit insane.

Summer is almost over. The sun is setting much earlier now and the temperature is dropping. It's not unpleasant yet, but I think we're being warned that things are going to change.

THURSDAY 28th AUGUST

Gah. This update was meant to occur a little earlier, but you get that. This weekend just passed was a bank holiday weekend plus Hayley had the Tuesday off as well so we had plenty of relaxation time. We went for a trip in to the city on Monday to pay our tributes to the Dodi & Di Memorial. Actually we thought it was about time we had a look at Harrods and investigate the food hall there. The food hall(s) were good with lots of variety. The chocolate & confectionary section definitely merited closer inspection. I ended up having a 'Chocolat au Framboise' - a dark chocolate mousse with hazelnut and raspberry. Harrods is certainly a big store with many trinkets and baubles, but little that you would actually purchase.

Harvey Nichols was next on the agenda and was an altogether different shopping experience. For a start we would consider buying things from this store. Correction, we could have easily bought everything from this store. Harvey Nick's also have a food court. Located on the fifth floor of their Knightsbridge store the wares on display were both decadent (£45/kg eye fillet) and affordable (£0.40p jam). We will definitely come back next time we are planning a special dinner.

I have now been to see a physiotherapist who has started me on exercises to help strengthen my ligaments. I will be going again next week and then twice weekly to an aggressive rehabilitation exercise class. My physio is confident I will regain full strength back, as am I, my ankle has been healing rapidly over this last week.

THURSDAY 21st AUGUST

I returned to Tooting today for a follow up examination of my foot. There was minimal waiting this time as I had a pre booked appointment. My foot is getting better but the tissue damage is not insignificant so I have been referred to the physiotherapy department of the hospital. Hayley's work colleagues have passed on their advice of "don't hold your breath while waiting for a physio appointment". Fortunately we brought a thera-band with us so I will be able to rehabilitate myself regardless of whether I ever get another appointment at the hospital (our band is red in case you were wondering).

The power supply for our computer broke the other day so we are currently borrowing Bronwyn's adapter while she's not using her laptop. This was a bit of a pain as a) we were both nearly electrocuted on the exposed wire and b) the money we had put aside to replace the ailing hard drive in our laptop has now been gobbled up. We're thinking of setting up a pity fund, especially after we saw this.

TUESDAY 19th AUGUST

Well, that was unusual. Thirteen updates in a row. Not quite the two weeks I was aiming for, but I was too ~~lazy~~ tired to come up with a token update to fill the quota. Who knows, maybe next month I'll achieve this monstrous feat.

I haven't received ticket confirmation yet, so it's not 100%, but Duncan and I are planning on going to Paris next month for a geek fest. It should be a good chance to play with some shiny new toys as well as learning a thing or two that may well come in handy for anyone who happens to employ me. It will also give me a chance to scope out Paris for when Hayley and I visit it together. This will hopefully lessen the culture shock (read: why can't they understand me) of visiting a truly 'foreign' country.

Please note any xenophobic comments made in the previous paragraph were purely for what little comedic value they possessed, and as such do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of management.

SUNDAY 17th AUGUST

It's late at night and we didn't do anything today, so there's no real update. I'm aware this hasn't stopped us the last couple of days but sometimes you get that. I've been adding to the links section of the site over the last week, stop by there and see if anything tickles your fancy.

SATURDAY 16th AUGUST

After two weeks with my foot up I decided to get a little exercise. We walked downtown to do some shopping, for baby clothes, and even I have to admit the clothes really are very cute. We found some gorgeous items which we won't divulge as they're a surprise and then headed home.

It was good to get out and stretch but I'm already paying for it. Not so much with my damaged foot but in the other one that is taking up the slack.

We're both a bit tired today, we've already had a nap, so I think we're in for an early night.

FRIDAY 15th AUGUST

Our housemates have gone away yet again this weekend. This time to Bristol and Bath. And they were inconsiderate enough to take their scrabble board with them, so we will have to find our own entertainment. Suggestions (not rude ones) are welcome.

Hayley had a busy day, while I read 750 comics at diesel sweeties and also did some illustration.

We're going to chat to Jane now on MSN, so we'll say goodbye. "Goodbye"

THURSDAY 14th AUGUST

Our squirrel is getting bolder. Today he came and sat outside our bedroom door and 'neeped' at me asking for peanuts. This strengthens our belief that squirrels can be trained.

The well is dry. The daily updating has taken its toll so today squirrels are all you get.

WEDNESDAY 13th AUGUST |
HAPPY 'BIRTHDAY' HARRISON GLEN QUIN

Congratulations Nicky & Wayne on the safe arrival of an 8lb bundle of joy.

Hayley has been bonding with her squirrel. She's trying to get it to associate her with peanuts. She's actually making surprisingly good progress and the squirrel was thinking about taking food from her hand yesterday. We may however have to cut back on the number of peanuts we are feeding our friend though, as he seems to be developing a little puku.

TUESDAY 12th AUGUST

I'm in a retro game kind of mood today. I purchased a toy on ebay the other day, and it arrived today. It's a Nintendo Game & Watch of Donkey kong. This game was made in 1982 and it's still every bit as fun as when I first played it in Standard 3. So far my high score is 185 : )

Duncan & Bronwyn and the girls have gone out to see The Lion King tonight, so it will be a quiet night in for us. Not that I'm saying it's noisy with them here... I think I'll be quiet now.

MONDAY 11th AUGUST

With foot elevated rest enforced on me, I've had quite a bit of time for reading. I've just finished reading The Other Wind by Ursula LeGuin, the latest installment of the Earthsea series and I'm now half way through The Wee Free Men. In this book Terry Pratchett is writing for a younger audience than his usual Discworld stories, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable or humorous.

Hayley has had a big chat to her mum this morning and I've been IM'ing our friend/semi relative Jen in Wellington, so between us we've had a very NZ focused day thus far.

Stephanie, Bronwyn's other sister, arrived last night. With her she brought some Pams® Rice Crackers, so now Hayley has a new best friend.

SUNDAY 10th AUGUST

We watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon last night. It was the first time Hayley and I had seen this film so it was quite a treat. Absolutely breathtaking cinematography and fight sequences. Tonight we watched it again, this time without the subtitles, but with the director's commentary. Ang Lee is a very funny man. It's always good when you get a worthwhile extra on a DVD.

For those who haven't heard the monumentous news: London set a new record for British temperatures today. For the first time since recording began (130 years ago) temperatures hit triple digits. 100°F (37.9°C). It really is an understatement to say we weren't expecting weather like this in England.

SATURDAY 9th AUGUST

It's show time! As promised, the photos are here. Currently our wedding, our trip to Australia and our American adventure photos are up, but more are on the way.

I'm melting, I'm melting, well not quite like that, but it's incredibly hot today. Poor Hayley had to go out grocery shopping and nearly collapsed with exhaustion when she got home. We've evacuated the sauna that is our bedroom in exchange for the relative cool of the lounge.

It's too hot to do anything, so there's nothing more to say at the moment. Enjoy the photos.

FRIDAY 8th AUGUST

Yesterday was a good mail day. We received a card from Julie and Adrian (and the kittens). After a shaky start, I managed to decipher Julie's 'bus induced' hand writing. It was all thoroughly entertaining. We especially appreciated the editing performed by Q.

As has been mentioned previously, it's very warm here. Hayley's office doesn't have air conditioning, unless you count the three fans that shift the hot air around.

This temperature reading was taken yesterday morning and already her office was a staggering 28.5°C. The tubes are even worse with commuters' sweltering in temperatures up to 40°C as they try to get to and from work. At night time we've had to resort to leaving the windows open in an attempt to cool the room. This is a big concession as it also means putting up with the mosquitoes that dare to annoy us.

THURSDAY 7th AUGUST | THE WAR OF THE BLOGS

It would appear that my attempt at blackmail has been called out. This week has been a War of the Blogs with Duncan and I challenging each others' lax updating schedules. I was merely trying to gain some leverage...

Duncan, Bronwyn and Carolyn are going to France this weekend. While in Paris they will meet up with Stephanie, Bronwyn's other sister. They will then all make their way back here after seeing the sights. It's definitely a full house month.

In Hayley's quest to use up her leave, she'll be taking Monday off (it's been so long since the last three day weekend). We were going to visit a London site of interest, but given my walking issues at the moment I'm thinking this won't be happening. We'll probably stick to chasing (watching) squirrels in our garden.

WEDNESDAY 6th AUGUST

Today is officially hot. On such a fine day thoughts swim into one's head about possible activities for the day. Perhaps a stroll in a park, or a trip to the sea. Maybe even a cocktail at a relaxed alfresco cafe. Therefore with idyllic thoughts such as these a million miles from my head, I went to A&E at St. George's Hospital in Tooting to have my foot examined.

Over the last two days the pain in my foot had been growing stronger and this morning it was unbearable. I conceded that it might need formal medical treatment. So with book in hand, I've been to A&E before you see, I hopped on a bus to Tooting and prepared for the worst. I was pleasantly surprised to find out on arrival that waiting times for minor cases were about 60 minutes. An hour and a half later, not bad for a public hospital, I was being seen by a doctor.

I needed an X-Ray. I think I had already figured that out. What I hadn't counted on was the verdict of said X-Ray. When an ankle is sprained, the ligament surrounding the ankle is stretched suddenly in a not-to-friendly manner. this can cause a tear in the tissue or in a severe case, for the tissue to break completely. In my case, the tissue stretched and tore slightly, but for good measure actually ripped a fragment of bone off the foot. Ouch.

Because the injury is now a week old I was given the option of plaster or compression bandage. I chose to have the compression bandage, all plaster would do is make me hot and irritable. Total healing will take 6-8 weeks during which time I'm to stay off my foot as much as possible. I have a checkup appointment in two weeks time, just to make sure everything has settled down the way it should.

TUESDAY 5th AUGUST | HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

Happy Birthday Mom (Trugly). We hope you've had a good day, as by the time you read this your day will undoubtedly be over.

I'm currently organising photos for the web site. I'm more than half way there, so there should be photos for everyone to see by this weekend. Some of the photos have already been used on the site but most will be new additions.

SUNDAY 3rd AUGUST

After a few days absence the sun is back and so are we. I was looking round our room for something to share with everyone and my eyes rested on this character to the left. In 2001 there was a fundraising event in Saint Paul, MN called Charlie Brown Around Town. City artists painted five foot high statues of Charlie Brown and the outcomes were auctioned off for charity. We thought this statue was an appropriate addition to our food addicted household. Note, ours is not five feet tall, that would have been far too difficult to fit on the plane.

We bought a large bag of monkey nuts at the supermarket the other day. We have been taking great delight in feeding them to the squirrels. None are willing to eat them from Hayley's hand just yet. She's very persistent, but they don't seem convinced of the merit of such an arrangement.

We listened to the cricket today, via the internet, while lying around watching squirrels and birds frolic in our back yard. It was very peaceful and we felt rather English.

FRIDAY 1st AUGUST

Hayley received solid confirmation of her existence last week. Receiving business cards is always great, and Hayley's come with the added bonus of a typo, so she'll get the joy of receiving new cards twice in quick succession. The error prone cards are fast becoming collector's items and are sure to appreciate in value, grab yours while stocks last.

We are now are in the depths of a traditional English summer. Rain, rain and for a bit of a change, some more rain. On top of this we've been listening to our housemate's describing their trip to Italy where they were cursed with temperatures in the mid thirties. Still we are told there should be at least one more blast of sunshine before we are plunged into darkness for six months.

I'm nursing a swollen ankle at the moment. It's a very pretty colour(s). Fortunately it's not broken and seems to be healing at a good rate. Yes I did it skateboarding, but on the bright side, it's the first injury I've sustained since arriving.

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