Month One

January.

1^st. and so it begins another year let’s hope we can maintain a level of sensible although the Kraken pushed the edge today, the meal was acceptable even though the Kraken thought it was ok to be late (pet peeve number 347) she ranted and raved only a little bit, no foaming at the mouth this time. Thankfully the mere mention of snow sent her back into her cave (if only we knew) well winter is coming feels like a Game of Thrones moment for a second there, a lazy day long may it reign. (Album of the day Queen. 1)

2^nd. Another lie in for me, the year is starting on a good footing, that’s two more lie Ins than last year, have to gear the missus up to head back to work as we had no lottery win, thought we were going to fight over lunch but thankfully that was avoided (it’s the little things that seem to set us off) crisis averted, I have the blog to sort, first of the year, and while editing I came up with an idea for a new book, just like that we really are guided by the stars, once the wife is off to work me and the youngest will sort out our chores, chores complete the youngest treated us to a pizza (OK I’m not that bad I did go half with her) it was lovely now to use Amazon and watch the Grand tour, then we await our mistress to arrive back from work angry and annoyed! (Album of the day 68 – 75. Consequences).

3^rd. woke up before the alarms did go off, I felt slightly disorientated, up bright and breezy after a quick bath and then off to climb on to my local plague carrier, old people are the worst for pushing in, stealing seats and generally not sharing, probably because they think that they are getting off quite quick, I had to chuckle.

First duty manager shift of the year and thankfully I just ploughed through what I had to do, the shift didn’t last long neither did the bus ride home as I “blinked” for large portions of it, got home to be welcomed to a quite quiet home as the youngest has gone back to university (not that she makes much noise but I do miss her) and work on the phone trying to be witty, I can do without this as I’m up at silly o clock to do a quick return for work anyway, somebody will suffer tomorrow. (Album of the day Wild Horses Debut).

4^th. Day four and I don’t want to write anything it’s been an ok kind of day, no crazy, well ok a little with the wife (no surprise right there) but nothing major or life threatening, just a little funk, some music, then some more of a kind of funk but nothing that can’t be cured! (Album of the day Garth Brooks Gunslinger).

5^th. A crap day with shit filtering in through every pore, I had a bad feeling from the get go , the weather was good, no major issues with (my) work, just one of those days, wasn’t helped that I nearly nodded off during a meeting, no I wasn’t tired, my diabetes kicked in and boy was I wiped out, I was fine once I gave my head a shake, the wife had a negative day, I tried my best to lift her spirits, I just wish she could get a break, my annual mini trim for the bushy beard, back to my suave sophisticated look, well maybe not, tomorrow can’t come soon enough good vibes required, not down on the ground, but I’m having to put up a fight. (Album of the day Rainbow Rising).

6^th. A heavy duty day at work with family issues simmering on in the background, the day at work could not end quick enough, even then I was rang three times on the way home, just beat the wife home, she brought the hound back who was in high spirits just as the hurricane and the eldest turned up at the front door and yep you guessed it the pooch ran straight outside onto the busy main road that is at the front of the house, much panic but he was brought back in the bad books, the eldest is ill, so left to go and try and recover, we all had some tea but then I started to doze in my chair, which turned into snoozing which then developed into a coma, not a great night for me, I stumbled off up the wooden hill and was asleep again before the wife made it to the first landing, no doubt I shall suffer the consequences later. Slept so much no album of the day(WTF) that’s the worst point of this little vinaigrette!

7^th. A poor start to the day (because of all the sleep) I never seemed to get to grips with the day, pulled myself around by dinner time but my body clock was so out of sync I thought it was bed time at 17.00, me with my reputation, thankfully no sleepiness today but simply didn’t get motivated to do any of the simple tasks I set myself (I’m actually typing this up early Monday morning waiting for my lift to take me to work) the wife was taken out by the hound he gets so excited when people come to the house he simply darts through peoples legs to be the first person (because he really thinks he’s a person) to greet new arrivals, as a consequence he took out her legs and she went down as if a sniper had took her out, so then a sickly wife for the rest of the night, we made cunning plans for the coming morn and set off for the land of nod!

8^th. I was awake before any of the alarms, dressed and sorted before the wife came downstairs, but she was better than I thought she would be, we trooped off to our local spoon’s for a spot of breakfast, just something different and it got me out of the house, Spoon’s was quiet only a handful in, we left as the seasoned drinkers started to arrive around 09.30, a slow meander back and the day was ruined by us both binge watching stuff on Amazon and Netflix, waste of a day really, but I got to spend it with the wife only one fall out so that has to be a record, off to bed later than I wanted. (Album of the day Judas Priest Unleashed in the east).

9^th. Up at silly o clock, full of dread, I’m not sure why, dull ache in my chest and something just not sitting right with me, caught up with this as I had (already) neglected my entries, but it gave a sense of calm as I wait for my lift, thankfully the day went way quicker than I thought and wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been, the night time was slightly worse as I had a really sick wife who was in a panic about going to work, we both went to bed early. (Album of the day Manowar – Sign of the hammer).

10^th. Another early rise for no apparent reason and a rather grumpy morning at work, I vented my spleen a few times and felt all the better for it, the day was not without issues however I hope I took them all within my stride and I was once again invited to the weekly management meeting only for people to have their head in their hands once again (the truth really does hurt) I really must learn to play their game, let’s see how long it is before I’m invited again? Home and a night where we both blinked for a long period of time in another wise uneventful night. (Album of the day – Thin Lizzy Nightlife).

11^th. A rather windy night is this the start of the bad weather coming I hope not, let’s see what today brings at work, a few cunning plans and a series of deflections planned through the minefield that is a Wednesday! The day wasn’t as bad as it could have been, a few issues but nothing major mainly work related, everything came out good in the end. I blogged or redid a chapter of a book, but I redid it and removed names to protect the innocent, I still felt as intensely as when I did the original draft, that to me means I did something right, not sure what but I did what I had to do, the numbers were good let’s see how long they last? I’m keeping these chunks bite size, that way hopefully they will stay interesting! (Album of the day – Jethro Tull Broadsword and the Beast).

12^th. Today did not go as planned, I simply couldn’t get my gears to go in the right direction, my mood was decidedly…...mhew! onwards was the instruction from my brain but the body was unwilling, thankfully my mood improved, the weather wasn’t as bad as was threatened cold was as bad as I wanted it, thankfully that’s all we got, home and a quick dip while the hurricane was here, then something to eat, and then for me to second guess myself and try and do a small section of editing I’m hoping to do as little as possible, well until each chapter is complete! Tonight, has been quite mellow, not the way I expected the day to go, as I get older I get more superstitious and a greater believer in the karma police tomorrow is the first Friday 13^th of the year it can’t get any worse, can it? (Album of the day – Heather Findlay Band I am snow …quite apt really).

13^th. Superstition has gotten the better of me as I set off in trepidation, the snow has finally arrived although its little more than an inch that’s the country goosed then, off to work to crack on, time for a low profile and to just get on with it and it actually went smoothly, I felt at my contribution to the working day, the wife was doing a late shift so I was coming home to an empty house, well I nearly didn’t as I was sorting through my keys to get in the house I was knocked flat on my ass, it turns out even though I’m a tad overweight I don’t bounce! Helped to my feet I shuffled in and suffered for the night, not as bad as I thought just really tight in my base of my spine and in my shoulders, I was walking around like a Dalek, the wife took pity on me but still called me a dumb ass, we could have done without this as we are off to the hospital in the morning to see a specialist for her feet, she’s in constant pain (probably from kicking me in her sleep), off up the wooden hill trying to lie straight in bed (and not to whimper) thankfully it didn’t take long for me to drift off. (Album of the day Dennis De Young – 10 Songs from Broadway I know go figure!).

14^th. Up a lot earlier than I thought, the back slightly better than I could have hoped for, as soon as we were ready we headed for Newcastle for the wife’s appointment at the Nuffield, I have no idea how we are going to pay for it but hey ho we will cross that bridge when we come to it (again), a slight detour on the way home (hey I got a new Wok) but nature meant that we had to head home sooner than planned, and then the rest of the day was fab me and the wife just laying around like Lopy dogs watching films and generally eating junk between meals and the such like, it was a really good day I had a good soak after our travels which truly loosened m back and shoulders, I don’t feel like a wimp now lying flat on my tush certainly helped, a late night has helped here’s hoping for a lie in tomorrow morning as a I look forward to a week on the plague carrier in the coming week. (EP of the day – Halestorm all of the cover stuff). 

15^th. Another day of sloth, at least it was a more productive one, a number of small chores completed and an end to a good weekend, barely an argument, only one visit by a horde of locusts and then off to bed for an early rise! No music played today, I actually conversed with the wife, I know she was worried as well!

16^th. Up early for my week of catching public transport, I was annoyed as my MP3 player had discharged its battery so I was only able to listen to music hallway there, a busy day (yes I recharged my MP3 player) and a quick getaway from work to have an evening of my own company, as the wife was at work, my night which then spiralled off into black moods, thankfully only for a short while, unfortunately enough for me to rethink the new book idea, and to simply turn it into mega blogs, looking at the blurb website to see if they had rethought their “user friendly” software was what tipped me over the edge, then I had to endure a black night of loneliness and despair, saved by the dog, but not before I did some major pruning on these thoughts, thankfully I’m out the other side now, however I’m now suffering yet another (annoying) nose bleed, nothing major it just feels like someone has stuck a needle up my nose and a few spots of blood, probably that stroke I have been expecting making itself comfortable, the wife is on her way home she can cheer me up when she gets in, I do believe I have missed her cheeky little face, oh and I renewed the battery in my bedside clock, what an exciting life I lead. (Album of the day Fish - A feast of consequences).

17^th. A single solitary Magpie watched me walk to the bus station this morning it set the tone of the day, nothing hitting top gear every time, a day of drudgery, A day of perpetual gloom, thankfully as the work day ended the mood lifted, a sensible journey home on the plague carrier, crossing the road to get home I was nearly knocked down as I was startled as a single solitary Magpie flew past my line of sight, surely not the same one, I’m starting to hate these birds. A singular solitary night in the back room trying to shake the connection of the rotten day. (Album of the day – Thin Lizzy Jailbreak).

18^th. Duty manager shift, I hate this as I usually have to spend the shift dealing with the stupid people, a pleasant journey into work which was soon spoilt as I lost control for something taken from my desk, people scattered out of my way as word got around that I was having a hissy fit, the item was returned with an apology and the day thankfully meandered through the rest of the shift, thankfully with no further incidents, although the bus journey had its moments with a drunk who kept sliding onto the floor I thought his mates were going to tie him to the chair funny little thing but it made me chortle (just a little bit) (Album of the day – Loverboy Get Lucky).

19^th. Thankfully I awoke in a good mood and the day stayed in a similar vein for the rest of the day, more heads down arses up, the wife had a hospital appointment on the night time and thankfully she had seen sense and came back and picked me up so I could go with her and at least give her a little bit of moral support, she had been concerned about the traffic, thankfully there was nothing to be concerned about, we got there in plenty of time, however a patient before us had a bit of a funny turn so we were held back a bit, nothing to serious, appointment complete we headed for the hills of Gimpsville, the weekend was looming it couldn’t come quick enough, or at least that’s what I thought! (Album of the day – Kansas Power).

20^th. I was determined that today was going to be a great day, it was the Hurricanes birthday, so I rushed to work so that I could rush home, I just had to get through the day, a conference call first thing didn’t make me very happy I prefer to be up close and personal so I can deliver any blows so that the victim can see it coming. The day was better than expected until I headed for home,  the return journey so far this week on the plague carrier had been relatively painless, not so tonight it was quite so I had to squeeze past a little shit who was making it awkward for me to get into the seat, then we had a bit more of elbows at high noon, no words exchanged just a wiry teenager trying  to be “the man” drinking his can of Monster, thankfully the bus passengers thinned and I moved to allow two girls to get out for their stop, I then listened to my trusty MP3 player for the remainder of the Journey, he got of the stop before me with his two mates, damn I hadn’t seen them, oops that could have got a little nasty, thankfully they were more interested in getting to the American embassy for their evening rations. I arrived home to the hurricanes birthday bash in full swing, it really was a joyous occasion, more of this please as it feeds the soul. (Album of the day – A sound of thunder – who do we think we are).

21^st. early to arise as the wife had to return to the hospital for her results, another trip to Newcastle and then a return trip home before the wife had to head back out to go to work, I then spent the rest of the day reading documents for work, I hadn’t intended to, but the week ahead is quite busy and I wanted to be prepared ( I actually wanted to be retired but I still have a few years to go on that one) for the coming week, some ducking and diving and one major blow up planned for next Thursday so I really do need to be prepared, and as a consequence because of the studying I forgot to put any music on in the afternoon damn I’m getting way too old for this shit!

22^nd. Sunday with not a lot to do but await the Hurricanes as I have him this afternoon as he is staying tonight so his mum can go and celebrate her birthday, a great day ensured as always and the wife can never work out how I get him so tired basically I get him to run everywhere (not a problem as he is six and all he wants to do is run) and by the time the wife comes in from he is wrecked, some homework a quick bath and he is in bed, he’s a great pleasure to have in the house, a quiet night in and then a little bit more reading, and then to start all over again, no lottery win so back on the hamster wheel. (Album of the day - Uriah Heep Abominog).

23^rd. Off to work and generally my head kept down, my stomach was playing up so not bait for me today I hate it when my guts are like this, issues at work that are so miniscule I have no idea why I’m mentioning them here but they road blocked me every step of the way, but I soldered on and finally got home to a quiet night at home, finally as I headed off up the wooden hill, I decided to take my brand new anti-snore pillow(yeah right) it had only been in the house a little over a week, of course I didn’t use it right and I vaguely remember getting abused through the night (why I’m not awake FFS!) no music today.

24^th. I awoke with a sense of foreboding as if for some reason this was potentially a day of doom in the making! The day was actually just like any other day, it was just me and my own sense of self-importance that generally got me down, the only bright spot was Thunderbird one popped in and was full of his usual charm it’s great to see friends. The day ended as it started but at least I knew it was just me and nothing was wrong in the world, and it would appear that I used the new pillow properly this as I have no recollection of being abused through the night. again, no music as such today!

25^th A day of travelling for work, I attended work and did small bites of stuff as when I’m not there nobody does my tasks, so I have to get as much as possible done, the trip was good the craic was soul lifting, my mood did very little to be lifted although outwardly I was a jovial bean to all and sundry, I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were happy to see me and wanted to pick my brains for work, we had a team building exercise that was actually hard work, well maybe it would have been if I hadn’t been part of the support team on the initial problem (didn’t do a lot except remember the details)  a nice meal and an open bar but it was me who headed to bed first at around 21,50 after my 2 glasses of lime and soda! No fun sitting moping in a room full of people having fun when you are in a stick in the mud kind of mood, I got ready for bed, then spoke to the wife, nice to hear her voice but that didn’t stop me eating all the goodies in the room after I hung up, I then lay in a dark room waiting for sleep to come! (Album of the day The eagles The Long Run.).

26^th. Early before everybody else and I was the first person through the door for breakfast, I filled my face knowing that today was going to be a long day, heading back upstairs before everybody else came down I wasn’t in the mood for conversation at that time of the day, a long soak in the bath didn’t help my mood, but work did I improved as the day went on as it was things that I felt a real connection with, it was a great day, we headed for home and it was a long journey  to a cold north east, I waited until the wife had finished and came home with her, an offer of Chinese food was not refused, I was full as a bug as I headed to bed and just a little punch drunk. No music today.

27^th. Up for work but to be honest my heart wasn’t in it, an exploding can of pop in my bag didn’t get the day off to a great start, the day was just another day, I had to do some fancy footwork to try and get someone to cover my Saturday shift as I needed to take the wife for an appointment to hospital, I indeed did have to sell my soul!  I was back before the wife who upon coming home decided to do a somersault in the back lane, nothing broken but a lot of aches and pains from jolting everything else! I wasn’t happy as I had told her to wait for me to come and collect her, it will be more painful in the coming days! No music again for most of the day!

28^th. Up early for the hospital appointment and the wife was indeed in a lot more pain but nowhere near as she could have been, we were not in the hospital as long as we thought we might be and a promising start to her treatment, the rest of the day was making sure that she was comfortable and me attempting to get this into semblance of sense for you the discerning reader!

29^th. Today was meant to be the day I published but I got easily distracted (oooh look a butterfly) I did some chores, looked at lots of vinyl got distracted again, joined Tumblr and made a lovely tea for the wife coming in (I do have my uses allegedly) from work, a laptop that is spitting its dummy out because of all the hard work I have made it do, and now  to publish, I was going to do this as a new book, however I feel as though it’s not fit for purpose (and no I haven’t given up on the idea of a new book) so I will continue with the idea however it will be in blog format, so that you have it lets see how this one does, what can I say but watch the skies for incoming until the next time………………………….Toodles!