Not all happy news today

:o(
For the first time in ages I'm posting some not so happy news. The house that we're buying isn't going to be ours any day soon. The vendor is really P*ing me off. We made the offer in January with an expected completion date of the end of April and it was agreed. Our mortgage offer took ages to come through and I thought it suspicious at the time that the vendor wasn't moaning. We are now ready to exchange and she's now said that the house she was going to rent has fallen through and she's decided to buy with the earliest completion date now JUNE. I'm not happy but what can you do? I have had a look for other properties but the market has increased since January and we can't get a detached house of the same standard for anywhere near the same money - so we'll have to grin and bear it I think.

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Maureen has got a bad leg. Pat had her in the surgery last week to investigate why she's been lame and she has a partially ruptured tendon in her knee. He has prescribed hydrotherapy which should be fun! I've made her an appointment for Friday. She hates water so I can't imagine what she'll make of it!

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You may be aware of the bombs that went off yesterday in Egypt. Sonia, Melody, Matt & Sean are going on holiday on Friday. Guess where to? yes you guessed it - Egypt. Luckily not to the same resort but they’re now very worried - and guess who has had Sonia on the phone moaning that it’s just her luck that she’ll get blown up while on holiday? Yes - me. I’ve talked her round and I hope they still enjoy the holiday despite the worry of bombs. I was initially invited but decided we couldn’t afford it. Was getting jealous when they were going on about it when I last saw them , but now I’m glad that I’m not going….


But some good news as well........

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My ebaying is going well. I have made my first major profit. I bought a dress for Lynsey's wedding which cost £12.99 (a bargain) but it didn't fit so I've re-listed it and just got £52 for it!! Am well chuffed!! Everything else that I've bopught and re-sold pretty much went for the same money as it was bought for, so I suspect this is only a fluke. A nice one, though! :o)

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My training is also going well. I was up at 6.30 this morning to train and can now run for 10 minutes (with breaks). I think the race will take between 30 and 40 minutes, though, so I've still a long way to go... My sponsorship is also going really well. I've got £100 (my target) already. I have put a sponsorship form in the surgery and the clients have been very kind and generous. Lynsey did the London marathon on Sunday. It makes my 5km look really piddly, but who knows where it'll lead? I'm still enjoying the challenge, so you never know.... haven't lost any weight yet, though, despite all the running. Oh well - you can't have everything...
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My neck/back is a lot better now. I had a other treatment today and feel quite good. Spending so much time on here isn’t helping, though, so I’d better try and keep it to a minimum.

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One last successful ebay purchase was Nip/Tuck season 3. Am addicted to it again and I know I’ve said this before but Julian McMahon - PHOAR!! ;o)) I’ll leave you with a picture of him to drool over…..

Sarah
xx

Our Easter Weekend and meeting the new SIL

I have had a really good Easter weekend. On Friday, Sonia came down and stayed the night and on Saturday we did a mammoth shopping spree in Southampton - which has LOADS of gorgeous shops. Sonia spent the most money - she had been planning for a while to get loads of new clothes once the summer stuff had arrived. We saw a lot of gorgeous but very expensive clothes but we controlled ourselves a bit. I got a jumper from Kew (£50) and a few tops from Next. But my most expensive item was a skirt from Debenhams which was £90 to go with the Monsoon top I'd got from ebay for Lynsey's wedding. The plan is to re-sell the skirt on ebay after the wedding and recoup some of the money if I don't intend wearing it again.

On Easter Sunday, we all congregated round my Mum & Dad's for a family meal and we met my brother Phil's fiancee (Yanti) who is from Indonesia. Yanti seemed very nice and pleasant but had a few problems keeping up because we talk very quickly. They have set the date for the wedding for 10th June (3 days before our wedding anniversary).

My other brother, Paul, was also there with his girlfriend, Alice. Paul & Phil own a house together and Alice also lives there. And after the wedding when Phil & Yanti are married, Yanti will move in as well. (I don't envy Alice - sharing with my 2 brothers and an Indonesian girl)

I took lots of pictures of us all - mostly because Sonia wanted to see what Yanti looked like.

Firstly is Phil & Yanti

Next is (from left to right) Phil, Yanti, Paul and Alice

Then - Paul & Alice

Me & Pat

Pat and my Mum & Dad

On Monday, it all worked out really well. From my parents it's only an hour to our old house so Pat went over there to collect Edith the tortoise and catch up with some of his mates from his old job and I had time to take Paddy for a long ride. Now that the weather has improved, it was extremely enjoyable, riding across the open fields with the sun shining on us. Brilliant!!

I hope everyone also had a good Easter.

Sarah

xx

I've got Edith back! Hurrah!!!!!

I'm really really excited because on Easter Sunday while we were at my mum's, we got a phone call from the people who had bought our old house because Edith my tortoise had finally come out of hibernation!! Hurrah! Pat went over there yesterday to collect her while I went for a long ride on Paddy (the horse) and she is now happily settling in to our garden!! She survived the winter well and is very healthy (luckily!)

Here is a picture of her relaxing amongst the weeds!!

Race for Life Training

I bet you were wondering where I was! Firstly, I have been really busy because it’s school holidays and therefore, our receptionist has been off and I have been covering her hours as well as my own.

On top of that, I have had a very bad neck (exacerbated by spending too many hours at the computer - so I’ve had to get my ebay addition more under control!) and have been going for physio sessions twice a week for the last 3 weeks. My neck/back is a lot better now but not 100%.

Lastly, I have been training for my 5km run. I had really geared myself up and decided to do the Southampton run on 16th July (although I hadn’t actually entered because of not knowing how my neck would be) and was starting slowly with power walking because I had to be careful with my neck.

2 weeks ago, my mum gave me an invitation to my Dad’s 2 sisters’ joint 50th wedding anniversary party. Now, we’re not a close family - in fact, I’ve only seen one of my Aunts (Betty) once since my wedding 8 years ago and the other sister (Pauline) lives in America - although I am quite close to her and have seen her about 6 times in the last 8 years (including staying with them on a few days of our honeymoon) Anyway, I don’t particularly want to go, but I have to, really. But the do is the night before the Southampton run and in High Wycombe so it would not be advisable to go there the night before my first ever event. So, then I decided to do the High Wycombe run in June and started training and all was going well, (my neck was holding uop to it and I got the go ahead from the physio) so I went to register - and they were full!! Proper gutted!! I was so geared up for it that I couldn’t not do it. I then went into panic mode, trying to find an event which was still open for entries and was on a suitable day (and not too far away) We settled for Watford on 2nd July (only 30mins from Wycombe). Sponsorship is going well and I’m being cheeky and have emailed loads of people and have also put a form in the practice.

Training is also going well. The Race For Life people are really good and have designed a training plan which I’m following. I’m very unfit, though, and am finding it tough. Pat is being my personal trainer and between us things are going as they should - today I did 7 minutes running (with breaks in between)

Right - I’d better go - we’re off to my mum & dad’s for an Easter get together. My brother is over with his Indonesian fiancee and today I get to meet her - am very excited about it!
Will let you know how it goes and will take some photos.

Sarah
xx