Here's to a happy New Year

So tomorrow it is bye bye 2103; hello 2014.

But I have been thinking about the Chinese calendar. This time 12 years ago it was the end of 2001 (the Chinese new year loops on a 12 year cycle and the year of the Horse starts on 31st Jan 2014 - it was super late in 2002 it was Feb 12th) and I was sat in a central London flat with no heat or running water: the electricity had been cut off as the useless management company had not paid an electricity bill for 6 months. I was alone, had nasty food poisoning and was unemployed as I had quit my job to set up my own business and was pretty stressed. Looking back over that year it had not been a good one -  whilst I finally got rid of the biggest boyfriend mistake I ever made I was unhappily single, had had 3 jobs that year & hated all of them; I could not settle so I quit. Had to do something BIG to get myself out of my fug.

January 1st 2002 dawned and I left grey skies behind, boarded a jumbo & headed for some R&R in SA with very good friends. Then late Jan 2002 a huge project was commissioned to my very new business which was able to open its doors in profit (in the year of the horse may I add) and I got a grip and some perspective and basically things only got better. I am hoping that this new year of the Horse will also be a revelation. Whilst things in 2013 were nowhere near as bad as in 2001 (I have my practically perfect hubby now, he makes EVERYTHING better) we have had stresses in the extended family, illnesses, work could've been better and the Christmas floods were the dark icing on a not very good cake.

So - the Western New Year starts in around 18 hours and the new Chinese new year in 32 days. No doubt I will have another post for that auspicious day so in the meantime HAPPY NEW YEAR! May joy, peace & love come to all

I'm dreaming of a white - sorry WET - Christmas

Water water everywhere & not a drop to drink. The FauxSurrey Homestead took a bit of a battering this Christmas. If you have been following UK weather on the news you will have seen that dreadful weather was with us - a wet not a white Christmas! Images throughout are minutes from our door ....

During the day on the 23rd December, all was calm all was bright. Then as night fell so did the rain, then the wind picked up. We sat with our glasses of festive wine in the conservatory listening to the hammering rain on the roof thinking gosh it's bad, gosh we are lucky ... and I toddled upstairs around 10.30pm and had my toothbrush in my hand when FauxSurreyHubby's voice pierced my ears ... get down here quick!

So I legged it downstairs to find FSHubby up to his ankles in flood water in the utility - water was gushing under the door & straight through into one of the garages. The drain that should've taken all the water away was over burdened AND blocked with leaves. And then an FSTeen yelled that the conservatory roof had given in - there were 7 weak spots and each was channelling water into the house not out onto the garden. Oh f**k!!

The beginning of Christmas was therefore spent in wellies & rubber gloves, baling out, pumping out, making cups of tea, strategically placing containers to catch the roof drips, unblocking drains and simply being exhausted. We got to bed around 3AM  but I woke up again at 7AM as the KC needed to go out but as she leapt though her cat-flap she landed in 4 inches of standing water on the patio! Not happy ... mewing loudly she gingerly crept up the garden shaking each paw with each step & I tip toed behind her with my coffee carefully making my way up the garden too to see what was what - and realised ALL our garden fences had blown down too. BUT the house behind us had a massive tree wedged into a hole where their roof used to be. We really got off lightly.

And so Christmas eve itself was a blur of sweeping & pumping water off the patio, enlisting the help of our WONDERFUL neighbour & her cousin to hasten a decent repair of the fence (thank god for nail guns!) and attempt to think about what still needed to be done for the big day itself.

Then around 4pm Christmas eve, just as we were starting to feel cheered about finally being dry & OK we had a call from wonderful neighbour telling us her hubby had been trapped by a flood in his office 1 mile away and that he had to be rescued by boat - could we give her a lift (we have the big weather proof 4x4) to go through the tree strewn & flooded roads to pick him up from the rescue centre. His boat rescue was even on the 6 O'clock BBC news! Oy Oy. All too exciting.

Brain was frazzled however as I do not do well on 4 hours sleep & so many Teen Christmas gift items were left unwrapped and on the day the Christmas spirit was rather stretched! Still a bunch of visitors & a 3 hour game of Charades plus Dr Who on Christmas night cheered us all up. Another storm hit last night & we remained dry so fingers crossed the worst is over

Here's to 2014!!!

Strictly a Christmas Treat

Bit late but heartfelt - HUGE congratulations to Abbey Clancy & the IMPOSSIBLY handsome Aljaz Skorjanec on lifting the coveted Strictly Glitterball.

I am ashamed to say I judged the book by its cover & was with the doubters when the beautiful, gamine, pouty, ridiculously wealthy footballers wife (she's Mrs Peter Crouch) first appeared on the launch show & I fell into the "she won't be able to do anything 'cos I bet she's never had to do anything" trap - WRONG!

As Craig said, she was a revelation - a beautiful dancer who was a joy to watch; her pre dance nerves were so painfully evident at times but she conquered them. She has drive, determination, bucketloads of natural talent, is surprisingly self deprecating, and she put in the hard yards - she deserved to win. Oh and she's a Scouser to boot; Go Abbey!

Merry Christmas!!

Wishing you & yours a very merry Christmas & a happy, healthy & prosperous 2014

All by myself

 ... don't want to be ... as the song says. I am home alone at the moment and it's entirely my choice. La Famille FauxSurrey are, as I type, a 6 hour drive away in a northern hospital at my mother in laws bedside. My mother in law is 92 and on top of being 92 & suffering from diabetes has pills for her kidneys, pills for her blood pressure and new max strength full dose pills for her failing heart. If she had not gone into hospital last Tuesday afternoon her heart would've given up on her completely by Wednesday evening (so says consultant) - however she got into hospital and basically it's only pills keeping her going. She can no longer care for herself; she will need constant care when (if?) she goes home plus a stair lift & a panic alarm. She will need washing & feeding ... she's alive yes but is it a life?

Anyhow ponder piece over, despite the fact I lived alone - completely alone - for many many years, I have been with my practically perfect hubby for almost 10 years now and I have forgotten how to do a weekend by myself. I had forgotten you need to organise yourself, you need to plan to see people! You have to make things happen they don't happen around you. I am babysitting later on this evening (one of the reasons I am home alone didn't want to let my cousin down + KC still getting better + back is not great - nearly slipped a disc last weekend after innocently raking leaves and 12 hours in a car would NOT be good for my back) Anyhow, it's an odd weekend as best friend who I could normally drop in on is on a plane to Shanghai, my car has a possible slow puncture & also kills me if I drive more than 30 mins in it (harsh suspension!) so can't go see sister who is an hour away as I guarantee with the way things have been going recently the slow puncture would turn into a fast one & would go pop on the M25..!

So KC slumbering peacefully on my bed, a load of washing has gone in, FSTeens bedrooms have been fumigated (TCP + Lynx what a combo!) and I have watched Saturday Kitchen, made lunch, trizzed about with some extra Christmas decorations, had Radio 4 Extra comedy & crime drama on in the background, and decided to check out the blogosphere.


But there are few new updates as everyone's busy!! May be forced to do some ironing ...