Viva La France

Tomorrow me and my son will be on a plane to France to see my mum.

Its our first time away as just me and him and i can't wait. We will have some proper bonding time and no agro from the ex. This will also be the first time that she has been away from him for a long length of time, i hope she doesn't miss him to much but at least it will give her some well earned quality time to herself. I think she needs this more than i need to see my mum as recently her temper seems quick to fuse.

We seem to have been getting on better since we decided to split, except on Saturday when I made a big boo. This is a story in itself so will get that up when I get back.

I have been texting and emailing my mum and have been told that the weather is better than the UK at the mo and after having a look at weather reports the coldest day should be about 25c and the hottest about 33c, I can't wait.

This will be my sons first trip on a plane and I hope that he doesn't get to scared but at least I will be there to hold his hand an comfort him. I am not enjoying the wait at the airport as there is never much for kids to do but we should be fine.

I will be taking my camera with me (as long as i can find it in time and have charged the batteries for it. I will post what I can up here, even if it does take some time.

I will coming back on the 31st July so will try and update the 1st August.

Reason for the move together

I have been trying for ages to get whats in my head down here but it is harder that I thought.

The gf and me are splitting up because what we had is no longer there even though we do try also we have figured out that we are two very different people and it has come to the time where we just can't go on like we are now.

As readers of this blog you will be already aware of the ups and downs we have had and being bias I have probably put more of the bad times down as it has been a release to me. We have had great times but it always seem so much hard work to get there or we have got there through the end of a bad time and have not kept the good time going falling back in to the badness.

On Wednesday night when I tried to cuddle her and she turned round and said "We are splitting up, I can't do this to us anymore" I was first partly upset but then it felt like a burden had been lifted. We briefly discussed moving on etc but it was late so we went to sleep.

The next morning things seemed the same but they weren't and we knew it. We talked on the phone once I was at work and discussed what we should do next. I thought about me getting my place and having my bachelor pad and all the good times were coming, but then I thought deeper. I wanted a place so that my son could have a garden to run around in, I want to see him when ever I wanted but without him having to be passed from post to post. I don't want the ex-gf to have to find a tacky/hovel of a place to live in that she could barely afford, with no garden etc for my son. So I decided that we should all move to the new house, even though it is renting, as this was we all get what we want and need.

We are not splitting up because of anything bad, ie there is no infidelity. We still get along like friends and we get to see our son anytime we want.

The house is three bed roomed, garden, lounge, separate dinning room. So there is plenty of space for us all.

We will share the lounge, dinning room, kitchen, bathroom and my son and ex-gf will have their room each on the first floor and I will have the spare room on the top floor. I know this seems strange and I haven't actually heard of anyone else doing it, but hey why not try something new, it might catch on.

I do have my reservations about this working, like, what happens if we start dating people, do we bring them back or not, will I/she get jealous of the partner. What happens if one of us wants to move out. Will this effect my son in anyway???

I have already mentioned the no strangers rule to the ex-gf and I know they count to be as well, when I mean no strangers I mean no one night stands, I don't need my son to get confused with the comings and goings of strange men and women in the house.

What I do know is that it will be strange to begin with but I think i will be able to cope with it, it means i get more free time to mess around with my games consoles and watch what I want to watch for a change on TV.

Well my fingers are crossed for this to work as if finding a place hasn't been hard enough already

Previous Post

I'm not sure if I have explained the previous post but still not sure how to at the moment.

Well I had a good weekend.

Thursday night was spent at the races as a it was for a friends birthday. It is the first time I have walked away from the races semi sober. I broke roughly even with my bets so we went to the pub afterwards.

Now this is the first time I have been in to a proper pub since the ban and it was strange seeing everyone outside and about three people in, but once the initial shock was over I went out and joined them.

Friday was spent at work then as I had managed to leave a bit earlier i went in to town with my son and his mum. Now my son will run anywhere and everywhere, except roads, but soon as we are in town "Dad my legs are tired" "they weren't when you were chasing the pigeons" "please"
and that's when I give up and plant him on my shoulders which is fine for the first 10 mins but afterwards he starts to get heavy, but will he get down, no way.

Friday evening I spent in doors, after putting the little man to bed I faffed abit then ended up watching with the (now do I put ex, my son's mum, the gf)I got News for you with the guest presenters we had a laugh watching it then went to be afters.

Saturday was spent in town as the was Charivari Day which is the carnival but without the floats, the procession was alive with colour and sounds and I have to admit this is the first time I have ever seen it. Once we watched that we all went down to the beach front (my son, ex-gf, her mum and step dad and the my sons uncle and aunt), we went down to watch the raft race but we missed it, by about 5 hrs, nothing like being on time. My son had a great time though going on the bouncy castles and the spinning tea cups.

We all went back to the ex-gf parents for a barbecue which for some reason I am attracted to like a moth and end up cooking the food, I don't mind as i get the warm spot but the constant, is anything ready yet, whats ready now, drive ms mad, so I tell them it's all ready if you want food poisoning, Silence. Whilst waiting for the bbq to be lit and seeing as we didn't have any firelighters I said I would take a walk to the shop and that I would pop in to the off licence to grab a beer or two, the ex-gf pipes up and has a moan saying now that she won't be able to go out and will have to stay in because I will just get drunk etc, well to me I didn't think she was going out as in the morning she had had a text from her friend saying that she was in bed feeling ill and i had seen the ex-gf on the phone quite a bit so I am guessing she was putting pressure on her friend to go out, so anyway I leave and pop to the shops and when I get back she then moans that I didn't get her anything to which I replied that she hadn't told me what she wanted. So that started a small row. Once we had finished she suddenly says, right I'm off and off she goes to get ready to go out.

Sunday was spent relaxing a bit and doing odds and sods.

I forgot to add.

Last night we had a wonderful lighting storm where we live. It passed over the house around 9pm, it started out over the sea then rolled over head towards the hills, there was no/little thunder, but the way the lightning lit up the sky was amazing.

Looking out from the spare room you could see the clouds being lit up, then a couple of forks would come out of the clouds which looked amazing, then you could see the forks in the clouds darting from one to another. I wish I had a decent camera to have taken some pics of vids, will have to charge up my camcorder of the next time.

The Right Thing?????

Wednesday night we realised that it wasn't going to work between us any more, we know that we still love each other but we have been living together more like friends than a happy couple.



So what we have decided to do is move in to the new house and live as housemates.

There are a number of reasons for this.

1 We still get on with each other and love each other.
2 We get to live in a nice house that has everything we need and for our son.
3 I still get to see my son
4 We are near enough already doing our own thing


There are other reasons which I may come back and add to the list.

I am not sure how this will plan out but why not give it a try

What a Weekend

The week wasn't to bad, just the usual work stuff and home life bits going on but then we get to Friday

Friday started of like any other day, waking up, sorting bits and pieces out then off to work.

Once work was finished it was out team building/interdepartmental sports day.

Basically it is our department versus another department at work and the were various activities to choose from, you didn't have to do it but why not. So I had put myself down for football, the team we were playing haven't been beaten by our department since it started, which I think is about 3/4 years now. So the team started as was a sub (best place to be at the beginning i think) and we played well for the first 15 mins scoring 2 goals but then they scored a fluky one, I was then called on to the team and in the first half I think I got a touch of the ball twice. We then went in to the second half and they tried hard but we managed to hold them back and we managed to win, I even got a small trophy for my hard work.



After the footie had finished it was time for a beer so we sat in smokers corner away from everyone else and had a couple of beers and some laughs at the girl running away from the wasp. We all left about 3ish and headed home, when I got in I could feel my face burning and when I looked, yup bright red face and red arms, oh well.



Saturday started with looking at a house to rent which I think we are going to go for, it is in a street that I lived in for a few years as a child so I know the area is ok. We then went to town afterwards as we had to sort out a couple of bits before we were out that night. It was another wedding reception and this wasn't the best one that I have been to this year, there was only a DJ no live band, no smoking (yes I know that it has been banned now, but still a shock as this was the first time I have been out since the ban) and the people that I went with including the gf didn't really want to be there which always put dampener on events. We had been out for a meal first which was nice but once again filled the belly up so was feeling a little bloated afterwards.



After the reception had finished I went to one of the nightclubs with one of the chaps that were at the reception, the first shock was getting a wristband because I was a smoker and I could then leave and enter club when I want to smoke. So we were having a few beers and watching the women when I smelt this awful BO smell and I am afraid to stay that it was coming from a girl that had walked past, see this is why smoking shouldn't be banned as it covers all smells. Whilst standing outside having a smoke someone from another club popped down handing out a flyer which was for free entry and a free drink and seeing as we had on our wristbands we made our way to the next club, showed our tickets and wandered up the stairs to the bar and fought back the crowds to get to the bar, ok fight our way is a bit harsh, we strolled to the bar as all the 5 people in the club were on the dance floor. Seeing as there wasn't much to do or see we went back to the first club.

We did decide to move on to another club but by the time we had decided that it was half 1 so we stayed, I did meet a couple of friends from school and they said I hadn't changed a bit and recognized me straight away and did I recognize them, I politely said Yes of course I do, you have hardly changed, then the memory kicked in and they may now have bigger boobs and a bit more of a trunk than before but the faces matched the ones that I knew. So we had a little catch up and then I went wandering again. By the time I had my full of beer, spirits and alcopops I decided to catch a cab, I went to the second taxi in the queue as it is a company I always use but he said I had to take the one in front, so instead of doing that i decided to cut my nose of to spite my face and walked home, it wasn't a bad walk in the end.

Sunday was the best day of the weekend, even with the recovering that was needed as for me it was Metallica Day and I was off to Wembley to see them with the gf's brother (must remember to get the ticket money from him and also next time to see if he can get any of the beers in).

We left about half 12 and normally the journey should take about 2 hours, three hours later and three wrong turns we find the hotel, I am very tired by now and lie down on the bed once checked in but I know that if I close my eyes that will be it, I will either not wake up will Monday morning or I will wake up feeling so grotty and moody I won't enjoy myself, so the only option is to go downstairs and get a beer and it helps a little so I decide a couple more will make me feel even better. It was not getting on a bit and we decided that it would be better to get some food before we go knowing that it would be expensive in the Stadium and crappy so we popped along to the takeaway next door and got a Curry which wasn't bad. All fed and watered we decided to make our way and once again we took the wrong turn, but back on track we got to the concert with about half hour before Metallica came on, we missed the line up bands but that didn't matter. Once in we found our seats and you guessed it, it was time for some more beer. The concert started at 7.45 ish and i had heard about them playing at live earth the day before and some were saying they were not as good as they can be, have they lost it and i also heard that the BBC didn't even show the whole set that they played, pigs. But anyway from the first note to the last note of the evening it was amazing, normally when i see a band live there will be one song I want to hear and I have never been let down and when they played Enter Sandman I got shivers down my spine, the whole crowd joined in and is was the best feeling ever. Metallica loved the crowd and even made me smile with some of the stuff they came out with, this is the second time I have seen them live and I have to say this was better than their first one I saw, why I don't know. Second best concert I have seen live, the first was Pink Floyd.

Monday was spent recovering.

Way back When

After reading a story on a Miss Understood's blog about her mum it brought up a memory about my mum I have hidden away.

The story happens in December when my brother was at primary school and doing his first Nativity play. (This is about 10-12 years ago). We were at home making sure my brother had everything that he needed for his wise man costume (how he ever got a wise part i never know), everyone is rushing about as we don't want to be late and with my mum in charge we normally are. So we all get in the car my dads driving and we make our way to where we have to park and as it was in a little village the local farmer has opened up his yard as a car park and for free, as we are running a bit late my mum decides to quick march ahead of us telling us to hurry up. Being the family that we are we follow behind knowing we had a little time before panic should set in, my mum is in front, followed by me about 10 steps behind then my dad and brother following me, I can see where we are supposed to be going but my mum is veering off to the right telling us to hurry up, I see her turn her head and before I can shout anything she has disappeared, all we hear is this almighty 'SPLASH', in her haste and slight night blindness she has completely taken the wrong direction and headed straight for the farmers pond, she appears back up facing us and there is duck weed in her hair hanging off her jacket and she is just dripping wet. I move forward to grab her and and she safely walks back on to hard group, I try to say something but just can't help laughing, she has this very stern look on her face, which I understand as "Just shut up and don't say a word" but I can't stop nor can my dad and brother behind me, after we have calmed down she takes the keys from my dad and calmly says "I will be back shortly, I'm going to get changed", we are still biting our lips except my dad and in his serious voice "Please use my jacket to sit on on your way back, I don't want a wet seat", she turns in huff and goes to the car.

So we make our way to the church and when we get in there is the hustle and bustle of a primary school play and a couple of the mums come up to my dad and ask where my mum is and us being us look at each other decide that lying in church is not a good idea so we happily tell the truth. I'm not sure whether my mum made it to the play maybe I was still laughing to much on the inside. When the play has finished we go out to find the car and my dad gets in to the seat and his first words were "I thought I told you to put the jacket on the seat", to which my mum replies "Well you can sit on it now can't you", bless if only she realised that the seat will now be wet for a few days now.

After a couple of days my mum when at home mentions that she has spoken to the farmer, on one of her horse rides and he had thought that it had been a fox that had landed in it.

This was the Moon I mentioned

I took the pic using my camera phone

Hugh Grant

I was talking to the gf the other day and she was about to say something but stopped. When people do this it winds me up, obviously you have something to say, so spit it out (unless of course your mouths full of food), So i asked her what she was going to say and she said it doesn't and it might sound mean, still undeterred I asked her again so she turns round and say "Do you know that this year you you have been to 4 Weddings and a Funeral", I looked at her and laughed, she asked me what so funny and I told her that I had never thought of it and trust her to come out with it, to which she gave me this cute smile.

Since the big lightening storm we have had I have been out a couple of times for beers meeting up with friends. The first venture out was to my friends house a couple of Fridays ago where I picked up a bottle of JD, ten pack of Benson & Hedges and couple of DVD's. I'm not sure if my friends house is in a time portal but everything seems to slow down. When we are there drinking the beers never really seems to go down, when we go for a smoke it seems to take alot longer than normal and when watching DVD's it seems to drag, it was he that mentioned it, as he checked the time and it must have been about half 10 11pm. He turned round and said it feels like 2am and if we were at your house it would be. I agreed with him and we tried to come to a conclusion as to why this was but came up with zilch, so out we went for a smoke.
We had finished watching the second DVD and were channel hoping when his gf came home from a hen night with my ex in tow, now I haven't seen her for about a year (We split about4/5 years ago) we got on ok which was nice as you know sometimes you get the awkward moments.

That was that for that weekend.

The weekend just gone really started Thursday night for me, it was curry night and most of the office were going out locally to where the office is and I was in two mind to going and also the gf had planned on going to the gym meaning I would have to go straight home from work, but she managed to get a baby sitter for the hour (which I was very happy for).

We went out and met in the pub first so it started with one in there, then we got to the restaurant and ordered up the food, one of the lads had a major problem with eating though, every time (it seemed) he would load his poppadom up with sauce and bits it would snap and either land on the table or in the menu always face down, he did do the polite thing though and closed the menu with the remaining sauce on the page and yes once they came to clear the menus, he did say "might want to give that a quick wipe". So a couple of beers there and a very nice meal. Some then dropped off and went home as they were driving. So the next pub it was and £10 each in to the kittie. After a couple of beers a few more left and it was down to 4 of us and I started in the jd & cokes I was bloated still from the curry, well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Then just after 10 two more left so me and P went to the pub round the corner and had a few more when we get a call, order up a couple of drinks, it was the two that had left, they had missed their train and instead of waiting at the station came back for more beer, troopers. Once time was called me and P left, I was staying at his tonight otherwise its about £20-£30 taxi home. When we get back we have another drink and start channel hopping and slowly fall asleep.

I woke up on the sofa, he had obviously woke up in the night and made his way to bed, I had a blanket over me. We get washed and make our way to work where I get in to some clean clothes. The morning wasn't to bad but come midday I realised I was flagging a bit and that also I was going to be doing it all again that evening.

Once the work day was over and still feeling crappy I meet the gf at her mums, where we will be dropping my son off later in the evening for the duration of the night (and day it turned out).
When we get home from her mums she decides to go for a lie down (I tell you this is something I really needed but I out a brave face on). I start sorting my clothes out for the evening, have a bath and a shave etc. I got my sons overnight bag ready and was just waiting for the gf to get ready. Before she went for a snooze I mentioned to her that I would like to take her out to dinner first, ( I was thinking quick Chinese then on to the wedding reception), she liked the idea but then moaned at me saying that I was trying to make up for last night, to which I said no I had wanted to do this anyway. What I was supposedly making up for was not contacting her during the evening, when I go out I to tend not to call or text her, why I don't know but I do know I will be seeing her the next day, she got a bee in her bonnet over this, anyway I digress, once we have dropped my son off we drop the car home and take a walk to the restaurant, now normally this should take ten mins max but the gf shoes aren't really staying on her feet all that well so after an extra ten mins we make it. We get seated in to one of the booths (not sure why its not opened planned but since i have been going it has always been booths which will fit 2-4 people quite well 6 at a squeeze so all very cosy. My first drink I order is a jd and coke (can you see the theme) and i get a sigh from the gf "You'll be drunk before we get there" so I smile and carry on looking at the menu, I'm not one for having an argument for the sake of it. I order our meals and we eat the crackers that are provided, the starters turn up and I devour mine, I love the Satay chicken they serve here, we weren't supposed to be having starters but I couldn't help it. So when the main come i get another drink and another sigh from the other side, but once again I keep ignoring.

When we have finished the meal we make our way to the wedding reception, I'm normally used to going to this place for concerts so I roughly know where we are going but when we get there I start to make my way down the stairs not knowing that we are going to the bottom of the venue and that I should have taken the lift. Once we get to the bar there people everywhere having a smoke so I join in and get our drinks, now first thoughts are "is this it" but no, I am told one of my friends is at one of the tables and when I walk in there is a huge function room and this great view looking over the English Channel (Ali would have loved it, especially when it was dark and the Full moon lit up the sea and the beach)) . The evening progresses and about halfway through I have gotten through the hangover and am now back on terraforma (apart from the effect the new drink is having) by the by though the Band were very good (The electric Beatles) and the company and drink was superb.

Saturday I took the gf to work and then went back to bed, it was half 8 in the morning. I am woken at 10.30 by this horrible noise, it was my phone, the gf has called to see how I am doing and when will I be going to pick our son up, all bright eyed
"eh, what time is it, has you mum phoned you? do I have to pick him up now!!????"
"no its ok I was just checking you hadn't gone already and what you were up to"
"oh, I was just going to get a wash and go to your mums"
"ok then speak to you later"
When reality strikes that I have now got to leave the house I make a slow effort in getting ready, washing myself and making a cup of tea and getting some toast to take the edge of things. I get to the gf mums and when I walk in my son looks all upset and hides from me, I ask him whats up and it seems that he didn't want it to be me but his uncle instead, so I scoop him up in my arms and tell him that we won't go until he arrives, to which I get this great big grin from him and cuddle and of he goes to play. The day is then spent drinking tea and watching the F1 qualifying races (this almost sends me to sleep).

The gf turns up when she has finished work but I don't want to leave yet as i am watching Mission to Mars, which is she had turned up 15 mins earlier I would have left but decided that I have already lost an hour of my life to this trash that I will watch it all, I do wish I had decided not to watch the rest, it was the most dire film I have seen for many years, the beginning was good when they should you them on Mars, but we then get an hour or ten of them then showing you the rescue party flying to mars and all of the problems that have, if only the rescue ship had just blown up on launch the film could have finished. When my will to live returned we made our way home as the gf was going out that night, so it was a party for one that night, which is what the doctor ordered, even though I still didn't go to bed until the gf came home, yes I was hoping for some Hows your father, but no that didn't happen.

Sunday was very nice the sun was almost out the rain had turned to a trickle and I was feeling more like myself, I can't believe it takes me so long to recover these days. I get a call from my mum about 10ish in the morning asking if i would like to meet for lunch, I say yes straight away as the last time i saw her was my grans funeral and as I won't be seeing her till the end of this month I thought it would be great to catch up and for her to see my son, its been longer since she saw him. I start getting us ready about 11 to go out, Sunday is a lazy day so everything is down slowly, once dressed we leave for Canterbury. I have already text the gf to let her know I will be out with my son, shes not to happy about it but not a lot she can do about it as she is working, its jealousy more than hate and i don't blame her. We meet my mum in the high street and have no idea where to eat as there are so many choices but she then remembers a little Italian place she has been to before and we find this. Mum informs me that my brother is on the way so after ten mins of waiting we order our starters, still not here by the time we have eaten them, so give him a few more minutes then decide to order main. I give my brother a ring and asks what he wants and we order for everyone, lunch is served but still no brother, I think about ringing him but don't bother, about to tuck ing and in he wanders, wonderful time keeping he has.

We have a great lunch and a good chin wag and it was a shame it had to end but I will be seeing mum soon so no problem really, we make our way home and when we get ion the gf is asleep so I go and play with my son for a bit.

Once they have had something to eat, I'm still stuffed, I take him to bed where he promptly falls asleep. No my gf has been watching Dr who but normally on Sunday nights as she goes out the Sunday so tonight was no different as to the rest, I had already seen it and would watch it again, the problem is though, coronation street hits the adverts and I flip through the channels and come across the end scene in Dr who and promptly change again, all I can hear is cursing from the other sofa, I want to turn round but I am trying to hard not to laugh. The Beeb had decided that as all the rest of the Sunday repeats where on at 8pm we will change the last one to 7pm. Lest to say the gf was not happy at all.