Have uploaded before and after photos of my head shave ...

I booked my theory test this morning .... at tea time I remembered that I've booked a shift change on that Thursday .. Arse .. I'm working .. glad I realised earlier rather than later ...

So have changed the date ... bugger it! It's a week earlier than originally booked - oh well - less time to panic I guess....

Well what an eventfull week this has turned out to be ...

Had another driving lesson yesterday - my instructor is cool! He's a bluesman, so that made me feel very comfortable to begin with - I have found over the years that anyone who can play music and enjoy it is usually a good person.

I've booked my theory test for 17th May - gulp, best I go and read up on my highway code and carry on with the practice tests on line.

I have a pretty good feeling about it though - I've managed to pass all of the online practice tests today, just need to keep practicing with the hazard perception stuff.

And OMG!! I was commenting on someone's blog the other day about NVQ's and the fact they stand for NOT VERY QUALIFIED. Well it seems like my employer is paying for me to do an NVQ in customer relations.

I'm a bit surprised by it really, because I have not yet passed my 6 month probation (review is due on 6th May) and I am booked to start my course on Monday 30th April. I guess it must be a good sign, because they are not going to invest in me if they are not keeping me on past my probabtion period.

Blimey!!

Ho hum .. housework to be done.

If I had a pound for everyone who said I was brave to have my head shaved - I could have raised a lot more money!

Yesterday I was treated to coffee and breakfast 'for my bravery' by the ladies in the canteen at work.

Some of whom are cancer survivors themselves, so they understand why I did it to raise money for the childrens hospice.

The children and their parents are the truly brave ones -for me sacrificing a little hair is nothing to what those children and their parents are going through.

After all my hair will grow back.

Well that's done it!

I am now as bald as a coot - my bonce is smooth as a peach (although I detect a little 'five o'clock shadow' appearing.

Wonder what colour my hair will be when it grows back?

Haven't yet collected all of my sponsorship money but so far we have an estimated total of £732.

Will post photos later when Hedgewolf has downloaded them from the camera.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about falling arse over tit and landing on my knees causing bruising to both legs and lots of pain.

The pain has been gradually subsiding to a dull ache and the bruising is now fading.

Today as I got into a lift at work I bashed my left knee on the Housekeeper's trolly (cleaner to you and me) that sent a shock wave through my spine which landed with a deafening crash at the centre of my cerebral cortex.

Not good - now hobbling ...

When I got out of a lift later ....

I turned sharply and bashed my right knee ... sickening thud at the base of my brain this time.

Hobbling worse - search bag for walking stick ... walking stick not there .... panic ...

Walking stick is safely at home next to the kitchen door where I left it after I went for a ..... walk.

Hedgewolf nearly prang'd my car on way to picking me up!
Car in front stopped dead and he was slithering his way towards the boot of the car ... phew .. missed!

Some people forget how to drive when it rains after a dry spell - roads are slippery and they are still thinking dry road stopping distances.

Anyway - Good news!

My daughter has been chosen as Prefect at school - am I chuffed or what? Following in the family tradition as both HW and myself were Prefects.

Guess she's not such a bad kid after all! LOL

That's it the unpacking is really finished now .... no truly!

Hedgewolf put some shelves up for me today, which means that my books in boxes are now on the shelves and I can see the floor in my office/study/drawing room ....

IT'S MY SPACE NOW!!

This evening should see the addition of two large throws being attached to the incredibly high ceiling, just so it feels a bit more 'small' like me...

More shelves will come along with more money ... but till then I can cope (I think!)

My daughter is out 'hanging out on the streets of Brierley Hill' with her friends - well that's what she's told my Dad - I am in soooo much trouble LOL! It's not strictly true, she's round her mates house (she'd better be or there'll be a whole world of hell waiting for her when she gets back)
She's taken to dressing as a goth! Not an emo, grebo, greaser or any of the others - but 'I'M A GOTH MUMMY'

Oh dear!

What have we unleashed upon the world.

I am getting really excited - like - kiddie in a sweet shop, wetting my knickers excited!

In 8 weeks time my cousin Annette is visiting from Australia - it's 31 years since we were last together and her first visit back to the UK since the family emigrated in 1976.

I've booked some annual leave - wahoo! 2 weeks holidays in June, hopefully Annette and I will relive some of our childhood haunts of the East Midlands.

Sometimes I forget that I have links to the Midlands and had actually spent a far bit of my childhood holidays here. It explains why I feel so settled and comfortable with the range of accents from Black Country 'ow bin yer' to 'oorlrigh me doock' of the East Midlands and Birmingham in between.

Yesterday a wench from the Black Country complimented me on my accent - really weird when I don't consider I have one really, it's always been a bit of a mixed up one as far as I can hear it. Always got teased at school for talking proper though!

Of my four days at work this week, I have driven along the Dudley Southern by-pass with my 'L' plates on three times.

It's scary and yes I've stalled at traffic lights and roundabouts (islands) a few times (sorry!).

Please bear with me - I haven't driven regularly in 12 years, I am a learner and once upon a time you were all learners too.

Please don't honk your horn if I stall, it makes me flustered and upset and then I AM MORE LIKELY to stall the car again because you are hurrying me, which will in turn only piss you off more.

The worst culprit of the week? A young woman driving a car very similar to mine, who was in such a hurry that she felt it necessary to scare the crap out of me to such an extent I wanted to get out of the car and walk the rest of the way.

Why do it? Did you once learn to drive or are you one of the 30% of the road going public who shouldn't be driving for one reason or another?

Please be patient around learner drivers, if you scare us we are likely to make dangerous mistakes.

On a lighter note, my daughter asked if I had slept well, my response? 'I was driving about dreaming' - a wonderful slip of the tongue!

I've had a Rio Carbon MP3 player for about 18 months now and haven't really used it/had the opportunity to use it - till now ..

My lovely little 'cadbury dairy milk' purple fiesta has a fairly good sound system, at least not bad for a small car, so today hubby found a cassette adaptor in poundland and I'm hoping that it will work with my Rio, just have to charge up the Rio and I'll be able to give it a whirl - loads of sounds! Hurrah!!

It's Saturday .. it's been sunny all day and I've done nothing much all day.

Walked into town with husband and daughter at about 10am, took a circuit via the pet shop. Flea season is upon us so we thought we'd get some 'stuff' and pre-empt their arrival.

I am shocked at the price of flea repellent these days and just the thought of them in the house makes me itch .. grr ...

There are some quite beautiful houses in and around Brierley Hill - there is a little row of terraced houses called 'One Man's Property' - I would love to know the story behind the name.

I'm going to drive the fiesta to work tomorrow - should be fun pootling along the Dudley Southern by pass... well my instructor did say practice!

Wahoo!

I did it!

I took the bull by the horns and I just drove for two whole hours - without getting shouted at!

Instructor says there's no reason why I can't have my test over and done with by September - frakkin hell!

It's all about confidence - which sadly I lack in most areas of my life right now but I'll get there in the end.

My 'L' plates are ready to rock and roll and the instructor says the more I practise between lessons the better.

So I'm a happy bunny and am going to wash my car tomorrow.

Ok ...

I'm nearly 39 years old and today I have my first 'proper' driving lesson in 12 years ....

If you live in the West Midlands please stay indoors between 3 and 5pm today!

Only a year ago I said that I didn't want to drive a car, now it's become a necessity, not only am I shitting a big heavy local blue brick but I'm quite excited as I have shiny R reg Purple Ford Fiesta sitting on my drive just waiting for me to stick my 'L' plates onto, so that I can practise hard by driving to and from work.

It's been a busy week at Sketchweasel Towers and Hedgewolf has been tidying and sorting and doing a bit of building and gardening and sorting of the house, boxes have been emptied, sifted and shifted. Hurrah, we are now officially unpacked. It's taken 8 months but finally we are moved in!!

So I'm now waiting with mixed feelings for my new driving instructor to arrive from the AA - ooh scared now ... (just going to hide in the toilet for a bit!)

More later ......

I am a traumatised little Sketchweasel.....

It was quite dark, I was doing my impression of an astronaut attemping to climb our garden steps at about half midnight,carrying glasses and tobbaco tin in my hands, missed my footing, stubbed both feet on the step in front of me and landed .....

On the step in front of me connecting with concrete on both knees and wrists! I now have bruises to both arms (wrist to elbow) and impact points on both kneecaps with lovely shades of purple spreading up both thighs and down both shins.

Ah well that's what you get for being a Purple Princess... Fucking OUCH!

I have work tomorrow ... typing painful now, what's it going to be like typing under pressure??

I can see my walking stick making another of it's occasional forays out of the handbag ... Arse!

Anyway my former foster son is here for a visit and has just made a pot of tea, so I shall go and consume said tea and waffle about his mis-adventures in Spain.

Have a nice Easter all ...

I must be mad ... mad ... mad .....

I went to Asda on Good Friday ... I was in there an hour and a fekkin half .. one hour fiteen minutes was just waiting in the queue!

It took me just 15 teeny minutes to nab all the necessaries, stuff em in my trolley and dash to the tills... well actually no .. dash is not a word I would use for the Brierley Hill branch of Asda, today it was heaving .. swarms of people doing impressions locusts, grabbing, scoffing, crashing into me, swearing at me, abusing me, running over my feet. But still only 15 minutes to do the shop then came the queue.

There were only 5 trollies in front of me in the queue at the CASH ONLY till, great thought I, we'll be through in no time.... Bah bloody humbug! The five trollies in front of me all belonged to the same family ... who hadn't noticed that it was a CASH ONLY till - despite the rather large notices attached. First trolley had despatched it's contents all over the conveyor, when they finally heard the cashier say - THIS IS A CASH ONLY TILL.....

Thereby ensued an argument with said cashier and then much pushing and shoving of trollies as all five of them reversed back out of the CASH ONLY lane (pausing briefly to run over my bloody feet AGAIN!)

Just remind me that it is safer and far nicer to actually work a bank holiday than to shop on one. I will not be doing that again in a hurry.

I did manage to get home before the ice cream had turned to sludge at the bottom of my bag... Just!

Today Hedgewolf and I celebrate our 12th Wedding Anniversary (Thank you Bloke & Bird)

We have our friends Mick (and 2 sons) and Clare around for dinner this evening, we've just eaten our way through a Lamb Joint a Pork Joint, roasties, broccoli & cauliflower, with stuffing (seasoning) and gravy.... mmmmm delicious.

Mick contributed a home made bread and butter pudding, while I made sweet gravy to go with it - it would have been custard but I ran out of corn flour!

Clare declared half way through the meal that we needed some more wine to go with it - and popped to the offy!

I've only had a couple of glasses of Cava - which we had before the meal and I feel very p'litely sissed!

Our daughter is still in the garden playing with Mick's sons and as it's getting lighter in the evenings, soon I'll be coming home from work at 9.30pm and it will still be light - Hurrah!!

Hedgewolf & Mick are now entertaining us with guitar and harmonica - most chillsome.

Stolen from Prydwen cos I can't think of owt better today!

What kind of music do you associate with these household tasks?

Cooking - Rat in ma Kitchen - UB40

Hoovering - I want to Break Free - Queen

Ironing - Don't have a soundtrack for Ironing - I don't!

Washing the Car - Pull up to the Bumper - Grace Jones

Gardening - The Laughing Gnome - David Bowie

Blogging - Liza Radley - The Jam

Making the beds - Butterfly Collector - The Jam

Washing up - Soap - Ian Dury and the Blockheads