Valentine's Update

Well after last night, you'll never guess what I got for Valentine's Day. A poxy pot plant! I rest my case.

What's happened to romance?

I just had to write this down. Get this - John actually asked me whether I would like some flowers tomorrow for Valentines Day!!!!!!!!! I said, "you're not supposed to ASK me"!! Why can't men do anything off their own backs? He reckons doing the washing up is romantic! I think romantic men are a dying breed or are they already extinct?

Mixed emotions

Took my cat Poppy to the vet to be operated on this morning - she has an overactive thyroid for which she's been taking tablets since December 2004. I thought it was about time she had the bad boy removed. However, when the vet examined Poppy, her heart rate was 260 - far too high to risk having anaesthetic. So, this is why I have mixed emotions - I'd built myself up for her to have the op and go through the worry and now I'll have to go through it all again. In the meantime, I have to increase the dosage of tablets and take her for another blood test in a couple of weeks times. If the test is ok and her heart rate has lowered, then she can have the op.

I just hate things hanging over me; I just wanna get it out of the way. The frustrating thing is that Poppy is a nightmare getting into the cat-box; I literally have to bundle her in with force! She also hates the car & meows all the way there. Poor thing.

I also spare a thought for my Mum today as she's having one of her 3 remaining cats put to sleep. Rest in peace Syd.

Stopped the Rot

Went to the match today at White Hart Lane, the visitors being Charlton Athletic. Spurs haven't had the best of results in the past few weeks (an under-statement) and have not scored a goal in their last three matches. I was therefore hoping for a good performance and 3 points! John and I usually meet up with my friend Debs and her hubby Mick before the game, who have season tickets and come all the way from Oldham to support the team. I met Debs via Daniel Bedingfield's website messageboard almost three years ago.

Things didn't get off to a good start because I had it in my head that kick off was 3pm. Good job I looked at the tickets because it was actually 1.30! I had to scoff down my breakfast and get going! Unfortunately I discovered my mobile battery was dead on the way so I couldn't contact Debs to find out where we were meeting them. We usually meet at Whites, the Spurs members' bar, but they weren't there sadly. Anyway, we took our seats for the game and weren't too pleased with our choice of position. We're usually high in the stands at the back where it's an excellent view of the whole pitch but this time, tried out seats lower down nearer the pitch. Not a good idea! Every time something looked promising near the goal everyone stood up and we couldn't see a thing. Fans don't seem to take any notice of the policy which says you must be seated at all times (apart from when celebrating a goal obviously). John complained to the steward who said he couldn't do much about it but about 15 minutes later he came over to us and said there were two seats right at the front (next to the pitch) if we wanted them. We didn't hesitate! That was much better and although not a superior view to being up high, it was nice to get up close to the players. Spurs played well in the first half going 2-0 ahead through Jermain Defoe and Jermaine Jenas. The second period got off to a great start with Defoe scoring again in the first minute. The rest of the half went downhill, letting Charlton pass the ball around and hardly any chances were created. The visitors then grabbed a goal. Thankfully, we managed to hold on to 3-1 and came away with those 3 points. Hoorah! 4th in the table and 4 points ahead of Arsenal (just for the record)!

Family Ties

After a conversation the other night, I have decided to build my family tree. It's something I've always wanted to do, talked about numerous times but never actually gotten around to. And, it'll give me something to do while I'm off work! There are so many websites these days which deal with archives, the Census, births, deaths and marriages, it's difficult to know where to start, although thankfully the surname Mowling is extremely rare. I have found many Mowlings on the Census for 1901, 1891, 1881, 1871 and 1861 and there are a few names I recognise from conversations I've had in the past. However, I have decided to forget all that for the moment and just start with what I already know. I am using the Genes Reunited website to begin as it is really easy to use and it has the facility to build a tree just by entering details: name, year of birth and place of birth. Trouble is, it's surprising how much of that type of information you DON'T know - I've had to guess the majority of years until I get the chance to verify it with other members of the family. Also, maiden names are a problem, especially when there's been previous marriages. I've emailed my cousin Andrew in Australia because I needed his first wife, present wife and daughters' details. Turns out he previously acquired all my Mum's side of the family tree from our Great Auntie Sylvia many years ago which is great news because I was planning to write to her for all the information. She is the family 'expert' and can talk for days about the family history. Fascinating but once you get her talking, that's it!! I already have dozens of old family photos on my lounge wall (copies not the originals), but it's hard to remember everyone's name and who is related to who. I think my Dad will be able to help with the basics of his side of the family, but his Mum is still with us, so hopefully Nan will be able to fill in any gaps.

I'm really up for this and looking forward to gathering the information!

Happy Birthday Al !!

Many happy returns to my mad mate Al. Spent a lovely evening round her house yesterday - only intended to stay for about an hour but ended up staying for 3 hours and a quarter! Amazing how time flies when you're chatting away. Thing is with Al is you can talk about absolutely ANYthing, unlike some people I know where it can be a struggle. Topics covered last night were Big Brother, Who Do You Think You Are? & family trees, work, Katie Price & her new book, Sue & Jacquie, Al's new ornament, Noel Edmunds & Deal Or No Deal, The Bedingfields, DVD recorders, FRIENDS and its stars, eating & weight, Al's haircut, Paul McKenna's techniques, my childhood crushes, Richard & Judy, my shoes, Al's siblings, smoothies & blenders, forthcoming evening round her house with Ali & Sam, Ali's birthday present, ironing, Catherine Tate, Little Britain, me being off work & being bored, films, Al's wish list, unidentified noise in the house, Al's boiler problem, ebay, Project Catwalk, Cirque du Soleil, blogs, exercise, tv shows involving plastic surgery, Michael Flatley, and ballet. I think that proves my point!!