A right royal pain in the.....back!

So, people who know me on Facebook and have read my status will know that I have had a tingling sensation and some pain in my left side since Monday just gone. I thought I had pulled a muscle or had a trapped nerve or something.Then Friday, I started to get this itching sensation on my back and when I got home, I asked Mrs.Sparky to take a look to see if anything had developed. That was when I first became aware that I had got a rash......now some of you might have already guessed what these symptoms suggest but I wasn't sure so decided to take a trip to the NHS Walk-in centre the next morning in case I had had some kind of an allergic reaction or in case I had developed anything contagious. They were a little confused at the centre to say the least but they did settle my mind that I had not pulled a muscle. As for the rash, they suggested everything from insect bites due to bed-bugs down to some kind of heat rash. I asked if it might be Shingles but got told there it was unlikely!

Anyway, I get home after work on Saturday and Mrs.Sparky had looked up my symptoms on the NHS website and come up with a diagnosis that actually confirmed Shingles which had been my first thought.

Basically, the symptoms start off with pain and discomfort down one side for several days followed by a band of rash and irritation in the same area thast can last several weeks! Shingles is the adult form of Chicken Pox and can only be contracted by people who have had that as a sprog. The cells lie dormant in your body until something acts as a trigger to reproduce the virus as Shingles! On Saturday, I was in a lot of pain unless I dosed up on iboprufen and Sunday morning I was really hurting when I first got up and that pain came and went all day. The best way to describe it is like shooting pains every few minutes going through your body or like someone constantly poking you in the side every few minutes. Not nice!

Today I started a weeks holiday from work and got myself down to the doctors as soon as I could get an appointment. The Nurse Practioner I saw as the same one I saw last year when I was depressed and confirmed the diagnosis from the NHS website. Yes indeed! Sparky has got shingles!!!!

I can't say I'm happy about it, the pain is really starting to get on my nerves and my spots on my back are starting to fill with fluid and are really itchy but at least Ihave a good excuse not to do much on my holiday! Problem is, sitting on the sofa without lots of cushions is really painful and I am developing chronic back pain especially if I lean forwards so playing GTA is awkward! Still, at least I don't have to do much this week without feeling too guilty about it!

Today I watched the extended version of The Fellowship Of The Rings and am looking forward to watching the other two films in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy in the same format later this week! I had forgotten how great those films are and the extra bits just make them even better! I also hope to try and write lots of reviews on Dooyoo. I am just waiting for my points to go through and, in a few days, I will have earned another fifty quid!! Just for writing about stuff I would have read or watched anyway!

Talk about money for old rope......thats all for now ~ catch you all laters, Sparky xxx

National Sparky's stay home vacation: day five

Not done much last couple of days but have got the majority of Mrs.Sparky's list crossed off! Been nice relaxing and not having to worry about anything and am dreading going back to work! Not going to think about that right now yet though as still have a few days to go yet!!

Me and Emilie have been out for a long walk yesterday when I went to get my hair cut ~ it takes an hour to walk into town and back again ~and the day before we spent some time in the play area over the road from us which has a small slide and some swings. All very nice and relaxing and whilst there is plenty more that I wanted to get done this week, still it has been nice just not doing a lot! Yesterday we got the paddling pool out and Emilie had a little play in that though most of her time was spent emptying the pool with her bucket and trying to soak daddy. It is a good thing yesterday was a scorching hot, humid day because the water splashed at me from the paddling pool cooled me down. But I did end up rather wet!!

Finished John Connolly's The Lovers in the early hours of Wednesday morning ~ it was one of those books you just could not put down. I love the whole dark macabreness of the story arc that runs through these books and the whole idea of fallen angels walking amongst us is a fascinating and interesting one that goes a long way to explaining some of the evil people in this world! It is also rather scary and thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. But John Connolly is, without question, my favourite thriller writer and it is just a shame that he will be taking another break from Charlie Parker for his next novel. Apparently the next Parker novel, The Whisperers, is due out next year and I for one cannot wait!

Started reading Dead Until Dark yesterday by Charlaine Harris but was less than impressed and gave up before the end. It was a very chick-lit kind-of book that was like some kind of horror-lite and was chock full of lovey-dovey vampire-human sex scenes that made me want to hurl. It comes under the guise of a new genre, Paranormal Romance, which is kind of like mills n boon but with supernatural elements added to the mix! Thought I would give it a go as it has just been made into a successful American series, True Blood, but after reading Let The Right One In, this was a bitter disappointment for a vampire novel and not very thrilling at all. Have instead started The Handbag And Wellies Yoga Club which is chick-lit through and through but which I got free from a Facebook group, "I want a free book every month". It is all about a top city slicker who exchanges her busy life-style for a more refined life in Norfolk which, as some of you may know, is my home! It is quite amusing to see an outsiders point of view of Norfolk and to recognise all of the villages she mentions. It's not laugh out loud funny but it is very well written and a pleasant enough and easy read which I will soon get through....

Yesterday Twitter went down after an attack on it by hackers. What was funny was the amount off people who began fretting because they could not get on it! Facebook was full of people who were stresing because they could not get the Tweet fix for the day. Honestly what did people do before Twitter? Oh yes, they actually had to talk to each other face-to-face or on the phone rather than typing regular updates on their day such as "just about to go to loo, hope it's an easier experience than last time!" That's not a real Tweet I have read by the way but one I have made up but you can bet your ass that someone has Tweeted that at some stage!!

We have kept getting updates through from the Breckland Freecycle group lately by E-mail even though the only interest we have ever showed in the siote was months ago so why we have suddenly started getting updates I don't know. The idea on Freecycle of course being that people offer their tat on there for free so other people can come to collect it and that others can make requests of stuff they are looking for. Mrs.Sparky has cancelled the updates now but will take a few days to go through. It is quite amusing though the cheek of some people and what they ask for... one guy wanted some paint for a paint pod as he had bought the pod but could not afford anything to go into it. Another asked for some life jackets so he and his family could go canoeing. Oh and some paddles if anyone had them. And a canoe! We are thinking of going on there and asking for a bigger house?!!?? I did post the other day that I would be intertested in picking up any old books if anybody had some hanging around...thought I could flog them or put them on Bookmooch or something but surprise surprise, no replies as yet.... I wonder if any of the "Wanted" requests get any replies?

Bookmooch is a bit like RISI for those who don't know, but instead of swapping for books, members post their lists of unwanted books then get points for any books they send which they can then redeem for books on other people's lists. It means that instead of having to pick something off other people's swap-lists or risk causing offence by turning them down, you can store points until you see something you really want or until one of the books on your wishlist becomes available. I only listed my RISI books on there yesterday but got two requests almost straight away. Thats a good start as I could do woith getting rid of some of my books without the fear of getting more back in their place especially as my TBR stash is getting ridiculously massive!

Well thats all for now, more updates soon... Sparky :)

Vacation day two....or what I did in my summer holiday

Day Two of my hols has seen me doing ANOTHER mystery shop today earning me a cool £10 for around half hours work! I am not supposed to talk about it but so far all my assignments have been in local towns covering a variety of businesses! It was my fourth assignment today and I really quite enjoyed it ~ pretending to be somebody else for a small slice of time! I do it through a company website called Grass Roots and signing up was dead easy. Hoping I get some more assignments soon as they are really quite fun!

Gave up on David Peace's 1977 last night; just couldn't get into the way each chapter alternated between the two lead characters and actually found it quite confusing! Don't think I am going to bother with 1980 or 1983, the last two installments in The Red Riding quartet, as I do not like Peace's style particularly and cannot see anyway it will improve with the later novels. Am reading instead The Lovers by John Connolly who is a much better writer and someone of whom I am seldom disappointed. There have only been two of his books I did not like and both these were independent novels rather than part of his Charlie Parker series...

This newest novel sees Charlie Parker holding down a job as a bar manager in Maine after having his Private Investigators license revoked following events in The Unquiet which saw him upsetting the wrong kind of influential and powerful people and attracting the attentions of a very creepy guy known only as The Collector! With time on his hands, Parker finds himself drawn back into his own past as he finally attempts to discover the true reasons behind his father's disgrace and consequent suicide that followed his murder of two unarmed youths. Will Parker's death has never been satisfactorily explained to his son and now, after hints from The Collector that Parker's parents may not be whom they seemed, he has decided to investigate his own family history as opposed to other peoples. Meanwhile, a hack journalist and occasional crime writer decides to write a true-crime book all about Parker's exploits and his recent dealings with those others would consider to be "bad men!" And then there is the mysterious figure who is dogging Parker's footsteps....how is he connected?

Connolly writes very dark and macabre thrillers that always border on the edge of insanity and which have dealings with the supernatural whilst still entitling the viewer to form their own opinion of events. Whether the more paranormal elements of his novels are all in Parker's head or not is left entirely to the reader's own interpretation and this makes his books work on a variety of levels. If you have not picked him up before, then start with Every Dead Thing and introduce yourself to ex-cop turned P.I Charlie Parker. I guarantee you will not be disappointed...

Went to see the latest Harry Potter today at cinema, The Half-Blood Prince, whilst mum looked after Emilie for a few hours.Mrs.Sparky twisted my arm as we have seen them all so far on big scren and I am glad she did as it was very good! But blimey, the films are getting very dark and serious now!!! I should really try and read the books but I tried Philosopher's Stone a while back and didn't really enjoy it! I didn't like Rowling's style paticulary but Im thinking I should give them another go! I would like to get them in a box-set with the adult covers but will probably wait a while as I have enough books to wade through at present! We saw a trailer for the new Guy Ritchie film, a modern take on Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jnr, whilst we were there and that looks bloody good and then they just advertised the new Quentin Tarrantino, Inglorious Bastards, on TV a moment ago and that looks cool too! They also have a final Final Destination planned to finish off the series this year but whether or not that will be any good remains to be seen as number 3 was a bit pants and not at all frightening like the first two which had some, excuse the pun, killer scenes that literally left me gasping. For those who have seen the films I will just say "BBBBBUUUUUUSSSSS!" and "Holy Panes of Glass Batman!" The first two films were nasty!!

Tonight had the Wii out for a bit; Mrs.Sparky bought it about a month ago and not really played it yet. She got Wii Fit for it and doing the BMI test for it produced the result that I am currently ideal!! Wouldn't have said that a few months ago!! It is only because I have lost a bit of weight after being on my feet 12/13 hours a day and not eating properly as don't have time! Still if it says Iam ideal for my age and height, I am not gonna argue. The games on Wii Fit are fun and include Ski Slalom and Ski Jumping though I am not convinced by the Yoga exercises as I kept losing my balance!! That said there is a good Step Aerobics programme on there that is challenging and fun and the more hours you put into Wii Fit, the more extras you can unlock! I played for around an hour tonight before I had realised and ended up all hot and sweaty but had lots of fun!!! It said I had lost 4lbs when I weighed myself at the end of my session and then I realised I had done the first weigh-in wearing my Combats and, by the end of my Wii time, had ended up removing them as they had got in the way and that, loaded down with my keys and wallet etc, that probably amounted to the missing 4lbs! What a dope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, thats Day Two of my holiday over so 'till tomorrow goodbyeeeeeeeeeeee!

Vacation time: day zero

Well, I am finally officially on holiday!!! A whole week is planned of pure relaxation, chilling and not doing anything even remotely resembling work! Mind, Mrs.Sparky has left me a list of jobs for me to be getting on with but it remains to be seen how much of it I get done. Just looking after my daughter will probably be a full-time job this week as Mrs.Sparky has been reporting to me that she is a bit of a devil child at mo when I get in from work.I should probably add that Mrs.Sparky is still at work this week for her usual three days, so we will only get Tuesday, thursday and the weekend together~ the rest of the time it will be just me and Emilie during the day. An example of my daughter creating havoc was in evidence the other morning when I updated my Blog....reme,ber I said it sounded as though she was trashing the living room behind me? Well, it turned out that whilst I had been ignoring her and typing my update,she had proceeded to toss as many of her toys as she had could lay her hands on outside through the open patio doors! I suppose thats what I get for not paying her attention but, with 5 minutes left before I had to leave for work, it really wasn't funny. And of course I had to at least attempt to clear it all up and get the toys back inside before Mrs.Sparky came down or else she would not have been best pleased! That'll teach me to ignore what my daughter is up to!

Actually, at the mo, Emilie is mostly playing up at meal and bed times! She is a bit of a pain to get her to eat at dinner time and the only way to get her to sleep at the moment is to leave her upstairs crying and go down and put the hoover on. Once she realises we can't hear her and are not going to come up then she eventually gives up and goes to bed. Sounds a bit horrible but she is testing the waters to see what she can get away with and pushing the boundaries a little so we have to show her who's the Boss or she will be forever thinking she can get away with things! It is not nice leaving her crying like that but we have tried getting her sleepy, reading her a story or two and calming her down but as soon as you go to leave her room, even if you think she is asleep, then she is up like a light and all tearful. She just doesn't want to be left up in her room on her own thats all but I am sure it is just a phase!

Crispy got another warning today when my mate Richard, the Manager of The Hotel, gave him a bollicking. He was told off for fawning over the waitresses and flirting with them, distracting them etc... One of the main culprits who always encourages him was also given a ticking off and I heard the if we can get a replacement then he will be shipped out as a trouble-maker as soon as possible. I did tell you his cards were marked didn't I? Course it's easy to just say that but the reality is somewhat different but I think it is just a matter of time before he upsets the wrong person. He nearly made Geordie Ed lose his rag again tonight and the guy is certainly doing well to earn his place on so many people's shit-lists! In a vote for the biggest prick in The Hotel, he would certainly top the poll though of course all the little girlies love him! Makes me sound as though I am a little bit jealous until you take into the equation the fact that I am old enough to be all their dads! No, it is more dismay on my part that these girls can't see what a cock he is and that they haven't got better taste! But then young girls always like the bad boys, don't they? oh but they have soo much to learn...

Finished Let The Right One in today and though I was a bit disappointed by the ending, I still really enjoyed it, would recommend it and want to see the film version. Haven't seen a decent foreign language film in ages it feels like! Had one of those moments this morning that all book~lovers will recognise where I had only a few chapters to go and had to leave to go to work! Was faced with that dilema- do I make myself late and finish the book or do I tear myself away and finish it off later. Went for the latter choice but I hate it when you get so close to a book's climax then have to put it on hold for something. Debating what to read next ~ I have Saigon which I really ought to read more of, 1977~the second part of David Peace's Red Riding quartet which was recently filmed as a trilogy for channel 4, John Connolly's latest Supernatural thriller starring Charlie Parker or Robin Hobb's latest novel set in The Rain Wilds which I bought, signed, last week. Thats the third of her books I have signed, one of which is dedicated directly to me and which I got when she came to our local Waterstones nee Ottakers,a couple of years ago now. As such, this latest book of hers will take pride of place and carries great sentim,ental value for me as I love her work as a fantasy writer! I am not keen on her books published under her own name of Megan Lindholm but as Robin Hobb, she excels ~ her characters are so believable and you can really connect with them and their world. I really want to read this newest book of hers, but I know it will take me ages to read as I will really enjoy it and savour every last word! Maybe thats something for later on in the week then...

Anyway, thats enough waffle....see you tomorrow when I will be updating you on the first day of my vacation.... au revoir

SparkyMarky :)

Vacation time: day minus 1.1

Been busy again tonight at work but to be frank, am feeling a bit apathetic about it all at the moment. This is due to the fact that my week's holiday draws ever closer! And also because I can not really be arsed at the moment after the week I have just had as well....

Nearly had an incident with Crispy this morning ~ he has this habit of keep touching me when I have told him to keep his distance and today I came closer than I have for ages to actually hitting somebody. He really is the most annoying little shit and his very presence winds me up! I got so wound up this morning that my hands were actually shaking and I had to go walk in the car park for a couple of minutes to calm myself down! Anyone who knows me knows that normally I am quite laid-back and chilled so for me to get to the stage where I want to smack somebody then they REALLY must be irritating! Course I have more sense than to risk my job over a little c### like that but I tell you, he had better watch his back because any chance I have to stitch him up, I will not hesitate to use it and he is the sort of twat who will provide me with plenty of ammunition! Even HC said it wasn't like me to let someone get to me and really I shouldn't bite but it is bloody difficult! I must try to learn to rise above it as I should not really grace him with a response or sink to his putrid level. And, with any luck, his days at The Hotel are numbered anyway because he's not short of making enemies! Mind, all the jail-bait waitresses fawn all over him but then theres no accounting for taste one supposes!

My friend Katey has started her own Blog all about her reading habits and it made me think that really I should talk more about the stuff I am reading here, seeing as how it's what I do most of in my spare time.The link to her Blog, which I am sure she will not mind me sharing, is here: http://bookfreaksblog.blogspot.com/

Meanwhile I am currently reading the following:~

Mao, the untold story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday which aims to reveal the true man behind the myth and propaganda and is a heavy-going but most enjoyable read! I have been reading this for months and am still only half-way through because I find it difficult to read too much of it at once even though I find it very educational and a highly rewarding read!

Saigon by Anthony Grey, who also wrote Peking, all about a young American and his experiences living in Vietnam over the course of several decades starting in the 1920's. Again very educational and a little heavy-going but nonetheless a very enjoyable novel that really sweeps you up in it's epic tale. HC lent me this and Peking when I told him about reading Mao and Wild Swans which was also written by Jung Chang. Anthony Grey, apparently, originally comes from Norwich which is my home city!

Let The Right One In by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist all about a young boy who is bullied and ends up making friends with a mysterious girl who lives in the apartment next door and turns out to be a vampire! This is a great novel and Lindqvist is the only author I have ever read who reminds me of Stephen King in style and content. The novel is as much a satirical look at swedish life in the eighties as it is a horror novel and is quite nasty in places! But it is a gripping read and it is easy to forget it has been translated from a foreign language! It has been made into a foreign language film recently and this, in turn, is due for the inevitable Hollywood remake to be released sometime next year!

So, thats brought you up to date with my current reading profile.....I'll try to make a more concerted effort to keep you up to date with what I'm reading as I know at least some of you who read this will be interested...until then ciao ciao xxxxx Sparky!

Vacation time: day minus 2

Only today and tomorrow to work until I am on holiday for a week ~yaay~ and I get an extra day for working six days last week whilst HC was away ~double yaay!! It was my first shift with HC last night after around 10 or 11 days so couldn't stop smiling that he was back and that the burdens of responsibility, that had lain heavy this past week, had been unshackled from my shoulders! I think he wonderd why I was smiling like a loon ~probably he thought I had another job lined up ~but I would not tell him, just said when he asked "no reason HC, no reason."

I think he found it quite hard last night as we were very busy and the other chefs, Crispy and Geordie Ed, weren't a lot of cop and let things brush the kerbstones of In-The-Shit Street! I think he kindof realised, if he hadn't before, how hard it has been whilst he was away and how difficult it is to keep all the balls in the air when certain members of your team keep fumbling the pass. Certainly Ed is okay but he has a lot to learn and Crispy really winds him up as he does us all. Crispy is like the most annoying person you have ever had to work with and the sooner he goes the better. Word on the street is that his cards HAVE been marked by the management and that can only be a good thing!

Had another dream last night about Marco Pierere White again! What is it about this guy? This time I was staying or visiting this restaurant or hotel, it was a little unclear which it was as it sometimes is in a dream, and was looking for a back way out. Ended up walking through the kitchen and who should be there at the back near his office but Marco. I turned round and introduced myself and said something like "Hi Marco, I'm a chef too ~ nice to meet you, I have always had the greatest respect for you and what you do..." To which he just looked at me as if I had thrown up at his fet and was beyond his notice, as insignificant as a dung beetle, and just roared... "OUT!!!!!!! OUT OF MY KITCHEN NOW!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOUUUUUUTTTTT!!!!"

Honestly, there was no need to be rude! I was just being polite and, after all, it was MY dream! Next time, I must try and remember to tell him what a frak-head he is! Or maybe I can try deaming about somebody else ~ Angela Harkness for example who works with Ramsey ~ though why I should want to dream about her, I don't know as she's not the most asthetically pleasing on the eye of female chefs ~ or maybe that tw#t Jamie Oliver. At least he's a mockney like me and a bit cor-blimey-guv-go-strike-a-light so we might have more in common than I do with Marco! I can't believe I am talking about these people in my dreams as if I actually know them in real-life!

Time I went back to work I suppose....sounds like Emilie is trashing the living room behind me and I think it's time I gave her to her mum!!

Laters people..... Sparky xxx

Leciester holiday photos

Guess who's back...back again?

Yes, hi it's me- I haven't forgotten you all- I've just been really busy readjusting to being back at work and hating every minute of it as usual. I won't bore you with the details of how we have a new chef in the kitchen who has worked for us once before a couple of years ago, or how the owner's son has tentatively mentioned a possible pay-rise for me and HC in lieu of all the extra hard work we are doing or how I have been umming and aahing about looking for other employment which, trust me, is not as easy or as simple as it sounds- no, instead let me fill you in on my holiday experience!

Firstly, may I say it was nowhere near as traumatic spending a week with my Mother-in-law as I thought it might have been and that really I should perhaps be more grateful than my last Blog entry suggests as she did pay for our cottage for a week and for our cats to be kept in the Kattery. We arrived around three in the afternoon on the Monday after an uneventful journey with very little traffic of any note. Our cottage was in Belton-in-Rutland which was in Leicestershire and was very nice, roomy and cosy. Even if it was ion the middle of nowhere! Barry, my brother-in-law, his girlfriend Jenny and her two-year old, Evan, had one room together; me and Mrs.Sparky shared another and the two attic rooms were taken by Fiona, the M-I-L, and my daughter, Emilie. Ems needed a room of her own as she is very easily disturbed and Evan shared with his mum and Barry as he can be a bit of a handful occasionally though essentially he is a good boy who just has his moments. On Tuesday, we looked up places to visit and found a butterfly farm not far away but travelling there, found it had closed down so ended up going to an owl and bird of prey sanctuary instead which was okay if you like owls but a little on the boring side. Actually Tuesday felt like a bit of a waste of a day but that was made up for on Wednesday when we visited Twycross zoo. This was a nice zoo that specialised in primates but had other animals there too. We watched elephants putting on a show as they were examined by their keepers and given a routine inspection and watched penguins and sea-lions being fed. A really good day out that was enjoyed by all.

I think it was Thursday that we went out for a meal in Oakham at a pub called The Falcon and that was a very nice night which I think we all enjoyed. And then on Friday we went to Twin-lakes Amusement Park which was another fun day out. I read the brochure wrong and continually kept calling it Twinkles for some reason, gawd alone knows why! There were lots of attractions and animals to see and it wasn't that busy so we had the park pretty much to ourselves shared by only a few other people. Emilie got really tired and fell asleep so missed out on the small train ride we went on that travelled around a small part of the park but Evan , Jenny's little boy, was made up as he has this thing for Thomas The Tank Engine and a show called Chuggington which also features trains as the main characters.

Saturday was the day of the wedding we were going to and this was at a hotel in Donnington. The food was less than impressive and the venue not that great but it was the whole reason we had come away in the first place so couldn't complain too much. Then on Sunday we had to leave and I was quite upset to be going. I have not been sooo relaxed since our honeymoon in Rome and it felt really good for all of us to be spending a week together. I really got on with Jenny and her boy Evan and will really miss their company as I don't get to see them too often. In fact I enjoyed the week so much that I would love to do something similar again sometime. I have decided to keep back any DOOYOO money I earn now and put it towards another holiday so hopefully we might get away again next year. Who knows- For now though, it is back to reality with a bang and I must get used to the daily grind once more which in itself is a complete nightmare.

If only I could have a job where I worked more sociable hours but I don't see that happening anytime soon.....

Will upload some photos from hols when I get a bit more time.....till then, see ya!

This is my last Blog.....

Until I get back off holiday that is.....yes, I know I've been slack lately but to be honest,I haven't had much to say and I haven't felt particularly inspired.Sorry guys...

Anyway, a brief catch-up on whats been going down..... we had a new chef start but looks like he's upped and quit; Martin Abernathy has gone leaving just me, Ross and HC as full-time chefs and with me on holiday this week, it is dubious as to when HC will get his next day off!!(His last was on Tuesday just gone)Meanwhile, I am going to stay in a cottage for a week with Mrs.Sparky, Emilie, the mother-in-law, my brother-in-law Barry and his girlfriend Jenny and her young boy, Evan. Dead excited about it and could be fun though a week with M-I-L could be hard work....taking lots of books to read and also my PS2 and a couple of Bzz games for entertainment as Jenny is reputedly quite competitive and the thought of me and her up against each other on a quiz game armed with buzzers sounds like a real ice-breaker!

Been having a mass-reading session last few days- have gotten through three books in four days; admittedly though they were ones I had read before. On a crime spree at mo (Mrs.Sparky has mentioned that is the wrong use of the word in this context but I think it's amusing) and am reading Michael Slade's books on the RCMP and some of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole P.I novels. Am taking some Michael Connelly stuff to read whilst away and some of my TBR pile as well to get through....

Just cashed in £75 on my review site,Dooyoo again- not bad for 5 months work and already earned another £10 again so well on my way to another cheque and I have also discovered another review site which I'll talk more about when I get back and have started using it!

By the way, this is not the cottage we are staying in- this is the cottage from Evil Dead; the Sam Raimi video nasty from the eighties. Come to think of it....I think my mother-in-law may have been in that film.....that's a joke by the way..... Wish me luck in that cottage....I may well need it!

A beautiful end to a relaxing holiday....

Yesterday I travelled to Meadowhall in Sheffield to meet some of the people I talk to on the readitswapit forums with Mrs.Sparky and daughter Emilie. It was a great day, though it took 3 hours each way to get there, and got to spend some quality time with some really amazing friends that I have made who are among of the most beautiful people in my life. I finally got to meet a dear friend, Glynis whom I have spoken to for ages online and who is the driving force behind the online bookgroup, Babbling Books. It was as though we already knew each other and she was just as I expected her to be and every bit as genuine and friendly in real-life as she is online. She's had a bad start to the year but, like I told her, that just means the rest of the year can only get better! I was also able to catch up with Kate, whose son is three months younger than Emilie and whom we alays joke that Emilie is going to marry when she is older, and my best freind Sarah, whom I absolutely love to bits despite the fact that she always gives me so much stick! We have this great relationship, all four of us, and it was soo great that they could finally meet Mrs.Sparky and that Sarah could get a cuddle with Emilie at last!! It was a really good day though I wasn't that impressed by La Tasca where we ate. There were 21 of us in total yesterday who went to Sheffield to get together and my only criticism was that was a few too many people as I never really got a chance to mingle with any new faces and spent the whole time just catching up with my three bestest friends in all the world! I actually felt quite sad when it was time to go, its been two years since I saw Katie and Sarah last but we have promised each other to not leave it that long before we see each other again! And I really want to see Glynis again too as she is an amazing person- I cannot get over how well we thought we knew each other already!

We did an anonymous bookswap via a lucky dip between everyone who was there and I got this really emotional tear-jerker of a book about an 11 year old boy dying from lukemia that was actually a much better read than it sounds and was a truly remarkable book! Started it last night when I got in and finished it this morning and I had tears down my face by the end. Truly made me appreciate the fact that my daughter has her health and made me want to pick her up and give her a big hug! It is told from the viewpoint of the boy who is dying and is very well written given the subject matter. The book is called WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER BY SALLY NICHOLLS and I would fully reccommend it to anyone! Especially if you liked THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME BY MARK HADDON which was all about Aspergers syndrome! Nicholls' book is written very much in the same vein.

Overall this has been a nice relaxing week off- monday I took Emilie swimming and the rest of the week has just flown by. I'm really sad that yesterday has come and gone and that tomorrow I will be back at stress-filled work but that is tomorrow! For today, we have a 30th birthday party to go to later so that should be fun! We have done so much together this year already, me and Mrs.Sparky, and we have more to look forward to later as well as we are going away for a wedding in May and spending a week in a cottage with her mum and brother. I think I must be making up for a lacking social life last year as, what with Mrs.Sparky's uncle's sixtieth party, her step-brother's wedding, her mum's xmas party and then this week Sheffield and her best friend's party, there have been very few weekends so far where we have not been doing anything!! I had forgotten what it had been like to be social.....

All for now, will speak to you soon- probably more stessed as I will be back at work! Still, at least I have a job which is more than can be said for some people in this tough economic climate!

Sparkyxxx

2 1/2 more days to go till on holiday......

Yes, thats right- from Monday 26th, I finally get my weeks holiday; postponed by 7 days so that I can travel up to Sheffield on Saturday 31st and meet some of my online friends. Turns out there will be 21 of us in total meeting at Meadowhall that saturday- I am a bit nervous about meeting some of them as I only really really know a few of the people going- but good news! My long-time friend Glynis whom I have known for yonks is going with her daughter Charis!! Always wanted to meet Glynis as we have always got on famously and she set up the online reading group, Babbling Books, which I am a member of and which is loads of fun! As I recall, she's around the same age as me and I am dead excited that she's gonna be there! What with my other two really good friends going , Sarah and Katey, I think it's going to be a cracking day and they all get to meet Mrs.Sparky and Emilie too after hearing so much about them!

Not been about much on here for few days because been a bit fracked off! HC had a word with me saturday just gone because, whilst he was away, he heard that the food had not been up to the same standards as he produces. Turns out, as it happens, that this was all about an incident I sort-of mentioned that occurred on the Tuesday before he came back when a customer wasn't happy- and with good reason I must add because we were kind of busy and I fracked his order up! It was a mistake, I was stressed and sometimes, without making excuses, mistakes do happen and it wasn't like what happened was a regular occurrence. Anyway, he didn't explain himself very well and it wasn't til later that I put two and two together and realised what he was talking about. It was just that one complaint, as far as I am aware, but it just so happens that HC often drinks with this guy after work and he is a resident who stays at the Hotel pretty regularly because of his business.

Know it shouldn't bother me, but it has kind of knocked my confidence a bit and kind of upset me; not least because I am better than that! Now I feel as though I have to prove myself to HC even though we have worked together on and off for years. Ithas really left me feeling pretty negative about myself and then I have a few money worries that don't help and both me and Mrs.Sparky had to have our cars M.O.T'ed so that used up some of the extra funds I got for working over xmas......it almost seems as though even though stuff like the mortgage go down, I still find other bills which need to be paid. Financially, it is a bit of a struggle at mo and am not sure what I am going to do about it. Problem is I don't think there is any quick-sort-it solution save winning the lottery and, after playing the same numbers all year last year every week and not winning a bean, I have not bothered this year buying a ticket even once!

Maybe I should but whats the point of spending extra money you don't have just to win feck all?!!? I am ebaying some stuff at mo so that might possibly help and need to write more reviews but apart from that, I just don't know.....gotta go, my daughter just woke up.....