cardiff May 2010

Thursday 6th May

Well another bloody weird week. I have had to cancel the holiday once again. My wife has fallen down and broken a bone in her knee again. The same knee as the last one two years ago and once again she is in hospital. This time it will be for another two or three months again. I feel for her and she has gone through a bloody awful time, but on a personal note I am sick of hospitals!

Today is Election day over here. The chances of the present government getting back in are very slim I think. I have voted for them but then I have been a Labour voter all my life. But they have had a lot of bad press and the chances are we will have either a Conservative government or a hanged parliament with no party getting overall power. How that will work out who knows.

I am going to try and get out this morning to take some photos. I have a lovely brand new camera and I have not used it at all. I need to take photos!

Wednesday April 28th

Well so much for keeping up this blog on a daily basis! It has been over two weeks since the last post. Mary was very ill and has been on antibiotics and steroid tablets to get rid of a water and chest infection.

We had to cancel the holiday that we had planned to the Netherlands as she was just to bad to go. Thankfully she is getting over it now and I am going to rebook the holiday today. We have not lost a penny on the holiday thankfully and I will book with the same hotels as they were very good over the cancellation.

I still have not taken a single photo with my new camera. I am itching to get out and take something with it but due to Mary's illness and other things I have not managed to get out.

What I have been doing is reorganizing the house. All the rooms except one are now cleaned and sorted and the last one I will finish off this week. We both have a lot of clothes to get rid of that we no longer use and that has to be sorted. I am giving away a lot of stuff using 'Freecycle' and Mary prefers to take hers to the charity shops.

We have treated ourselves to a new wide screen TV and Blue-ray player. The TV is only 37" which is not massive these days but our room is quite small and it looks huge. It did not look so big in the shops, but the picture is excellent.

Monday April 12th

I have finally got the new camera that I have been trying to get for over a week. My wife has been and still is very poorly so we have not been out much. She was a bit better on Saturday so out we went to town to get the camera. Due to the extraordinary kindness of my old work mates I was given a voucher for £430 to spend in a camera shop.

I have always been a Nikon lover and the camera that I wanted and could afford was the D3000 SLR. I wanted a zoom lens as well so by paying just a small amount extra I got a Sigma 70-300mm zoom lens. What a combination! OK so it is not in the pro league but for me it is the best I will get unless I win the lottery! I am going to enjoy this one and want to get out as soon as I can to take some photos with it.

However my wife Mary is still very ill. We went out for a meal yesterday and she just not was not with it at all. When we came back home she went straight to bed and there she has stayed not moving. I will get a doctor today. I think she may have a severe water infection as the urine has just about stopped working. She had kidney failure two years ago and I hope that does not come up again.

Thursday 7th April

Yesterday we drove to Bristol to see ' Deal or no Deal'. If you have never seen the show click on the link. It was a lot of fun and we might go again to see it. The old guy who was there walked away with over £30,000 so he did alright. He went further than I would have though. I would have been happy with half of that.

Today with a bit of luck and if the wife is OK I will go into town to get a new camera. The incredible amount given to me by the staff of Cardiff Bus has been given in the form of a voucher from a camera shop. I want to get a Nikon D3000 SLR. I have been missing my SLR camera since it was stolen two years ago and although my Nikon P80 bridge camera is good it cannot compare to the SLR.

And this afternoon just for fun we are going to the hospital to see about Mary's foot. This is a long standing problem and she has to see the podiatrist about it today.

Another day

Well today is Tuesday 6th April. The night at the club was quite a night and of course I had to much to drink. I might as well have tried to stop the tide coming in! The drinks were on my table before I had chance to say stop! In the end I had to stop people buying me drinks as I just could not take any more.

There was a presentation and a lot of nice things were said, to much to put in here. Enough was given to buy a new camera, one that I had thought of getting in three years and that was very touching.

So today my retirement really starts in ernest as up to now I have been on lieu days and if I was working I would have been on days off anyway. But this is really it and no more work at all. I will have to pay a load of bills of soon when my money gets into the bank one day this week.

Today we are going to Bristol to see the TV show 'Deal or no Deal' being made. I have seen TV shows made before and it is fun seeing what goes on behind the scenes.

All over now

Well retirement has finally come around. It is the 31st March today and I finished on the 29th. That was quite a day saying goodbye to a lot of people that I have worked well with in years.

I have arranged a drink at our club on the 2nd April and quite a few will be coming along I have been told. It will be quite a night because that will be the last time I will see many of them. I will go and say hello ocassionally of course but I have got along with many of them over the years.

So far retirement has consisted of house cleaning! I have left a lot of things 'until I retire' but now I have to get on with it. I want to get it sorted out over the next couple of weeks and there will be a lot of stuff to take to the tip for recycling.

We have arranged a holiday in Holland for week in April to go and see the flower gardens. That will be a nice change and we are both looking forward to it.

Hopefully I can update this blog on a more regular basis now I have the time.

Wednesday March 17th

Well today is my 62nd birthday and I have not put any blog entries for nearly three weeks. I have been quite busy in work but now have only eight shifts left to work.

It still does not seem real as I am doing the same job in the same office with the same people. But March 29th will come around soon enough I guess and then it may seem a bit more real to me.

Wales played Ireland last Saturday and got the result they deserved. They were rubbish with 75% of the ball and still could not score. Coach Warren Gatland says that they are going to feel pain. Surely they should have felt pain before the bloody game not after it?

Spring seems to have sprung this week with the sun shining and warm weather during the day. The nights have been cold but we can manage that. Today we are going out for a meal on my birthday. I wanted to go to a pub but the wife said can we have a pizza instead. Well I like pizza anyway so Pizza Hut here we come!

Happy St Patricks Day to any one from Ireland that reads this.

Sunday 28th February

Well yet another week has passed and no blog entry. With any luck I will be able to write more when I finally retire. I have just 18 full working shifts ahead of me now and then it will be all over and a new life begins. It still seems weird but I guess it will not seem real until I finish.

I have finally had my figures from the council for my pension. Now I have to make an appointment with my bank manager to see what I can and cannot pay out. That will be a fun time.

Wales played France at rugby in the six nations last Friday and made a right mess of it. They came back in the second half to lose 26-20 but it would be nice if they played the whole game instead of just half of it.

A day off today and once again I am up at 06.00 as I cannot sleep. That will be my pattern I guess and I just hope it can be broken when I finish work.

The Baby Moose in the sprinkler

Hospital visit

We have to visit the Royal Glamorgan hospital today to see my sister-in-law. She was taken in yesterday as she had a bad fall and broke her ankle. It has been pinned and she will need another operation tomorrow.

The weather has turned wet once again and of course I had to put washing on last night hoping it would be dry! I now have a stack of wet washing to dry so I hope that it dries up later.

What a boring blog this is today! But the days are slowly counting down and I will have to see my bank manager as soon as I get the final figures on my pension to sort out my bills and see how much I have left.

I am trying to get a holiday in Holland organized for April but the hotels are bloody expensive at that time of year. We will have to sort something out and I have written to Henny, a friend over there to see if she can suggest anywhere.

Another week

Well another week has passed and I have not got around to writing. I enjoyed the days off but they seemed to go past all to quickly and work called again. Today is Sunday and I have worked out the days I have left to work for my company. 31 working days left is all that I have and it is reducing quickly now.

I have booked our club for the Friday after I leave as quite a few of the guys have said that they want to give me a send off. I will have to get a taxi back and fore as I intend to have a drink that night!

The weather has turned bloody cold again although we have not had the snow that some parts have had. I really could do without that again as it is a real pain to get around in.

On the good front Wales beat Scotland at Rugby yesterday by 32-24. There would have been some real celebration in the city last night that is for sure!

Pub Meal

Last Sunday was my wife's 62nd birthday. We don't do a lot on birthdays these days but we did go out for a nice pub meal. We went to a pub called the 'Sportsman's Arm' about ten miles away. In the middle of nice countryside and a pretty little village.

We all had 'Sunday lunch' or meat a veg. I for a change had the pork while all the rest had beef. The pork was lovely and all the veg was hot. We have had meals there several times but that was the best yet.

The weather has turned cold again these days and snow is in other parts of the UK. Thankfully we should not see it over in Wales at least not this week.

I am back at work on Wednesday after a six day break. As I will be retiring in less that seven weeks, these days I am enjoying the time off and looking forward to the end now. I am listening as I type to 'Hooked on Classics'. A brilliant CD and although I enjoy classical music this is a great introduction to anyone who wants to try it out,

A day out

Well just for a change the weather seemed to want to brighten up yesterday. The wife woke up early and we thought we would have a day out. We decided to go to Swansea about 40 miles away just for a change.

Swansea is in West Wales and has a great indoor market with lovely fresh food on sale. My wife loves cockles and laverbread (UGH!) and we got some of that for her. We had a nice wander around and then later on left and drove to the outlet at Bridgend on the way home.

Not that we wanted much by she bought a new soft coat and we had a coffee and snack. It was a nice pleasant quiet afternoon. Of course our son moaned when we got home that he had not been asked if we wanted him to go. I had not bothered as anything more that five miles from home he thinks he needs a passport for!

Of course on that day he would have come along. Well tough!

And the sun is still shining today as well. But we have had one day out and that is more than we have had in weeks.

Six days off

So this weekend as I have posted I have six days off. So far I have given the kitchen a damn good clean. That was bloody exciting I have to say...

The weather is crap so there is no point in going out anywhere. I will have to go out to the local shop later on but that is about it. I have been updating my other blog 'on the buses' with some memories of the last years.

It is my wife's birthday on Sunday and we have booked a meal in a pub for the three of us and Mum. That will be a nice change as we have not been to the pub since about Christmas time.

I do enjoy baking when I have time and will do a lot more when I retire full time. But I might get some done later on if my aching back stops playing up.

Time off

This weekend I have arranged to have a couple of my holidays that are owed to me to make a six day weekend. I will be off from Thursday to Tuesday, not going back until Wednesday next. I have described it on Facebook as 'getting in practice for my retirement'.

I have to use these days up so intend to get as much time as I can until my retirement at the end of March. I am gradually getting used to the idea that I will not be working for the company that I have been with for 33 years after April, but it will feel weird that is for sure. I just hope that I can get the finances sorted out properly.

The weather for those that are interested is crap! Wet, cold and bloody miserable! It has been raining all day, and does not want to stop. Oh well it is January and we can expect little else. A lot of the country is having more snow and at least we have not got that.

Time to close now, but if you are interested in this blog why not become a 'follower'?

Back in work

Another day in work and I have not written in my blog for nearly a week. The letter of intent to retire caused a few surprises I can tell you! It is all over the job now but after 33 years I have been part of the furniture and many drivers and other members of staff have wished me well. It has been very touching to know so many wish me well for the future.

I have been asked about having a leaving do over our club and I will have a think about that. I am not a big club user as the disabled facilities are not that good, but I would like the chance to have a good send off. I will have a chat to the guy who runs the club and see what he thinks about it.

The weather has stayed damn cold again but I guess as it is still only the end of January it is what we can expect. More snow is forecast but hopefully not to much over this part. I for one can do without the damn stuff.

I also have another blog called ' On the Buses' about the years that I have spent working in the public transport industry. This week a writer based in Chicago wrote in saying that he had been reading the blog and was writing a book. A very small part would be based around a bus conductor in Cardiff and he wanted some advice on the routes that he would take and the area he would conduct.

For one I was thrilled that anyone had read the blog in the first place! And of course I send on all I could think of about the conductor and work back then.

Right it is time to close as I am off to work.

Retirement

Yesterday I put a letter in of my intention to retire early from Cardiff Bus at Easter this year. I have been thinking of it for some time but in the end as my wife is so ill I decided that it would be for the best. We might have to pull our reigns in a bit and the next three years will be a bit of a struggle but in the end I have to get out.

I have worked in one of most stressful parts of my firm for 22 years now and my wife has been gradually getting worse for the last 15 years. Something had to give and in the end it had to be work.

It is a very strange feeling though after putting in that letter. Part great relief and part great sorrow. The job itself I will not miss now as the stress is getting to me more and more. But I will miss the friends and fun that I have had over the years. We still have laughs every day and there is a great comradeship on the job.

However that is one phase of my life nearly over and it is time for the next. Lets go!

More snow in Wales

Well the forecast said so but luckily in Cardiff so far at least it has stayed away. Just rain and cold but at least we can get out in that. We both have appointments today in the same hospital, luckily two hours apart so hopefully mine which is the first will be well over before my wife's and we can get there on time.

I have a lump in my stomach called a lymphoma which is just a fatty lump really. I have had plenty of them over the years and not bothered with them. This one however is quite big and annoying me so I am going to see about getting it out. That should be only a day job and I will be home by the night.

My wife has had a massive sore on her foot for over three years now with no sign of healing up. She has regular appointments to see about it but today it is more urgent as the wound is very painful and I think infected again.

Starvation

At least the blood tests I have to have today are called starvation blood tests. I had not been feeling well last week and although the doctor could not find anything wrong he has asked me to have some blood tests today just to make sure everything was alright.

The receptionist told me that these tests would have to be starvation tests and I could not eat or drink anything but water after midnight. Did she have a small smile of satisfaction when she said that? Maybe is was just my imagination........

The only problem is that I have to be up at 2.30 in the morning to get ready for work and the tests are not until 9.30. Oh well it will be a long morning and there are far worse of people that me with far worse problems.

Those poor people in Haiti for one thing. It is OK for me to whine about not being able to eat for a few hours but these poor beggars have gone DAYS without food. There is thousands of tons of food there but it does not seem to be getting to the people that need it. Or is that just the way that it has been reported on TV?

Work again

Well it is 5.00 in the morning and another day of fun is about to start. At least for a change we have not got the bloody snow to contend with at the moment. We have had more than our fair share of that this year that is for sure and winter is nowhere near over yet.

Today I must get on to the C.A.B. to get that appointment about the benefits check. I could not go last week and I want to get it sorted and see what if anything I can claim if and when I retire this year. I have already made my mind up really to get out, but I have to get all the details before making that final plunge.

On Wednesday I have an appointment with a Miss S Hill to see about the small operation that I have to have on my stomach. I have this lymphoma that has grown quite large and uncomfortable and want to get rid of it.

Well that is it as I have to get off to work.

Back to work

Well after that visit to the doctors yesterday I feel a bit of a sham. He could not find anything wrong with me (Thank goodness) but I still felt a bit rotten. However I have to take blood tests on next Tuesday to see if anything crops up. They will be starvation tests and I am up at 02.30 on that day so I will be bloody starving by the time they are finished.

The snow is starting to thaw rapidly today thank goodness so hopefully by tomorrow I can get my wife out for an hour or two. I think she will start to climb the bloody walls if she does not get out soon!

In work today I and some other supervisors had to take some 'psychometric tests'. These are designed apparently to check your communication skills. What a lot of old bollocks! I have been communicating with staff for 25 bloody years and one more test is not going to make a scrap of difference to me.

The firm have been bleating on for ages about saving money but they can afford this crap by bringing in an outside consultant to do this. It makes me spit. I could understand it if I was going for promotion but as all I want to do is retire it makes no sense.

White out!

Well if have posted about the snow before then on Monday we had a white out! The damn stuff came down as if it was never going to stop. By the time I went to work on Tuesday morning it was deep and crisp and even!

Now to some who have had a lot more than us in South Wales then the five or six inches that we had may not sound a lot. But over here that causes chaos as the roads and vehicles and infrastructure simply are not designed for it.

Working in the bus industry we had real problems getting our buses on the road at all never mind on time. Many drivers living out of Cardiff just could not get in as they had a lot more snow further up the valley's of South Wales and were snowed in. Many made it as well and we did manage to make a basic service but the roads were quiet thankfully as people just stayed at home.

Today I am taking the day off sick as I have not felt well for the last few days. I have this strange feeling in the left side of my chest and do not seem to be able to do as much as I used to. I am going to the doctors today and try and find if there is a problem or is it just me being an old woman.

The chair and a life change

Well after waiting for the social service lady in the end it was a waste of time. The various bodies that fund these things have said that they will not do so. The chair for my wife is said to not be essential to her needs or to mine.

The fact that it will stop me lifting so much and possibly getting a worse back and then costing even more in the end does not occur to them in these tight for money times. We have been given some details of charities that might help and as soon as the snow and ice melt I will check into that.

Today I am going to see if I can literally change my life in a big way. I have almost certainly made the decision to retire early this year but I just have to see if I can claim any financial help in doing so that will help pay my bills until my main pension comes through in three years.

The Citizens Advice bureau is open this morning and it is first come first served. I have got time off from work to see them so I will be going early hoping to get seen today. I just need to see what help is out there or in the end can I hang on to the house for three years if worst comes to worst.

We will see but it will take a lot to keep me in work now as my wife needs me home and my son needs to get back to the workplace after being home for all these years.

Wide awake

Well another day and at 05.00 in the morning I am wide awake on my day off. I say wide awake but really it is more that I just cannot sleep. So on to the internet and check the mail and write in the blog and so on.

I don't know why I bother as no-one reads this stuff anyway but it keeps me from being bored and I can always look back over time later on and see what was happening in my life at the time.

Once again we are stuck in as the damn car just will not get out of the parking space that it is in. I will have another go later today but I have had no success so far as the roads are so iced up.

We have someone coming today from social services to see us. I have applied to get a chair for my wife that can assist her in getting up and down. That will help me as I will not have to do the lifting so much. I applied for this about two months ago but we have heard nothing so far. I phoned a few days ago and all of a sudden this person is coming over. I think that the last application got messed up and they are putting it in again. I will put more about this in my next blog.

The long winter

It is going to be a very long winter this year. It is only January and the snow has been around for a month now and is still around. That is very unusual in this part of the world as we usually get some snow in late January and February if at all. Mainly in the UK it is in the North of the country.

I have this weekend off and normally we would try to get out somewhere if only just to the shops or to see Mary's mother or my mother. This weekend we cannot get out at all. For those who do not know us, Mary is disabled and has to use a wheelchair to get out. The car is stuck outside the house as I cannot get it of the ice and pushing a wheelchair in these conditions is hopeless.

This little blog is not meant to be a full on moan session but just to put into perspective for those who enjoy the snow what it is like for others who do not find it so much fun.

A weekend off

Well thank goodness for the weekend off that is all I can say! It has been one of the busiest weeks I can remember for a long while. Due to the heavy amount of snow that we have had I have been working flat out.

I work, for anyone that does not know for the biggest local bus service in Cardiff, South Wales. We have about 550 drivers and many of them come from way outside Cardiff. They cannot get a job where they live and we need staff so we employ from a long way outside the area.

The upside is that we get good staff who need a job and give good service. The weak side is that when the snow and then ice comes down the valley areas of Wales get heavily blocked with snow and do not get cleared easily. They therefore cannot get in to work and as it is a major part of my job to get buses on the road when staff fail to arrive it has been to say the least bloody busy!

However, once a month I get the long weekend off and this is it. I am glad of the break but now I have to get my wife out of the house. It is not easy in the snow as anyone who has tried this with a wheelchair can understand.

Well that is it for today and if anyone does read this do me a favour and drop a line or put a small comment on it. I would just like to know that it has been read at some point.

Snow again!

Where does all the bloody stuff come from? In this part of Wales we do not get a lot and that normally until late January or February. We could have more of the damn stuff yet to come this year.

Our car is stuck outside the house and I have to get the bus in to work today and yesterday. I do not want to but to be honest the world could do with one less car in the ice today.

Time to close as I have to leave for work. It is 3.00 am and freezing bloody cold so I need to put plenty of layers on.

Another cold day

Well here I am at nearly 05.00 in the morning getting ready for another days work. And it is still bloody cold! I have given up turning off the central heating as when I do the house is like a fridge in a couple of hours and it takes ages to get warm again. I am afraid the planet will have to take care of itself for a few days.

Work was once again very busy yesterday. To busy for a bloody Sunday. This is supposed to be the quiet day when we can relax slightly but once again problems reared there bloody head and I had to sort it out.

Yes that is my job and to be honest I am as good as anyone and better than most at doing it, but these problems ( and it is not worth while putting them here) should not have arisen and there will be major comebacks over this one I think as we could lose a valuable contract over it.

More work and snow

Well another Sunday in work, but I do not really mind them. They do tend to get busier than you would think though as the bloody phone never stops and the only silly bugger to answer it is me!

The snow has come down a bit overnight again, but only a thin layer. We have had many staff who live only 20 miles away that just could not get in or had to dig out there cars to get here. I have had enough of this white stuff this year thank you.

We normally only get it in late January/February in this part of the country so we probably have some more to come.

Oh well it is time to close this and get off to work.

2010

Well it is here at last and as I am back to work today at 3.45 am the year has well and truly started again. I intend if at all possible to make this my last year working for my present company but I will have to check out the finances of early retirement.

Last night was once again bitterly cold and snow fell in Cardiff. Not a lot but of course it froze immediatly so it is all ice. The roads have not been gritted as it was not that much so I hope that it will not be to bad driving to work.

Well the time is 3.00 and time to get ready to go.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well it is officially here now. 2010 that is. Will it bring the peace and happiness that the majority of the world wishes for? Will it hell! We will have the same old wars and the same politicians trying to make a mess of things. Nothing big will change this year the same as nothing big changed last year or the year before that.

Technology will move on rapidly again and more new must have things will come out. We might get further out of recession but I would not put money on that. There will be the usual disasters that could have been avoided and those that could not.

People will pass away and others will be born that will eventually rule the world or at least have a great say it it. Is this blog a dull missive? I don't think so really, it is just a small dose of reality from someone who has seen a lot and knows that in the end not a lot changes.

From the small man I wish all the small people a happy 2010.