Thought I'd catch up with a chunk of good news......
Me and Chantelle went to look at a house off Newland Avenue last week - Chantelle fell in love with it when she was doing some noseying around, and I wanted to come along and see, and boom! I wanted it too =D
I could really see myself living in the house, and it has some great little extra special features like a separate little allotment bit that other people have turned into gardens, play areas, patios and so on...and it has three bedrooms, with the third being a sort of "hideaway" bit that we're gonna turn into a quiet study area. It's the sort of house we can settle in for a long time, put a bit of work in and get a lot out of it :)
We filled in the applications, and I found out from Chantelle that the credit reference is done, they're happy that we're not serial killers or vampires, and now they're just waiting for the character references!! I'm excited that we really can have a place of our own, and I'm gonna love living there.... =D
I also got a letter from Hull Uni today offering me a place at the Business School!!! Take that, education - Shaun's coming back to learn stuff hehehe....ooh I'm excited now, I went to the Open Day last week and I have a good feeling about going to uni...there's even an opportunity to go abroad or work with a company after 2 years of study, then go back for your final year, so it's quite a good deal for me....plus going through it opens up a lot of different opportunities and career paths, and after a year you can change your degree or divert a little, so I might want to change my study focus or completely disregard Business and go for something completely different! Mum's dead excited about it and keeps hugging me at every opportunity, telling me how proud she is in that high pitched squeal that mothers launch into when they get excited about their son or daughter doing something amazing...
On Thursday night I went out with some work colleagues to celebrate (right choice of word??) somebody leaving and moving on to be a travel rep. It was the first time I'd done any serious drinking in a long long long time, and the simple pleasures of life, such as a Jack Daniels and Coke, trying to stick your head into everyone else's photo, and trying to go bed with the subtle feeling of goldfish swimming around your head, all came flooding back to me hehe. Of course, people who know me would say I don't need to drink anyway, rather that the drink simply amplifies me, but y'know, a few drops here and there didn't harm, plus Chantelle was impressed at how well I held my drink having not touched a drop for a number of years =D
Having stepped back from church, I do feel a lot more relaxed and free, and in recent times I've been thinking about how I don't really know anything about other religions, or philosophies or disciples from other people or parts of the world. Yesterday me and Chantelle drove to Ikea in Leeds, and on the way dropped into Borders on the same retail park, where I came across books on Wicca, Buddhism, Eastern teachings, and so on, and it got me thinking about just how much I don't know about all these ideas. Each time I have these little "lightbulb" moments I learn more and more towards the view that you don't have to stick to one straight teaching, or one church, or one movement, and that having a learned view of cultures and the world, having good morals and making the most of your life is really what counts....
...in the words of my brother Simon, a day late, admittedly, but still...
On Thursday, me and Chantelle had the day off and we intended to do something or go somewhere, and we ended up making our way to York. Well, so we thought. We got to Bishop Burton, discovered the pond had turned to ice, the poor ducks had precious little water to congregate in, and as we were leaving the village, we thought we spotted a bit of snow. Fast forward to just outside Market Weighton, aaaaand blizzards. Lovely. A quick turn around later, and we were heading back to Beverley, where it wasn't so blizzardy, and we had a chance to wander around the town.
We parked up in Tesco, and after a fit of hysterics thanks to a young girl we overheard telling her friend "...this snow is wet..." we somehow managed to find our way into the town centre, by which time the snow had really hit the area and we almost needed huskies and a sled just to get to any of the shops. After taking in the cute little bookshop and doing our best not to become victims of hypothermia, we discovered Seabrook crisps in Boyes - should really stop pestering Chantelle about the different pronunciation of that name!!! =D - and then went in search of food. We stopped in the King's Head where they do two meals for £8, but I decided that due to a quick change of mind I no longer fancied the choice in there, and we drove back towards Kingswood for Frankie & Benny's...in my (sort of) defense, I did suggest F&B's originally, some time ago, I think, possibly, at some point...
After stuffing ourselves with our meal, we had dessert, during which time I'm sure I saw a few penguins fly past the windows of Frankie & Benny's, we ran like hell to the car, had a wander around Asda, and then the fun began. Rush hour traffic + heavy snow is not a good combination, and it seemed to take us forever to get away from Kingswood via Sutton Fields...then we had to claw our way down Clough Road to make it back to Chantelle's place. Getting home from Chantelle's took me over an hour, thanks to teatime traffic, snow induced slow going, and some interesting traffic arrangements on the Spring Bank/Beverley Road crossroads.
Friday came and went - back at work :( - and by the time I got home I felt a touch of Man Flu coming on, and by the end of Saturday I'm sure I was dying....Saturday being of course Valentine's Day. I'd arranged for some flowers to be sent to work (both me and Chantelle were working that day) and of course they had to show up before I got there....Chantelle was apparently just a little worried that someone other than me had sent them (we'd both agreed not to get each other anything....) which gave me a giggle or two...
So, due to my imminent death, my intention to cook for Chantelle at home and for us to have a night in was cancelled, today was no better, though I seem to have shaken the worst of it off. A couple of Ibuprofens, multiple cups of tea and a round of chocolate seems to have done the trick!! Speaking of which, Mother Dearest has announced the arrival of yet more tea.....
..........
I'm back, armed with said mug of tea, and still with a ham salad sandwich that I made about 15 minutes ago before starting this blog.....ah well, too into writing this to eat, will consume later when I catch up on Hustle...only started watching it a few days ago and I think I might be hooked hahaha..
I'm starting get just a teeny bit excited about moving in with Chantelle - granted it might be quite a way away with us wanting to put a bit of money away and for Chantelle to get through the bulk of her uni work this year, but still, eeee moving out of the home and into a new place with someone is exciting..I've said it before, but it's the little things, like curling up together on the sofa or bed and watching films (I demanded a TV in our bedroom when we get our house lol) or getting our own furniture, stuff like that, plus it means not having to keep saying goodbye and being miles apart, waking up together and being able to come home to Chantelle rather than my parents....eee it's great =D
I think me and Chantelle have really grown closer over these last few months...I think it's being a combination of me opening up more, and her getting to know me and understand me a bit better, we've laughed a lot lately, shared some quiet heart to hearts, and well, I guess just generally enjoyed stuff. The last few months with her have been better than ever, and I grin when I think this time next year I'll be blogging from "our house" =D
Wow, I think that's my lot for tonight, my brain is fried, I want my sandwich, and then I've got to go charge my phone....so long...........
Well, I guess this is regular really...just more of a monthly installment =D
Nothing to report on the university front....still waiting to find out if Hull Uni can put up with me for three years, but I guess it's gonna be a lot about waiting....
Me and Chantelle have been talking about moving in and stuff....we've decided that it's more practical and cost effective if I set up shop in her flat, rather than looking for a new place, finding deposit money, moving her things again and so on...I like her flat, I like the area and I like the cat so I'm happy! Admittedly in recent weeks and months I haven't exactly been very forward thinking or seemingly motivated, but after one or two "heart to hearts" I'm seeing the bigger picture....a few nights ago I was actually thinking "you love her and you tell her this and say you want to get on with stuff, but why haven't you??" and so it's time I got my bum in gear!!
I think that the fact that I have got myself comfortable and settled in a relationship, and maybe even some of the church teachings about planning and routines, helped to "plateau" my own sense of direction, but anyway, I digest...speaking of the church, me and Chantelle recently attended a funeral of an old church member who had battled with varying cancers. After the initial surprise (and in some cases shock) of church members when me and Chantelle walked in (some of them looked like the crowd at a slow moving tennis match...) it was good to catch up with a few people. It's strange how you can be away for long periods of time, and when you come back people who you barely spoke to in the church are all over you asking how you are and what you've been up to...but there were some people there who genuinely care and want to remain friends, and I'd very much like to stay in touch with them if I can.
I've just eaten Potato Waffles with ham and cheese (anyone remember that funky little TV advert?? with the weird bird and the cuckoo noises??") and just finished watching Hustle....I never really watched it before, it caught my eye on the BBC iPlayer and it's pretty good....might get the DVDs of previous series...
Ooh speaking of iPlayer, I watched Terry Pratchett's Alzheimers programme a few nights ago. It's fascinating just what that disease is all about and how it can creep up on people, and it's amazing and quite moving to see how it affects the "little things" in people.
Woo it's chilly up here, though the snow has disappeared around our way :( I get a bit excited when we get snow ("crunchy crunchy...")
Chantelle's birthday was last week, and we discovered the joys of Thai food (it's basically Chinese food, but a little, erm, "greener"...) and I now on the hunt for Thai Cream Soda - it's a lot like those "bubblegum" flavour drinks you used to get for like 10p - anyhoo, during the day we went to X-scape in Castleford, where we walked around the designer outlet, squealed with delight when we found a Burger King, and crunched about a lot in the snow (until Chantelle got snow in her shoes, that is...) i felt like i was 10 again!!!! =D
Which brings us this week...let's see, I got two letters from Halifax asking for money (they've called in my overdraft, mum put a lump sum in my account which I'm-a pay off regularly, and now they sent a red letter for about £97. When this Bank Charges Test Case is finished, I think I'll be asking for a little more than than back thankyou! After I paid them another £50 back, I'm now waiting for the repo man to come knocking at my door for another forty quid =D
Ooh and speaking of bumbling jackasses who couldn't organise a prayer meeting in the Vatican, British Gas have once again screwed Chantelle about...what have they done this time? Nothing! In spite of repeated phone calls, e-mail conversations and the like over the last six or so months, Chantelle is still without a meter, still hasn't got compensation for their previous mess ups, and yet no one has had the decency to contact her. Time to bring out the old complaint letter again mwahahahahaaaaa
Well, that's all she wrote, parents want to get into the loft a la my room, so I'm gonna disappear..
