It seems impossible that it is a year since James was asked "to leave the building", I can now write that with a smile on my face. When we first learnt that he had been sacked our world fell apart, now I can only repeat what I have said before it was one of the best things that has happened to us. We were drifting along in a pattern that had been set for years due to the hours James was on air (10pm till 1am).We did not realise how much it intruded on what might be termed normal life. IE. eating at a normal time and going to bed at a normal hour. Now he leaves home at around 1pm,and yes he is still taking the train, on air at LBC between 4pm and 7pm. Once he has finished the evening is our own, and if I am lucky he sometimes takes me out for dinner or I cook and yes I do belong to the school of "if it is burned its cooked" Back to what I was trying to say, if something like this has happened to you treat it as an opportunity, as new beginning and hopefully something good will come out of it.
 
Talking of makeovers that is what has been going on with our website. It is now all singing all dancing, not that I have any idea how it all happens but I know a man that does. I thought when he said he was going to revamp things he meant me but apparently not, but I live in hope.
 
As it will be my 60th birthday in a few weeks time I have informed James I am going to retire. One of the last women to do so at 60 as the retirement age has now been changed, although I will not get a pension as I have not paid enough stamps! James is now working out how many people he will have to employ to replace me, he has just realised it will take at least 5 people to fill my shoes -- perhaps there is room for negotiation there for him to pay me a pension!

This is a careful what you wish for warning,as i told you last time James had "man flu" and the chances were he would give it to me----and yes you have guessed it he did.At first it was just a cold that sort of hung around making me feel yucky, than came the tickle in the back of the throat that drove me mad,and to finish off a cough.Nothing wrong with that,that is until i started to rattle."You need to get that looked at" were the words of advice i was given,which at first i ignored.Then came the pain when i coughed,(turned out to be a pulled muscle across my ribs),so i see my doctor."You have got pleurisy"----"Whats that i ask"----"Just an infection in you lungs,antibiotics will clear that up and you must rest" Does he not know who i live with!!

At the moment the centre of London is at at virtual standstill,not due to the snow but due to the black cab drivers objecting to privately licenced cabs taking their business.I have over the years used both modes of transport and yes i would prefer always to get a black cab but there are times when you cant get one,especially in the early hours at the weekend.So that's when you go to one of the licenced cab offices and i can say on each of those occasions i have felt ill at ease.The car is never a great one,the driver has to be told how to get to your destination which is difficult if there first language is not English.On all of these outings i have held my breath all the way home, something i don't think i have ever done in a black cab. All i can say to the black cab drivers is get your selves out there and have your light on, not just when you feel like it?!!

P.S. Could the person who left the door open letting in the icy blast and snow now close it.

So we have a new leader, a man who is going to save not only America but hopefully the world from destroying itself.

Or that is what some people are expecting of him, it seems an awful lot for one man to have to do on his own.
There is far to much emphasis put on the fact he is black, (or of mixed race to be more correct), put your hand up if you are not!

We have to start thinking of ourselves as one race otherwise we have no chance. I hope he can bring people together and working together, most of us are doing that already.
 
Whether he can turn round the minority who are are out not only to destroy others but themselves in the process is a different matter. In that I include all the people in the world who seem to have no moral conscious, which seems to be on the increase. Why anybody wants to physically or mentally hurt anybody else i do not understand. Not that i am without fault but I do my best as do most people I know.
 
I wish Mr Obama and his family well, I hope all his dreams come true, we will never know unless we try.
 
Back to mundane things, I am still driving "himself" to and from the station. He said the other day "I think I should sit in the back". Nothing wrong with that i said, "can I have a uniform?". He looked at me for a few seconds the only way he can and said "I will pop in to Ann Summers next time I am passing". One of us I think has got the wrong end of the stick!!
 
 

One of my New Years resolutions is to start writing again so here goes.
 
Our life has now settled into a new routine all be it with a break for Christmas etc, my favourite time of year because it now means it is "spring". The shortest day has been and gone so everyday is getting longer, even on a freezing cold day the birds are looking at each other with renewed interest. James has at the moment got "man flu" which when it comes in my direction will be just me feeling sorry for myself !! He is loving working for LBC, it has given him a whole new lease of life. Now that the studios have moved to the west-end, he is back to where he feels at home. He is surrounded by people who love the work they do and all their enthusiasm rubbing off on him.
 
He has also learnt a new skill------travelling by train-----mind you along with that so have i-----being a chauffeur to and from the station-----dare i suggest he gets a bike?!!!
 
Now for those "bankers" and no i am not talking about his former employers i am taking about those people who got us all into the load of trouble we are in now.

I seem to remember suggesting they lower the interest rates at the beginning of last year to give us the chance to at least pay our way. Now that they have it seems to late, unless they insist the credit card companies etc pass it on. As far as cutting the vat, what a waste of time, all that has done is cost companies more money to implement it.
 
I wish you a safe and happy New Year and if you need help ask for it, as my Mum used to say "if you don't ask you won't get".
 

You will have noticed i have been a bit quite lately, after my Mums funeral i felt the world had tilted slightly, In many ways it still is but i am now old enough and wise enough to know that the tilt will always be there i just have to get on with things.

We are entering a new chapter of our life, on Monday James starts his new job with LBC. His program starts at 4pm, ends at 7pm, Monday to Friday, so our home life will to a certain extent be "normal hours", something we have never experienced, I feel another tilt coming on, In this case a good one if nothing else he will be able to get up in the mornings, see to the dogs and bring  me a cup of coffee in bed!

The last 24 hours have been very interesting due to the BBC having to cope with yet another blunder. It seems that yet again they are not able to pin down who was reasonable for letting what was a prerecorded program be broadcast in the first place. Yes the two broadcasters are reasonable for what they said and to leave that sort of message on anybodies answer phone is unforgivable. Both of them should know better and deserve not only to be suspended but sacked as well, I just hope they never feel the pain and upset they have caused to the family concerned.

So Russell Brand has resigned, i admire him for that, he has admitted his gross mistake, Above all else he has a growing career else where and is covering his own butt. The rest of those involved have now got to fall on their swords, James has had at least half a dozen calls today asking him to comment on the events but so far he has kept his council, i think next week will prove even more interesting!!?!

I am just watching the start of the TV awards----Sir Trever has just made an unnecessary comment about Carol Vordaman---, not only is she worth twice as much as he is she has a heart of gold and whats more so has her Mum.

Last week was a sad week, my Mum died, She has not been well for years and in the last few months every day had become a struggle for her, She has spent a lot of time in hospital this last year ether as an out patient or having to be admitted, always looked after with the same care and dedication by the NHS staff, She had been at home for a while and getting a bit better if only slowly each day, So the shock is still sinking in, i just feel so sad and having to ring people up and tell them even sadder, but the saddest thing is not being able to tell two of her great grand children.

Those of you who know us are well aware of the story, but to put it in a nutshell they are our youngest sons first two children who when James was ill were taken away and basically none of us have had any contact with or seen them since. Not from want of trying I hasten to add just the law does not give any rights to either great grandparents, grandparents, or for that matter fathers, any way what i am trying to say is that she never stopped asking about them, had we heard from them or seen them and sad to say my answer was always "no".

Hopefully this will change before to long, after all this is the most unfair way for them to find out.

We have been away for a few days to catch a bit of the summer we have missed. There was a point were we nearly did not come back due to the goings on in the tunnel. Even though we had booked a return trip those lovely people at the tunnel could not tell how much we would be delayed, as we had the dogs with us we needed to have some idea as to comply with the pet licencing scheme. So we decided to come back by ferry.

Off we set on your new adventure, all was well until the guys that load the cars decided to place the car next to the stairs that are used by the world and his wife to get to the upper decks. This despite the fact they were well aware that there were dogs in the car as there was a big yellow sticker in the windscreen. The car was so close that some people had difficulty getting past. We stayed with the dogs to keep them calm as long as possible as they were surrounded by strange noises, smells and people. So we follow the happy throng to the upper decks, very fast very smooth and even a bar---just like the Isle of Wight ferry!

So James Whale suggests as we are still on holiday we have a drink, he orders a cup of tea (he knows how to live), me a glass of white wine. "We only sell one sort and that comes in a small bottle madam"----promotion at last----i will have that then. Ever keen to further my education i read the label, i nearly fall over board, i am drinking wine from the USA. Here we were travelling back from one of the best wine producers in the world (France) to an emerging wine producer (Kent). What are the operaters of this ferry thinking of, no doubt they will tell you it is down to supply, easily solved buy more than variety!

We dock, go back down to the car and have the same problem all over again, people having to squeeze past the car even to the point where one guy on crutches has real difficulty. Drive of down the ramp passports at the ready, up to the booths marked Kent Police, the lights are on but nobody home. They must be all deployed in operation stack, talk about taking your eyes off the ball. Not one vehicle was stopped or searched, just think what i could have got into the country, not that i would and not that you should------but just think about it for a moment.

I have had a nice letter back from the local council regarding parking (outside the bays), they have let us off the fine. We mustn't do it again and have taken on board my suggestions----oh dear what have i done!!? Meanwhile there i was ironing and no i don't iron his under garments, went up the stairs to take one lot away and get more when i smelt burning. Whet back down the stairs thinking one of the dogs had knocked the ironing board over therefore expecting to find a scorch mark on the carpet. No nothing like that, the plastic part of the iron next to the metal plate was slowly melting into it! So the ironing came to an abrupt halt, the only thing is i feel another letter coming on. !

So the stamp duty has gone on property under œ175.00 for a year, what good is that to anyone. Here in the south east,  where lets face it the majority people live, you would be hard pushed to find anything under £200.00. All this is going to do is have a domino affect,  in that prices across the whole spectrum will come tumbling down there for causing even more of a crash. Just lower the bank rate and insist that the mortgage companies pass on the full reduction and all recent past reductions. Now tell me what has Mr Brown done to his hair today, it looks like something out of a computer enhanced film!, and i hate to be the one telling him but in Downing Street i noticed that there was scaffolding either side of number 10-----lots of support there but not for him----or am i reading something into something that is not there!!?

Watching "This Morning" today Fern confessed that she found her self doing up her dressing gown round her bosoms. Now we all know she has had help in the past with her body so she must know where to get help with that problem, if not i can give her a few telephone numbers!

James has just been to the headquarters of NICE the place where the powers that be decide as to whether a drug will be available on the NHS or not. There was a demonstration outside against the decision by NICE not to make 4 drugs available to people with kidney cancer. He rang me to tell me how it had gone as he does with these things.  he was telling me that it had all gone well-------then he started to tell me about a little girl who was there with her mother who has kidney cancer----the little girl was telling James that her mum will not be alive at Christmas without these drugs------as he was telling me his voice cracked.  after a few seconds he managed to say "i will call you back later". I wiped the tears from my eyes.  if it has that affect on us how are those people directly affected coping???
 
Our son Peter has been to visit us along with the rest of his family.  they had hired a small motor home so that they could travel around the country a little bit. No problems with parking it till they got here. Yesterday evening they picked me up to take me out for dinner.  (James Whale was working so could not join us).  so we parked in the local town car park which was quite deserted. Now these things are longer than your normal car so it took up more than the length of one space.  and yes you have guessed it when we got back there was a parking ticket slapped on the wind screen. The reason for the ticket "he had not parked within the bay". They have carried on there merry way today and this Mrs Whale has sent a letter off pointing out to the local council the error of there ways!
 
I have just realised i have lost something. something very precious to me. the summer.I don't mean because of the weather i mean because of what happened at the begging of May. I suddenly realised the other day that i have been physically holding my breath and walking round in a sort of daze. So these last few days i have been ato sink any lower.  now i am looking forward to an Indian summer.

I am about to be politically incorrect and i make no apologies for it. So lets kick off with plastic bags, the ones you useted to get free at the supermarket. Now we are encouraged to use alternatives or pay for them both of which i have been doing, that way i and i alone will save the planet. The only problem is the planet will save itself, it just might not save me along with it! Any way i digress i need plastic bags, i use them to line the rubbish bin in the bathroom, to pick up after the dogs, (sorry if you are of a delicate disposition). To take the kitchen waste down to my allotment and yes i have had one for 4 years long before all these trendy people got hold of the idea, in fact when i think about it i have been growing stuff one way or another for the last 35 years, then i tear them up and tie them to string to keep the birds off my young plants. Then i need another one if not two to bring back my goodies home by which time they have usually started to split so i then recycle them. So why is it i feel so guilty when i put my shopping into new ones at the supermarket?

Now for coffee,  apparently you are not supposed to ask for black coffee, you should ask for coffee without milk. The problem i am having is how do i ask for white coffee,  is that black coffee with milk! I have asked quite a few people as to what there take is on this one and the main reaction is that things are getting out of hand. We must be able to use all the words in the English language in the right context without the fear of upsetting other people other wise we will all end up just grunting to each other, lets leave that to male teenagers.

Breaking news James Whale has won a medal, i know what you are thinking you did not know the Olympics were holding that sort of event! This medal was won on home ground, he was out playing with his bows and arrows and was awarded for his efforts with a medal with the words on it reading "Visitor Gent Runner Up Traditional", but then i have always thought that is exactly what he is. !?!

I have come to the conclusion that paying the tv licence is worth it, those of you who know James Whale well know he has always maintained he has never had one. The simple fact is it is in my name therefor he was not telling a lie, as if he would! Anyway i digress,  off he went to Yorkshire to do a tv programme at the weekend so i hitched a lift with him therefore saving loads of money as his petrol was paid for by the BBC. We were only there for one night but in that time i was able to see my Mum who has recently come home from hospital, plus the grandchildren even if it was almost hello and goodbye in the same breath. Then the other morning i was watching the BBC breakfast show only to find them promoting one of my favourite chocolate bars at every possible moment, the name of the chocolate bar just in case you missed it is "whisper". I always thought they were not allowed to endorse a particular product and be totally impartial, seems times they are a changing, i wonder who started that!
 
More serious things were happening midweek,  the announcement that 4 drugs that Can prolong the life of those people people with Kidney Cancer and all other treatment has been eliminated will not be available on the NHS. James has done several interviews on the subject,  he set up his own charity after he was diagnosed with the same disease in 2000. His passion on the subject has left him exhausted and angry. When he was diagnosed surgery was the only way to go, with a 50 percent chance of surviving the operation. When i first went into see him after the op the surgeon came to tell me how things had gone, he is one of those guys who tells you how it is. The one thing that literally took away the support my legs were giving me at the time----in fact if a wall had not been behind me at the time i think i would have hit the deck---was the fact that so often he would open up a patient only to close them up again as nothing could be done and after that there was only one outcome. Now we can change that, yes they are expensive drugs and yes they will extend peoples lives if only by how long we do not know, but until they are prescribed we will not make any progress. All i know is the hurt, disappointment and grief across the whole of the country this is causing is immeasurable.
 
There i have said my bit, there by the grace of whoever it could have been us and i have just a glimmer of how that feels. Those nice people at NICE don't seem to comprehend that people need hope, with hope the future is always brighter,  they have managed to take that away in one fell swoop.

 
Summer has at last arrived and with it all the benefits, you just feel so much better when the sun is out, that is until you are driving along and walking towards you is some guy who is not only wearing shorts but is bare to the waist. This is fine if you are young and fit,  you can then admire the wonder of natures ability to create a work of art, but this apparition was not that. I will not go into detail of what he looked like, i think you can use your own imagination, all i know is i had to close my eyes to stop my self from losing my breakfast---neither should you do while driving!
 
James Whale is off up north to do a program on Sunday morning on  BBC 1, the subject to be discussed "old age", he is still working out whether this is a compliment or an insult. When he does i will be here to pick up the pieces!

...No it cant be that, it is pure pleasure, a hobby usually involves expensive equipment and learning a new skill. It is totally legal and can involve 1, 2, or 3 bodies! I am talking about lying in a double hammock slung between two trees with just blue sky to look at. Lying there on your own , the world just disappears. Then if you are really lucky you are joined by someone you love, then if you are really, really lucky you are joined by a small dog jumping into the hammock and tipping you both out---this happened more than once and could have hurt if it wasn't for the fact you are to busy laughing to notice the bump on your head and the bruise on your arm. Now we are back home i am scoring the country side for the right sized trees the right distant apart,  plus the fact i now have to buy my own hammock, i knew there was a catch!
 
Yes we are back home after a good break, James is still finding some days difficult, not the work he is doing now just the fact he is still coming up against the brick wall that has been created. It seems that people in the "business" are waiting for things to be sorted out between the parties involved. Until that happens, and until things are resolved they are unable to say publicly "what was all the fuss about and yes you were just doing your job". Mind you he now has the honer of being named in an article in a newspaper with the heading "Jason Donavon does a James Whale". The only difference is the way the two broadcasters were treated by their employers. An apology was put out for Jason's gaff, told not to do it again, now go and get on with the job, need i say more!
 
There is a problem though when you go away, one the grass grows twice as fast as it normally does and two,  three times as much post is delivered, either bills or junk. I was of course hoping for the money from the Gas Board to help towards the purchase of a new dishwasher, no such luck, guess who i rang first the day we got back?!

We have returned to the scene of the crime,at first i was dreading it but now i realise that ghosts are best laid to rest.I am taking about the place James was told "that he might be sacked",we were on holiday at the time and the mobile phone is never far from his side.It is still there now but this time he is waiting for a phone call from his solicitor,those responsible for that first phone call at the end of April have a lot of questions that need answering.This holiday is about getting our heads back on track having had it taken of the rails,how are we doing that? By helping a friend cut up logs and having bonfires,there is something very therapeutic about it i recommend it to everyone, as long as you have the owners permission!
 
In between all that we are eating good food,drinking good wine and sleeping,usually in that order,we must be in France.Why is it so different here when there is only a small piece of water between us?With all that is going on in Britain the contrast is even more noticeable,you just don't seem to have the same problems with young people.Is it just the fact that in France children are taught to respect each other ,there elders,and the world they live in.
 
James in the meantime has been shopping to fit in to his new life style,he found himself a pair of sandals for 8 euros and a straw hat for 3 euros.You will be glad to hear he stopped short of buying a pair of shorts,(what is it with middle aged men and those things).So now he is equipped to supervise me while i am stacking logs, and later on the same when i am cooking his fish pie.You might be thinking i should tell him where to go,the trouble is he is really good at one thing------knowing when to open one of those bottles with bubbles,(not the ones with that word on)the ones that are made by the same method and cost a fraction of the price.
 
Another phone call on the mobile from a former employee of that company,the things that are coming out of the woodwork are unbelievable!
 
I have just realised something,the difference between France and Britain is simply this.One is governed by the majority not the minority, the other governed by the minority not the majority.We have just celebrated Bastille Day and i have just realised where the _expression "heads will role" comes from,cant wait! 

I feel it is time for new balls.I am not talking Wimbledon here and all apologies to my friend Jason----he has got enough balls for all of us and whats more he loves James and over these last couple of months has given us a lot of support and made us laugh.No, new balls are needed for Adele our daughter in law,i have just realised how much i hate that phrase.Adele is the daughter we never had but the one we would have chosen.Hello am i getting soft in my old age?No way just saying what i feel.Any way back to her greater need,i gave her a ball you put in your washing machine a few weeks ago (the sort James sells on Bid) and she is so impressed she wants another one.She can not get over the fact you put this ball in the washing machine,do not need to add anything else and hay presto out comes the washing all clean,mind you if they could work on one that does the ironing as well----.I just hope the money she is saving is being put to good use,ie. those lovely bottles she collects full of bubbles for when we next visit!
 
Now for a bit of sad news,George my dog i had to give away when James was diagnosed with cancer died in February of this year (8 years to the month i last saw him).This i already knew, i woke up one morning some months back and i just knew.I tried to keep this thought to myself but could not,i told a few people.Some looked at me as if i had lost it ,those who know me realised that old 6th sense had kicked in.George was luckily "adopted" by a couple who already had a dog whom he adored at first sight.They have looked after him since and lived to a ripe old age of 13,for me it could not get better than that.They have now got a new puppy to help Georges "girlfriend" get over her loss.How do i know all this,not my 6th sense kicking in just the fact that they happened to bump in to Adele who used to work with the guy long before any of us knew of each other------yes it is a small world.
 
Gas bored,yes i am.They have at last realised what i have been trying to tell them for weeks,IT IS UNREPAIRABLE.Several phone calls more down the line,"we have put a voucher in the post to help towards the cost of a new dishwasher".What i am supposed to do with half a dishwasher i don't know,so now i await the postman like an anxious teenager waiting for that envelope with those immortal letters on the back,S.W.A.L.K.,or do i mean something else!

I watched some of Glastonbury on the old box,then someone came along and ruined it all.No i am not talking about that Oasis guy---he was well and truly put in his place, but that lovely lady Amy Wynne because that is exactly what she did all the way through her set.Even i know the words to rehab --- and more so when i have had a drink! All credit to the guys working to distract on stage,and the guys trying to keep her upright---i have never needed that many guys, about 6,to keep me upright---- mind you there was the time when i bumped into half (the big half) of an American basket ball team and it took all of them to keep me upright,and if any body asks it wasn't me and i wasn't there,right Mikey?!!
 
I have just realised we have an illegal immigrant in our mist.He arrived here some 50 years ago and has been going about his business unimpeded for all that time and whats more everybody  loves him.Who am i talking about, Paddington Bear of course.He arrived on Paddington station from Peru with just a label attached to him and a marmalade sandwich---so glad he is now eating Marmite----i loooove that stuff.So now we have to consider do we deport him or does he go through the proper channels to stay here? I leave that thought with you.
 
Now i know you are all wondering about the saga of the dishwasher,i have made more phone calls (even James has joined in)not necessarily a good thing!! The Gas Board are now looking into it,it bit like the holes they keep digging in the road then standing round on their mobile phones no doubt ringing the same number i keep ringing----not much joy for them there then! Anyway while they are looking into it i am left doing the washing up and its ruining the nails,can i claim compensation for that? I will add it to my list,and believe me it is getting longer by the day.Talking about days they should have rung me back by now--oh i forgot thy are looking into it,should i tell them its a bit like a black hole,bottomless,lets hope thy don't fall in!!

I am about to self com-bust,that dishwasher that got fixed is no longer fixed.So i rang the people concerned yesterday and asked them yet again to contact the insurers as already it has cost over £300 pounds in new parts, and i hate to add up the man hours (not to mention women hours).I reiterated that as it insured to be replaced if it can not be mended, could they put that to the insures yet again?"Yes we will do that and let you know".A new day dawns,no call,so i ring again,"the person who took your call is out of the office i will get him to call you back this afternoon".It is now 7.50pm-----i have a sneaking suspicion they have all gone home!Cant wait for tomorrow but in the meantime i am going to name and shame the company's concerned,British Gas are the insurers,Auto Wash (sounds like a car wash to me,could the guys be topless please!) are the company that are appointed to fix the above mentioned machine.There, do i feel better,no it does not fix the problem!
 
Now for happy/sad times,on Thursday of last week James held an event for his charity at the House of Lords, mainly to say thank you to all those who have raised money and or raised awareness and yes people paid for their tickets and yes that does include us.What a good night it was,and here is where i say a big thank you to all those involved before, during and after the evening. Without them we could not get to our ultimate aim---to make more people aware of kidney cancer and help prevent and cure this rare but increasing cancer.Next day off up to Harrogate to see our son Peter, his wife Adele and the two grandchildren----they did not know we were coming, i love doing that.Its the night before my birthday so we meet up with long lost friends,yet another good night! While we were up there i visit my Mum as much as i can as she is in hospital,she has had a lot of health problems over the last 10 years and has been more than looked after by the NHS but it is now a case of old age,why do i feel so helpless and unable to make things better for her?
 
The day of my birthday we drive to Manchester to go to Freddie Starrs 50 years in show biz gig.I feel another good night coming on,i was not wrong.Not only is he naturally funny he can sing.Not only can he sing he is kind hearted and has time for everybody, and has a good word to say about most! He was still making us laugh at 3am not many men can do that, well not unless you pay them! Back home where 3 dogs are waiting for us well looked after by our eldest son James,without him we would not be able to do the things we do. I cant help feeling the dogs would be strait on the phone to some help line or other if we had to put them into kennels!

I am not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing but i now know the dishwasher repair man by his first name! He turned up at the appointed hour (somewhere between 1pm and 5pm) spent an hour taking it apart again and at the end of that told me "you need another part".Why did this not come as a surprise to me---- so he is coming back tomorrow which is a good thing the bad thing is i am getting used to doing the washing up.

Meanwhile back at the ranch as i said last week people seem to be  falling by the way side,either disappearing all together or doing less work only to be replaced by you know who's friends, need i say more!! James in the meantime is keeping himself more than busy,so much so he has not stood still for more than 2 minutes in the last 6 weeks,in fact i am having difficulty keeping up with him.Part of it i am sure is that he is still trying to make up the loss he has felt both physically and mentally since he was shown the door, not to mention pay the bills and keep me and our 3 dogs in the custom we had become used to!
 
On a lighter note he has been able to watch the television at night most of which he enjoys,but both he and i are wondering why there are so many programs where people have to end up taking there clothes off----you know the ones all about fashion and loving your body.Its not that i don't agree with all that "loving yourself" bit its just that if i wanted to see a bald middle aged bloke with a bit of a tummy i don't have to look far and James would say something very similar about me.

PS.I have just heard the most wonderful saying, "whales only get harpooned when they spout",now they tell us!!

You know i will never know what i don't know, but today i learnt something i never knew----- that i will never know how this box of tricks works! Today for the first time this nice guy called Kevin did his best to give me a lesson,(i have been using that old tried and trusted method of press a button and see what happens for the last 7 years).I understand more than i did but i cant help feeling we might have to go through it all again as it seems to have gone in one ear and out the other.The main thing he was teaching me was how to "upload" from Jame's new toy his blog so that you can hear him loud and clear, then to "download" it then send it over to the web site.All i can say is he made it look so easy, i will have a go,i am just grateful he wrote it all down for me!
 
Now i know you are all waiting for an update on the dishwasher saga and we have all heard of that old saying "3rd time lucky"---seems it might not be true.As usual a man turned up AM. with all the parts as ordered,fitted them,so far so good.So he sets it off and informs me it is all working well so i sign the bit of paper and away he goes.About half an hour latter i go into the kitchen to find nothing happening,now those of you who are slightly cynical will say why did i not check it when he was there---well as always i was answering one phone while James Whale was on the other,replying to emails,making coffee and hanging out the washing not to mention trying to avoid tripping over one of the dogs--why is there always one behind you?So i was a bit preoccupied not to mention i expect people to do there jobs properly,so back on the phone and guess what they cant come out for another week.
 
Talking about people not doing there jobs properly,you know that place James used to work, it seems there are so many roomers flying around at the moment as to who did or did not do there job as well as they might, and have you noticed how there seems to be a black hole there---people seem to be disappearing from on air and off the air----or is it just a case of new broom sweeping clean so clean will there be anybody there this time next week?

Watch this space!

There is no getting away from it "things are not what they used to be".The last few weeks have been a roller coaster,one that has had a toll on not just us but all the people around us.It is not just the fact that James was let down by the people he trusted most,or that the fact that our whole routine and world has been turned upside down----he misses his callers! But all that is changing,as he said the other day,"its just as well i don't have a job,i would not be able to fit in all the things i am being asked to do"Most important is the fact that it is keeping him from thinking to much,well apart from all the usual things like whats on the tele and whats for dinner.The hurt he feels is sometimes over whelming,but the fact is i know being "James Whale" was "his job" and to have that taken away the way it was taken away is unforgivable. He keeps telling me these things happen for a reason and things will be better in the end,so that is keeping me going.So now i am looking on the bright side of everything and yes my dishwasher will be mended by the Gas Board soon, after all they have ordered the new parts---mind you i am assuming that they have ordered the right parts in the first place!!

OK i give in, the dishwasher decided to stop working,then i thought my laptop had been stolen----it wasn't----all a laps of memory--to long and embarrassing to go into now.Then James locked his car key in his car boot,and yes i know how that feels,only i managed to to that with the dogs in the car last summer!! But forget all that, the response from all over the planet since James Whale no longer works for you know who is huge.The main themes are "why and who can we listen to now".So many of his listeners have contacted us by letter,and i have to thank the post office for their endeavours,by email,phone or however they could get a message through,just saying how much James has kept them going through the bad times and above all else keeping them laughing and entertained with his tongue in cheek delivery---clearly lost on some.

Now for the funny bit,there he was watching late night tele----still a novelty to him--when a baby rabbit pops out from behind the box,fine except there are 3 dogs in the room!!So he gets them out,calls me down from upstairs,my hot bath put on hold----the next 15 minutes we spend trying to perused this frightened little bundle to go outside.James eventually manages to catch it,we release it back into the garden,why or how it came into the living room we will never know we are just grateful the dogs did not see it first!

I have just witnessed James grieving,for the last 2 weeks he has not known whether he is coming or going.He has worked for the same radio station for the last 13 years---they have in there wisdom shown him the door, in doing so they have removed some of his "family members in one stroke"Why,because he did what he has always done,said what he meant and meant what he said---as always tongue in cheek---i should know i have known him longer than most.I have to say thank you to them,no longer do i go to bed on my own,but then that novelty could ware of !! --but also given him a whole new lease of life---something they seemingly were recently unable to nurture !!?!!

I now know what i feels like to fall flat on you face both literally and metaphorically.All i had to do was walk from my front door to my car,done it loads of times,no problem.So off i set,coat,keys,sunglasses etc in my hands,took three steps,bang my face hit the pavement.I did not trip,slip or rick my ankle,i was not wearing high heals or under the influence (that might have helped)Any way there i was face down on the pavement,not even time to put my hands out---mind you if i had done no dought something would have snapped.Yes it hurt and yes it does look a mess but nothing is broken apart from my pride.Now for the other part,hired a firm to move some stuff from A to B,got a call saying "we are running late"--thy never showed---James made a phone call---they are now in rehab!!

We were at the best party ever on Saturday night,why was it the best i am not quite sure.A lot of it i put down to the host,Myleen Klass.Not only did she look stunning dressed as Cleopatra, (the dress code was "what you wanted to be when you grew up") but she had managed to get the right mix and number of people in a brilliant venue.James rarely relaxes at this sort of thing but he did this in front of my very eyes--it can be to much like work!! He went dressed as a cowboy,well more "Brokeback Mountain" really,i went as a camp follower---well they must have had them in the wild west---in fact some people might say "no change there then" When we woke up on Sunday morning i opened the curtains to find it was snowing,very film set!

It seems that some of you think that i was a bit unkind to himself in my last m.w.d.All i can say is he all ready knows how i feel so it was no shock to him, only to the rest of the world! My feelings are you should always try and tell the truth,the lies we tell are usually there to protect ourselves not the people we are telling them to.I am not saying i have never told a lie,just i try to avoid them,they make life just to complicated!! Now for the fun bit, have you been watching "Delia"? I found myself watching it open mouthed,not only is she preaching to us about cooking but also telling us how she goes to church every Sunday.We know how she can turn frozen mash into something wonderful, i am now waiting for her to turn water into wine.

So as i was saying i am married to a grumpy old man,in fact it is our wedding anniversary this week. I will not say how long but yes all the usual jokes apply.The next question is would i marry him again---if i knew then what i know now the answer would be no,it is not that i do not love him just nobody could tell me even then or now how hard it would be.This i think applies to all marriages,any body that tells you that every thing is all sweetness and light is either lying or living in cloud cookoo land.That is why so many marriages fail it is hard work on every level for both partners.It is not that he is not kind,thoughtful or gentle he just has no idea the pain or the pleasure his mouth can inflict!! When he does i just might say yes---if he ever asks me!

So we have just had "Mothers Day" and all of you expecting it to be different to any other day might well be feeling disappointed,there is a reason for this,every day is a mothers day.You are either one,have one, hoping to be one or looking for one, and while i am on the subject what is a "working mother"?As far as i am concerned all mothers are working 24/7,sometimes you get paid,sometimes you don't.All i know is that it is the most important job in the world and should be treated as such.Now for something i have always known,apparently the secret of staying young is to have a young lover,James is 2 years younger than me---i am not convinced that counts!!Talking about the grumpy old man---oh dear run out of space---more on this next time.

Have you noticed that Sundays have become more fun, more tranquil,more "can i get to work before the results programme".Yes i am talking the Dancing On Ice factor.James loves it,it makes him laugh (not always that easy to do) it makes him an instant critic (always easy to do) but above all else it relaxes him.I have not yet quite figured out why,could it be all those sparkly costumes and then there are all those young things doing what they do best--- or could it just be the girls!!Holly is of course his favourite,she is there for one reason only and that is to keep all men happy,more of this and the world would be a better place.Talking of being in the right place, we were meeting up with 4 other people the other night,all was booked we arrived,had the wine on the table,2nd couple arrived,had to wait a while, then a phone call from the 3rd couple "where are you ", turns out the 2nd couple had told us the wrong venue---ohh the fall out can still be heard from his wife!

You know the tablets you are supposed to take to help your memory,well i keep forgetting to take mine!!Now the other day i had to ring a well known energy company,after telling them my latest meter reading i enquired as to taking out a new contract (at the moment i do not have one) the very nice man told me as the prices are high at the moment i would be better off waiting.This to me means after all the latest price rises, this and hopefully other company's are about to lower them again,perhaps they have only just realised how much profit they have made recently.The other evening we had to go to a meeting concerning our charity,now James is never late in fact nearly always early,but for these meetings we are always running late be it traffic holding us up to not being able to find somewhere to park,must set out even earlier next time.The only thing is i will have to remember to do that,back to my first point-------!!!

Those of you on the ball will have noticed that the last sentence on last weeks dairy had dropped off the end.Those of you even more on the ball will have made up your own ending but just for the record it would have read "wont do that again HE got the wrong message"!! This week we have been bombarded with what Mr Paxman thought about underpants and i have on behalf of the nation conducted a small survey,my research though was quite far reaching.It seems the older a man gets the more support a man needs,in other words HIS elastic has gone,not in the pants he buys, in other words Mr Paxman get a grip!! I tried to get government funding for the extensive research i did but it seems they are running out of money.In the meantime James is quite willing to fill in for Mr Paxman till he gets his head sorted out and yes he will be bringing his own support!

OK so the Bank Of England chickened out,they must have realised the amount of money they and other financial institutes had spent telling us the rate had gone up just a few weeks earlier!!! So they will wait a few more weeks just to get their money back,make a few more extra pounds from people who can ill afford it and be totally unaware of the misery and worry the create.On a lighter note i read in the paper i have to get out of bed on the left hand side other wise i will be grumpy for the rest of the day and my life will not go according to plan----now that explains so much. I have been doing it wrong all these years, as i sleep on the right that's the side i get out.So only one thing to do get out on the left hand side,now that could be very tricky as that is the side HE sleeps on and as you can imagine is always asleep when i get up.Still nothing ventured nothing gained,so off i set slowly and carefully so as not to wake the sleeping giant---wont do that again HE got the wrong message!!

All i can say is mind the gap,some of you may have missed me, and like the rest of the world i am going to blame my little box of tricks!!It does not matter who you speak to these days "it is never their fault".Simple things are not simple anymore,for example my washing/drier decided not to dry anymore (why does that always happen when it is poring down)---sorry back to the point---so i ring up the company it is insured with,after the usuall half hour wait my call is answered only to be given a reverence number and another number to call.Time to make a coffee,luckily James is to hand perform such important tasks,it has taken years of training and a lot of patients--i use the same technique with the dogs and with the right rewards it works!Back to the phone,back to listening to music i do not want to hear,then at last a human voice.This voice represents the company she works for,she could not have cared less.I ask her to make sure the engineer brings the appropriate part as last time it took severl vists with several parts to get the thing fixed."No the engineer has to look at it first"she says,so i say "just ask him to bring the part that makes the drier dry!"---you could almost hear the pin drop, or was she saying a few words that i might not want to hear?Now how often has your bank/building socity made a mistake only to blame the computer,best not get me started on that one,time to get my man to uncork a bottle.

Thank goodness that's over,don't get me wrong i love Christmas and New Year if only because James takes 2 weeks off so we actually get to lead a fairly normal life,i.e. go to bed at a normal time and get up at a normal time.Now he is back at work my thoughts are turning to other things,spring in the Whale household starts on the 21st of December the shortest day----but has anybody else noticed that the shortest day is much earlier in December over the last few years or is that just me?Anyway the days are getting longer and the birds are begging to sing again so time to do what a girl has to do, i know do the spring cleaning,get fit,sort out my debts,forget all that the sales are on! Somebody has to keep the economy going i have heard on the grape vine that the interest rates are going to be reduced twice over the next few months because we are not spending enough,get out there!!

OK so i gave in,he asked me so nicely but then he went and spoiled it all by asking if Dale could come along (apparently he is very good at it!!)As it is it always takes me twice as long to do and spend twice as much when i let James join in----we are talking supermarket shopping here----but you have to give them a treat every now and then!He is off reviewing the papers on Sky News at the moment,then over to Sutton in Surrey to do a book signing,and answer me this one, why do men have to look in every draw and cupboard in the house just before they leave because they cant live without what ever it is they are looking for,only to find it in the last place they look---why not just stop for a second and look in the last place first?!!

A mad weekend leads to a mad Monday,8am James does his column for the Sport,9.30am drive to London to appear on "Loose Women" to promote his autobiography. Needless to say he had great fun, his idea of heaven,two women each side of him paying him full attention!! Drive home only to find this women needs the bin put out and some wood brought in---life cant all be fun.After all that he sleeps for an hour.6pm we are back in the car driving up to London for the second time that day to a meeting regarding the charity we have set up, that goes well.Drive to Talk Sport Towers, do a 3 hour radio programme (why does he always have to have the studio so cold).Back home by 2am,our bed is the best thing i have seen all day----now that's heaven.

Friday morning,good,as far as we are concerned it is the weekend.I feed the dogs and make coffee,back to bed with two big mugs ready to snuggle back in to bed,for the first time this year it feels really cold.James sits up in bed and says "pack a bag and grab your passport we are going to France"I think----on the new train----shopping----Paris here we come.No got it wrong again,i am driving 200 Miles once we get over the water to a mates house to plant trees!!!He has got a house he is renovating but needs help to plant trees while the ground is still warm "so that their feet are warm when they go in" Well at first my feet were cold but hard work soon warmed me up and James was able to get away from phones,computers and all that.It was all worth it, fresh air makes you very hungry and thirsty and where better than France to satisfy both of those needs!!

So a man arrives at the door,behind him is a big black bike, in his hand a small package (it must be my birthday!!),but no its for James.He opens it,in it is a disc---i have heard someone has lost two of these things,could this be one of them?Turns out to be a DVD he is to review for the Guardian,the tittle "Talk To Me".Its a true story about a DJ/Talk show host in the USA. called Petey Greene.We watch it,the sound track great,the parallels between his life and Jame's is uncanny,worth a look.Back to men playing with balls,apparently he has come up with a plan to get our team back to where they should be --watch this space.

So tonight was going to be a late start,11pm instead of 10pm---oh it must be footie on the television!! It makes no real difference to us but one of our dogs has an internal clock and keeps looking at James as if to say "isn't it time you went yet?"So we watch the football but there is How to look good Naked on another side,James  is soon pressing buttons purely for research he says.Then we get the call--no need to go in at all we will be talking balls all night---so i think oh goody goody time to get up close and personal,so i ask him what he wood like "a cup of tea would be nice".Not exactly the answer i was looking for but perhaps he was just building up his strength,so off i go to the kitchen, make a cup of tea for him and pour a glass of wine for me---back i go to snuggle up in front of the box and you would not believe what he was doing,yes reading one of his favourite mags,all about toxophailley that's bows and arrows to you and me.You know it is so easy to keep an old man happy!! But tomorrow is another day,he is reviewing a DVD,perhaps it will be a nice romantic one yet another reason to snuggle up!!