Mark (hard) at work

Ok..Ok...I know it is an improvement!

Tax is taxing

Bloggettes,

It is amazing how many distractions one can find when one has a tax return to do. That WAS my weekend. Found time to nip ouT for my physio and the pub though...

It's been one of those weeks where I've come home from work, cooked dinner and just felt like vegging!

Been doing the reviews for NG-magazine as well as the day job - always fun. AND started to plan my holidays.

I am going to a cottage by the sea with Sarah and going over to France to see Berangere later in the year. They will be very different breaks, but both will be fun.

Well since its been a non week as far as excitement goes I won't bore you too much and let you read something more interesting instead....

Keep the faith pop-sters!

More media whoring....

Hello Bloggettes,

I know the blog is now syndicated in the Widnes World paper (website) but here is a post all to youselves precious bloggers/bloggettes...

An article on presumed consent (whereby when you die it is presumes you want to be an ogan donor unless you express otherwise) is in the Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News today...

I am sorry I look like such a dork in the picture - bad hair day after swimming before work is my excuse.....and I'm sticking to it.

Do you remember the days when all you had to check was your email? Well now its the Myspace and Facebook accounts too.... Damn addictive interwebby stuff...

Well I will love you and leave you now EMAIL ME

My Pics and My Myspace

Luv ya and leave you.... Busy day tomorrow xxx

Tate pics and Harvey Nics!

Hiya,

Another hectic one. In fact all I had to do tonight was write this blog and I have only just stoppped vegetating and starting to write...

I took J and K to the station on Monday on the way to work and they spent three days in Wales - while I went back to normality - or as normal as one can be working for Halton Council.

They came back on Thursday and we just ate fish pie (I thought I had defrosted a cottage pie - doh!) and chilled and talked.

On Friday I gave them a lift to Widnes Station again on the way to work while they went shopping in Liverpool and picked them up on the way back - in the pouring rain.

Although, by some Terry and June-esque mix-up they were waiting about a minutes walk from where I was parked...More 'doh'...

Dave came round and the girls cooked us a lovely German meal and we went to watch the new Harry Potter film (not as good as the last ones - they just look too old now!) in Runcorn.

Why do people eat in cinemas? It is one of my pet hates? It really puts one off the film..

On Saturday I went for my physio at Halton Stadium and then the three of us went (via Istanbul Cafe, where we met a woman who had lived in Iran) to Liverpool.

We explored The Albert Docks (I tried to explain Fred's weather map in the context of Richard and Judy and the fact neither are there any more) and we 'did' the Tate.

I am no art buff - but I thought the stuff on the ground floor wasn't up to much and things got better the higher up in the buiding you got. The modern art was excellent as the exhibits were so varied. Emin to Picasso!

I did more steps that day on my pedometer than I had done any day since I first started to wear it in Feburary time - almost 13,000... And I felt it.

In the evening I made a korma (not instant!) Too much, but we ate it!

Sunday morning we went to the airport to the background of Adagio from Stings, my favourite music at the momemt.

I was sorry to see K and J go - but came home and slept for an hour or so.... Then I drove to Sarah's mum's in Leeds to meet her family - I had never met them. They seem cool.

We did loads of shopping and latte'd (to latte MUST be a verb) in Harvey Nics. I 'Primark'ed and Sarah 'All-Saint'ed - I suppose that is the difference between us really...

It was a chilled day and I think we will get on fine when we go on holiday together (eek!) in September...

The journey back from Leeds to Widnes took exacly the lenght of my Communards/Bronskie Beat/Jimmy Somerville Greatest Hits album - within five seconds...Spooky.

Back at work today I had the Cannock Wood stuff to do for the Mercury while I was signed out at luncthime and loads of stuff to keep me busy. Never a dull moment...

The PR team is back up to the full strength of three this week!

The Weekly News are doing a spread on 'presumed consent' and took my pic for it. I am just a media whore still..But there again - you all knew that, right? A bientot!

MUSIC: The new Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP - brilliant!

A good roasting and a corpse bride

Hello Bloggettes,

Almost 20,000 hits on this blog! Well done all of you!

Well I have been doing my bit for international relations - by entertaining two German girls. Well they have been entertaining me more like!

I picked Katrin and Juliane up from from Liverpool Airport on Friday and cooked some food. We spent an evening in the company of Johhny Depp and Tim Burton (Corpse Bride on DVD)

On Saturday we went to Staffordshire, met up with Nathalie and my mum - then went for a walk, ending up at the PG.

In the evening we met up with Erik, Diana and Vicky and did a proper Midlands balti - I found Germans and Korma are a match made in heaven...

On Sunday we defied the rain and met up with Dave H in Chester, after a traditional roast (that is lunch, not some kinky action!) we got rained on around town - even taking in a gladiator fight (with remarkably bad fake blood!)

We were all v.disappointed with the new Rufus Wainwright album by the way...

As I write this the girls are in Wales for a couple of days.... It is probably just as well because work is very busy at the moment and I am getting home later and later each night...

Well, sorry this is a bit boring this week. But I am too tired to write much (well at least I am honest. I am sure Samuel Pepys had bad weeks too!)

Hope you are seeing my reviews in NG Magazine and my village news in the Mercury too.. I will love you (some more than others) and leave you..... ta ra a bit!

The Virgin Man (and Dave)

Hello Bloggettes,

Firstly it is National Transplant Week. CLICK

Well, what's new in your lives? Mark mansions has been busy as usual..

Next weekend I have Katrin and her friend coming from Germany for a few days. Oh what to do with two German girls on a wet weekend in Widnes?!!!

My doctors will be pleased I actually managed to do some physical actitivty every day last week. There is now £1 swimming at lunchtimes for Council employees.

That with my early morning swims, the table tennis and the Saturday physio - I had a good week and could tell this by still having energy left on Sunday.

The more I do, the more energy I have left - and the reverse if I have a bad week. Its an upwards/downwards spiral...

On Saturday I stayed in all afternoon til the man came to fit my Virgin internet/cable stuff. He didn't come til 5.45pm and then there were problems...

So eventually I got on line - so I enjoyed the luxury and stayed up chatting on MSM til the early hours... I am connected to the information superhighway (and not, that is not pigeon post!)

Sunday Dave came round so we went to the Unicorn in Cronton for Sunday lunch. sunday lunch there is not as good as a normal evenings' food, but the waitresses are cute!

As well as doing the village news round-up for the Burntwood Mercury I have another little sideline - reviewing CDs for NG Magazine.....the BEST listings rag in the country... just working through Nick Drake CD as I write this...CLICK Always a pleasure, never a chore!

Thanks for the emails about my GP - STILL having problems - will keep you posted! Thanks also to Mr F for his comments - Must do beers soon!

Complicated weekend ahead of entertaining, so will try and be physical every day to gear me up for it and give me the NRG.... Am also seeing the very pregnant Victoria this week too.

Big congratulations on the birth of my new little cousin Emma, on 4th July. I think they should have called her Geogrina Washington!!!

Feel free to leave a message and email me on CLICK or take a look at my pics at CLICK or tune into my Myspace site on CLICK

Wilmslow Boyz (and girl)

Hello Bloggettes,

Well I have had my first real night out in Widnes....It involved tapas, bad dancing, too much (not enough??) wine, cider...and that was just before I left the house! lol

It was our first work social occasion since I joined. And it was good fun (what I remember of it) Although I don't remember talkimg about David Dickinson..

The started and ended up at Fagin's (formerly The View Bar) in Victoria Square.

By a strange turn of fate the taxi driver who took us home was my neighbour. I now have his card and hope to get 'mates rates'!

On Saturday I went to my physio at the gym at the rugby stadium, but was on auto-pilot and didn't really do a lot to be honest.

But I had done something physical every day during the week so didn't feel too guilty!

On Saturday afternoon (when I fianlly worked out I was below the limit enough to drive) I went to Rob (BBC cameraman) and Sarah's (cooking guru), in Hanforth, Wilmslow way.

We re-created a night in 1993 when we did a runner from our student house in Manchester after the landlord went bananas (big Scouse oaf!)..

We ate cheeseburges and watched a surreal Jodie Foster film about a girl who keeps bodies in a cellar with paedaphile undertones and in fact blatant overtones!

So we ate cheeseburgers and watched the same film. This time though we had been to two pubs in the afternoon (and shivered outside, because Sarah wanted to smoke lol

But at least with the new smoking ban there are outside heaters, its just a pity they are surrounded by smokers.

I always seem to have a great time at Rob and Sarah's but can never remember much about it.

I do know we played music until about 4am, drank too much pear cider and watched 6 hours of Frasier on Sunday afternoon, before and after a roast dinner....

It didn't stop raining much the whole weekend, except for a sunny break on Sunday morning , where we sat outside and caught the sun (although I dropped it later!)

Monday morning started as usual. I went swimming at 7.30am. Felt shite, got to work and the computer system I use to send press releases and log enquiries is down....hence doing my blog...

Oh the joy!

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