Went to see Horse. Horse is absolutely perfect. I even busted out a bit of dressage, some turn on the forehand and legyield. Gonna try and teach myself shoulder-in and flying changes (special trottyness Welshy!!)
She's so forgiving and tries to anticipate my requests. Practised going up and down the gears in trot and walk. Got a bit more used to her canter transitions. Still a bit forceful with my leg I think judging by the way her head flings about when we make the movement up a gear. She bounces off with a tb ooohm but settles down after two or three strides and then you need to remember to keep your leg on.
Did a little road hack after with a nice lady and her palomino cob. So happy with her. She was looky but not spooky and I'd much rather it was that combo! Plus first time she'd been hacked out for a while!
Gonna try and get a jumping class in. My aim is to be able to jump 80cm by the end of the summer.

Mother left to go to Grotty today, landed ok, not sure what happened as there were fire engines waiting for her upon landing! Still all is well.
We even have a real floor down in the hall and back room.Immense.

Bit of work done on the house today! Floorboards in the hallway! Only been... 7 years? Maybe longer.
No longer looking like the Weasley burrow today! Well until people trash it!
Went to football, bit disappointed that my favourite keeper Adam Bognan wasn't playing for Bolton. Did think it would be a long (snowy!!) day when we went 1-0 down after four minutes and 2-0 after 20!!
Eeep! But all ended well on 3-2 to us, after a penalty and two Bolton sending offs. One deserved. Other harsh? Will wait and see MOTD before I decide.

So yeah, I did call in sick on Tuesday, which I think was justified. It was kinda flu-like (and having had real flu I can justify saying that, unlike all those flu-fakers) achey, headaches, sleepy, snot like a hagfish. So gross.
Wednesday THE COUGH appeared. And is still resolutely here.
Oh and on Wednesday I decided to rectify the fact that my friend Lolly has never been out of the country by booking us both onto the eurostar to Paris in May for a day trip.
I think once he got over the shock, he was quite excited. Lolly is a really sweet guy so I'm glad.
Went into work on Thursday, coughed a fair bit, then met Welshy after work, had a cocktail and played Macdonalds Monopoly and then brought Crepes to eat on the way to meet his friends at Liverpool street. Except crepes are messy. Charby got the cinnamon/apple sauce thing ALL over her, down her coat, down her sleeves, on her glasses and face.
I was sticky.
So we started to drink with Welshy's friends who brought us all strawpedos. My strawpedo was going quite well, until I got a coughing fit near the end. Smirnoff Ice came out of my nose :(
I valiantly tried to hold it in my mouth while I choked but ended up spitting it all out :( More sticky for me.

Also... Night got rather odd later when Welshy's sex crazed friend tried to gross me out by getting his cock out. Oh silly, silly boy. I gingerly moved it, like moving a dead animal or poking it with a stick and then told him he should be ashamed to have got that out and all the nonsense about growing, not showing. Always, always gets a guy fretty. Not quite sure Welshy was down with that. But I was the winner.
Home on the night bus and stupidly overpriced disgusting kebab that somehow seemed completely right at 1am.

Went to meet the new horsey today. So nice to ride something that's responsive and educated! It was a little messy as I was a bit more forceful than needed and we even hopped a few jumps. Tiny ones but I looked a mess on them, wasn't expecting it to be so enthusiastic!

So, my Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays look to be busy playing with the lovely Vimto! The lady is quite nice, I think unlike the other lady she'll leave me too it pretty much. Happy days.

Welshy is at home now in Wales and I still have three days away from work! I really don't know what to do about all this bank holiday stuff! Crazy times!

God, I am dying! So very ill! Went with Welshy and E2 to Wembley to see Wrexham play Grimsby in the FA trophy final.
Wrexham really should have taken more of their chances and it ended up going to penalties, but all worked out well in the end. Had a few drinks after and then came home, suffering.
Struggled into work despite feeling like shit, came home and napped. Hoping that I might be able have a sicky tomorrow despite having so much work to do!

Welshy's home! Yay! Out visiting friends at the moment. I'm busy feeling like death. Supposed to be joining him and E2 at Wembley tomorrow but Ew do I feel bad!

Two new budgies have arrived! Pretty white and blue hen and green and yellow cock, if the weather ever improves I can put them out to join the others!

Welshy is home tomorrow! Hurrah!
The woman with the expensive horse got back to me! Hurrah!
I'm close to having 700 pounds in my account! Hurrah!

So what have I been up too? Dying mostly. Got a horrible lurgy which is causing all sorts of pain and coughing. Not the kind that disturbs your sleep - yet! but the awkward tickly throat is annoying and its starting to make my ribs ache.

Went out on Wednesday in a team bonding effort. I think it worked. We all had a nice time, nice meals. Demonstrated Strawpedoing which caused much admiration.

Got my hair cut yesterday! For the first time since oooh the London Riots. (Not counting my "do fingers grow back once they get cut off" adventure in Supercuts. 99% convinced not a single hair on my head got trimmed.

Why oh why is it so grotty still? We're clearly living through the last days of humanity as climate change takes over (hate the phrase global warming, so many idiots latching onto it)

Urk. Mopiness again. Partly done from Welshy's news that his father is forcing his mum to sell the house that she owns 90% of. That he's not paid a penny for, for the last 10 years. Seems horribly unfair to me.
I offered the 1k I've managed to scrape together in case it helps in some way, I wish I had the 4k that I once had.
I lost it in what September? October? Had I known that come November I'd have been employed again would I have struggled on a little longer?
Highly unlikely tbh, I was so low down to the end of the overdraft. But maybe I could have given up on Idiotpony sooner and saved the pennies there? But then Idiotpony was giving me my reason for living.
Still. I wish I could do more to help.

Talking of ponies and work, its 6 weeks countdown now until I start looking for a new position. Start of May we'll be going crazy. I don't want to leave, but what can you do? My department is going out for a meal and a drink tomorrow. Should be good.

Spoke to a woman yesterday about her horse (not pony! TBx! Going up in the world!) All sounded very promising, except for the price expected. She was supposed to text me today with the postcode. Hasn't. Maybe if I haven't heard anything tomorrow I should text asking? Don't wanna seem pushy though....

Gonna have to reign in the open hatred of The Brat, Mother is growing weary.. Also, although he is a brat. I'm starting to think he's 27 now and too old for such a nickname!

Well this is the dilemma! Possible new pony (well horse a good 8 inches taller than the last two ponies). Schoolmaster jumper, happy hacker, owner happy to let me mess about and not have to worry about teaching it anyway.

Downside? 50 quid a week...... That's a fair amount really! Even for three days of pony fun!

Comment after a stash of my post was found today, including the letter I needed to authorise my new ISA, the one I hadn't got and the account had been closed.

"Christ will you stop going on about him? Neither of you are perfect but he's a damn sight more perfect than you."

Sad times.

So said goodbye to NewPony on Thursday, now to look for a new beasty.
Went out with the NMM crew last night, good to see everyone and catch up.
Charlton were playing Millwall in the early kickoff which did not go well....... 2-0 in atrocious conditions.
Watched the Rugby and wished I was with Welshy to share in the joy of Wales 6 Nations win.

Tomorrow I have to tidy all the mess the Brat has made in the spare room, then try and fix the mess that he's made on the computer so that the printer works. Of course he's incapable of fixing whatever he broke and can't be expected to tidy up his mess.

"Why do you always have a go at him! You're just as much to blame as he is."

So yeah. Fucking fun Sunday for me lined up!!!

Also. Attempt to keep this up to date more seems to have paid off. I've already posted 44 times. Thats the same that I did in the WHOLE of 2011.
Admittedly this is because Welshy is away and I'm bored but still.. Small sense of achievement here.
Next step? To hit 60 posts.
This will DESTROY the 53 I managed in 2009. The 54 in 2010 and the 55 I managed last year.
Then to chase down the 70 in 2008 and 91 in 2007!

I had a wee chat with my little manager today. We had a office wide meeting yesterday and there was lots of thinly veiled critisism of what we're doing. Confusion about the back dated files we're trying to fix.
Little manager got upset. I stuck my oar in. Ignored though. Decided going in May is the right thing to do.
I'm not staying in a position where this kinda shit goes down and i'm paid at least 4k less than what I deserve for doing this role.
I was umming and ahhing about going right away but Little Manager doesnt want me to go, so I relented and told her I'd stay and help get things sorted.
But I gotta get my shit in order. I can save more now as tomorrow is my last day traipsing to Kent to see Newpony.
So. Setting up a new ISA. I got 357 in my holiday account. 100 in the new ISA. I can put the 20 a month I'm now saving into that ISA. So an extra 80 a month on top of that 80 for the foreseeable future.
Its not the amount I was hoping for, but fuck it. It's a start.

Well here's my dilemma. Had a bit of a google to see what I could find similar to what I do now. Found two jobs that pay at least 5k more than I'm on now.
Then I googled my job and it was advertised in May 2012 as starting salary of 7k more than I'm on now. How do I argue this? How do I say that I want that salary or at least close to it?
How long can I leave returning my contract to see if my wage goes up this week or even next week?

ARRGHHHH!!!!

Always, always setting myself up for crushing blows.Turns out my payrise wasn't my payrise after all, but a one off 100 pound bonus for being "employee of the month"! Hardly feel like I deserve it. I'm fairly useless in that place.
Turns out according to my new contract I'll not be getting a pay rise at all. So. Bang goes the dream of a pony or possibly moving away. Out.
Bang goes the possibility that I'd finally be earning OK money and not have to face E's scorn for being a "bad" saver as she sees it.
I will wait and see for a fortnight, just in case the money does change but I think my decision to move on in May has been made for me and that in itself makes me sad. I like my commute and its lack of people. I like the surprise treats in my office. I like being busy. But if I know my job is valued by other people as paying more than 7k than I am currently getting, it only makes sense to move on.
It would be good to be closer to home, it would be good to have less dicking about getting anywhere, although I do not want to travel with the hated commuters, nor pay more than the current 23 pound a week I do on travel already.
I like the people I work with and I feel I'd be letting them down if I go, but I think I need to. One fortnight. Just enough time to see if its not just an error. I think I'm better off staying till May so then I have a good solid 6 months experience. Must go!

So cold today! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Back from my hols! Loved Budapest, totally reccommend it for a short break, rode on a boat down the Danube, went to a 16th century Turkish bath for the day (inc massage!), learnt what duck with lavender and honey tastes like. Oh and tobacco ice cream and rosepetal sponge cake!
Tried an awful shot called unicum and then we got a sleeper train (not much sleeping down - totally put me off the transiberian railway idea!) to Krakow.
Again loved it, took a bit longer to get used to it than Budapest, Climbed up to Walwal castle and had two lovely meals in the restaurant. Made a harrowing journey to Auschwitz and went to one of the oldest universities where Copernicus himself studied. Found a lovely cocktail bar and had a great time before zooming on to Prague.
Found Prague a bit of a disappointment, lots of lads on "lad's weekends" and bit more expensive than the other places. Saw the Astronomical clock and had a good wander about. Ate pancakes and laughed when the man told Welshy rather firmly "No. No you cannot have bread and butter."
Another nice meal and more cocktails in the Old Square and then to the zoo, not sure I liked the zoo, lots of lovely animals but some doing rather disturbing repeating behaviours.
Lame Ocelot kitten and otter with no working back legs as well.

Home late on Saturday and today just lazing about, I got my payrise. Not as much as I was hoping, but still 6k more than I was on and 3k more than I've ever earnt before. I could get my pony now. Soon, although I'd struggle to then make any savings. Hard decision!

I also appear to be getting new birds! Two budgies to live in my aviary and possibly an African Grey parrot to live in the house. We'll see.

God I hate packing. I can never find anything, there's always the dilemma of what to take and what to leave (solution - only take hand luggage, if it doesn't go under Ryanair's 10kg limit, you probably don't need to take it. Always take extra socks though.)
Where to find your camera when its under all of Welshy's tat - why we need to keep two broken rucksacks is beyond me.
Getting wound up because people insist on buying you bollocks for your birthday or Christmas, its just fucking rude, I've been telling people I don't want owt for years, but yet they insist on ignoring my wishes and buying crap that I don't want nor need.
Anyway *deep breath* its done now. Passport, boarding pass, moneyx3, book, camera. Done.

Rode last night, put out the poles to help amuse Newpony, then Owner broke bombshell that they're moving and I can't come as its too far for a non-driver.
Back to looking for a new ride I guess then!

Internets didn't work at work today. Scary how much you rely on them, couldn't do anything without them, let alone file as you can't check that its been put on the computer system before you match it with its paper file.
We alphabetasised the CRB draw, just for shits and giggles.