The RSPCA have prosecuted for less

Hi all,
Lots to blog about, although if you have recently rediscovered Helen's blog http://helgarama.blogspot.com/ where the drama never ends, you may have found yourself in need of making a cup of tea and finding a soft cushion to sit on in order to catch up with the new found serial blogger - well you won't have to worry about that here!

On the flat front, Helen and I held a meeting with the other home-owners of 218 to discuss the purchase of the Freehold that's been offered to us. It went well and eventually dissolved in a discussion on movies but we all came away with lists of things to do and the general agreement to 'express interest'. Technically we wouldn't exchange until Novemenber and actaully complete until December (oh yes, good old December - the month of Christmas, Helen's birthday, MOT and tax renewal). It's an exciting prospect and means we can then claim VAT back on silly things like plants and screws! I am sure however we will have a ton of paperwork to do to get our 17.5% back - but then that's what friends are for - friends like Gaby who is a VAT inspector for the Inland Revenue...... The great thing is we will be able to charge the other tenant (he lives in Australia) a much more higher but respectable ground rent and get things done without having to write to someone and then pay for the privilidge of them being the middle man. We will also be able to sale the flat and our share of the Freehold and considering we had just 90 years on the lease and it can cost about £3k to extend it by 10 years that's not to be sniffed at.

I installed a new shower the other day which would have been done ages ago had I not had a mental melt down on the location of my stop cock! Ranj to the rescue and I was then able to play with electrics and water. And yes I am Corgy registered!! Anyway, the previous shower had in part been wallpapered in so the redorcation of that room will now include wall stripping D'oh! we suspect as well that we have a air lock between our bathroom and kitchen (I won't bore anyone with the reasoning behind this - but there is a logic) suffice to say, Helen and I will be using a hose some tea-towels and flasher macs to pop that tonight.

Anyway, a nice bank holiday weekend was had by all, with the possible exception of Allie. Christine arrived on Friday for what turned in to a rehab retreat for her. I cooked an aspergus starter with tarragon hollandise and then a lemon and mushroom rossotto for mains (this sounds like 'whats for my dinner!') and then we all settled down for Saw 2 http://www.saw2.com/ Nice! I don't think I am spoiling it by having a few words about it - we all know for those who have seen the first that the point is those who have been kidnapped for their 'trials' are not all that nice in the first place. That said, being shoved in to a pit full of filthy spent neddles can't be nice for anyone - thankfully it was the former druggy who got the 'stab' at that challange - I have no doubt the syniges were cleaner then her! And for the love of watching horror movies and learning something about them.... why oh why, if you see the antidote for the poisionous gas that has been pumped in to the house you have been held hostage in for the last 90 minutes and that syringe of healing is in a clear box suspended from the ceiling and the only way of getting it is sticking your hands through holes with rubber covers DO YOU NOT CHECK OR INDEED STEP BACK AND THINK WHATS THE CATCH. Oh no, our hero/zero shoves both hands in and then realises that the rubber is metal and the only way to get her greedy grabbers free is slashing them by pulling them out. Well, I had no sympathy! Anyway, what can you do - you just seen a horror and you know its gonna mess with your mind for the rest of the night so you look to Helen whether realising or not, for some light relief.

Cue Helen asking "shall I jump on the hover bed?" - said hover bed was only half inflated. I said no - you will hurt yourself - Christine made sounds of encouragement. Well, Helen typically was 'tired' so belly-flopped onto the bed from a standing poistion and the point we all realised that Allie was also on the bed, sat right at the very end was when she flew over my head backflipping to land feet first on the table behind me. Now, you try reassuring a cat whilst crying with laughter!!!! poor old Allie, she eventually came out from under the bed to join us but give the hover a wide berth. We also did a neuf neuf neuf reconstruction with our door stop that is shaped to look like a cat and is roughly the size of Allie. Although not a great experiment however the doorstop went flying into the TV so we were all glad that we wouldn't be off to currys for a new tv, only stopping on the way home at Battersea to get Allie the second. Helen was told off as you can imagine!! On seroius note Allie was fine and completely unscathed physically and mentally and was truely made amends with.

Next day, Christine put project manager hat on (i.e. didn't do that much but observe - but she was in rehab) and Helen and I started redocrating the bedroom. Allie was removed from the area as last time I painted she got paint on her that she proceeded to lick and started salivating at a rate that would resolve our current drought crisis. Christine left about 4pm medicated and a whole lot better and Helen and I went in to town to retrace some steps we took 4 years before when we first got together. Well the Rising Sun on Tottenham Court Road has had a nice little refit and true to form we had the same drinks as then. Then off to Pizza Express on Greek Street near where the Tove works. I had a belguim experiance and ordered completely different food to what i wanted after sitting in silence for a bit but it was very nice. We were coercered in to buying the wine we didn't really want that was also very nice and never said a word when the waitress brough over the olives we said we didn't want! Then off to the edge http://www.edgesoho.co.uk/ and a quick trip to hunt out Gary's office which has a very shiny nice blue door. The edge was cool but we both decided to get back before the night buses kicked in unlike the time before and i changed the plot by buying a cup of tea on the way home! Well, to me that's the perfect end of the evening! A smashing evening of reflection and memories in all.

Sunday was a lazy lay-in as it should be and then off to Notting hill Carnival http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/nottinghill06/general/ Sunday is family day but I wouldn't bring anyone who wasen't able to handle themselves - it was very good and we really enjoyed ourselves although it took 2 hours to leave!! That evening only a film would do and we watched Broken Flowers which had a brilliant cast http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412019/ but I felt was an attempt to revive the charachter that Bill Murray played in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation http://www.lost-in-translation.com/intro.html - it wasen't a film aboout finding yourself as such but finding someone but I think the intent is that same. It was good, but with such a brilliant cast - you didn't see that much of them over examples of American countryside which I thought was a shame.

Nexy day was the offical four years and only on such presitges occasions am I to be found making breakfast we then spent the rest of the day decorating the bedroom to the sounds of some of our music collection which we have backed up on the PC and also included interjections of Whickers War which I think grounded our thoughts! I think we must have been high as kites that night as the gloss, white spirit and floor cleaner was a tad overwhelming but how else do you end a weekend really?

Well, back to work today and a letter from the Trading Standards Institute - my exams are on Monday and Tuesday (6th and 7th of November) with two on the monday. Also they have finally decided when our portfilios are due which is no later then the 1st of October - so that'll be a month then to finish that. Yikes. So I shall sign off and do some studying which you can see I have done none of this weekend! Oh, had our first tomatoe this weekend too and M*C the chillies are coming through too and looking lethal :)

Hope everyone is well,

Lots of Love

Kat xxxx

No cats were harmed in the making of this blog.