Olives straight from the tree are very bitter, that’s why you brine them

I had a few olives as part of my breakfast this morning. They were very nice, but there was a slightly bitter undertone to them. Which reminded me of a holiday in Montpellier.

Walking along one day I passed an olive tree in full fruit. Having never eaten an olive straight off the tree, I did so. Fuck it was so nasty bitter.

This morning the young olives were slightly bitter and in a Proustian way my mind flashed back to that tree on the Boulevard Pasteur in Montpellier. My wife was seven months pregnant so she was in the apartment while I was out, taking our eldest daughter for a stroll in the Phil & Ted’s stroller. It was early evening, not too hot, not too cold, quiet in the way that suburban French streets are in the South.

As we meandered along the street, there was an olive tree, I thought why not? I then thought after eating it never again.

We haven’t been on holiday for years, things have been really fucked up in our family. Every time I put my foot down and say never again. Something comes along to fuck us in the arse.

Holiday, today I started down the path of saving for a holiday

I’ve always been a bit poor with money, never saving and just getting by. I’ve put £50 into my credit union account and can time lock it, I’m going to be doing this weekly, every Wednesday.

Today I’ve started on the path to saving for a holiday. Two weeks in Toulouse, Cities d’Espace, my girls want to see moon rock as its the rarest stone on planet earth.

The Aquaparc and the aquarium in Muret and the Garonne, pity its to far from Haribo Land but it will be out first family holiday in five years and the first holiday that the girls will really remember.

Myself and DW will eat good food, take in the sun and enjoy ourselves.

How to Fit Two Weeks Worth of Luggage Under the Airplane Seat in Front of You

How to Fit Two Weeks Worth of Luggage Under the Airplane Seat in Front of You – http://lifehacker.com/5990659/how-to-fit-two-weeks-of-luggage-under-the-airplane-seat-in-front-of-you

My first time at Great Ormond St Hospital. Wow! It’s amazing

Today was my first schlep to GOSH and my oh my what w difference from Whipps Cross, our nearest hospital and part of St. Barts like GOSH. What a difference, no snot, blood or shit on the corridors or the toilets. Everybody was really bloody nice, helpful, informative. Shows the difference a camera crew(s)  can make.

Everywhere there were WII boxes for the kids to play on Mario and WiiSports, fusball, softplays. Nurses and clinical assistants everywhere. It felt like a hospital should be.

So DD1 has been diagnosed with psoraitic arthritis, so we have a few more trips to GOSH for additional scans and tests and then back to Whipps Cross for intravenous steroid treatment. Except the doctor and consultant did the treatment a slight disservice, by saying that the intravenous drugs are used in chemotherapy. I saw the pain that my wife went through with chemo during her breast cancer treatment, even a watered down version for an 8 yo girl is not going to be pleasant.

DD1 was a tough little sprog today, the phlebotomist use an anaesthetic spray but DD1 vein collapsed so she had to use the back of her hand. So she got stuck twice, the phlebotomist kept on wiggling the needle to get a better flow. It must have been agony for DD1. Then the needle clotted after only filling two vials, so the other six had to be filled by upending DD1’s hand after pulling the canula and letting her blood drip into the vials. Most would tut-tut at that point and go, stick her again in a different vein with a larger bore needle. I think the phlebotomist and attending nurses made the right call. DD1 had been stuck twice, a third one and she’d have seriously melted down and developed a life long needle phobia.

We had a pleasant time wandering around Bloomsbury and Lambs Conduit, I bought DD1 a small art kit in a wooden box and we walkef past the UAL University of Art London, she got all excited and has decided that that is the Uni she wants to go to. I’m feeling a bit down at the moment, although today has been good it still add to the litany of misfortune we seem to go through. Luckily for everyone I have a keen sense of duty and will push all of my feelings down now for the sake of the kids and make sure we get through this with out a crash and burn. Then once things are level again and we have stability and income, then I’m going to go on holiday, no stupid school fees, no hidden debt, no inebriation is going to stop me going to Aquaworld Budapest.