One Month To Go

Only a month to go until I go on leave to help Debbie with the two little ones. It has been a horrible trip; I thought when it started back in January that it was going to be a really good trip. Being FOST tanker based on the south coast would mean I would get to see Debbie and the little ones regularly. However after three weeks it went downhill and I have been worried sick for the last seven weeks. After William fell ill and spent the week in hospital I was transferred to a ship up in Scotland as it was alongside. However this did come in handy when my Father in law had a heart attack as it meant I could get home to give support to Debbie. During this time we still had the worry of what was happening with William, so not an easy time.

Things are getting a little better now though as William finally had his appointment in Bristol and they have told us that it is just a gland in his lung that is swollen. Supposedly this is nothing to worry about and it is not as serious as we first thought. This makes it a little easier but I still worry.

It will be good to get home at the end of April though as I know Debbie really needs a break. I can still remember how hard it was to cope when Elizabeth was a couple of weeks old and Debbie went away for a week, leaving me and Beth home alone for a week. I coped, but found things very hard. Debbie however has Beth and William to cope with and me away for months so there is no let up for her. I know it all comes down to getting into routines but it can’t be easy and I think it is amazing how she does cope with it all. I think that if I was home alone with the two little ones for this amount of time I would probably end up in a straight jacket, two pencils up my nose going wibble and humming the tune to ‘In The Night Garden’. I do think, however, that Iggle Piggle is very irresponsible falling asleep on watch.

I am starting to wonder what the future holds as I had the interview for the shore posting today. I am not sure how the interview went as I always find it hard to give specific examples of things they ask for. It didn’t help that I miss calculated how long it would take to walk to Whale Island and it didn’t help that the venue changed. I did get there in time (just by about three minutes). However as it had been mild, I had walked fast and I was nervous, as soon sat down in front of the board I broke out in an incontrollable sweat. I dread to think what sort of first impression this made. I think I have about a 50/50 chance of getting the post. If I do get it I think to start with I will find it daunting as there will be a steep learning curve but I know that once my feet are under the table I will be capable. Being on the Maritime Battle Staff will be challenging but a great opportunity to further myself. As with any job it is all about what you put in to it and I think it will be such a refreshing change to be doing something different. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and focus on putting 110% in if I am lucky enough to be given the opportunity to do the job. Additionally I think it will be really nice to see things through from the embryonic planning stages to completion as it is a two year posting.

A week ago if you asked me what I had to look forward to I would have said Armageddon, now if you ask me I would say 23 Apr when I should be going home. I am really looking forward to my leave as I really miss Debbie and the little ones. Skype is OK but it will be really good to be back home with them. We have a holiday booked in June which I am really looking forward to. It is going to be our first holiday since we had the little ones so I know it won’t be easy but it is going to be great. No where exotic just the UK but it will be a chance to leave all our worries behind for a week and see somewhere new.

I am going to have my work cut out during my leave as I need to make sure Debbie has a proper break and I have a lot of work to do outside in the Garden. Hopefully however all the work should keep me active and help me loose more weight as I would like to shed another couple of stone. I hate to say it I am going to be abit selfish though as I really want to go off camping for a couple of days, firstly as I have a tent that I haven’t used yet and secondly as I am getting old I want to rediscover my lost youth, meditate or something weird like that.

Well I suppose that is enough of my ramblings for the time being, plus I really need a wee wee before I get on the plane back up to Scotland.

Can Things Get Any Worse

It has been another horrible week, I sometimes wonder if things will get worse or if, hopefully, my luck is going to change. I had been looking forward to a nice weekend home with Debbie over Mothers Day weekend. The weekend then got shorter as I was invited to an interview for a shore post in Portsmouth. As it happened though I didn’t make it to Portsmouth.

I was all ready to go home Thursday night when I got a phone call from Debbie, she was in tears and told me her Dad had been rushed into Hospital. I managed to get an earlier flight, so I could get home and support her. I also decided to re-arrange the interview as I needed to be home for Debbie. Frank is being kept in while they do tests but no visitors are allowed as they have a bug going around the hospital, hopefully he will be home in a few days.

Anyway on top of this Debbie and little Beth had to go to the Doctors on Friday as they both have nasty chest infections and are now on antibiotics as well as little William who is still on them and waiting for his appointment at Bristol.

It wasn’t all bad though as I got to spend the weekend with Debbie and the little ones. Little Beth is as funny as ever and still smiles at everything. Little William seemed happy enough; he gave us lots of smiles even though the antibiotics have given him the squits and a really nasty nappy rash.

As the weather has been this weekend we even got out in the garden. We were going to put Beth’s Wendy House up, however when we unpacked it all the fastenings were missing so I will have to ring up and get them sent through. We did down the beach today though, which was lovely. Beth really enjoyed running around the beach. I am now back onboard and counting the days until I pay off in April/May.

Still Alongside

It has been a hard week, not work wise but emotionally. As we are strapped alongside things onboard have been quiet tedious onboard. However I have found things very hard this week as William went back into hospital. He had had an x-ray in the week which showed things hadn’t got back to normal after his collapsed lung. I just wanted to go home and support Debbie but we decided that I would stay onboard until we knew more as if he was going to be in for a short period there was little I could do by going home. Anyway they sent him home last night which is good. The little chap still needs to go up to Bristol for more scans but I really hope that it is all cleared up by then.

On a separate note this week I did have a bit of good news. I have made it through the sift for a shore post. I probably only made it through because I was the only one that applied. If I do get the posting it is going to make a nice change to be in one place for two years.

Just roll on Thursday when I get to go home for the weekend. I am really looking forward to it as I haven’t seen Debbie and the little ones of a month now. It will also be the last time I see them before I pay off in May.

Well very little else to write today, or else I just can’t get in the right frame of mind at the moment. That is probably due to the apathy caused by being alongside.