The Story of 23

Well, I've done it! I've carried out my very first rescue! Ok, regular readers will know I responded to collect some ducklings but that was Vale work and it was with a colleague - this was completely unplanned. I was driving to Beckford on Monday night ready for wildlife training the following day. It was a long, busy road. Suddenly, my attention was drawn to a small dark object in the middle of the road. At first glance, it looked nothing more than rubbish blowing in the wind, but when I looked again it was a bird! It was staggering in the middle of the road, obviously experiencing difficulties.

Well, I wasn't gonna leave it, was I?? Without thinking, I did a U-turn at the earliest opportunity and parked up in a bus layby. I rushed back to the bird; I could see it was no longer staggering but lying on its side. Panic! What if it had died? I was going to walk away but then the thought crossed my mind about cats and other animals venturing out into the road to feast on the carcass so I decided to go and collect the bird regardless and move it somewhere safer. As I approached, I noticed the bird was still alive! It was breathing heavily and lying on its side. As I leant down and cupped it in my hands, it made no effort to fly away. The poor thing was exhausted.

It was about the size of my hand and was dark brown with a speckled breast - a Blackbird fledgling! I've mentioned in the past my love for blackbirds - they're lovely, docile birds & I'm honoured that it was this animal that was my first rescue.

The bird was showing obvious signs of shock - it was cold, its beak was open and it was panting. I had to get moving quickly - after all, it must have been terrified first being surrounded by traffic, now being picked up by a human. I got back to the kerb where a pedestrian started talking to me. He too had seen the bird lying there. He tried to make conversation; I politely acknowledged him then put the bird in the towel-lined transporter box in my car. I placed it in the passenger footwell and put the heater on to 30C - sweltering!!!

Fortunately, the wildlife hospital was only 10 minutes away. I left the bird in the Brooder Room whilst a volunteer went to grab the casualty manager. He assessed the bird and came to the same conclusion as me - it was a blackbird fledgling who had left the nest a bit too early and had exhausted itself. There were no other signs of abnormalities, so it was ringed (ring number 23, hence its name which will stay with me forever) and I took it to the Bird Room, putting it in a cage with 4 other similarly aged blackbirds.

I checked on 23 the following day to make sure it had made it through the night and I'm very very pleased to say it did! Go me!

That's pretty darn good stats - 100% success rate! Yay!

In other news, I've now got a TWR phone and will be announcing the phone number very shortly - keep checking back!

I'm rather worried about the new Avian Influenza outbreak in Oxfordshire but it's very early days - keep checking back for updates!

All the best guys and gals!

I had a comment the other day asking where I was with my wildlife training

Apologies for not keeping you guys up to speed; my blogs have been on myspace instead. Feel free to read them at http://www.myspace.com/wildliferescuer

I copy an excerpt below:

This is from week 5:

Wow was it a day & a half! Ups and downs, highs and lows, easy bits, hard bits... it was mentally and physically draining.

So that's it in a nutshell! A wonderful day; I learnt so much and I came away with the most fantastic sense of achievement!! I'm halfway through the course which is kinda frightening but it means that TWR is very near to being launched - how exciting!!

Wildlife Training drawing nearer!
Woohoo it’s finally got to that stage when I can count the days until I start my wildlife training! Just 5 more days to go! I’ve got kit ready, I’ve booked a B&B - I’m fully organised for a change!!!

The most amazing thing has come out of this - last week I put a message on the bulletin board in work offering that, if anybody would like to donate items to the rescue centre, i’d be happy to cart them up with me... & y’kno what... I’ve had a fantastic response rate! The Beast is currently full of dog beds, towels, sheets, dog food, cat food, rabbit food, feeding bowls, animal carriers, stationery... even a microwave & kettle - anything people could think of, they’ve been passing onto me free of charge. I’m gobsmacked by people’s generosity! It really has restored my faith in human kind...

& of course there was all the support I was getting for the gig that never was - I can’t think those who got involved enough & hope they’ll be just as keen when it comes to reorganising later in the summer.

So yeah, I’ll take this responsibility to thank everybody for their support and yay it’s finally getting to the stage where i can make a difference!

Last I heard the centre has 4 fox cubs as well as baby squirrels, rabbit kits and of course the resident adult animals to care for... I can’t wait to get stuck in!!!

Yay!!

What a week!! After having a very good show on Sunday in Newport Leisure Centre, organised by Fantasy Events, we started turning our attention to the Memorabilia Show, which takes place in the NEC, Birmingham this weekend (29-30 March). Then Wednesday evening the phone rang. Nothing strange there, we deal with many telephone queries from our customers. But it was none other than the producer of the BBC Wales News!!

Long story short, following the court case in North Wales of the fraud who’s been selling fake Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard autographs, they wanted to interview a reputable business who could advise the public on how to avoid getting caught out! So, 10am this morning, Nick Palit arrived at the house and half an hour later, the deed was done!! How exciting!!!

We are expected to be shown either tonight or tomorrow.

So... if you don’t believe us when we say we’re genuine, maybe appearing on the BBC as a reputable business will persuade you (remember, they approached us!)!!

SBTS Autographs... as seen on the BBC!

Keep an eye out guys!!

Hope to see you all at the Memorabilia show in NEC, Birmingham. Come along and say hey! We’re always happy to answer any queries or have a chat.

Check out the website: http://www.sbtsautographs.com

All the best

Sian

AAAAAAH!!!

Many of my regular readers will know my blogs come from my heart - I don't hold anything back... that's now biting me on the ass big style!!

The blog I wrote yesterday about the Logan gig I also posted on Myspace... where Logan are linked to my page... I had a message today from the guitarist saying he liked my blog.

Embarrassing!! Ok, the blog was completely complimentary of course but it was personal - I mentioned my dreams, what I thought of the members, how I perceived every little bit... gah I'm dying here!!!

However, it is proper cool chatting with a rock god about 'cheeky kisses'!!

I have been looking forward to this gig for weeks - I first came across Logan 18 months ago when they were plucked from obscurity to support Alter Bridge on their European tour. I was sold from their very first performance & my love of the band only increased when I met them afterwards, bought their album and had it signed by all 4 members (having a kiss from the lead singer wasn't a bad achievement either haha!)

As I queued outside Barfly with my boyfriend waiting for the doors to open, I was slightly concerned - Logan are a lot more famous now than what they were 18 months ago and I would hate to think that the band I loved had turned into monsters (which is the case with so many).

Unfortunately, Wales had played Italy in the rugby on this day and the city was full of drunks - my fella and I entertained the crowd taking the mickey out of several people who couldn't speak, couldn't stand... all in a day's work!!

7:30 finally came and we walked in only to find out that AOV, the support band had pulled out and therefore the gig was being delayed by an hour - never fear, a whole night of Logan was just ahead of us!!

When the gig finally did start, I was amazed at the lack of people in attendance - if 40 people had turned up, it was as much!! Never one to miss an opportunity, we were right at the front, centre stage ;-)

I should probably mention here that since booking the tickets for this gig I've been having weird dreams about the lead singer, Kenny - he's a hot chap - long hair, big muscles, tall, voice like pure sex... I couldn't wait for him to come onto the stage, however a bit of me hoped he wasn't as goodlooking as I remembered to put a stop to my dreams.

The moment arrived - the band walked on, the rock boomed from the speakers and Kenny stormed onto the stage - he looked even hotter than I remembered!! He'd grown a beard for a start and he seems to have bulked up since I last saw him. Then he started singing...

I'm not the groupie type, I'm not the teenage crush type, but if you'd seen this guy in action you'd understand!!!!

I'm not going to list the songs they went through flawlessly, powerfully, hitting every long, high, difficult note perfectly to you because fans of Logan will know exactly what I'm talking about & those of you who have never heard of them won't appreciate it until you check them out! All I will say is they spent the whole gig interacting with the audience; having a laugh, answering questions - Mick the big guitarist even saluted me & my fella once or twice when he heard our jokes!! They finished with When I Get Down... my favourite song - if you get the chance to download just one of their songs, this has to be it - it's the most beautiful song I've ever heard.

So I'll move on to post-gig now.... the band joined the fans straight after the gig finished and were instantly hounded by the groupies (none of which seemed to be under the age of 35)... my fella and I hung back a while before doing the rounds to say our goodbyes - first Iain the drummer, who gave me his setlist as a memento (which I got fully signed), then on to Steve and Al, guitarist and bassist brothers - they look so similar, it's scary!! Then onto Mick, another guitarist, who gave me his pick as a memento, and finally the rock god himself Kenny... I write this next statement with huge pride in myself as I'm not the most confident of people - I made a point of having a conversation with each member to show my appreciation for their music and to get to know them a bit better AND I had a peck on the cheek from each (I had 2 kisses off Mick, one of which was a bit cheeky and landed on the side of my lips - not that I was complaining!!)

I can sum the whole experience up in one word - AMAZING. The band have so much time and compassion for their audience. They made sure they chatted with everyone, they interacted with everybody as they performed and therefore I'm already looking for tickets when they do Bristol in July (birthday present!!)

If you do one life-changing thing today, make sure it's this - check out their website www.myspace.com/loganmusic - you won't be disappointed!!

I have to finish this blog with an apology - I was hoping to upload photos from my phone to show you just how hot the band are but my stupid phone went mental last night & deleted all my media :-( so gutted!!!!

& if you're wondering about whether the dreams have stopped - hell no!! Sorry Damian... as I was snuggled up next to you all last night all that was going through my dreams was Logan... *i think he understands*

Well, I must admit I was surprised at this one.

The band, don't get me wrong, were excellent - flawless, in fact - I was even more impressed when I learnt that they were improvising due to their drummer leaving the band only a month previously.

I went to the gig with 3 other mates expecting it to be quite busy but nope, if there were 30 people there it was as much which is kinda worrying - I need bands who have a set fan base who'll follow them... worried isn't the word!!

When the end of the gig came, I was expecting all of the band to come and meet with me to discuss the set but it turned out only the bassist (drummer for this gig) Owen had the manners to stick to our plans and we discussed everything and he made me feel very comfortable about having them at the gig, he's offered his services as a sound tech so one venue may let me use it completely free *woohoo* - what were the other band members doing, you may ask...

Chatting up the blonde groupies

It's not sex, drugs and rock & roll in that order for nothing!!

I must admit that I am looking forward to tonight on a serious level.

I still have a bad neck/left shoulder & I still have this recurring headache/sickness thing going on but this is the first time ever in my whole life that, instead of being the auditionee, I get to be the auditioner... so to speak...

Tonight I'm going along to Barfly in Cardiff to listen to one of the bands I've got signed up for The Wildlife Rescuer 14+ gig "TWR Rocks". The band, The Dirty Looks (http://www.myspace.com/thedirtylooks) are an awesome Indie band from Cardiff who were one of the very first bands to offer their services. So I get to chill out, relax with a drink with my best mate, enjoy the music, then look super cool chatting to the band about the in's and out's of my gig after their set .

If they're not good enough... well, I can't see that happening.... we'll cross that bridge if we come to it.

Go me!!

I'm so bored! It's been a hectic day. I took Monday-Wednesday off to recover from the rush that was the Bluetongue outbreak last week & to take care of my puppy, Tehya, post-op (neuter). It was great - daytime tv, long walks over the common, staying in bed an extra hour... wasn't looking forward to today because I knew it was going to be busy.

Busy is the understatement of the century

I walked into the office at 9:15 this morning - I couldn't see my desk for the number of letters, files and telephone messages scattered everywhere - & I've got a pretty enormous desk!! I could feel my blood pressure rising before I even took my coat off. Then there were the 134 emails, most of which had "urgent" or "important" somewhere in the title... wow!

By 10:30 I was only halfway through checking my emails; I hadn't even attempted to combat the files and paper post. Isn't it always the way when you've been working solid hard, the minute you stop to do something for you (like, in this instance, open a personal email - an important email about the wildlife rescuer gig, no less), your boss is right there looking over your shoulder... groovy... anyway, he asked me to compile a report with statistics re which local authorities were tail docking working dogs - which had the highest percentage, which month was the busiest, what breed is being docked the most... oh & best of all, I had an hour to do it in before he went to a meeting to discuss said figures... slightly raised blood pressure now resulted in pounding temples.

Somehow, I managed it - go me! Even before I could revert back to my emails I was having pressure from aforementioned boss about analysing and reporting on the electric shock collar consultation (can I point out here that I am NOT a trained statitician, I'm not keen on numbers & putting information in every order imaginable doesn't thrill me!!) When there were around 130 responses, some more than 30 A4 pages long, I'm not rushing to start this!! Hell, I've not even semi-completed the Equine Code analysis and that consultation was less than half the size and it ended a month ago!! No, I'm not lazy, I don't procrastinate *much*, I've just got too many responsibilities!!

Lunchtime came, I decided to down tools and grab a sandwich... much deserved!! I pick out my favourite, go to the till only to find they've hiked the prices up this week - inflation - & guess who didn't have enough money!! Yep, I had to borrow off my colleague - how embarrassing!! For the sake of 9p!

The afternoon was spent going through my emails - some were painful, others were pointless. I found out that I have to spend 2 (yes, a dreaded overnight stay) days at an away day event thingy next month in Swansea & I had to email the organiser with my 'waterproof trousers' size - Medium; my dietary needs - none; and "an interesting fact about yourself that nobody knows about" - where do I start? I don't do sharing information with colleagues. I gave 3 or 4 examples (my partnership in SBTS Autographs, my love of rock music, my musical background & something quite exaggerated to make me sound cool). What on earth are they planning on making us do over a whole 2 days!?? I know one day will be field training with the Quack Pack (look them up, they're wicked!) but will the rest be, like, bonding and forward planning!!?? Neither are my favourite topics...

Later this afternoon I was hounded by a union rep candidate trying to get my vote - I hope he got the gist of my "do you realise how desperate you're being" look.

Anyway, I left work at 4:30 - I couldn't handle anymore. I had the "you need to know where you're going to be in 10 years time and start planning now" speech off my boss - 10 years!?!? 10 years ago I was in my first year of high school - I was naive, slimmer, I wasn't a misanthropist and I thought I was the cleverest little cookie on the planet (in reality, my primary school peers were as thick as proverbial poo); that seems a lifetime ago, I don't wanna even begin to think where I'm going to be a lifetime in the other direction!! I may be married, I may be a yummy mummy, I may be homeless, I may be famous... I just don't know & I don't like to plan!! I think the point of his speech was "we're paying for your wildlife rescuer training, we expect some kinda commitment back" but if he thinks I'm still gonna be on £20k in 10 years time, he's got another think coming - in 10 years, I'll be earning a lot more than him *that's the plan anyway*

Since I've got home I've had slight cramp in both my legs - joy of being back in work, sitting down all day etc - not enough exercise - I hate this feeling, like you need to stretch out your muscles but whatever way you try just doesn't work... gonna jog around the block with Logan (older dog) later - it's too cold and late to take Tez (puppy) out.

Oh & a valid point was raised about my gig... PLI (Public Liability Insurance)... hmm, hadn't thought of that one. Is that likely to be covered by the venue? Do I have to pay it? May be worth asking!!

Oh & that's another thing - the sodding lift door closed on my wrist earlier! Bloody hurt an' all but no mark means I can't sue grrr... that money would've done loads for the service...

Right I'm babbling, I'm going for that jog

Adios folks!

What a stupid weekend!!

It started perfectly - I went to my fella's as per and, for only the second time since I met him, he'd gone to a huge effort for whatever reason - he was in a shirt & jeans, he'd made a huge dinner and he'd bought DVD's he KNEW I'd like (one had Christian Bale in therefore a definite winner). To say I was impressed was an understatement!

As the night went on he got drunker and drunker. He'd polished off a whole 100cl bottle of vodka the night before on his own and it was obviously affecting his stamina tonight. By 9:30 I brought him a pint of water to rehydrate himself so he didn't damage anything. I put it on the table next to him & he kicked it all over me (he swears it was an accident but I'm not so sure). I storms upstairs, quite annoyed, to get changed, thinking he'd be right behind to apologise. Wrong. I hear him pouring himself another glass of vodka & juice. When he did finally come upstairs, I was over the anger and I laughed it off.

10pm came and he could no longer speak, walk etc so we went to bed. I was quietly proud that I'd controlled the situation - hopefully he'd wake up bright & early with a small hangover and we could at least enjoy Sunday.

I celebrated too soon.

1am: he wakes me up by kicking and punching. I thought he was throwing a drunken strop but when I tried shouting at him he didn't respond and soon started snoring - he was still sleeping. Soon after he tries to get outta bed so he could relieve himself, have a smoke etc. As I mentioned earlier, he couldn't walk so he fell over straightaway. His room is full of junk so I can only imagine what he fell onto - glasses, bin, video/DVD cases... he finally managed to get himself back up and tried to walk again, only to fall over again this time onto his weight machine. Obviously, I helped him - he was in no position to attempt the stairs on his own. & yep, he did fall - fortunately on his bum all the way down without dragging me with him. Once again I tried to get some water down him but again most of it ended up on the floor as he couldn't grip the glass properly.

I finally got him back to bed and he slept through until 4-5am when he started being sick... this happened a good 3 or 4 times during the next few hours.

10am... I was still wide awake and he was waking slightly, in a great deal of pain and very hungover. I left him in bed and went downstairs to watch tv. We were expected at his mum's at 1pm so 12pm I woke him up, to which he asked to be called again in half an hour.
This carried on until 12:50 when he finally got up, showered and got ready - we were 20 minutes late.

His mum is a very sweet lady who I have a lot of time for; today she gave me a gift.

A bottle of heavy duty anti-wrinkle cream

Not quite sure how to take that... lol...

I received a text from mum on the way home asking me to get a birthday card for my aunty on her behalf. I bought the best of a bad lot, gave it to mum who responded with the classic "oh right... thank you"

GRRRRRR

So I'm meant to be going back to Damian's tonight after he's had some more sleep but right now I'm more than happy with my own sober company.

He's done it again... my gorgeous boyfriend Damian has managed to do it again... he's turned my foul mood into utter happiness - how does he do it! I texted him almost in tears telling him I was so angry and unhappy and he rings me, we chat lightheartedly for a while & then he goes
"Um.. odd request.. I'm doing a cross-dress sponsored walk Thursday... can I borrow some of your clothes?"
Instantly I burst out laughing - the thought of my muscley, macho dude in a skirt and pretty top walking around Wales... I can't get the image out of my head and it's making me laugh so much...

I HATE INSURANCE COMPANIES!!!!

I have had the sodding day from hell!! All day in work people have been tense and annoyed at each other and it's rubbed off - I had to deal with 2 telephone queries about tail docking asking questions I had no answers to & the more I think about it, there are so many loopholes in the Regs I can't understand how they can possibly work!!

Then there was the drive home - an hour for a 12 mile journey - y'kno the people I hate - the IDIOTS who sit in the middle of a slip road - A SLIP ROAD IS 2 LANES

Then there was the letter from the insurance company when I got home - I was involved in a minor bump last month - settled privately - apparently the other fella contacted his insurance company as a precaution & because I didn't contact mine, they're now charging me nearly £400 for the privilege - thank f*k I cancelled the direct debit earlier today (end of insurance cover on Friday, no intention of renewing with them) so now I have to ring the person dealing with my case tomorrow to sort it out... in the office... he only works office hours... to say I'm angry is an understatement I'm FURIOUS!!!

I wanna kick something... hard... last time I was this angry was when I failed my driving test 3 years ago & my door got it bad... there are still marks on it to prove it!!

So angry... & it's only Tuesday which means there's potentially another 3 working days of idiots to deal with and general annoyance to be had.

I f*n love my life sometimes(!)

Some of you may have read my previous blog about my puppy, Tehya, being neutered on Friday. Well, I'm very glad to say she's doing great. She had me up at 5:50 Saturday morning & she's barely stopped since, running around the house like a mad thing. She's caught the stitches a couple of times but nothing serious. I've kept the wound clean and she's not seemed bothered.

My fella and I took her and Logan (older dog)on a walk around the local fields earlier today & she enjoyed every second running ahead and barking at cats.

The only thing she is finding difficult is her diet - she's still gobbling her food as soon as its put down then licking her bowl & looking at me sadly as if she's dying of starvation! She's very jealous that Logan's getting proper treats & she's only allowed carrot sticks or ice cubes!!!

Thanks to everyone who's been asking after her!!

I am SUCH a worrier! Today, as much as I didn't wanna do it, Tehya, my Beagle puppy, was booked in to be neutered. Why? Because my older dog, Logan, is her half brother & if they mated the puppies would have so many problems, I'd never be able to live with myself. Mum & Dad are in Bournemouth this weekend so it's just me & my bro at home.

I dropped Tehya into the vet first thing this morning and spent the day worrying; the nurse who took her from me was, shall we say, lacking in the personality department - covered in tattoo's with brightly coloured hair, I guess she's not long out of college. No reassurances, no letting me say goodbye - she took the lead from me and pulled my bewildered pup into the consultation room shutting the door in my face... wasn't happy, especially as I had a list of things to tell the vet about my poor puppy - she's never been without Logan, she doesn't like wearing her collar indoors, she makes a grumbly growly sound when she wants to go outside to relieve herself but hey, they're professionals. I'd be back 6 hours later to collect her. 6 hours is nothing, right?

Wrong

Work was completely pointless. I barely did anything all day except watch the clock. The nurse had promised to ring me as soon as Tehya came out of the operation but 3pm came without a word. I rang to make sure she was ok and was informed that she'd had the operation in the morning and was absolutely fine - thanks for putting my mind to rest(!)

4pm, I was finally at the surgery to pick her up!

The same personality-deprived nurse greeted me, took my money, then told me my puppy's overweight and that she's now on a weight loss programme; that meant she'd have to be brought in every month for check-up's - sod that! I ask to see her chart - she's just 1.5 kilo's overweight - hardly life threatening so there is NO WAY I am wasting my money on monthly weigh-in's that I can do myself at home!

She finally brings Madam out... baby Tehya... she was more awake than I expected but she still looked disorientated. Fortunately, the only bit of fur they'd shaved was on her leg presumably for a drip. She seemed more interested in sniffing the other patients in the surgery than greeting me but I didn't care, I was too glad to have her back.

Since getting her home, she's not done much more than sleep. Logan keeps giving her lots of kisses!! She's had a bit to eat and is currently curled up in front of the fire. Hopefully tomorrow will be comfortable for her - I wasn't, to my surprise, given any painkillers for her, so I hope that means she's over the worst of it!!

What a strange f*n day!

I wake up as normal next to my fella, we share a shower, he makes us sandwiches, i go to work. I was in the Merthyr office today for a training course - Presenting Data.

I expected to learn how to analyse data and the best way of showing different types of information - i was sorely disappointed. It was like a maths lesson with Lurch as the tutor - I was told how to make a pie chart and how to round up long numbers - big deal

I was very much looking forward to seeing my old boss, Gaynor, today. She is my professional hero. She's a dragon; won't let anybody boss her around & always gets results. She taught me so much in a short space of time. Without her, I don't think I would've got my promotion (& I wouldn't have done the Prince's Trust so wouldn't have met my fella!) She is, in a word, an angel! It was great catching up; she said I've lost weight (& as my fella said that last night too I'm inclined to believe her) & she was impressed when I told her about the work I'm doing. She also gave me lots of good advice that I can use in the future.

2pm this afternoon I got back to my office in Cardiff. 40 emails were waiting for me & a telephone message from Lord ** ** - great(!)One of these emails was from Gem, my best mate. Long story short, she seemed to be venting at me because she'd had a bad evening the night before - she ranted about the rubbish film she'd seen at the cinema, the fact work was dull, she thought her fella was taking her for granted & it ended with her saying she's jealous of what I have with my fella... hmm odd. Her fella's a nice, understanding but sarcastic guy who keeps her on her toes, much like mine. She's never showed any jealous tendencies towards me before so I knew this was serious. So I rang her, we chatted more, she revealed that she's super stressed & everything's bugging her etc. but she'll be fine in the morning. Weeeird day.

Best part - we're going to Download yay!!!!!

Had a pretty awesome business idea too but gonna give it more thought before I share it :-)

I'm tired... oh so tired... I was up at 6:30 this morning, out by 7:30, drove for nearly 2 hours to Mid Wales for a meeting then was home again by 3:30... ok, the meeting was more like a giggle between me & a good friend and I enjoyed every minute of it, but man I'm so tired!! All I wanted to do when I came in was fall in a heap on my bed and let myself float away into tranquility but nope.

Mother dearest has decided to dump my laundry, my mail, my bags, my coats... everything that may possibly have been found outside of my room is now on my bed... so that's why I'm blogging... to try and get my mind working, to wake me up, to stop myself screaming... it isn't happening...

My eyes hurt... my muscles are lethargic... my feet still hurt from Friday... Friday! Let me tell you about Friday!

It was meant to be a big posh classy girly night which meant pretty dress and pretty shoes - not my forte! The dress looked hot (not meaning to sound big headed but it looked great!) and the shoes looked great... but I have the most sensitive feet in the world and I knew they were gonna hurt so I packed in my tiny handbag a box of plasters and gel pads and antiseptic cream stuff to get me through the night...

Cardiff was deserted - the threat of snow meant most places were shut and the only people in town seemed to be crazy. We went from bar to bar being chatted up by losers (drunks, lonely middle aged men, horny Scottish guys on a stag do to name but a few). Then 'coincidentally' we bump into my mate's boyfriend (in her 'favourite' club that we'd never gone to before). We left an hour later, but after finding out our destination club was deserted we headed back only to find the boyfriend sat on a sofa in the club chatting to a skinny gorgeous blonde - the type every other woman hates because they're not her. Cue serious jealousy on my mate's part - I insist we go elsewhere so she doesn't do the heavy needy gf thing but soon we were back in the club. She storms past him to get a drink (he, incidentally, was very drunk and I am in no way villifying him, he's a great guy and would never cheat on her). Next hour - serious arguments between them, me being sent away so they could 'work things out', me getting bored, feet hurting... hell!

Obviously they made up, the fella left, the horny Scots surrounded us, my feet start bleeding - cheap plasters not doing their job

Next, 2 women who were the personification of Miss Piggy start shoving me from behind as I'm trying my best to dance and look happy to chavvy music as my feet throbbed. Once I could forgive. Twice I could write off as a mistake. Three times, hell they were fat & probably crap dancers. A fourth time, this was getting annoying - suddenly they're right up in our faces cheesy dance-off style. I laugh mockingly & say (loud enough for the horny Scots to hear - maximum embarrassment is key in these situations) "I don't DO dance-off's unless I have some real competition" - they then tried to do the pervy lesbo dance thing that I've never understood - they looked old and very desperate. One wasn't wearing a bra and had a low-cut shirt... I hope I don't end up like that. Oh & they stole my sandal when I took them off for relief... childish? Yep, but the horny Scots came to my rescue - 1-0 to me, piggies

However, I did realise something over the weekend - I want to be a horny posh middle-aged lady in 20 years. The type who have husbands way too old for them and have affairs with the gardener or tennis coach... I watched Wimbledon & Midsomer Murders and both had typical middle-aged posh ladies trying it on with men half their age & i liked the idea - give me something to look forward to because right now growing old is very depressing - my fella is feeling his age, he can't rest his head on his knees anymore (I didn't mention that I've never been able to do this) but I know there's a lot I too could do that I either can't or am too scared to try anymore.

Anyway, back to Friday! Mate and boyfriend are back to normal, the Miss Piggy tribute act have buggered off and the horny Scots have found new people to perv on. We then go to what I thought was a very posh, quiet, sophisticated lounge. I thought it odd that we were the only women there and that we were getting so many obvious looks from what I considered respectable looking men. Then we found out why.

The upstairs was a strip bar

Exit stage left!

It's 3am. I'm cold, tired, my feet are in agony... we pass a bus shelter where a fat woman had a skinny man pinned against the back screaming in his face. Her mate was helping my slapping him constantly. The bouncers in the club next to the shelter egged them on... I risked getting myself hurt badly by saying, quite loudly, "Ye, very classy ladies" ... lucky for me they were too busy to notice &/or care.

Not one of my best nights... it'll be a while before I hit anywhere beside a rock club in Cardiff again

What is wrong with me! I've spent all of today in a foul mood!! I get recognition for my efforts in work, I get admiration for my part in the business, my family try to get me to go on a 2-week all expenses paid holiday to Tenerife & I turn it down... I've been in a foul mood since last night and I can only put it down to one thing.

He's gone

Well, temporarily gone.

He, being my fella, is away this week on a residential outdoor pursuits thing with his work (he's a youth & community officer) & I miss him so much! This time last year it was me on the course with him so I know he'll be busy and I know that there'll be little/no phone reception there.

All day I've been thinking back to the words of encouragement he gave me when rock climbing, how he suited me up and persuaded me to go canoeing despite me being scared, how we played hangman together on the sofa (the time, he says, he realised he had feelings for me), the mountaineering exercise where I slipped on the ice and he grabbed my bag and saved me from falling off the ledge to my doom (ok, slightly exaggerated, but the fall would've been into water and rocks and it would've hurt!) & the night walk he's probably doing right now where, despite being more than capable, he held my hand to help me over rough terrain... He got me through that week, I couldn't have done it without him! I miss him so much, it's pathetic!!!

All evening I've walked around with my phone in my hand waiting for him to call. The dogs need a walk and I desperately need a shower but I know if I do either he'll call and I'll miss it...

I've never wanted to hear Carry On Wayward Son (our favourite song and my ringtone) so much before!!

I hope he's having a good time, I'm sure he's having a good time. He's probably not given me a second thought!!

My head is so screwed :-)

Alter Bridge 'Blackbird' tour
25th January 2008
Bristol Carling Academy

I went to this gig full of trepidation - Alter Bridge was the first band I saw live some 2 years ago & they entranced me with a performance so bold that I haven't found one to match since. My concern was that they wouldn't live up to this the second time around; hell, maybe now they're more famous they may not even have the same band-audience relationship going on; I found this was the case when I went to see two of my favourite bands, Aerosmith and Tenacious D. Now, admittedly, one was in a big open park and the other in the NEC in Birmingham, but neither interacted with the audience at all and it left me, despite enjoying the music immensely, feeling a bit cold. My worries were short lived.

The support band were great, I enjoyed their punk vibe immensely. The audience, however, were tough, and whilst me and my friend danced away in the middle, everybody else seemed to stand cold and didn't even clap when the vocalist requested it... thank god they livened up for Alter Bridge!!

Alter Bridge opened with Ties that Bind, one of my favourites from the new album followed by Find the Real, one of my favourites from the first album. Throughout the gig Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti interacted with the audience, giving 'rock on' signs, giving shout outs, even saying happy birthday to an audience member on the request of another!! The first couple of songs, although immensely enjoyable, were slightly spoiled by Kennedy not seeming keen to risk the long high notes he's so famous for; Mark Tremonti however, was on top form throughout and went up even further in my estimation. Fortunately, Kennedy soon seemed to settle into the gig and took the risks and wow did they pay off!!! The gig was finished with the timeless Metalingus (my personal favourite) which made the crowd go wild!! Broken Wings and Open Your Eyes, two beautiful tracks from the first album were also played as encore pieces and went down wonderfully!

All in all, a FANTASTIC gig!! The band shook hands with audience members before leaving showing despite their growing fame they value their fans and this is one reason I love them so much! I can't wait until gig 3; Alter Bridge cemented themselves firmly as my favourite band - long may they continue! I think they were unfairly compared to Creed originally (as 3 out of 4 of the band were Creed!) but those days are long gone; Alter Bridge's sound is so different and so much BETTER!! Stapp doesn't come close to Kennedy!!

Rock on guys, loved it!!!

So as my college course is nearing and of course, the date for the service to take off, I thought I'd do a bit of research into the financial side of running a voluntary service. These figures were picked up from a wildlife hospital so not all charges will apply, but it makes interesting reading:

To give life saving first aid treatment to one hedgehog £ 9.20
To x-ray a hedgehog’s fractured leg £ 17.80
To administer a course of antibiotics to one hedgehog £ 12.60
To suture a mallard duck’s skin wounds £ 5.20
To provide essential dental treatment for a hedgehog £ 41.20
To bandage a fox’s badly injured / infected leg £ 9.80
To provide essential pre-release dental treatment for a badger £ 193.00
To feed a hedgehog during an average 12 week stay £ 19.60
To wash and disinfect one hedgehog’s food bowl & bedding £ 0.94 each day
To give one small garden bird a life saving injection £ 0.18
To surgically repair a tawny owl’s fractured wing £ 34.60
To bandage a deer’s fractured leg £ 11.90
To buy a feeding bottle to feed orphaned mammals £ 6.70
To provide life saving laboratory diagnostic test results £ 17.00
To give one Muntjac deer emergency life saving treatment on admittance to the Hospital £ 33.60
To hand rear one baby hedgehog £ 56.00
To provide one essential feed via a tube for a poorly swan £ 4.25
To buy a complete set of equipment to enable the safe rescue of injured large mammals £187.00
To give a fallow deer emergency with life saving treatment on admittance to the Hospital £ 98.50
To keep one hedgehog in the Hospital for the whole winter - to prevent it from hibernating
(which could be dangerous if hedgehogs are underweight or injured) £ 111.50
To provide a course of treatment for one fox with mange £ 24.80
To feed one baby bird for one day £ 7.25
To carry out an orthopaedic operation on a muntjac deer with a fractured leg £ 422.00
To buy a specialist bed for unconscious and seriously ill patients £ 25.00
To x-ray a badger, to check the extent of fractured bones £ 54.00

So... of course, I'm accepting donations, there's a link on my website!! ;-)

Great news guys, I've managed to set up some voluntary work concentrating on wildlife only!! OK, so it's only gonna happen once a week and only when I'm due to go to college but it'll be great experience!!! Well, ok, it's not definite yet, but it's promising! I contacted Vale Wildlife Centre as they are involved in my course and asked if i could help out when I travel to Pershore for college, to make my trip worthwhile & they've said yes subject to my boss agreeing to give me the time off!!! Woohoo!! So ok, there's no rescue work involved, but I'll be working hands-on with foxes, badgers, birds, deer.... it's perfect!!

Incidentally, only 2 months and 2 weeks until my course starts!!

http://www.stopffosyfran.co.uk/

Help the residents of Merthyr Tydfil get a buffer zone between them and a proposed opencast mine at Ffos y Fran!! Read the website for further details!!

By comparison to many other European Countries, Britain has fewer public holidays and none at all for a period of some three months between the August public holiday and Christmas. Moreover, Britain does not have a "National" day. So what better way to celebrate our Nation than to have a National Remembrance Holiday falling on the second Monday in November each year to reinforce Remembrance Sunday which falls on the second Sunday in November? Such a holiday will serve to emphasise our commemoration of The Fallen who gave their lives to save Britain and also the on-going importance of the survival of our Nation. The National Remembrance Holiday will further serve to break that period between late summer and Christmas when there is currently no public holiday.

Sign the petition!!

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/remembermonday/