On Thursday 20th January I became an auntie again when my sister gave birth to Anthony John. He was a bit late...........due on the 9th , so nearly two weeks, but obviously the threat of being induced on the 24th gave him the umph he need. Labour was very quick, 2.5 hours, so sis is doing ok............ arrived at hospital about 5pm, went home at 11am the following morning!!! Unfortunately he will be about 7 months old by the time I get to meet him, as sis lives in South Africa, and we are not going to visit until August. We had planned to go in February, but hubby only gets a week off the bus driving malarkey and it is an awfully long way to go for a week. I was planning to go for two weeks, but we wanted to use the air miles (having finally saved enough for two return flights to SA) and there were no air miles flights in Feb. Hubby was lovely and said go on your own, but I made the choice we will both go in August (hubby gets two weeks hols then). Still a bit of a problem with the air miles, but it was doable, until I saw that we still had to pay over £800 for taxes etc, and it only got us to Jo'burg........sis lives in Durban. Have ended up paying normal fare, as it worked out most cost effective and we will use the air miles for shorter flights and upgrading. Anyway, on the bright side, at least a 7 months nephew will be more interactive...........able to sit up, play with etc, and sis will have had 7 months to get used to being a mother! So, best all round we think, though part of me really does wish I could get on a plane tomorrow to meet him.
I did say auntie again, because I already have a nephew, Thomas Michael, who is my brothers son, who will be a year old on March. This pic was taken when we all got together for our early Christmas, the weekend of the heavy snow! He really is such a jolly little chap, always laughing and giggling. We are all going away for the weekend at the end of March for a celebration of Thomas's 1st birthday, as well as my brothers' (Thomas's dads) 30th birthday. We are going to Centreparcs at Longleat and should be a good laugh.
Not much else of excitement has happened in our world otherwise. I have had a few shifts in hell, otherwise known as Cowley (we have to cover their leave, days off etc). None of us like it..... age old story, you prefer what you know...........added to which, Cowley is slightly too close to comfort to the depots of both major bus companies that serve Oxford, and consequently, every time an OAP falls over on a bus, in comes the driver to report it as an accident. Ok, technically, by the definition of the Road Traffic Act -owing to the presence of a motor vehicle (that will be the bus), it is a TA.......................but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cowley is TA (Traffic Accident), 165 (Sec 165 seizures - no insurance) and producer heaven.
Hubby has transferred onto the main rota (not such a newbie anymore) which means that he knows his duties for the whole year other than Christmas and New Year week. He has a copy of the rota, but just needs to wait until next week to find out his position on it..........then we can plan. The other thing he has discovered, is that on the main rota you can work your days off as overtime. In fact, if you agree, it is down that you will work, you just give 'em 5 days notice, then you get your day off back. Hubby has agreed.........the novelty of a 39 hour week has obviously still not worn off yet........ but like me, when you work decent hours, doing overtime does not kill you so you are much more agreeable.................we are both so NOT missing hospitality!
Other than the new arrival, not much has really happened in our world as we near then end of the first month of 2011.
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