Bah.

Well we got to Cornwall and back without being caught with no tax!

You should have seen the fucking weather though - seriously - those of you in the west country and especially Cornwall will know what I mean. The last time I saw rain like that was a few years ago when Boscastle got flooded! Took us 6 hours to get back without a break, and there were cars flying off the road all over the place. It was like driving through an actual lake - not fun!

PLUS I got lost in St Austell. It's such a rubbish town - tiny and boring. Plus it's basically one big building site as it's all being regenerated at the moment. It's ok like, very friendly, just rubbish. Anyway, I got a taxi in from the hotel as it was all uphill and I didn't know where I was going in the pissing rain, went round the charity shops and stuff, then at 2pm I thought Matt would be finished soon so I'd head back to the hotel as it was only about a mile away, and sit in the costa coffee next door have a drink and read Cornwall Today while I waited for him. I didn't know the way so I asked a few people for directions, and they all said 'bottom of this road go right and carry on til you get to a double roundabout. Fine. Simple. Got to the bottom of the road and turned right. My umbrella was broken by this point and I was basically in the middle of a Cornish monsoon. There was no footpath so I had to walk on the verge (long sodden grass - mmm) up the biggest hill I have ever seen. I got to the top of the hill thinking the roundabout would be on the other side - but no! The road just carried on down and then up another hill and I could see it snaking off in the distance. So by now I am soaked, I am wearing suede trainers (don't ask) which are full of water, and I am totally wet through, can't see out my glasses, carrying all these heavy bags, and have just walked over 4 miles - almost 3 of them up this hill. Serious. So I just get hysterical, have a panic attack and start crying like a lunatic. There's all these cars whizzing past and you'd think someone might have stopped... anyway, I find a big concrete bus shelter so at least I'm out of the rain, and ring Matt - his phone is off so I leave him a hysterical message saying 'I'm lost on a big hill and I'm wet and my umbrella's broken and I don't know what to do' then wait for about 20 minutes trying to calm myself down. Eventually Matt rings and says he thinks he knows where I am. I wait, then he rings again and says I'm not there but he's asked a lollipop man and figured it out. So he turns up and I'm such a state! Honestly I can't remember the last time I was like that! But then, a few months ago before I went on the treatment I wouldn't have even tried to do anything like that so it's progress of a kind!

And breathe.

Anyway, Matt didn't bloody get the job. So we were pissed off after all the hassle to get down there and the weather wasn't even nice. We've done that 700 mile round trip 3 times in the last 5 weeks. And now we have to go again!

He's got an interview in St Ives, not sure when yet, but he really wants the job at Redruth which isn't til after so that may cause a problem as it's considered very bad form to accept a post then change your mind if you get offered one you want more... so we'll have to wait and see what happens there...

Bollocks, innit?

Well I am going to drink some wine and watch eurovision tonight which should cheer me up a bit. I need to list loads of stuff on ebay as we are so desperate for money - we got 3 red letters today, off the gas, electric and phone - they're all getting cut off next week if we don't pay them apparently, although where we are supposed to magic up 500 quid from in that time (on top of eating and finding money for more trips to bloody Cornwall) is anyone's guess. Any rich philanthropists out there reading this? You won't find a more appreciative recipient! Ah one can but dream.

Anyway, I am off to eat some sugar puffs.

Gem x