I don't want to get my hopes up, but I think we might have found our perfect house in Nottingham. On only our third house-hunting visit there. It's very quirky, very 'us', and in need of some work. We would to have to replace a bathroom and move a door, plus masses of painting etc. (It bodes well that The Girl is currently looking up how to fix our toilet on the internet. She's refusing to get a plumber. I will support this until I can't hold it any longer.)

My dad's coming up to meet us for a second viewing of the place on Tuesday. I desperately hope he thinks it's worth putting in an offer! And now I'm having 'I appear to be a grown-up' freakouts. I made up a little song about how very grown up I am and sang it in the bath. That helped.

bonny, well done on going to donate blood, and sorry to hear your iron levels were too low. Hope you get to try again soon!

sigh ... they don't want my blood - I take too many medications

Same here - well, that and my EDS (they're worried I'll have bleeding/bruising problems). Makes me a bit sad. I really should volunteer to help them out some other way, instead.

It took four hours, two phone calls, and four customer service representatives, but I have cable again! Plus, I now get TCM and AMC, which I hadn't known were part of the new package -- I'm not paying any extra -- but I'm certainly not complaining.

bonny, I've never made it past the pin prick and iron test. I pass out from the pin prick and then they say my iron is low. le sigh.

I have English mad-cow-tainted blood and am such a hard stick that the nurses seem pissed I don't have a port-a-cath. Oh, the stories I won't tell the trypanophobes.

I honestly can't believe I got past the pin prick...or that I asked for a second one. But, I will say, it went faster and hurt less than I expected. My fingers hurt more now than they did then!

On the way home, I asked my friend if I really made that much noise...such that people would rush over to ask if I was okay. I swear, I did not hear myself. J paused for a long time, "There was a...well...a...peep." Bless him.

eta:

Oh, the stories I won't tell the trypanophobes.

I made up a little song about how very grown up I am and sang it in the bath. That helped.

Hee! I hope you have indeed found your house.

ugh, my allergies are manifesting themselves not in itchy eyes or sinus, but in fucking HIVES. ITCHY SUCKS.

Not named checked, but the design elements are called "first-rate": LA Times review of "The Arsonists"

Vortex, have any pepcid around? --it is an H2 blocker -- which helps with skin reactions according to the doctor in the ER ( from the last time I had to take Matt in for a bad allergic reaction) It seems to help whe I get itchy

and the red cross standards for iron are very high.I need to be much lower for my doctor to pay attention to them

Very cool, Sean!