Moan, moan, whinge, whinge, moan - UPDATED

OK, so, you're coming. When are you over and when can we meet up?

L
xx

Oh dear. It is understandable considering the time you have had with your brother recently.

A few suggestions:

Can you use some airmiles to get the business class flights in Continental at a better price?

What area are you looking to stay in - maybe someone can recommend a fab hotel (with a spa so you can escape if possible / necessary)

Re the Christmas shopping - internet is the only way!

Peaches, come back! <plans new year slipper sale>

L
xx

See, you scared her off now!

But I have sharpened the scalpels and everything! <stamps foot>

L
xx

LOL Lois. I had to go and print off builders' quotes. I've got tenants moving out as we speak and I need to get work done, so it's perfectly timed with me ignoring the main issue of booking the trip home. I'm doing Mr P's head in!

RBH, I'll mention airmiles, but I think we used them all up when we flew to the UK for the May wedding. And whatever was left we used in August, so I doubt there are enough left (we flew for free in May, so good deal)

Internet shopping - good idea, but I'm just not in the mood

Lois, we're flying on the 18th IAH - LHR. Staying South until the 26th, then up North until the 29th/30th. Not decided on return, but probably from Manchester. Or drive back down to LHR. Who knows. I'm not helping by being on here and unable to make any sort of commitment. I just don't want to go, especially after learning of more 'stuff' in the past 24 hours. Just can't cope with any more crap

PS. That was supposed to be co/ck up, not fck up. Is co/ck a swear word now?? What about a male hen??!

Why not just not go to the UK for Christmas? I'm not up to it this year so I'll go in the New year sometime. Could you not just go somewhere together on holiday?

As much as I'd love that, Mr P's parents are getting on, and he'd never forgive himself if it were the last. Nor me. We have to go, but that doesn't make it any more appealing. It's not so much the Northern part, more the Southern. In a nutshell, my family!

Oh dear. Can you delegate some of the shopping to MrP?

Wherabouts are you staying down south?

Mid Bucks somewhere RBH. The hotels we'd like to stay in are closed/full, which leaves dross. Argh, I'm having a total brain pain .. it actually is hurting with all of this. Getting in a bit of a state about it.

I'm turning into my brother ffs

Is Horwood House near enough?

http://www.horwoodhousemiltonkeynes.co.uk/

Or Stoke Place

http://www.stokeplace.co.uk/?gclid=CMLwqd3rmpcCFQbdlAodGCZx-g

Or Pendley Manor

http://www.pendley-manor.co.uk/

Good thinking Batman. Business First, here we come ?

Fabby!

RBH, you've come up trumps this morning. Thank you, thank you!

We've booked business first, but not with airmiles as an upgrade as it wasn't worth losing 80,000 miles for the difference. They've got a promotion on for a flight 2 hours earlier than we wanted, but it saves us mega bucks (literally). So we'll pay for the upgrade ourselves and fly over in May for free using our miles.

Flights. Done.

Hotel .. what a fantastic idea with Pendley Manor! Sadly they are booked on the Saturday, so we're not staying there. But their sister hotel isn't.

Hotel down South. Done.

Result!

Not quite a moany as earlier! A definite ?, moving towards a ? when the Northern leg is sorted.

?

Are you staying at the R&C instead of Pendley Manor? That means you're about a 10 minute drive from me!

Great news Peaches! ?

I wish I was nearer to you, it would have been lovely to meet you!

Now, do a big online shop (including wrapping, sellotape etc) and send it on to hotel so you won't have to leave the hotel and brave the crowds to do your Christmas shopping or need to worry about packing it in your suitcase. ?

That is fantastic news re the flights and the hotel - really pleased I could help?

Oh Peaches ... have a massive hug and a total understanding that you're having a monsterous time

If you need a coffee and cake when you're down south shout (an offer that stands at any time if you need an escape)

Good morning lovely ladies. Sorry I didn't reply to you yesterday ... we made a snap decision to get out of the house and give ourselves a laugh, so we went to see Four Christmases at the pictures (a film about a couple who do everything in their power to get away from family over the festive season - most fitting, don't you think?!)

Anyway, I wanted to come back and say thank you ..

RBH, you were a complete star. Sometimes when things are so overwhelming (which it seems to be much of the time for me atm) you can't think logically. Even the simple things like using our air-miles to upgrade was over my head yesterday, and clearly it's catching as Mr P didn't think about it either (although it's usually me who has the common sense, while he has the intelligence [and I'd class that as a common sense thought!]). And it didn't occur to me either to think outside the Buckinghamshire box, even though where we'll be is right on the borders of other counties. Thank you again for being my common sense!

Mrs M, I wish you were nearer too as I would have loved to met up with you too. Mind you, I have visions of looking much like one of the exhibits at the Natural Science Museum (Body World) after Lois has made slippers out of me (I really do hope we manage to hook up - it's taken a year to organise lol!) Maybe we should do the same and diarise it for next year?!

TWR, thank you for the massive hug and total understanding. Monsterous time sums it up really well! I feel like I've lost 6 weeks of my life, I really do. My head just isn't in the right place at all, and that's the truth. Mr P describes it as having a total dependant living overseas - which makes them an impossible dependant, but no less of a worry.

Thanks everyone for allowing me to moan yesterday. My 20,000 things to do on my list has been reduced with your help. ?