28 Days Later

Don't Panic!! This is not a post about some horrible virus that turns us all into zombies but rather I have completed my post a day challenge for the month of February. Woohoo!!

I'm late posting but that's because I've been sat agog watching The Biggest Loser.


How fab did they all look? That's obviously only a revelant question if you've actually been watching it LOL

I bought this Wii game a while back and ashamed to say it's still in it's wrapping.


After seeing the differences those guys have achieved - tomorrow I'm going to flex some muscle and try and get that really annoying cellophane that they wrap it in that you break several nails trying to rip off. ;)

Thanks for joining on the 28 days ride, I hope it's been enjoyable :)

Smash-ing Sunday

If you were a teenager in the 80s you quite likely will remember one of my favourite magazines.

Smash Hits


Now click on that link and transport yourself back in time. Brian McCloskey - an amazing individual with what must be an impressive stack of back issues has made this blog and the best bit is if you click on the image of the front cover of each issue it then takes you over to where you can once again read the whole magazine on Flicker!

Honestly kids now won't have the memories of learning the lyrics to your favourite Top 40 songs or cutting out the posters and taping them to your bedroom wall like we had thanks to Smash Hits. Yeah technology is brilliant and you can find anything you want at the click of a button but man I used to love that magazine. :)

Up here in the far North East

we've finally got some of these


No doubt darn sarf you're all already in your bikini's and sipping Pims :D


Two more days and I will have completed my post a day for the month of February challenge. After finding out about my Uncle etc I didn't think I'd be able to come and post everyday but I've actually found it helpful in giving me something to focus on. Not that my daily post have been that intellectual but hey this is my blog so you're not here for discussions on Egalitarianism or the Principle of extensiveness are you....are you?

I was glad to see so many of you agreed with my thinking that fast food places are NOT restaurants - not that I get the chance to dine in either of them much. Acutally that reminds me I must get the photos of the tapas me and Big one had while we were in Glasgow...

Seriously?

Is it just me?

Do you consider

McDonalds
Burger King
Pret
Pizza Express


as restaurants?

Personally I thought they were fast food outlets, somewhere you walked in, asked for something that had probably already been cooked 10 minutes ago and then you sat at a plastic table.

Restaurant to me means more proper table with a tablecloth, proper cutlery and someone that comes to your table to take your order and advise you on the choices.

Today I received an invitation to become a SECRET DINER at one of the above restaurants.

Can anyone else smell Spam?

This is what

you look like when you try to burn the candle at both ends for too long!


Actually I don't even look that cute :)
And yes I made that odd looking little owl - poor wonky thing.

And so it goes on

I've an eye test tomorrow



so while I'm in town I'm going to take myself off to the wool shop and have a good look round the charity shops to cheer myself up.



Today I got the grand total of sod all done but I did have the most lovely sleep.

PostSecret

Many of you probably already know and read the secrets, as I do, on this site every week. PostSecret is where you can send your deepest secret that you don't feel able to share with your closest friend but where you can bet someone else knows exactly how you feel.

PostSecret promotes finding someone to talk to when life drags you down to that deep dark place. Someone offering a hand out for you to grab a hold of.

There is ALWAYS someone who will listen.

Always.

Breathing Space

Samaritans

A very very sad day

I don't know all the reasons why you did it Uncle H but I’m so sorry that your head had obviously gotten into such a dark place that taking your own life seemed your only option for release.

Out of the three Uncles I have you were the only one that deserved the name Uncle.

Rest in peace, you will forever live in my memory with your leg twitching up and down, using your jean leg as an ashtray for your rollies, rubbing the ash into the denim and for all the wonderful woodwork you did.




Unfortunately these bloody awful things always seem to come in threes, last night I discovered that a girl I knew from school (who weirdly ended up married to my ex's cousin) lost her fight against her fourth lot of Cancer. And this morning before the police turned up on my Mum's doorstep in the afternoon, I found out that a friend from school's Mum lost her battle with a brain tumour last week. I remember sitting at her kitchen table as a wee Taz, they had such a happy family.

Aggghhhhhh!!!


Sorry but I may not be completing my post a day February Challenge as I take some time to process all this.

Me

knack·ered (nkrd)
adj. Chiefly British
Very tired; exhausted.

knackered [ˈnækəd] Brit Slang
adj
1. exhausted; tired out
2. worn out; no longer working, esp after long or hard use

The result of a night out with the girls, starting off with an Ann Summers house party, hitting the pubs, going back to someone else's house for an after pub party and ending with me changing, feeding then cuddling a very cute 9 day old baby for hours.

Bedtime? 5.30am

This is

what these fancy radiators were invented for right?

Have you ever?

Had your face done over by one of those ladies in the big department stores?

I haven't, well I hadn't up until yesterday.

Big one and I were wandering around Glasgow, shopping, having fun when we wandered into a large department store and found ourselves in the makeup department. Of course we were approached by 'the 'ladies' but while usually I would avoid eye contact and walk at a fast pace right out of there yesterday it seemed different.


Big one had a tutorial on tinted moisturisers, primers, blusher and eyeshadows and she looked lovely. Not overly made up but subtly different.

Then the nice young girl offered to do me. :) I had the tinted moisturiser, undereye brightener applied and my eyebrows... well I'm not even sure what you call it but they looked darker and fuller and not the normal thin, pale, baldy looking things they normally do. LOL

Yes I bought the moisturiser for both of us and the face primer!! Ach well it was fun doing a totally girly Mother and Daughter thing that neither of us has ever done before. I actually slapped it all on today, I wonder how long I'll keep that up for. :)

I'm not a huge make up wearer and you may or may not be surprised to learn that the hairdryer my Mum and Dad bought me for my 21st birthday (1991) is still in full working order and I still have all the nozzle attachments.

Anyone still wondering why I'm single? I sound like such a catch don't I? :D


Actually I came to realise that living away from this small village would be good not only for my soul but also for my social life. I haven't been so 'checked out' in a long long time! And wow there are some good looking fellas out there - who knew! I think I may have to save up for a grown up girls night out in the big city ;) LOL

Thanks for all your comments on my timed posts while I was away, I didn't want to break my post a day malarky so that's why they were a rather vague posts. I'm hoping as I get my energy levels back up now that I have my peace back I can update you properly about our trip.

7 things you really shouldn't know about me....

I'm usually the world's worst at these kinds of things, nice kind people give me awards and tags and I forget to post about them. But on my current post a day challenge a tag is great as it fills another days quota.

So thank you to the lovely Curry Queen

Here are 7 random things that you could possibly have carried on with your life never knowing and survived quite happily. ;)

Oh but hang on first the rules state I have to pay CQ a compliment - easy done. ;) The Curry Queen has a wonderful sense of humour and any woman who can flash her bum to her noisy neighbour gets my vote. ;)

Now things.


1.I give good accent. In fact if I spend too much time with someone with a strong accent I worry that they will think I'm making fun as I start saying things the way they do.
2.I tend to trust my first instincts.
3.I love the smell of diesel.
4.I never fit in, I'm always the odd one.
5.I would love to build a roundhouse at the bottom of my garden and live in it. Actually I'd rather it was in a field somewhere away from all the other houses. :)

6.I love talking puppets, I go nuts for The Muppets and am enthralled by most (good) ventriloquits dummies. Talking animals are also good. :)
7.I am incapable of going to bed early.

I think I now have to tag more people to keep the chain going so Beki, Alex and Em it's over to you. ;)

I have a feeling

I will be experiencing this


for the rest of the month. :)

Ladies and Gentlemen

I should imagine by the time I get to my bed this evening I will be one knackered Taz.

A day of shopping followed by a few hours in the company of some lovely young men that I introduced Big One to back when she was a mere 13 years old.

Hearts and chocolates?

Well it is Valentine's Day. :)

Not a chance of any romantic gestures from anyone for me! But today I'll be taking a two and a half (ish) hour train journey down to Glasgow for Big One's 16th Birthday treat.

We're booked into a central hotel for two nights of shopping, fun and seeing My Chemical Romance in concert.


It's going to be expensive and no doubt tiring but it's going to be grreeeeaaaaat!!!



I hope your Valentine's Day is everything your heart needs ((((hugs))))

Some things never change

This is me at 23 months old. Christmas was stressful even back then!! LOL



Is anyone fed up of my post a day attempts yet?

Cake!!

A chocolate cake for my chocolate loving 16 year old. :) I wonder if I'll still be making them birthday cakes when they're all grown up and away from home?

How do you pronounce Yoghurt?

Now personally I call it YOGurt as I say I don't go joe-ging I go JOG-ging. Actually I do neither but that's besides the point. :)

But a lot of people pronounce it YO-ghurt as in Yo-Yo

Not that it really matters but I'd be interested to see how people from different places say it. :)

Now my real reason for all this yoghurt talk is that I bought one of these...



and duly followed the instructions expecting (as my friend makes) lovely creamy thick yoghurt.

What I ended up with was sloppy drinking yoghurt that will be fine for making smoothies but not so great for the usual yoghurt on a spoon type of eating.

What did I do wrong? Does anyone have some yoghurt making experience they can share...please?

Thank you for all the lovely comments about big one's dance and birthday. She had a great time (for both) I will be posting pics of the birthday cake that I made at one in the morning in due course. Why was I making cake at one in the morning? Oh that was so I had something to keep me awake and busy while waiting up for the 'come and get me now Mum' phone call. ;)

16 years ago today

I finally got to hold the baby that had given me hellish heartburn, kicked my insides sore and had me up every five minutes during the night for a pee.

Today is my beautiful, clever, funny, wonderful Big One's 16th Birthday!!



Thank you for coming into my life sweetheart. You make my heart sing and my soul shine. I never knew what love really was until you came along.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday (that you don't spend it all in bed) and I hope you are looking forward to our birthday trip away as much as I am.

You may be 16 now babes but this will always be 'our' book.


Love you xxxx

Christmas Dance

Yes it is February but tonight Big one will be going to her school Christmas Dance. It was postponed from before Christmas due to too much of this



There is an after party and this is the first year she's decided to go. This also means this will be the first year I've to stay up till silly o'clock to go bring her and her pals home. Yes I am far too nice! :D

This is her dress.

And she's already been through my shoes and 'borrowed' a pair very similar to these.



I've got her 'I'm 16' badge ready for her to put on come midnight and her friends are planning on getting everyone singing Happy Birthday to her. Bless them. :) Big one is one of the youngest in her year, in fact several of her friends have already turned 17 - weird cut off dates up here + very bright child = 16 year old sitting her Highers (A Levels) this year. ;)



Fortunately there's no school tomorrow so we can all have a nice long lie in.

Mind you I need all the beauty sleep I can get - tomorrow I'll be the Mother of a 16 year old!!

Anything else?

Why is it everything decides to stop working at the same bloody time?

First the on/off button on the front of the TV has decided to stop working so now I have to fiddle round the back to do the whole on/off thing. Not a huge disaster as I don't watch a whole lot of TV and at least so far (touch wood) the TV is still working.

(Not my actual TV)

Then my tumble dryer has decided, obviously as a punishment for me not using it very often, to stop working halfway through drying the clothes. It teases me by starting then stopping, then starting, then stopping. After I'd given it one of those 'this is how you fix it' kicks it finished drying what I needed it to.

My Freeview box is on its last legs and has been for some time now, sometimes it refuses to change channel, sometimes it likes to jump about so when you press volume you get a different channel, when you press channel the sound mutes. Then there is the weird jumpy flashy thing it likes to do every now and then.

I've been mulling over buying the new Freeview Plus box but do I buy that then have to also buy a new TV which could possibly come with freeview already in it?

And did I mention my poor laptop is slowly dying? :(


Oh and where do I find the money for a new TV/Freeview/Laptop anyway?

Naturally a new laptop would be the priority purchase if I did have the spare money. ;)

Thanks for all your comments about my colour co-ordinated bookshelf. I have to admit I do like it and I also should admit that this is not my only bookshelf so sorting all my books out is far easier to do by colour than alphabetical order. :)
It was good to hear that I'm not the only person to do this kind of thing and I look forward to us all having a tea party in that fancy 'hotel' when we get there. xx

Question

Do I have too much time on my hands or am I just using diversion or should that be aversion techniques?

I arranged my bookshelf by colour!!!!

I'm expecting the men in white jackets to call soon and take me to that special hotel where the wallpaper is really thick and soft.

I am in no way implying people who have their bookshelves like this all the time need to go to the 'special hotel' merely that for me to be doing things like this means that I do. ;)

Sssh Sunday

because quite simply I am getting close to grinding my teeth to the gum and if I start speaking I may just scream! Sssh Taz that's speaking and you said this was Sssh Sunday!

Coincidences

Now I know there are only 365 days in a year, apart from leap years when they bung in an extra one, but does anyone have birthdays, anniversaries and the like that all fall on the one day or other strange conincidences?

Example -

I was born on my brother's 6th birthday - yeah he wasn't too thrilled either.


At school one of my best friends had the same birthday as me.
My first proper boyfriend had the same birthday as me.
One of my best friends now youngest daughter has the same birthday as me.

My Mum, my best mate's Dad, my old next door neighbour and a new fostering friend all have the same birthday, not the same year I should add. :)

Big one's birthday is exactly one month after mine.

Wee one's birthday has a number 10 in it as does mine and big one's.


The pen pal I've been writing to for some 30 years (OMG I'm old!!!) is two days younger than me and after a dry spell in our letter writing our letters getting back in touch were to tell each other we'd had a baby. Turns out her daughter was born nine days after my big one. :)

And when my Dad died, I was the age he was when I was born.

Is it evident yet that I have totally lost touch with reality? It's amazing how much sleep I've been getting though, lots of early nights. ;) LOL

The day after the day before.

Well yesterday was certainly one to remember.

It was all so exciting that I promptly flaked out on the sofa once I'd fed everyone their evening meal. Slept for two hours, woke up, had a quick chat with some pals on facebook then took myself off to bed. LOL

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments. They really meant a lot to me. :)




The highlight of my day today was taking the dogs (my Monster and Mother's wee thing) for a long walk in the rain.

Yes that's how far I'm willing to go to get half an hour to myself. All three of us were soaked to the skin when we got back and there's been that eau de wet dog in the house for a good while. But it was worth it. :)

D'you know my Monster is getting an old lad now and I think to myself that when he goes to doggy heaven I won't get another but then

I go and look at pictures like this.




Let's just hope I don't have to make that decision for a long time to come.

Today I had to be a grown up

Today I had to put on smart clothes.
Today I had to answer lots of questions.
Today I had huge mammoth winged butterflies in my tummy.
Today I ...........


went before a panel and was approved to be a Foster Carer.


Yaay!!!


It's something I've been working hard on over the last year, preparing us, preparing the house, reading thousands of books about all sorts of terrible things and oodles of research on wonderful things too. Filling in form after form after form. Baring my soul and everything that's happened to me in the last 41 years.


It's been exhausting, exciting, un nerving, interesting and emotional.

But it's been good and now I'm nervous and excited about what will happen next on our journey.

So that was my Thursday, how was yours?

D Day

She's on her way!! In fact as you read this she could probably already be here. I have no doubt already rolled my eyes at least 4 times and bitten through my tongue twice. At least!!

Thanks everyone for your comments from yesterday, two weeks is probably nothing after the FIVE weeks she was here for Christmas 2009 - oh yes go back to read that beauty! LOL It's a wonder I'm still able to type coherently anymore. Actually forget that I don't think I've ever typed coherently.

I really don't need the extra stress right now, actually I'm hoping I may have some exciting news to share come Thursday but for now I'll just keep deep breathing.

Now for today's fun I'm very proud to tell you about my clever wee one who won a first (for her year) in her School's Robbie Burn's Day Competition. Robbie Burn's birthday is 25th January and naturally on the day up here in Scotland they serve Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. All the kids learn a song, a poem and play a tune if they are studying an instrument.


Wee one sang Mull of Kintyre
beautifully and today she was awarded first prize at the school assembly.

She also received third prize for her rendition of...

A Dug A Dug

by Bill Keys

Hey, Daddy, wid you get us a dug?
A big broon a’satian? Ur a wee white pug?
Ur a skinny wee terrier, ur a big fat bull?
Aw, Daddy, get us a dug. Wull yi?

Whit! An' whose dug'll it be when it durties the flerr?
An' pees’n the carpet an' messes the sterr?
It's me ur yer mammy'll be tane furra mug.
Away oot'n play. Yer no gettin' a dug.

But, Daddy, thur gien them away
Doon therr at the rspca.
Yeu'll get wan fur nothin' so yi wull.
Aw, Daddy, get us a dug. Wull yi?

Doon therr at the rspca!
D’yi think ah’ve goat nothin’ else tae dae
Bit git you a dug thit ah’ll huv tae mind?
Yur no needin’ a dug: yi urny blind.

Aye, but, Daddy, therr rerr fur guardin’ the hoose,
An’ thur better’n cats fur catchin’ a mose,
An’ see wee Danny, ‘is dug kin gie ‘is barra a pull.
Aw, hey, Daddy, get us a dug. Wull yi?

Dji hear um? Oan aboot dugs again?
Ah think that yin's goat dugs oan the brain.
Ah know whit ye'll get: a skite oan the lug
If ah hear any merr aboot this bliddy dug.

Aw, Daddy, it widnae be dear tae keep
An' ah'd make it a basket fur it tae sleep.
An' ah'd take it fur runs away ower the hull.
Aw, Daddy, get us a dug, Wull ye?

Ah doan't think thur's ever been emdy like you:
Yi could wheedle the twist oot a flamin' corkscrew.
Noo! Get doon aff ma neck. Gie's nane o’ yur hug.
Aw right. That's anuff. Ah'll get ye a dug.

Aw, Daddy! A dug! A dug!



No? Not quite getting all of that? Ok then here's how it would sound without a broad Scottish dialect.

A Dog A Dog

Hey, Daddy, would you get us a Dog?
A big brown Alsation or a small white pug?
Or a skinny small terrier, or a big fat bull?
Oh, Daddy, get us a Dog. Will you?

What! And whose Dog will it be when it messes the floor,
And wets the carpet and messes the stair?
It will be me or your Mum who will be taken for a mug.
Go out and play. You are not getting a Dog.

But Daddy, they are giving them away
Down there at the RSPCA.
You will get one for nothing so you will.
Oh. Daddy, get us a Dog, Will you?

Down there at the RSPCA!
Do you think I have nothing else to do?
But to get you a dog I have to remember?
You dont need a dog you are not blind

Yes but Daddy they great for guarding the house,
And better than cats for catching a mouse,
And wee Danny's dog can pull his barrow.
Now please Daddy get us a dog will you?z

Do you hear me? On about Dogs again?
I think that you have got Dogs on the brain.
I know what you will get: a blow on the ear
If I hear any more about this blooming Dog.

Oh, Daddy, it wouldn't be expensive to keep
And I'd make it a basket for it to sleep.
And I'd take it for runs away over the hill.
Oh, Daddy, get us a Dog, Will you'?

A don't think they is anybody like you:
You could coax the twist out a flaming corkscrew.
Now! Get down off my neck. Give me none of your hugs.
All right. That's enough. I'll get you a Dog.


Oh Daddy. A Dog. A Dog.


See you actually understood more than you thought eh? ;)

Fun February

My Mother arrives tomorrow - any of my old friends/readers will know these are usually long, drawn out visits that by the time she goes home I'm emotionally worn out from and the kids are happy to get their lives back. Still Family is family eh?


The reason for her visit is that Big one is about to become Sweet Sixteen. My baby is going to be SIXTEEN!!! How the hell did that come round so fast? :o


It doesn't seem minutes ago that she was put in my arms for the first time, well of course after all the ouching and eeking and possibly a "don't you ever touch me again!!!" or such like to her Daddy. But let's just focus on the nice bit, my beautiful girl.

So to help keep me sane and to celebrate Big One's 16th birthday I hereby propose to post every single day for the whole of February.

Hopefully each post will have some fun in it and if nothing else will either stop me doing this or help me vent to relieve feeling like this which is more likely having Mother here for two weeks. ;)