Ratbag

We didn't make the snowflakes but...

2011-12-28T00:08:00.005Z

I did make all of these.

Christmas was.... well let's just say it was not one of our usual ones but with my job I guess that was to be expected.

I'm exhausted physically and emotionally but I am counting down the days to a whole week's leave. Hopefully that will help me start 2012 with a bit of va va voom. I'm determined that I'm going to rock 2012 and it's going to the year I make good things happen. Wish me luck.

Ho Sodding Ho

2011-12-09T18:55:00.003Z

And that's me being polite ;)

Not one speck of tinsel has found it's way out of the Christmas decorations box yet. Small people have neither queried or requested it so I'm wondering just how long we can go without it all before it becomes silly and folk start to think I've really been reading those WatchTowers.

I've managed to scrabble together most of one child's presents from Santa, a wee pile for another child and barely a bulge in a carrier bag for the third one. Why does no one know what they want this year?!?

Where is my Christmas spirit? Well the bottled kind that had been languishing at the back of my cupboards for cough cough some time were shoved into a homemade hamper that I put together back in October for Mother to take back down the road with her for my brother and sister-in-law. How organised was I! Yeah ok I guess using the word shoved does imply that it was more a hasty thought of ooh let me quickly put something together for them and save myself a gazzillion pounds in postage.

I spent the equivalent of a small countries debt on sheets of stamps the other day in the hope that it would motivate me to actually write the Christmas cards. Not worked so far. Why do we have to send Christmas cards, am I the only one that finds writing them a chore? If you haven't spoken to someone all year why do you feel obliged to send them a card with snow on the front of it just because it's Christmas? You're probably not going to speak to them again all of next year.

I do however have our Christmas day meat sorted. I expect that says more about me than I'd want a psychologist to know but it was on offer and we really wanted to try one last year but they were all sold out. It's one of those 3 bird roasts thingys and its taking up a huge chunk of my freezer space as we speak. It better be good!

I think I need to sit down with my small people and make the hundreds of snowflakes we do every year and if that doesn't put some sparkle in my baubles then I must be a lost cause and there's no hope for me.

This post was brought to you under the advisement of dear bloggy friends who tell me to just write something/anything.....well you asked for it so how was it? :D

Lost: One blogging mojo

2011-12-03T13:13:00.004Z

If found please return to Taz, she kinda misses it.

Reward: Possible handmade gift if said mojo has her crafting mojo tagging along.

Thank you.

Pssst!

2011-10-05T00:51:00.008+01:00

Have you seen that Taz anywhere lately?

Isn't that her over there?

Is it? Are you sure?

TAZ! TAZ! TAZ! TAZ!

If it is her she better have some bread! Leaving us here all this time!

Photos taken by Taz during the summer holidays when we actually had a sunny day!

Wordy Wednesday

2011-07-27T07:55:00.000+01:00

A NAVAJO LEGEND OF WINTER

NAYENGEZANI, Destroyer of Wizards,
Bearing the war club, the quiver and bow,
Sang as he strode through the roar of the blizzards
Over the road to the Mountain of Snow--

"There dwells the Cold-Woman, high on her barrow,
Sending the Winter to fetter the land;
Her shall I slay with the flint-headed arrow,
Freeing my race from her evil command!"

Deserts he traversed through perils uncounted,
Fearless of weapons, regardless of spells;
Threading the ice-cumbered cañon, he mounted
Clear to the crag where the Storm-Brewer dwells.

Wrinkled and agèd, unfed, unbefriended,
Lacking the lodge fire's comforting glow,
Shivered the Cold-Woman, tempest attended,
Shaking the robes of her pallet of snow.

Swept in a cloud through her frigid dominions,
Vague in the mists that enveloped her form,
Snow buntings fluttered on eddying pinions--
Spies for the Winter and heralds of Storm.

Loud spoke the Hero: "Thy harsh rule is ended!
Cruel my errand! The Spring to restore,
Ready to slay thee my strong bow is bended;
Men from thy rigors shall suffer no more!"

Tossing her tresses, she answered in sorrow,
"Loosen the arrow and slay, if thou wilt,
Blindly triumphant, forgetting the morrow!--
Mine be the triumph and thine be the guilt,

"When all the prairies, the forests, and mountains
Parch in a Summer that findeth no close!
When all the rivers and nourishing fountains
Fail for the lack of my bountiful snows!

"When not a breath of my blustering season,
Health-giving, freshens a pitiless sky!
When those thou lovest, undone by thy treason,
Thirsting shall perish and fevered shall die!"

Low spake the Hero, unnocking his arrow:
"Mine is the folly! Thou, Mother, art wise.
Rule as thou wilt from thy snow-shrouded barrow,
Sender of blessings that come in disguise!"

Nayengezani strode down through the ranges
Homeward, untainted with death-doing wrong,
Blessing the Year for its glorious changes,
Weaving his thought in a burden of song:

"Dark is the East Wind and yellow the West Wind!
Blue is the South Wind and white is the north!
Who hath the wisdom that knoweth the best wind--
Save the Creator Who sendeth it forth!"

The Cold-Woman - Arthur Guiterman

Wordy Wednesday

2011-07-20T07:52:00.000+01:00

On the Way to School - Charles Ghigna

I'll tell you why I'm tardy and I hope my excuse will do.
I stopped to view upon a leaf a spider and some dew.
She spun a web before my eyes with a soft and silver hue,
And when she looked, I looked at her and whispered, "Peekaboo!"

I think I may have startled her and so I waved good-bye,
But when I turned around to go, I met a butterfly!
I almost caught him in my hand to bring to class for you,
But when I tried to peek inside, away my treasure flew.

And that is how I'm tardy, but I had to tell you why.
It's all the fault of a spider's web and a sneaky butterfly!

Busy bee

2011-07-18T00:28:00.002+01:00

That's me!

Ok obviously I'm not actually a real bee, this was one that I managed to snap quickly on my old point and shoot digi camera (wish I had a better camera - one day maybe but it's at the end of a very long list) while the kids were playing at the park.

I'm currently fostering a young lad who needs a LOT of attention so my computer time has gone from hours and hours to mere seconds. :) So I'll probably not be around as much for a wee while until things settle down and routines get put in place.
It was a lovely sunny day here yesterday but I see that there was a lot of rain everywhere else, mind you we had a full day of rain on Saturday so when the sun came out to play yesterday we went paddling in the sea and making the most of it because it'll probably be rain again tomorrow.

Wordy Wednesday

2011-07-13T07:47:00.000+01:00

This is She - Arthur Guiterman

On order that must be obeyed
I sing of a dear little maid;
A mirthfully serious,
Sober, delirious,
Gently imperious
Maid.

And first we'll consider her eyes
(Alike as to color and size);
Her winkable, blinkable,
Merrily twinkable,
Simply unthinkable
Eyes.

Then, having a moment to spare,
We turn our attention to hair;
Her tendrilly-curlative,
Tumbly-and-whirlative,
Super-superlative
Hair.

Forbear to dismiss with a shrug
Her nose, undeniable pug;--
Her strictly permissible,
Turn-up-like-thisable,
Urgently kissable
Pug.

Now, moving a point to the south,
We come to an Actual Mouth;
A coral, pearliferous,
Argumentiferous,
Mainly melliferous
Mouth.

Observe, underneath it, a chin,
Connoting the dimple within;
A steady, reliable,
Hardly defiable,
True, undeniable
Chin.

By all that is fair! it appears
We'd almost forgotten her ears!
Those never neglectable,
Tinted, delectable,
Highly respectable
Ears!

And last let us speak of herself,
That blithe little gipsy and elf,
Her quite unignorable,
Absence-deplorable,
Wholly adorable
Self

Home Grown

2011-07-09T08:49:00.001+01:00

Now I mentioned homegrown tomatoes. Oh yes I did.

Despite spending several back breaking - my muscles are still under protest several days later - hours working in the garden my veg plot is still half strawberry patch and half land of the weeds.

The rest of the garden is more weed free but still desperate for something more doing to it. The lawn still has a huge brown patch from our camping adventure at Easter! And when you have to mow your block paving you know you're definitely losing the battle of keeping up with the gardening.
Oh and did I mention the neighbours who chopped my hedge down? Or the fence man who STILL hasn't come to put me up a fence so I can have some privacy in my own garden? Aaaagggh!

Anyway wee one and I took ourselves off out for a drive the other day and found ourselves at a Homebase, don't ask!

I didn't get any of the things I actually need (lack of funds) but we did pick ourselves up two bargains that will hopefully pay for themselves.

Not sure why as they didn't appear any worse for wear than those that were still at full price.

Reduced from £4.99 to £1.98

At that price is would have been daft not to have a matching pair eh? :D

They perked up considerable after a good watering, but then inevitably not long after I watered them it started to rain and didn't stop for hours and hours!
Here's hoping soon we'll be able to nip out to the back door and pick some of our very own tomatoes.

Summertime Nom nom nom's

2011-07-07T21:18:00.003+01:00

Now having a pinterest account for some time now you'd think I'd have saved where I found this recipe wouldn't you?
No you probably know me well enough now to know that I wouldn't, that I would see it, think ooooh that looks not only yummy but really easy to do. Thus store it away in my head and have it pop back up again when I least expected.
Yeah that's the Taz you know so well. ;)

So anyway I didn't invent this recipe, I don't even know what the proper name for it is BUT I do know that it is delicious and wee one agrees.

There are only 4 ingredients, well 5 if you want to include the bread. ;)

I don't have quanities I'm afraid. I just used my eye and thought "yeah that looks about right."

* So take a large bowl and pour in a good glug glug glug of olive oil.
* Chop up a bunch of spring onions, finely.
* Chop up a good couple of handfuls of toms, I used cherry vine ones but you could use nice big ones, especially if you've got some home grown - more on that later.
* Take some feta cheese and crumble up. Again no quantity but I guess it depends on how big a bowl you are making.
* Mix up together with the oil and leave to sit for as long as you like, or not long at all if you're like me and wee one and just wanted to eat it straight away.
* Slice up some nice fresh bread, we used a French Stick.

Take yourself out in the sunshine, sit down, take a slice of bread and smoosh it into the dish.

And enjoy!

Added bonus - wee one spotting that the end of the bread was a heart shape, the end to a perfect meal.

Wordy Wednesday

2011-07-06T07:45:00.001+01:00

Father William - Lewis Carroll

"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," Father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--
Pray, what is the reason of that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his gray locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment -- one shilling the box --
Allow me to sell you a couple?"

"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father; "don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down-stairs!"

I'm Bored....Jar

2011-07-05T08:07:00.001+01:00

Like most parents I'm always on the lookout for something to keep the smalls entertained, especially over the long summer holidays. Up here in Scotland that's right now. We have made a list of things we'd like to do or could do in the past but after coming across this on HomeSpunThreads wee one and I spent an enjoyable afternoon making up our own I'm Bored Jar. Oh and a spare wee one for when she's at her Dad's as she tells me it's always boring at Dad's house. :/

First take a clean jar or you could use a baby's milk can or coffee can with a lid.

Some colourful paper.

One of these beauties.

A glamorous assistant who does things like this.

Yeah ok the remnants of the nail varnish isn't so glamorous...moving swiftly on!

Write lots of ideas for fun things. The link on the website gives you a couple of sheets of ideas but they are very American based so you may want to write some of your own. Plus you can sneak in a few of your own ideas in there. Y'know those things you've been wanting them to do for ages but they're always too busy with homework and after school stuff. ;)
We sprinkled in a few sparkles too, well you can never have enough sparkles can you?

And there we have it. Two I'm bored Jars ready for action. If we start running low after a couple of weeks I'll just pop some more ideas in. Don't worry about repeating ideas. I think we put in about 5 make a cake's and several go to the beach/park's. ;)

I'm hoping the jar wee one plans to take to her Dad's gives him a nudge to do more with her but as the saying goes you can lead a horse to water. Yadda yadda yadda. I don't think it's even entered his head how hurt big one is that he took himself off on a last minute holiday before going back to work instead of spending that precious time with her before she went to Malawi. You'd think the fact she could barely bring herself to talk to him properly on the phone might have given him a clue but no. I'd give him the heads up but the last time I tried to help in a situation like this he threw it back in my face and refused to take any responsibilities for his actions. So you'll understand how much it all upsets me, when all I have ever wanted is for him to put them first.

Anyway now I'm rambling and this was supposed to be a happy how to post. Let me know if you make your own I'm Bored Jars and any good ideas for things to do. ;)

Finally.......here is the bathroom

2011-07-04T02:10:00.000+01:00

A double shower cubicle and a nice white toilet and sink to replace the avocado suite.

We shifted the sink round from it's original setting as it made no sense having it there plus it freed up space on that wall keeping all the pipework together instead of the huge box thing that had hidden it all before. I took great pleasure ripping that box out I can tell you.

Nice shiny towel warmer/radiator that's very good for hanging socks on to dry. ;)

Another shot of the shower. Oh and the added bonus of being able to see where the ex tore down a wall in the back hallway about 3 years ago and then well you know the rest of that story. You can see where the wall was by the missing lino on the floor. You'll notice that the tiling is not finished at the doorway. That's because the plan is to continue the tiling out into the back hallway and kitchen, so to keep the flow we left it like that for now. I keep saying we - that's me and the guy that fitted the bathroom and never came back. LOL

And there we have it my shiny new bathroom minus the air extractor that hopefully I'll get fitted one of these days. Don't look too closely as I took these pics quickly to show you all and I hadn't done the housework yet. Yet! Who am I trying to kid - it's too sunny to do housework! LOL

Radio silence

2011-07-01T15:14:00.003+01:00

Well that's that then. Big one is away to Malawi and I won't hear from her now until the end of July when she comes back.

The drop off on Wednesday was a bit of a drama. There were tears, there were highs and lows and there was a middle of the night drive to collect a missing item of her uniform while she slept unaware that her wee sister and I would be standing at the pick up point in the morning ready to give her that one last hug and kiss that she wasn't expecting. Oh and the missing bit of uniform. :)

When I looked back after leaving her at her friends house and saw that sad face how could I not do something that I knew would make her smile? She had said earlier in the evening that she wished we could be there in the morning to wave her off.

Once wee one and and I had done the return 100 mile drive (fortunately wee one had slept during the night's journey) she took herself to school for the afternoon and I took myself off to my bed for some much needed shut eye. I'm getting too old for a 400 mile drive and a night of no sleep not to have an effect. :p

Later in the afternoon I switched on my laptop to discover a beautiful message that big one had left the previous afternoon, just before we left the house to take her down.

Then up popped a private message - she was at Heathrow, the flight to Malawi was due to leave shortly but she just wanted to send wee one and I more hugs and kisses and let us know that the fact she was about to fly to Africa really hadn't sunk in yet. Bless her.

I'm really going to miss having her here but I know she is going to have an amazing experience that hopefully she will look back on in years to come with good memories. I'm so proud of her and I can't wait to hear all about her adventures and I'll be sure to share with you all too. ;)

Wordy Wednesday

2011-06-29T08:55:00.000+01:00

On the Ning Nang Nong - Spike Milligan

On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!

6 months today

2011-06-24T01:15:00.002+01:00

We'll be waiting on Santa arriving ;)

Ducks quickly to avoid all the things doubtlessly getting thrown at my head! :D

Wordy Wednesday

2011-06-22T22:15:00.000+01:00

Attention please! Attention please! - Roald Dahl.

'Attention please! Attention please!
Don't dare to talk! Don't dare to sneeze!
Don't doze or daydream! Stay awake!
Your health, your very life's at stake!
Ho–ho, you say, they can't mean me.
Ha–ha, we answer, wait and see.

Did any of you ever meet
A child called Goldie Pinklesweet?
Who on her seventh birthday went
To stay with Granny down in Kent.
At lunchtime on the second day
Of dearest little Goldie's stay,
Granny announced, 'I'm going down
To do some shopping in the town.'
(D'you know why Granny didn't tell
The child to come along as well?
She's going to the nearest inn
To buy herself a double gin.)

So out she creeps. She shuts the door.
And Goldie, after making sure
That she is really by herself,
Goes quickly to the medicine shelf,
And there, her little greedy eyes
See pills of every shape and size,
Such fascinating colours too ––
Some green, some pink, some brown, some blue.
'All right,' she says, 'let's try the brown,'
She takes one pill and gulps it down.
'Yum–yum!' she cries. 'Hooray! What fun!
They're chocolate–coated, every one!'
She gobbles five, she gobbles ten,
She stops her gobbling only when
The last pill's gone. There are no more.
Slowly she rises from the floor.
She stops. She hiccups. Dear, oh dear,
She starts to feel a trifle queer.

You see, how could young Goldie know,
For nobody had told her so,
That Grandmama, her old relation
Suffered from frightful constipation.
This meant that every night she'd give
Herself a powerful laxative,
And all the medicines that she'd bought
Were naturally of this sort.
The pink and red and blue and green
Were all extremely strong and mean.
But far more fierce and meaner still,
Was Granny's little chocolate pill.
Its blast effect was quite uncanny.
It used to shake up even Granny.
In point of fact she did not dare
To use them more than twice a year.
So can you wonder little Goldie
Began to feel a wee bit moldy?

Inside her tummy, something stirred.
A funny gurgling sound was heard,
And then, oh dear, from deep within,
The ghastly rumbling sounds begin!
They rumbilate and roar and boom!
They bounce and echo round the room!
The floorboards shake and from the wall
Some bits of paint and plaster fall.
Explosions, whistles, awful bangs
Were followed by the loudest clangs.
(A man next door was heard to say,
'A thunderstorm is on the way.')
But on and on the rumbling goes.
A window cracks, a lamp–bulb blows.
Young Goldie clutched herself and cried,
'There's something wrong with my inside!'
This was, we very greatly fear,
The understatement of the year.
For wouldn't any child feel crummy,
With loud explosions in her tummy?

Granny, at half past two, came in,
Weaving a little from the gin,
But even so she quickly saw
The empty bottle on the floor.
'My precious laxatives!' she cried.
'I don't feel well,' the girl replied.
Angrily Grandma shook her head.
'I'm really not surprised,' she said.
'Why can't you leave my pills alone?'
With that, she grabbed the telephone
And shouted, 'Listen, send us quick
An ambulance! A child is sick!
It's number fifty, Fontwell Road!
Come fast! I think she might explode!'

We're sure you do not wish to hear
About the hospital and where
They did a lot of horrid things
With stomach–pumps and rubber rings.
Let's answer what you want to know;
Did Goldie live or did she go?
The doctors gathered round her bed,
'There's really not much hope,' they said.
'She's going, going, gone!' they cried.
'She's had her chips! She's dead! She's died!'
'I'm not so sure,' the child replied.
And all at once she opened wide
Her great big bluish eyes and sighed,
And gave the anxious docs a wink,
And said, 'I'll be okay, I think.'

So Goldie lived and back she went
At first to Granny's place in Kent.
Her father came the second day
And fetched her in a Chevrolet,
And drove her to their home in Dover.
But Goldie's troubles were not over.
You see, if someone takes enough
Of any highly dangerous stuff,
One will invariably find
Some traces of it left behind.
It pains us greatly to relate
That Goldie suffered from this fate.
She'd taken such a massive fill
Of this unpleasant kind of pill,
It got into her blood and bones,
It messed up all her chromosomes,
It made her constantly upset,
And she could never really get
The beastly stuff to go away.
And so the girl was forced to stay
For seven hours every day
Within the everlasting gloom
Of what we call The Ladies Room.
And after all, the W.C.
Is not the gayest place to be.
So now, before it is too late.
Take heed of Goldie's dreadful fate.
And seriously, all jokes apart,
Do promise us across your heart
That you will never help yourself
To medicine from the medicine shelf.'

Father's Day

2011-06-19T01:55:00.004+01:00

One of the last conversations with my Dad that has stayed with me all these years was while he was up staying with me in the Easter holidays of 2004.

I was just about to go on a field trip to Prague with my college and my Mum and Dad were up to look after my girls while I was away.

My Dad wasn't big on showing emotions, he had had a pretty crappy childhood. A Father who was in his 50's when he was born and a Mother who was so busy keeping her husband from sharing his fists and dealing with her own grief of a still born daughter meant there wasn't a whole lot of love shown in his childhood.

Despite all that my Dad was and is the only man in my life that I knew loved me and really did. He may not have talked about it but he showed me it in so many ways that now having two daughters of my own makes me realise my girls are missing out on so much.

Anyway...that conversation was an out of the blue moment. The girls were playing in the garden. Big one was 9 and wee one was 3 and a bit and my Dad was sat in the sun keeping an eye on them when he turned to me and told me how proud he was of me. Proud that I had spent the last two years studying at college for my HND and achieving A grades and proud for me keeping it all together, family and home when I had left everything I had known, including my own career, behind for my husbands job which effectively left me alone as a single parent the majority of the time.

Within a few days of my return from Prague my Mother in law died, three months later I received a phone call telling me my hero had had a heart attack and shortly after came the most horrendous call of my life telling me my Daddy was gone.

I thought when people said their legs gave way was just a phrase of speech but I can honestly say when I heard the words that my Dad was dead my legs gave way and I sank to the floor screaming.

This July will mark seven years of my life that I haven't had my Dad. I still have the urge to phone him to ask for advice when I'm attempting some diy project or I need to hear his voice. Seven years on and I still haven't deleted his number from my mobile phone.

Today there will be no Father's Day celebrations. My small people's Father has taken himself away on holiday despite the fact that big one is due to leave shortly for her month away in Malawi. I think that just about says it all!

I miss you so much Dad and I am just glad that we had that last chance for you to tell me how proud you were of me. I love you then, now and forever Daddy Bear. I hope you're still proud of me xxx

Thank **** it's Friday

2011-06-17T19:36:00.004+01:00

I'm not sure if there's some sort of universe shift going on but a lot of my friends seem to be feeling out of sorts this week, there have been many cases of if it's going to go wrong then you can pretty much guarantee that it's going to. And today I was pushed to my very last limit - that is to the limit that I actually did something about it and instead of allowing myself to be treated like an ever useful doormat I did what I find so easy to do for everyone else.

I stood up for myself.

There were tears, mainly due to sheer frustration and the amount of stress I've had piled on to my already fun packed days.

But I did it.

I stood up for myself, I reiterated that my No actually did mean NO. I told, when asked, exactly how it was and how I felt I had been backed into a very tight corner and I was thankfully met with understanding.

I shared with friends who rallied round me and one arrived at my house to take me out for coffee and a good old fashioned chat.

I came home and threw myself into yet another cupboard purge and then the phone rang. I received an apology from someone who actually didn't have anything to apologise for but it was nice to think that they thought they needed to do it and were prepared to offer it so freely.

The person who has caused all this stress has not phoned. In fact I don't even want them to, I do have an outstanding appointment with them next week and my gut is already twisting thinking I have to see them.

For now it's Friday night, I have a glass of wine prescribed by a friend and I have a huge shopping day to 'look' forward to tomorrow. I don't know if you remember me mentioning it before but my eldest small person is off to Malawi this summer. She leaves in 12 days :( and she will be out of my reach until the end of July. I can't phone her, text her, email her or even know how she's managing unless there is an emergency and then they will phone me. Hmmm yes thinking about it perhaps it was not the best time for someone to try and upset my little world when I have all that going on in my head.
Anyway that's the reason we're going shopping, she has a kit list as long as my arm and it's going to leave my purse very empty BUT I am so proud that my 16 year old is off to do something so worthwhile and have such an amazing experience.

I hope you've all had a better week than me and have something fun to look forward to this weekend.

Pics of bathroom are coming ;)

Wordy Wednesday

2011-06-15T09:07:00.000+01:00

All That is Gold Does Not Glitter - J R R Tolkien.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

The fugly bathroom

2011-06-13T08:14:00.001+01:00

When the ex and I bought this house 9 years ago it was decreed that we could live with the avocado bathroom for the time being but it would be refitted in due course.

7 years on and the ex had left but I was still living with the bathroom. Did I mention the walls were originally painted yellow? Oh yes this bathroom was just delightful!

Just imagine that the toilet was once that delightful shade of yucky green too, I forgot to take proper before shots and the toilet had already been changed as I started ripping it all out.

This all took place last year, as some of you may remember. I have still to get the extractor fan fitted, the guy returned once with the wrong size fan and has not been seen again. I am still in possession of his step ladders though so not sure how the exchange rate works on that. I'm not out of pocket anyway. He was paid for all work undertaken so I'm guessing the fitting of a fan is not worth his while to come and get paid to fit. Anyway minor details, let me show you the good stuff. ;)

I learnt a new skill - tiling! Well it helped keep the costs down.

This was my first wall. :)
I have to admit I didn't do the fiddly bits of tiling that involved cutting round things like the shower hose and outlet pipes. I left that to the professional.

The big white wall tiles were sale bargains, the fancy wee border tiles were expensive but I bought a couple of boxes of the large tile size and cut them down into strips myself which worked out far cheaper than buying them as strips ready cut. Crazy!
Floor tiles again were an on sale bargain.
Toilet and sink were a set in a box from the cheap and cheerful range.
And my lovely big double shower base was bought during a quick buy it now and we'll take a few percent off the price weekend. :)

Do you want to see it all finished now?

Cupboard cooking

2011-06-12T08:47:00.000+01:00

Take...

1 chopped onion, peel off and cut away the dodgy bits if it's been lying about in the cupboard too long.
A couple of crushed cloves of garlic, if the fresh stuff has shrivelled up in the cupboard hunt for the jar of lazy garlic you know is in there somewhere.
1 tin of chopped toms or if they're not chopped as mine weren't just use a knife and chop them up yourself.
A squirt of tomato puree, cut the tube open as you would toothpaste to get that very last bit out.
S+P, Herbs to your own taste or whatever you can find in the cupboard.

Simmer away in a pan until you have your very own lovely tomato sauce.

Cooked with a bag of Quorn Mince found stuffed at the back of the freezer when you were doing your clever inventory.

Now either make up the packet of cheese sauce again found in the cupboard or make up some fresh cheese sauce with some flour, milk and that hard bit of cheese that was in the fridge that nobody seemed to be eating.

If you're me then realise you've no pasta sheets then take the left over tortilla's from the bread bin and use in place of said pasta sheets.

Then get on with some fancy layer work.

A bit more of that grated cheese because of course you'll have remembered to hold some back for the final topping.

Pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes, I can't be more accurate than that I'm afraid as I kind of lost track of time and just judged it by eye. This style of cooking makes my small people giggle as the timer bell inevitably goes off when we're already sat down and starting eating.
Anyway I digress....
Serve up with a lovely salad and there you are..

A healthy, frugal yummy meal from things you already had in your cupboards/freezers/fridges - see told you those lists would come in handy eh? ;)

This is really cool

2011-06-11T19:24:00.001+01:00

What happened in my birth year.

Check it out!

Do you know exactly what you have?

2011-06-11T00:23:00.002+01:00

Don't panic I'm not asking you to share anything racy but rather I'm curious as to whether other folk know how much food they have in their cupboards and freezers.

I'm sure I can't be the only one who used to rummage about and couldn't remember either buying that or when exactly it was put in the freezer.

I've been doing weekly menus and posting them up on the fridge door for some time now. Not only is it a great money saver as I know exactly what I need to buy each week, it has also stopped the daily "What's for tea Mum? Ooooh do we have to have that!" conversations. Everyone knows what's coming and amazingly no one seems to moan. Of course no doubt now I have totally jinxed myself saying that.

So there I was buying only what I need for each weeks menu but still having to do the rummage to fit things in the cupboards and freezer.

Enough I thought to myself, well I probably said it out loud to the dog. Poor old beast has to listen to a lot of my ramblings bless him.

So I pulled everything and I mean EVERYTHING out of the freezer and the cupboards and I wrote me an inventory.

As you can see when I painted the kitchen cupboards with the blackboard paint I didn't have enough to do the insides of the doors - oops!

Once the lists were made I realised I could feed us for a good couple of weeks only having to buy a few fresh bits and pieces thus saving my grocery money and having that cash free to put towards an upcoming large bill. Brilliant!

Now each week I consult my lists and never have to wonder whether I have something when the mood takes me to make something.

Next job is to design some nice sheets so they look a bit prettier stuck around my kitchen. :)

So do you know exactly what you have?

New stuff for the walls

2011-06-10T08:32:00.000+01:00

In an attempt to make my house prettier and with very few spare pennies to spend on non necessities I decided to try something out from my stash pile.

A few fabrics that I have been loathe to chop up and some embroidery hoops bought very cheaply from my local charity shop (big one went through a cross stitch phase) and this was the result

I've tucked the fabric in at the back so I can still use it for a future project when either I tire of them on the wall or inspiration strikes me.
For now one wall in my living room looks a whole lot nicer. In fact my wee one on her return from school asked if I could do something similar for her bedroom, unfortunately big one didn't agree and thinks this is just yet another example of my weirdness. LOL

Cakes but you can't eat them

2011-06-09T08:57:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I sent very patient swap partner, yes that's you Beki, her parcel

I didn't take pictures of everything I sent - because I am useless in more fields than just posting things.

But I did manage to take photos of the cake bits....

A mixed media painting of something I know Beki enjoys

Beki tells me the sprinkles survived the journey south. :)

And a knitted dishcloth....

Just something to help brighten up those tedious daily chores.

Like I said there were other things but no photos I'm afraid.

Wordy Wednesday

2011-06-08T09:00:00.001+01:00

Cinderella - Roald Dahl.

I guess you think you know this story.
You don't. The real one's much more gory.
The phoney one, the one you know,
Was cooked up years and years ago,
And made to sound all soft and sappy
just to keep the children happy.
Mind you, they got the first bit right,
The bit where, in the dead of night,
The Ugly Sisters, jewels and all,
Departed for the Palace Ball,
While darling little Cinderella
Was locked up in a slimy cellar,
Where rats who wanted things to eat,
Began to nibble at her feet.

She bellowed 'Help!' and 'Let me out!
The Magic Fairy heard her shout.
Appearing in a blaze of light,
She said: 'My dear, are you all right?'
'All right?' cried Cindy .'Can't you see
'I feel as rotten as can be!'
She beat her fist against the wall,
And shouted, 'Get me to the Ball!
'There is a Disco at the Palace!
'The rest have gone and I am jealous!
'I want a dress! I want a coach!
'And earrings and a diamond brooch!
'And silver slippers, two of those!
'And lovely nylon panty hose!
'Done up like that I'll guarantee
'The handsome Prince will fall for me!'
The Fairy said, 'Hang on a tick.'
She gave her wand a mighty flick
And quickly, in no time at all,
Cindy was at the Palace Ball!

It made the Ugly Sisters wince
To see her dancing with the Prince.
She held him very tight and pressed
herself against his manly chest.
The Prince himself was turned to pulp,
All he could do was gasp and gulp.
Then midnight struck. She shouted,'Heck!
I've got to run to save my neck!'
The Prince cried, 'No! Alas! Alack!'
He grabbed her dress to hold her back.
As Cindy shouted, 'Let me go!'
The dress was ripped from head to toe.

She ran out in her underwear,
And lost one slipper on the stair.
The Prince was on it like a dart,
He pressed it to his pounding heart,
'The girl this slipper fits,' he cried,
'Tomorrow morn shall be my bride!
I'll visit every house in town
'Until I've tracked the maiden down!'
Then rather carelessly, I fear,
He placed it on a crate of beer.

At once, one of the Ugly Sisters,
(The one whose face was blotched with blisters)
Sneaked up and grabbed the dainty shoe,
And quickly flushed it down the loo.
Then in its place she calmly put
The slipper from her own left foot.
Ah ha, you see, the plot grows thicker,
And Cindy's luck starts looking sicker.

Next day, the Prince went charging down
To knock on all the doors in town.
In every house, the tension grew.
Who was the owner of the shoe?
The shoe was long and very wide.
(A normal foot got lost inside.)
Also it smelled a wee bit icky.
(The owner's feet were hot and sticky.)
Thousands of eager people came
To try it on, but all in vain.
Now came the Ugly Sisters' go.
One tried it on. The Prince screamed, 'No!'
But she screamed, 'Yes! It fits! Whoopee!
'So now you've got to marry me!'
The Prince went white from ear to ear.
He muttered, 'Let me out of here.'
'Oh no you don't! You made a vow!
'There's no way you can back out now!'
'Off with her head!'The Prince roared back.
They chopped it off with one big whack.
This pleased the Prince. He smiled and said,
'She's prettier without her head.'
Then up came Sister Number Two,
Who yelled, 'Now I will try the shoe!'
'Try this instead!' the Prince yelled back.
He swung his trusty sword and smack
Her head went crashing to the ground.
It bounced a bit and rolled around.
In the kitchen, peeling spuds,
Cinderella heard the thuds
Of bouncing heads upon the floor,
And poked her own head round the door.
'What's all the racket? 'Cindy cried.
'Mind your own bizz,' the Prince replied.
Poor Cindy's heart was torn to shreds.
My Prince! she thought. He chops off heads!
How could I marry anyone
Who does that sort of thing for fun?

The Prince cried, 'Who's this dirty slut?
'Off with her nut! Off with her nut!'
Just then, all in a blaze of light,
The Magic Fairy hove in sight,
Her Magic Wand went swoosh and swish!
'Cindy! 'she cried, 'come make a wish!
'Wish anything and have no doubt
'That I will make it come about!'
Cindy answered, 'Oh kind Fairy,
'This time I shall be more wary.
'No more Princes, no more money.
'I have had my taste of honey.
I'm wishing for a decent man.
'They're hard to find. D'you think you can?'
Within a minute, Cinderella
Was married to a lovely feller,
A simple jam maker by trade,
Who sold good home-made marmalade.
Their house was filled with smiles and laughter
And they were happy ever after.

Burn baby burn

2011-06-06T22:50:00.002+01:00

I do enjoy a good fire.

Every so often I light one at the bottom of my garden with all the woody debris that builds up.

I think being raised in a house with no central heating but only a coal fire for heat means I spent a lot of time watching the pictures in the flames.

Now I get to take cool photos of them so on the nights we don't need a fire I can still feel it's heat.

Wordy Wednesday

2011-06-01T08:47:00.000+01:00

TELEVISION - Roald Dahl.

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink --
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rate and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

More cake vicar?

2011-05-30T20:55:00.003+01:00

Lemon Drizzle Cake fresh out of the oven.

From Sam Stern's Student Cookbook

I wonder if big one will actually cook anything out of it when she goes off to Uni next year. Or will I be cooking great batches of things to send her back to the Halls with. :)

A sign

2011-05-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

Literally!

This is the kind of stuff they don't tell you about in Emma's Diary! I just googled to check if in fact Emma still has her diary and I see there is now an online version. Show's how long it's been since I had a baby. LOL

Anyway I saw this in the PDSA shop and just had to have it for my kitchen wall.... well it makes me feel better even if nobody actually takes a blind bit of notice of it. :)

Collections

2011-05-23T08:48:00.001+01:00

It started with the odd heart rock

Then the odd bit of sea glass

Now it's turned into a proper collection. The smalls often bring me heart rocks or bits of sea glass home with them from their travels and big one has even told me that she wants to inherit all the sea glass when I'm gone. LOL

What natural collections do you have?

Making decisions

2011-05-22T00:03:00.000+01:00

Frugal hair

2011-05-09T21:52:00.005+01:00

My name is Taz and I haven't had a hair cut since.....................

actually I can't even remember the last time I had a hair cut. Hmmm think it must be a good year or so ago.

I have hair that grows incredibly fast. Many would think this is a wonderful thing to have but it can actually be a serious pain in the purse.

To have a style and keep that style I would have to have a trim at least every 3 weeks. Most folk get their hair trimmed every 6 weeks apparently. That means I'd have to have twice as many visits to the hairdresser a year.

Now back in the days when I had a husband and was therefore deemed eligible to spoken to by the 'others' I know that they would spend at least £40 a visit. :o I should imagine it's probably a lot more than that now.

Let me just fumble with my calculator....
that's just shy of £700 a year and that's not including the more expensive visits for restyles, colourings, root upkeeps when the prices go sky high.

I've been colouring my own hair since I was a teenager and despite a right snotty hairdresser once telling me I should never do that as my hair would go green (as of yet it never has but then i've never yet picked up the green hair dye box) it's always fine.

I used to cut my own hair back in the daring teen and early 20's years. I have the photos of some of those creations, they bring much hilarity to the small people. I tend to just focus on the very thin, fresh skinned pretty kid that of course I never thought I was. Sigh!

Anyway where was I? Oh yes my crowning glory. My 'you must have a grow bag for brains your hair grows so quick' hair.

Over the last few years I tend to let it do it's own thing - growing. Then have it chopped to about shoulder length, then off it goes growing again, then after a year or two I go back and the process repeats. Everytime the hairdresser hunts for split ends and damage that will highlight the fact that I should be getting a trim on a regular basis and everytime they are disappointed.
Everytime I tell them I have had the same hairdryer for 20 years now but as they don't see me very often I guess they forget. It was my 21st birthday present and it's still like new. I'm sure it should be in the guiness book of records. :) Poor neglected thing rarely gets used, I wonder if the ghd's I had as a birthday present a couple of years back will last as long too.

As I said it's been a while since my last trim but my lovely 16 year old agreed to give it a go so this afternoon we took ourselves to the bathroom telling wee one we may be some time.

She trimmed the ends of my hair then applied the red that has been my colour of choice for nearly a year now.
I think she did a pretty amazing job.

I hope the sun keeps shining as it makes my hair look wild.

Frugal?

Hair cut - free and big one has now learnt a new skill.
Colour - £9.38 (my hair is so long it takes two boxes) but the application, rinse and condition was done all for free by my lovely big one. :)

So yes frugal and the bonus is all that one on one time with big one.

Hmpfh!

2011-04-24T22:29:00.007+01:00

I've not blogged as I've been busy trying to enjoy the sunny days we've been having...

recovering from the mini camping in the garden trip.

trying to keep big one's stress levels at least on an even keel if not totally calm while she's taking her prelim exams (mocks)

trying to sort things out with the ex over our divorce.

trying to summon up some energy to get the million and one things on my to list done

but feeling a bit like there has been a black cartoon cloud hovering over my head all the time.

The smalls and I had a lovely Easter Sunday together today though and I'll tell you all about it and some other good stuff soon. ;)

Ouch!

2011-04-15T19:24:00.005+01:00

Big one went off yesterday on yet another of her training weekends for her pending Malawi expedition leaving wee one and I at a loose end.

So 'call me crazy' because quite clearly I am! I thought I know, I'll set up our teepee in the garden and we can have a wee camping trip of our own.

I checked the weather forcast and it was fairly good, the odd chance of showers but fingers crossed they've not appeared - YET!

Wee one got very excited and set us up with crocheted blankets and pillows and after a wee trip to the local shop a few treats for watching a movie while we were tucked up all cosy in our sleeping bags.

So there we were, darkness fell, the dog decided he wasn't going to get left out thank you very much and joined us in the tent, thankfully there's plenty of room for his big bum too, even if he does snore like a trouper.

We munched on our crisps and kitkat pop thingys - very nice! Watching Marley and Me - sobbing our little eyes out. I knew it was a soppy one so we even had a box of tissues at the ready, just as well as wee one spilt her drink.

Then we read some more of our new Horrible Histories book by windup torchlight and then it was time to go to sleep.

WHY did I think we could forgo the inflatable mattress?!?!

Hour after uncomfortable hour went by and I couldn't get to sleep no matter how hard I tried. Wee one said she didn't sleep but I can vouch for the fact she was flat out and looking angelic as they do when they're off in the land of nod.

Come dawn break and the birds started twittering as they do, sleep finally decided to visit and I managed to snatch a quick nap before the sun lit up the tent and wee one was asking what was for breakfast.

My back!!! My hips!!! My spine!!!! Ouch!!!

They've all been very sore and achy all day today but we are about to enter the tent again for another night of home camping BUT I have already inflated the mattress AND popped open a bottle of vino to hopefully encourage the sleep fairy to visit me tonight.

The things I do to put a smile on my small people's faces. Worth it though :)

Sorry far too busy

2011-04-14T01:32:00.003+01:00

spending time with my small people while they're off on their Easter holidays.
Yes you did read that right, in fact they go back to school on Monday the 18th.
Yes, that's right that's nowhere near Easter - so they've had their Easter holidays 2 weeks too early.
Fortunately they will get Good Friday off school and then the Royal Wedding Day too so that should help a bit. :)
Only problem is as they've been off for their Easter holidays already they're wanting their Easter eggs already LOL

As said I've been very busy, not just with the smalls but with things around the house too. Lots to share but sods law my card reader has decided now would be a good time to die so I can't get any photos off my camera.
Great more expense! And yes that was sarcasm. ;)

Just why?

2011-04-04T07:44:00.000+01:00

“Commemorative tea towels are so 1981,” said GDHA, distributor for GE appliances in the UK, as it unveiled “the ultimate” in Royal Wedding memorabilia – a 5’9” side-by-side fridge freezer emblazoned with one of the official engagement photographs of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Call me old fashioned but I think I'd stick to the mugs and teatowels!

To all the Mums

2011-04-03T06:00:00.000+01:00

"Mothers of teenagers know why animals eat their young." - Author Unknown

"Mothers are all slightly insane." - J.D. Salinger

"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." - Phyllis Diller

"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." - Calvin Trillin

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." - Tenneva Jordan

"There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it." - Chinese Proverb

"You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back." - William D. Tammeus.

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it." - Mark Twain

Whether you receive a home made card, a bunch of flowers, an expensive gift that Daddy/Grandma/Mum's friend bought or nothing at all - the best gift you'll get today is two wee arms wrapped round your heart. I wish you all a beautiful day. Taz xxx

Rock Paper Scissors

2011-04-02T08:33:00.000+01:00

Do you remember playing this in school?

Have you spent many an hour reminiscing and wishing you could have taken it up in a professional capacity instead of the dreary career you found yourself in?

Well as the saying goes...

Only in America!

Just for you, look what I found.

America's Offical Rock Paper Scissors League

Words fail me!

But just in case you're now fancying a game - here's a reminder of the rules ;)

And no this is not a belated April Fools :)

April Fools!!

2011-04-01T01:28:00.003+01:00

Well I hope that was sugar you had in your tea this morning and not salt and that there wasn't any clingfilm over the toilet when you were half asleep or that somebody didn't swap your hair remover cream with your shampoo!

April Fools - annoying or fun? Now there's a debate that could go on and on.

My beautiful small people aren't prone to playing tricks on their poor old Mum first thing in the morning and thanks to whoever started that you can't do any after 12 noon rumour by the time they get home from school it's all over. :)

We do like having a bit of fun in this mad house but we just don't limit ourselves to the one day of the year. ;)

Anyway here are a few hoaxes (not mine) that you may remember ...

Planetary Alignment Decreases Gravity
1976: The British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that at 9:47 AM a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that listeners could experience in their very own homes. The planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment that would counteract and lessen the Earth's own gravity. Moore told his listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment that this planetary alignment occurred, they would experience a strange floating sensation. When 9:47 AM arrived, BBC2 began to receive hundreds of phone calls from listeners claiming to have felt the sensation. One woman even reported that she and her eleven friends had risen from their chairs and floated around the room.

The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."

UFO Lands in London
1989: On March 31, 1989 thousands of motorists driving on the highway outside London looked up in the air to see a glowing flying saucer descending on their city. Many of them pulled to the side of the road to watch the bizarre craft float through the air. The saucer finally landed in a field on the outskirts of London where local residents immediately called the police to warn them of an alien invasion. Soon the police arrived on the scene, and one brave officer approached the craft with his truncheon extended before him. When a door in the craft popped open, and a small, silver-suited figure emerged, the policeman ran in the opposite direction. The saucer turned out to be a hot-air balloon that had been specially built to look like a UFO by Richard Branson, the 36-year-old chairman of Virgin Records. The stunt combined his passion for ballooning with his love of pranks. His plan was to land the craft in London's Hyde Park on April 1. Unfortunately, the wind blew him off course, and he was forced to land a day early in the wrong location.

Whistling Carrots
2002: The British supermarket chain Tesco published an advertisement in The Sun announcing the successful development of a genetically modified 'whistling carrot.' The ad explained that the carrots had been specially engineered to grow with tapered airholes in their side. When fully cooked, these airholes caused the vegetable to whistle.

Big Ben Goes Digital
1980: The BBC reported that Big Ben, in order to keep up with the times, was going to be given a digital readout. The announcement received a huge response from listeners shocked and angered by the proposed change. The BBC Japanese service also announced that the clock hands would be sold to the first four listeners to contact them. One Japanese seaman in the mid-Atlantic immediately radioed in a bid

and one of my favourites

Flying Penguins
2008: The BBC announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history series Miracles of Evolution had captured footage of Adélie penguins taking to the air. It even offered a video clip of these flying penguins, which became one of the most viewed videos on the internet. Presenter Terry Jones explained that, instead of huddling together to endure the Antarctic winter, these penguins took to the air and flew thousands of miles to the rainforests of South America where they "spend the winter basking in the tropical sun."

Busy, busy, busy

2011-03-30T19:15:00.006+01:00

Well there have been another two trips. The nice man, who helps me unload my car, at the recycling centre and I are now definately on first name terms and he's even been telling me his 'bad' jokes. Trust me they're bad! LOL

This morning a friend called round to collect the home gym that the ex bought years ago, used twice and very 'kindly' left behind along with a whole other load of cr*p that I'm having to work through or maybe he thinks he can just leave his stuff here forever? I'm thinking after two years I can start insisting things leave right?

I did ask him to take the gym but he said he didn't want it and to do whatever I wanted with it. So I have. I made a half hearted attempt at selling it a while back but it was more trouble than it was worth and with my new clearing out rules firmly in my head it was time it just went.
So it is now living at my friend's house ready for when his son is home on leave so he can keep up with his training. :D

Then it was off to town to collect the two desks that I reserved online last night from Argos. Both reduced in their Spring sale and because I also bought a much needed lockable filing cabinet and my bill went over £100 I got a £10 voucher back. Result!
Before I picked them up though I quickly ran into good old Farmfoods to see what bargains were to be had. Is shopping at Farmfoods the same everywhere I wonder? You see loads of bargains but you can't buy too much as you can't park anywhere remotely close and those bags are heavy!

So a quick shop in FF's and a stop over at Lidl's and that's our meals sorted for a good wee while.

Then it was home to begin the build...

I think there must be something wrong with my technique as every single chuffing time I build a flat pack I end up with a blister on the palm of my hand. I obviously grip too tightly ;)

So wee one is now the proud owner of a new desk and is very excited to fill up all the drawers with all her art stuff and fill the pots on the wall hanging thingy I bought in Ikea yonks ago with all her pens. :) Yes I put that up too AND a mirror AND I took down an old tv stand that I think the ex had welded onto the wall as it was near impossible to get off but off it came. Hmmm actually I think that might actually explain the blister on my hand.

Tomorrow's job is to build up big one's desk who desperately needs it as she's cramming like mad for her upcoming pre-lim exams (mocks to those of you south of the border) and subsquent Highers (A Levels) and I'm sure she'd find it much better being able to work at a desk, well her back will thank her in years to come anyway LOL

Another job will be to tell you about the award I have been awarded by the lovely ME no not Me but the ME you'll get to meet if you click on the link ;)

Four years on

2011-03-27T15:15:00.001+01:00

Well today marks four years since I started this blog and my how things have changed or not as the case may be.

How old!

2011-03-24T19:34:00.006Z

So today I rolled up my sleeves and tackled the dreaded airing cupboard.

Now, of course because it's me, my airing cupboard isn't your traditional kind of cupboard with a door or where the hot water tank used to hide out.

No my airing cupboard is more of a box. A great big thing that's been built in between the wall space between the two front bedrooms. Imagine a chest freezer style wooden box full of years of sheets, towels, blankets. The lid doesn't stay open so you have to constantly hold the lid up and it's a blinking heavy.

I have tidied and sorted it several times over the years but now that I have finally been smacked around the head with the realisation that I don't have to keep everything just incase I decided it was time for a proper sort out.

So I emptied out the whole box and sorted and sorted and sorted.

Sometime later.....

I had

One big bin bag full of stuff to go to the charity shop

and

One big bag of things to be cut up and used for cleaning rags.

The box is now practically empty. There are two changes of duvet, sheets etc for all the beds in the house. One on and one off.
And two each for either gender of foster child I have staying.

I've kept the wee blankets that were handmade each for the smalls - one each.

I've also kept the two big crochet blankets my Nanna made and the big heavy duty blankets for those cold cold nights we tend to have up here.

The title of the post was for the two towels I found right at the bottom that my Mum made for me when me and the ex were setting up home many many moons ago. They will be used for the dog's next bath then disposed of.

I'm all fired up to keep going but this weekend I'm here there and everywhere running everyone around, oh and taking the smalls to see McFly.

Now where did I put those 'just incase' ear plugs?

Too much stuff

2011-03-23T21:20:00.002Z

I'm on, what feels like, a constant decluttering spree.

When we moved into this house some 9 years ago we didn't have enough furniture to fill it.

9 years on and some pretty miserable times and it would seem I have surrounded us (with some help I might add) with too much stuff.

There always seems to be piles of things, everywhere.

I sort through things and make a pile, then move that pile to another place.

Then another pile materialises.

Then I take bags and bags of things to the charity shop, to the skip, to the recycling centre.

I come home...

There are piles of stuff still.

It doesn't help that the ex still has a lot of stuff here but I'm hoping he can be persuaded that after two years of us being apart it's time for him to get it shifted - either that or he'll be getting billed for skip hire. ;)

A psychologist would probably have a field day telling me lots of different theories as to why this is happening but I pretty much know why it happens, I just need to keep going so one of these days there will only be two small piles.

An In pile that is dealt with on a daily basis

and

An Out pile.

For my house and for my head let's hope this time I clear it all.

I really should send more letters

2011-03-18T09:48:00.000Z

I'm sure everyone's already seen and used these new Royal Mail stamps but for me.

Magical Realms Stamps.

How cool are they?

Unfortunately the post I do send out is usually in big boxes so the postage is printed off on a boring white label.

Actually now would be a good time to go stock up on some stamps as on the 4th April First class stamps go up by 5p to 46p and 2nd-class 4p to 36p.

Eh up

2011-03-17T10:54:00.000Z

Hello Walter's the name

The lady of the house has been routing about in the Charity shop again and bless her heart she rescued me from the shame of being reduced.

Apparently it was my face that made her heart go all oooooh. When she spotted my reduced label she had me turned this way and that trying to see why they would do such a thing to such a handsome chap as myself.

I mean what's not to love about this face? Eh?

Then she spotted this wee toadstool and she thought it would make a nice arrangement with the big one she already had at home.

So off we both went to a new home full of weird and wonderful things. The woman has heads on her mantlepiece you know? Not real, used to be attached to a body kind of heads but a glass one and a budda one and the like. Strange really but I'm too much of a gentleman to say such things out loud - oops!

Unfortunately the wee toadstool has since been consigned to the box in the hall waiting to go back to the charity shop. She says it's just not right and then starting mumbling something about not keeping too much clutter anymore, in, out, loved, used. I think she might be a bit odd but she's my hero and I now have a lovely new home in her fancy new bathroom. You should see it apparently it's not finished cos the man who did it STILL hasn't come back to fit the fan - yeah she went off on one of her rants again. Bless her.

Anyway nice to meet you, best be off. I can hear her coming down the stairs with yet another full bin bag. She obviously means business with this de-cluttering lark, I best keep in her good books.

A Special if a bit late Thank yoooooou

2011-03-16T12:38:00.000Z

A certain young lady decided to take Valentine's Day by the horns this year. Valentine's Day was normally a day when her letterbox didn't rattle and her other half seemed oblivious to the romance of the day.
So she sent out some beautiful Valentine packages instead of sitting at home not enjoying Valentine's Day and as luck would have it the Karma fairy decided to give the said other half a switch kick and lo and behold this year her letterbox fair fell off. ;) Well done that man.

I was one of the very lucky friends who she chose to treat...

Alex, thank you, you are a sweetheart and everyday should be Valentine's Day for you. xxxx

Yes well

2011-03-15T21:17:00.003Z

to make up for probably scarring a fair few of you for life with that poor piggy on my last post I thought I'd share some photos of the lovely Tapas big one and I shared while we were down in Glasgow.
Hopefully this will help bring any lost appetites back ;)

The food was absolutely gorgeous and as you can see from the last photo we were struggling to finish it. The lovely waiter urged us to keep eating but we just couldn't force anymore into our very full tummys. You have to like a restaurant where the staff are obviously of Spanish descent AND they encourage you to eat. :D

I'm thinking of reasons why we need to go back to Glasgow really really soon just so we can go back the restaurant again and again. :)

They don't make them like they used to

2011-03-13T09:37:00.001Z

Just think of the complaints if they still ran ads like this...

I'm not sure about stimulating them but I imagine Mum and Baby would certainly sleep well!!

Ummm well beer goggles do have a lot to answer for. LMAO

I think there might be a fair few more vegetarians in the world if this was on the butcher's door.

Mother Earth

2011-03-12T19:27:00.005Z

is surely telling us something.

My thoughts are with those that have been effected by the earthquakes and subsequent tsunami over in Japan and other parts of our dear planet.
I've been practically living on my Facebook as I have a friend that lives over there with her young family. Her updates are duly pounced on by all of us that have been worried. Sometimes modern technology sucks but it's times like this that I'm really grateful for it.

As always when these horrific things happen we all tend to pull those we love close to us and have tears in our eyes imagining what we would do if it was to happen to us.

(((((Hugs to all)))))

Free Art anyone?

2011-03-09T22:21:00.003Z

Well everyone likes pretty pictures don't they?

Feed Your Soul
is the project ran by Jen Wallace the writer of the blog Indie Fixx. Be sure to check that fab website out too ;)

Anyway Jen asks artists to contribute pieces of their artwork for free and you (the reader) can then download them, print them out and stick them on your walls to make your home feel like a proper art gallery. Of course you must not sell them or use them in anyway for your own financial gain. And hopefully you will be inspired to save up your pennies and buy a proper original

Now go, go see, lots and lots of lovely pictures by very talented people to brighten up your day. See how nice I am to you lot?

Bizarre

2011-03-06T17:09:00.005Z

Last night I went out with a pal.

I drove as she doesn't drive.

But she doesn't drink so it was a very sober evening.

We had a lovely meal then went to a couple of pubs but there is really only so much fizzy pop a girl can drink.

So we had a coffee.

The town was really quiet so we hatched a plan.

And found ourselves in Asda doing some late night shopping.

My pal has never been late night supermarket shopping before so she found it all rather exciting.

My other pals are finding it hysterical that on a Saturday night out I was driving and ended up shopping.

At least that part of the evening was entertaining as later on I had to cope and deal with an extremely upset Big One. Let's just say it was very hard remaining civil to her Father this morning when he came to collect her. Grrrrr

Yesterday

2011-03-03T00:14:00.005Z

marked nine years since I packed the smalls and all our worldly goods up into a van and drove us all up to Scotland to join the 'as he was then' him indoors to start our new life.

We worked out that big one has lived in Scotland for over half her life so far, wee one has lived in Scotland for 99% of her life so far and I've lived up here for nearly a quarter of my life so far.

Nine years later and a few things have changed in our lives, some good, some bad, some great and some bloody awful but me and the smalls keep smiling. :)

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus

2011-03-01T19:50:00.002Z

28 Days Later

2011-02-28T23:43:00.005Z

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

2011-02-27T22:30:00.003Z

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

2011-02-26T23:21:00.002Z

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?

2011-02-25T19:49:00.003Z

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

2011-02-24T23:42:00.004Z

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

2011-02-23T22:34:00.004Z

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

2011-02-22T15:10:00.002Z

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

2011-02-21T21:16:00.003Z

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

2011-02-20T08:09:00.000Z

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

2011-02-19T10:03:00.000Z

what these fancy radiators were invented for right?

Have you ever?

2011-02-18T12:03:00.000Z

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....

2011-02-17T09:24:00.000Z

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

2011-02-16T09:31:00.002Z

I will be experiencing this

for the rest of the month. :)

Ladies and Gentlemen

2011-02-15T09:40:00.001Z

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?

2011-02-14T09:38:00.001Z

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

2011-02-13T09:37:00.000Z

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!!

2011-02-12T12:27:00.000Z

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?

2011-02-11T10:10:00.000Z

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

2011-02-10T09:00:00.000Z

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

2011-02-09T10:03:00.000Z

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?

2011-02-08T10:43:00.004Z

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

2011-02-07T11:55:00.003Z

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

2011-02-06T16:05:00.001Z

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

2011-02-05T12:18:00.000Z

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.

2011-02-04T21:31:00.000Z

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

2011-02-03T19:30:00.000Z

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

2011-02-02T12:04:00.000Z

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

2011-02-01T09:15:00.002Z

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. ;)

Good grief...

2011-01-31T17:06:00.003Z

I had a whole Friday AND Saturday night childfree so what did I do?

Well you have to don't you? Well to be honest I have to keep myself busy or I miss them to much - yes I probably am sad but I know for a fact I'm not the only Mum to wish and pray for a bit of peace but on getting it start pining for them to come home again.

Only problem with lots of late night partying when you're out of practice is....

Still it will probably be a while before I get to do it again so I've plenty of time to catch up on my sleep. :)

Am I human?

2011-01-23T17:55:00.000Z

Being Human stars again tonight for a third series.

To be honest I was hooked from the pilot and was hoping it was one of the few pilots that got made into a proper series.

If you've never seen it before... where have you been!!!!

A brief synopis of the leading characters for you....

Mitchell - is the gorgeous, brooding, handsome, Irish Vampire with a heart. He tries his best to live without harming. I don't think that's all that makes him sexy but it doesn't hurt eh?

George - is the I don't want to be a Werewolf, I just want to be normal bloke. He is beyond sweet and I am in serious WANT of his gnome bedroom wallpaper.

Annie - is the resident ghost. Killed by a violent boyfriend, still trying to come to terms to who she was never mind who she is now.

Nina - is the Nurse with a whole background of her own but then she met George and after an accidental scratch she is now the female werewolf to George's male version.

So that's where I'll be come 9pm this evening. I received series 1 and 2 for my birthday so finally catching up with the next installment in my birthday month is fab.

What are your favourite surreal programmes?

Eee gads

2011-01-22T22:06:00.008Z

Wee one had a sleepover last night. I try to keep them to a minimum if I'm honest. A housefull of overexcited 10 year olds gets noisy and inevitably ends in tears.
Last night was no exception unfortunately due NOT to over excitement but illness. One of the friends was feeling a tadge under the weather when she arrived - and you would let your child go on a sleep over feeling unwell because??? And the other friend arrived with an already sore foot or so I was to discover later.

Anyway...I dutifully did the making cakes with them then they went to play while I whipped up some homemade pizza bases for them to throw on their own toppings.

That went down well and one of wee one friends said she didn't usually like pizza but that pizza was wonderful. Bless her. As a lot of wee one's pal think cakes come from the shops or out of packets it was probably a shock that pizza's didn't come out of a box too.

So sometime after pizza they came down wanting to play Twister

I did say I didn't think it was such a great idea on pizza tummies but who ever listens to their Mum? LOL

One of wee one's friends - see above when I said one of them was not feeling well already - was subsequently sick. I did the back rubbing, clearing up, phoning home thing. Dad dutifully turned up, administered a cuddle and it was decreed that she was going to still stay the night. Ummmm ok then.

An hour or two later I had one friend crying over a sore foot that her Dad, after a phone call told me oh yeah it's been playing her up all week, and the vomitting child vomited again.
image
Once we'd phoned vomitting child's house for someone to come and get her, child with sore foot was crying and wanting to go home too. So I phoned her house and was told by her Dad 'oh I thought this might happen' Well thanks for the heads up there!!!!!!

So after everyone had gone home I was left with one sobbing child left feeling very sorry for herself. We tucked ourselves up in my bed with one of her favourite things, family albums and we giggled until far too late and she went to sleep a happy wee one again.

Me? Bloody exhausted! Who invented sleepovers?

Hooray for Royal Mail

2011-01-16T00:36:00.006Z

I do so love to see my postie

Friday I had to sign for my My Chemical Romance tickets for February. I'm taking big one to see them for her 16th birthday down in Glasgow. Their latest album is brilliant, Santa brought it for her and she very kindly stuck it on my ipod for me.

My Chemical Romance was the first concert we took big one too when she was 13 so when she found out they were coming back to Scotland in time for her 16th birthday it was just perfect. I did ask her who she wanted to take with her and she said 'You of course Mum!' Awwwww made me smile and feel all warm inside that did.

Saturday my postie brought me our McFly tickets for March. This will be wee one's first concert, I've already got her some ear plugs to try and take the noise levels down a bit as she's not a fan of loud noises. She must take after someone on her Father's side of the family bless her. But she's very excited all the same and can't wait to tell all her friends at school. LOL
It's going to be fun going to a concert with both my small people plus for some reason McFly is an all seated concert - new concept for me and big one but safer for us having wee one with us. No doubt we will at some point find ourselves up near the stage though LOL

Of course spending out on all these tickets gets expensive but I don't go out, I rarely buy new clothes for myself so this is my treat time. :)

No doubt I will tell you all about the concerts in due course. ;)

Time for an ing

2011-01-14T00:48:00.003Z

watching... The week long Shameless specials, the big Fish thing with Hughie Feathers-heeatsitall and the fascinating Human Planet.

listening to... My Chemical Romance's latest album as I am taking big one to see them in concert for her 16th birthday. Her request and she chose me as the lucky friend to go with her. :D

eating... anything and everything. :(

shooting... I think I might have to change this ing. In fact I think I will change it to crafting.

buying... a new mattress for big one's bed.

selling... a home gym, an electronic drum kit and a pair of roller blades if anyone's interested.

gossiping... well you wouldn't believe me if I told you!

completing... moving every bed in the house (but mine) to a different room.

wondering... what the weekend will bring.

Pressure for pleasure.

2011-01-11T20:47:00.006Z

It was my birthday yesterday, to be honest it was a pretty miserable day.
I've never had the birthdays you're apparently supposed to. Everyone seems to think you should be bouncing off the walls with excitement and have an action packed day ahead of you but I invariably seem to miss the invitations to these things
As a child I remember hoping it would soon be over - as in my birthday, not life, I wasn't that gloomy a child! :)
I think being born on my brother's birthday may have had some influence on how unexciting I've found birthdays. It's not much fun when you feel like you've intruded on someone else's party.

I didn't have parties for any of my big birthdays and apparently my family has never thought I needed one as despite me organising theirs they have never returned the compliment.

But then.....

I made my own family and my two gorgeous girls came home from school with hugs and kisses, presents they had picked themselves and then took themselves off to the kitchen to bake me this...

Despite a couple of family members doing their upmost to pretty much ensure I wasn't going to have a great day I'd just like to thank my gorgeous small people and my online family who let me know in so many ways that someone thinks I do matter.

Take one kitchen, one pot of paint and one fed up me.

2011-01-07T01:11:00.010Z

I've lived in this house for over 8 years now, I've lived with this kitchen for all that time.

I gave up hoping for a new kitchen years ago and I definately gave up hoping for one when the ex moved out. Friends tell me I should have just ordered a new one years ago when me and him were still together but that's not the way I am.

So between Xmas and New Year I decided enough was enough. I can't afford a new kitchen for anytime in the near future so after scrubbing all the units down with sugar soap, I took the blackboard paint that I'd used in wee one's bedroom.

And this is what happened....

I think it looks so much better and so does everyone who's seen it.

Bonus points for the fact that now me and the smalls can have hours of fun drawing on the walls and no one tells us off.

Farewell 2010

2010-12-31T15:15:00.003Z

So that's another year over with - wow where did it go? Even children seem to be saying it flew past, when I was wee that was only something grown ups said. LOL

New Year's Eve will be (hopefully) a more healthy one this year as I'm not coughing up a lung like I was last year. I am also not working myself to death for minimum wage anymore either.

Anway I thought it would be a good time to reflect to see what else has been achieved this year.
I don't 'do' resolutions but I did set myself some aims for this year.

•More quality family time.
Giving up the bar job definately helped with this one. I am here when the smalls come home from school and I get to cook them proper meals every night. I'm present in the now for them and not living in my head reliving scenes from work. Money's tighter but it's been worth it.

•Making this house a home.
This year I got the downstairs bathroom refitted - there have been no before and after pics yet as I'm STILL waiting on the guy coming back to fit the extractor fan. He 'finished' the bathroom in July - yes I know! I'm going to get someone else to fit it after the holiday season and the first guy won't be getting asked back to do all the other work I need doing in the house. His loss - big mistake! LOL
I have filled bags and bags of clutter but it seems to be breeding and it's a losing battle but I'm determined to win.
As I can't afford a new kitchen at the moment and I have lived with mine for far too long (8 years but I'm not counting honest) I took the bull by the horns on Wednesday and attacked the unit doors with a paintbrush. I will post before and after pics in the new year. ;)

•Getting my crafting mojo back.
I've brought out the knitting needles and made hot water bottle covers and hand warmers and am still working on a blanket for wee one at this rate it may be finished when she leaves home. She's 10 now! Big one might get one for the birth of her first grandchild :)
I've baked a fair bit, especially when I found the whacky food colourings I'd forgotten about.

I've read 112 books this year - ok that's not technically crafty but thought I'd just tell you anyway. :)
I did a wee bit of stencilling but not nearly as much as I would like to get done.
I made a door curtain to keep out the cold that was crafty and thrifty :)
Obviously Chrimbo brings out my more crafty side - snowflakes, paper chains and baking.

•Living frugally but bountifully.
Despite losing a weekly pay packet I have lived within my means this year. I owe nobody any thing. No loans, no credit cards, no overdraft and I paid for an all inclusive holiday in the sun for me and the smalls. Yay me!

•Nuture my important friendships.
I came to realise that I am worth having as a friend and real friends don't expect me to do all their bidding. My Christmas card list changed this year but I'm thinking definately for the better. I lost a dear friend in a tragic car accident this year too and two other dear friends had breast lump scares so that also helped with the realisation that some things matter and some don't.
I have found some wonderful friends in this magical sparkle box and you all mean a lot to me, you know who you are and if you don't I'm doing something wrong. LOL

•Have a holiday even if it's only a weekend in a tent in a field with a campfire.
Not one but three and a bit holidays.
Holiday number one. A camping trip to Linlithgow in the summer.
Holiday number two. Two weeks down in Wales. One week on my own when I caught up with all my old pals and the second week when the smalls came back from their holiday with their Dad.
Holiday number three. Two weeks in Tunisia in October.
And the bit. My return trip to Wales on my own in September for an old friend's wedding.

Here's to 2011 when hopefully I will be

* beginning a new career.

* continuing to make my house a home that I want to be in.

* acquiring a social life that entails me going outside the front door, this last year I've been somewhat of a recluse so it's time I made me some new 'local' friends. Of course this wouldn't be necessary if you all didn't live so far away!

* Keep fund raising so that Big one gets to go on her Malawi trip - oh and survive having my baby in a foreign country for a month without me or her Dad or any family member for that matter!

* Help wee one finally get to grips with how a tidy room is supposed to look.

* Keep my little family smiling, happy and healthy.

Thanks to you all for keeping me company during this last year, supporting me on the days when I've needed a shoulder, a hug or a kick up the bum, laughed with me on the days when I've either been daft or life has just made us giggle and finally just for being you. You're all great.

So was it good for you?

2010-12-30T22:22:00.000Z

I certainly hope so. ;)

Intentionally blurry Santa - honest. ;)

Why is it that we spend weeks if not months working ourselves up to the big day then it's all over in what feels like minutes?

Anyway enough to say Santa came, small people were suitably thrilled with their gifts, a huge plate of food was eaten and then several chocolate based treats.

The cake is yummy.

I feel about 25 times bigger than I did a week ago and I'm not talking height!

One more sleep

2010-12-24T01:59:00.009Z

and Santa will have been.

Thankfully we finally got our cakes iced

and our cookies made.

I'd like to wish everyone who pops over here a very very Merry Christmas, I hope your day is happy and stress free and on Christmas Day take just one moment to stop, stand still and look around you. Look at those happy faces and hold that memory because that's what Christmas is all about. (((Hugs)))

How much!!

2010-12-23T14:25:00.004Z

I went food shopping yesterday, I only needed some veg, a few bits for our meals and some things for our Boxing Day - Christmas Day Mark 2. My pal is working Christmas Day so she and her wee lad are coming round to open pressies and eat lots of goodies on Boxing Day.

Anyway I digress, so there we were with our trolley just over half full trying to avoid all the mad one's with their overflowing trolleys with enough food and booze in them to feed probably their entire street!

Maybe I'm just out of touch as I don't have lots and lots of people to invite round for drinks and nibbles but I do wonder how much of that food ends up in the bin.

Right I better go get these Christmas cakes iced, as happy as I would be with just marzipan on them I think the small people would like something a bit fancier. ;)

Not many sleeps now.

2010-12-19T21:35:00.005Z

In fact so few that I thought I better start making a check list.

* Cards written and posted. CHECK
* Presents that need posting posted. CHECK
* All Santa's presents bought. CHECK
* Xmas Cake baked and marinated in lots of brandy. CHECK
* Trees erected and decorated. CHECK
* Snowflakes made and hung. CHECK

* Paper chains made and hung. CHECK

Still to do.

* Finish Santa's wrapping.
* Ice the Xmas Cake.
* Buy Xmas dinner bits and bobs.
* Buy Boxing day buffet bits and bobs for my pal and her wee son coming round.

Oh and some 'friends' say I have to make myself a Xmas jumper!! Hmmm not sure about that one.

Plus I'm sure there are other things that my brain is currently chosing to let me forget but will no doubt remind me in a last minute panic.
But I'm not going to panic I'm going to enjoy this Christmas with it just being me and my girls. Their Dad is working abroad until January and this year it is my brother's turn to have Mother for Xmas and New Year. :D
All a recipe for a relaxed, happy and stress free holidays me thinks.

We can't see the wood for the...

2010-12-14T21:16:00.005Z

TREES!

Is it just me that loses the will to live after unfurling all those branches after only doing the bottom tier?

All standing ready for action. One white, one black and one green.

One set of very old lights chucked in the bin, one set of oldish lights still working and two brand new sets of cheapo Asda lights later....

Next?

You tell the small people to go crazy with the decorations. Big one has only just finished off decorating the white tree as she's had a ton of homework lately. Roll on next Wednesday when school finishes for the HOLIDAYS!!!!

Thanks for all your lovely comments about our snowflakes, it's been a tradition I've had with the smalls for a long time. They are now snowflake creator's extraordinaire. :)

We made snow

2010-12-11T08:30:00.000Z

And while we're on the subject of cold things, I thought you might like to see what my bedroom window looked like during this cold snap.

Mother Nature's ice poles. :)
Keep warm, there's still a lot of winter to get through yet. x

For our heroes

2010-12-10T13:11:00.003Z

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,

HE LIVED ALL ALONE,

IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE,

MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY,

WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,

AND TO SEE JUST WHO,

IN THIS HOME, DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,

A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,

NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,

NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,

JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,

ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES,

OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,

AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,

A SOBER THOUGHT,

CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,

IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,

I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,

ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,

SILENT, ALONE,

CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR,

IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,

THE ROOM IN DISORDER,

NOT HOW I PICTURED,

A TRUE BRITISH SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO,
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?

CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALISED THE FAMILIES,

THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,

OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS,

WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,

THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,

AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE,

A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM,

EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,

BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,

LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER,

HOW MANY LAY ALONE,

ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE,

IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT,

A TEAR TO MY EYE,

I DROPPED TO MY KNEES,

AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED,

AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,

"SANTA DON'T CRY,

THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,

I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,

MY LIFE IS MY GOD,

MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,

AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,

I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,

I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,

SO SILENT AND STILL,

AND WE BOTH SHIVERED,

FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE,

ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,

THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR,

SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,

WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,

WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
image - www.legionlive.org.uk

Friday night gig

2010-12-05T01:45:00.008Z

Big one and I went to see Thirty Seconds to Mars
This is the lead singer..

a Mr Jared Leto.

You may or may not recognise him from films such as

Chapter 27
Fight Club
Girl, Interrupted
American Psycho
Panic Room
Lord of War
Mr Nobody

Or the TV series

My So-Called Life

No?

Ok he has dated (allegedly)...

Cameron Diaz
Paris Hilton
Britney Spears
Lindsay Lohan
Scarlett Johansson

Anyway it doesn't matter really. The gig was great, well to be honest the first support act, Funeral Party, were a bit pants - god only knows what they were singing about as the music was louder than the singer and only about five people in the audience worked up the energy to clap between songs. Me and my new pit friend, Chris actually cheered when they announced they were going to sing their last song. Ooops! :)

But then...

Enter Shakri came on

And they totally rocked! They looked like total chavs/neds but their music proved the old don't judge a book by it's cover.

Then the main act came on. Now I'd got myself all excited about seeing Mr Leto in the flesh and in the flesh we did see! He very kindly took his top off even if it was minus a million degrees outside. But I actually had my eyes more on a certain drummer boy. I've always been the girl easily swayed by a man that can beat a skin and sway me he did with just a kilt, several tattoos and the best kit(drum) I've ever seen.

Yep I prefer the big brother. :D His little brother is Jared.

I did have to giggle with big one though when Jared was being all tough and we're against the system man, as I said to big one....he's old enough to be your Dad!(Technically he's 3 years younger than her Dad but we won't split hairs.)

Mind you he's only a year younger than me and where was I? In the pit with the best of them. :D

More swoonage.... oh and big bruv is the same age as me ;)

Oh did I mention it took me over 2 hours to dig the car and drive out of all the snow?

World Aids Day 2010

2010-12-01T17:16:00.006Z

I love books and these certainly caught my eye with their designer covers.
Penquin are donating 50% of the profits from the sales of each book to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Last year nearly half a million babies were born with HIV.
It is the aim that by 2015 every child is born free of the virus. Just think a whole generation born free of the virus.

While Dec 1st is often a day of excitement that Christmas is ever closer, please spare a thought for the kids who will never know a HIV free Christmas.

Buying one of these books or any of the other products by the companies taking part in the joinred.com campaign helps us towards that day. As they say this is the gift that gives twice.

UK Book Shop and Online Bookstore - Penguin Books

Penguin are also offering free downloads of some of the covers, I've already saved mine but now need to find somewhere where I can print an A3 sheet. :)

This post is NOT sponsored, I'm just someone who loves books and would like to see a world where all our children are born happy and healthy.