Purple Dragon

My kids have decided they want to do the Wee Scottish Walk, on 27th April

http://www.greatscottishwalk.com/gsw/events_wee.php

Anthony is going to be raising funds for Dyslexia Scotland and Laura will be raising funds for Coeliac UK.

They are trying to raise sponsorship but unfortunately no one seems to want to sponsor them, which is a shame as they are really enthusiastic, and both want to raise funds for their chosen charities, both of which are close to our hearts, for obvious reasons.

If anyone wants to sponsor them, I would be hugely grateful! I havea PayPal account, which sponsorship money can be paid into after the Walk. If you want to, then send me a private message.

Don't feel pressured though. I shan't feel badly about you if I don't hear from you

There's been a Google meme going round, so I thought I would Google my name (both married and maiden) and see what I've been up to in alternate realities

In my maiden name I have been named Volunteer of the Year; I got married in Conneticutt; I am a Clinical Psychologist; I am a CME Director; and I have had dinner with president Bush, who read a letter I wrote him.

Under my married name I work in radio in Wiltshire; and I am Manager of a business and accomodation service for disabled people in South Australia (interestingly, this may actually be a relative of my husband's). That's about it for my married name. I guess it is because I've got kids, and don't have the time to gad about.

Recently, I have been losing my memory quite badly. I can't remember the words for things, I can't remember what I did yesterday, I lose track halfway thru a sentence.

A friend of mine, a couple of years older than me, told me she went thru exactly the same thing when she became pre-menopausal, and - on looking it up - I decided that I was probably starting that phase of my life.

Well, today confirmed it.

We went along today to look at another boat. This is just a small rowing boat - 8'x4' - which is exactly the right size for us to use to row out to Kentra when she is moored offshore anywhere. The new boat needs a little work (not least the repair of the bloody great hole in the side) but it won't take much to get her seaworthy, and she comes with oarlocks and oars, and the bloke also threw in a couple of lifejackets for the two older kids. Really nice bloke.

Anyway, on the way there, I had my first hot flush. I didn't enjoy it. I threw the heating on the car down to minimum (even though we had only just started the journey and the car wasn't warm anyway) and then opened the window. I felt ghastly.

It is interesting though - it's a bit like labour. When you get pregnant the first time, people regale you with tales of labour; you go to the hospital and they show you a video of a woman giving birth. But you never really know what absolute tearing, screaming agony it can be to bring forth a child. You forget the reality of it, of course, or you would never do it again!

Hot flushes are like that. People have told me what they went thru. I have read books. I have seen women talking about it on the telly, both in fact and fiction. It didn't prepare me for the suffocating heat, the unbearable feeling of "get me the fuck out of here ... I can't breathe.

And now? Surely I was over-reacting ... it couldn't have been that bad, surely?

So, now I stand at the pinnacle. I can look behind me and see my childhood, girlhood, young womanhood, motherhood. All the experiences I have had, that have made me 'me', and brought me to this place in my life are laid out for me to (try to) remember. What lies in front?

It used to be Maiden, Mother, Crone. I am now headed for Cronehood. It's kinda exciting!

You know, I like being me

I tell you, I am really fed up with this time of year. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to celebrate easter with chocolate??

I have put on three pounds this week. THREE POUNDS!!!

Of course, I don't want the children to eat all that chocolate - it is bad for their teeth! And I can't waste it.

Honestly, the things you have to do as a mother.

Here are some pix of my boys.

Archie, the border collie, 1 year 3 months old

Angus, the labradoodle, nearly 7 months old

Oscar, the dalmatian, will be 10 weeks on Monday

All my boys, today, in the snow.

Well, I'm poorly again. I really need a week in the sun!

My daughter was on antibiotics when she went on her holidays and she (quite generously) left her infection with me. So I now have a really sore cough that is sitting just under my collarbones and up my throat. And that bit that clicks in my throat is continually painful as well. I feel like I've swallowed a thistle, and it got stuck half way down.

I was in my bed last night at 7pm. I got up at 6am to let the dogs out, and it was snowing. There are no tyre tracks in my drive from driving in and out yesterday. When I got back up at 8.30 and let them out again, it was still snowing, and their pawprints were gone. I don't think it has stopped since, and is slowly building up again. You know that horrible 'thin' rain that you can barely see, but wets you right thru in minutes? Well, this is the snow version of that.

I had bad nightmares last night. I woke up and was really scared.

I happier news, a friend of mine needed to get to the Dr yesterday but their car is snowed in their drive, so I arranged to pick them up at the end of the drive - the roads are (were?) quite clear. When I got there, I could see them running in and out of their barn, and I just thought that they were up late and were trying to get the animals fed at double quick time. I was wrong - one of their goats had a kid!! They didn't even know she was pregnant. She's an angora, so they now have double the wool. I think they are going to keep the kid, but they will need to castrate him. Actually, I think they would need to castrate him even if they were going to use him for meat - I think they taste too 'goaty' otherwise.

I just switched the telly on, and the channel it was on was showing one of these American talk shows - you know the ones where members of the public go on and tell their deepest, darkest secrets to complete strangers, and then humiliate their partners by telling them in front of the audience and the viewing public.

This one was this wife who had a fling with another man, and then wasn't sure if her 6 month old baby was fathered by the fling, or the permanent man. Then she told him - in front of everyone.

Now, I don't know about you, but if my partner had some deep dark secret, something that could potentially destroy our relationship in a stroke, the last place I would want to hear about it would be in front of a flippin' studio audience.

In fact, were he to take that route, the ending of our relationship would be guaranteed! No way would I allow myself to be humiliated like that!

Oh, incidentally - the baby was the permanent man's offspring. They did a paternity test.

This is just dreadful.

I posted a short while ago, and one of the things I wanted to talk about was memory, and how I appear to be losing mine. Then I forgot to post about it.

I am wanting to watch 'Horizon' that is just starting, because it is investigating memory, and I shall be interested to see what they say about it.

I am getting really mad with myself lately because I just dorget the stupidest things. Words for things. Names of people. What I was saying, mid sentence. I am even struggling with typing and remembering where the keys are on the keyboard.

A friend of mine, when she became pre-menopausal, started losing her memory like this, and I think that is what is happening to me. She started HRT and never looked back, but I don't fancy it myself.

Well, my kids have been gone for 24+ hours, and I miss them dreadfully. God help me when they are all at school full time. I will go out of my tiny mind, I think. Ho hum - perhaps I will go back to college myself. Actually - I feel like I have written these very words before...

Deja vu.

Managed to get the car out of the drive at lunchtime. The roads were clear but the driveway was still full of snow. Took the carpet cleaner back, and then nipped along to a friend. She stays down a long track and was snowed in, so I bought her some milk and bread and nipped it along. I left my car parked at the end of her track and walked along with Rachel, who ended up with wellies full of snow. Anyway, she needed more than just milk and bread, so we nipped into town together and got her stocked up on essentials. As a thank you she bought me a Baileys Easter Egg, and I am sitting here sickening myself on the truffles. Yum yum.

My computer freaked out completely this afternoon, and it took me ages to get it back online. I had to phone Himself and ended up resetting the IP. I have no idea why it freaked out. Oh, well, it is working now, so that is the main thing.

We have a Rover 200 that has been sitting on our drive for several months. We thought we would probably scrap it, but then decided to have it MOTd instead and see if it was worth fixing and selling.

Wow. SO glad we did! It failed on a couple of minor items that will not take much to fix, and we can sell it for loads more than it will take to put it back on the road.

Whew!

The two older kids have gone to stay with their Aunty until Friday, for Easter. Himself drove them down after lunch and they have just arrived.

I have been very worried about their trip, because the snow is pretty heavy up here. It took Himself about 20 minutes to get the Rover out of the drive to go down to the garage in the village for its MOT. And then when he was leaving in the Monza, he was skidding all over the place at the top of the drive where we have a wee hill bit. Well, not so much a hill as a steep incline. It is there (spposedly) to stop the water that runs down the road whenever there is a thaw from taking half our garden down the hill with it, but the last two years has seen a quantity of driveway become one with the garden.

Anyway, they managed down the road okay after all my worrying.

It is weird here. I have just done the tea, and I have had to really think about the quantity of food I am preparing. There are only two of us here now, instead of four. And it doesn't matter if I use the same knife for anything I want, without having to worry about cross-contamination. I keep going to shout Laura for her pills.

I know her Aunty will look after her, and make sure she doesn't have anything that can make her ill, and I know she will remember her pills and her medicines, but I can't help but worry. Somewhere inside me is a small voice telling me that I am the only person able to look after my girl properly.

I won't see Himself for two weeks. He usually comes home on a Friday, but his sister is bringing the kids back Friday and going back Saturday because our nephew is having his 21st birthday party. I can't go because the puppy can't go into kennels and also because the kids (although invited) can't really attend, because it is more of an age-21+ party and I don't really like them mixing with drunken smoking partygoers. And - man! - do they lot know how to party!

... that the spider in Charlotte's Web (the film) looks exactly like the Honey Monster, except a different colour?

I tried to find pix of them both, but they were all copyrighted so I couldn't 'borrow' them.

AJ - I saw this and thought of you :

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319160105.htm

(Remember those adverts?)

Just as well I am on these antibiotics. I feel bloody terrible. My finger looks loads better - just pinknow instead of a horrid purpley colour. However, my arm aches like mad and I can hardly use it. My knee hurts, too, as does my throat and the pills are making me feel sick.

I was supposed to be going to a Virgin Vie party this afternoon at 2.30 but it is nearly 4pm and I am still in my jammies. I phoned the wifey and she was fine about it.

I've dozed a wee bit, and finished my book, but I feel nearly as bad now as I did when I was sick before.

... feel like you sometimes tell folk too much about yourself?

... give a cat a pill.

My two big cats needed wormed. The little one got done at the vets the other day. I should have gotten the other two done there as well, in hindsight.

You'd think that 10lbs of cat wouldn't stand a chance against 9st7lbs of determined female.

You'd be wrong.

I was.

Wookie has had half a pill.
Yoda had had no pill.
I have numerous lacerations and bites, one of which seems to be starting to swell.

They are totally pissed off at me - not only have I brought dogs (yes, DOGS!!!) into the house, and another cat, but now I am trying to give them PILLS!!

They have retired to the garden to discuss strategy.

I am off to bed.

Tomorrow I go back to the vets for more pills, and one of those syringe things they use in there. At least with one of those, you don't have to put your fingers in the cat's mouth and risk losing any of them.

OMG!!

Did you see Lost last night??

I'm gutted!!

Went to the gym this morning.

Was getting on fine, until I started yapping with someone I know.

I was on the running machine (doing A Brisk Walk) when I turned towards her slightly and gestured the size of the sauna ... my foot caught the side of the machine and the next thing - I was flat on my face. Actually, according to the bruises and 'carpet' burns, that isn't entirely true. It seems I landed on both my knees and my hip and my bum. And my elbow and my shoulder.

The machine, of course, continued to do it's thang, so I was deposited in a heap at the end of the treadmill, feeling a complete and utter pillock. Naturally, the place was packed with folk.

I went home then.

As I reached into the car, at home, to get my phone out, I bashed my head on the doorframe.

Then, as I was leaning forward to unlock the front door, I overbalanced and cracked my head off the stonework beside the door.

Then, as I was making lunch, I cracked my ankle a good one off the door of the dishwasher.

I wanna go back to bed

Well, I went to the gym this morning. Did an hour. I had no idea I was so unfit. Bit depressing really, but I am trying to look on the bright side and think - at least I am trying to do something about it, and everyday, everything will lift microscopically until I look like Cher

I wish.

Rachel was in the creche, and she enjoyed herself as well.

This morning, for the first time, I used the nail buffer that I bought fro my Body Shop party the other week. My nails look amazing. Really. I can't believe it!

Met a person at the gym who has recently moved into our village. Her son is in the same class at school as Lala. She is really nice. Perhaps she will be a new friend. Time will tell

Son went lambing today.

One of his pals from school lives on a farm with sheep and cows, and I managed to wangle a wee visit to see some lambs being born. He was dead excited - he'd never seen anything being born before (apart from the chicks hatching last year, but stuff coming out of eggs is a whole different thing from a lamb being born!)

Anyway, when I went to pick him up, the lambs he had been waiting for all afternoon had just been born. If Rachel hadn't needed the loo, I would have caught the birth as well

The first two lambs out of the ewe were born fine, but the third was born dead. Apparently it had been dead for a couple of days, so it was a bit phewy, but I don't think that detracted from the experience for him.

One of the lambs wasn't getting enough milk from her mother, so she was being bottle fed. Anthony got a chance to bottle feed the lamb and she kept following him about after that.

When I asked him what he thought of the experience, he said it was "WOW!".

When I asked him if he wanted to know how the lambs got into the ewe's tummy in the first place, he said "No, coz I bet it's gross!" LOL

Tonight I went to the Dr. I went to a different Doctor than the one I usually see. I asked for the different one on purpose for obvious reasons.

I went in. I told him about the whole chest pain thing, about taking the new pills, about feeling much better and stopping taking them, about the pain coming back, and about starting them again and getting relief.

He straight away said "You've got Tietze Syndrome - costochondritis".

It turns out that this sometimes happens after after a virus (remember my elusive virus?) and it goes away itself. The treatment I have started myself if the treatment they would have given me.

Result.

Costochondritis is swelling of the cartilage of the ribs, particularly the cartilage that joins the ribs to the breastbone. It is often caused by an injury to the breastbone or a viral infection that causes the cartilage to become inflamed.

I've had a really busy day so far.

Dropped the sprogs at school, except for Rachel, and drove straight thru to the town to get some passport sized photos taken, for my gym ID card.

Did my induction, which was fairly painless. The instructor was very kind to me, and understanding. He was firm, though. He wasn't gonna let me off with anything. By the time we had gone over all the equipment and I had refreshed my memory with each item it was time to collect Rachel from the creche.

I had done some yoga yesterday, so I was feeling rather supple today (compared to how I normally feel, rather than actually supple in a 'I can touch my toes' kinda way).

This afternoon I have spent chasing kids and dogs back into the bit of garden I was working in. We have a large fenced in area behind the house that has a section of plants, then a row of rocks, then a bigger section which is bark, then paving slabs and a patio, then the house. Over the winter most of the bark has blown off the garden and onto the slabs, so there was this bare bit of garden and a massive pile of bark up against the house. So, I handed Rachel a hand trowel and grabbed a big shovel for myself, and spent the afternoon shovelling bark back onto the garden. We managed half the length of the house, picking up bits of rubbish that have hibernated in the bark and putting them in the skip. I found the patio umbrella and some cushions for the garden furniture. I guess I shall have to buy new this year, now.

I have realised a mistake I have made. I have been letting the dogs out the patio doors to run about in the back fenced area. Unfortunately, three dogs (two quite large ones) make a hell of a pile of manure I think I am going to rotovate the whole area (which will save me poop-a-scooping) and lay it to grass.

Ger wants to build an extension on about a third of it, which will get rid of a bit of the space and extend his snooker room in the process. I am bloody tempted to concrete the rest of it and put plants in pots out there, so I can still let the dogs out there, and just hose the lot every day.

Anyway, I am having a cup of tea and a rest just now. I think I will have a quick bath coz I'm all itchy. I have a Dr appt at 5pm and then have to drive thru to Aberdeen because we are buying a new laptop.

I'm away to the gym this morning for my induction.

I have to admit to being a bit nervous. I am SO out of condition that it is embarrassing.

Wish me luck! If I don't post later, it is because I expired on the running machine.

Well, today is National No Smoking Day.

My Man isn't really into getting a mention on here, but I am going to take this opportunity to say that he quit smoking a week ago today, and I am not only chuffed to bits, I'm proud as anything.

They did a 'No Smoking Day' Thing at the kids school today. Laura wasn't impressed at all - I don't think she listened, but Anthony was pure disgusted with the whole thing. I got a lecture all the way to guitar lessons about how much nicotine and other noxious gases were inhaled from one cigarette, and so on and so forth. I hope that this will be an attitude he will maintain, and never start the dreaded weed.

Mind you, with the way that smoking is being excluded from so many places nowadays, he won't be exposed so much, and perhaps smoking cigarattes will be a real taboo when they are old enough to consider it. Perhaps they will look back on smoking with the incredulity they have towards black and white tellys, and no remote controls. Or vinyl records.

We can hope

Well, I gotta say it ... I'm surprised that this hasn't been pounced on by other folk here (yes, I'm talking to you!)

Drug-taking and dealing, social injustices which engender poverty, and "the excessive accumulation of wealth by a few" are also included among the new sins which Bishop Girotti's Apostolic Penitentiary has set alongside the more familiar targets of Catholic concern ...

Well, 'the excessive accumulation of wealthy by a few' ... has the Vatican seen it's own accounts recently? So, based on this, can I asssume that the Catholic Church is going to open its coffers and pour forth the accumulated wealth of the Church to the millions of the Earth's poor?

Nah. Didn't think so.

I dunno what my problem is just now. I keep putting stuff off.

We keep on top of our finances by a spreadsheet, that I am supposed to update every day or two so that we know where we are financially. Well, I let it slip, and Himself kept asking and asking to see it, but I hadn't done it, and the longer it wasn't done for, the less I wanted to do it. I updated it yesterday, it took me about 10 minutes, and it was fine.

Anyway, I now have a stack of bills to pay, and a VAT return that is overdue, and I keep putting it off and putting it off. Stupid really.

Right - I am away to put the printer on so I can print my VAT return, and get that done this afternoon.

I will.

Now.

Honest.

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Jenny
happy birthday to yooooooo!!!!

Hope you have had a fabby day, and that you've been spoiled rotten

God, I've had a shitty day.

First thing, I found that Pixie was poorly, so I had to take her to the vets.

Then I spent the rest of the morning cleaning and tidying the snooker room. For some reason, seemingly overnight, it became a dumping ground for stuff that needed put away. The top of the snooker table wasn't actually visible with things that needed something done with them. So, I put up pictures, threw away junk, sorted out the charity shop stuff, put my filing in a pile on top of the filing cabinter (no - not lazy - just lacking filing pockets), pulled out the couch and found loads of jigsaw puzzle pieces, then vacuumed, dusted and soaked up puppy puddles that seemed to appear every time I turned my back.

Then it was a quick lunch, find the swimming gear for the kids, and off to playgroup duty. I hate playgroup duty. That was the only benefit of being poorly recently - not being well enough to do duty. Unfortunately, I can't get out of it now, but believe me - when I was sitting eating my lunch, I was thinking I might not manage to help deal with 20+ 3-year olds all afternoon.

Went and registered Rachel for nursery. How did she ever get old enough to get registered for nursery?? I'm happy that she will be expanding her horizons, but - for goodness sakes - it doesn't seem like a couple of months ago that I birthed her!

Then it was straight off to swimming lessons. I had to pay for the next group of sessions They pay in blocks of 10 usually, but today it was an 11 block - £61. Today's pay-outs are certainly adding up!

By this time, I was really starting to flag. My chest is sore and I am feeling really really tired. Fatigued. My bones feel like they are made of lead all of a sudden. I had forgotten how bloody awful it feels, feeling like this.

The kids finished their lessons, and we got back in the car. I got my seatbelt caught in the door, so I opened it again, dragged the belt in, and then slammed the door. Unfortunately, my fingers were still IN the door. How I managed it I don't know. It was my right hand in the door frame and I used my left to slam the door. The noise was dreadful - a really loud cracking noise. I thought I had broken the bones in four fingers. I sat in the drivers seat and sobbed my heart out. Poor kids were totally freaked. I sobbed most of the way home. Fortunately it is an automatic car, or I wouldn't have been able to drive.

My poor hand is still throbbing, and is kinda numb. It isn't swollen or anything, and I am managing to type no bother, and I can bend the fingers, so I'm not damaged - just a bit bruised. Bloody hurt though!

So, the minute I typed the first sentence of this post, Rachel wandered up to me, and I smelled his godawful smell. I thought one of the mutts had pooped, but - cut a long story short - Rachel had managed to get it all down the back of her legs. Nice.

Hopefully the rest of the evening will pass peacefully.

Took Pixie to the vets this morning. There was blood in her litter tray, and I was a bit concerned. Also, had some questions to ask because I've never had a girl cat before!

He gave her a jag for cystitis and told me to bring her back in ten days to get spayed. This morning's little jaunt cost me almost £30 and the operation will be another £50.

FOLLOW THESE 14 SIMPLE TESTS BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO HAVE CHILDREN.

Test 1 - Preparation

Women: To prepare for pregnancy:-

1. Put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag down the front.

2. Leave it there.

3. After 9 months remove 5% of the beans.

Men: To prepare for children:-

1. go to a local chemist, tip the contents of your wallet onto the counter and tell the pharmacist to help himself

2. go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.

3. Go home. Pick up the newspaper and read it for the last time.

Test 2 - Knowledge
Find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels and how they have allowed their children to run wild. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's sleeping habits, toilet training, table manners and overall behaviour.

Enjoy it. It will be the last time in your life that you will have all the answers.

Test 3 - Nights

To discover how the nights will feel:

1. Walk around the living room from 5pm to 10pm carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 4 - 6kg, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.

2. At 10pm, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 11pm and walk the bag around the living room until 1am.

4. Set the alarm for 3am.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2am and make a cup of tea.

6. Go to bed at 2.45am.

7. Get up again at 3am when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs in the dark until 4am.

9. Put the alarm on for 5am. Get up when it goes off.

10. Make breakfast.

Keep this up for 5 years. LOOK CHEERFUL.

Test 4 - Dressing Small Children

1. Buy a live octopus and a string bag.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the string bag so that no arms hang out.

Time Allowed: 5 minutes.

Test 5 - Cars

1. Forget the BMW. Buy a practical 5-door wagon.

2. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.

3. Get a coin. Insert it into the CD player.

4. Take a box of chocolate biscuits; mash them into the back seat.

5. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Test 6 - Going For a Walk

Wait
Go out the front door
Come back in again
Go out
Come back in again
Go out again
Walk down the front path
Walk back up it
Walk down it again
Walk very slowly down the road for five minutes.
Stop, inspect minutely and ask at least 6 questions about every piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue and dead insect along the way.
Retrace your steps
Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbours come out and stare at you.
Give up and go back into the house.

You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Test 7

Repeat everything you say at least 5 times.

Test 8 - Grocery Shopping

1. Go to the local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can find to a pre-school child - a fully grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat.

2. Buy your weekly groceries without letting the goat(s) out of your sight.

3. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.

Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Test 9 - Feeding a 1 year-old

1. Hollow out a melon

2. Make a small hole in the side

3. Suspend the melon from the ceiling and swing it side to side

4. Now get a bowl of soggy cornflakes and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon while pretending to be an aeroplane.

5. Continue until half the cornflakes are gone.

6. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure that a lot of it falls on the floor.

Test 10 - TV

1. Learn the names of every character from the Wiggles, Barney, Teletubbies and Disney.

2. Watch nothing else on television for at least 5 years.

Test 11 - Mess

Can you stand the mess children make? To find out:

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains

2. Hide a fish behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flowerbeds and then rub them on clean walls. Cover the stains with crayon. How does that look?
4. Empty every drawer/cupboard/storage box in your house onto the floor & leave it there.

Test 12 - Long Trips with Toddlers

1. Make a recording of someone shouting 'Mummy' repeatedly. Important Notes: No more than a 4 second delay between each Mummy. Include occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet.

2. Play this tape in your car, everywhere you go for the next 4 years.

You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Test 13 - Conversations

1. Start talking to an adult of your choice.

2. Have someone else continually tug on your shirt hem or shirt sleeve while playing the Mummy tape listed above.

You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Test 14 - Getting ready for work

1. Pick a day on which you have an important meeting.

2. Put on your finest work attire.

3. Take a cup of cream and put 1 cup of lemon juice in it

4. Stir

5. Dump half of it on your nice silk shirt

6. Saturate a towel with the other half of the mixture

7. Attempt to clean your shirt with the same saturated towel

8. Do not change (you have no time).

9. Go directly to work

You are now ready to have children. ENJOY!!

My son used to go completely hyper if he was exposed to certain e-numbers. I used to carry a printout in my purse listing all the additives that were hyper-making, in order to avoid them. Even now he doesn't get lots of things, and I try to avoid giving them to the other kids as well.

I have just found a new website that I think is worth keeping an eye on, and subbing to the mailing list :

http://www.actiononadditives.com/Home/

Check it out. It isn't just kids who react to additives!

Today is International Women's Day.

So if you are a woman - have a good day!
If you're a man - buy her flowers

The puppy got stuck in the bars of the babygate this afternoon. He is convinced his brothers and sisters are in the utility room and stands whining there for as long as it takes for us to get sick of waiting for him to quit, and go and move him on. Today, he decided to take it further, and tried to get thru the bars. Once his shoulders were thru, his belly got stuck. He couldn't go forward, or backwards. I couldn't get him out. He started to panic, which made things worse. Then the kids decided to 'help' me get him out. He is fine though. And I have put some cardboard over the bars so he (hopefully) can try that again.

In other news, I swapped my Rhode Island Red Cockerel today for a Buff Cochin. I hadnt seen him before I swapped, and I can't believe the size of him. He's massive! I told the folk that were taking my bird that he was a big boy, but he looked bloody diddy against the other fella!

Unfortunately, on the way there I got lost. There was a diversion, and it confused the SatNav. It ended up getting locked onto Kent as the destination and took me bloody miles out of my way before I realised. It took me 1.5 hours to get to the meeting point, and it took me 30 minutes to get back. Grr!

The kids are being total brats today I don't know what their problem is, but they better sort themselves out fairly soon, or I shall be handing out groundings.

Last night I was looking in Laura's homework book, and there was a wee note from her teacher saying "Can you see me"

I thought it was a bit rude, not saying please, but I hoped that it was her wanting to praise Laura rather than tell me she had been naughty.

Went into school to see what she wanted, and it turned out that "Can you see me" was the name of the book they are reading, and that was part of her homework.

You would have thought it would have dawned on me, because we had only read the flippin book about half an hour before.

Doh.

A week or so ago, there was a report that stated that anti depressants didn't make any effect on mild depression, and based on that report, I stopped taking the pills the Dr had prescribed for me.

In it's place, I decided to use massage and aromatherapy.

Well, today another report was released :

Aromatherapy May Make You Feel Good, But It Won't Make You Well, Study Shows
ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2008) — One of the most comprehensive investigations done to date on aromatherapy failed to show any improvement in either immune status, wound healing or pain control among people exposed to two often-touted scents.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303093553.htm

Now, the reason I think I am biased is that I fully believe the first report ... but I think the second is a load of shite.

So I'm biased. So sue me

Well, the new puppy arrived last night. Thankfully, the kids decided to call him Oscar rather than Spot (whew!) and he really suits his name.

He sleeps an awful lot, and is scared of his metal feeding bowls. I have had to buy him china ones. Daft Mutt!

The other boys like him a lot, and he really enjoys their company, but unfortunately he is about the size of Angus' head, and he keeps getting trodden on. I am sure he will be able to hold his own when he is bigger, but just now, I keep having to put the big dogs in the other room, because they think they can rough and tumble with him like they do with one another. I'm frightened they are gonna break him.

Well, this morning I went to the massage I have been going on about.

I was kinda sceptical, mainly because folk I know know the woman who does it. For some stupid reason, if I know the person giving the treatment, or someone I know knows them, it negates their efficacy in my mind. Stupid. The minute they become normal people, with normal mates and lives, they become charlatans.

Anyway, I was wrong. She was great. She was very patient with me for being late, because I got totally lost and had to phone several times to find her. She lives in the middle of nowhere. Lovely spot.

She asked me loads of questions to start with, and took loads of notes and then she got me to strip off and leap under the covers. She started on my face and shoulders, because of the time limit. Having been late, I ate into my appointment time, and had to be back to collect Rachel from playgroup.

It was very relaxing - getting my face massaged. Getting my upper chest, neck and shoulders massaged was an interesting sensation. She pressed quite hard on my chest. It didn't take my breath away, but I could feel it.

Then she whipped me over and did my back. She identified the problems I have had with my hips (even though I hadn't told her about them), and she also found a problem with my shoulder. My right hand kept twisting up of its own accord, and my elbow felt like I had bashed the funny bone. It all related back to my shoulder, which was actually a problem because of my pelvic instability. She practically quoted the physiotherapist I used to see! I will reiterate that I hadn't even mentioned the pelvic thing.

Next week, I am going to ask a friend if they will collect Rachel, so we aren't so rushed, and we are going to do the full body massage (that we didn't have time for today) and a spinal check, to see where my problems arise from.

I am feeling very enthused about this treatment

Watched this week's episode last night.
Well, some of the questions have been answered.
More questions have been posed.

Did anyone else watch it?

Jen is gonna love this :

http://www.patcondell.net/index.html

This guy is quite amusing. But the most amusing thing of all is that my MUM sent me the link

I was looking at this week's PostSecrets this morning. There was one at the end about Virginia Tech. This one has been posted twice on this week's site, and originally I read it that she wished never to remember about a man. It is a picture of a man licking a woman's face, and her laughing. Then, I realised, on second viewing, that it was about Virginia Tech.

You know, I am happy. My kids are great. My man is great. My health is getting better. I have a lovely home, in a lovely part of the world. We aren't badly off financially. My biggest gripe in life is that the kids didn't empty the dishwasher this morning (their chore) and didn't bring their breakfast plates to the kitchen.

WTF??

How wonderful is my life, eh?

The other one that really got me was the one about walking into a room and deciding where to hide when the gunman comes in.

Can you imagine having an experience like that?

We see these things on the telly. We shake our heads and mumble about what the world is coming to. I think that is a defence mechanism - we can't fix the problem, so we filter it. It becomes like 'Lost' and 'Bones' - these things become unreality.

Even now the sadness for those kids is fading. My duaghter picking her nose is becoming my reality again.

I hope I (and you) never have to find out what living thru something like that is really like.