Purple Dragon

On a happier note than my last post (Into the Wild) I watched another film last night.

Meet The Fockers

I have one thing to say about this completely hilarious film ...

Asss
Hole

I did the ironing this afternoon, and to take my mind off the torture, I also watched a film.

I've had this rental film sitting for weeks waiting for an opportunity to watch it (yeah, yeah - who irons every week??) and decided today would be the day.

Into the Wild
Director - Sean Penn
Starring Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt
Gntre - drama

After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life"

When the film started, I was full of admiration for him, for his courage to grasp with both hands what he stood for and believed in. He disagreed with the way of life he had all his life and eventually said enough was enough, and took off.

For me, this was bittersweet. I always wanted to 'just take off' and do what he did. Mind you, starting out in Buckinghamshire wouldn't have offered the same opportunities for wilderness living. Te bottom line was, I was a coward. I have always been afraid to let go, in case I fuck it all up, make the wrong choices, blah blah. So I held on tight with both hands. It is different now. Now I am happy and at peace, content with my life. Not so in my early 20s the same age as when Christopher took off.

So, he meets people, inspires them and is inspired in turn. His integrity shines thru. And then - spoiler moment - he makes one small mistake, which proves to be his fatal mistake.

I don't think he ever intended to die in the wilderness. I think he was ready to go back home and start to forgive. I feel so bad, wondering what he was thinking of, when he realised he was going to die and there was nothing anyone could do to save him.

I have so many more impressions of this film, but I can't find the words to express them.

I am a bit nervous about using my computer just now.

I have a 4-slice toaster. A short while ago, one half it is stopped working - it started burning one side and not doing the other side at all. Now the other half of it is playing up a bit.

Then we had the incident with the fuel pipes on the Monza.

Before that I was standing doing the ironing when the iron went on fire.

My microwave went on fire not long after I dropped the kettle and the bottom fell off.

I was vacuuming the other day and it stopped. Just died.

Oh, and don't forget I've recently had to replace both washing machine and tumble dryer.

Ho hum.

I got the confirmation thru the post this morning that I have passed my Aromatherapy Course and that my Diploma will arrive within 12 weeks.

Apparently, my last assignment was 'brilliant' and it was 'a pleasure' marking my assignments.

Well, today is the last day of the summer holidays. The teachers are back today, but it is an 'in service' day, so the kids have one last day of freedom.

Well, I say 'freedom'. What I mean is one day of getting all their stuff ready for tomorrow. School bags packed, sports kit found and packed in sports bags, packed lunch boxes ruked out from the back of the cupboard, shoes cleaned, baths taken, hair washed, toenails scrubbed.

It also means that I shall be getting back into a routine. I have enjoyed not having one, floating thru my days like thistledown, achieving just enough to get thru the day with kids fed and clothed. But, oh my goodness!, how I am looking forward to getting back into a routine!

I have a 'system' on my computer that tells me each day what I should achieve and when. On a Monday, I clean my ensuite, my bedroom and Laura's bedroom. The rest of the house is in zones as well, and each day gets a different part of the house properly cleaned. It takes a week to do the whole house. Naturally, things like picking up rooms and cleaning the kitchen are on top of the zones.

Then I have the dogs to walk every day. I take them up the woods, which entails a drive. They love it up there - loads of sniffs for them

I want to start hitting the gym regularly again - get rid of some of this summer flab that has crept up. I put on 2lbs over the 6-weeks holiday, which considering I have done bugger all is not too bad!

I also want to get back into regular yoga practice, which has also drifted to the wayside.

Decorating comes in as a priority - I am half way thru the downstairs loo just now, and have been for about 3 months now.

Now the dogs are in outside kennels, I have my back garden back, and I can continue getting that back in order so it is nice for BBQs and so on. It won't be good enough for the year, but it really needs work done.
Oh, and my polytunnel (or what is left of it) needs to be sorted out as well, so I can get another cover up on it.

Oh, my! The kids are only in school 6 hours a day and I need to fit all that stuff in! Then, when they come home, homework, supper, baths to be had, stories to be read, early nights.

How on earth do working Mums manage to fit everything in??

Smallest child : Do you have a sharpener?

Me : Nope. I don't use one.

Smallest child : Is there not one on your desk?

Me : Nope, but there is one in your pencil box in the living room.

Smallest child : Hmm. Nah. Here's a rubber. That'll do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What?

Well, I have been one of the AWOl bloggers lately! I haven't felt in the mood for blogging, so I haven't really blogged.I think everyone goes thru these hiatus periods and everything gets quiet, then we all get back from holidays or whatever, and none of us have time to keep up with blogs and comments

I haven't really been up to much. Hanging out, chilling out, occasional cleaning of the house, occasional messing about in the garden. I have been doing a lot of clearing out, but for some reason I still have loads of stuff ~ junkshop! I gave away two carrier bags full of books that were no good for selling online, and it turned out they were the books HImself had put aside to read in the sauna Oops.

The weather, along with pretty much the rest of the UK, has been shite. Much rain. But not so much that it has ruined our holidays or anything. The Turriff Show was warm and dry. I am glad it was just warm and not hot because I don't do hot.

Our three chicks are growing fine. They are surprisingly large. I'm not laying bets if any or all of them are female because knowing my luck, they will all be boys. When they are grown and sexed the girls will move into my neighbours coop. I *so* don't need 7 hens!

The kids go back to school a week on Tuesday, which is amazing to me. Five weeks have just flown by. No3Child starts P1, which means I shall be out of full-time-Mum-hood and into lazey-mare-hood. Actually, it really means I shall have loads of time to do the stuff I haven't been able to do when Rachel is here ~ polytunnel, weed killing, painting and decorating. She was at nursery for such a short amount of the day that by the time you got her settled, got back home, got sorted for doing what you planned, it was time to go get her again.

Anyway, I'm just blethering, saying Hi, letting you all know I'm not dead yet

I'll be back ... when I have something to say

Another one down with the nasty little cold that we've all had.

The first day is horrible. They lay on the couch / in their beds, feeling horrid - lethargic, heavy, sniffy, a bit hot. When Mr Boy went down with it last week, I thought it was the swine flu, because he was such a heap, but he had no temperature, and the GP said he would have a high temp if it was that. The next day he was fine, apart from incredibly snotty.

Well, little one is usually up and at 'em well before 8am most mornings, and she *never* sleeps in after I'm out of bed. This morning I had to go and get her up at almost 11am and she begged to be left in bed. SO I did.

She came down about half an hour later and has been on the couch ever since. She's a bit spaced, but ate breakfast and is drinking some juice, but is very lethargic.

Poor little tootie.

In other news, I had my blood test this morning to see if I have that gene marker or not. I get the results in a week. Here's hoping for 'negative', eh?

As I mentioned before, we had kennels and a run built outside for the dogs. They are totally loving being outside all day, and so are we

They are outside from when I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night, and around the time I put the kids to bed (8-ish) the dogs really start kicking off, barking.

Found out the other day what they are barking at. There are rabbits in the gorse hedge that surrounds our property, and they come out around twilight to nibble on the lush meadow grass of my front garden. They also hop up to the end of the run (about 4' away) and stare at the dogs. And the dogs go totally mental.

They can't reach the rabbits, and the rabbits bloody know it. I have been trying to get a photo, but unfortunately they are a bit more flighty around me - I guess they know I'm not behind mesh and locks.