Had the same cold for almost six weeks now, yet its not an infection so no point taking antibiotics, bleuughhhh.

Me as Mother Christmas!

It was great and better than it looks in the photos, weirdly enough I'm not big on Christmas but I love doing this each year, the kids are really into it and the dad we used this year to be santa was brillient, couldnt have done it better! We asked the parents when they booked tickets what their kids were into so Santa could be 'in the know', santa forgot at one point when asking what one little boy liked, so I suggested he liked GoGo toys, I had my sheet in my hand, his head spun round and glared at me in disbelief "How did you know?" he demanded angrily. Instead of amazing him with Santas incredible powers of knowing all the children of the world, he just think its all a conspiracy, ho hum...!

Hi guys, sunday night, been a lovely weekend, Jon and I tried to make a lemon cake today, dont think we beat it enough as it sank but it still tasted amazing! Saw UP, omg, I cried three times! Got Judes hair cut but he looks a lot like Julie Andrews in the sound of music unless we gel it...

Have the school fayre this saturday, I'm playjing mother christmas again, must go and get my costume prepared, promise to provide pictures!

huh, where did my post about friday go?

ok, Jons ex kicked off about us going to her nieces birthday party, Jon is their God parent and Jon, Jude and I were invited. She decided for various reasons that we shouldnt come, one being that her new boyfriend of two weeks wouldnt like it! Jon always wants to please people and I guess after 10 years of saying yes to her or her stropping, he did at first until I pointed out a list of reasons why it was out of order for her to even ask. A long 'discussion' then went on by email and text as I was too angry to speak to him, he also was in contact with her about the weekend, it was at the point that she refered to my son as 'your girlfriend and her kid' that I lost the plot, say what you like but dont bring my children into it. Theres a lot that was said, a lot she lied about but at the end of the day we stood our ground, stayed polite and calm and the party went without upset. I've always been respectful about her but now the gloves are off.

oh you guys...! I didnt know anyone was reading!

well, Jon and I got over the weekend, I'm not going to go into all the details but it made us stronger and the party went well, thats all thats needed I guess?

I'm sat here off my head on painkillers as I put my neck out making a sandwich, yup, a sandwich, hardly a high risk activity but it just went into spasm as I buttered the bread, still hurts but with the amount of tablets I took an hour ago, I just dont caaaaaarrrrrreeee! I'm off for a lie down...

The End

I'm not going to blog anymore.

I will certainly continue to read all my favourite blogs but I'm just too busy with my life to write anymore, I dont have the patience to write anything good! Jon and I have been together 5 months and are planning our future together, we want a baby together and with two kids, a dog and a cat, 3 rabbits, chickens and his two cats we're going to be busy! If I start blogging again I'll be in touch but for now its thankyou and goodbye x

I'm over the flu, just have been left with a cold, today is the first day I dont have severe sinus pain so I'm hoping I'm on the mend but....of course the kids both now have it, its pouring with rain and the cat decided he wouldnt go out last night so he crapped all over the bath rug again and started to pee in the corner of my room at 6am, I heard him scratching around and threw him outside before he did more than a tiny puddle.

writing to you from my sick bed, i staggered through the weekend, telling myself it was only a cold but i'm flat out with flu, even typing this is exhausting, be back when i'm better x

Everyone I know is going down with flu and cold and sore throats, I feel awful but have no symptoms apart from nausea and extreme tiredness (no I'm not pregnant) I guess I'm fighting of all these germs, doesnt help that I was at a 3 hour PTA meeting last night, couldnt sleep when I got to bed, got anxious about not sleeping, felt ill becuase I was anxious and the vicious circle started, so on four and a half hours sleep and an inflamed rotator cuff I'm not in the best mood. I also rocked up at Jakes preschool with arms full of book bags and lunchboxes as the boys were riding their bikes and realised that I didnt bring the pushchair...so a very slow walk home with a two year old who stopped at every tree, flower, window to examine and talk about, cute as hell but I wont forget his buggy again!

Jon has a large group of friends and being an only child thats cool and I dont begrudge him them for a second, but I find it weird that they are still good friends with his ex. Jon and his ex seem to want to have nothing to do with each other and dont feel anything not even hate, they both moved on and of course I'm happy with that. But usually when people split up friends take one side or the other, they naturally stop seeing one of the people. I'm a private person, concerning me and my children and also my relationship with Jon, I also dont need any new friends nor would I be friends with Jons friends if we met under other circumstances, we have nothing in common. So I'm aware that its human nature to be curious and to gossip, I worry I'll offend Jons friends invitations to be in contact with them outside of seeing them with Jon, I'm very uncomfortable with the fact that they can tell his ex about me.

I do have issues with the similarity between me and his ex, Jon told me last night (we've talked about this at length) that his friends think I would get on well with her under different circumstances, not something I wanted to hear, I dont want to be thought of as like her, I value my individuality, I feel like a replacement for her, similar looking, fitting into his life, friends, hobbies in the space that she stepped out of.

throat virus, no treatment, rest, fluids and plenty of fruit and veg, if his temp stays down he wants to go back to school tomorrow, I'm always torn between him missing school against him giving it to other kids although they say you've already spread the germs around by the time you're sick?

Dumpling looked pale Saturday morning, pale lips and a funny look round the eyes, bit grumpy and odd all day and the same Sunday. Been complaining of tummy ache and sore throat, especially if he sneezes or coughs and this morning he woke to find his shoulder and torso covered in a rash, we're off to the Doctors in a few minutes, I think its just a virus, lets hope I'm right!

 

Thats me and dumpling not the ex btw, I wouldnt post a photo of her on here although I have one on my pc, not that I need to look at it considering the image is forever burned onto my brain...

What would you do if you found out you bore a striking resemblance to your partners ex?

So tired I couldnt remember my passowrd for blogger...

Reasons why I am tired...

I slept in every morning in the school holidays, not late but later than I have to get up now.

I sometimes got the chance to have a sneaky nap if the kids were out or we were snuggled up watching a film.

The onslaught of PTA emails, texts and playground discussions has been huge and immediate, we raise the most money from now till Christmas and have a lot planned!

Dumplings birthday is next month, he already has everything, what do I buy him, bought one small present in the sale today, he already has something similar but he'll like this and so will Jon!

I'm having to re-let the annexe flat in my house and my perfect tenant had to move in with her ill gran. She has left in good condition, just need to clean windows etc but it does smell like cat despite me shampooing the carpets, have had the windows open everyday and used plenty of shake-n-vac type stuff. New couple are moving in, both student nurses with excellent refs, hope they are long term and we are not too noisy for them!

Probably more reasons, too tired to think of them! x

First Day Back At School

Lolly was up showered and away before I even opened my eyes, I have a vague memory of saying goodbye and questioning whether she had taken her freshly printed bus pass from the hallway shelf, but Dumpling and I got up a little later. We bathed and he got dressed in all new uniform, very cute, then by the time we got downstairs for breakfast his friend from across the road who I've offered to take to school each morning as I already pick him up each day was waiting at the door! He came in to play while we finished getting ready and then we set off, me carrying all the lunchboxes, PE kits, book bags etc while they whizzed along the pavement on their scooters. Dumpling was fine until we rounded the corner into the playground and then his face turned pale and he grabbed for my hand, first day back nerves had just struck. He took it well, I gave him a big hug and sent him in, told him I'd wait to make sure he went in OK, so mature, before now, going back in has been hard and we've had a few tears and had to gently peel him off me and pass him to his classes teaching assistant but this year he took it on the chin, its his last year and he's one of the oldest in the whole school now, it shows and I'm proud of him!

wow its the first day of september, summer is over! We made the most of the bank holiday weekend, Jon and I went to a gig with friends on Friday night, shopping and lunch together on Saturday, friends party on the saturday, took dumpling swimming and water sliding on the sunday and a day festival in the town park yesterday. Jon going to work and me having children round to look after seems weird, surely we were on holiday forever?

Have done something really stupid, the children go back to school on monday 6th and I havnt bought a thing yet, and I dont have any money till Friday, so yes, on the weekend before schools go back here I'm going to try and find uniform and supplies...

I've stopped crying long enough to see the screen clearly enough to write something. My brother in law and his wife used their last ivf embryo in a surrogacy arrangement with a friend of 12 years. She handed the baby over and all was happy. Three days later she turns up with 2 midwives and the police and claims the baby back. And she can. The law was written to protect mums who have eggs donated to them not for surrogacy. In the eyes of the law their biological baby isnt theirs. This woman can keep her even though she isnt her baby. My brother in law can claim paternity rights and ask for visitation but his wife cant claim or apply for anything. If the pain I'm feeling when I think about this is anything to go by then I dont know how they are even still breathing.

Thump

Reality is hard isnt it? Nothing is that bad here, just crashing back to earth after a lovely weekend away. Things are great between Jon and I until you involve kids, family, money, ex's, friends, all the things life is made of. We'll work it out.

In a bad mood

Lollys dad, wife and kids are over from abroad to visit, its all very fine and dandy to anyone who saw us but I hate it. Lolly is going out shopping with them today and while I hope they buy her things she needs I'm in a stinking mood about it. I bring her up for 15 years and they swan in once a year and play happy families.

cat and dog have fleas no matter how much I spray them, the carpets, 90 degree wash everything, I hear its flea season and everytime they go in the garden they pick up more from where the foxes and hedgehogs have been, great. For some reason fleas dont like me, probably the amount of garlic tablets I take but they love dumpling and he keeps running screaming to me as a tiny black dot jumps up his arm. Makes me feel dirty and not in the good way to know there are bugs in my house! Still trying to get rid of dumplings nits, sorry if this post is making you itch, think how it makes me feel I'm here! Lolly and I came to the conclusion that if she ever got nits then the heat from her GHDs would kill them, 240 degree, so she is currently straightening his hair!

cat came back within a few minutes of the tuna being put out, I'm the hero of the neighbourhood! Still think I can smell tuna several showers and baths later...

Its sunday morning, I'm waiting for the children to raise themselves out of bed and tidy up the mess they made of the dining room, strictly speaking Lolly wasnt here, the kids she babysits for all decided to come here and build a large den with Dumpling which involved all of my blankets, it didnt get cleared up, the dog slept in it so its all furry now, Lolly got paid for sitting with their dog and watching tv while I repeatedly said 'can you stop shouting, you're all in the same room!' Lolly came home and offered me the money for babysitting as although she was present, there were no kids there, all destroying my house!

My neighbours cat has wandered off while she is on holiday and her cousin is feeding them so I've put out a bowl of tuna thinking no cat could resist, except all I've got is hands that smell of tuna and lots of other peoples cats!

We had a great time at the festival but I wont be rushing to buy tickets for next year, rather put the money towards a more personal holiday. Weather was lovely for first two days but rained on the sunday. Lolly took a friend so we barely saw them, Jon and I got on fine but Dumpling played up most of the time, seriously considering leaving him at his nans next time, big issues about his attidude at the moment!

Ummmmmmm?

We're going camping and festivaling at the weekend and it just wont stop raining....

PHEW!

Happy to report it wasnt the washing machine as such, one of my shoes was in the wash and where it was too full, the rubber scraped along the glass bowl of the door, thats what made the burning rubber smell, not the motor, yay!

Hello, its your worst blogger here, you know the one who doesn't blog! Admittedly I have been very busy with the end of term, PTA summer fayre, helping with Sam and Jakes end of playschool term trip, plus the cat had his 'nads off' at the vets!

I'm currently writing this whilst trying to be calm and collected, listening to Jack Johnson while the kids work their way through a long list of chores, I'm sick of having the conversation that starts with "if you dont make so much mess, I wont make you clear it up..." and ends with me screaming, "get your bums off the sofa and MOVE!" little tired of hearing 'can i have?' when we are only a few days into the summer holidays. I have to pack to go to Camp Bestival this weekend and if they want clean clothes... which might not be happening, the clean clothes, not the trip, washing keep coming out smelling like rubber, you know how it smells when the vacuum rubber band goes? I'm sure its not a good sign and its just what I dont need!

Hello everybody...please excuse my absence and temporary shut down, somebody close to me tracked down my blog and I had a hissy fit, web equivalent of going through my diary, I've nothing to hide but if you think I might then we have an issue!

yes Maria

I'm under strict orders from Maria to stop mooning about with a dopey grin and absoloutly no ability to concentrate, to spill the beans on why and how spinster Jenny suddenly ended up in a relationship!

Well, after an afternoon of sitting in my friends garden signing off men forever, I went out on the town with my best friend Linda. We chatted, danced, drank way too much and in the early hours of the morning I came downstairs in the bar and just met the eyes and smile of Jon. He's the friend of my friends cousin or something. We clicked, were both a little drunk, went back to his, got friendly at dawn after tallking and listening to music all night and havnt really been apart since! You know all those cliches? All true. All the songs you here on the radio, all about us. He's funny, a grown up, intelligent, divorced-no kids, wants kids-me too, and unlike most men in my town he is not an egotistical prat! Its hard to explain without sounding twee but its when you realise that every other relationship has been forced and rubbish, when its right, its right, its natural, its makes you feel calm yet excited. You plan your future without even realising it, the day after we met we were making plans six months in the future. You just know.

sorry havnt blogged, I've met someone....

Bleaugghhhh!

I looked after my friends children while she and her husband visited his very sick mother in hospital. The eldest boy, 4 complained of stomuch ache and looked pale and within minutes of arriving and parents leaving threw up big time! Luckily it was on my decking and could be rinsed away. He seemed fine, colour came back and ate his tea when we visited my mums, on returning to my house, I put the key in the lock and he threw up over my shoes! I've rinsed scrubbed and washed and all I can smell its that acidy smell of really yucky kids sick, the type that burns your nose! They did pay me well though, for the late notice babysitting and the inconvenience of a sick child! Doesnt bother me, I've been thrown up on so many times by children, I even deliberately caught it in my long shirt once to save my new carpet and sofa!

Having a very productive day, am a little hyped on caffiene which helps! I dont take it very much as too much makes me jittery but a Pro-plus when I've got a busy day can really help, I've cleaned the kitchen and mopped all the floors, washing is in the machine, on the line and some is fluffing in the dryer. I'm hoping my new carpet cleaner will arrive today so I can shampoo the carpets!

Had a good PTA meeting last night, its allways going to be a lot of strong headed women and a bit of a power battle but you just have to bite your tongue and take it with a very large pinch of salt! I've sent emails to my daughters dance group inviting them to perform at the summer fayre, the local radio station inviting them to come and broadcast, I've put up notices at the school reminding everyone about the planning meeting on tuesday at the pub, I've got to go and buy yellow t-shirts for everyone to wear at the fayre, I want to iron transfer PTA across the back like FBI but no one elses wants it! We have yellow badges that I designed and ordered to identify us and if the guy who does the PA each year thanks just one person of the PTA for 'single handly organising the event' I will kill him! We dont do this for the fame but nice if we all get the acknowledgement of how much time and energy we have put into it!

Weathers still good here so we took the dogs out for a very long walk, Dumpling pedalled his go-kart, his legs are going to ache in the morning! The teenagers, my daughter and sister went to the fair, £5 gets you and armband for unlimited rides for 2 hours, considering each ride is £2.50 each its an amazing deal. I did the same for Dumpling a few days ago when his nanna visited, he only likes the small rides both its so worth it!

I'm a hopeless blogger, I dont have the patience to write posts even though my thought processes read like blog posts! In reality it just an easy way of keeping a blog roll! I find it hard to concentrate when this house is always so busy, dog barking, love bird tweeting ( I just got out of my chair and checked on said bird as he was so quiet and its ok, he has his head tucked under his wing and his fast asleep) the kids with their never ending "mu-um". Its family life but I still feel I never get anything done to completion, maybe I'd be bored if I did?

But the weather is nice here, we've done lots of fun stuff but I'm really low on funds, I had to walk into town today to pay some money in the bank and beg that they didnt charge me for going a few pounds over my overdraft. I then got home and checked my balance online and realsied that it still wasnt going to be enough to cover what comes out this weekend, I've 'accidently' cancelled a direct debit and will ring the company on Tuesday and apologise, and set it up again. I just cant make my money last all week, I keep cutting down and down and still we're struggling, too much week left at the end of the money!

Busy bank holiday weekend, been out every day. Rugby festival on Saturday, I know nothing about rugby but didnt really matter as watching fit hunky men run about in tight shorts was great fun!

Sunday was spent at the beach, bit too busy for my liking, to many groups of blokes drinking and playing noisy ball games, plus fact that the skinny girls made me feel lumpy, how did they get so brown this early in the year?

And today we went to a dog derby at the large park in town, nemo was adorably hopeless, where as my mums three legged dog did very well!

Please.....?

I need one of these!

On the mend

None of the worst case scenario symptoms or problems have arisen and Lolly is staying awake for longer, eating more and looking more herself, she even washed her hair and put on make up today. We went to the shops, I borrowed a wheel chair from a friend who has ME, Lolly wouldn't ride in it but it was good to know it was there if she needed it, in fact its probably what kept her going. But she came home, went straight to bed and is sound asleep. She wants to do the last few days of her work experience placement next week and although she is feeling better, I don't think she will be able to physically do it.

Complications

Chloes very poorly, we had another set of blood tests at the hospital today that were urgently rushed through, full scale glandular fever, liver problems and her bloods not clotting properly. She started having nosebleeds last night which was the first sign that there are complications. She will very probably get jaundice and if she starts to bruise or nose bleed again I have to rush her to hospital. We're seeing the Doctor first thing in the morning if she isnt already in hospital to see where we go from here. Chloes not really aware of whats going on as she is so ill and 'out of it'.

I've have never seen anyone suffer from chronic fatigue and exhaustion before, always thought it was people who were run down and tired and more lacking in enthusiasm than energy. Lolly is over the major illness part, her temp is down and she is on the road to recovery but its difficult to see her struggle to do the most basic things, she cant stand long enough to shower and wash her hair, she takes minutes just to walk downstairs, even lifting her arms to eat is a struggle. I'm hoping to hire a motorised wheelchair tomorrow to take her out for a few hours, I can see this developing into depression if I dont encourage her. I'm sure she will recover fully given time and rest but we're looking at weeks or months rather than days. I've never known anyone have glandular fever before but she is a text book case from what I've been reading on the web. She was due to start work experience on the farm tomorrow, maybe they will let her work there at the next school holiday if she is strong enough.

Lolly...ambulance...4 hours in hospital...wouldnt admit her to ward...wouldnt let us go home...had to ask for even a chair for me to sit down...blood tests...glandular fever & tonsilitus...expensive taxi home at 4am...too tired to function...going to bed

Sorry I'm barely blogging, Lolly is very ill with severe tonsilitus, Doctors have been visiting her at home which is unheard of at my GP surgery! She has pretty much slept a fevery sleep for three days now, I have to rouse her to take her meds and she drops back off whilst I'm taking to her!

The dogs been ill too but he responded quickly to his antibiotics! We lost a young chicken to the fox last night, the fox dug into the run, two other small chickens got out the gap and were running around the garden, he must have been happy with just one, not sure why he did come back for the easy prey?

Lots of PTA stuff going on, I'm always runnig around with my bright yellow badge, a clipboard and posters under my arm with a roll of tape in my pocket!

Weather is alterately pouring down with rain or bright blue skies and sunshine, great for the garden, not so good for the school runs?

I dont talk much about Lollys father on here but he has invited her (not Dumpling and I, just her) to join him and his family as a villa in Spain this summer. Totally torn as she would probably have a great time but I dont know how his extended family feel about me, I dont want them making Lolly uncomfortable and if she wasnt happy there, what could I do? My mum is horrified at the idea, she thinks he'll kidnap her and take her back to where he lives abroad, hardly, he's barely interested in her and his wife certainly wouldnt be up for raising a teenager!

Bleeuggh! Went out Friday night, nice to get out and see a few people but being drunk isnt as much fun as it used to be and I'm just left feeling so tired after eating junk food and drinking coke all weekend, I'd rather have gone camping all weekend, would have cost about the same!

Camping was wonderful, great site leading down by the river to the sea, fantastic views. The site was clean and friendly, excellent bus service running to the local towns, the weather was good to us despite the dreadful forecast, the supposed worst day of weather was the best, bluest skies and day long sunshine!



The tent needed a little patching but nothing that affected our stay, simple enough to put up, they make them simple these days, lots of colour coding for the poles, that helped! We could have done with a bigger table, I always find camping or the beach, you want to keep things off the ground and its not always easy. We borrowed my dads portapotti for middle of the night wee's! We went to the campsites toilets most of the time but nice to have the emergency backup, but emptying that thing is something I never want to do again!



The kids behaved pretty well, certainly a lot more than at home, the bickering started as soon as we got back and I missed the trip and without tv there wasnt so much to fight over! Considering the age gap it went pretty well, I'm looking forward to going again this year, hopefully for longer.



The best day was the last full day, the sun shone, we took the bus to the next town, walked down by the river the a little seaside town, took a boat ride, tried to catch crabs (not one!) and generally just chilled, when we got back later the the campsite the sun was setting, I could have stayed forever...

We're going camping! Three days in the not so wilderness, in fact its quite luxurious! We'll have one socket for electric supply in the tent, a little fridge, blow up beds etc, my dad makes hur-rumph noises at me when we pack his van with stuff as he's ex army and his version of camping involves much much less and all fits in a small back pack!

I'm really pleased at how little the holiday is costing us, the tent was a present from a friend who had no more use for it, the blow up beds we bought at a car boot sale as was the water carrier, you be amazed what you can get second hand if you try. the only expensive things I bought was the lead for the electric and that has an almost 100% resale rate.

Looking froward to getting away from the day to day stresses and really being a family, theres bugger all to do there and thats kind of the point, spending days making our own fun, climbing, walking, looking for shells and fossils.

Will update you with photos, possibly during the trip if we can pick up a wifi signal, shh, dont tell my dad we're taking the laptop...

Bloody bank didnt show my available balance correctly and I went 27p over drawn on a bank holiday. Had to find a friend who banked with the same bank to transfer some funds over, annoying and embarrassing.

Bad blogger

I know, I havnt posted for ages but life keeps getting in the way. Like Dumpling running into the side of a moving car and getting his ankle caught by the wheel (he's fine, walked away with a scratch) I, on the other hand, jnow refuse to let him walk anywhere without tightly holding onto his hand, just when he thought he was getting some freedom...

He has also managed to have headlice, threadworms, impetigo, conjuctivitious and skin his face from falling over in the playground. I think sending him to school is a dangerous thing to do these days, Lolly and I havnt suffered from any of the above so I guess he's getting it all from school.

I had loads to write and now am sat here and cant think of a thing, all thats running through my head is a list of things I have to do today and dont have time for. We are running a cinema night at the school tonight, so I wont even have time to go home after school or eat, I will have to make a picnic dinner for Dumpling and I and we can eat it when everything is set up? I also look after Dumplings friend after school on Fridays and have tried twice to text his mum to pick him up from the school at 4.30 and have had no reply!

More chicks arriving soon, Dumplings school hatched 6, dont think we can keep them all, but fun to have while they are small and cute and know lots of people who will take them off my hands!

cake sale at dumplings school sold out within minutes and children cried there were no cakes left!

dumpling fell over at school and scraped his face from top to bottom

Lolly got an excellent report, A*s, A's and B's, five subjects including all the sciences were A*s for all catagorys

Friend tried to set me up with a guy I had no interest in and then berated me all the way home for not agreeing to go out with him, as if I should be grateful that anyone would ask me

so tired, my feet throb and my fingers can barely type and now I have to go and pick up Lolly from dance class, think I'll crawl there and back!

Its flippin' snowing again! woke up this morning to find a blizzard again, roads and school shut to the west of the county but we seem to be used to it now and everyone went to school and work, its not so cold so we are not getting the ice problem this time, I just hope it stays long enough for Dumpling to sledge after school, he'll be very upset if it all melts by 3pm!

severe back ache and therefore headache, painkillers making me woozy, grumpy, constipated and windy, I'm not a whole lot of fun!

After a few beautiful days of sunshine and spring weather, the cold and rain in back, its great for the garden as all my new bulbs and grass shoots come up but not so good for walking the kids to school and back, I'm walkingthe neighbours children home from school each day and having another child till teatime on Fridays for the extra money, its not much but helps to have some disposable income.

I so need to do a weekly shop today but the weather is so horrible I cant face it, so I have enough change for a chinese take away and I'll get bread, milk and squash on the way home from tonights PTA meeting.

Ho-hum, I feel like I'm working really hard and getting nothing done again, I'm not depressed, but in years gone by I would have been with things the way they are. The older I get the more I'm able to take things on the chin, get on with it and know I wont always feel like this, I can always see the light on the other side of grey miserable days!

Lolly is cooking a stew from scratch with sausages and roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding, I knew it was a good idea to let her change one of her option sto food tech!

Six more battery hens will be free this weekend (and hundreds more, I'm just talking about the ones coming to me) I'm not keeping these, I'm helping my mums neighbour set up chicken keeping, he's a carpenter so shouldnt be a problem, I sat down last night to write a few notes about keeping chickens and it turned into a thesis! You know they say you should write about what you are passionate about...?

Hosted a Fairtrade coffee morning at the school this morning with other PTA members, I thought we would have more of an uptake and we had even less come in after school to loook at the stuff. I think we should have held it in the playground despite the cold, parents dont want to trudge into the hall but they ar tempted if its in the playground, on cake sale days we are almost pinned against the wall by parents and children buying our wares!

I cooked myself a lovely lunch yesterday and as I was taking it out of the microwave, my sleeve caught on the top of a bottle and I managed to throw the whole plateful across the worktop, luckily the worktop was clean and I was hungry so I scraped what I could back onto the plate and ate it and then set about re-cleaning the worktop!

My family are a fragmented bunch, it would take me days to explain the dynamics and who said what to who over the years. Easier to say that everyone thinks they are right and blames everyone else. But they all blame one person who really doesn't deserve it but because they stand up for themselves and say when the others are wrong, that person gets ostracised and various allegations made against them. They get through it but when another life changing event and period of time comes for them instead of supporting that person, the others conspire amongst themselves to get what they can from the situation and use it to validate their wrongs in the past. The person isn't me but someone close to me and quite frankly I'm disgusted at most members of my family especially the blood relatives who chose to side with someone who should be ashamed of their behaviour.

Anyway, I guess this makes no sense to you but its been keeping me busy. Other family issues have been happening to, none too bad for all things that need time and energy to deal with.

But were having a fun half term, lolly is at a dance workshop, dumpling has made a lego crane, he is very good at following the instructions, he's maturing into a great kid, when I look at photos I miss his toddler cuteness but I dont miss the never ending tantrums and obsessions that bordered on autism at times. I still believe if he had been assessed he was just under the edge of the autistic spectrum. His art and ability to build structures reinforce this, but he has grown out of the anti social behaviour and become much better at social situations.
***
The chickens are laying well, two foxes did their very best to dig under the run two nights ago, I heard the chickens screaming at 4.30am and ran out to chase them away and put more bricks alongside the run, the following day I buried bricks in the spots they had tried the most. Seemed to have worked and we still have the chickens. Strange though why they go for one particular run and house out of three, what is it about those chickens or that run?
***
Late the other night I was I was just dropping off to sleep I heard a scream, raised my head a little thinking fox mating or drunk teenager, then another scream, the sort that makes your heart go cold, jumped up and looked up and down the road through my bedroom and was horrified to see a man dragging a teenage girl and trying to clamp his hand over her mouth. I ran like crazy to Lollys room for her mobile phone and dialled 999, its so hard to speak when your adrenaline is pumping. The operator kept mishearing or misprounouncing my street name and I couldnt raise my voice as my bedroom window was open. Other people in the road called the police too and four cars and 8 police turned up, turns out it was a father and daughter, her being a drama queen and running off after an arguement and him trying to get her home. I'm glad it turned out to be nothing, the family came out and explained what was going on to the police and they were happy with the situation, probably embarrassed by all the police but if you saw that you would assume the worst, wouldnt you?

At least i cant say my life is boring. blog 2mro x

After another 'blizzard' in which Lolly got left behind by the school bus at school and had to spend the night at a friends, (cant talk any more about it or my blood pressure goes up and my desire to kill the driver increases...) the weather has turned to rain, endless amounts of the cold wet stuff. As I dont own a car and walk everywhere I have a succession of coats drying above the radiator in the hallway, I always remember, unlike my children, to put my hat and coat on the radiator too otherwise they are wet and cold when its time to go out again. You think after weeks of this weather my kids would remember that gloves do not dry if stuffed in coat pockets? nope. nor do they remember that the floor is not a place to keep things, that wrappers do not magically fly to the bin nor can plates get themselves into the dishwasher, towels can not slide themselves up onto the radiators to dry and dirty washing can not make its own way to the laundry room. ho-hum, not getting stressed. much. and breathe...!

SNOW DAY!

Dumpling is ecstatic! He has a small patch of impetigo and has doctors order to stay home from school and its snowing! We dont get snow here so its wonderful, went to bed just another cold night and woke up under a blanket of snow!



Much more snow has fallen since I took this picture, we've been to a different park at dusk and plan to go again in the morning!

blah, back home its raining, damp and foggy, I need sunshine, feel like spending the day in my local tanning salon! My old chickens are being very mean to my new chickens but if I dont leave them too it they will never all live together. I imagine the new ones are really annoyed to have come from a warm barn with never ending food to a cold muddy garden with evil, selfish chickens and a cockeral who does unmentionable things to them, rescued? Not in their eyes. I need summer, grass, windows open, flowers growing. I dont want to be washing three days worth of welsh mud from clothes and trying to get it all dry. I keep trying to be grateful and positive and instead feel resentful when I find apple cores, cereal bowls, crisp packets and wrappers all over my lounge every day, ho hum, have to clean out the bird cage...yuck

In wales

Little bit colder than last time we came! But having fun never the less





and we tired the dog out!

migraine

What a week! After the facebook debacle, my computer crashed for the last and final time, kapoot. Dead. I knew it was coming, my Dad thinks he can wipe it and reinstall the hard drive, luckily most of my photos and music are backed up on a separate portable hard drive. I’m running on my sisters old pc, newly fixed up just before she bought herself a laptop! So I’m running at full speed again, had forgotten what it was like to use the internet and it not crash simply from asking it to move the page down…
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One of my childcare jobs is coming to an end, the mum isnt finding it financially viable and now she had finished working the time she had too to cover her maternity leave, she’s finishing which of course means so am I. Will miss the boys and the good money it brought me!
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We are going up to the horse farm in Wales again next weekend. When I was emailing Carla to finalise arrangements she told me that Shandy – Lollys favourite horse had had to be put down. I had to tell Lolly, it was awful, her face, the tears, the “no” was heartbreaking. She has been riding the same horse every year for 5 or so years, she thought he would last forever.
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My back is playing up again, not looking forward to the long drive next Friday. The painkillers don’t work as well, I feel odd and drowsy for an hour and then the pain is back. The stress of knowing the pain is coming only add to the muscle tension, vicious circle.
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The area I live in is becoming more and more dangerous at night. Taking Lolly and her friend from across the road to dance class which is about half a mile from here along a main road is scary. I make Dumpling hold my hand even though he wants to run around. Good job I did as last night a man with a short pool cue was chasing another on a bike and I had to pull Dumpling and the dog into a doorway as they shot past us screaming obscenities. In the day it’s a nice area of shops and mothers taking their children to preschool, women shopping and chatting, pensioners shuffling along for their paper, dog walkers on their way to the park, but at night it’s a no mans land. Gangs of older teenagers, smoking pot and drinking and fighting with each other. In the summer its ok, large numbers of students from abroad come over to study, they are great, pleasant, tidy eager to speak and practise their english, I give directions all summer long! The evening are light and people mill around and sit outside pubs and cafes, it’s a nice place to be, but in the cold winter months, not so great.

Would you trust your seven year old son if he came to you with a viscount biscuit, unwrapped and said

"you can have this one, I havnt licked it or anything"


...?

One of the things you do is remind them that you have photos of their children from the same era and ask if you're free to do as you wish with the images...?

What are you supposed to do when someone places a group photo of face book, one of which is your daughter and another is a convicted, incarcerated child rapist? The person refuses to see that their is anything wrong with the whole situation and even other children connected with the photo have defended its right to be there? One teenage girl commented "he didnt to anything to us so get over it" !!! So its ok that he didnt rape any of the children in the photo, just that thats the sort of thing he did and ran a sports club full of young girls in leotards? Nope they all support him, unbelieveable.

collected 5 eggs this morning, not bad for a morning thats so cold I had to bash the ice out of their drinkers before I could refill and then go inside for water as the outside garden tap had frozen! had two eggs for lunch, delicious! The yolks are so yellow and delicious,nothing like shop bought ones!

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Finally got Dumplings hair cut yesterday, just a trim, he likes the shaggy surfer look, I hated it just after he had it cut but its settled down now and he looks cute, pics later.

***

Off out in a minute to a fun farm, look at the animals (yeh I know, we have enough here) play in the big park they have and walk the dog in the woods, have to keep dad moving so he doesnt get cold and grumpy!

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I turned 34 in the past few days and am figuring if no one knows then I wont get any older...?

Recovering from the migraine that seems to transfer itself form Maria and Terroni to me through the blogsphere! My head and neck feel bruised from the thumping, screaming pain that had me awake at 5am, tiptoe-ing around the house for water and more painkillers and cursing myself when switching the downstairs light on woke the cockerel in the chicken house, am sure a few neighbours cursed me too!

Had an ok-ish day with my dad, sister, her husband, two girls and a niece from her husbands side. Had its good points and bad, my sister and husband go from being completely twee and in love to bickering like toddlers. My niece was her usual beautiful but drama queen self and has picked up on the fact that her parents think she is feeling left out with the new baby and using it to its fullest advantage! We took an amazing walk with the dogs and kids, their house backs onto a wood and river, you open the back gate and you're off. My dad doesn't like dawdling though and got cold while the kids were climbing trees, posing for photos and having fun. he is ok if hes working in the cold but standing around he just gets cold and grumpy despite his warm clothes, gloves and hat. The idea was to get there mid morning, go for a walk and then have lunch, watch a film in the afternoon and get home by tea time. I presumed that lunch was cooking while we were walking but no, my sister decided to start cooking a full roast dinner and 1.45pm, so we didn't eat till 3.15. Delicious as it was, my blood sugar levels couldn't cope and the migraine started early evening. I need to eat every four hours and snack a little in between.

What else? Lolly has gone to see the teenage vampire film again, whats it called? I'd forgotten what its like to be a teenager and happily spend you're hard earned babysitting money on watching a film for the second time, I think I saw 'Ghost' four times! Dumpling is behaving very well, he's back on the omega 3 fish oil syrup again and it really seems to help? Still the untidiest pair in the land and I still have to raise my voice to get anything done, asking politely but firmly doesn't have any effect with them, you have to sergeant major it.

Chickens are laying about 4 a day between 7 of them, not bad, keeps me in eggs but its great in the summer when 7 a day is standard!