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!