There have been a couple of things that have stopped me writing much here in recent months. The first, which is not insignificant, is a lack of either the time or the energy. The other is probably the main reason, which is that everything else seemed to be crowded out by thoughts of my job. The job which I was so looking forward to starting last summer turned out to be far from what I hoped and has really made me miserable. It might seem that writing would be a good outlet for that but I have seen too many cases of employees getting into serious trouble for venting about their job online, and rapidly becoming former employees. Those who venture into work related blogs tend to do so, rather sensibly in my opinion, on an anonymous basis, and even then seem to get caught out with worrying regularity. It will have to suffice for me to say that it was not the right job for me and that has impacted a great deal on my life outside work too. It is therefore with huge relief that I am now counting the days until I can walk out of there for good (at time of writing there are 49 working days left!)
One thing that I hope won’t get me into trouble is to write about how excited I am about the new job I will be starting in September. The building and surroundings are beautiful, standards are high, and most importantly the atmosphere in the school is friendly and calm. I am doing just the hours I want, about half a timetable and it is not too far away. So I am waiting to see what the drawback is, there has to be one! In addition to that I have another small job which has been organised through the university where I am going into a school one morning a week to teach A-level further maths. Things are definitely looking up!
I will be back soon with an update on my two scarily grown up girls.
My Girls
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Monday, August 11, 2008
Happy birthday Caitlin!
Six years ago today I met you for the first time. So often in those early weeks I looked at you and marvelled at all you would learn. I looked at your tiny hands and found it hard to imagine that one day they would have the skills to write your name.
Those years since have gone by so fast and I am so proud of the girl you have grown to be. Your smile lights up my day and a cuddle from you takes away my stress.
Those years since have gone by so fast and I am so proud of the girl you have grown to be. Your smile lights up my day and a cuddle from you takes away my stress.
Monday, April 28, 2008
A horrible crime, and a sense of injustice
Violent and senseless crime is always distressing to hear or read about, but the murder of Sophie Lancaster in August last year has affected me on a deeper level than usual. I don't pretend to be grieving for Sophie; I didn't know her, but the circumstances of her death have left me with a profound sadness.
This bright, pretty young woman had a promising future ahead of her. She was taking a gap year before starting an English degree at university. She had recently moved in with her boyfriend of several years, Robert Maltby, a talented art student. All of that was snatched away by a group of teenage thugs who found it entertaining to attack first Robert, then Sophie, and kick them both into unconciousness.
According to the reports, Robert and Sophie were walking home from a friend's house late one night when they fell into conversation with a group of five teenagers. At first the group were friendly but suddenly one of them decided to turn on Robert and the rest of them followed. As Sophie held Robert's head in her lap and pleaded with the attackers to stop, two of them turned the violence towards her. This sickening and unprovoked attack resulted in both Sophie and Robert lying comatose in hospital with severe head injuries. Sophie never recovered and died two weeks later. Robert has only made a partial recovery.
The more you learn of the details of this crime, the more revolting it becomes. Brendan Harris, one of Sophie's murderers, and his mother, were laughing and joking during his initial arrest and police interview. The court reports and police press statements talk of this as being one of many examples of a total lack of remorse on the part of all five attackers. The teenage witnesses who testified against the attackers did so in the face of real fear of recriminations. Sophie's family were jeered at outside the court. This would be all be sickening enough if it were adults involved, but those who committed this hideous crime and acted as though it were a badge of honour are CHILDREN. They are all now aged between 15 and 17, so it is possible some of them were as young as 14 at the time of the attack. I teach this age group, and I am in no doubt that they are still children. How does it come to be that children can see this behaviour as something to entertain, to laugh and joke about, whilst their victims and their families try to pick up the pieces of their lives?
I know that the main reason that Sophie's murder has particularly affected me is because of the reason that the group decided to attack her and Robert; that they were dressed differently. I don't see Sophie as being that different from the 20 year old me. If you had met me when I was 20 you would have encountered a bizarrely dressed final year maths student. I would probably have been wearing a tie dyed top, long skirt with a paisley pattern, 14 hole Doc Martens with rainbow laces, and an enormous green army surplus coat. Add in the waist length hair of a colour that would stop traffic lights and four pairs of earrings (I liked the piercing thing but was never brave enough to go for areas of soft tissue or any that might interfere with everyday bodily functions) and I think I probably stood out in a crowd. I certainly did at Durham where the majority of students were the jeans and t shirt type.
For me this was about my own stand against fashion. I have never been able to 'do' fashion, so my rebellion against that was to deliberately pick the most unfashionable clothes I could find. If it was obvious I wasn't trying then no one could mock me for failing. I liked wearing my eccentric clothes and not caring if people hated them. Then I discovered that I fit into what was then called the alternative scene (and may still be, for all I know). I could mix with a whole range of people who didn't judge on appearances.
My adventures in clothing and hair began when I was about 15 and ended when I was 21 and training to be a teacher. I decided that as a new teacher I did not need the extra attention that an eccentric appearance would attract...and then realised that I was happiest not caring about my clothes at all apart from whether they are clean, free from holes/stains (at least for work), and most importantly, comfortable! As you all know I have happily continued with this philosophy for the last 12 years.
I feel guilty now because I have digressed from the extremely serious topic of this post to waffle about my dress sense in 1995, but it was important to me to explain why I feel so much empathy for Sophie and what happened to her. When I was the same age as her it was very important to me to dress in the way I did, but I never dreamt it would make me a target. It didn't, but only because I didn't accidentally cross paths with a group of violent thugs who considered it sport to kick the crap out of an inoffensive young couple because they were dressed differently.
The attackers were sentenced today. I applaud the fact that all have been allowed to be named although they are under 18. I don't feel justice has been done in the lengths of the sentences. Sophie's two murderers may have got life imprisonment but I don't believe the minimum sentences should be so low as 16 and 18 years. That's crap anyway - life should mean life! I also felt the sentences on those convicted of assaulting Robert only were way too low - all under 6 years. When it is taken into account that Sophie's murderers had already been convicted of a similar assault, yet were still free to carry out this one, you realise that sentencing is not necessarily carried out to protect the safety of the public. Scary and sad.
This bright, pretty young woman had a promising future ahead of her. She was taking a gap year before starting an English degree at university. She had recently moved in with her boyfriend of several years, Robert Maltby, a talented art student. All of that was snatched away by a group of teenage thugs who found it entertaining to attack first Robert, then Sophie, and kick them both into unconciousness.
According to the reports, Robert and Sophie were walking home from a friend's house late one night when they fell into conversation with a group of five teenagers. At first the group were friendly but suddenly one of them decided to turn on Robert and the rest of them followed. As Sophie held Robert's head in her lap and pleaded with the attackers to stop, two of them turned the violence towards her. This sickening and unprovoked attack resulted in both Sophie and Robert lying comatose in hospital with severe head injuries. Sophie never recovered and died two weeks later. Robert has only made a partial recovery.
The more you learn of the details of this crime, the more revolting it becomes. Brendan Harris, one of Sophie's murderers, and his mother, were laughing and joking during his initial arrest and police interview. The court reports and police press statements talk of this as being one of many examples of a total lack of remorse on the part of all five attackers. The teenage witnesses who testified against the attackers did so in the face of real fear of recriminations. Sophie's family were jeered at outside the court. This would be all be sickening enough if it were adults involved, but those who committed this hideous crime and acted as though it were a badge of honour are CHILDREN. They are all now aged between 15 and 17, so it is possible some of them were as young as 14 at the time of the attack. I teach this age group, and I am in no doubt that they are still children. How does it come to be that children can see this behaviour as something to entertain, to laugh and joke about, whilst their victims and their families try to pick up the pieces of their lives?
I know that the main reason that Sophie's murder has particularly affected me is because of the reason that the group decided to attack her and Robert; that they were dressed differently. I don't see Sophie as being that different from the 20 year old me. If you had met me when I was 20 you would have encountered a bizarrely dressed final year maths student. I would probably have been wearing a tie dyed top, long skirt with a paisley pattern, 14 hole Doc Martens with rainbow laces, and an enormous green army surplus coat. Add in the waist length hair of a colour that would stop traffic lights and four pairs of earrings (I liked the piercing thing but was never brave enough to go for areas of soft tissue or any that might interfere with everyday bodily functions) and I think I probably stood out in a crowd. I certainly did at Durham where the majority of students were the jeans and t shirt type.
For me this was about my own stand against fashion. I have never been able to 'do' fashion, so my rebellion against that was to deliberately pick the most unfashionable clothes I could find. If it was obvious I wasn't trying then no one could mock me for failing. I liked wearing my eccentric clothes and not caring if people hated them. Then I discovered that I fit into what was then called the alternative scene (and may still be, for all I know). I could mix with a whole range of people who didn't judge on appearances.
My adventures in clothing and hair began when I was about 15 and ended when I was 21 and training to be a teacher. I decided that as a new teacher I did not need the extra attention that an eccentric appearance would attract...and then realised that I was happiest not caring about my clothes at all apart from whether they are clean, free from holes/stains (at least for work), and most importantly, comfortable! As you all know I have happily continued with this philosophy for the last 12 years.
I feel guilty now because I have digressed from the extremely serious topic of this post to waffle about my dress sense in 1995, but it was important to me to explain why I feel so much empathy for Sophie and what happened to her. When I was the same age as her it was very important to me to dress in the way I did, but I never dreamt it would make me a target. It didn't, but only because I didn't accidentally cross paths with a group of violent thugs who considered it sport to kick the crap out of an inoffensive young couple because they were dressed differently.
The attackers were sentenced today. I applaud the fact that all have been allowed to be named although they are under 18. I don't feel justice has been done in the lengths of the sentences. Sophie's two murderers may have got life imprisonment but I don't believe the minimum sentences should be so low as 16 and 18 years. That's crap anyway - life should mean life! I also felt the sentences on those convicted of assaulting Robert only were way too low - all under 6 years. When it is taken into account that Sophie's murderers had already been convicted of a similar assault, yet were still free to carry out this one, you realise that sentencing is not necessarily carried out to protect the safety of the public. Scary and sad.
Friday, April 11, 2008
I can't think of titles
Holiday
I have booked our holiday! First of all there is the huge sense of relief that I have finally made a decision (of course Andy helped, but I was still dithering) and now there is the holiday countdown to enjoy.
For the last three years we have been to Dawlish Warren in Devon which is an ideal place for families with small children, but this year we thought it was time for a change. We decided to explore another part of the south coast and look for something in the area around Weymouth. We prefer to stay on holiday parks so there is lots for the girls to do, but usually choose a chalet or a bungalow in preference to a caravan. I really didn't want to choose a caravan (my blood runs cold at the thought of it shaking as the girls thunder up and down it, and they are always packed so close together) but surprisingly most of the parks in the area seemed to be almost exclusively caravans only...very nice caravans some of them, but caravans nonetheless.
So, this time we have chosen something a little bit different. We have opted for a park which is about 8 miles inland, in the countryside. It's in a woodland setting so there should be plenty of interesting things for the girls to spot and places to explore. Our accomodation is a lodge (wow, sounds posh, although probably not THAT posh) and as we have both been working very hard in the last few months we decided to pay a bit extra for it to have a few mod cons like a DVD player and a dishwasher. There is an indoor pool as well as a soft play area so the girls won't be bored if the weather is bad. Oooh, the excitement is building!
Tags
I should do my other two tags but I feel inordinately guilty about tagging other people. But then I feel guilty because I haven't done my tags. Sam, you are to blame for this dilemma! (but I still love you)
Non musician
I am still recovering from my attempt to play the piano at Mass this afternoon. In my defence a) I have played the piano properly twice in the last 5 years (maybe more, but that's how long I can be certain about) and b) I got the music at 4:30 pm yesterday and had my first opportunity to practice it an hour and a quarter before Mass started. Considering my mitigating circumstances, it was not a disaster...there were a few 'interesting' harmonies, but I managed to keep going. It was all a bit stressful though, and I think the moral of the story is that I need to get my piano moved here (although I did request a little more notice of future occasions!) My piano dwells at my Dad's, as it has since I moved out nearly 10 years ago - and of course for quite a few years before that. My first house was too small for it, and moving it here is one of those things I have never really got round to.
I have booked our holiday! First of all there is the huge sense of relief that I have finally made a decision (of course Andy helped, but I was still dithering) and now there is the holiday countdown to enjoy.
For the last three years we have been to Dawlish Warren in Devon which is an ideal place for families with small children, but this year we thought it was time for a change. We decided to explore another part of the south coast and look for something in the area around Weymouth. We prefer to stay on holiday parks so there is lots for the girls to do, but usually choose a chalet or a bungalow in preference to a caravan. I really didn't want to choose a caravan (my blood runs cold at the thought of it shaking as the girls thunder up and down it, and they are always packed so close together) but surprisingly most of the parks in the area seemed to be almost exclusively caravans only...very nice caravans some of them, but caravans nonetheless.
So, this time we have chosen something a little bit different. We have opted for a park which is about 8 miles inland, in the countryside. It's in a woodland setting so there should be plenty of interesting things for the girls to spot and places to explore. Our accomodation is a lodge (wow, sounds posh, although probably not THAT posh) and as we have both been working very hard in the last few months we decided to pay a bit extra for it to have a few mod cons like a DVD player and a dishwasher. There is an indoor pool as well as a soft play area so the girls won't be bored if the weather is bad. Oooh, the excitement is building!
Tags
I should do my other two tags but I feel inordinately guilty about tagging other people. But then I feel guilty because I haven't done my tags. Sam, you are to blame for this dilemma! (but I still love you)
Non musician
I am still recovering from my attempt to play the piano at Mass this afternoon. In my defence a) I have played the piano properly twice in the last 5 years (maybe more, but that's how long I can be certain about) and b) I got the music at 4:30 pm yesterday and had my first opportunity to practice it an hour and a quarter before Mass started. Considering my mitigating circumstances, it was not a disaster...there were a few 'interesting' harmonies, but I managed to keep going. It was all a bit stressful though, and I think the moral of the story is that I need to get my piano moved here (although I did request a little more notice of future occasions!) My piano dwells at my Dad's, as it has since I moved out nearly 10 years ago - and of course for quite a few years before that. My first house was too small for it, and moving it here is one of those things I have never really got round to.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tagged part one
I am making a concerted effort to catch up with Sam's tags. I have a backlog of three to do, so here is installment one. For this one I have to tell you 6 random things about myself and then tag 3 more people.
1. I love watching Formula One racing but sadly that pastime has been killed off somewhat since I became a mother. It's hard to keep up with tyre and fuel strategies and who is where and doing what with a constant little voice piping up "Is that Michael Schumacher?". The stock answer has of course changed from "in that red car with a number one on it, miles in front of everyone else" to "Michael Schumacher isn't in it any more". I did get around the problem by videoing the race and making painstaking efforts not to inadvertently find out the result before watching it, but I have failed to learn how to record on the new video.
This is difficult...I am really not that interesting a person....
2. I have always lived in odd numbered houses. I find this interesting even if no one else does.
3. I have never been on an aeroplane. This is not through fear but just because I haven't got round to it! I have been abroad three times but always by land/sea.
4. This year it will be 14 years since I met Andy and 10 years since we got married.
5. I have busked outside Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford. A group of us from my A-level music course (ok, it was a few years ago) went along one sunny spring day and sang English Madrigals which went down a storm with the tourists and earned us enough money for a couple of pints in the pub for us all afterwards :)
6. I have been photographed for a newspaper on a miniature railway with Cheggers!
Right, now I have to find three people to tag....(please don't hate me!)
Elly
Liz
Amanda
1. I love watching Formula One racing but sadly that pastime has been killed off somewhat since I became a mother. It's hard to keep up with tyre and fuel strategies and who is where and doing what with a constant little voice piping up "Is that Michael Schumacher?". The stock answer has of course changed from "in that red car with a number one on it, miles in front of everyone else" to "Michael Schumacher isn't in it any more". I did get around the problem by videoing the race and making painstaking efforts not to inadvertently find out the result before watching it, but I have failed to learn how to record on the new video.
This is difficult...I am really not that interesting a person....
2. I have always lived in odd numbered houses. I find this interesting even if no one else does.
3. I have never been on an aeroplane. This is not through fear but just because I haven't got round to it! I have been abroad three times but always by land/sea.
4. This year it will be 14 years since I met Andy and 10 years since we got married.
5. I have busked outside Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford. A group of us from my A-level music course (ok, it was a few years ago) went along one sunny spring day and sang English Madrigals which went down a storm with the tourists and earned us enough money for a couple of pints in the pub for us all afterwards :)
6. I have been photographed for a newspaper on a miniature railway with Cheggers!
Right, now I have to find three people to tag....(please don't hate me!)
Elly
Liz
Amanda
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Mostly work
I am having a great deal of trouble keeping up with life in general, mainly because I am trying to get my head round the fact that as of September I will be expected to jump through the government hoops like everyone else working in the public sector does. I know I can teach maths to children, plan lessons, create resources (see me moving into educational jargon in a pre-emption of future form filling), stand in the rain with a cup of coffee (break duty), write reports, talk to parents, mark exams, find something to say in staff meetings, and all the million and one other things that teachers do. The bit I have trouble with is filling in forms and providing EVIDENCE for it. This is vaguely titled 'Performance Management' and means that I don't just have to do my job, I have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that I am doing it.
So, sadly I spent two hours reviewing the Key Stage 3 (11-14 year olds, for those blissfully unaware of Key Stages) National Strategy for Maths last night. What is more worrying is that I found it interesting, but I digress. It's a good document - it clearly lays out the pedagogy of the subject (in other words how one bit builds on another bit) across that age range and provides lots of helpful examples and snappy targets. There are lots of ideas for structuring well paced lessons. It's a great resource. I'm sure you can sense a 'but' coming and I won't disappoint. The fact the the framework is a mandatory requirement rather than a recommended aid to teaching spoils it for me. And it just doesn't ever seem to mention having fun............
Apologies to Sam; she has sent me two things where I have been tigged (Is that the word? We used to say that at school, but maybe I mean tagged?) to respond and I still haven't. Keep nagging though Sam, you can see it does work eventually;)
So, sadly I spent two hours reviewing the Key Stage 3 (11-14 year olds, for those blissfully unaware of Key Stages) National Strategy for Maths last night. What is more worrying is that I found it interesting, but I digress. It's a good document - it clearly lays out the pedagogy of the subject (in other words how one bit builds on another bit) across that age range and provides lots of helpful examples and snappy targets. There are lots of ideas for structuring well paced lessons. It's a great resource. I'm sure you can sense a 'but' coming and I won't disappoint. The fact the the framework is a mandatory requirement rather than a recommended aid to teaching spoils it for me. And it just doesn't ever seem to mention having fun............
Apologies to Sam; she has sent me two things where I have been tigged (Is that the word? We used to say that at school, but maybe I mean tagged?) to respond and I still haven't. Keep nagging though Sam, you can see it does work eventually;)
Thursday, February 21, 2008
New Job!
My main excuse for yet another long gap before updating is that, rather excitingly, I managed to get a new job without having to apply for one! It's very nice to be recommended. :)
For this academic year I am working from 9am to 11am, which is while Hannah is at nursery. I'm taking out small groups of pupils from their regular class, either for support or for extension work depending on their ability. I'm also teaching a module of A-level General Studies which is interesting, although a little scary as it is mostly science.
The best part is that I am being taken on permanently at the school in September with my choice of hours! I'm so happy at how everything has fallen into place. The school has a nice atmosphere; it has its fair share of characters as all comprehensives do, but that is part of what makes the job interesting. I have opted to do the equivalent hours to working for four full days, but to spread it out over five days.
For this academic year I am working from 9am to 11am, which is while Hannah is at nursery. I'm taking out small groups of pupils from their regular class, either for support or for extension work depending on their ability. I'm also teaching a module of A-level General Studies which is interesting, although a little scary as it is mostly science.
The best part is that I am being taken on permanently at the school in September with my choice of hours! I'm so happy at how everything has fallen into place. The school has a nice atmosphere; it has its fair share of characters as all comprehensives do, but that is part of what makes the job interesting. I have opted to do the equivalent hours to working for four full days, but to spread it out over five days.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Back to the chalkface?
Maybe the phrase should be updated? Back to the interactive whiteboard?
This school year is already going by far too quickly, and come next September both girls will be in full time school. That means I need to rethink my employment arrangements and aim to be at work when they are at school rather than when they are not. So it looks like I will be heading back to the classroom in the not too distant future. I am excited and nervous about this at the same time. It's already been almost three and a half years since I last stood in front of a class, and over five years since I last taught a GCSE or A level class.
I've been doing a good deal of thinking about what hours I would like to try and aim for. I think the most suitable would be close to, but not quite, full time. When Caitlin was little I worked the equivalent of two days per week, and I loathed almost every minute of it. Being there so little meant I didn't feel completely part of the school community. Full time work, especially from the outset, may be more of a challenge than I can cope with unless I miraculously turn into someone super organised in the next couple of months.
I feel a long way from someone with a career at the moment. I was going through some old work files on my computer the other evening and I came across a memo I had written to other staff about their A-level classes. I couldn't believe it was me who wrote that! I sounded like I knew what I was talking about! The maths bit I'm not rusty on because of my tutoring, but in every other aspect of the job I am seriously out of practise. There will be a lot of work to do between now and when I start teaching. I am already looking around for good ideas, resources and other useful bits, and remembering the things I struggled with when I was working before and trying to put them right before I start. Then there is also the question of organising my home as well....I think I need to have a better starting point with that too. I will need to write a CV and a detailed job application letter, and consider any before and after school child care the girls might need.
I do feel enthusiastic about the whole thing. I know I would be bored to tears pottering around the house when the girls are at school, and I do enjoy my job. It is varied, challenging, often frustrating but at other times oh so rewarding. I like the thought of having more money, and can spend it several times over, and especially like the thought of earning enough to pay someone else to do some of my housework.
It will be wierd to be 'Miss' again.....
This school year is already going by far too quickly, and come next September both girls will be in full time school. That means I need to rethink my employment arrangements and aim to be at work when they are at school rather than when they are not. So it looks like I will be heading back to the classroom in the not too distant future. I am excited and nervous about this at the same time. It's already been almost three and a half years since I last stood in front of a class, and over five years since I last taught a GCSE or A level class.
I've been doing a good deal of thinking about what hours I would like to try and aim for. I think the most suitable would be close to, but not quite, full time. When Caitlin was little I worked the equivalent of two days per week, and I loathed almost every minute of it. Being there so little meant I didn't feel completely part of the school community. Full time work, especially from the outset, may be more of a challenge than I can cope with unless I miraculously turn into someone super organised in the next couple of months.
I feel a long way from someone with a career at the moment. I was going through some old work files on my computer the other evening and I came across a memo I had written to other staff about their A-level classes. I couldn't believe it was me who wrote that! I sounded like I knew what I was talking about! The maths bit I'm not rusty on because of my tutoring, but in every other aspect of the job I am seriously out of practise. There will be a lot of work to do between now and when I start teaching. I am already looking around for good ideas, resources and other useful bits, and remembering the things I struggled with when I was working before and trying to put them right before I start. Then there is also the question of organising my home as well....I think I need to have a better starting point with that too. I will need to write a CV and a detailed job application letter, and consider any before and after school child care the girls might need.
I do feel enthusiastic about the whole thing. I know I would be bored to tears pottering around the house when the girls are at school, and I do enjoy my job. It is varied, challenging, often frustrating but at other times oh so rewarding. I like the thought of having more money, and can spend it several times over, and especially like the thought of earning enough to pay someone else to do some of my housework.
It will be wierd to be 'Miss' again.....
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Still here!
Yet again far too long since I updated and I think even my small band of loyal readers are starting to give up on me!
As I said in my last proper post, August was a very busy month. The girls had wonderful fun with all their birthday celebrations. The main event of course was the Jungle Junction party which went very well indeed. I managed to get there in plenty of time without getting stressed which as anyone who knows me will agree is a pretty major achievement. The food I prepared all went down well and there was enough for everyone without too much left over. The only nearly catastrophe was that I made the mistake of thinking that Jungle Junction supplied the squash...they don't, if you are doing your own food you have to bring your own squash and they supply the jugs for you to make it up in. Thankfully I was saved by the early arrival of my friend Mandy who nipped down the road to Sainsbury's for supplies. The girls had a wonderful time, but sadly due to organising the food and drinks for the children I didn't get chance to take more than a handful of photos. On their actual birthdays we had family round for a cuppa and birthday cake - so in total they had three cakes between them! Lucky girls (and lucky me, I managed to get my fair share...)
Hannah's endoscopy went very well indeed. I won't go into too much detail as I know it's all on her blog, but the main thing was she has no varices (still having trouble getting that to sink in) and she was a star for the whole day.
It was lovely to meet with Danielle, Liz, Maribel, Sam and their families for the Hugs and Hope day on the 19th of August. Sadly it bucketed it down for the whole day and as we had picked an outside activity it really spoiled our plans. The kids didn't mind splashing in the puddles though and we got to have a good natter together.
Here is the montage of photos I made from the day:
September started with Caitlin going back to school on the 5th. She was very excited to go back; it is great that she enjoys school so much. Being not terribly bright I had booked Hannah's home visit for nursery at 11 am that day. This did not exactly give me much 'one child instead of two children who mostly want to kill each other time' to make the house look presentable. Amazingly I managed to make the living room look like part of a respectable person's home, although the hidden bits of the house were very scary and I prayed that they wouldn't need the loo! It was a good job too...because the headmistress arrived with Hannah's teacher!
The following week we enjoyed a visit from Elly, Arthur, and Sylvan. Hannah has finally managed to work out that Sylvan is not called Shiny, which is progress. Arthur was perfectly happy as long as he could watch Thomas the Tank Engine (note to Elly: We now have a new video player so there is the potential for Arthur to watch more than one episode of Thomas next time he comes!)
The next highlight was Hannah starting nursery on the 26th of September...here she is....
...having a great time, and thankfully that has continued. In fact I have to chase her into the classroom for a goodbye kiss!
The 6th of October was the CLDF conference. This is the third time we have been and as usual it was an excellent day, being extremely interesting and informative. It was also the day of my big moment...the talk I had been asked to do. I worked really hard on it and also had some invaluable help from Andy. It was all worth it; not only did I manage not to cock it up but I have had some wonderful positive feedback about it.
So....*breathes*....I think that is our major events of the last three months caught up with....
As I said in my last proper post, August was a very busy month. The girls had wonderful fun with all their birthday celebrations. The main event of course was the Jungle Junction party which went very well indeed. I managed to get there in plenty of time without getting stressed which as anyone who knows me will agree is a pretty major achievement. The food I prepared all went down well and there was enough for everyone without too much left over. The only nearly catastrophe was that I made the mistake of thinking that Jungle Junction supplied the squash...they don't, if you are doing your own food you have to bring your own squash and they supply the jugs for you to make it up in. Thankfully I was saved by the early arrival of my friend Mandy who nipped down the road to Sainsbury's for supplies. The girls had a wonderful time, but sadly due to organising the food and drinks for the children I didn't get chance to take more than a handful of photos. On their actual birthdays we had family round for a cuppa and birthday cake - so in total they had three cakes between them! Lucky girls (and lucky me, I managed to get my fair share...)
Hannah's endoscopy went very well indeed. I won't go into too much detail as I know it's all on her blog, but the main thing was she has no varices (still having trouble getting that to sink in) and she was a star for the whole day.
It was lovely to meet with Danielle, Liz, Maribel, Sam and their families for the Hugs and Hope day on the 19th of August. Sadly it bucketed it down for the whole day and as we had picked an outside activity it really spoiled our plans. The kids didn't mind splashing in the puddles though and we got to have a good natter together.
Here is the montage of photos I made from the day:
September started with Caitlin going back to school on the 5th. She was very excited to go back; it is great that she enjoys school so much. Being not terribly bright I had booked Hannah's home visit for nursery at 11 am that day. This did not exactly give me much 'one child instead of two children who mostly want to kill each other time' to make the house look presentable. Amazingly I managed to make the living room look like part of a respectable person's home, although the hidden bits of the house were very scary and I prayed that they wouldn't need the loo! It was a good job too...because the headmistress arrived with Hannah's teacher!
The following week we enjoyed a visit from Elly, Arthur, and Sylvan. Hannah has finally managed to work out that Sylvan is not called Shiny, which is progress. Arthur was perfectly happy as long as he could watch Thomas the Tank Engine (note to Elly: We now have a new video player so there is the potential for Arthur to watch more than one episode of Thomas next time he comes!)
The next highlight was Hannah starting nursery on the 26th of September...here she is....
...having a great time, and thankfully that has continued. In fact I have to chase her into the classroom for a goodbye kiss!
The 6th of October was the CLDF conference. This is the third time we have been and as usual it was an excellent day, being extremely interesting and informative. It was also the day of my big moment...the talk I had been asked to do. I worked really hard on it and also had some invaluable help from Andy. It was all worth it; not only did I manage not to cock it up but I have had some wonderful positive feedback about it.
So....*breathes*....I think that is our major events of the last three months caught up with....
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Happy Birthday Hannah!
My miracle girl is 3 today! Have a wonderful day Hannah, I love you so much!
Lots of love and kisses from Mummy xxxxxxx
Lots of love and kisses from Mummy xxxxxxx
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Happy Birthday Caitlin!
My big girl is 5 years old today! I am so proud of her.
Have a wonderful day sweetheart, I love you so much, love and kisses from Mummy xxxxxxxxxx
Have a wonderful day sweetheart, I love you so much, love and kisses from Mummy xxxxxxxxxx
Saturday, August 04, 2007
The usual ups and downs
Two weeks in and we are surviving the summer holiday and I am still sane (although of course everything is relative!)
We have mostly been chilling out doing things at home, because the next three weeks are going to be hectic. Puzzles have been very popular and Hannah has a new addiction for sew and lace cards. We had a lovely day at my friend Rachel's house on Tuesday. She invited us and some other friends over for the day. The kids played together beautifully (mainly!) and we relaxed in glorious sunshine in the garden.
The girls have made their own 'gardens' in planters which was a particularly messy experience. Each garden has a pond, a path, and some wierd totem pole things they made out of lolly sticks. Oh, and a few plants! As we have finally had a glimmer of summer like weather this week I decided to turn the sand pit into a paddling pool. There were a couple of good reasons for this; we have no sand, and it took about a thousandth of the time it would have taken to clean, inflate and fill the actual paddling pool.
I have been asked to speak at this year's CLDF conference about caring for a child with chronic liver disease! I feel very nervous about this and really hope I can do a good job. The conference is in 2 months so there is plenty of time to be terrified....sorry, I mean to prepare.
I have been doing the happy nappy dance for the last couple of weeks! Five years ago I was a week away from becoming a mum. I really do not want to think about how many hours of my life since then have been devoted to nappies. At last, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We are nappy free during the day! I feel like a new woman!
There is so much going on during the next few weeks that my head is spinning. This week we have William's birthday on Monday, then I need to get organised and get Caitlin some presents before Saturday! Then there is the girl's party on the 17th, Hugs and Hope day on the 19th, Hannah's bloods at Birmingham on the 21st, Hannah's endoscopy on the 22nd, Ethan's party on the 25th, and Hannah's birthday on the 26th. I can see the rest of the 'holiday' disappearing very rapidly.
I've been feeling quite down the last couple of days. I am scared about Hannah's endoscopy although I am trying not to be, and I just have an overwhelming desire to talk things through with Mum. I remember how when Hannah was ill as a baby I would be ringing her from the hospital every couple of hours. She was like my anchor. There are so many good and bad things that I just need to share with her and now I can't.
I am also missing a friend who I am used to sharing a lot of stuff with. She has a huge amount going on in her life at the moment and isn't around as much as I am used to. Thankfully it's just a temporary situation.
We have mostly been chilling out doing things at home, because the next three weeks are going to be hectic. Puzzles have been very popular and Hannah has a new addiction for sew and lace cards. We had a lovely day at my friend Rachel's house on Tuesday. She invited us and some other friends over for the day. The kids played together beautifully (mainly!) and we relaxed in glorious sunshine in the garden.
The girls have made their own 'gardens' in planters which was a particularly messy experience. Each garden has a pond, a path, and some wierd totem pole things they made out of lolly sticks. Oh, and a few plants! As we have finally had a glimmer of summer like weather this week I decided to turn the sand pit into a paddling pool. There were a couple of good reasons for this; we have no sand, and it took about a thousandth of the time it would have taken to clean, inflate and fill the actual paddling pool.
I have been asked to speak at this year's CLDF conference about caring for a child with chronic liver disease! I feel very nervous about this and really hope I can do a good job. The conference is in 2 months so there is plenty of time to be terrified....sorry, I mean to prepare.
I have been doing the happy nappy dance for the last couple of weeks! Five years ago I was a week away from becoming a mum. I really do not want to think about how many hours of my life since then have been devoted to nappies. At last, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We are nappy free during the day! I feel like a new woman!
There is so much going on during the next few weeks that my head is spinning. This week we have William's birthday on Monday, then I need to get organised and get Caitlin some presents before Saturday! Then there is the girl's party on the 17th, Hugs and Hope day on the 19th, Hannah's bloods at Birmingham on the 21st, Hannah's endoscopy on the 22nd, Ethan's party on the 25th, and Hannah's birthday on the 26th. I can see the rest of the 'holiday' disappearing very rapidly.
I've been feeling quite down the last couple of days. I am scared about Hannah's endoscopy although I am trying not to be, and I just have an overwhelming desire to talk things through with Mum. I remember how when Hannah was ill as a baby I would be ringing her from the hospital every couple of hours. She was like my anchor. There are so many good and bad things that I just need to share with her and now I can't.
I am also missing a friend who I am used to sharing a lot of stuff with. She has a huge amount going on in her life at the moment and isn't around as much as I am used to. Thankfully it's just a temporary situation.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Summer holidays are here!
The last couple of weeks seem to have been quite busy. Of course the first thing after my last post was Hannah's Birmingham appointment. I made some lengthy updates to Hannah's blog about it, but forgot to mention it here.
So, a quick summary...
Hannah's appointment went very well overall. The only thing which is a slight concern is her Alk Phos level has shot up from its normal level. This can be caused by bile duct damage (what we don't want!) or bone damage, which in the case of children can be because they are having a growth spurt. It seems likely that growth could be the cause with Hannah but we just have to wait and see if the result trends downwards over time.
The other news is that Hannah's doctor has decided it is time for her to have an endoscopy to check for varices. These are internal varicose veins which are at risk of bleeding. We have also been invited to participate in a study to see whether treating large varices before a bleed is better than waiting for a bleed before treatment. We will only be eligible to take part in the study if the endoscopy shows that Hannah has varices which are at risk of bleeding - obviously we hope that will not be the case. If she does qualify, she will be randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the no treatment group. We haven't made a final choice about whether or not to take part yet, but at the moment we think that we probably will.
I have also booked a birthday party for the girls at the Jungle Junction soft play area. Their birthdays are two weeks and one day apart so the party is (almost) in the middle. As you can imagine they are very excited even though there is still over three weeks to go.
We have enjoyed seeing my niece Lisa who is back home at the moment after a year in Gibraltar. The girls love spending time with her and she has taken them out to have fun a few times.
We had fun watching the Godiva Festival carnival parade the other weekend, thankfully with a rare appearance from the sun! The girls chose some revolting multi coloured ice lollys which of course turned a muddy brown as soon as they started eating them, coating their clothes with unmentionable looking stains. We didn't go and look around the stalls though; although it is a 'free festival' there are plenty of things the girls would want to do which do cost money...bouncy castles, trampolines, helium balloons, face painting....so instead we went to the playground after the parade, which they enjoyed just as much, and I enjoyed more!
The school year has finished and thankfully the girls have been into relaxing more than doing so far. This is good because it is giving me time to chill out for a few days too! I did plan to take them to the library yesterday but they decided they would rather just read some of the books at home and so we snuggled together on the sofa for a story session. It was perhaps a good job we didn't do anything too interesting as a shopping trip to Asda sent them both into a giddy whirl of excitement! They have played very happily at home this morning, then we went to Grandad's for lunch and they burned up lots of energy racing around his garden.
I'm sure there is more but a rare rainless day has me in a frantic washing frenzy, and the latest load has just finished.............
So, a quick summary...
Hannah's appointment went very well overall. The only thing which is a slight concern is her Alk Phos level has shot up from its normal level. This can be caused by bile duct damage (what we don't want!) or bone damage, which in the case of children can be because they are having a growth spurt. It seems likely that growth could be the cause with Hannah but we just have to wait and see if the result trends downwards over time.
The other news is that Hannah's doctor has decided it is time for her to have an endoscopy to check for varices. These are internal varicose veins which are at risk of bleeding. We have also been invited to participate in a study to see whether treating large varices before a bleed is better than waiting for a bleed before treatment. We will only be eligible to take part in the study if the endoscopy shows that Hannah has varices which are at risk of bleeding - obviously we hope that will not be the case. If she does qualify, she will be randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the no treatment group. We haven't made a final choice about whether or not to take part yet, but at the moment we think that we probably will.
I have also booked a birthday party for the girls at the Jungle Junction soft play area. Their birthdays are two weeks and one day apart so the party is (almost) in the middle. As you can imagine they are very excited even though there is still over three weeks to go.
We have enjoyed seeing my niece Lisa who is back home at the moment after a year in Gibraltar. The girls love spending time with her and she has taken them out to have fun a few times.
We had fun watching the Godiva Festival carnival parade the other weekend, thankfully with a rare appearance from the sun! The girls chose some revolting multi coloured ice lollys which of course turned a muddy brown as soon as they started eating them, coating their clothes with unmentionable looking stains. We didn't go and look around the stalls though; although it is a 'free festival' there are plenty of things the girls would want to do which do cost money...bouncy castles, trampolines, helium balloons, face painting....so instead we went to the playground after the parade, which they enjoyed just as much, and I enjoyed more!
The school year has finished and thankfully the girls have been into relaxing more than doing so far. This is good because it is giving me time to chill out for a few days too! I did plan to take them to the library yesterday but they decided they would rather just read some of the books at home and so we snuggled together on the sofa for a story session. It was perhaps a good job we didn't do anything too interesting as a shopping trip to Asda sent them both into a giddy whirl of excitement! They have played very happily at home this morning, then we went to Grandad's for lunch and they burned up lots of energy racing around his garden.
I'm sure there is more but a rare rainless day has me in a frantic washing frenzy, and the latest load has just finished.............
Monday, July 09, 2007
Back to the land of the living (nearly)
I had a quiet week last week, needing some time to recover from the hectic two weeks before it! We got Caitlin's school report on Friday. It was very good and I am so proud of her! She tries her best, is happy and enthusiastic, is kind to the other children, and is doing well in her work!
On Saturday evening I went for a meal with my oldest and dearest friend Sarah to celebrate her birthday. We decided to repeat the celebration we had for my birthday in April by going for a Chinese buffet meal. I love the buffet restaurants because you don't have to choose what to have, you can just have a little bit of everything!
We also got a new lawnmower on Saturday. The old one had been poorly for quite some time (in fact since we lived at our old house) but I finally finished it off last week by mowing over one of the girls' garden tools - a metal hand rake with a wooden handle. It made quite an interesting noise.....
So, the new mower has: a blade that is straight and actually has a cutting edge (!) AND.....drumroll.........a grass collection box!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday we went to the church summer fete. Amazingly it went ahead without a single drop of rain falling! Caitlin had a sprint race against her classmates. I told her the most important thing was to enjoy herself and she had a big smile on her face when she finished despite the fact she came last and lost her cap halfway! The girls had a go on the bouncy castle then we had some hotdogs for lunch. I had a yummy slice of chocolate cake and everyone else had ice creams. I had offered to help out with the kids games that PTA were running for a short while but I ended up being stuck there for ages because the woman who I was 'giving a break' never came back! While I was doing that Hannah ran off and Andy had to hunt for her, fortunately he found her quickly. I didn't get chance to look around the stalls but I didn't mind, I've been nearly every year of my life and it doesn't change much! After that I took the girls to get their faces painted. Caitlin had a lovely beach scene and Hannah had a blue butterfly. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so didn't take any photos. We finished the day off with a second go on the bouncy castle.
Hannah has her check up at Birmingham tomorrow (more on her blog) so I'm going to try and have a relaxing evening and not think too much.
On Saturday evening I went for a meal with my oldest and dearest friend Sarah to celebrate her birthday. We decided to repeat the celebration we had for my birthday in April by going for a Chinese buffet meal. I love the buffet restaurants because you don't have to choose what to have, you can just have a little bit of everything!
We also got a new lawnmower on Saturday. The old one had been poorly for quite some time (in fact since we lived at our old house) but I finally finished it off last week by mowing over one of the girls' garden tools - a metal hand rake with a wooden handle. It made quite an interesting noise.....
So, the new mower has: a blade that is straight and actually has a cutting edge (!) AND.....drumroll.........a grass collection box!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday we went to the church summer fete. Amazingly it went ahead without a single drop of rain falling! Caitlin had a sprint race against her classmates. I told her the most important thing was to enjoy herself and she had a big smile on her face when she finished despite the fact she came last and lost her cap halfway! The girls had a go on the bouncy castle then we had some hotdogs for lunch. I had a yummy slice of chocolate cake and everyone else had ice creams. I had offered to help out with the kids games that PTA were running for a short while but I ended up being stuck there for ages because the woman who I was 'giving a break' never came back! While I was doing that Hannah ran off and Andy had to hunt for her, fortunately he found her quickly. I didn't get chance to look around the stalls but I didn't mind, I've been nearly every year of my life and it doesn't change much! After that I took the girls to get their faces painted. Caitlin had a lovely beach scene and Hannah had a blue butterfly. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so didn't take any photos. We finished the day off with a second go on the bouncy castle.
Hannah has her check up at Birmingham tomorrow (more on her blog) so I'm going to try and have a relaxing evening and not think too much.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Happy, sad, peaceful
Caitlin's assembly went well this morning and was very cute. She had to say a prayer thanking God for the gift of sight. Caitlin read her part beautifully and Hannah sat on my knee the whole time, aided by a banana, a biscuit and a pen and paper. They also sang 'Prayer is like a telephone' which left Hannah singing her own versions of it for the rest of the day.
After that Hannah and I went over to visit Angie and Adam at BCH. Adam had an endoscopy yesterday which went very well, thank goodness. We met up with them for a couple of hours before they flew back to Northern Ireland. Adam is a lovely lad and so full of life and energy. He and Hannah got on so well even though there is such a big age gap between them, I think it's because they have very similar personalities! It was wonderful to chat to Angie and also to meet her mum Maureen.
Adam scoots Hannah round in the car
Adam and Hannah on the roundabout
Angie and me
Adam, Angie and Hannah
Unfortunately about 3 miles from home was when the crap part of the day started. The dual carriageway was coned off on the right hand lane. I was queuing up in the left hand lane, the one that was open, and just as I got to the part when the right hand lane finished the usual idiot came belting down the right hand lane and tried to jump the queue. This was a new breed of idiot though, who thought it would be a good idea to try and fit side by side with me in one lane. As my car began to be forced into the crash barrier I beeped my horn, to be told through the open window that I was a f***ing b***h, for trying to warn him he was about to kill me and Hannah. There really are some lovely people about.
Somewhat shaken, I arrived home to find that the food which I had allowed Hannah to eat in the car on the strict promise that she DID NOT MAKE A MESS had been crumbled into small pieces and spread all over the back of the car. Tears and tantrums followed, from me as well as Hannah. Eventually though the mess was cleared up and calm was restored.
A quiet couple of hours before we had to pick Caitlin up (she did an after school club, a gross motor skills development thing for the little ones) lulled me into a false sense of security. While I was waiting for her to come out her teacher came and spoke to me and said she had been very badly behaved that afternoon and hadn't done anything she was told. I had been so looking forward to seeing her and praising her for her assembly and how well she had done, and finding out if she enjoyed the after school club, and that totally took the wind out of my sails. I felt so down when we got back. The one thing I really wanted was to talk all these trivial but at the same time upsetting and annoying things out with Mum. She would always listen and give wise advice and most importantly she would make me smile again.
Something else happened though, to stop me feeling so sorry for myself. I checked my emails and saw that one of my friends who lost her precious child had updated her blog. I read her latest post, and some of the older ones too. It made me remember that I should never feel too down when I have both my girls to hold close to me whenever I want to, and that even when they are naughty and exasperating that they are the most important things in the world and I am truly blessed to have them. So no more tears; we had a quiet teatime and bathtime, and I got the time to sit down with Caitlin and share with her how well she did in her assembly.
After that Hannah and I went over to visit Angie and Adam at BCH. Adam had an endoscopy yesterday which went very well, thank goodness. We met up with them for a couple of hours before they flew back to Northern Ireland. Adam is a lovely lad and so full of life and energy. He and Hannah got on so well even though there is such a big age gap between them, I think it's because they have very similar personalities! It was wonderful to chat to Angie and also to meet her mum Maureen.
Adam scoots Hannah round in the car
Adam and Hannah on the roundabout
Angie and me
Adam, Angie and Hannah
Unfortunately about 3 miles from home was when the crap part of the day started. The dual carriageway was coned off on the right hand lane. I was queuing up in the left hand lane, the one that was open, and just as I got to the part when the right hand lane finished the usual idiot came belting down the right hand lane and tried to jump the queue. This was a new breed of idiot though, who thought it would be a good idea to try and fit side by side with me in one lane. As my car began to be forced into the crash barrier I beeped my horn, to be told through the open window that I was a f***ing b***h, for trying to warn him he was about to kill me and Hannah. There really are some lovely people about.
Somewhat shaken, I arrived home to find that the food which I had allowed Hannah to eat in the car on the strict promise that she DID NOT MAKE A MESS had been crumbled into small pieces and spread all over the back of the car. Tears and tantrums followed, from me as well as Hannah. Eventually though the mess was cleared up and calm was restored.
A quiet couple of hours before we had to pick Caitlin up (she did an after school club, a gross motor skills development thing for the little ones) lulled me into a false sense of security. While I was waiting for her to come out her teacher came and spoke to me and said she had been very badly behaved that afternoon and hadn't done anything she was told. I had been so looking forward to seeing her and praising her for her assembly and how well she had done, and finding out if she enjoyed the after school club, and that totally took the wind out of my sails. I felt so down when we got back. The one thing I really wanted was to talk all these trivial but at the same time upsetting and annoying things out with Mum. She would always listen and give wise advice and most importantly she would make me smile again.
Something else happened though, to stop me feeling so sorry for myself. I checked my emails and saw that one of my friends who lost her precious child had updated her blog. I read her latest post, and some of the older ones too. It made me remember that I should never feel too down when I have both my girls to hold close to me whenever I want to, and that even when they are naughty and exasperating that they are the most important things in the world and I am truly blessed to have them. So no more tears; we had a quiet teatime and bathtime, and I got the time to sit down with Caitlin and share with her how well she did in her assembly.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Wow, I've done loads!
Well, I have been so busy since my last entry! Caitlin's bedroom is finished!!!! (If I'm completely honest there are still one or two finishing touches to be made but they are going to have to wait a while longer). The hard work was definitely worth it, it is definitely a 'princess bedroom' just like she wanted.
I still have the huge task of sorting out all the toys into the new storage, don't want to face that one at all!
Then there was a mad rush to get ready for the holiday, with the house in complete chaos from the decorating. We had a lovely week just relaxing and doing holiday things. We have already spent 4 weeks in the area in the last two years and seen lots of the local attractions so we didn't bother doing that this year. We just did simple things to keep the girls happy like going to the pool, the adventure playground, the 2p arcades and that sort of thing. The weather wasn't good enough for the beach so we just had 3 or 4 short sessions down there. While we were there my friend Sarah drove over to visit as she lives close by. That meant that Caitlin got to meet up with her pen friend Amy. The girls played really nicely together while Sarah and I enjoyed a cuppa, choccy biscuits and most importantly a good chat. Sam (waves) has been telling me for ages I should make a montage so I had a play around with our holiday photos this morning and managed to create my very first montage! I'm reasonably pleased with the result although the photos are a bit blurry in it.
On Sunday it was Andy's birthday. We celebrated with a quiet day and a Chinese takeaway for tea :)
Then, on Monday, Hannah and I went down to Oxford to meet up with Elly and Sam. Sam and her family were having a break at the guest house owned by Elly's mum. I got lost in a different place than where I got lost last time I drove down to Elly's, but made it there eventually. It is always a joy to meet up with Elly and her beautiful boys and it was very exciting to meet Sam, her partner Tony and their daughters Bethany and Eloise for the first time. We all visited the Oxford University Natural History Museum, which looked absolutely fascinating but I missed a lot of it trying to stop Hannah from destroying the exhibits. She showed particular determination with the ones marked 'fragile, do not touch'. After a cuppa and a cake that were literally worth their weight in gold (!) Hannah and I set off home.
Unbelievably, Sam and Tony hadn't had quite enough of us on Monday, and it was lovely to have them and the girls here for tea yesterday on their way back up to Yorkshire. They brought my girls some lovely presents which have gone down a storm, how thoughtful and generous. There is one blessing from Hannah having liver disease which I see every day - the wonderful friends I have made who I never would have met otherwise.
Today I have had a Sharon day! I caught up with some paperwork and phone calls this morning while Hannah was at pre-school, and did the holiday montage. I relaxed while she had her nap and played some free poker. The girls went to Von's for tea so I did a few jobs and went out to the shops (by myself!). I feel refreshed having had virtually a whole day to myself.
Tomorrow I'm off again! Caitlin's class are doing an assembly in the morning and they all have something to say. After that Hannah and I are popping over to BCH to visit Angie and Adam. Adam is inpatient for a scheduled procedure (it was today, and went very well, thank goodness) so we are going to have some lunch and meet up before Adam is discharged and they fly back over to Northern Ireland.
Oh, my garden...never did I think I would say there was too much rain! The weeds are going berserk (although I have had a good cull in the last three days) and some of my plants which are in tubs without great drainage are dying from too much water! However, I do have flowers (yippee), and I am getting out there in between showers of rain to do some tidying up, so once that is done I will be out there taking pics.
I still have the huge task of sorting out all the toys into the new storage, don't want to face that one at all!
Then there was a mad rush to get ready for the holiday, with the house in complete chaos from the decorating. We had a lovely week just relaxing and doing holiday things. We have already spent 4 weeks in the area in the last two years and seen lots of the local attractions so we didn't bother doing that this year. We just did simple things to keep the girls happy like going to the pool, the adventure playground, the 2p arcades and that sort of thing. The weather wasn't good enough for the beach so we just had 3 or 4 short sessions down there. While we were there my friend Sarah drove over to visit as she lives close by. That meant that Caitlin got to meet up with her pen friend Amy. The girls played really nicely together while Sarah and I enjoyed a cuppa, choccy biscuits and most importantly a good chat. Sam (waves) has been telling me for ages I should make a montage so I had a play around with our holiday photos this morning and managed to create my very first montage! I'm reasonably pleased with the result although the photos are a bit blurry in it.
On Sunday it was Andy's birthday. We celebrated with a quiet day and a Chinese takeaway for tea :)
Then, on Monday, Hannah and I went down to Oxford to meet up with Elly and Sam. Sam and her family were having a break at the guest house owned by Elly's mum. I got lost in a different place than where I got lost last time I drove down to Elly's, but made it there eventually. It is always a joy to meet up with Elly and her beautiful boys and it was very exciting to meet Sam, her partner Tony and their daughters Bethany and Eloise for the first time. We all visited the Oxford University Natural History Museum, which looked absolutely fascinating but I missed a lot of it trying to stop Hannah from destroying the exhibits. She showed particular determination with the ones marked 'fragile, do not touch'. After a cuppa and a cake that were literally worth their weight in gold (!) Hannah and I set off home.
Unbelievably, Sam and Tony hadn't had quite enough of us on Monday, and it was lovely to have them and the girls here for tea yesterday on their way back up to Yorkshire. They brought my girls some lovely presents which have gone down a storm, how thoughtful and generous. There is one blessing from Hannah having liver disease which I see every day - the wonderful friends I have made who I never would have met otherwise.
Today I have had a Sharon day! I caught up with some paperwork and phone calls this morning while Hannah was at pre-school, and did the holiday montage. I relaxed while she had her nap and played some free poker. The girls went to Von's for tea so I did a few jobs and went out to the shops (by myself!). I feel refreshed having had virtually a whole day to myself.
Tomorrow I'm off again! Caitlin's class are doing an assembly in the morning and they all have something to say. After that Hannah and I are popping over to BCH to visit Angie and Adam. Adam is inpatient for a scheduled procedure (it was today, and went very well, thank goodness) so we are going to have some lunch and meet up before Adam is discharged and they fly back over to Northern Ireland.
Oh, my garden...never did I think I would say there was too much rain! The weeds are going berserk (although I have had a good cull in the last three days) and some of my plants which are in tubs without great drainage are dying from too much water! However, I do have flowers (yippee), and I am getting out there in between showers of rain to do some tidying up, so once that is done I will be out there taking pics.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Caitlin's Bedroom
It's a nightmare. The details are tedious, but I can sum it up with: 70 year old plaster and some wierd sticky residue that nothing will adhere to without cracking. Nothing, that is, until we tried Polyfilla base coat. Hurrah! However...two coats of that, two of pink, painting the (artex!) ceiling and the skirting still leaves much work to be done. I have also discovered that the plaster starts to fall off one of the walls if you use a power sander on it :| Trying not to think about that.......and won't be using the power sander on it again or trying to attach anything to it like pictures........
Holiday
Only 12 days to go!!!!! (Trying not to think about washing and ironing)
I am really excited! Last year I just had a wrong feeling about it being so soon after mum's death. I still enjoyed it because of the girls, but I couldn't feel the same excitement about it. This year I just want us all to relax and have lots of fun. I am also really looking forward to meeting up with my friend Sarah and her daughter Amy - who is Caitlin's pen friend - while we are away.
More excitement
Just after we get back from our holiday Sam is going down to Oxford to stay in Elly's mum's guest house. So, I will get to meet up with Elly and meet Sam and her family for the FIRST TIME all in one go!
Anniversary
Mum's anniversary and the time around it was hard, but I got through and my family did too. Now that difficult time has passed for now I can feel myself wanting to get on with things with mum's spirit with me. That is a relief because it is also hard on Andy and the girls when I get down.
It's a nightmare. The details are tedious, but I can sum it up with: 70 year old plaster and some wierd sticky residue that nothing will adhere to without cracking. Nothing, that is, until we tried Polyfilla base coat. Hurrah! However...two coats of that, two of pink, painting the (artex!) ceiling and the skirting still leaves much work to be done. I have also discovered that the plaster starts to fall off one of the walls if you use a power sander on it :| Trying not to think about that.......and won't be using the power sander on it again or trying to attach anything to it like pictures........
Holiday
Only 12 days to go!!!!! (Trying not to think about washing and ironing)
I am really excited! Last year I just had a wrong feeling about it being so soon after mum's death. I still enjoyed it because of the girls, but I couldn't feel the same excitement about it. This year I just want us all to relax and have lots of fun. I am also really looking forward to meeting up with my friend Sarah and her daughter Amy - who is Caitlin's pen friend - while we are away.
More excitement
Just after we get back from our holiday Sam is going down to Oxford to stay in Elly's mum's guest house. So, I will get to meet up with Elly and meet Sam and her family for the FIRST TIME all in one go!
Anniversary
Mum's anniversary and the time around it was hard, but I got through and my family did too. Now that difficult time has passed for now I can feel myself wanting to get on with things with mum's spirit with me. That is a relief because it is also hard on Andy and the girls when I get down.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
More paint and flowers, and sadness
Decorating Caitlin's room is proving to be less than fun. I don't have anything personal against the people who previously owned our house, but I feel distinctly unfriendly towards their decorating and home improvement philosophies. Underneath the wallpaper was a thin layer of polystyrene. Whatever adhesive thing was used is not a surface I would recommend painting over, as the one wall I tried it the paint keeps cracking. So between scrubbing that off, filling and sanding I am getting pretty fed up. I'm trying to do a couple of hours on it each day but it's tough when you don't see any improvement. Really it needs replastering, but so does the whole house. And that is way down the list, and in particular after the things which should be done before replastering (rewiring, new windows, oh and rebuilding the back of the house......and all the other things we can't afford) You might be wondering why I don't just put wallpaper up. Unfortunately we have seen that the wallpaper adheres to the walls about as well as the paint does, which is not a lot. And on a budget, and with the walls in such a poor general state, it is difficult to justify an expensive primer. So even when it's finished, the walls will still look pretty crappy, but hopefully the overall effect will be OK. She is getting a new bed, toy storage and curtains, and I hope that eventually it will all be worth it!
The explosion of flowers in the garden should be any day soon! There are a few already and lots of buds just waiting to fill my garden with colour. I bought a lovely red cordyline on Friday and some asiatic lilies. I put the lilies next to an azalea I bought and that flowerbed is turning in to a bit of a tribute to Mum. Those two plants were among her favourites. My first attempt at planting seeds is going well. The night scented stock seeds which got dug up by a cat having a poo didn't seem to care and are all sprouting well. I collected a lot of seeds from my lovely delphinium I bought last summer (good job as it has not reappeared despite allegedly being a perennial). I planted them in a seed tray and they didn't do anything for ages, then just one or two started to appear. Now the whole tray is filled with little seedlings! The next challenge is extracting them from the seed try into individual pots...all the guidance I can find is "when they are large enough". What help is that? I also scattered some candytuft, larkspur and cornflowers. I am undecided as to whether they are sprouting or whether the little seedlings in that vicinity are actually weeds.
I just wanted to share the verse on the little garden plaque that Andy got me at Christmas time. There is an author but as I wouldn't be able to see in the dark I will have to credit them later.
"The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden,
Than anywhere else on earth"
Mum's first anniversary is this coming Sunday. This is a difficult time.
The explosion of flowers in the garden should be any day soon! There are a few already and lots of buds just waiting to fill my garden with colour. I bought a lovely red cordyline on Friday and some asiatic lilies. I put the lilies next to an azalea I bought and that flowerbed is turning in to a bit of a tribute to Mum. Those two plants were among her favourites. My first attempt at planting seeds is going well. The night scented stock seeds which got dug up by a cat having a poo didn't seem to care and are all sprouting well. I collected a lot of seeds from my lovely delphinium I bought last summer (good job as it has not reappeared despite allegedly being a perennial). I planted them in a seed tray and they didn't do anything for ages, then just one or two started to appear. Now the whole tray is filled with little seedlings! The next challenge is extracting them from the seed try into individual pots...all the guidance I can find is "when they are large enough". What help is that? I also scattered some candytuft, larkspur and cornflowers. I am undecided as to whether they are sprouting or whether the little seedlings in that vicinity are actually weeds.
I just wanted to share the verse on the little garden plaque that Andy got me at Christmas time. There is an author but as I wouldn't be able to see in the dark I will have to credit them later.
"The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden,
Than anywhere else on earth"
Mum's first anniversary is this coming Sunday. This is a difficult time.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Strawberries
Elly and her two gorgeous boys, Arthur and Sylvan, came to visit yesterday. I think Elly will agree that this has proven to be the most stress free visit yet. For the first time we actually seemed to have chance to chat for more than 30 seconds at once without major chaos ensuing from one child or another! (Although of course there are still many topics left for future occasions.)
Arthur once again decided that the most interesting things in my house are Hannah's toy vacuum and the cat litter tray. Hannah's main focus of interest was Sylvan - she loves babies but is somewhat overattentive towards them. I often encounter tricky situations where I have to gauge whether or nor a mum is just being polite, or really doesn't mind my grubby toddler mauling their precious baby.
Elly treated us to a takeaway lunch as a belated birthday present for me (thanks Elly! xxx) and I bought some strawberries for afterwards. Rather than dish out a portion for everyone, I just prepared a bowl for sharing. Now you can picture the scene....the strawberries were placed on the table. Arthur, Hannah and Sylvan had one each. Sylvan took one bite of his strawberry and then sat on it. Elly cleaned up squashed strawberry from Sylvan's clothes while I wiped it up from the carpet. Our attention returned to the bowl of strawberries....completely empty! Hannah and Arthur both had at least three each in their mouths. Literally this took about 30 seconds, for the two of them to polish off about twenty strawberries. Amazing. Even more so if you bear in mind that they had previously eaten two large sausage rolls (Hannah), one sausage roll and most of a cheese and onion pasty (Arthur), and a cream doughnut each.
Hooray! for kids with liver disease who scoff themselves full of calories :D
Arthur once again decided that the most interesting things in my house are Hannah's toy vacuum and the cat litter tray. Hannah's main focus of interest was Sylvan - she loves babies but is somewhat overattentive towards them. I often encounter tricky situations where I have to gauge whether or nor a mum is just being polite, or really doesn't mind my grubby toddler mauling their precious baby.
Elly treated us to a takeaway lunch as a belated birthday present for me (thanks Elly! xxx) and I bought some strawberries for afterwards. Rather than dish out a portion for everyone, I just prepared a bowl for sharing. Now you can picture the scene....the strawberries were placed on the table. Arthur, Hannah and Sylvan had one each. Sylvan took one bite of his strawberry and then sat on it. Elly cleaned up squashed strawberry from Sylvan's clothes while I wiped it up from the carpet. Our attention returned to the bowl of strawberries....completely empty! Hannah and Arthur both had at least three each in their mouths. Literally this took about 30 seconds, for the two of them to polish off about twenty strawberries. Amazing. Even more so if you bear in mind that they had previously eaten two large sausage rolls (Hannah), one sausage roll and most of a cheese and onion pasty (Arthur), and a cream doughnut each.
Hooray! for kids with liver disease who scoff themselves full of calories :D
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Let's get busy - put your puddlebusters on!
I have been very busy in my garden, and I am ridiculously excited about my little collection of infant plants. This time two years ago, I was digging up weeds. This time last year, I was digging up weeds. Now, I am planting things. FLOWERS are on their way.
I'm not a gardener and very much learning as I go along, so I'm not getting complicated. The one thing we kept from the miserable collection of actual plants that were here when we moved in is a lavender bush. My mum thought it was wonderful ('real old fashioned lavender') and after I pruned it well last autumn it is looking really good and has lots of buds on it.
I have been raiding the local greengrocers for plants every time I go as they have a good selection of cheap good quality bedding and basket plants. My favourite purchase so far (and my most extravagant at £3.99) has been a wonderful trailing fuschia which is extremely happy in my hanging basket. My sister in law has been enthusing this evening about the great selection of plants they have in the market right now, so as I have a little extra money this week I shall be heading down there sometime in the week.
There is still SO much to do, like getting a wall built that isn't about to collapse, and making a play area for the girls, and doing SOMETHING about the concrete hardstanding....but I no longer feel like the garden needs rescuing. Just improving.
I was asked about who the four readers are (see last post). I meant Lisa, Elly, Liz and Andy (*waves*). Apparently Sam is also a reader too (*waves again*), so I stand corrected that I have a whole FIVE readers! Could there be more? Don't be shy!
I have been doing quite well on a decluttering mission the last few days. The plan - to use the cupboards to store things we actually use rather than things we don't, and hence stop leaving the things we use lying around all over the place. Things are now looking good downstairs (I have kitchen worktops!!!), apart from some toys that need taking upstairs and some stuff that I need Andy to help me move. The result at the moment is the upstairs is a complete war zone, but phase two is to cram all the clutter into the loft and then bring it down a bit at a time to sort out. This will also help with the great decorating plan which is back on now I can afford some plaster repair stuff.
The busy theme has continued with work. With exam time coming up I have quite a few extra students and I have 7 or 8 lessons a week for the next few weeks. So far I have managed to protect my Saturday evenings (here I am!) but I'm not sure how much longer that can continue! I am enjoying it, especially as I know things will slacken off after the exams (although for the first time I have 4 students - all fortnightly, so really two per week - who will be carrying on next academic year, which is a nice security).
I promise pictures of my flowers, when I have enough.
I'm not a gardener and very much learning as I go along, so I'm not getting complicated. The one thing we kept from the miserable collection of actual plants that were here when we moved in is a lavender bush. My mum thought it was wonderful ('real old fashioned lavender') and after I pruned it well last autumn it is looking really good and has lots of buds on it.
I have been raiding the local greengrocers for plants every time I go as they have a good selection of cheap good quality bedding and basket plants. My favourite purchase so far (and my most extravagant at £3.99) has been a wonderful trailing fuschia which is extremely happy in my hanging basket. My sister in law has been enthusing this evening about the great selection of plants they have in the market right now, so as I have a little extra money this week I shall be heading down there sometime in the week.
There is still SO much to do, like getting a wall built that isn't about to collapse, and making a play area for the girls, and doing SOMETHING about the concrete hardstanding....but I no longer feel like the garden needs rescuing. Just improving.
I was asked about who the four readers are (see last post). I meant Lisa, Elly, Liz and Andy (*waves*). Apparently Sam is also a reader too (*waves again*), so I stand corrected that I have a whole FIVE readers! Could there be more? Don't be shy!
I have been doing quite well on a decluttering mission the last few days. The plan - to use the cupboards to store things we actually use rather than things we don't, and hence stop leaving the things we use lying around all over the place. Things are now looking good downstairs (I have kitchen worktops!!!), apart from some toys that need taking upstairs and some stuff that I need Andy to help me move. The result at the moment is the upstairs is a complete war zone, but phase two is to cram all the clutter into the loft and then bring it down a bit at a time to sort out. This will also help with the great decorating plan which is back on now I can afford some plaster repair stuff.
The busy theme has continued with work. With exam time coming up I have quite a few extra students and I have 7 or 8 lessons a week for the next few weeks. So far I have managed to protect my Saturday evenings (here I am!) but I'm not sure how much longer that can continue! I am enjoying it, especially as I know things will slacken off after the exams (although for the first time I have 4 students - all fortnightly, so really two per week - who will be carrying on next academic year, which is a nice security).
I promise pictures of my flowers, when I have enough.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
