Happy Hogmanay!

Wishing all my family, friends, virtual friends and fellow bloggers

all the best for the New Year, 2007!

(Sorry, couldn't decide between the photographs, both were a bit of fun!)

Well, that's that then...

That was it. Christmas. Been and gone for another year. Has to be, because we've just had the obligatory turkey (and sweetcorn) soup for lunch and it's Turkey Pilaff on the menu for dinner. Turkey Curry on Friday. So, it must be the day after Boxing Day, fil's birthday, (mustn't forget the phone call...).

Rhiannon was sick all day Christmas Eve, but was a little better and joined us Christmas Day, although she didn't each much. She's almost back to herself now. Aedan is away with our ex-neighbour's step-dad fishing, so he's happy and it's quiet round here. My cold is nearly gone, so I'm a happier bunny too. Marvelous.

To top it all off, I've remembered to go next door and feed the two cats, kitten and rabbit while my friend is away. Litter trays. Yuk. I'm afraid I've had to undecorate their Christmas tree, I was spending more time picking up baubles and lametta then playing with the kitten, which was becoming a bit of a vicious circle, so the decorations are in a cardboard box in the garage, out of harms way. Dread to think what she'll find to play with next.

Anyway, back to the Monopoly board, or Cluedo, or whatever I get dragged into next...

Excitement!

But nothing to do with Christmas. More of a natural kind! You know me, give me a bit of nature and I'm a very happy bunny.

So, imagine my excitement when, from the dining room, a little voice murmered, "Wow!" Now, there's not much in my back garden to cause that kind of exclamation, so I thought I'd take a look and, low and behold, there is a sparrowhawk, having just caught a little snacket, landing on the ground just beneath my birdfeeder that hangs on the shed.

"Ooooo! Quick, come and look at this! Quietly..." says one very excited mother and the children stampede into the dining room. Next second, there's the neighbour's bleep bleep cat having a go at the sparrowhawk! I'm surprised I didn't put the patio door through in my anxiety, then I dashed upstairs to the boys room for a better view of the ensuing battle. There, to my utter delight, was the sparrowhawk, safely perched on the fence behind the shed with Sparky, (cat) slinking away across the stretch of grass behind the fence.

It stayed on the fence for a good few minutes, giving us a fantastic view and me reassurance that it wasn't injured after it's tussle with Sparkey. Mind you, it's snacket had escaped too, which was a blow for the sparrowhawk no doubt. According to Conall, (the little voice) the bird was taken from the fence, not from the birdfeeder, but then, I don't mind feeding up the odd little one for the sake of something so special.

The new neighbour behind us probably thinks we're a bunch of nutters, gathering in a bedroom window to watch him smoke a cigarette on his back doorstep. He couldn't see the sparrowhawk. Hey ho!

Did you know it's Christmas Eve tomorrow? I've just made my bread sauce for the first time from my own homemade bread. Mmmm, should be good! I'm half way through making the trifle, (David said a few years ago he doesn't like Christmas Pudding/Cake/mincemeat, now he tells me it's just the candied peel. I can make it without that!) and a batch of bread to keep us going over Christmas. Still have to make the mince pies for Father Christmas, (he forces himself, for the sake of tradition...) and prep a few brussels, David can do the carrots, potatoes and...

I've just realised I've slipped deeply into the realms of boring, I'll stop now and knock back my dough.

I may, or may not, be back tomorrow. If not, have a fab one and I'll be back soon!

That goose must be a bloater by now...

You know the one:

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat,
Please put a penny in the old man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do.
If you haven't got a ha'penny then God bless you.

Well, Christmas must be coming. It was Ciara's eighth birthday yesterday, so * today the Christmas decorations went up. The children all came in from school and said, "Ah, isn't it pretty!", including the two little girls I 'borrow' most days, which was nice, but I think I exert too much control even over the decorating of the house.

Like, noone helps.

They're not allowed to.

They might make it look a mess.

Then I realised it's a bit formal. And Christmas only appears to be in the lounge.

Might have to loosen up a bit.

* I like Ciara to have her birthday with no Christmas intrusions, then on the 18th December, she can put her cards in her bedroom and Christmas decends upon the household. Well, in the lounge apparently.

I admit it

I'm a wuss.

One of my pet hates is making phonecalls. It's okay ringing my mum, or my sister, or my hubby when he's away, but give me a situation when I don't know who's going to answer the telephone, be it a friends husband that I don't know well, (yikes), the hairdressers, the maintenance man to request a repair, a delivery man, I can't do it.

I just can't. Don't ask me to explain. I come out in a cold sweat, I feel panicky and I just can't do it.

I've just proved the point by ringing another parent to turn down an invitation for Aedan to go to a party.

Man "Hello."
Me "Oh, hello, is that Geoffrey's dad?"
Man "No, I'm his brother."
Me "Oh, I'm sorry..."

It could only be me...

I don't believe it!

Okay, so David's at 'work', my visitors have gone home, my neighbours are out, we don't have a cat and I didn't have the nerve to ask the delivery man for help.

The problem?

It has six legs too many is probably enough of a clue.

I have regressed to my teens and it is currently residing under a bin. Weighted down with the heaviest books I could find, otherwise it could shimmy underneath!

My parents once returned from their annual vacation to France to find an upturned bin in the hallway, weighted down by a large dictionary and a Roget's Thesaurus, (if you've not seen one of those, they are big!)

The occupant had been there for almost three weeks, since my parents had left me 'home alone', (okay, okay, I was nineteen at the time. Going on nine...) and it was still alive! Just.

This one will only suffer till lunchtime. Meanwhile, I can't reach the plug to plug in the iron to do the ironing for fear of knocking over the bin.

Do you think that's a good enough excuse...?

So that's how it's done Ruth!

You are 100% English.

Congratulations! You may now take your place as a subject of Her Majesty.
"And did those feetIn ancient times,Walk upon England's mountains green?And was the holy Lamb of GodIn England's pleasant pastures seen?"
Well, no, but it's a cracking good tune.

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I love having my sister, Cathy and brother-in-law, Ian to visit. They are such fabulous company, the children adore them and get up to all sorts, (Ian is extremely child orientated, or perhaps just fifty going on five...) but I hate it when they leave.

Time for a lovely Roast Chicken dinner with a cheeky little white to cheer me up.

Hey ho.

Sad goodbyes

Oh, alright, so I'm prone to my father's affliction of exageration.

The bulky uplift came today. Not for me, as my husband would probably suggest, (if he was certain I wasn't having a sense of humour failure...) it came for our old terracotta fabric suite, which has recently been replaced by a lovely, smart, chocolate leather suite.

So I suppose it was more a fond farewell!

(Terracotta. What was I thinking?)

As expected, my cold came to nothing more than a slightly damp nose and a tiny cough. So glad about that! Feeling bad at a weekend is eminently more desirable to a school day.

Must press on, bread to attend to, but I'm sure...

"I'll be back...!"

PS. I've been inspired again. Hadn't realised it was three months since I'd done any 'poetry'!

I'm stamping my feet on my soapbox here!

Right, now I've had enough.

I've kept quiet about this, 'cos I don't like to be controversial or offensive, (except when I've had too much wine perhaps..?) but now I'm getting quite annoyed.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are a Christian country by tradition. Our country. Now, I'm happy for people to live here from other countries, so long as they live by our laws and contribute to society and I'm happy for them to practice their own religion, but I'm not happy that we should compromise our beliefs and traditions in order not to offend other ethnic origins or religions!

If a Christian wishes to wear a crucifix or cross of somekind, do so. It is our country and our traditions, we are traditionally Christian.

Anyone, a company, office, business, whatever, should never 'ban' Christmas, for fear of offending other faiths. We are a Christian country! Yes, we have a multi-faith society, but we are a Christian country!

I can't bear the fact that our country is losing it's identity and traditions for fear of 'offending other faiths'. They are welcome here, but they should accept our laws and traditions, they don't have to change and celebrate them, but they are in our country. If we went to live in a foreign country, we wouldn't expect them to stop wearing their traditional dress or dumb down their festivals for risk of causing offence and they definately wouldn't think twice about whether they should, they wouldn't do it fullstop!

For those that are born and brought up here, may not even be of a different ethnic origin, but choose to follow a different religion, that's personal choice and fine, but we still don't have to change our traditions!

As you can tell, I'm a little aerated about all this and I'm sorry if I offend, but I am a very traditional person.

Step away from the soap box and breath.