Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The shame

I think I forgot to mention, my little baby was 13 years old on Friday, 14th November, 2008.

It was a shock, that tiny little, premature scrap, that we were told would be sickly and prone to chest problems is nothing like and nearly as tall as me!

I nearly cried.

I don't feel old enough to have a teenager.

(I know, I must be, I was forty in May!)

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Because Anne asked us to.

Anne asked us to do this, so I am.

Grab the nearest book.
Open the book to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

“This giant, unlike the rest of it's family, eats very little other than insects.”

From The Life of Mammals, by David Attenborough (doesn't have the 'Sir' bit, I checked.)

How I giggled that my toe was touching this book, otherwise it would have been something by Barbara Erskine. Gives an entirely different view of me!

Sunday, November 02, 2008

It's been a while

I've been up to bits and pieces, just little things.

Walking isn't going well. I've barely done any! Or atleast, that's what it feels like. I'm going out tomorrow with Fluffy Owl from Ciara's Brownies, aka Angela, so I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully, it may become a regular thing, which would be nice.

The children have been back at school for a week after their two week "Tatty holidays". (Traditionally, the local children would go into the fields for two weeks to harvest potatoes.) We actually did something this holiday, instead of festering back at the ranch. Mum was directing "On Golden Pond" at Louth Playgoers, so we went down to watch. All of us. We flew down. I hate flying. Hate, hate, hate. Don't ask me why, I have no idea, I've never had a bad experience, I just don't like it.

So why did we have to be on the flight diverted into Edinburgh for an ill passenger? Why? We left Edinburgh half an hour after we should have arrived at Luton, so the plan of being less tired and taking no longer than driving all the way was scuppered. I think tiredness, not eating properly, driving through the dark, (so she couldn't see the bends coming) and general excitement lead to Ciara redecorating Grandma's newly decorated hallway on arrival. Excellent. Knows how to make an entrance that one!

Saw the play, very good, children loved the whole experience, which was the general idea. Spent a couple of days down there, then made our way back to Luton with mum aswell. We all flew back up, (no delays this time) and managed to catch all the buses back home with no problems, except it was a bit chilly.

Didn't get out much while mum was here, the weather wasn't really 'user friendly', which was a shame, but the children really enjoyed having her undivided attention! So, to Tuesday. I'd hired a car from Monday teatime to Tuesday teatime, so I could take mum to the airport and be home in time for Conall coming out of school. What takes two hours by bus, four for a return trip, takes a little over an hour by car. So long as you don't have to do it twice in one day.

Like I did.

It never snows when the national weather forecasts it. Never.

It never snows in October. Never.

Unless mum's catching a flight that is, obviously.

It snowed. Thick white stuff. The stuff that settles.

The airport closed, briefly. So briefly you wouldn't have noticed they'd stopped flying. Except for one jet. The one that diverted from Birmingham to Edinburgh and didn't come on to Inverness. The one that should've been going back to Birmingham and taking mum with it.

So, after I'd got back home, just put on the kettle, I get a phone call, "Can you come and fetch me?".

Then we find out it's another two days before there's another flight! So that adds an extra bit of excitement to rebooking a hire car, extra food to find and so it went on...

Ah well. She got to Birmingham Thursday, so all's well etc.

Has your half term been quite so exciting?