Day 219: Tuesday 15th October

Lots of time has passed since my last entry. 19 days, in fact. 

Time shared between C1 and C2, Mummy and Daddy, Mr 1957, various other relatives in varying lengths of time, school teachers, doctors, dietician, phlebotomists, vets, old mates and rabbits.

Babies for my babies...

Phew!

Also need to mention the oodles of job applications which are winging their way from me to 'them' - so far with not so much as a peep of response other than 'thanks but no thanks'. Ah well, at least I have a lot of ways to make good use of my time!

Babies ready to be rehomed...

Experimental rhubarb upside-down cake... winner!

Day 200: Thursday 26th September

Drains all clear. Thank you water board. Much excitement last night involving pressure hoses, cameras and some deft fence-panel removal. 

2 bottoms. Neither of them mine!

As they left, though, the hilarity quickly dissipated as I discovered that my lovely neighbour's mum had died only an hour ago, and the cloud of bereavement was hovering over her home.

Lightened mood this morning, due to the morning bike ride, and the anticipation of a new 'Craft' group starting up. My mate Ronnie had the idea that instead of stressing about hosting a fortnightly group at her house, instead, we should meet up somewhere nice and friendly with refreshment options and comfy chairs. This morning we met up at a local tapas cafe, for a shared pot of tea and diary comparisons. Nobody else turned up, which wasn't a problem in itself, as we still had a great time. 

   

Tea for two, knitting and colouring in. 

All good. Hoping for a roughly fortnightly get-together. 

Then I popped for a coffee with another mate and then home for another session with my trusty bike. Chain came off (again) so got my hands oily. Never mind. 

C1 is at Book Club tonight - I hope she enjoys it, as it's the first after-school club she has agreed to participate in, and I would like it to be a success for her. 

Back at Mummy & Daddy's house tomorrow. A trip to the optician is booked, and note to self: remember to remind Mummy about the footplates for Daddy's wheelchair!!!!
And collect some house-bricks.

And to top it all off nicely, C1 got home from book club, said it was OK, and presented me with her latest DT project - a hand-felted, hand sewn, own-designed pillow. Proud moment. I am proud of her too!!!!  :)
Following in Granny's creative footsteps.

C1 and her project.

Hand-felted snake design.

Day199: Wednesday 25th September

The fact that it is only 4:45am is an indication of my need to get on with things. Woke up, unable to switch off my internal 'to-do list' so washing machine is on, cats fed, knitting project completed, and no sign of sleep returning.

Boot Cuffs

Minus the boots!

Last night's exciting event (!!!!!) was the doorbell ringing at 9:30pm - just as all had quietened down upstairs. Lucky I wasn't already in my pyjamas!

It was 2 gentlemen from the water board wanting to inspect my manhole. 

Ooh Matron!

After a short intake of breath, some careful controlling of my smut-gene, and a call upstairs to reassure C1 and C2 that all was well, they came in through the garage with torches. 

After quite a palaver involving lifting a fence panel, me holding half a large buddleia out of the way, lifting a concrete baseboard and some heavy breathing (them not me!) it was confirmed that there is no blockage on my (Landlord Ian's) property, or that of my lovely neighbour. 

I now have the joy of looking forward to a return visit after 4pm today from a 4-man gang with hoses, who would like to repeat the fence-lifting and aim a gallon or so of high-pressure water towards my other neighbour's property, as apparently there IS a blockage further down the road, with very unpleasant contents. 

Wondering whether any of this is down to me and my current toilet issues only lasted a few seconds, until the blame was placed on the chip shop up the road. I had no idea there was a blockage!!! 

Further pauses for 'Ooh Matron' opportunities, and off they went again, only to return 15 seconds later (giving me time to simply sniff the Rich Tea stress-buster in my hand) as they had left their jemmy and screwdriver on the picnic bench. 

Couldn't make it up really. 

So it was off to bed, sleeplessness like a cloud of gnats, and here I am, in the still of the early morning (aka stupid o'clock) planning a 'disposable' packed lunch for C2's day-trip to an environmental education centre later today with his new class, new knitting project, how to prevent a rabbit from digging a Colditz-grade tunnel under the hutch, and further delving into the Rich Tea stash. 

Day 198: Tuesday 24th September

Another week or so has flown by - I am starting to question the speed variations compared to the amount of 'stuff' done. It seems to go that the more busy I am, the slower time goes. This is not what I am used to!

Lots of lovely time spent with Mummy and Daddy - trying for 3 days a week while the search continues for employment. The amazing thing is that my being there with them seems to help towards a calmer, more settled approach. Whether this is wishful thinking or not, it seems to work. 

Several appointments (in person and over the phone) aiming to get my inner health on a more even keel. Still suffering from the effects of missing bits of bowel, which is making life somewhat risky when away from civilisation (and a loo!). There is also the ongoing problem of the small quantity of food I can take in at one time, and the amount of vitamins and minerals included therein. Hair still falling out, achey bits, wobbly legs etc still giving me grief, but it isn't stopping me. Oh no.

I think I am enjoying the new regime of 'no car for the school run' more than C2! My bike is now my friend. Mr 1957 donated a special addition to my bike, which is now installed in the correct position. 

Ring, ring....... outta the way, peeps.

Am facing some expensive requests from both schools at the moment. The clause about 'voluntary contributions' is being read carefully, as a total of £36.50 is needed so far this term to pay for educational trips, activities and materials for making a 'jitterbug'. I don't want them to miss out, so am adding little messages to the consent slips about 'waiting for my benefit to arrive' and such, which I hope are being read, noted, and not affecting the children's potential for participating in such activities. I can't sustain such extra outgoings, and the children know this. I just hope that the 'free school meals' tag on both of them helps to indicate to the powers that be that I am not telling fibs!

Children of parents who are unable, or unwilling, to contribute may not be discriminated against. However, if there are insufficient voluntary contributions made to cover the cost of the trip, or activity, and there is no alternative method to make up the shortfall, then the school should cancel the activity.

There was a slight hassle at the weekend when both C1 and C2 needed swimming goggles (have they added more chemicals to the water, I want to know!) and having failed to acquire them at the weekend, Mr 1957 had a rummage and found 2 pairs, one pink and one blue, that were used by his children in days gone by. They fit! Phew! Problem solved. I hope. Now we just need to make it out of the door for our planned swimming night once a week!

Goggle-boy!

Goggle-girl!

I have also been checking through my list of things to make for people, and........

Ta daaaaaaa - melodion-player gloves Mk I

Melodion-player gloves Mk II

And a new venture into 'welly-cuffs' - prototype coming along nicely - just need to finish the 2nd leg!

Welly Cuff - first leg - please note the cables!!

The lovely Ronnie made me a meal planning board, which is working really well. Sticking to a weekly food budget is so much easier when we know what we're having.

All in all a good life. 

Amen!

Day 186: Thursday 12th September

Having a day to myself - like hen's teeth, but made all the sweeter because I am calm, have purpose, and have made a list!

2 more days for C2 at his current school. He is very happy to be transferring, but will miss his friends. We have collected phone numbers for park and play days etc. That makes it all better.

It amazes me how many of the playground people are now talking to me! I have been invisible on there apart from a couple of lovely ladies who I talk to regularly. It's taken 18 months of standing there, and now I only have 2 days left, they start acknowledging my smiles and actually speak! Humans are strange.

Yesterday was great - Mum and I managed to clear some space in the garden, and will be back in there tomorrow facing Part 2 of 'Metal Pole and Goosegog Root War'.

Part 1 of Plan A

I have successfully de-cluttered the dining room - except that I don't think it counts. I have simply put things in boxes and stacked them in a corner. Looks much tidier though, and the table is now reclaimed for mealtimes and homework. Goodie!!!!!

Now I have stopped decluttering, I have managed to allow myself 30 minutes of creative time, to stick all the lovely cockle shells I collected on Rhossili and Oxwich Beaches on The Gower Peninsula in August onto an old mirror from the garage. I love it. It may look a little crappy, but the thing is, I LOVE IT. That is what matters. It is not for sale. It is a memory of a lovely couple of days. 

Before........

After :)

Better tidy up now before the children come home to discover that I have been gluing and sticking without them!  Ha ha!!!

Day 185: Wednesday 11th September

Well - it's been quite a while, I see. 

I have been around, but mainly involved in living life to the fullest possible, within the constraints of money, knee-pain, tiny tummy volume, child-friendliness and the availability of other people to share time with.

There have been holidays, a few tears, insect bites and stings, dips in the sea, shell-collecting, miles of dis-used railway line ridden along on two wheels, fruit-picking, sneezing, wart removal and general fun times. 

Both home and away.

Alone, and with C1 and C2.

There have also been some big changes - C1 is now in Year 7 and finding it tough going. The work has been cranked up a notch, and it all seems a lot more serious since entering into the realms of Key Stage 3. 

C2 has started off his Year 4 experience in one school, and thanks to being on a waiting list since April, when somebody decided to take to The Hills after the beginning of the Autumn term, a space emerged for him to enter the Year 4 class at our local school. After a taster afternoon, and a lot of forms, he is now starting on Monday.

The difference will be all-encompassing. 60 children all in the same year group = much more potential for local friendships to build (although he has made a couple of 'keeper' friends at his current school), moving up to the next tier of education with most of his classmates, and the biggy here, is that after being left to do the school run on my own at Easter, following the breakdown of a car-share plan, I was doing 2 lots of 10-mile round trips a day to get C2 to school and back every day, and the new school is 0.2 miles away, bikeable/scooterable. There is some very simple arithmetic here, but to me, it's a no-brainer. 

Very pleased. As is C2. Enrolled in Science Club already. And free milk for all those on free school meals. Winner!

So, it is a busy time, and doesn't look like calming down much.

I am spending more time now with Mummy & Daddy - today was spent chatting and attempting to grub out some very old gooseberry roots. To no avail. The prospect of using industrial strength loppers and a sledge-hammer on Friday fills me with joy. Really.

Day 164: Wednesday 21st August

Busy day of to-ing and fro-ing, but all in good spirit.
C1 and C2 are happy with their new school uniform bits and bobs - larger sizes, and new shoes. £116 spent, but not too bad. Thank you Mr Tesco - your school shoes are fab!

Unbelievable though it may sound, apparently I am losing weight a little too fast at the moment. This is easily explained by my innards' total inability to hang on to anything I eat for longer than 45 minutes. 

I am using all my Severn Trent User Vouchers at the moment - flushed away!!!!

Still, it could be a lot worse.

Managed to get into THE PINK JEANS today. This is only meaningful to a few friends and my children. It is an awesome personal achievement, however, and I am suitably chuffed. So are C1 and C2. They have announced this evening that they much prefer the 'new slim mummy' and like my dress code a lot more. There is less black, and a lot more colour, and as there is a lot less of me, my wardrobe favourites are either a bit too loose, or extremely comfortable to wear!

I foresee a new swimming cozzy soon though. Indecent bagginess alert!

Soon there will be a need for some new underwear, and having checked out the charity shop provision in our home town, the possibilities of some honed down jeans, and other items, at knock-down prices, is getting exciting. All 'big' clothes are being designated to the charity collection bag as soon as possible.

Had a fruitless search for amalgamating tape today - the washing machine has decided to spring a leak, and the fix is going to be a taped up exit pipe. NOT a new washing machine!!!  Will continue the search tomorrow, perhaps. No more washing until it is fixed though, as there is now quite a lot of water travelling down the middle of the garage and across to the road outside, whenever I perform my laundry duties.

Perhaps I should use some amalgamating tape on my own exit pipe!

On that note, I will sign off, and go and enjoy a film with C1 and C2, peppermint tea for me and C1, hot chocolate for C2. Joyful moment.

Day 162: Monday 19th August

Hello Houston. We appear to have a problem.
Gut lining has taken a battering via microbes, holiday crisp-eating, a small intake of wine, and some 'fizzy' hummus that should have gone in the bin.

Yes - I tried it. 
Yes, it was fizzy. 
No, I haven't learned my lesson. 

In the words of Mr 1957: Stupid is as stupid does. 

Again.

I am still feeling quite unsteady, but putting on a brave face.

We had an extraordinarily good holiday in the Fens. The caravan was clean and comfortable.

So were C1 and C2.
Auntie Jill was with us for most of the time, apart from when she had to put on her professional hat for 'results day' to mop fevered brows and wipe away tears as her pupils approached the Clearing House website to sort out their futures.

C1 and C2 (and for the first part of the week, C1's BFF Hatster) even swam in the pool in the pouring rain. Once wet, you're wet, apparently!

A day at the beach brought more rain, but rain did not stop play. 

It did bring about some unusual summer fashion statements, however, 

including the 'picnic blanket rain mac', 

and the stolen cap to disguise the caffeine overdose,

Happy to be home, but we had a lovely time.

Day 152: Friday 9th August

Eeeeuuuuuugghhhhh!

Yesterday's headache progressed nicely into a full-on migraine, so all plans to see Daddy, have a nice time, and relax, disappeared down the porcelain telephone and I ended up sleeping it off. 

Ah well.

Today is being taken up with packing lists, making a cake, checking the bank balance and collecting C1 and C2. Then it will be one more sleep till Lincoln.

Not feeling holiday-ish at all at the moment. Hopefully this will change once I have managed to squeeze the luggage, supplies, 3 children, me, and other sundry holiday paraphernalia into Daisy Skoda. 

Back soon.

Day 151: Thursday 8th August

What a day so far...

Insomnia struck again - so at 3:30am I was sorting out my wardrobe and filling binliners with clothes that no longer fit me. 5am decided to try for some more sleep, only to be woken by a vomiting cat on my windowsill.

Braced myself to face the long to-do list for today - beginning with C1's bedroom. Unearthed many items of dirty, stinky clothing, all bundled up with clean washing which was supposed to have been put away. This resulted in a cross mummy pulling the lot out of all the drawers, nooks and crannies, regrouping, applying Surf, and putting the remaining items away in the right places. Grrrrrr. 

Washed 3 loads of her stuff, pegged it out, to find that half an hour later the clouds are black and it looks like rain. 

C1's stash of laundry!

Mowed the lawn, in the hope that such activity would send the clouds away. No luck with that so far.

C2's bedroom was a doddle. He appears to be unable to put his clean clothes away either, but at least he is efficient at dumping his dirty laundry in the basket. The poor laundry fairy here has a tough time of it.

However, C2 and his buddy are in a teeny bit of bother due to the state of the trampoline and the garden after their water-bomb-fest. Broken balloons everywhere (causing lots of back-bending before I could mow the bloody lawn) and the trampoline net broken yet again. 

Balloon Hell.

Have managed to cross off 3 major things off my to-do list so far, but time is running out. And I have a headache. Just got a shower, a charity shop drop-off, someone else's pets to feed, Daddy to visit, 2 job applications to complete, a financial annual review to suffer, and an invitation out to tea, and my day of rest (!) will be complete. 

Tomorrow will bring some serious packing for the caravan experience, shopping for the caravan experience, doctor appointment for some painkilling mega-drugs, collect kids from BabyDaddy, and hope for some sleep somewhere within the next 48 hours.

Looking forward to arriving in Lincoln on Saturday afternoon for a week of pool, seaside, wine and catching up with Lincoln Jill. Should be able to put everyone else's problems on hold for a few days, and just be me, with the kids and my buddy. 

Not the actual caravan, but similar, minus the wet towels and scooters!

To  complete the grim-fest, I now find a small river running down the middle of the garage floor, coming from behind the washing machine. 

For Goodness' Sake!

Day 149: Tuesday 6th August

Yes - August is well underway, and this is my first bit of blog since the end of July. Sorry - it has been somewhat full on in the world of Sooz.

I have found that I have too many things to do, to think about, and to deal with sensibly. Therefore, there has been a small adjustment, which seems to be suiting all. Including me!

The trip to visit S2 and his family went very well, and we were sorry, as usual, to leave. We left our departure until as late as we could, and arrived home, with C1 and C2 nested in the car, with pillows and sleeping bags. It was a doddle to transfer them into their beds, and all was well. 

Visits to Daddy have increased since our return, as he is only a 5 minute drive away from our house. This is working well, and it is certainly nice to be able to sit with him every day, and try to take the pressure off Mummy a little. Daddy is still suffering with a chest infection and a water infection, which is making him quite unwell, though. His stay at the Holiday Home has been extended by a week, in the hope that the 2nd round of antibiotics will knock both infections on the head and allow him to regain his confidence and increase his mobility to the level that it was before he got there. 

My visit to Joe Physio on Monday went well, with further zapping from the sonic screwdriver, some knee-massage, a telling-off (for attempting mountains and undulating surfaces in Wales!) and instructions to give myself a break and rest my knees more regularly. I have an appointment with my GP this week to discuss better pain management and an increased prescription. Ah well. The looks on the faces of C1 and C2 as I appeared over the top of the mountain was worth all the pain afterwards!

Today is the 2nd 'at home' day of the school holiday - it feels very welcome indeed! It's nice to get away, but equally nice to be able to spend time at home.

We have C2's buddy Ant here for a sleepover tonight. 
After a visit from Jools and her boys, coffee & walnut cake, a trip to the park.....

... and now we have balloon water-bomb wars in the garden. 

Cold roast chicken and a shared bag of chips for tea, then the blow-up bed will be sorted, a film will be selected, and C1 and I will leave them to it and go and choose toe-nail colours in the safety of her bedroom. 

Ho hum.