I'm so lucky..

...and honoured to receive this, my third bloggy award, from Working Mum.

I also feel very lucky to have such lovely bloggy friends as you lot.  At the end of the day, when I go to bed (alone apart from laptop!), and all the kids are asleep (yeah, right!), I just have to go to my favourite pages  and I don't ever feel lonely for long,  cos I have your kind words,  funny stories,  encouragement,  advice when things get tricky,  and just your general chit-chat about how your own day went, and I know I'm not alone. It is a great pleasure to 'know' you all.

So, without further ado (or gushing!) I would like to pass this award on to eight people/blogs who make my day:- 

Lori Times Five - for her brilliant 'virtual tours' around the amazing places she visits, and she's also a fellow mum of five.

Rebecka Jane - I don't know about blog award, I think she also deserves a medal for her bravery in coping with the tragic loss of her teenage boy, his life taken by an unfit driver.

Jenny Smith of Cigarette Diaries - for her invention of the 'Bastard List', and being such a funny lady.  One of my absolute faves!

Menopausal Old Bag - another favourite, every post is a gem one way or another!

Crystal Jigsaw - a lovely lady, so kind and patient, and a wonderful mother to Amy, and wife of the Farmer(also hangs out with friendly, and possibly unfriendly, ghosts!), whose lounge and dining room I would sell my soul, or maybe even other things, for!!

A Mother's Place Is In The Wrong - for managing to survive 12 endless weeks of the 'Wee Git' without strangling him, or committing a serious crime and thus avoiding imprisonment!  Well done, M.

Country girl - another lovely, talented lady, for taking her beautiful pictures and sharing them with us, her recipes whose finished results I am convinced I can smell from here!, her gorgeous dog George, and her handsome husband!

Holy Crappers - cos they make me pee my pants!! 

And, if I could, if rules allowed, I would send one right back to Working Mum as she has coped with having so much to do, as well as being quite ill recently, coping with Izzy and family life, dealing with her job, and house, and Christmas, but also still finding the time to give out awards to people.  I don't know how you do it, WM! Thankyou so much xx

Santa's cheque!

Hi there.  Howya doin? Seems like weeks since I was here last.  I've been very busy, getting Christmas together. 

My birthday came and went quite unspectacularly on the 18th.  I think it only called in quickly to say Hi! And off it buggered again, without so much as a kiss me foot! Just came back from a weekend in Nottingham again last night.  I had a lovely weekend with my Mum and brother again.  Me best mate Kirsty came with me this time. She met Mum briefly in July but it was only a quick hello, goodbye.  I knew they would all like each other and get on like a house on fire, so it was a good time for everyone concerned.

It's a good job we took a van and not a car, the amount of stuff we bought between us!  And the presents mum packed for the kids.  So when my brother offered me a small  freezer he no longer needed, although I could have done with it, I had to decline his kind offer. 

I was very sad to leave this time though and cried, but Mum didn't see me.  I'm glad in a way, as if she had comforted me it would have been even harder to go.  I have vowed to visit again at the end of January or early February so not long at all til I see them again.

Today I haven't had time to be sad as I spent the entire day running round like a headless chicken, getting everything done so that I might actually be able to enjoy a peaceful Christmas Eve myself.  I did ALL the rest of the wrapping this evening (a job usually continuing into the wee small hours of Christmas morning!), and all that remains for me to do is pick up the turkey crown from the local butchers tomorrow, and help Dal do the veg n stuff for Christmas Day.  I'm so glad he loves cooking cos I hate it with a passion! Also, it's the last thing I wanna eat when I've just stood over it for hours cooking it! By the time it's ready I am sick of the sight of it, never mind eating it. But he doesn't seem to mind and will still tuck in quite happily with the rest of us.

Elsewhere....

Eldest Daughter and Middle Daughter were trying to explain to Littlest Daughter (who was trying to convince them she is 100%  getting a DS Lite for Christmas, for sure) that Christmas is an expensive time of year and that things cost a lot of money.

Under the impression that no money changes hands:-"But Santa's Elves make all the stuff and then Santa gives it out to everyone." Piped up Littlest, sure in the knowledge of this fact. 

Kindly, and not wanting to shatter a small child's innocent illusions, Eldest Daughter tried to explain as best she could :-"The Elves do make the stuff and Santa does give it out, but Mum has to give Santa a cheque for it all at the end." she said.

"Oh," said Littlest, deep in thought for a moment. "But how does Mum talk to Santa, then?" she enquired.

Eldest Daughter cast around for something to say in reply...

"MSN!" declared Middle Daughter, quick as you like.

Brilliant!!

Just in case I don't get another bloggy chance,  I'd like to wish you, all my bloggy friends, a very Merry, Tiddly Christmas! Hope you all have the best one ever!

Sad goodbye

We had to let Molly go at the weekend.  It wasn't working out well at all. They encouraged each other to totally slaughter my house, wee and poo everywhere, and steal every morsel of food they could find. Countless pairs of school shoes were chewed, there were vicious tear-ups several times a day, and their mother was totally stressed.  It was just no good.

She has gone with a lovely older couple who live on the outskirts of the village.  I embarrassed myself by crying in front of them when they came to collect her, so did littlest daughter.  But even then we still knew it was for the best for the dogs, and for the humans.

At first it was going to be Tess who was going until I realised how attatched to Dal she has become. She sleeps on the sofa with him every night. Yes, that's where HE sleeps! EVERY night! Well, he has got a cottage of his own round the corner, but he stays here most of the time and he does make himself useful when he's here, and we are good friends, but nothing more, never again! I know it might seem sad to some but we are both happy as we are. I think he would like more but it can never be because we've tried again several times and it just doesn't work. It usually takes about a month tops before I want to strangle him again!  Anyway, back to the matter in hand.

So Molly has gone, bless her, to her new home with her new family.  They haven't rang to beg us to take her back so it must be working out.  Littlest daughter still misses her dreadfully, but does understand how impossible it was to keep both of them.

 

   Tess (and Cindy)

Our house was instantly more peaceful and calm.  There is hardly any mess, wee, poo, and fights.  Tess is a lovely dog.  She was always the calmer one, but now she is completely chilled out.  She has a lovely temperament and is a joy to own!  I am proud to call her our puppy! But it's still such a sad time.

I'm so sorry Molly, it's not because we didn't like you or love you, honey, but we couldn't go on like we were. We tried so hard to make it work with all of you together, but in the end it was no good for any of you. Or us. You will have a better life with your new people, and they will love you and take care of you. You will be able to have all the attention to yourself, and you won't have to fight for it.  We miss you loads, but I'm sure we'll bump into you again one day soon. You're not far away. Be happy and have a good life. Love you  xxxx.

Now I'm off again, honestly, it's like turning on a tap!

New beginnings

There have been a few developments over the last few days.

I've dropped the course I was doing.  I was struggling with it, and getting behind, and not enjoying it very much at all. Probably because I spent too much time fiddling around with beads and bits of wire and stuff.

My studies resume in February 2009 with a course on Computers and Processors-more my cup of tea (as in it's not a programming course!).

However,  I have taken heed of all your comments about my jewellery and I've taken the plunge and officially registered my new jewellery business.  I'm just waiting to hear back from them that the name I have chosen is not being used by anyone already, and then we're away! This break in study is great because I can now concentrate fully on my jewellery without feeling guilty about wasting time when I should be studying. Also when study does resume I will only be doing one course not two, unlike last year.

You can be sure I will be letting you all know the name and details as soon as I get confirmation.

I can't wait!

I'm scared and excited and lots of other emotions all at the same time! One moment I'm thinking 'Yeah, great, I've done the right thing. Dead cert', and the next I'm going 'Am I completely insane taking such a big risk? Will I ever be able to sell enough of it?'.

Wish me luck and watch this space!

A Great Day Out

Today I went to a Largo Owners Club Meeting.  I joined this online club because my van is quite rare as its an import. I thought they would be able to help with finding a knowledgable garage to fix it if it broke down, where to get cheap spare parts etc.  The first day I joined loads of members sent messages saying hi and made me feel so welcome.  So when they mentioned their meetings nearby and invited me to go along I thought why not.

We met at Bodmin and then drove in convoy to Plymouth...

...where we met up with a few more members.

It was a great day, everyone was really friendly and it made a nice change to get out somewhere and meet new people. Typically, my van was the dirtiest (the one in the middle, though you can't tell here, but believe me it was, and I've washed it twice this last week!) out of them all!

Phew!

Well, lots of you were right, it didn't actually turn out that bad, and dare I admit it, I got...

 I can live with that! I thought I was gonna be lucky to push 40%! 

Thanks everyone for making me feel not so bad about it, though.

Those OU tutors are really good.  He's given lots of detailed feedback on every bit I got wrong, why it was wrong, and what the right thing would have been. I will not make those mistakes again as he's explained so clearly. Diamond geezer.

Bloody, bloody programming!!

Disasters and Delights

The disaster being my assignment. I've never handed in such a terrible article since I was at school!!  Don't expect any joy and celebrations for that mark. I probably won't even admit to it's score when I get it.  Much of this disaster was caused by....

The other disaster being the loading of the software to my new camera into my laptop.  It totally gnarlsed up it's boot-up menu, so it couldn't start up, thus resulting in not being able to get into my computer at all, not no way, no how.  So in the end after numerous attempts to solve the

problem, I had to do a complete recovery of the system wiping the hard drive and starting again

from scratch. Luckily, I had a full back up from November 5th, but this happened on something like the 19th so all the stuff in between (including said assignment up to that point) was gone gone gone.

I could understand it if I was (dodgily, illegally) downloading a film, or a game, or something, but I wasn't.  It was perfectly legal software on the CD that came with the new camera. 

Now for the delights..

     Little kids room has been decorated and it looks stunning - half is Flamingo Fun and half is Summer Medley. I'll try n sort out pics tomorrow in daylight.  I don't think I have before pics, but considering it looked like someone had chucked a hand grenade in there I don't suppose that matters!

And just take a look at these gorgeous girlies...

At the moment, a lot of the time they are messy, smelly, destructive, and hard work, but ain't they beautiful dogs?  They have lovely little characters and every day they do something adorable to make up for the bad bits!

But remember...

A DOG IS FOR LIFE-NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS!

Country Girl's Photo Meme

Here you are, Country Girl-the 4th file from the 4th folder!

This was taken at the top of Rough Tor (Rough rhymes with cow, not as in ruff!), one of my favourite places, on Bodmin Moor. You may (or may not!) be interested to know that it is in my will that my ashes are scattered from here when I die. Thats if anyone can be arsed to take them all the way to the top!! Its quite a hike.

The 'lake' in the distance is Stannon china clay pit.

There's no need to shout!

I went to hospital to have my ear(s) seen to today.

Now I can hear absolutely EVERYTHING !!!

It's fantastic - I could even hear my handbag brushing against my jacket. I can hear the kids when we're in the car. I can hear people on the phone again. I can stop saying...
...........what?........pardon?............sorry?.... could you say that again, please?......

I am no longer constantly confined inside my own head - I feel free!!

How About These...

I'm thinking of starting a business!

But not for a fortnight as I've got an assignment due in in 2 weeks and 2 Units to study before I can complete it, so I'd better leave off till then!

Ooooh-memes!!

The first one is from Working Mum:

(A) Four places I go over and over: Crowdy(on Bodmin Moor), little kids school, Asda, the local petrol station! (that new car is well juicy!)

(B) Four people who e-mail me regularly: My mate Andy with his funny e mails, Debt Wizard!, iTunes New Music Tuesday, the Open University (I only have 2 friends!)

(C) Four of my favourite places to eat: Hengar Manor at St Tudy, The Crossbow at Tintagel, Your Plaice or Mine(Camelford chippie), picnic on the beach (I'm very discerning)

(D) Four places you'd rather be: Hawaii, My Mum's, Kirsty's, although I'm quite happy where I am, really, in bed, electric blanket on, with my bloggy stuff (if only the one I love was here too!) I'm quite a boring cow really!

(E) Four TV shows I could watch over and over: Porridge, Little Britain, Ideal, Katherine Tate Show

(F) Four people I think will respond: Suburbia might, as the next meme is from her. Crystal Jigsaw might-she's such a good writer. Cigarette Diaries-hope she does as she's so funny. And Menopausal Old Bag cos she's really funny too!



And this second one is from Suburbia:

7 Things I plan to do before I die:

Get a grip!

Get qualifications,

Get a life!

Run a successful business of my own,

Get rich,

Go to Hawaii,

Ride in a hot air balloon

7 Things I do now:

Blog,

Smoke,

Make things (especially with beads),

Drive a lot,

Laugh a lot,

Shout a lot

Not eat enough

7 Things I can't do:

Clean up sick,

Give up smoking,

Half the things as I used to when I was 20!,

Watch the kids perform at school without crying (even sports day!),

Drink alcohol,

Be serious,

Run very far

7 Things that attract me in the opposite sex: (in no particular order)

Sense of humour

Considerate

Helpful

Clean nails/teeth

In touch with feminine side

Understanding

NOT too hairy!

(Hell, no wonder I'm single!!)

7 Things I say most often (to the children!):

'Ffsssx!'

'Pick that up'

'I'm not asking who DIDN'T do it'

'Please hurry up'

'Did you hear what I just said?'

'What was it, then?'

'I love you'

7 Celebrities that I admire:

Pink (her songwriting and musical abilities)

K T Tunstall (her songwriting and musical abilities)

Richard Hammond (bravery, recovery from his accident)

Gordon Ramsay (he began with nothing and worked so goddam hard)

George Clooney (let's face it-who wouldn't admire that?)

Mick Jagger (keeps going for years and years!)

Kylie Minogue (for her glamour, poise, and bravery through her illness)

7 Favourite foods:

Cheese

Chocolate

Cornish Cream Tea

Chicken Tikka Masala

Camelford chippie's chips

More cheese

More chocolate

7 Bloggers who need to do this: (or rather-I would be interested to hear the answers from)

Cigarette Diaries

Crystal Jigsaw

Working Mum

Menopausal Old Bag

Bringing Up Charlie

A Mothers Place Is In The Wrong

Mother Of This Lot

P.S Font went bananas during this and I can't be arsed to sort it now!

Glad it's half term...

...cos last week was a really hard week. Don't know why, it just was. One of those crap weeks when not a lot goes right, I seemed to have no energy, and I felt like I was moving through treacle! My ear is still blocked and I'm still waiting for a hospital appointment as I have to have it 'hoovered'!

Lovely. How attractive. Lucky me.

Please excuse my absence...

...me and eldest daughter have been here for a few days...

...Nottingham, visiting me mum and bro, and solicitor. As mum is in the middle of moving house and her place at the moment is quite small we stayed here...

...at The Village Hotel in Chilwell, which was very nice, especially the food part of it!! I haven't been here for 18 years. A lot has changed, so much so that I was quite shocked by some of it, but this is a childhood favourite that hasn't...

...the Emmett clock fountain in Victoria Shopping Centre. And also these...

...the lions outside the Council House. Everyone always used to arrange to meet by the lions - probably always will. He's a handsome chap isn't he. His brother the other side ain't bad either!

Innerdoosing...

...Cindy, our cat

...Coco the guinea pig...

...his brother, Sonic...

...and dear old Daphne, she's not their mum, btw!

I don't think I've forgotten anyone!

I forgot to tell you...

I took the puppies on their first outing last Sunday. This is during...

...and this was after!

Aw, bless.

I bought this today!

God, it's gorgeous, and not too anonymous after driving a lilac Escort around for the last three years! I decided that with 5 kids and now 3 dogs we needed something bigger. I inherited a few quid back along, but now I expect I shall have to take out a loan to fill it with diesel!! I can pick it up in the week, can't wait! Want it now, now, now.

It's a boring name...

...for something that's quite good fun! I found this on Suburbia's blog so thought I would have a go! It's called a meme.

What are your initials? sjc

What is your favorite thing to wear? shorts and flip flops

Last thing you ate? eating it right now-toasted cheese and marmite sandwich

Name one thing that scares you: spiders

I say Shotgun, you say: wedding

Who was the last person in your bed? apart from me, littlest daughter

What were you doing at 7:00am? laying in bed thinking about getting up!

Last person you hugged? middle daughter to say goodnight

Does anyone you know want to date you? don't think so

When was your last encounter with the police? a couple of months ago when I asked local constable to verify my passport application

Have you ever driven without a license? yes, years ago

The last place you went out to dinner? Hengar Manor at St Tudy

Do you like your name? not my proper name-makes me feel about 6 years old again when people call me by it

What time of the day is it? shit, it's nearly 2 a.m.!

Who/What made you angry today? I haven't been cross today

Do you want anyone? Hell, yes!

Do you like birds? I like feathered ones, love my girlfriends, but I'm not a lesbian

Favorite holiday? what is one of those?

Do you download music? yes

Do you care if your socks are dirty? yes

Opinion of Chinese symbol tattoos? ok if you know what they mean when you have one

What are you doing tonight? blogging til daft o clock - again!

Do you like to cuddle? yes

Do you love anyone? yes

Whose bed did you sleep in last night? mine

Have you ever bungee jumped? No-knowing my luck the cord would snap in a billion-to-one accident, or I would get detatched retinas

Have you ever gone whitewater rafting? No, but I would give that a go

Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on you? yes

How many pets do you have? 3 dogs, 3 guinea pigs and a cat

Have you met a real redneck? no

How is the weather right now? windy and wet

What are you listening to right now? the puppies squabbling

What was the last movie you watched? Porridge, with Ronnie Barker and Beckinsale matey. Funny as f**k!

Do you wear contacts? no

Where was the last place you went besides your house? Afternoon school run

What are you wearing? Vest and shorts PJ's

What's one thing you've learned this year? JavaScript is a bitch!!

What do you usually order from Starbucks? Never been there

Ever had someone sing to you? When I was 19 I saw Rainbow live. I was on the front row and the lead singer Joe Lynn Turner sang to me and touched my face!

Have you ever fired a gun: Only a pretend one at funfairs on the rifle range

Are you missing someone? yes

Favorite TV show? at the moment Dog Whisperer-he can whisper in my ear anytime!!!

What do you have an obsession with? Stopping the dogs getting on my bed to count their fleas!

Has anyone ever said you looked like a celeb? When I was in my 20's I had 'big hair' and a few people said I looked like Chrissy Hinde from the Pretenders at the time.

Who would you like to see right now? The person that I love and am missing in the above questions

Ever had a near death experience? Yes, I caught chicken pox when expecting middle daughter, then it turned into pneumonia, ended up in a coma, came out of the coma, then caught MRSA and went back into a coma, she was born 11 weeks early and we both nearly didn't make it

Are you afraid of falling in love? Yes but it's a bit late now

Have you ever been caught doing something you weren't supposed to? Haven't we all

Has anyone you were really close to passed away recently? Yes, ex partners Dad 3 weeks ago

Our Lady Peace or Nickelback? Our Lady Peace

What's something that really bugs you? The dogs getting on my bed to count their fleas!

Do you like Michael Jackson? Not one bit-good singer though Taco Bell or Burger King? yeuk-neither

Next time you will kiss someone? Kids in the morning

Favorite baseball team? Don't know any

Ever call a 1-900 phone number? If it's to speak to Percy Filth then no, I haven't

Nipple or Nose rings? Nose

What's the longest time you've gone without sleep? Probably a couple of nights here and there

Last time you went bowling? Never been

Where is the weirdest place you have slept? Where shall I begin? A haystack in the middle of a field or on a floor amongst a room full of motorbike bits! as far as I can remember, anyway

Who was your last phone call? The doctors this morning to make appointment about blocked ear, which STILL hasn't gone away

What does your last received text message say? "Thats ok. Thought there was something wrong last time I saw you, so take care and see doc xx"

What's the closest orange object to you? An orange bath towel

I do love these quizzy things. Next?

I made these earlier...

Turned out quite well, innit?

New Toy...

Please note on the right is a Little Black Box. Please feel free to have a play with my new toy which I stole/copied off Country Girl!

Hello?

My....


...is blocked. It has been for about 2 weeks now. Can't hear shit! It's getting on my nerves now. I went to Kirsty's tonight and she gave me this...


We had to set it alight and stick it in my ear! Yes, really! It's a natural remedy made from propylis from bees. It helped at first but now it's as blocked as ever. I'm funny about my ears and the thought of syringing just makes me cringe in a big way!


It's a good job blogging only involves reading!

I'm a lucky little blogger!

I got another award from Working Mum a few days ago! Thankyou very much again WM.


Now for my nominations:


Crystal Jigsaw (slightly older favourite)

Mother's Pride (an old favourite)

Menopausal Old Bag (another newer favourite, very funny)

Chronicles of a Country Girl (a brand new favourite)

Family Affairs was another one but someone has already awarded it to her very well deserved it is too!

As was Bringing Up Charlie. And Moments from Suburbia.

(I expect I should pass on the rules too as I forgot last time:

Link to the giver, nominate up to seven others to give it to, and add links to them too.)

It's taken a few days to get round to posting this, what with funeral arrangements and an end-of-course assignment to complete, so I've been beaten to it on some of my planned nominations, but never mind they deserve it whoever awarded it to them!

The funeral was on Friday (yesterday) and it was lovely, as far as funerals can be.
Still very sad, but lovely. My small children behaved extremely well, and their Grandad would have been proud. As I was.

I finished my assignment and sent it in in plenty of time for once, but I won't find out my mark for about 12 weeks, but I'm pretty sure I've passed it. I passed the other course with 78% overall, which means I should get the certificate I was hoping for, along with letters after my name, wow!!! Still a long way from my degree but I will do it eventually, bit by bit. My new course is another programming one so prepare yourselves for plenty of swearing to come!!

Hope your all ok. Lots of love xx

Things need to cheer up round here...

...cos it's been pretty depressing lately. Surprised I've got any readers left! But thanks for sticking with it through all my shite.

I made a lovely new friend today, she has only been here for the afternoon but has already been a tremendous help.

She helped me tidy the lounge, the dining room, and all the way up the stairs. But we didn't do the kids rooms as I was too SCARED! Plus I didn't want to frighten her away on her first day.

I killed the Asda hoover within the first 2 weeks (me and hoovers never stay together for long). I think I just expect too much of them. Either that or it really was a pile of crap. What did I expect for 20 quid?

These...

...as you can imagine, are giving my poor carpets a really hard time at the moment. That is , the bits you can see between puppy training mats. My next 'friend' is going to be an industrial carpet washer!

Willie

This is Willie, Dal's dad. He had a stroke on Sunday evening and died 6 a.m. Monday morning. He was Irish through and through, but loved Cornwall, loved a drink and a laugh, and was the best Grandad my kids could wish for. We are broken hearted.

You will not be forgot, Willie.

Rest in peace.

Had a good trip?

Yesterday I escorted my middle daughter over to Bordeaux as her best friend moved near there in June. This has taken the type of planning that underpins military operations.

First of all there had to be these...

of which we had none!

Then these had to be arranged...

I had to make sure we had enough monopoly money...

And so off we went at 7a.m. to Bristol.

It was quite an adventure as I haven't flown since I was 7 or 8. Middle daughter has never flown and was quite nervous. Anyway she was really brave and even though she was crying going up the steps she pressed on and got into the plane and once seated she was a bit better. I'd forgotten how fun it was to fly in a plane and middle daughter was thrilled in the end. She had been having images of being fired off the end of a ramp like a Harrier jump jet, and imagined landing to be really bumpy and scary. Once she saw how it really was she was fine. We really enjoyed each other's company, so when I left her with her friend at the airport I was quite sad. I had chosen to stay in a hotel at Bordeaux ready for flight home on Monday as friend lives a good few miles away.

However after trudging round Bordeaux centre for a couple of hours I was completely fed up, knackered and homesick as well as sad. So I found a taxi to take me closer to the airport and find a hotel there. I ended up here...

Even though it was lovely I was past being enchanted by this time (especially since my phone battery died and I couldn't charge it up as I had no french adaptor) that I lost the plot and cried buckets! I couldn't even phone the home that I was so sick for now. In the end I got into bed and fell deeply asleep immediately, consequently missing breakfast and only just checking out in time to not be charged another pile of monopoly money for another night.

At the airport before getting on the plane I managed to squash a few of these...

in my bag. Should save me a bit of money, but still not enough to cover that bloody vast hotel bill! And that was only for the room. I didn't have anything else there.

All said and done, I've never been so pleased to see Cornwall ever. Now, I'm not a wimp, or mardy or anything, but I think the timing was all wrong, as this morning, unexpectedly...you know that us women... well, I think yesterday's demise was down to P.M.T. Silly really, as I was quite 'no big deal' and well adjusted again this morning, even before I realised why I'd felt like it all, but it seemed a monumental deal to me last night! Huge. I'm so glad to be home.

Cos these just get cuter every day...

and I just missed this pair of twits like mad...

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