What a dreadful shame...

...look what's happened to Weston pier. We were only on there 10 days ago.

My thoughts are with the people of Weston, the pier owners and employees, and everyone young and old with happy memories of this place. It is so sad to see it destroyed like this.

Here are a couple of my memories of it from the other week...

May it rise from the ashes and be rebuilt even stronger and brighter than before.

My 1st Award...

...from Working Mum.

I am very honoured to receive this award and apologies for not acknowledging it properly before now. Thankyou very much, WM. It is truly appreciated.

It's been a very busy week this week, which is why I have been so crap at blogging, having just been given an award for it! My mum and bro's visit was lovely. We spent days at the beach and evenings in the pub (even though I don't drink). Last time she went home I cried for a week and could barely speak to anyone. This time I felt loads better because I know I will see her in a few weeks as I am going up there to visit.

The time has gone so quickly the last couple of weeks, T4 seems like a month ago already! But at least it's the holidays now so NO DREADED AFTERNOON SCHOOL RUNS!!!

Can't stand 'em.


Now, I have to pass the above award to seven other blogs, so here we go...

I pass this award on to those who's next episodes I greatly look forward to of an evening, they always brighten stuff up, support, encourage, and send words of wisdom out into the ether.

My nominations are:

Moments From Suburbia which is the last good blog I found a couple of weeks ago.

And my regular favourites:

Menopausal Old Bag (MOB)
Mother Of This Lot
A Mother's Place Is In The Wrong
Family Affairs
Manic Mother Of Five
Crystal Jigsaw

Congratulations! Keep on keepin' it real!!

(Hope I've done it all properly, apologies if not - still learning!)

Well, now hopefully I'll remain back in the land of the blogging. I have missed you all xx

Another HUGE Surprise...

The first night I was away...

...had some of these....

Sounds really irresponsible, but I truly had no idea that this was about to happen, and neither did anyone else until it all started. She had four in all but the first two were stillborn. But she is doing fine and bodily functions are all working normally. She is such a good mum and the puppies are a bit bigger already.

But I would just like to say that I am so proud of Dal and the kids and the way they all dealt with things together (D didn't want me to stress on my weekend away so didn't tell me till the Sunday night after T4). He and my eldest (son) stayed up all night taking it in turns to check on her and deal with cleaning up and carrying out a burial/funeral the next day.

I am totally blown away! But I also feel terrible like I've let her down by not being there for her, and for it happening at all at her age, for that matter. The father is most likely next doors dog. They asked if they could have one of the puppies when they are old enough which is lovely as it will be going to a really good home.

We're going to keep the other one, but which one I don't know. That will be a horrid ordeal to face another day.

Fantastic. Brilliant. The Best....

weekend ever!

But we didn't have the password to get on the hotel Internet until Sunday morning so I started posting that night, but I was too shattered to finish it. I was also too tired to try and work out how to use the phone blog thingy. But here's a quickie now I'm home.

Saturday

Our

was lovely. We went shopping, spent far too much money, had a massive tea, then walked on the pier and played in the arcade and fair like big kids!!

Sunday

was just amazing. All the bands we saw were brilliant and we enjoyed every minute of it all. Here are a couple of the pics I took...

Sam Sparro (on screen and on stage - he's wearing green)

Ne-yo (he was really, really good).

I'm going to see if I can zoom in on the other pictures before I post them as it's hard to spot who you're meant to be looking at from here.

And, when I rang home on Sunday night, I got another huge surprise!!!

Guess What...

My new phone even has a Mobile Blogging Application.

Now I can write even more shite, more often, from more places!

Oh joy of joys!

Sorrreeee!

T4 line-up

It's gonna be a good one!

Basshunter, Sugarbabes, Reverend & the Makers, Kelly Rowland, Envy & Other Sins, The Script (Eldest Daughter pig sick!), Cage The Elephant, Ne-Yo, Dirty Pretty Things, 5 o clock Heroes, Black Kids, One Night Only, The Zutons, The Ting Tings (Middle Daughter pig sick), Alphabeat, Feeder (excellent 2006), Guillemots, Duffy, Adele, McFly, Pigeon Detectives (good last year), Sam Sparro (I will cry if he sings Black and Gold! Yes I'm a sad moo), The Feeling, The Hoosiers, Lightspeed Champion, Robyn, Scouting For Girls and One EskimO.

All in the one day, in the one venue. And I've just looked at the weather for Weston-Super-Mare at the weekend and it's gonna be sunny on Sunday, although to be honest we don't care if it snows ink!!!

It's been a bloody hard few weeks and I'll be glad to get out of the house and the village and the responsibility for a day or two. I am lucky to have the opportunity, I know, but I don't half earn it the rest of the year and perhaps I will be more appreciated for the absence.

My other best buddy, my laptop is coming too, so I can still see what you lot are all up to-cos I'm nosey that way!

Now I need to work out how to use this phone camera-a bit lively, like!

New Toy...

For the last 16 months I have suffered the crappest phone ever invented - a Samsung flip thing that crashed every time I tried to look at my photos, and every time I tried to text anyone I instantly felt like hurling it out of the nearest window! The only other one of them I've ever seen was in the possession of Steven Beale on Eastenders (kinda says it all, I thought!). Yesterday the charger gave up the ghost (aw, gee shucks) so I did feel that, as a loyal customer to Orange, I was due for an upgrade.

A look at some of their latest models revealed lots to choose from. I narrowed it down to a purple, flip up, very pretty but flimsy looking number (another Samsung - are you kidding?), another purple one with a touch screen, (as you might have guessed by now, I am a purple person!) and this.....

'Oh, Nokia N82, tomorrow you shall be all mine!'

It might not be purple, but it's so very sexy, and there's sooo much to play with, including built in GPS and map facility and a 5 megapixel camera so I can take lots of bloggy pictures and videos at T4!

I do love new toys.

Pissistent Rain!

It has pissistently (?) rained for a week now. My peas are drowning, the weeds are thriving, and the grass is 10ft high again!

I forgot to mention that, in my devastation last week, when I got back into the car from my mountaineering tantrum, I managed to reverse over a huge boulder. The result being that ever since then, I've been trying to stop the exhaust from falling off! I spent most of last week piecing together my back bumper with fibreglass resin. I've also been trying to get the fibreglass resin off my hands, glasses, and out of my hair ever since! Nightmare stuff, don't ever touch it, it sticks to everything, it sticks everything TO everything, but it does double up as an excellent nail hardener!




I think my brakes are a bit shot as well. Not quite down to the rivets yet, though!! Please, dear little car, just last one more week until the kids break up then I can afford to be without you for a couple of days and take you to the garage for a treat!

My mum rang me yesterday, she is coming down with my brother to see us, the day I get back from T4. This is really, really exciting as I haven't seen her for 7 years. My littlest girl was only nine months old last time mum came, so she will be meeting her Gran properly for the first time!


Coming home from T4 is usually such an anti-climax, so this year it will be different as there's another special event straight after.

As for men - who needs 'em anyway? I always remember seeing a saying somewhere. Goes a bit like this...

A WOMAN NEEDS A MAN LIKE A FISH NEEDS A BICYCLE!

Exactly.



Oh, yes, and I got a...


not the highest mark in the world. I lost marks evenly throughout the assignment, not cos I was clueless about one particular thing!

It'll do.

Punk Rock Mommy

What I did next...

Well, I've had a good scritch, several, in fact.

In the past I have had issues with alcohol, I had to pack it in and I haven't touched a single drop in nearly 8 years. (Now, it appears, I don't even need to get drunk to make a twat of myself!) So, as much as the idea of a bottle of Vodka appealed, it was pretty much out of the question.

Then I tried a drive but I still couldn't get away from myself!

So instead I stomped to the top of this.....

...with...

...and sat next to...

...I could see...

...to my left, and...

...to my right. I stood up and turned round...

...and screamed at the top of my voice! And do you know what?

Hellish sore throat now, but bloody hell, I think I feel a bit better!!

And thanks to Kirsty, and you lot, too xx

Today...

...well, yesterday now, was a really, really

Worst in years!

Started quite well, then went downhill from bad to worse. And yes, there is a man involved! Or I was rather hoping there would be. I'm old enough to know better than to get myself in this stupid position.

I am gutted and heartbroken.

And in love.

Alone.

Nuff said!