unsettling news

Ok this is five minutes from my house. I still don't know who it is. Unsettling. Don't think it's hit the national news. I've been phoning friends to make sure they're ok. No-one's heard anything. Just counting my blessings...

choo choo jingle jingle

Saturday was dismal and wet and I stayed in the house all day with the boys while Joy went riding and watched X-factor. I'm glad the extra hour came on Sunday when we were all up early.

We hitched a ride on a steam train with a womens morris dancing troupe, and had a jolly day out visiting stations along the line and watching them and two other groups of dancers.

It was a beer festival with Jazz in the engine shed at Oxenhope. I had to keep buying them snacks and stuff to keep them happy, but it seemed to work.

Wednesday after school Joy did cross country, ie, running round quite a big muddy field three times. She came 18th out of her year group out of all the local schools, after qualifying at her school to enter. I think that was pretty damn good, especially as she has not done anything like that before. She got her nice traners all muddy but I've got her some running shoes now. At parents evening earlier in the week her teacher said she was good at sport. They seem to be quite keen on sport a that schol so that's all good.

Thursday night Fergus's friend Jamie came round for tea, and on Friday morning it was the end of half-term assemblies. I could only go to one and Joy didn't want me at hers so I went to the boys' one. I ironed my mumsy skirt and wore a coat and hat, which looked daft, but it was good: all the classes did a little performance, singing, dancing, music, stories, etc. It was so sweet and none of your I'm too cool to do a hornpipe dance in a church because I'm nine. It is a lovely school. Freddie kept looking at me bt Fergus didn't even know I was there.

I spent the rest of the day with Kelly, lunching, recycling, and shopping, etc, and had a quiet evening in.

spot the difference

Kingspan

Kingsmill

Frying pan

bacefook

rosie is bleurhh
... is in bed with a hot water bottle
has put the washing on
had leek and potato soup and jammy biscuits
has no energy today
had a good weekend, without drinking
spent 2 weeks laid up with a bad back and wants to get on with it now
has rather a lot of apples
has a house strewn with books, bits of Kingspan, discarded clothes, random stuff
is achy and tired and fuzzy
is drinking ginger tea
has spent too much time on Facefook and needs to remember how to string sentences together
...but not today

more to do

Well, I've done kids drop off; had tea with Kelly, Susanne and the mother posse, and met the mum of one of Joy's horsey friends; went to Meg's house to facilitate freezer delivery, forgot her magazine, but picked up two boxes of her unwanted books. No doubt the kids will plunder later. I am now reclining on sofa with hottie and porridge. Have responded to the ten or so emails that came in since midnight, and continued to pour in by the minute. Done my social networking sites (!).

Now what? O yes, well, I still have a few things from Monday's to do list- like finish filling in school bus form- what a palaver- they need the bus stop number, which I wrote down on a bus ticket, again, yesterday, and the number of the bus: find on internet...

God, yesterday there was a woman with a clicker counting the people using the lolipop man. That's all she was doing- what a job!- I mean he could have done it himself, surely? Must be some excecise in assessing the cost-effectiveness of the lollipop man. But surely he's irreplaceable? I mean, a busy A-road. You have to cross it to get to the school if you walk or cycle any o the sensible ways from town. Only way to avoid it would be to cross in the centre and walk all the way up the busy main road which is yuck. I've done it a few times cos you can take a detour through some woods but it's a bit uppy and downy and there's enough of that around here, when you can walk along the level canal. which Freddie finally reluctantly conceeded to the other day on the way back. I've decided to do one journey in the car, especially if its raining, as Monday pick-up was a nightare- they moaned all the way back and started fighting at home- all stressed. I would have thought the walk would've got the stress out of their little sytems but it doesnt always work like that- they know there's the killer hill at the end, and start stressing thinking about it.
Anyway, yes, the lollipop man: Maybe they're considering putting a crossing there- that would put him out of a job anyway, wouldn't it?

So yes, and there's the de-cluttering to sort out. I have made a list of big toys and stuff like the ATP to put in the new baby nappy/sling shop/cafe. I think I need a shop to get rid of all my junk... well, I could put on here, tho I don't seem to have many readers at present...

ATP, rocking horse, wooden sit and ride horse, sit and ride bee, wicker pram, cozy coupe, tractor and trailer, metal trike, urm... some wooden cut-out jigsaw type things...so far.
I will have some young books too, when sorted.

Also- I still have to order the flippin Kingspan for the roof- keep delaying as have nowhere to store it and it keeps raining... hmmm? maybe get some plastic to cover it, or get smaller pieces?

Oh, and Guy has managed to potentially sell my surfeit of apples to the greengrocers for 75p a kilo. That can wait till next week- they are mostly still on the tree.

Ok best get on with that then...

teach your children well

yeah whatever

So here I am back in bed. Not feeling that great at the moment. Here's my horrorscope for today (Sunday) and you may get an idea about the state of my head:

Today may be one of those days, rosie, in which you don't know which way to turn. You are going around a rotary and none of the roads look good to you. For some reason, your car doesn't want to turn off so you keep going around and around and around. If you can, just stop the car and take a rest. Get out and walk around for a while until your head stops spinning. Wait until the air clears before you make your next major move.

yep. Thanks... maybe I should try the i ching instead...
I suppose it wasn't a great start, crying in bed, but I didn't actually feel miserable, just that it was probably doing me good. But I've been in a weird mood all day. Just kind of...unsetlled. I thought I was getting better, and I am better than two weeks ago, but the improvement seems to have stopped and I seem to have regressed slightly. O well, tomorrow's another day and I might feel better. Especially if i put the flippin thing down and go to sleep...

We didn't go anywhere today: the children were quite happy playing in the sunny garden all afternoon, sorting out the rabbits, mending the wendy house, etc. I even took my guitar outside and sang for a bit, which was nice and the only time I felt ok all day. Maybe I'll just do a bit more of that before I sleep... or maybe not.

I did have a bit of adult company this evening in the form of a Fringe meeting at my house, which I struggled to engage with fully, but I think it was productive.

I forgot to mention Fergus yesterday and his game. which involved a big map of the world, and some coins, and loads of writing down of numbers and lists and things: he really seems to be getting the hang of his letter formation, it's amazing, though needs to ask what a 'u' or an 'n' looks like, etc.

At least I ate properly today, well, quantity wise, anyway. Egg n chips went down very nicely with everyone followed by yesterday's crumble. I've made bread for tomorrow...

So, anyway, I think I'm getting tired enough to sleep now, which is good.

breakfast in bed

So, how are we doing? well there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. I just reallised we have been in Mercury retrograde since, well since everything went a bit pear shaped for me, and it will soon be turning back to normal, thank god. It gets me every time dunnit?
Well Im currently languishing in my bed, having been brought a cuppa tea by Fergus. My back has been bad for over a week, so blogging and other laptoppery from bed seems a sensible plan. So all's well and life is good, but I have been crying my eyes out this morning. This must be all part of the healing process, I'm sure, and it beats what I was feeling like a couple of weeks ago.
I think we will stay in today, as this will be Joy's only day at home this week. She appears to be still in bed, after staying out till after 10 last night, (watching X-factor). I had a babysitter and went down the pub and drank ginger beer, and then to the Trades to dance to a funk band. I got in for 2 quid as I knew someone who knew the band, and rotated my hips in a figure of eight fashion to the music, in an attempt to ease the pain in my back. I hoped that no-one could tell what I was doing, that I was just dancing, but Rachel noticed from the other room. I was home by pumpkin time and retreated to bed with laptop and hottie, where I remain.
I'll have to get up soon and make pancakes- mmmm! I suddenly got my appetite back on Friday and made yorkshire puds, apple crumble and custard, but yesterday I couldn't be bothered. I've been trying to keep myself occupied all week with nice things to do, since the visit to the homeopath on Monday morning, at which I was told: you're just gonna hafta go through this and it isn't going to be easy... So I had things on every day- early evening things, eating tea with people, that kind of thing. Probably good for me also as I haven't been eating or sleeping properly for weeks. So the panic/anxiety has lessened, and the feeling of wellbeing has increased; its been a hard week but I got through it.
The children seem quite settled; they're really loving being at home all weekend- the boys are just playing and playing and dressing up and in some sort of fantasy game or something involving toys and a huge amound of mess, which we tidied up last night for the babysitter coming, but no doubt is just as bad by now.
Their new room in the attic is far from ready: I had to stop the DIY when my back went. Might just hafta get someone to do it for me at this rate. I'll hafta post the pics of what i've done so far... (o hold on...mum, can you get the duplo down?)- that's why I have to move them to the attic- more floor space for toys, once the eaves have been opened out. (I just reached down a sit-and-ride bee and Freddie decided to try it out...on my foot! ouch!). Anyway, can't wait to get the house all sorted out. I'm really on it now, but have had a week off. I need to order some Kingspan for the totally uninsulated roof. Once my back is reasonably ok I should be able to cut and install this no problem. Don't think I'll attempt any more heavy stuff again- my body just can't take it. Am planning to go to pilates possibly to increase strength. I've also bought a swimsuit (50p) to go to the sauna- hopefully that will be soon.

to do, and short dyslexia rant

My evening:

Go through all school newsletters, writing dates in diary.

Respond to email from daddy about all 3 parents evenings in next 2 weeks, plus dental appoinment.

Go through 2 bookbags in search of any lost letters and any clue about non-uniform day tomorrow, picking off bits of pear shoved in there by over-enthusiastic dinner lady, and glancing over the junkmail advertising playcentres, etc.

Notice unread reading books- my boys were playing outside from 3.30 till 7.30, thankyou.

Quick look at facebook, then blog.

Take washing out of machine and hang up, especally jodphurs, for tomorrow.

Maybe bit of myspace

Play guitar

Sod the washing up

bed with book if time

...Ok I seem to have got stuck in a loop between blog and facebook-well that's 5 items done anyway- others aren't that essential...

Went to see the ed psycologists today; pretty fruitless really. They don't do statements or extra help for dyslexics. Or screening. They just said it looks like he is dyslexic and the school is just gonna have to cope with it. It's the LEA policy that schools are dyslexia friendly. And that school does have the badge. They are managing by using the classroom assistant who is trained and experienced in dyslexia. Only problem is she is supposed to be there for the other children too, and other classes. Plus when she's ill there is no cover. They are doing a good job wth him, though, if it can be, ramming a square peg into a round hole. He's making progress, by finding coping strategies. He actually wrote a sentence yesterday that was just about readable, on his own, which is amazing, I think. He doesn't say "I cant", he says "i need help with this". They said he will get there, but it won't happen that easily; it will be long and hard. I suppose he will have to learn to read and write eventually. Shame he has to be forced into it, but hey, he doen't seem to be complaining yet, only like most kids complain about having to go to school: every day, apparently. So that's alright then. I suppose. Well it'll soon be half term.

Hey, I've done six things now.. jodphurs...bed

another birthday another dollar

Ok the technical difficulties seem to have gone away by themselves. That's good. Right so here are some pics from this week. The week that seems to have gone on for a month and it's only Thursday. This is one of Freddie's birthday presents, which, surely, is for me...you know who it is? *
This was the scene when I left for taichi on Tuesday: mashed potato massacre. (for those of you listeners who are not watching in colour). Meg came round to play Operation with the boys- one of the presents she got them. I bribed her with tea on the table when she got back from work. Her boyfriend's away so I've seen quite a bit of her in the last week or so. Taichi made my bad back worse.
Here are the only two half- decent photo's Clare took on Freddie's birthday. Look I'm standing up, and pretending to be a real mum that hasn't got palpatations from an expensive and emotional visit to the homeopath. (Josee's mum said, I told you what I think about men: expense on top of bloody heartbreak...)
There were eleven children to feed, plus the 6 adults. But somehow I managed with the old choc cake and pizzas standby.

Arrr- my baby is 5 and may have, may possibly have stopped bf-ing!

*its Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow of course. He's only a 9" figurine of course but, still...

technical difficulties

This blog is experiencing technical difficulties:
Every time I try to post a picture Explorer crashes. It's not the same with out pictures. Firefox won't work at all. Maybe I've got some sort of virus. Hope not.
Might come back later when I've got something to say that doesn't require pictures...