Keep on the sunny side

After a truely rubbish week of work stress, only briefly lightened by someone posting a short video clip of Mr Gove falling over (childish but a valuble resorce), I have been reevaluating my priorities. I read recently that President Obama believes when he dies he will not be mulling over policies made or laws passed, but instead his relationship with his daughters and family. Really, will you, most powerful man in the free world? Well it's certainly a nice idea. I hope certainly I shall not be dwelling on challenging lessons of yesteryear and polititian on an ill advsed power trip at that point when it comes.

Lows need highs to make them seem low and as its important to focus on the amusing and positive, I thought I'd share this post. A friend recently shared the following tale after taking her son, 3 year old Soloman, to school:

Whilst skating thru the park, Sol spied a gentelman in a wheelchair on his own. Without time to discuss disability or political correctness with his mother, Sol scooted over to him.

'Whoooaaa, those are massive wheels, are you going to the skate park?' He asked ' My Mum says I can't today as we've got to go to pre-school' (dramatic sigh)

Tha man laughs, 'No, not today, my wife says I can't today as we've got to go shopping'

'Ahhhh' nods Sol sagely scooting off with a wave.

Living the pipe dream

I seem to living the pipe dream, two happy healthy kids,handsome husband, a lovely forest to play in, balmy summer days...and nearly enough beans in the larder to keep us going in our current poverty. My only worry is how on earth we are going pay the morgage to cover me looking after all these kids, maybe those pipes are made of lead and we could trade them in?

I've been mulling over possible money making schemes.... we could dig up the garden and plant it full of spuds, or I could earn a fortune from my as yet not started children's book (bound to be a best seller...surely)...or mayhaps we could farm the kids out to sell lemonade and cakes from the driveway (only the traffic is limited to the postman and a few horses so clientelle would be limited).

Somehow anyway I'm sure all will be fine. Who's supposed to have cash and kids anyway? I know lots of folks with money and they don't seem any happier than usual people. I guess they may have bigger homes and dress their kids in designer not charity and perhaps needen't stress about having to pay for a zoo outing they had promised. But then you've got to fuss with pool cleaners and playdough on the ' pret a porter'and queing for the overpriced zoo resturant while we lounge on the grass eating picnics.

Its easy to be poor on a sunny day- see me again in winter.

Last bits of Spring, the Forest may be chilly but it's darn pretty too!

Time marches on....

It turns out that I haven't been hamming it up and it has actually been a very cold spring-the coldest in 50 yrs apparently. In hindsight, not the best year to move into a house without central heating. Still, happily we have made friends with some folks with a wood so our stocks for next year look much more promising and the customary 8th layer of clothing may be able to be shelved for the next cold snap?

Well- they also say we are now in Summer, so I have high hopes that the world will get it's act together and warm up a touch. Today has been lovely, allowing for a birthday party of extreem house envy in the next village watching the sun glimmer over the estury and the kids playing in the fields- all very 'Darling Buds'. I returned to a rather clingy daughter and a bath of cat poo, but was determined to only let this blight my day for a short period. Laurie has got increasingly fussy with food recently so I decided to get him more involved in the cooking and we made salmon kebabs for tea-Both kids made their own which was a bit hairy for the under 2's especially, but no limbs lost and dinner eaten so a big success. I have to finish up my Blackcurrant sorbet in a moment so all things considered. have had quite a Nigella afternoon.

Mum and Dad have been away and recently commented on the change in the kids in such a short time. It got me thinking. Laurie can now write his name, sort of, using dot guides and will write whole sentances (totally illegible) and be able to tell you what they say. He has also taught himself to read (make things up) and does so in a such a convincing tone I havent the heart to correct him. It turns out he can also now read road signs 'Mummy that means no big red cars and no little black cars' and my current favourite ' Mummy that means no boomerang throwing as it might come and hit you on the head'. Looking at the signage it was quite a logical conclusion. Mol is determined to copy her brother with everything which can be a bit dangerous and tiring but does mean her speech is excellent for one so wee. She's full of blonde curls and big blue eyes at the moment but think she's going to be a real challenge in a few years.

Brave New World

We are entering a new age of Team Anonimum. Not only do we now have a good guess at what baby no 3 is, having had a good nappy shot on the scan, we also have a 'working title' for it-which is streaks ahead of its siblings at a similar stage and amazingly organised for us. The baby seems well but the hospital seem to have negleted to offer and notation on it, so we are yet to discover if it has  broard shoulders, over sized limbs, or perhaps more importantly for the main event, a mamouth head.

Another exciting development is the final plumbing in of the dishwasher. Having survived 5 years of marriage and 2 children without it, I wondered if all the hype would be worth it. Oh doubting Thomas. After a very enjoyable day of visiting friends and toddler fun, the world was stacked high with dirty tippee cups,bowls of snacks, greasy cuttlery etc. Did I wash any of it...did I heck. I am converted. Dishwasher = saviour of the early evening. Now what to do with all this free time. So far have been scouring the garden/house for other bits to fill my magic machine. Then I realise it's Saturday night.

Two boys, or not two boys, that is the question

Tomorrow we are going for our 20 week scan. I am a little apprehensive. We have to take Laurie and Mol due to a lack of babysitters. 2 kids + 2 hrs in the car + rather fractious over tired parents = a whole day of fun. I don't think we're going to find out what it is, but we will have to wait until we're there. I don't mind. Although, I said that with Mol, didn't find out and then spent the next 20 weeks neurotically scanning the web for old wives tests. All of which said girl, bar one, which hedged its bets.

Unlike poor Hamlet, life is pretty good here. I see his 'outragous fortune' and only offer in comparison the trials of pushing a semi naked boy (after a 'tree wee' incident)on a bike whilst balancing a scooter and a toddler on my shoulders (midwife would not have been happy): Which is more rather awkward/uncomfortable than tragic. However, 'to sleep perchance to dream, theres the rub'...indeed my friend, if only! I have just entered the less known 'cant sleep,need to pee,can't get comfortable trimester'. Something not helped by Mol having a melt down, Bitey Cat trying to chase Nice but Dim around the bed, and Mr A having night terrors. Yawn, better luck tonight.

The uninvited guest

Unlike some folks, I like an uninvited guest. It says people are comfortable enough to drop in on you and head home again if the timing is not good. At just under my alloted year at the cottage and we have started recieving our first uninvited guests.The only downside it that with a number of large downstairs windows, one must make sure that pyjamas and other 'homely' clothes are decent at all times. Naked Tuesdays is clearly best kept for city living. My fasle assumption that I would be safe upstairs gathering clothing slowly between brushing toddlers teeth,changing nappies,packing lunches etc was further thwarted by the sporadic visits from the window clearner. He seems to have adopted a stealth approach  to ladder work which must surley have its downsides as well as benifits for the man.

Our second, less popular, Uninvited Guest is 'Bitey Cat'. Bitey Cat is a bully who had taken to chasing our nice but dim moggy about the garden. It seems that my water pistoling and throwing of pots(the light plastic ones) and pegs has been a lame attempt to frighten it off. All too frequently we have heard hissing and spitting downstairs in the night to find a stand off taking place. Moreover, Bitey Cat appears so at home, he has made a bed in Mr A's Tramp Coat, where he sleeps every night and during rainy spells by the back door. On further investigation it appears Bitey was owned by the lady at the top of the road and then passed onto our neighbours after the one owner flattened the other's original pet. In this case I can't help feeling a bit sorry for Bitey. Mayhaps I should see him more as an LAC (looked after cat) and consider his needs-no wonder he has affection and freidnship issues if his life has been handed from home to home. Still, I'm not sure I have the patience or skill to be an effective foster mother to a delinquent feline. Maybe I should invest in that super soaker after all......