What's happening to me?

Got dragged to the cinema to see Avengers Assemble last night - and I really enjoyed it. What's going on, I don't like sci-fi...! Lots of funny moments though, and I'm now looking forward to seeing Prometheus when it comes out. Had a lovely lunch out and then a wander around town before absorbing the sunshine next to the Brayford Pool until it was time for the film - the wander around town involved heading to both downhill and uphill Lincoln, hard work in high heels I can tell you, and I have some pretty impressive blisters as proof!

Today I've made up for my gallavanting of last weekend by finally catching up on the housework and mowing the lawn (man was that a hard job, I've not done it for a few weeks due to all the rain we've had, and it had certainly been growing in that time!). Then this evening I fancied something sweet for pudding, and decided I could justify eating custard if I added eggs and made it high protein :) So here are my little egg custards tarts, minus the high fat pastry (and the nutmeg, which I don't like):

Yummy :)

S xx

Expensive day

I got a text from Sam's dad last night, saying he had hurt his back so couldn't drive to bring Sam back to me. I agreed to go over to Boston to fetch him, but on pulling up outside his house I somehow managed to burst my front tyre, and dent the wheel. No spare. Crap! Not a lot of mobile wheel replacers around on a Sunday evening :( Ultimately decided that the only option was to phone Lis and Alan, Lis was in the bath but Al, being the wonderful man he is, drove down to fetch Sam and myself. We spent the night with them - Sam slept like an angel, while I spent the time stressing about a) leaving my poor Beattie in the roughest part of town (see here) and b) how I was going to contact the educational psychologist who was due to make a home visit first thing this morning.

This morning saw an early start, and Al got us down to Bush Tyres for 8am, meaning the manager could send the mobile recovery van out to me before it started on the day's tasks. Excellent :) Things were starting to look up. Meeting the fitter at the car, he reckoned that although I would clearly need a new tyre, the actual wheel was only minimally damaged and could probably be hammered back into shape. He duly fixed the wheel and changed the tyre, during which time I received a phone call from the Ed Psych's secretary, saying she's ill and would have to rearrange the appointment. With no rush to return to Lincoln, we went back to Lis and Alan's.

Lis was due at the doctor's so we all went up there, and I suggested that while we were there we could nip into the travel agents. Just to look, of course.... We left above an hour later, with a holiday booked! Turkey, in June - I can't wait. Last year I fulfilled my dream of visiting Vesuvius and Pompeii, this year it will be Troy and Ephesus!!!

We spent the afternoon relaxing in the garden, and today ended on a much more positive note than yesterday. But my poor bank account won't know what's hit it, what with a holiday and new tyre...oops!

Here's hoping that the rest of this week is rather calmer. Lilly and I are off to Leeds at the weekend, to see Example, supported by Wretch 32. This year is a social whirl :)

S xx

Catching the limited rays of sun

I had a lovely weekend, despite the torrential rain - went out for lunch with a friend on Saturday and discovered the most amazing puddle, which we had to drive through (many times!). After a yummy lunch and a wander around the garden centre, we headed home to cook dinner ready for some other friends to join us. Had a great evening with dinner, laughter, chocolate cake, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. What more could a girl want?!

Monday saw Sam having one of his trademark lie ins - after waking briefly at 8am, he went back to sleep until midday, totalling 18 hours in bed! When he eventually woke up, we joined Grandad Tick Tock for some lunch, followed by some sundrenched time in the garden.

Sam and Grandad watched the fish in the pond.

 Then Sam led Grandad on a trip down the garden path...

Before emerging in the wheelbarrow!

Which of course Mummy had to get into as well! No one was willing to push me though :)











Back to rain today though, rubbish! Come on summer, where are you hiding??

S xx

Well if you don't know...

Today's been a non-productive drag of a day, and I can't believe it's not even 4pm as I'd happily go to bed right now!  Sam woke up far too early given that it was a bonus day off school, so we spent a couple of hours in our pyjamas, watching Mr. Tumble.  A follow up call to the GP surgery (and an apology from them for not phoning back as promised, yesterday) confirmed that Sam's GP had written a prescription for an alternative cream for his thrush, since there's a manufacturing problem and no one has the initial one in stock. Dispenser promised to fax it across to our local pharmacy, so we got dressed and set out for the 3 mile round trip. Myself, Sam, the buggy, and the guitar! However our pharmacist informed us that there is also a manufacturing problem with the replacement that had been prescribed. Oh FFS!!!! But, being the lovely man that he is, he simply said "Leave it with me, I'll sort it out. Come back this afternoon."


 So we went home, and attempted to relax in the garden for a while - easier said than done. Briefly, this was Sam's attempt at enjoying the sunshine:

If anyone was in any doubt, then yes - the television is playing a DVD of Something Special.



After a brief period of not relaxing, Sam asked to go to the park. So we went to the park. He didn't want to walk the two minutes down the road - I politely informed him that if he wasn't able to walk that far, there was little point going to the park at all. At the park, Sam didn't want to go on anything. His main objective was to get himself on the opposite side of the gate to Mummy - it didn't seem to matter who was on which side!  Eventually we came out of the park and sat on the grass patch that backs onto it. Crying. A good twenty minutes was spent here, with no explanation. I was running out of ways to ask "What is wrong?" when finally Sam answered me - "I don't know!" Oh flipping heck boy, what chance do I stand if you don't even know what's up?! At last Sam was persuaded that we could sit on the grass to cry at home, so we gathered ourselves up and left - on the condition that Sam didn't have to walk, but could have a 'cuddle' instead (long ago he realised that "Give baby a cuddle" was much cuter than just "Carry me").

At home, it was clear Sam was very tired, so I thought if we snuggled up on the sofa he might fall asleep. Nope! He came very close a few times, but always realised just in time to rouse himself. So I rang the pharmacy and, wahoooo, they had managed to get hold of the cream we needed. Typically, there had been one tube in the GP's dispensary all along, but because of the prescription system we are not allowed to collect from there as we live too close. Regardless, we jumped in the car and went to fetch the cream which is now doing its job smeared all over Sam's rash.

No prizes for guessing what we're doing now......Hello, I'm Justin, let's go and meet my friends....

S xx

How does your garden grow?

Well, it appears Sam should have been called Mary - the contrary! After half an hour of determined "We are going to enjoy the sunshine" from Mummy, and "No, I want to watch CBeebies, sob" from Sam, I gave in and asked if he wanted to go inside to watch CBeebies. "Yes please Mummy". He jumped out of his tent in the garden and ran over to where I was gathering things from where I had been sitting. But instead of following me inside, he proceeded to just sit in my chair, very happily. Enjoying the sunshine on HIS terms, it would appear!

On a note of development, Sam has discovered the personal pronoun 'me'. Sitting in the garden with his lunch, Sam wasn't really eating. At my prompt "Are you eating some more beans on toast Sam?" he responded incredulously "ME????" whilst pointing to himself. (Incidentally, he didn't eat anymore beans. Just as when in Boots he asked for Wotsits, and on receiving a packet ate three. Or like last night when he had one bite of a banana before announcing he had finished.)

Oh, and I'm now officially blaming Sam for my weight! He requested some chocolate spread whilst in Tesco, so I bought him some. At home this afternoon, I asked if he'd like a chocolate spread sandwich. "No thank you. Mummy's chocolate." Mummy's chocolate? "Yes, Mummy chocolate sandwich." You want Mummy to eat a chocolate spread sandwich? "Yes!" Well, I always do as I'm told...... ;)

S xx

Cometh the spring, cometh the thrush

And no, unfortunately I don't mean the feathery singing kind. I mean the red, itchy, oozing, fungal kind. Which my poor little boy has got at both ends of his system :( As if the meningitis scare wasn't enough, he's been suffering with a cold ever since, and then got a nasty nappy rash at the end of last week - couldn't get appointment with doctor until Monday, and by the time Sam got home after the weekend he had got the infection in his mouth too :( Horrible!  So he's now snotty, sore, and has a very gunky mouth.

Doesn't seem fair somehow, but then again my friend's little girl has just been released from Nottingham QMC after three weeks in ICU, and this isn't unusual for her.  So really, Sam and I have got it easy. We need to remember that - things could always be much, much worse.

So, after a very lazy morning we're shortly heading off into town - we need antifungal cream (getting the medication yesterday was such a faff: our usual pharmacy had neither the cream nor the medicine, they ordered in the medicine but couldn't get the cream at all; we collected the medicine last night after it had been delivered, and tried other pharmacies for the cream but no luck. Hopefully the big Boots in town will prove more successful), and both of Sam's pairs of glasses are currently broken so a trip to the opticians is also in order!

Hopefully this afternoon we can sit in the garden and enjoy the sunshine, like we did on Sunday:

S xx

Funny farm

What a gorgeous day - I'm definitely getting in a summery mood now! Had my new cooker fitted this morning, following which I took my Dad out for lunch to thank him for his help. We went to the local pub and it was warm enough to sit out in the beer garden, absolute bliss (especially considering it was -13C only a couple of weeks ago!); then when I got home I mowed the lawn in my back garden before sorting out a few odd jobs that needed doing. I also picked up a corkboard, onto which I've stuck a world atlas - with pins in each country that Sam has visited. It is now on his bedroom wall, ready for when he starts to show an interest in the world!

Sam has just unearthed the pogo stick which I bought my nephew for his birthday, and decided that he wanted to give it a go - and he wanted Mummy to take turns with him! Well, I couldn't do pogoing when I was little, and I certainly can't do it now, on a pogo stick made for five-year-olds! Cue much hilarity, followed by Sam thinking that a musical accompaniment might help....it didn't! But it did allow me to focus on the guitar and get a break from pogoing - phew :)

After singing various songs to me, Sam handed me the guitar and asked me to play Old Macdonald's Farm. I paused at the cue for each animal, and for the first time Sam supplied both the animal and the noise :) What a star. I was suitably impressed with his choices, all of which could actually be found on a farm (unlike in renditions at Nanny and Grandad's house!) - until we got to 'pirate'....and then 'door' ('with a knock knock here', if you were wondering!). Hmm, it started so well!  He looks so cute sitting on the floor with crossed legs, swaying as he sings and plays his guitar - can't wait to take him to his first music festival this year!

S xx

Joys of spring

I wandered out into the garden yesterday and saw a few little spring bulbs delicately rearing their heads. Funny how such a little thing can make me smile.

We've had some beautiful sunrises and sunsets recently (although Lis does seem to think I'm seeing the world through rose-tinted specs.....!), hopefully Mother Nature will be happier this year than she seemed to be last year.

Having a lovely chilled out afternoon with Sam at the moment, whilst Rick is at the gym, then we're off out for dinner with my dad.  I wonder how it will compare to the dinner I cooked for Rick yesterday:

Two chicken breasts baked in a dish of ratatouille, coupled with brussels/cabbage/spinach/broccoli tossed with bacon and toasted walnuts. Apparently I'm a brilliant girlfriend....we both acknowledge it probably won't last for long!!

S xx

Busy week...

I'm having such a busy week! And it's unusual for me, I'm generally looking for things with which to fill up the days. But after a typical day on Monday, I spent the evening packing up a picnic ready for our trip to Rand Farm Park on Tuesday with Nanny, Grandad, Grandad's brother (visiting from NZ), and Sam's cousin Wills. Lovely day, at the end of which we brought Nanny home to stay with us for a few days, while Grandad and Uncle T are away up north somewhere :)

Wednesday started with a visit to Wisteria Patchwork - small barn at a farmhouse, filled with lots of lovely fabrics but too many to really get an idea of any of them. Still, I managed to spend a fair bit! Time for lunch, then a bit of shopping. Home, dinner, and then to ICU to visit my grandad who is recovering from a gastrectomy to remove a cancerous tumour.

Today has been more shopping (I bought a new dining table and chairs, very excited about them ariving tomorrow!), and lunch out. Once home I baked a batch of fairy cakes (official Sam rating: "okay"), then unpacked some shopping before heading off to the hospital again.

Tomorrow is another busy one with hospital appointment first thing, taking Sam to his dad's, going out for dinner (hen party part one). Then Saturday is hen party part two. Sunday must must must see me writing my next assignment! Oh yeah - got exam results from my Latin exam, 94%!! Combined with my 99% overall on assignments, that gives me a (very) clear distinction. Very pleased about that.

When life calms down a bit, I have a few projects lined up from my purchases over the last couple of days:
1. re-cover my great grandmother's nursing chair (including all new seat pad etc.)
2. make cushions for above chair
3. make skirt for myself
4. make quilted centrepiece for new dining table
5. do shopping for more fabric!!

This week has also seen me eat the first tomatoes from my garden (actually, we split the very first one three ways between myself, Lis and Sam), and I took some to my grandmother who was very jealous about mine being ripe before hers! On the topic of the garden, my darling child went out to play this afternoon, as the rain finally decided to ease off for a while (it has been very wet today, but warm). Off he goes, presumably to get his ball, but no - splash! In the paddling pool, shoes and all, looking proud as punch! Photo here :) Lis had been keeping an eye on him, all I heard was as Lis's title suggests 'Oh boy, I'm going to be in so much trouble now'! I just had to laugh, a lot!

S x

Burnt tongue :(

Just made myself this yummy little lunch - my potatoes, my beans, my spinach. Unfortunately not my butter or parmesan, but a girl can't do everything herself :) Did burn my tongue on it owing to a lack of patience, but I think it was worth it! Just love realising I'm hungry, so digging something up / picking something, and cooking it straight away.

S x

Faith restored

I've had what for me is a very busy weekend. Friday's dinner plans have been postponed for a week as my friend had to work late, but Saturday saw my friend L collecting me ready for a shopping trip to Meadowhall. Long day! Very wisely we had cake-on-arrival, and a ncot for me, before hitting the shops. We had a plan - just keep turning left, then we can't miss anything. Do downstairs, have lunch, do upstairs. And it worked, we covered every square inch of that shopping centre! Unfortunately the one thing we couldn't control was the goods on sale, and they were disappointing. So six hours later, having just bought some CDs, we headed back to L's house, to start getting ready for a night out with mutual friend C.

So off we went, having had a few drinks to start us off. Great night - involved laughter and dancing, always a good combination for me! I even managed to find myself a very sweet 19 year old who spent the evening pretending to be my 27-year-old husband of 5 years (his idea, not mine!), in order to keep annoying men at bay - it is beyond me why men assume that if I'm dancing it must be for them....err no, I just enjoy dancing! And I do NOT want your number, never mind to go home with you!  Anyway, home at 4am with aching legs.

After a lie in this morning I've very much enjoyed reaffirming that actually I am a fully grown adult, by getting out in the garden and cutting the grass, staking up my tomatoes, creating more growing room for my beans, and cropping some potatoes, beans and onions. Much as I enjoy the occasional night out on the town, I'm happy that they are getting less frequent as I think I'd actually prefer to have dinner parties, if anyone would come!! I guess I'm caught between my grown up, child-centred life, and the young free single lives of my girlfriends. I love having the best of both worlds, but I do feel a bit of a fraud when I go out anywhere without Sam, I want a plaque saying 'I have a child, I'm proud of this'! Mind you, maybe I just need to keep C with me - as I got chatting to this guy last night (Chris, for the record, no surname!) she rushed in with 'You know she's got a three-year-old, right?'!

S x

PS: RIP Amy Winehouse - I hope she finds more peace in death than she did in her troubled life. We've all heard of 'live fast die young', but it's such a shame when someone with a talent as outstanding as that has so little regard for her own life, or for those who love her. Everyone has to do what makes them happy, I just find it hard to comprehend that she really could have enjoyed living like that. 

Garden update

Arriving home from Naples at 11pm, I was very disappointed that the dark meant I couldn't check on my garden :( And the next day it was raining, a lot! But I grabbed my umbrella and went out for a quick check which was quite disappointing - although one set of tomatoes are doing well, the others have produced no new flowers (and therefore no fruits), the spinach and beetroot seedlings have been munched by slugs, and I could only find two beans of maybe 1cm each. Not what I expected after what feels like an eternity away.

Anyway, feeling much brighter today, and the rain having finally paused, I set out for a more comprehensive check. Although many beetroot and spinach babies have been had there are some survivors, so that cheered me up. The tomatoes were no better than they had appeared. But searching amongst the bean foliage presented these beauties:

and many more that aren't quite big enough to pick yet. So I'm a happier bunny :)

Plus, I somewhat sarcastically stuck some butternut squash seeds in some mud on the kitchen window sill before we went away, as given how expensive seeds are it seemed sacrilege to throw some away, but I genuinely didn't think they would do anything. Well, I came home to this:

Admittedly two sections' seeds failed, but one section has two seedlings (not really visible from picture) so I've now got seven little plants.  Oooh it's all so exciting!  And I pulled another potato plant yesterday and ate the little gems for my lunch. Love it love it love it :)

Sleep time for me, hoping to get a GP appointment tomorrow as my painful stomach now seems to be swollen...hmmm! Night all :)

S x