Pages

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Back Home, Back to Normal

Cardiff was lovely.

Darling Uncle is back in hospital.  He hasn't given consent for me to  be given any information but isn't lucid enough to give informed consent.  My brother has fed back a lot of information.  I am in no position to go over to him. 

I'll update about Cardiff and the lovely people there later. 

Sunday 27 October 2013

Steamy Morning

This morning I spent several hours ironing with a steam iron, standing next to the tumble dryer, with the washing machine, the dishwasher and the breadmaker all going as well.  I have a lot more ironing to do, and I am on my way back to it.  The washer, dryer and dishwasher are all on again and DH has put the breadmaker on for the second time. 

It looks like we will not suffer as much as many in the storm, and with all luck behind us it will not affect our travel tomorrow.  I am keeping those in the line of the storm in my prayers.  I think we will all be glad when the storm has passed. 

Saturday 26 October 2013

Christmas Stocking

It is far too early to think about Christmas stockings.  It really is.  However darling, darling father has brought home a Christmas stocking from the Church sale. 

Perhaps it is just as well.  Last year I forgot about the Christmas stocking.  DH airily assured me that bear wouldn't think of a stocking.  After all, bear had been remarkably silent over the whole stocking thing, it would be fine.  Bear remembered just as we were putting him to bed on Christmas Eve so we ended up putting a pillowcase at the end of the bed and switching it with a personalised minecraft bag stuffed with stocking fillers which rather saved the day.  Perhaps it is just as well that father brought in the stocking..

I have two minor objections to this particular stocking.  On the one hand I believe Christmas stockings should be in pairs.  I used to have a football sock of my father, the other sock mysteriously absent.  It was mysteriously absent because my mother was stuffing it with goodies elsewhere and so she could just sneak it and switch the sock without worrying about waking me.  I don't think I would be able to find a match for this easily, though I could pretend I had lost it, provide a pillow case and then do the switch at midnight, as is traditional. 

The other problem I have with this stocking is that it is massive.  It is huge.  Not only is it larger than most of my pillowcases, it is not that much smaller than a single duvet.  I exaggerate, just not by much.  It is sooo big.  DH looked at it and remarked that it would take more than two satsumas to fill that.

And that's another thing.  This year we are muttering about a PC for bear.  We are reluctantly getting him a PC because ours is on the way out and DH and I still have laptops (or I do when it's back from the lovely repair man).  A PC can't be moved up to his bedroom, as I am not allowing any electronics in the bedroom at the moment.  He can do his homework on it - likely to be necessary in a year or two.  He can research Doctor Who and do his laborious typing of cast members.  It is still a big, big present for a seven year old, which he will be just a few days after Christmas.  Last year most of the toys he got for Christmas from us would fit into this new stocking.  Not just the stocking fillers - all of them.  Obviously he also had a shed load of books, but I feel very challenged.  I wasn't planning on getting him that much.  It was looking like PC for Christmas, possibly games for his birthday, large quantities of books and then just a few other bits.  Bear has two huge boxes full of cars, he has far more pens and pencils than is needed, he has all sorts of odds and ends and bits and bobs.  I am scrabbling around for inspiration.  He has a bike, he has a scooter, he has everything.  He will be seven. 

What makes it worse is that there is a birthday and Christmas so close together.  I have to get inspiration enough to fill both occasions.  I don't like him having less because of the accident of his birth.   So filling the stocking and getting enough presents for both Christmas and birthday is going to be a bit of a challenge. 

I think I will start going around the charity shops now.

Friday 25 October 2013

Normal for here

My laptop has been sent away to be mended.  I am writing this on an extremely creaky netbook but it is working at least.  I had to clear the laptop's browsing history first, you wouldn't believe the sort of searches I have done as research.  As for the tabs on the browser bar, they are a right jumble of paranormal (I have a great idea involving Crop Circles), recipes, shops I want to visit, Christian and Pagan resources, and don't forget the knitting.  The man mending the machine is connected to DH through work, and is lovely.  I hope DH doesn't have to explain anything.

I am looking forward to going to Cardiff, even though we will be travelling during one of the biggest storms in years and bear is already grumbling about leaving the street.  He went to school dressed as a Native American Indian this morning.  I don't think he was a Sioux.  He wouldn't follow the buffalo, he would demand they were delivered to him.

And as I have about five thousand words maximum to do with Digging up the Past, and I have hit the final scenes I am of course trying to clear space in the kitchen and work out where I am going to put the breadmaker that I impulse bought.

Precipice 13

My good friend and invaluable support, Thomas Marlowe, is published in the latest anthology from Write on Edge. 

Anyone interested can find it on Smashwords for any ebook format, Amazon UK in print and kindle and Amazon US also in print and kindle. 

I am so hoping I can persuade him to expand his idea, he has such great talent. 

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Bear and Father

Bear has persuaded darling father to buy him a fountain pen.  The ink is allegedly washable, I shall be finding that out soon as he has managed to get some on a white school shirt.

Bear is writing in pencil at school, he won't even get to biro for another few years, but bear had heard somewhere about fountain pens and homed in with pinpoint accuracy on the one person likely to cave.  Darling father bought bear a fountain pen after DH and I had tried to convince bear that perhaps a fountain pen could wait.

Actually bear's doing okay.  He enjoys himself copying out lists of Doctor Who monsters.  It could be worse.  I am bracing for ink stains, but I am sure it will work out.  His handwriting is embarrassingly better than mine.

I'm off to research washable ink.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Not a good day

I seem to have a run of bad luck bubbling up.  Darling father is still very tired and I am very worried.  I am doing my best to keep an eye on him, but that is easier said than done.  Whisky is still happening in quantity.

I am finally trying to shoe horn in some writing time.  It is really hard just getting the clear mind to get going, or even less cluttered.  Now my laptop has gone iffy and it will have to be sent away to be mended.  I suppose I will have to wait for some more writing time.  I am also a bit sad about shifting blogs, though I believe it the right thing to do.  The blog is the tiny bit of writing I get.

I can really understand why Kobo pulled all the self published books.  I am confident mine will turn up again soon.  I just feel a bit low about that as well.

And adding to the worry, uncle has apparently had a nurse telling him off for lack of support.  She is apparently seeing a doctor.  I can't do anything.  We go away soon, we have spent the money on tickets and hotels.  I feel under pressure to cancel and go and see him.  And after some unpleasant discoveries I am not sure about how much is true.  No matter about that, I have cajoled and coaxed and he has repeatedly rejected any attempt to get more support in to him.

Bear is under the weather and I know I am going to have an interesting time this afternoon keeping him happy.

Even the weather is rotten.

Scraping up the evidence for a silver lining to this pity party, when the laptop goes I will be forced to catch up on all my craft stuff, and possibly some housewifery.  I'm not betting on the housewifery.  I don't know when the laptop will go, so if there is a bit of a lull don't worry.

I am going to away to mope over some ironing.  At least some smoother shirts will come out of this gloom.

Monday 21 October 2013

Bad Mother Again

Bear had custard and calpol for breakfast.

Poor lad is coming down with something green nosed and gruesome.  I shall be keeping a close eye on him.

However he is still basking in the glow of a really, really good parents' evening report, and has the presents to prove it.  Yesterday he watched Remembrance of the Daleks with DH and played computer games as well as playing with maths worksheets.  At the moment he loves loves loves numbers.  On the one hand I really hope this continues (nothing is guaranteed in a six year old) but I am facing up to the bitter fact that I struggle mightily with numbers.  If he carries on like this it will be him explaining things to me by this time next year.

Still I am carrying on the sums with the shopping.  I got some Famous Grouse for £11 per bottle.  Mr A wouldn't let me order more than three, but I still saved more than the delivery charge.  However the site won't let me order another lot.  I may have another go later.  We are finally getting to the bottom of the pile of Famous Grouse I got in the middle of September.  It would be nice to stock up for Christmas, but somewhat unrealistic.

I will soon be off to pick up bear soon.  He was so exhausted yesterday he wanted bed at 6.30pm, was asleep by eight and then came down at 8.30pm because he had nightmares about losing his rat and needed it to cuddle.  I think I may be able to manage some more custard for him.

Sunday 20 October 2013

New Blog, New Leaf?

I've lost count of the number of times I have blogged that I am going to do things better - save, lose weight, get the house sorted, etc, etc, etc.

Things are getting slightly better, however.  I've been clearing out the walk in cupboard.  I'm muttering about getting a second freezer, which I would like to put in the walk in cupboard.  At the moment it isn't practical.  The shelving in the way is absolutely full.

I don't want to mention the two sets of golf clubs to father nor the electric golf club carrier thingy.  He went to church today but he is still very, very tired.  I don't know if he will ever be fit enough again for even nine holes.  I don't want to bring it up just yet.  I can work around them.  I am also going to get rid of a few bits that have been lurking around, including some elderly cleaning products.  I could have an 'Autumn Clean' and use them all up!  However it is very clear to me that unless I get organised then things get forgotten and more stuff bought.  I just need to keep a little more on top of things.

One example is loo rolls.  Yesterday afternoon I was pottering in there again.  To say the cupboard isn't that big, I have had to shift an awful lot of stuff around.  When I moved the big oven shelf soaking tray which I am considering getting rid of I found two more packs of loo rolls.  I could have cried.  They are stacked so high.  Mind you, I don't suppose they will last until Christmas.

I need to be a bit more aware of what in the cupboards.  Also I am feeling a bit liberated with more space opening up.  It feels good.

Saturday 19 October 2013

Also happening

I got the most humungous box of fruit and veg yesterday.  So in between fiddling with blogs and typos I am blanching and freezing so that I don't lose any.  Theoretically we are having fish souffle with curly kale tonight.  I will post a pic if it actually really happens.

Please hold...

Just getting the blog up and running.