Oh mummy, guinea pig food not so nice :(

Hi folks,

Just a short Blog today. Yesterday my little boy was not at all well, he had a temperature of approximately 102, he was very hot basically, and was very difficult to keep happy. It is very rare for him to sit still for more than 10 minutes, but he was laid out on the sofa for some time.

He is full of beans today - a complete contrast to yesterday.

I can only put his illness down to his eating a whole load of guinea pig food and / or drinking from the rabbit's water container. :(

Unfortunately I don't have eyes in the back of my head, and don't have x-ray vision to see through walls in order to ensure my little boy isn't doing things that he shouldn't be doing - but, suffice it to say, I will be making sure he can't access the guinea pig food any more.

A warning to be had then I guess, make sure all your pet food is well stashed away, as you don't want little ones eating it and making themselves ill.

That's all for now.

Please drop by again soon.

A giant leap of faith

Hello,

Over the last few weeks and months, I have been trying to decide what I want to do.

That age old question "What do you want to do when you grow up?" still doesn't have an answer! In times gone by, I wanted to be an air hostess, possibly a nurse, and definitely a music teacher. As the years went by, becoming an air hostess at the time meant you had to be a certain height and you had to swim - i'm 5ft 4 & can't swim. Nursing - not sure what happened to that idea! At the time I was studying my music A levels, music was not considered important enough on the curriculum and therefore it felt as though there was a slim possibility of me making it through so I dropped it and did secretarial studies instead.

I have done various things in my working life - Assistant Bank Manager's secretary - climbing through the ranks from typist upwards. Publishing assistant for a local free newspaper. Shop assistant - all for about 3 weeks in total for two different shops (one only lasted one day). A relief typist for a Bank. Data entry clerk for about a week. Communications specialist covering all kinds of wonderful things including working with computers, schools, people, conferences, and ultimately working on the internet creating websites & developing educational software. I have trained in alternative therapies and am a qualified masseuse/aromatherapist and reiki practitioner.

So, a few bows on my buckles.

Last weekend we spontaneously went out for the day, making the most of the sunshine and to prize my husband away from his computer during the daytime :)

After we'd visited a local country park and were heading for home, I saw a signpost to an old country house and decided that I'd like to see it, as I hadn't done so before. On the way in to the site we saw some signs advertising offices to let in the vicinity of the main house.

It was a truly awe-inspiring location. A lovely old house reminiscent of my days working at IBM Hursley Park. Fantastic grounds, fantastic views, cobbled courtyard, tea rooms, garden centre, need I say more.

Well, on the way home I started thinking about the possibilities of having one of these offices - it would be perfect for a couple of business ventures, and perhaps, I could even run them both at the same time or rather in the same premises.

A location such as this was would most certainly lead easily to the two ideas I had in mind - DTP & Internet publishing and Massage/Aromatherapy practice.

A couple of days after visiting the location I picked up the courage to phone and enquire about the offices - so I'm off to see them next week!

Now, the question is, do I have the confidence in myself that I can make either or both of these ventures work in such an idyllic location? I will need to do my research carefully I guess - make sure that certain markets are available and that people would want to come out to such a place.

I have been asking myself alot of questions this week - but I will aim to be practical and logical in my decision - starting first with thinking about a business plan in order to think carefully about all the important things I need to think about. I already have a few interesting ideas about what I could do with regards to the massage side of the business.

If I haven't bored you too much, I will endeavour to put some updates here in my Blogs in order to chart my progress and my decisions etc. There is alot to think about, rent, location, clients, child care, phone costs etc., etc.

Plenty of food for thought.

I don't think I'll be going hungry for a while!

Come back soon and I'll let you know which direction I decide to choose.

Thank you for reading.

I'm an inbetweenie!

Hi Folks,

Yesterday I finally got around to returning a pair of jeans to the shop where I had previously purchased them - I should have tried them on first, but when you have a toddler in a pushchair in a clothes shop, not a good idea - but they looked fine - size 14, wonderful! When I did try them on at home a few hours later they were just too tight - yet another pair of jeans I had bought at the same time, also a size 14, fitted perfectly!

I managed to swap the returned jeans for the next size up, and did try them on this time as I had pushchair freedom as little'n was having his nap at home whilst his daddy was babysitting :)

Whilst I was in the shop I did need to get another pair of trousers for my catering job, and found a lovely pair of black trousers, with a little pink belt, and erred on the side of caution and opted for a size 16 (but didn't try them on as the changing rooms were getting rather manic by this time). I did try them at home though, somewhat later, only to find...

they were too flippin small!!!!

There was not a hell's chance these were going to do up. I checked the labels, card & fabric - yep, they said 16. I tried on an old black pair of trousers of similar style which are a 14 - and they managed to do up ok - so what on earth is wrong with these?!

Another trip to the shop i'm afraid.

How can the same size differ so much? Talk about getting a complex on size issues.

I'm a little bigger than a 14, but not quite a 16, so I guess that makes me a 15. If I follow bra size calculations i'm a 39, but they don't exist, so do I opt for a 38 or go for a larger 40? There is nowhere that I have found that make allowances for this little differences in size.

For the owner of these sizes it's quite important, as you're either feeling too frumpy or overweight, with clothes either being just a little too small and feeling uncomfortable or having to pull your trousers up every few minutes as they are too big!

Perhaps I am shopping in the wrong shops and have to seek out the more expensive ones - but I don't earn very much so have to make the pennies stretch that little bit further - shame some of the clothes don't stretch as far as they are supposed to!

If anyone knows of anyone who makes size 39 bra's or size 15 clothes - please let me know :)

Please come back soon

My aching aching feet!

Hi,
Well, it's been a long day, I've just come home from working one of my part time jobs with a local catering company, and my feet are killing me!

My heart goes out to all those bar staff that work in pubs on Friday & Saturday nights!

I worked from 7.30 through to 11.30 tonight working the drinks at a private party. My goodness me! Don't people drink alot when they don't have to pay for them.
I must have opened about 20 bottles or more of champagne, and equally as many bottles of wine. My poor hands from de-corking all those bottles, my poor feet from standing constantly, any my poor ears from trying to hear people's orders over and above the noise of the music!

How do proper bar staff manage it?

I am so thankful it wasn't a paying bar - that would have been too difficult.

Now I think I know how my eldest daughter feels - though I suspect she works longer hours as it's a university bar - and she has to take money! No wonder she is always tired!

Well, I am going to get some well earned sleep tonight so good bye for now and I'll write another blog shortly.

:)

Yummy, Yummy, guinea pig food mummy!

Hello again...

Well, what can I say - you would think we don't feed our little boy. Today, he was 'helping' me clean out our guinea pig and my mum's two rabbits who are holidaying with us through the summer. I had to go and do something in the kitchen and left little'n out in the garden - I came back outside to find him stuffing his face with guinea pig food. Whole handfuls of it!

Later on, whilst I was having a chat with my hubby, I looked over only to find our little boy on his knees, drinking from the rabbits water thing through the cage! (I have one pointing outwards & one inwards, so they get to drink whilst they are out and about in the garden and Thomas doesn't get into the hutch!)

I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised, I remember when I was younger, both me and my brother used to raid the larder for the cat biscuits (which were really dog biscuits - round ones, square ones & triangular ones in different colours) and eat them - as we weren't allowed biscuits very often - so we improvised! It did us no harm I guess - my brother is nearly 40 now and he doesn't have a single filling - so I guess the calcium in those biscuits must have helped somewhat. I, on the other hand, don't seem to have faired quite so well, but I guess that probably comes from having given birth to three children & between them they have kindly drained alot of my own calcium resources. (That's my theory anyway!)

I don't think eating the guinea pig food will do him too much harm - but I will be keeping a close eye on him over the next few days in case he gets a particular liking for all things green & leafy!

That's all for now folks.

Thank you for reading.

There's a worm at the bottom of the garden...

... and his name is wiggly woo

Do you ever have one of those days when you get a tune into your head and it just won't disappear?

Well, courtesy of CBeebies - I have a tune, or two in my head today that simply won't disappear.

....I'm a tot, je suis en tot, tilly, tom & Tiny, we're the tots from tots tv, 1,2 3...

Oh no! Not another one.

Too much children's tv for me I think!

I swore when I was expecting that my child wouldn't succumb to The Tweenies & The Teletubbies. My little boy loves them - he dances & claps when they are on, laughs at things they do - so how can I refuse?
He does get more serious tv - he seems to love Blue Peter, already at this early age, (1 1/2), together with Newsround - which is good as it's the only news programme these days I will subject myself too.
Come Christmas I can see myself getting out some wire hangers & tinsel & making the advent candle thing, as have so many generations before.

Well, only a short blog today i'm afraid - trying to get these tunes out of my head and so am going to go and listen to something relaxing & calming.

Bye for now...

...Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!!!

A change is as good as a rest...

so they say!

Hello again.

It's been a busy old day today - after a weekend of deliberating I decided to change my domain hosting service for one that could offer me a whole lot more, for a whole lot less - so that can't be bad. So, today, I've been busy setting up all the bits & pieces relating to my new account & dealing with my old account. It's amazing how different two companies can be when it comes to dealing with customers needs.

This evening i've been busy uploading all my website files etc., (it's still going strong!) in readiness for when the domain gets fully transfered across. Details will follow in a later blog.

I also decided on the spur of the moment to change the lounge around - making a nice space for my little boy to play without walking into the table all the time!

Bit of a shock though for my husband when he came home this afternoon! I really should warn him. He's come home to whole rooms been re-decorated in the past without so much as a warning other than asking him what colour he prefers - then - hey presto - job done!

Strike whilst the iron's hot. Seize the day.

I'm not very good at being idle - I nearly always have to be doing something or other.

I changed the bedroom around at the weekend - fed up with having to squeeze around the bed in order to get in or out of the room. An odd shaped room really, but it works better now.

I'm also in the process of re-vamping the garden - so last week the conservatory was painted, and the patio cemented up. Still working on demolishing the wretched pond - such a mammoth job - but then it is a most humungous fish pond! Goodness knows what kind of fish lived in it - we inherited the remnants of the pond when we bought the house and it has been a continual eye-sore for nearly three years since we moved here. It won't be here much past the end of the summer though I can tell you that for nothing!

I'm ultimately trying to make the garden as child friendly as I possibly can - on as little money as possible. It may take a little while though.

Anyway, change...
it is a marvellous thing - keeps you on your toes, stops things getting stale.

Must go now, I have a video to review for some market research company - I was accosted in the shopping centre last week - will get quized on it tomorrow!

Thank you for reading. :)

Streaky golden brown!

Hello again...
Well, yesterday I had this brilliant idea of saving my legs from all the pain of sunburn & be a good girl and be sun savvy.
I had recently purchased a tube of some self tanning cream and thought I would give it a go in an attempt to try and match my legs to my arms - which have gone a lovely shade of brown due to pushing little'n around in his pushchair.

I had a lovely soak in the bath, used a body polisher (for the uninitiated - a gel with gritty bits in it!) - to make sure my skin was nice & smooth in order to give the self tanning cream a better finish.

I opened the tube up and was confronted with a very runny semi transparent cream. So, as the instructions on the label, massaging it all in, making sure everywhere was covered, and trying to spread the invisible lotion as evenly as I could.

Ok, after about five minutes - all done - lotion all massaged in nicely on both legs. And, as stated on bottle, hands washed thoroughly.

Waiting a couple of hours before going to bed - my legs looked as though they were a nice shade of light golden brown - matching my feet which are naturally tanned due to running around in bare feet or sandals. It was subtle enough not to stand out like a sore thumb - wonderful!

So I thought...

Eeeeeek.

Got up this morning and inspected the light golden brown legs only to find that they were now orange & streaky!!!!!

How on earth do you fix this!

Whilst little'n was having his breakfast I was frantically trying to use baby wipes to tone down the worst dark patches in the hopes that I'd be able to remove some of the obvious 'self tanning' clues! Not a chance! Will have to soak in the bath for a few hours this evening / tonight in an effort to get more of this stuff removed - I think perhaps that body polisher will come into a league of it's own!

For a while I was thinking perhaps I should add some more lotion to the missing patches in an effort to blend in - but I fear that would look even worse - what if I accidentally went over bits that had taken properly - then I'd get another darker patch :(

Wearing a skirt this week is well & truly out of the window - not sure I can even wear my cropped trousers yet - perhaps in a few days.

Not sure I am going to try this one again. Thank goodness I didn't try the one for my face!!! I think I will stick with the lilly white legs for a little bit longer.

That's it for tonight - I need to get into that bath & have a serious soak & a scrub!

Thank you for reading - please stop by again. :)

The curse of the stairgate!

Hi Folks,
I don't know if there is anyone out there reading any of this, but if you're a parent you may be able to empathise.

Like all 'good' parents we installed a stairgate at the bottom of our stairs. It took a while initially to find a stairgate that actually fitted the width of our stairs correctly. They all seemed to be either too small and would need to have some extensions added, which would need to be sent away for, or too big & wouldn't fit the gap.

Our first stairgate seemed to fit relatively well, with the aid of some blocks to help pack out any differences. It seemed secure enough - though our walls are incredibly hard to drill into if you don't have a powered hammer drill (which we don't!) A couple of months down the line - the stairgate seemed to work it's way out of the wall fixtures, becoming wobbly & hanging out of the wall. We tried re-siting it - but we were limited as to where we could actually place the wretched thing as the banisters don't go right down to the bottom of the stairs, but to the second step.

During the lifetime of this stairgate, I had invested in a different type of stairgate so I could keep little'n from escaping into the conservatory / garden from the kitchen. I decided upon one of those expandable fit ones that don't need any fixtures or fittings. Saying that though, I did have to improvise slightly and add some blocks to allow the stairgate to actually fit correctly.

Well, back to the first stairgate - pulling my hair out with the stairgate now coming out of the wall, and little'n wiggling the gate even more, I decided to use my second stairgate (the one in the kitchen) in place of the first stairgate. Hurrah, it fitted!
But, on tightening up the screwable fixings, I could see the stair banister was being pushed away from the stairs! Eeeeeek.

I've been able to ignore that up until now. The stairgate now has suddenly decided to become loose, and therefore I have needed to tighten it up again - but now this is pushing the bannister even further away from the stairs now.

We have another stairgate of the same type at the top of the stairs - but that one doesn't appear to be doing any damage (as yet).

It seems that these two stairgates are in a conspiracy between them! Each time I have to go up or down the stairs, one or the other of them always seems to give me a bruise somewhere on my thigh, no matter which way I go through them, they get me every time!

So, should I save my legs or my stairs?!

Besides, were stairgates around when I was small?? How did other parents manage before stairgates were invented? When were they invented?

Perhaps I should teach my little one how to come down the stairs safely, then I can do away with the wretched things! He's almost got the hang of it, but not quite.

I think I will have to suffer for another couple of months at least!

Thank you for reading. :)

Karma Karma Chameleon

Hello!
Well, it's that time again - to change my hair colour :)
Over the years I think I must have gone through pretty much most shades, apart from shocking pink & purple - and I haven't quite gotten to the blue rinse just yet :)

I thought I'd try out one of those kits where you get the highlights included as well included. Not for the novice - but as I've had years of experience it wasn't too bad. Result was good though - phew!

I've only had one serious disaster - going from dark brown to blonde in one sweep was not the smartest move, ending up with blonde, orange and green patches! Fortunately I had a hat which gave good coverage in order for me to get to the chemist & purchase another colour to sort out the damage.
Fortunately the colour covered it all rather nicely - but it seemed a bit of a waste of a morning! My daughters thought it was hilarious at the time.

I can remember yonks ago, when my mother did something similar - only her hair was alot longer - she had dark brown hair too & tried going blonde - only she ended up looking like a carrot! Bright orange! Dad was sent out that time to get the dye to change it back! Oh, how me and my brother laughed - up in our rooms!

Well, that's all for today. I will have to see what evolves tomorrow. :)

bye for now.

How clean is your house?!

Hello again.
I managed to catch Kim & Aggie on the box tonight in their fantastic programme 'How Clean is your house?'. It never ceases to amaze me how absolutely disgusting some of these people's houses are! Now, my house is not particularly tidy (though I'm always working on it) - but some of these are just gross! So much muck & filth. How can they live like they do???
Most is just sheer laziness or the fact that perhaps they had never been taught how to do some of the basics - like washing up, or hoovering!

I did treat myself to the book that accompanies the series and gives lots of tips on cleaning etc., and little short cuts - so, needless to say, I've been frantically going through various rooms in the house trying to make sure everything is lovely & clean!

Though, having a toddler in the house, I do find it quite difficult to keep the house spotless - although at present, the army of ants which are appearing in their single marching line is a good incentive at the moment to make sure there isn't too much lying around!

Well, it's midnight and I have to get little'n off to the nursery tomorrow and try to get there on time for a change, though there is a rule now that car's aren't supposed to drive in through the school grounds until after 9.15 - which makes this a real nuisance as a few yards of walking with a little one can take an eternity! I'm sure I'll manage though - nearly always do :)

Until next time folks ~~~

My First Blog!

Where do I start?! My husband has been going on about this Blog & that Blog and so I thought I might check it out - so hey presto - I now have my own Blog!

I hope readers may find my postings interesting.

I was wondering last night what I would put in my first Blog. Two years ago yesterday I was 4 months pregnant & travelling on a DFDS ferry from Newcastle to Kristiansand, Norway, with my (Norwegian) husband, which decided to have an engine fire in the middle of the North Sea in the middle of the night! Not my idea of fun - as soon as didn't hear that 'humming' noise you get on ferries any more - I knew something was wrong. A few minutes later a tanoi explained that there was an engine room fire & further instructions would be given. I got dressed rather quickly and waited for the next message - at which point - my husband had never seen me move quite so fast - headed for the nearest fire exit. It was not a pleasant experience - not the worst I've ever experienced I hasten to add, but not one I wish to repeat. So, that was how we celebrated the Norwegian Independence day merging into my husband's birthday. We won't forget that one in a hurry.

So, this year and no ferries & no fires, I'm extremely glad to report. We celebrated Norways national day yesterday in the style of my husband's childhood memories - hot dogs & icecream - which our 1 and a half year old son seemed to appreciate - though he still quite hasn't got the hang of the ice cream part yet - he eats the cones & leaves the ice cream!

Today, I was busy preparing some Norwegian treats for my husband's birthday, Tournekake & waffles! Yum yum :)

Well, I now have 10 minutes to build a web site for my mother's holiday cottage, before Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares begins - or perhaps I should wait until after the programme - do it a bit more justice. Hmmm - I think I'd better do it later - Gordon Ramsey is just too good to miss!