Spacebats

It's a bit low-tech...

2008-07-15T13:22:00.003+01:00

...but you get the idea!

Like this much-ly

2007-05-19T18:51:00.001+01:00



Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

A couple of Caleb classics

2007-04-28T15:53:00.001+01:00

This morning, Caleb was given the choice of whatever he wanted to watch while Daddy cut his hair, so he decided on Monsters Inc. In Flemish. I just laughed at him. And when I said he was nuts - because he complains about watching Muzzy because it's in French and 'he can't understand' (he knows plenty!) yet he was happy to watch something he didn't understand a word of - he just looked me straight in the eye and went 'I do know Flemish.' What could I say?!

Then later, Mark took them to the park - which is right by his preschool, so they were talking a bit about whether he liked going there. Caleb replied with a very predictable 'no' but I was horrified by his reason this time: apparently, it's because everyone speaks English, but 'not like we do' at first I was baffled, then I realised my son is a 3-year-old SNOB!

Best news story EVER?!

2007-04-24T19:41:00.000+01:00

You have to read this. The fact that it turns out to be a really dull article just makes it even better!

Easter Holiday

2007-04-14T17:36:00.000+01:00

Am currently uploading our photos from the last week. Flickr is doing its best to annoy me, loading some pictures more than once, uploading only one from over one-hundred, muddling up their order, and resolutely refusing to create a new set. What a waste of the sunshine! Will post some comments when I'm less busy.

Will blatantly be absorbing several of the Clarkes' and Evans' pictures into our collections, too. So many cute pictures of our kids and their aunts/uncles/cousins that I can't resist!

Unpluggit

2007-03-30T15:36:00.000+01:00

Stumbled upon this site through the Ben & Jerry's e-newsletter. It's nothing you don't know already, but it's sensible, and it's a gentle way to get doing your bit. I confess, despite all my other efforts being second nature now, I still suck at remembering to unplug our many entertainment appliances every night ('Hmmm, was it tonight I set it to record that thing...?'). But big things always start small, eh?

Flickr piccies

2007-03-17T17:12:00.000Z

As usual, I've uploaded several months' worth of photos in one go, so feel free to look. As usual, I've also done something silly with them and uploaded a bunch of them into more than one set, but hey ho! Here's your sneak preview.

Do you do Coke?

2007-03-17T12:21:00.000Z

This morning I went on Yahoo answers and posed this question:

From an ethical point of view, should I buy Diet Coca Cola?

'There are lots of big companies out there who exploit their work force, have their fingers in some dodgy pies, and finance arms production etc. I want to know how ethical the Coca Cola company are, and whether I should stop giving them my money to spend on things I am opposed to...?'

Most of my answers so far indicate a lack of understanding about issues like Trade Justice, and ethical business practice, in general. And of course I've had a lot of 'Buy American!' tub-thumping. After the ' just to ease your liberal guilt over everything.' answer, I decided to pose the same question, newly-worded, on Yahoo Answers UK & Ireland:

From an ethical point of view, should I buy Diet Coca Cola?

I already live as ethically as I can, buying Fair Trade as far as our shopping budget allows, reducing my consumption, etc., and I often wonder if my little Diet Coke habit in fact makes me a bit of a hypocrite?

There are lots of big companies out there who exploit their work force, have their fingers in some dodgy pies, and finance arms production etc. I want to know how ethical the Coca Cola company are, and whether I should stop giving them my money to spend on things I am opposed to...?

Interestingly, here I get more answers related to buying a cheaper Cola (yeeeuch!) and side-stepping the ethics completely. Though, it's mostly Americans answering on both sites as far as I can tell (without bothering to check profiles.)

So far, I've had scant answers regarding the genuine question, and more opinions than anything else. Obviously, I wasn't intending to make my decision based on a few comments from unqualified strangers, but I thought one or two people might at least have been able to point me towards research/magazine articles/conspiracy theories. I guess it's a symptom of our age. What I think/feel/believe has superceded the actual, often absolute, truth.

Hell, I'll throw it out there, though. What do you think? (asking your opinion) And what do you know? (asking about The Coca-Cola company)

Ouch!

2007-03-15T11:07:00.000Z

Yesterday evening, while popping a few bits up in the loft, the ladder came unlatched and I ended up in a heap on the landing floor. Despite smashing a mirror on the way down, and landing partially on top of the ladder, I've not got more than a couple of bruises. Boy am I sore, though! Caleb has had the first three days off pre-school this week already, with a cold, but I just couldn't face the walk there, back, there and back again with pulled muscles and a throbbing tushie! Worst thing about it: I screamed like a big GIRL.

SNOW DAY!!

2007-02-08T07:32:00.000Z

Now this is real snow, not like that smattering we had a couple of weeks ago! And Mark gets the day off - yipee!

Inspired by Franz Ferdinand (the band, dummy!)

2007-01-25T11:25:00.001Z

this post has been updated

I love the bit in their song 'Matinee' where he talks about 'all the things I hate' and the girl he fancies replies with some things she'd like 'and how she'd have a happy life, if she had the things she'd like...' So here are a few of mine

(Some of) The things I hate:

1. 'My Way' by Frank Sinatra (or anyone else for that matter, but most especially Sinatra)

It is a grand piece of self-justification and indulgence, embracing a sentiment of pure selfishness that I loathe. Sid Viscious had it right with his version - all vitriol and ego - the only recording worth listening to!

2. Clearing up pieces of mice, voles or birds in our lean-to, or off the lawn.

Cats don't like to eat ears or intestines it seems. Not so fussy about eating their own or each others' vomit, though.

3. Being tickled.

I'm only ticklish in a couple of places but if you get me there, I am completely helpless. It's like torture, I cannot stand the sensation.

4. Birthdays.

Actually, I completely love other peoples' birthdays, I just hate my own. It might come as a surprise to some people, but I actually hate being the centre of attention like that. Also, they come around WAY too often.

5. Being late for Pre-School.

When Elodie is sick in her bed, but you don't find out until the morning, when she's woken up late, it makes getting to pre-school on time really difficult. Ditto when she fills her nappy with an UNRIGHTEOUS deposit, just as you were walking out the door. Or when she has a tantrum about getting in her buggy for five minutes. Or when Caleb howls EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, or stays rooted to the spot and requires dragging with one hand while you push the buggy one-handed, or decides he needs to 'try' on the potty for ten minutes when you should already have left the house. Or when the phone rings as you were getting ready to go out, or it's pouring with rain/ windy enough to knock down trees, or someone oversleeps, or you were so engrossed with going through your bank statements you lost track of time (it's happened!) or you didn't sleep much the night before, or you feel unwell, or there were strops over which coat to wear, or, or, or....

6. Not being able to drive.

Kind of ties in with the last one! Taking the bus with two infants - on a route without buggy-friendly buses - is just too stressful, I only did it to Oxford once with both of them and have sworn off it for a very long time, might think about braving it as far as Witney soon (but no museum with Dinosaur bones there!) Ordering from catalogues is very hit-and-miss, and means numerous trips to the Post Office to return everything! I genuinely miss grocery shopping in an actual shop. I can't take the kids to 'pop in' and see their Grandparents, or Joy & Elias. I'd love to go to Henley and see Alana of an evening, or visit Susan and Paul when they're at Sue's parents. The logistics of spending some time with Nikki or Abi sans kids is just too prohibitive. And walking in the rain is rarely romantic.

7. Robbie Williams

Obviously, I don't actually hate him as a person, because I don't actually know him and that would be grossly unfair (not to mention deeply unChristian!) but his public persona is incredibly off-putting to me. I cannot stand watching his swagger, the way he pursues- ramps up- audience adoration, that smug facial expression as he performs (on or off stage, it's all the same by the look of it) or having to listen to his bland singing voice, with its faux-american accent. He's apparantly a very insecure man who doesn't believe he has enough talent to warrant his success and celebrity, well, I agree with him. If that sounds harsh, I'm sorry, but he hasn't exactly said 'My albums are rubbish, I shouldn't take your money' has he? I find it hard to be sympathetic for someone who moans that they can't 'handle' their fame when they're so happy to be idolized!

8. Several movies that I feel have stolen part of my life by my watching them.

Deconstructing Harry. Self-indulgent, sex-obsessed and devoid of humour. Woody Allen at his very worst. A movie where pet hate Robin Williams is the best thing? That's got to be bad.
Titantic. Not everything about this film is terrible, admittedly, but any movie where you feel all the main characters were superflous has to be getting something very wrong.
Kingdom of Heaven. Lots of people said and did lots of stuff, but not a single person in this movie has a character! Normally there's plenty to look at in a Ridley Scott film, even if the action's bad, but even his direction lacks flair.
La Vie Revee des Anges. I hate coming off like a teenager, but the only word for this film is boring. Couldn't even sit through it till the end, I could feel my life ticking away.
Casablanca. I feel really guilty about this one because it's like the best-loved movie of all time, but I failed to get its charm. Simon is convinced I do this on purpose with films that 'everyone' else rates but, honestly, I can't find a good thing to say about it.

9. Being ill.

Despite being a pretty sickly kid, and 16 (combined) months of Morning sickness, I haven't mastered being sick gracefully! I am still completely miserable and pathetic when I'm unwell. Avoid me if at all possible.

10. Maths

This is one of those things that I hate because I don't understand it. Really mature Heidi.

11. Being a perfectionist

If I can't do something perfectly first time, I have failed. This means I can't start or try anything new, and that I'm stuck being rubbish at things, because I find the process of getting better at them too damn painful. I think this is one of my problems with Driving -I'm too busy beating myself up about mistakes to be learning anything. Mum said to me the other day that my standards for myself were unrealistically high, and it's rotten when someone says something so right to you!

12. My Phobias

They're not the exotic kind like being terrified of cotton wool, or bunnies, or baloons, or spoons. I don't like being such a cliche, but I can't help the terror that overcomes me when I am confronted with injections, or moths. I become a shreiking harriden in the presence of either! I can't be in the same room as a moth - I struggle being in the same garden as one - and am scarred by once having to endure a bus-ride with a moth, a fellow phobic, and her unsympathetic boyfriend for company (cue much squealing and stamping on their parts, I was rendered motionless and mute - as scared of them as our winged adversary)

(Some of) The things I like

1. Sleeping.

I especially like whole, unbroken, nights of sleep.

2. Ikea.

This one's already obvious to most people who know me, or read the blog. But it's not just the style or the affordability; when you can't drive, catalogues and extensive web-sites are a God-send, and having so much under one roof means we don't have to trawl the shops on our occasional free saturdays - we can always find something we both agree on there, and we can generally get lots accomplished in one hit. Also:

3. Swedish Meatballs.

We buy the meatballs - and sachets of sauce mix, and lingonberry jam - so we don't have to wait til our next trip to Ikea to have them. They're great with chips and pickled red cabbage, real comfort food. Yummy!

4. Lost, the game

This is soooo complicated, involved, and time-consuming that we've only played it twice so far(actually that's pretty good-going for us, that means we've spent two whole evenings together since Christmas, which is when we were given it.) But it's fascinating. A bit like Monopoly, only more unpredictable, and with reminders of things that have happened in the series!

5. Being completely obsessed with a series and watching a boxset compulsively until it's finished.

Because Freeview and the Terrestrial channels are so rubbish at holding on to the best programmes, we've found ourselves getting into a series, then not being able to watch it when it switches to Sky. The plus side of this is those delirious few weeks after you buy/borrow the boxset of the latest series and cram as many episodes into your free time as possible. This Christmas we didn't get in any of our traditional Christmas viewing because we were obsessively watching 24 series 5. Not especially festive while you're wrapping/ filling stockings/ peeling parsnips/ putting up decorations etc., but riveting stuff! (Looking forward to doing this with Lost from now on).

6. Ben & Jerry's ice-cream

When Nikki returned from a six-month stay in North Carolina, she brought back a taste for these wierdly-flavoured and mysteriously-named ice-creams that you couldn't buy over here. (This was 11 years ago!) That is, until we discovered them in an obscure paper shop on the Cowley Road. This exclusivity only added to the pleasure, and I distinctly remember a time, with Anni, scooping straight from the carton with our thumbs, despite temperatures close to freezing, just to finish the tub before we would have to share it with anyone else!

All-time Favourites: Cherry Garcia, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Latest obsession: Fair Trade Vanilla

Haven't tasted for too long: Chubby Hubby

7. Choosing to stay awake into the small hours, in the company of friends

We're often awake after midnight and later, just trying to get the boring stuff done. Enjoying good company, good memories and good laughs for half the night, even when you're dog-tired - it's a pleasure that can't be beaten.

8. Staying in the shower until the hot water runs out

Then I know I'm really clean.

9. Going to the theatre

It was something I really missed when we were broke newly-weds. I'd jumped at every opportunity to go during my childhood and teens: English trips, Theatre Studies trips, Music trips, with Stage School, with my Grandparents, with Annaly, for birthday treats.... I saw musicals, ballets, opera (only once, and never again, I'm afraid!) dance troupes, Panto (not a fan though) Shakespeare, Chekov, Ibsen, brand-spanking new stuff (like the brilliant 'Art'), Comedy acts from Edinburgh, Christian drama troupes, you name it, I'd try it...

The last few years we've been for my birthday, and it's wonderful to be doing it again - it's like having a bit of me back again.

10. France

Mark says he feels 'at home' when he's there, and though I don't have anything like the linguistic experience he has, or the personal connection, I understand what he means. I haven't had the opportunity to travel, so I can't compare it to other cultures or countries except my own, but I know that the French are 100% French and no-one else! I haven't learnt, or really heard, any other languages apart from French, but I feel an affinity with the tongue - it might not always make sense to me on a purely grammatical level, but it has the quality of a warm blanket - if I wrap my self in it, I will feel comforted by the familiar, not isolated by what I can't understand. I love the way they talk with their hands, too, (obviously, I fit right in!) with a whole language of gestures alone. In a 'time is money' world I love that their emphasis, not merely on food & wine themselves, but actually more on the enjoying and sharing of mealtimes, has remained intact.

11. Laughing

It's a cliche (damn, where is that accent?) but there's nothing like it. This is especially true when we've had a stinker of a day involving lots of yelling and screaming (mostly from me) rounded off with a battle with Caleb over dinner. Sometimes on days like that we find ourselves sponaneously involved in this peculiarly cathartic family playtime before the kids get in the bath. We all get tickled and chased and cuddled a lot, but above all we laugh, and it feels great!

12. Obviously this isn't definitively - or even literally - true, but here are some things I'd like for that 'happy life' she sings about!

To travel more - there are so many places, people and things, to see and experience
More time with Mark. The occasional night out would be nice, too
I'd like my old body back! (circa 1999)
More hours in the day
More friends. I read that someone or other had researched and come up with the optimum number of friends an individual should have, I'm sure I'm not there yet
To get better at this parenting thing, and turn out two relatively un-screwed-up adults
To find 'my' artistic gifting, it has to be a medium I haven't tried yet!
Clothes shopping to be easier. Come on, I'm not freakishly configured - why does nothing ever fit?!
To go to the odd gig again. Maybe even (guilty pleasure alert!) see Bon Jovi one time. I'd love to go to one of those massive Christian music festivals in America or Holland, though most of my favourite CCM bands are throwing in the towel (blubber, feeling old!)
More time to read - and the odd book recommendation / lend would go down well, don't know what I want to read half the time, these days.

Am resisting the temptation to add things like having the lean-to replaced, the kitchen floor re-done, the chimney properly sealed, our the house re-wired etc., since Mark already left such a sweet comment, and that would ruin it. Damn. Sorry love xxx

It's funny because it's true...

2007-01-13T11:35:00.000Z

My very own hubbie drew my attention to this one. Which is funny if you think about it, coz it means I get to laugh at his expense.

6 Weird things about Heidi

2007-01-08T20:47:00.000Z

Tagged by Sarah

THE RULES
Each player of this game starts with the ’six weird things about you’ blog post. People who get tagged need to write their own six weird things post and state the rules clearly. At the end of the post tag six more people and don’t forget to leave a comment on their blog to tell them they have been tagged and tell them to read your blog.

The problem is, they're not WEIRD to you - just everyone else - so it's not all that easy to just pluck these things out of one' s Psyche, but here goes...

1) I have a whole range of food issues: I don't like to eat hot and cold food from the same plate (e.g. salad cannot be on the same plate as a baked potato, because it instantly becomes all warm and soggy.) I think it's disgusting to eat cold 'salads' of things that should be hot - I mean things like Rice/pasta/potato salad, that most people think are nice. Bleurgh. More weirdly, I also can't eat two different foods on the same forkful- if they've been cooked separately, I have to chew them separately (e.g. NEVER put meat and vegetables in my mouth at the same time, or even two kinds of vegetables.) Having said that, cheese and pineapple together are yummy, and certain colour combinations of Fruit Pastilles work well...

2) I can sleep for twelve solid hours, and still need someone to wake me up. I am oblivious to planes, the phone, the hoover, crying babies - mine or anyone elses- and can ignore being coaxed, jumped on by kids, and having cats coming and falling asleep on me.

3) I have a weak spot for the monstrous Dame Shirley Bassey- she's a lunatic who truly gurns when she performs, but, boy can she sing!

4) I can't get into an unmade bed, so even if it has been accidentally left in a mess all day, I will re-arrange the pillows, make the bed, even up the corners, then pull back the duvet to get in! I also have to sleep with my back to the door. I think it's a hangover from childhood - I just don't want to know what the boogeyman looks like, or at least, I don't want to see it coming!

5) I love the smell of DIY stores. Mmmm, sawdust...

6) As a child I suffered from a wierd OCD disorder called Trichotillomania - I pulled my hair out. That's clinically weird. Beat that.

Tagging:
Alana - coz she's more overdue a post than I was
Nikki - coz she'll probably add a few to mine!
Mim - coz she might do it if she's tagged enough
Esther - in the hope that she might break her blog silence
Mark, so I can point and laugh

No-one else to tag, which probably means I'm breaking the rules, but what the hey!

I like this...

2006-12-27T15:29:00.000Z

... I just can't justify £55 for a tshirt, even when it's ethical and political!

Caleb's first Nativity

2006-12-07T14:41:00.000Z

I was surprised by what they got out of a bunch of pre-schoolers, I must say - what a lot of hard work! And I just about managed to get a couple of piccies of him without his finger up his nose...

They've arrived!

2006-12-05T19:59:00.000Z

Today we went into Witney to pick up the pictures from Venture. Come and see them, they're lovely!

My Nana

2006-12-04T21:37:00.000Z

Yesterday my Nana, who has been in pain for as long as I can remember, and who has been terminally ill for some time, died peacefully at home. I think for most of us, the over-riding feeling is of relief. Over the last 18 months or so, we have all made several trips to see her 'for the last time' so we were fairly prepared to let her go, and she was certainly ready to leave us. My Dad sounded more peaceful than he has for some time when I spoke to him this evening, he is confident that she was prepared, and that she's gone to the good place!

Nothing profound here, but some thoughts:

When I was little I was always a bit sad for my friends, coz their Nans weren't beautiful like mine. As I got a little older, I grew to appreciate how gracious a person she was, and how fiercely devoted to her family she was, despite our many and varying imperfections! When the husband she idolised suddenly died she was devastated, but refused to be broken - I think probably my most enduring memory of her will be a silly moment on the morning of my Grandad's funeral which I wouldn't know how to reproduce here, but which involved the word 'boobies,' and some uncontrollable giggling. That was typical of my Nana, who always put on a brave face for us Grandkids- on one visit to see her in hospital when she was on oxygen, and hooked up to a variety of drips and machines, she talked about the patients around her who were 'really' sick. I admire and appreciate her for raising my Dad to be the man I know, and I'm grateful that although she's gone, I'll be stuck with her son for a while yet - if you know my Dad, you know he's some legacy!

I know I'm a softie...

2006-12-04T21:02:00.000Z

... but this really got me.

What to buy for the ethical techie?

2006-11-27T14:48:00.000Z

I've found the ideal Christmas pressie here!

Ethical progress

2006-11-27T14:07:00.000Z

I was thrilled to read this today - long may it continue!

'The Comforter'

2006-11-16T13:17:00.000Z

If your childhood involved Refreshers and Parma Violets, this bubble bar slice will probably live up to it's name!

Yucky

2006-11-08T13:32:00.000Z

Today everywhere you go in Carterton smells of poo (and it's not even my children for once.) Because we live in a town, I forget how close to rural Oxfordshire we are - until the wind blows the wrong way!

Generosity from hubbie

2006-11-07T15:32:00.000Z

Mark put a lot of effort into gathering all the relevent 'proof' that he meets the requirements to cross the pay threshold in his job. It paid off, because he's moved up the pay scale, and been given some back-pay too. This has enabled us to order two phenominally expensive portraits of the kids from Venture. To my surprise, it also paid for a humungous stash of Lush stuff for me! I spoilt Mark's plan somewhat, because I saw that he had an email from Lush a couple of days ago, but it was still thrilling to find a ginormous (sp?!) box on the doorstep, and unpack everything from my 'I want to try this' list, plus a few of my favourites too. Ultimately, of course, the most important thing is that Mark is actually getting some recognition for all his hard work, but the pictures are going to be real treasures for a long time into the future - and the Lush stuff will fill some more of those boring evenings that Mark will spend holed up in the study...

Erk, thought I'd posted this, but I'd merely saved it as draft. Dummy!

2006-10-28T22:12:00.000+01:00

Half Term

Good grief, where does the time go?! I was only just catching up on August and September, and suddenly October is almost over too! Well, after several weeks of toddler diahorrea, followed by an Ofstead inspection for Mark(Argh!), then a second round of puking and pooing from the kids, we made it to half term. Instead of doing the sensible thing and 'getting some rest' (whatever that means!) we've done our best to fill the week. On Saturday we went over to Swindon to the outlet centre, with little success, we ended up going to Mothercare and buying both kids full-price shoes- Elodie's are exactly the same as the ones she's had all summer. That evening we watched War of the Worlds, which ticked all the boxes, and was pretty much what we'd both expected. On Sunday we had church here, as is usual at the moment, followed by a glorious roast meal with Matt, Anna, Joe & Emma. We rounded that off nicely with dinky kiddie-decorated cakes served on the cake stand I got for my birthday. Not too shabby!
On Monday, Caleb had a pre-school eyetest in the morning then we went to Venture in Witney for some family photos. The kids loved it of course, being the centre of attention. As someone who resolutely stays behind the camera, I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. We all just enjoyed ourselves, messing around together the way we normally do, and doing as we were told when the photographer came up with any suggestions. As an extra treat we went to McDonalds for dinner, then took our tired bunnies home to bed.
On Tuesday we went to Ikea Milton Keynes to stock up on mugs for church, order bedroom furniture, and try out their mattresses (rubbish) all made much easier by packing Caleb off to their supervised play area- it's amazing what can be achieved in 45 minutes when you don't have a 3-year-old in tow! For futeure reference, a winning formula seems to be: Lunch - a look around - 'serious' shopping minus Caleb - playing with the kids stuff - a treat from the cafe - the markethall - paying with a card that isn't declined. Oh yes, there was a saga with my Visa- still to be explained by the Card company- for some reason the assistant couldn't get an authorisation code, meanwhile the card company phoned Mark to check whether it was us using the card, Tesco/RBS said it would go through fine, but then I was still asked to verify all my security details to the operator who had been on the phone with the Ikea assistant. The card eventually went through, obviously, but it's a bit of a mystery as to why it was so complicated. And I wasn't impressed by being asked to share my security details when I was stood in the middle of a shop. After all that, we popped into ASDA to pick up some stuff for tea, then timed the journey home perfectly for the kids to fall asleep. After installing the kids in their beds, and tidying away all our purchases, we settled down to watch Oliver! A bizarre experience, to say the least, I'd never seen it before, but knew all the songs, and had seen the odd bit here and there, so it was like watching something familiar, but brand-new at the same time. It's amazing to me that it won all those Oscars, I thought it was diabolical! Of course, we dissected it, talked about the social climate at the time it was made, suggested alternative editing etc. instead of going to bed at a decent time...
On Wednesday we had the emotional job of selecting the prints we liked from our venture session. My word, talk about heartbreaking - about 70 percent of the photos were perfect, just buying the two we chose cost a small fortune. So look out for the new additions around Christmas time and tell us they're outstanding, won't you?! After those difficult choices, popping to the Aquatics shop for a couple more fish was much easier! So now we have Bongo, Bango, Lingo and Darth (as in Maul, not Vader. And of course, he's a bug-eyed Black Moor, what else!)
On Thursday we did a 'normal' day where I stayed at home with the kids while Mark popped into Witney for a few DIY bits, then spent the afternoon in Kidlington while the new car key was programmed. Typically, I had a really hellish time of it as far as the kids' bladders and bowels went, and I did my usual thing of panicking that I could never survive Mark going back to work ever again!
On Friday we spent a great deal of time trying out mattresses and resolutely not buying one 'on impulse', then we popped in to Mark's parents to borrow a couple of props for that evening's Murder Mystery Party to celebrate Matt's 30th. Mark was a boat owner (who turned out to be a smuggler) and I had the terribley suitable role of a successful actress.
To round the week off nicely, on Saturday we went to CadburyWorld. What a brilliant day! We all ate a fair amount of chocolate, obviously, but the best bit was seeing the kids as aengaged as they were (well, as engaged as they could be!) by everything that was going on there. If you haven't been before, we'd highly recommend it. If you have been before, they've added a seperate bit called Essense where they show you how they first invented Dairy Milk (they tell it with a huge dollop of artistic license) and there are some more interactive bits at the end of the main tour now, too. So you can exercise off all those samples, probably. The best bit for us was that the kids are still free, and we used Tesco Deals tokens to pay for our tickets, so we got to splash out in the Cadbury shop!

Catch up

2006-10-08T14:11:00.000+01:00

If anybody really cares, here's what we've been up to from August - October!
We got home from our holiday and it was back to Earth with a bump- we returned to a leaking Freezer, and fleas in our mattress. Both were less dramatic than they had first appeared, and were swiftly dealt with!
Mark went into school for the GCSE results, and had a bit of a clear out in their 'office' over a couple of days, while we practiced doing normal days again.
We popped to Wales for the day (again) for Sam & Oscars Christening, and more bouncing on the trampoline. It was nice to catch up with Mick & Lucy - the couple who bought our flat from us in Southampton - and to meet their kids, who are very close in age to ours. We caused a bit of a stir with our Christening gift to Sam, mainly I think because it wasn't the traditional heavy KJV bible that he received a number of! Rhiannon's Dad was really interested because he'd never come across anything like it before, I wonder if he had a look at it actually - I think it would be his kind of thing...
We scoured the DIY stores of Oxfordshire for the right bathroom tiles, then ended taking most of them back due to a slight mis-calcuation (D'oh!) The bathroom was torn out and completely re-fitted, which meant getting the baby bath down from the loft, and improvising for a couple of days. The Mayfields and the Biddlecombes showers were greatly appreciated by us too! The guys who did it were lovely, they were a pleasure to have around the house (though Elodie's persistant screaming must have driven them as crazy as us) and we got into some very intense discussions about God, and all sorts!
Caleb accompanied Mark on an educational trip to the vets to witness the cats having their booster vaccinations.
Mum and Dad packed us off for hot chocolate at Cafe Noir and had the kids for a couple of hours, which was very unexpected - and greatly appreciated - and we took the opportunity to nip to a bed shop to try out a couple of mattresses while we were out! We then went back to theirs and had a Chinese together, which was lovely. We spent most of the day and evening with them in the end - and we'd only dropped in to pop a couple of holiday souvenirs into them! Living so close, you'd think we'd do it more often, but it's quite rare that we're free at the same time, and it was a real treat.
We temporarily defected to the Oxford Church for Ben's baptism, then enjoyed an afternoon with all the Thomases and Clarkes. Ben introduced us to his hawk, and Caleb and I were both brave enough to hold him! I have to say, if it had been anyone else I wouldn't have dared, but Ben is so calm and confident with him that I didn't have any qualms about it at all. Ben's really enthusiastic about his birds, and it sort of rubs off!
Our anniversary was, as always, Mark's first day back, so we cheated by buying a pre-cooked duck and pancakes, followed by these, and spent the evening playing Wit's End, and discussing the book we were both mid-way through. It wasn't earth-shatteringly romantic, but it was wonderful just to enjoy each others' company - something that somehow we didn't feel we had done as much as we would have liked while Mark was off.
Term started - and despite frantic breakfasts etc. - Caleb's 'upgrade' to 5 mornings a week at pre-school has been marvellous! Our children are both wonderful individually, but together they are a nightmare most of the time!
September, of course always sends Mark into a frenzy, but we managed to fit a few nice things in; we squeezed in a couple of movie nights (Signs & Edward Scissorhands) with 2 of Mark's pupils who babysit for us; the kids and I went to Joe's fireman birthday party; we offloaded the kids with Lorraine, and went for a 'grown-up' lunch with my parents, to celebrate my birthday; We celebrated again on my actual birthday when Matt, Anna, Nathan, and Nikki came over for a Mexican, a rare treat.
After making the effort to make September less gruelling than usual, October has gotten off to a shakey start, with both the kids getting a gastro thing that is dragging on and on. Now they and I have colds too, and I had a blinding headache for about three days, that seems to have settled to a dull thud today. Add into this my Nana rushing to hospital, then suffering delusions, and Mark not only working like stink at school and in the evenings but also staying at school for Open Evening, then spending all of yesterday on a TEFL taster day, and you've got 4 tired Thomases. If it hadn't been for Mark taking a day off after Caleb's worst night, and my Mum stepping in to have two pooey kids while I had my hair done, I think I would have gone insane- I've barely been outside the front door in the last 10 days, and it's a bit crazy-making!
On the plus side: I think I've just about got the Christmas shopping in hand, and we've decided to go to Lille to check out the markets in the week before Christmas, so that's something to plan and look forward to. And a neighbour saved us rental costs by lending us their chainsaw, and Mark's had a go at our out-of-control garden. You can't keep us down for long!

Due to a technical glitch...

2006-09-27T11:16:00.000+01:00

...we haven't watched Lost yet, so don't you DARE speak about it in our presence before 'Second Chance' Sunday!

Summer Holidays pt.II: France

2006-09-16T20:22:00.000+01:00

Saturday

So, we set off, very excited and feeling great relief at our decision to drive - since it was just at the time of all that plane trouble - with no 'accidents' on Caleb's part, and made excellent time to Dover. Used the in-car DVD players for the first-time as we waited for boarding- and were pleased to have them as boarding was delayed and we were all hungry. The crossing was fairly pleasant and they were screening Monsters Inc. in the kiddie play area, so Caleb was happy! Because we were among the first on, our car was one of the ones on the upper floor that they have to lower down to the ramp, which was exciting to watch once we'd figured out what was going on(!) Then off we went for a longer-than-anticipated drive to Reims, we had to spend a fair bit of the drive trying to convince Caleb that we really were in France, of course.
We arrived at the hotel ravenous, so after a quick check-in we braved the rain to find a kid-friendly restaurant - not as easy as we had anticipated, since none of us were really in the mood for a leisurely wander to find the ideal place. We settled on the first one with a child set-meal on the board outside, then passed an uncomfortable meal-time with no booster-seats, or even a bib or toys (shudder) since I'd been too hungry to think ahead. Elodie spent much of the summer letting out blood-curdling screams whenever her will was crossed, so a meal like that was like hell on Earth! Back at the (recently-refurbished) hotel, though, bed-time was really fun, and we all settled to sleep in the same room without a hitch- miraculously, everybody slept through!

Sunday

Though we got there a bit late to get any of the best bits it was exciting to eat breakfast in a hotel - we even remembered to use our fold-up booster to make it a smoother experience - and Caleb was amazed to be allowed CocoPops, Nutella and a pain au chocolat.
Elodie was unamused by having to get back in the car and had several (hour-long) screaming fits, I reacted badly to my travel-sickness tablets and felt awful -and sleepy- all day, Caleb wet himself repeatedly, we queued for ages for average-tasting and over-priced service-station food, and it rained constantly- poor, poor Mark! I was completely useless for all of it. Bizarrely, we still made it to the hotel earlier than anticipated, and the rain subsided, so once they'd brought us a travel-cot for Elodie (grrrr, booking online!) we spent a lovely evening wandering round the centre of Lyon, and ate outside a dinky pizzeria. It was lovely to people-watch, practice a bit of French, and spend some relaxed time together (with Elodie strapped in!) Our mood was so improved that Mark even bought Elodie and I each a rose from one of those rip-off merchants who pester you while you eat. Aaaah, over-priced flowers smell so sweet.
Bedtime went really well again, and we went to sleep with smiles on our faces, and we all slept well (even though Mark and I were both distinctly apprehensive about a third day of travelling!)

Monday

An early start meant an excellent breakfast, and the attention of a really sweet waiter. The driving was better that day- a nappy for Caleb made things less stressful, and I passed on the travel tablets. Mark and I amused ourselves playing Spot the Intro when the kids slept, and the DVD players came in handy. The weather also improved, and we got to drive through some stunning scenery on our way down. We took a bit of a break for a late lunch and a jaunt around an Hypermarche, which broke things up a bit, and got us stocked up for a couple of days without driving. The descent towards Nice got my heart pumping, and I turned into a big kid 'Oooh, Palm trees! Look at the sea, look at the sea! Look at the mountains!' The magic wore off a bit when we spent a whole hour driving around Nice and the surrounding mountains trying to get on the right road to the villa, but it was well worth the wait! The place was everything we'd hoped for: Personal jacuzzi, pool in the complex, separate bedrooms for the kids, a huge shower. It was really well-kitted out, lovely and clean, and the view of Nice and the sea was breathtaking- even that first evening, with smoke wafting across from a near-by forest fire(!)
Once again we were amazed at how easily the kids went to sleep, and we got to spend the evening on our bedroom balcony, playing Scrabble and drinking wine- how civilised is that?!

Tuesday

We resolved not to drive anywhere for a day, so instead of rushing off to sight-see we relaxed at the villa. Mark and the kids went to check out the local boulangerie while I had a lie-in, then we generally pottered for the day. While I did a mound of washing after all those 'accidents' on the drive down, Elodie napped, the boys did a bit of reading (Mark had bought a french newspaper, but I think it mostly ended up being Fox in Socks!) I spied a gecko and we also spotted a number of unusual bugs, and a very distinctive butterfly. In our impatience we tried out the Jacuzzi before it was really warm enough, which didn't impress me- but Caleb thought it was the most exciting thing in the world! After that, the pool was even COLDER, and despite grinning and bearing it ourselves, Elodie pretty much refused to go in. So back to the Villa, which was feeling less than relaxing by this point: with its lethal wooden stairs, stone floors, garden on a dangerous precipice and no idea of how to get the DVD player to work, it was proving to be pretty toddler-prohibitive. So we piled into the car for a jaunt down to Nice, to join in with the celebrations for La Fete de l'Assomption, which apparently included a procession through the Old Town, among other things. Of course, what we actually did was get stuck in traffic- by the sea at least- and as we watched the skies cloud over, and the minutes pass, it became apparant that we were better off turning round and going back for some dinner. Which we did! Our abortive trip provided Caleb with an opportunity to nap, so when he couldn't sleep we gave in, got him up, and messed around together in the jacuzzi. There followed a very unexpected bout of homesickness on Caleb's part - mainly surrounding the fact that he couldn't have all his teddies in bed with him. Poor little guy! Once he'd gone to sleep, we had a lovely time reading through guide books and making a plan for the week, and we had a brilliant view from our balcony of the spectacular fireworks down at the harbour- magical!

Wednesday

The clouds had parted, and the time had come to get out of the car and see Nice itself, so we drove down - past the bizarrely-named Speed Rabbit Pizza - and parked in the shopping centre, then walked down to Vieux Nice- the 'Old Town' part of the city. It's almost completely pedestrianised (although, this is France, so you have to take that term loosely) and despite being a real buzzing tourist area the place is surprisingly full of actual residents too. It's a truly mind-boggling configuration of unusually-shaped, vividly-coloured buildings crammed around several markets, numerous restaurants, a surprising number of art galleries, indie boutiques, churches, and the traditional olive oil/ lavender/ soap shops. Time just disappears there because it's so absorbing- there's something to see wherever you look; I was surprised to learn from a number of commemorative plaques about how active the Resistance were in Nice, something I had never appreciated before; and once we turned a corner and stumbled upon an open exhibit of Ancient Egyptian, Christian, and Roman artefacts that had been found along the nearby coast. On the Promenade itself we came to the conclusion that being in the mountains was preferable to being on the sea front, we were certain that our view- of Nice itself, surrounded by mountains, and opening into the bay- was more spectacular than an eight-lane road, even if it was lined with palm trees. Also, places like the famous Negresco, with it's horribly rascist - some would say 'stylised'- statue of Miles Davis out of the front, unquestionably lacked the grandeur it must have had in it's heyday. Most of the hotels and restaurants looked faded, and tatty, like visual memories of faded glory.
Highlights of the day included; the most unbelievable confectioner/ biscuit shop that were very generous with the free samples; stumbling on a wonderful view of the sea, framed by a beautiful stone archway; Caleb's genuine interest and simply reverential behaviour when we looked around the Cathedrale Ste- Réparate; trying the local speciality, Socca (basically a spiced, chickpea pancake), and unanimously deciding it probably tasted no better then the paper plate it came on; Caleb choosing a postcard for Joe first thing, then insisting on holding it for the whole day; Elodie's determination to walk in the opposite direction to us 100% of the day, and finding it hilarious every time...
We rounded off our day of culture with a brief jaunt around the outstandingly tacky Nice Etoile, followed by a trip to the even less civilised McDonalds, then took the now-familiar drive out of the town and into the mountains back home to the villa. Once the kids were in bed, we soaked our weary bodies in the jacuzzi, and our weary brains in a bottle of wine.

Thursday

We took a spectacular drive through mountains and gorges to get to Entrevaux . This place is like something from a story book; you park at the train station, which is home to a family of very elegant-looking and friendly stray cats, then you walk up the road and through an arch onto the drawbridge that takes you into the teeny village itself. We had a picnic lunch to galvanise us, then zig-zagged up the mountain to the citadel above the town. Just take a look here, and see how far we made Caleb walk! We made the climb as fun as possible by pretending that we were defending soldiers that had to get to the top before the Italians did (I don't know why the enemy soldiers were Italian, exactly, that was Caleb's choice.) Once at the top there was plenty to warrant the climb. Tunnels, drawbridges, a chapel, and dungeons. A sobering stand-out for me was to see the medieval cells that were used to house German POWs in the last century. Oddly, there was nothing to stop you from plunging to your death at any time, there wasn't much in the way of information about anything beyond its designated room title, and there were no loos or anything. Still, we found the sole picnic table for a sit down, and rewarded Caleb for his athletic acheivement with a Cars Pez dispenser. Caleb 'rewarded' us by pooing in his pants and on his shoes, right there in the Medieval dining hall! Thankfully, the low-tec feel to place made me less paranoid about it, and once it was cleaned up, we hastily made our way back down the mountain. We had a wander round the village and idly considered buying one of the rundown houses, looked at the church with the English flag flying(!) then had a well-earned ice-cream and set off home.
The drive home was no less impacting, despite returning the same way we had come. We literally drove through the mountains in places, in tunnels gouged through the rock. Seeing the evidence of glaciers from millions of years ago was pretty awe-inspiring. Often there were huge gashes along the mountains, as if a giant had gouged out pieces with his fingernails at he lumbered through. We found ourselves thinking about how people even survived millions, or even thousands, or hundreds of years ago. And how you could never imagine such a thing as a palm-tree lined bay and azure sea, if you had fought for life in craggy, vertiginous mountains. But that soon got a bit heavy, so we turned up the music and motored on home. En route, we stopped at an Hypermarche for some French books for the kids' Christmas stockings, a guidebook for Italy, and some of those French treats that you just have to take home with you!
After a late dinner (that oven was dodgy, despite being top of the range. Grrr.) we cleaned out the car, tidied the villa, and got everything sorted for the following day. Wasting time waiting for dinners that took twice as long as they should have done to cook, and faffing around with washing up, because the dishwasher was broken, was not how we'd planned to spend our holiday, but hey ho.

Friday

After a few days of varying weather it finally got properly hot and sunny, so after a bit of a lie-in (for me) we set off to Italy in search of a sandy beach. Driving a different route out of Nice was refreshing, the view over the harbour was very different from the rest of what we'd seen of the city, and I remember being amused as we passed the appropriately named HOTEL LA FIANCÉE DU PIRATE. The cliff-top drive was a whole other kind of spectacle to what we had witnessed the previous day. One of the things that was impressed upon both of us during our holiday was that glorious combination of the perfectness of God's nascent creation, and the unexpected daubs of human artistry that are littered across it's landscape. One example of this observation was Nice itself, which Mark described as a 'splodge' of human development and creativity nestled between the mountains and the sea. Another, of course, is the infamous Monaco, home to my idol, Shirley Bassey, among many other stupidly rich people. Conveniently, our scenic mountain road had a couple of great places designed for tourists to get out and take in the view. On we went to the unmanned border with Italy, where we ate our picnic lunch in a traffic jam, and reminded ourselves why nobody in their right mind, or, indeed, the right profession would go on holiday in August. Eventually we got to San Remo, where the seaside parking was free, but you had to walk forever to find the tiny bit of public beach. Both kids had a lot of fun, despite Elodie's protestations when it came to the cold Italian sea! The boys took a little walk along the rocks and watched the waves crash, while Elodie and I played with the sand and ran away from the splashes at the sea-edge. I also found myself constructing a whole back-story surrounding the guy who was on a sun-lounger next to us. Having time turns you into a real people-watcher, and on the continent you can even get away with staring, coz they all do it! Interestingly - for the Alias fans out there - we were astounded to see a banner advertising an exhibit at the Rambaldi Museum & Library, sadly it wasn't that Rambaldi....
After a lovely long play, we hopped back along the coast to Ventimiglia and ate the most delectible ice-cream on the planet! After an abortive attempt to find the Roman ramparts, we decided to wander around the town a bit. We were initially disappointed by how generally scummy it was (not helped by greying skies), but we soon realised that most of the litter was in fact evidence of some big event judging by the police prescence, and general ambience (I have since discovered that this was Seborga: '...on 20th August, small handmade ravioli and rabbit are prepared, and there is a re-enactment of the investiture of the new ruling Prince with his court.' so there you go!) Lucky for us, this meant that a number of shops/markets were open, so there was plenty to look at - and we even got to buy some real Italian Pesto and giant pasta for Caleb. Unfortunately there followed the most excruciating dinner experience, due to Elodie's migraine-inducing screams again. My Pannacotta was heavenly though. After a characteristically complicated exit from Ventimiglia (which included an inexplicably extortionate toll for a drive of mere metres) we high-tailed it out of Italy, relieved to get 'home' to France. We took a slight detour through Nice, taking the opportunity to see it at night, which was well worth it - despite someone attempting to force entry into the car as we stopped at some traffic lights (I truly thanked God for the Laguna's internal locking system at that moment!)
Sleepy kids were put to bed, and more wine was consumed, before bed.

Saturday

We were treated to glorious sunshine, so wrangled with the pool's safety alarm and went for a swim. Elodie was finally coaxed in, but kept dozing off in her little swim-seat! Back to the villa for lunch in the garden, then Elodie had a nap, I read a decidedly average book in the garden, and the boys went back to the pool, where Caleb taught himself to doggy paddle.
Dinner was a late one again, and as I pottered in the kitchen waiting for it to cook, I spotted a mouse attempting to gain entry to the house - eek! Not as cute or exciting as the geckos. That evening I made a start on the packing, Mark attempted some logic problems in French, and of course, we drank wine.

Sunday

Caleb was a bit non-plussed when we explained we weren't doing church of any description, but a walk to the Boulangerie, a couple of trips to the pool, and a nice roast dinner seemed to balance things out for him. I spent much of the day preparing to leave, and that evening while I packed, Mark helped out with lots of the cleaning, then packed up the car, all made a more pleasant job by yet more wine!

Monday

Started early with breakfast on the balcony, to avoid dirtying the villa. After handing over the keys, and taking one last look at the view, it was time to leave. We drove down into Nice for one last drive along the Promenade des Anglais, then off we went. With sunnier weather than the drive down, we got to enjoy the mountains and 'the sights' all over again on the way back up. More Spot the intro and the Charlie and Lola DVD kept us sane and, anyway, the kids had somehow come to accept being in the car for hours on end as normal! I also amused myself by attempting to take photos through the windscreen- the car was so filthy by this time that they mostly turned out to be awful, of course. A picnic lunch in the sunshine was perfectly pleasant- most of the rest stops have heavy planting around them, so you don't have to watch cars go by as you eat.
We arrived in Dijon bang on time and, after checking in at the tres modern hotel, we treated the kids to a trip to McDonalds. After dinner we found a Toys 'R' Us and had a wander, we were talked into buying Monstres et Cie. (Monsters Inc.) for the journey home, and I couldn't resist buying Elodie a little pushchair while we had the opportunity, which she's played with every day since. After the toyshop, we had a little play in the park next to our hotel, then it was bath-time, and we all had an early bedtime. Mark and I got the giggles - which we did our best to stifle - as Elodie kept very excitedly springing up in her cot and going 'heyo!' They were both so excited to be back in a room all together, and they chatted and giggled so sweetly together. It was a really precious thing to have the opportunity to listen in on it. Surprisingly, though, sleep soon came to all of us.

Tuesday

Another early morning, and despite a posh restaurant and pleasant staff, the place was so busy that breakfast was a bit of a disappointment. There was a coach party in there a little before us, and they just ran out of everything, they couldn't even re-set the tables fast enough. One poor English family couldn't find half the stuff they needed, but were too terrified to ask for anything - when I chipped in with where to find some cutlery, I thought the woman was going to hug me! 'Thank God, someone English!' she went, and I have to confess, though her relief was very touching, I did wonder how they were going to survive a holiday in France if they couldn't negotiate a buffet breakfast!
After taking the, ahem, 'scenic' route out of Dijon we hit the road again, and motored on up towards Calais, the skies greying ahead of us. We arrived nice and early, so took one last trip to an Hypermarche (for a huge multipack of those all-important Mikados, and one last ice-cream each.) The crossing was okay, we braved it on to the deck for a bit, and Mark very thoughtfully bought me some Dairy Milk (Yay, proper Cadburys chocolate!) in the boutique, because they didn't have any of 'my' perfume.
After a pitstop at the McDonalds - our 3rd if you're counting! - in Dingey Dover, we were finally on our way home. Caleb kept his eyes open until the closing credits of Monstre et Cie., then instantly fell into a deep sleep, so we had a peaceful last leg of the journey. We were home in time to do the bulk of the unpacking, watch Lost, and then roll into bed.

Despite plenty of niggles, it truly turned out to be the sort of once-in-a-lifetime holiday that we had hoped for. The villa was a real extravagance and, despite a host of faulty appliances, was everything we had wanted. It was a blissful place to spend evenings together, and the view cannot adequately be described in words, it really was the ideal that we had sought. In spite of numerous screaming fits, and a host of pant-filling incidents, we felt mostly relaxed for the first time in a very long time. It really was fun to share time together, learn about each other as much as France, and be excited by so many of the same things- I will never forget Caleb spontaneously, and slightly breathlessly, exclaiming 'What a beautiful view!' in the back of the car. Both Mark and I were reminded of how much we love France, and Caleb's fascination with languages was definitely deepened (we still get a lot of 'what's .... in French?') Often when you have a holiday like that you start to imagine that the path to happiness is to uproot yourselves and move there permanantly, oddly, I really didn't. Though the idea of returning home was pretty unappealing, I felt the faded glamour of Nice was the sort of place that was lovely to visit, but, ultimately, it felt vacuous, there was really not enough 'soul' about the place to draw me, not like being among the mountains! It was a slightly surprising revelation to me, who's a bit of a city girl. Got us thinking about the possibility of moving over somewhere, though....

Summer Holidays pt. I

2006-09-11T18:42:00.000+01:00

Got off to a shakey start with a day trip to scummy Newport to renew my passport- a day that involved traffic, roadworks, misleading directions from the Passport Office, a car key that refused to lock the car, mythical car-electrics workshops, a diversion to Ikea Bristol, and projectile travel sickness to round things off! (Thank the Lord for the couple of hours of fun in EzeeePlay!) The same week, my Granny died. Thankfully, we had my lovely friend Claire staying with us that week, who had a calming influence on us all, and kept things chirpy. Things perked up with a lovely Saturday afternoon spent with The Mayfields, eating the contents of their belated freezer and playing Trivial Pursuit. Then a great family church service on the Rec. in the centre of Carterton.

The following week we spent a completely wonderful few days in Aberystwyth with our special friends, Dave, Rhiannon, Sam & Oscar. We went to the beach, met kittens and an exuberant puppy on the farm, went for lovely walks with Smokey the dog, played with water balloons, bounced on the trampoline for hours on end, and generally enjoyed all being together. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much, it was just what we all needed. Oddly, my Granny's funeral was only a few miles away, so they even amused the kids for us while we went to the service! I was grateful, because I found it much more emotional than I had expected. Overall it was a very positive service, where even her family learnt new things about her personality and her life, beautifully concluded by her choice of 'What a Wonderful World' to close. And thanks to Phenergen, we even had a fairly pleasant journey home at the end of an emotional day.

A few days of mooching, an MOT, fun trips to Cotswold Wildlife Park and Bounce with Joe and Emma, birthday tea with The Mayfields, and a fair amount of packing, planning, and panicking on my part made up the following week, then it was off to France for our first-ever family holiday...

>Photos when Blogger stops messing me around!<

Caleb's favourite praise song

2006-07-29T21:58:00.000+01:00

Well, the lyrics of "Great Big God" as recognised by my OCR scan. It normally works so well...

Nor God is a groat big God

Bar Nod is a great big God

Nor God is a great big Nod

Hod beholds us io his haods

He’s higher thas a skyscraper

He’s deeper thae a sabrrarire

He’s wider thas the aoieerse

Nod beyond my wildest dreams

He’s keowe we aed he’s looed me

Giece betore the world begao

How woodertal to be a part ot

God’s amazing plao

For anyone who's interested...

2006-07-20T19:01:00.000+01:00

...we're now pretty much up-to-date on Flickr. Still a bit rough round the edges organisationally, and I haven't really weeded out any red-eye or blurry knee/ceiling/thumb pics, but it's a fair representation I guess!

Because Mark will be tickled by the cause and cure...

2006-07-11T16:51:00.000+01:00

Doctor Unheimlich has diagnosed me with Heidi's Syndrome
Cause:	early mornings
Symptoms:	extreme invisibility, glowing in the dark, hairy legs
Cure:	sleep
Enter your name, for your own diagnosis:

I still have 2 teams to support

2006-07-03T20:45:00.000+01:00

I loved reading this article, and feel a bit better as I can lend my support to both France (through blood) and Germany (through language), though if they're both in the final I'll have to plump for France. The pupils always ask me whether I support England, France or Germany, and my answer will remain the same for some years, I am sure (well, as long as penalty shoot-outs decide the World Cup): "I'll support England until they crash out, then I'll switch to a good team."

Hooray, a 2:1 for Anni!

2006-06-29T15:51:00.000+01:00

I don't think she reads our blog so there's no point congratulating her here, but I'm very proud, so I'm going to boast that my sister has got her degree anyway! With 2 surprise pregnancies, and settling to live in another country, it could have looked as if she wouldn't return her final year, but after months of weekend plane journeys (due to her husband and kids temporarily living in 2 different countries!) and a lot of hard work- she's done it. Wowser, Anni, you're insane but brilliant!

Given myself a challenge

2006-06-27T23:21:00.000+01:00

I have decided that I need to re-get my French up to scratch (as I'm teaching mostly German these days, and certainly no French above Year 9 level), and to practise, I have begun my third, yes, third blog (stupid man). It's at http://lexperiment.over-blog.com/, and will be not much more than a diary in French, but if you understand said tongue, why not take a look and comment in whatever language you prefer? And if you don't, but you know online French speakers ('internautes' as they are sometimes referred to in French), please put them in touch with my site so I can get some interaction going.

Merci!

Grrr, flippin' Flickr!

2006-06-26T19:10:00.000+01:00

I decided today that, since Mark was woefully behind with uploading our photos to Flickr, I'd have a go at figuring out how to do it. By golly, it's so blinking easy I don't know how I failed to do it sooner. Of course, because we're just subscribed to the free account I didn't make much progress - I only got up to August last year - so, bizarrely, our 'most recent photos' are all almost a year old! Annoyingly, though, all the photos that Mark had previously uploaded have now disappeared, and even the first few I uploaded today aren't even in the archives. Any ideas why.....?

World vision advert banned! Can you believe it?

2006-06-20T12:32:00.000+01:00

I was horrified to discover how innocuos the advert was, and the reason why it was 'disallowed', so I've copied this from the World Vision website (I hope that's legal, if you all go on their site and watch the advert, maybe they'll forgive me!)

World Vision ad banned

It costs £49 million to sponsor the England football team and only 60p a day to sponsor a child in the developing world - this is the message of a tv ad, deemed "an unfair attack on football" by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre, the body responsible for approving television adverts.

The advert follows Masidi in Malawi as he makes a football from maize, plastic bags and string.

Also, check out this really easy and not at all expensive way to fundraise for WV.

Chasing Butterflies

2006-06-20T12:24:00.000+01:00

Check out this blog/fundraiser. It's personal, and worth supporting! Hope it goes well Colleen xxx

Doctor Who wusses out

2006-06-11T19:35:00.000+01:00

When I discovered they were planning an episode focussed on the devil in this season's run, I was curious to know what would happen. Well, sadly disappointed but not surprised was the final verdict after Saturday's episode of Doctor Who. If you haven't yet watched it and plan to, read no further, as I will spoil the plot.

So we had what appeared to be the devil threatening the existence of the universe by trying to break out of the prison it had been put into eons earlier, and the Doctor coming face to face with the possibility that spiritual beliefs/superstitions might actually exist in reality. Unable to rationalize this as a scientist (which, by the way, he hasn't really been all that much since the new series re-started last year), he uses logic and faith in humans (specifically, Rose) to defeat the monster, and together they sort everything out and help most of the rest of the cast live happily ever after. And in the final shots, in the TARDIS, we discover that the Doctor's inability to accept what he can't explain leads him to simply put it out of his mind. This is beyond me, and anyway human life is better, so it doesn't matter/can't even possibly be worth considering. Humanism proudly displayed for all those 8-year-olds with no spiritual input to speak of to lap up without realising that's what it is.

I guess it's easy to see the Devil as something to be defeated, but what if the Doctor were to discover God, with all the great qualities of humans magnified to the nth degree, and more on top? What would he make of that? The other thing that this series is showing again and again, though, is that Tennant's Doctor clearly considers himself the end of the line when it comes to moral questions and what to do about evil: he basically thinks he is God, and so if he has found the Devil on an asteroid (which, of course, it can't actually be, because only God can ultimately defeat Satan), then this challenges his position as the all-powerful Doctor, cos surely God exists somewhere if Satan does.

Like I say, I wasn't surprised that this was the conclusion come to by producer Russell T Davies and his writers, as it is so totally symptomatic of the times we live in and the attitudes his work has displayed in the past (The Second Coming, mini-series with Chris Eccleston a few years ago). I was saddened though that the existence of God was never even suggested or considered - none of the crew members even prayed, which under stress like they were, wouldn't have been weird.

This isn't really new for Doctor Who, but has never been so explicit before: past stories with Devil figures always turned out to have some sci-fi explanation (The Daemons is a good example). Also, no previous doctor has been quite as arrogant as David Tennant's - I'd like to see them go somewhere with that, and there be a come-uppance of some kind. I'd love him to discover that his faith in humans is misplaced, and particularly his faith in Rose - that would be fantastic. What am I saying - that I want one of my childhood heroes to fail and fail abysmally??!! Yes, I think so - but it sounds shockingly like realistic sci-fi...

Very frustrating...

2006-06-02T20:05:00.000+01:00

...having half term and being the only well person in the house. Out went our plans to sit down and go through transferring approx. 3 years worth of home video onto DVD, and in came several nights of very little sleep and me feeling like I should be working while I have the chance but not wanting to at all. And I'm there again now, blogging while I know my briefcase is not getting any lighter.

A generally flat week has followed a rather miserable weekend, with the highlight being dinner & evening with Dad, Lorraine, Clarkes, Evanses and Esther & Ben on Tuesday (see Sarah's blog for evidence). We did watch Peter Jackson's King Kong, to not a massive amount of excitement. Bought Rob Lacey's The Word on the Street this week (formerly called The Street Bible), and am very much enjoying digging into it - it's a version of the Bible (though Lacey stresses that it is not the real thing, but a pointer towards it) told in more or less today's language (but more effectively than The Message, in my opinion), with religious jargon replaced with something that your average Jo(e) might understand. Also good for those who've been reading the real thing for years and need a bit of adrenaline injected into their Bible reading. Prophets are called couriers, Paul's letters are in the form of emails, that kind of thing - it might sound silly, but it works.

Spent some time with 2 bathroom companies over the past 2 days too, as we're looking to completely re-vamp ours. White, white, white, clean and white...

Does it look at all like me?

2006-05-20T22:40:00.000+01:00

Hmm, it's meant to be a mini Heidi, but for some reason I'm posting as Mark!

Elodie's Birthday

2006-05-16T20:46:00.000+01:00

Well, it's been a bit more low-key than last Sunday when Caleb had his celebrations, but Elodie seems to have enjoyed herself today, and wasn't too obsessed with the wrapping paper to make us wonder why we had bothered! It was a bit tricky convincing her brother that, in fact, she should play with her presents before he did, but he got there eventually, and was keen on giving her his present too. And Elodie very much enjoyed her birthday tea with cousins Joy and Elias - as evidenced by the mess left after her no.1 cake was sampled...

So thanks to everyone for the gifts they either sent or got to us some other way. Of course, there are some who gave wonderful gifts with "tunes" to Elodie that will be the bane of OUR lives until the batteries run down. And don't get replaced...

Anyway, here's a few pics:

Thanks Sarah...

2006-05-15T20:27:00.000+01:00

...a few more minutes wasted. Still, a fairly accurate result I guess!

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Party preparation pics

2006-05-12T13:02:00.000+01:00

I thought people might like to see the work that Caleb put into his own party!

Making Dinosaur footprints - Baking Dino cookies - Approving the cake

Caleb's birthday

2006-05-08T11:32:00.000+01:00

What a completely exhausting day! He was out in the garden, in his pyjamas and coat, playing with his present before 8 am - we had to drag him back in for breakfast (chocolate chip muffins) which we ate whilst listening to this Great Big God cd (his present 'from' Elodie) which they both LOVED, and had a good old boogie to in their chairs.

The surprise hit present of the day was an England t-shirt and cap from a lady in our church- he insisted on putting them on straight away, so no hassle getting him dressed for a change. Of course, we're not a footie family, and we're a bit French/Belgian and Welsh as well as English, so we don't make a huge deal about football Tournaments and things- he just likes them coz they're bright red, I think!

We somehow managed to have a fairly relaxed morning until the party, which went without a hitch, and Caleb seemed to enjoy himself - which is the important thing. Most important of all, he finally got his hands on the cake which had been torturing him since Saturday lunch-time! I think on future birthdays we might not combine family visits and kids parties, though. Although it was quite chill, we just thought that there were too many people around- more specifically, too many grown-ups(!)

By some miracle we managed to get everybody out of the house and things back to something like normal in time to make it out for church in the afternoon. Thankfully it was one of our Family Fun afternoons, so there was no pressure to 'be spiritual' or for the kids to be quiet, coz I think that would have been a stretch. It was a nice afternoon, even though Caleb freaked out a bit when everybody sang Happy Birthday- strange boy!

All in all I think the day was a success in that Caleb enjoyed himself and was fussed over enough to feel special, and I was very impressed by how calm and grown-up he was all day. I got a bit sentimental in the morning when, as I watched him digging in the sand, the sun burst through the clouds at just about the time he was born, and shone on my big three-year-old-boy.

Since I was nominated...

2006-05-04T11:23:00.000+01:00

I Am- A child of God; a child of my parents; a sister; a wife; a mother; an auntie; a lousy cook; a good singer; 'pale & interesting'; loved; less organised than I would like; embarassed by my whole grunge phase; constantly amazed by my kids; frazzled; a perfectionist; interested in Egyptology, UFOlogy, movies, reading, and the big wide world... and I'm a whole lot of other things too

I want- to experience the richness of life and of God's creation, with my family, as fully as possible

I wish - is a dangerous thing to say!

I miss - spontaneity, sleep, cinemas, grown-up conversations, (and being a size 8/10!)

I hear - noise a lot earlier in the morning than I would like

I wonder - what the baby I miscarried is like

I regret - not learning to drive when I was 17

I am not- ever going to go to a Disney theme park

I dance - actually, never- I'm completely graceless

I sing - at every opportunity, and very LOUDLY

I cry - a stupid amount more than is normal, and a surprising amount for such a cynic!

I am not always - 'all there'

I make - a big fuss about getting up. EVERY morning.

I write - veeerrry slooooowlllly, partly coz I overthink everything, but I write like me and no-one else

I need - some peace of mind!

I should - clean the house and think about dinner, instead of blogging

I finish - everything a lot later than I anticipate I will (this for instance!)

Holy toast Batman!

2006-05-02T21:39:00.000+01:00

I was more amused than was probably neccessary to discover this today (read the little blurb and you won't be able to help yourself having a giggle.) A couple of people we know can expect these for Christmas!

Inspired by Praynlady

2006-04-27T11:28:00.000+01:00

Your baby's theme song is The Itsy Bitsy Spider

What's Your Baby's Theme Song?

Brought to you by Tickle

Bango...

2006-04-19T19:46:00.000+01:00

...is the only fish name we can agree on. I have given up caring, to be honest, Heidi thinks the other should be called Thingy (because when Caleb calls something Bango, that's what he means), and Caleb, as far as we know, still likes Dimetrodon. But that's silly. Which of course Bango and Thingy would not be. Bango is the black and gold one, apparently...

Sark

2006-04-17T18:23:00.000+01:00

Thought this might make the Alias fans among you giggle.

Veggie Rocks

2006-04-16T22:14:00.000+01:00

Just wanted to recommend this CD to readers (especially christian ones with kids); we've had it for some time and it was a while before I discovered all its joys, but I now love listening to almost the whole album. Christian rock & pop bands perform versions of songs from VeggieTales videos. That's the simple concept, and the results are brilliant for the most part. Leaving aside Rebecca St James opening Veggie Theme (I've never rated her highly) and Audio Adrenaline's somewhat dirgy take on The Hairbrush Song (surprising - we love them normally), most of these are fantastic updates of veggie faves, both silly and spiritual. I was always sceptical about Superchic[k] before listening to this, but it totally turned me onto them and we have both enjoyed listening to lots of their back catalogue as a result. Their version of The Water Buffalo Song includes the bizarre exchange "Look, there's one!" "Nope, that's a dog", which more or less has me in stitches every time. Paul Colman's spin on Madam Blueberry's "I'm So Blue" is better than the whole of the video from which it springs, and Relient K's "Pirates..." is also great fun. Oh, and of course, Caleb and Elodie just LOVE rockin' out to the whole thing, so it must be good!

Easter Competition

2006-04-16T19:46:00.000+01:00

Having a mostly pleasant Easter weekend, with trips to the zoo, the garden centre and church for breakfast already undertaken. Elodie enjoyed her first Easter chocolate today, and made considerably less mess than her brother did two years ago.

Caleb's spots are fading and his mood is improving; the prospect of going back to school and dealing with various issues that have been unknowingly hanging over me is not a pleasant one right now. But I will try to enjoy tomorrow anyway. Doctor Who last night was good fun in my opinion, if a strange one to put at the start of the new series: a body swap story in the first episode? Odd choice, but i did think that Billie Piper pulled it off fantastically. David Tennant is brilliant so far, and hints of a dark side are coming through already. "I am the highest moral authority in the universe" is just screaming for a come-uppance, which is something the Doctor rarely experiences. Should be good. And I just love the fact that Heidi enjoys watching with me. It was such a possibility that she might not be engaged by it last year, but she loved it (despite concerns about it's suitability for young viewers).

Anyway, to the competition. We added two new fishy members to our family yesterday, and they don't have names yet. The photos aren't uploading I'm afraid, but please suggest names, as Caleb's only intelligible suggestion so far is 'Dimetrodon', which is a little too jurassic for our likin. One is black and orange and the other silvery-white and orange. I'm good at descriptions, aren't I?

Isaiah 42:3 says...

2006-04-14T10:10:00.000+01:00

He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt

and he won't disregard the small and insignificant,

but he'll steadily and firmly set things right.

There have been times in my life when this has been my hope and strength, all I've had left of my faith to cling to. I know that God says "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:8-9) but honestly- and I know I'm not alone in this- sometimes it really doesn't feel that way!

So I'm posting this for Coleen, who is a great inspiration to me, and who is struggling to see God's grace at the moment. The NIV version of Isaiah 42 says 'A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out.' Sometimes (often in my case!) we feel we are about to 'fizzle out' or snap completely, but there is always a point where God says 'this far and no further.' I won't say that it's God's will to have you running a marathon next week but I do know with certainty that he is holding you, and he WON'T let you fall.

The title track from this album makes me cry pretty much every time I hear it, but I'm trying to make it my prayer. Take a listen (it's track 6), and I think anyone who's been there will recognise something authentic there. (Full lyrics here)

Though it won't be today, Someday i'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

Love to you Coleen- and to others who aren't as forthright about their struggles, but who are hurting too.

Been a while...

2006-04-11T04:41:00.000+01:00

Okay, well, I hadn't intended to blog when I sat down this morning, but I realised it's been forever (well, February) since I last did, so here's a quick update. Work has been very busy indeed, with a departmental review, mock orals and various other things to contend with. But since it is now the holidays, I shan't dwell on unpleasantness. Nice for me (a lot less nice for Heidi) was the week I spent in Germany (came back last Tuesday) with 14 brilliant students on an exchange trip, the third I have led since being at Carterton. It's always fun, and almost a holiday when we go over there. I make up for it when the Germans come back in June, running myself ragged organising trips to London, Oxford etc. And as I say, I am eternally grateful to my wife, who has had two demanding (and ill) children to look after while I was away, and who I know will sacrifice time and energy when the Germans return; last year was astonishing - three weeks after Elodie was born was when they were coming, and not a single one of my colleagues volunteered to put up one of the German staff, so we had both of them to stay. It was of course pleasant, but very draining for someone who'd given birth for the second time only weeks previously!

Anyway, since returning from Germany I have enjoyed playing with the kids and doing a multitude of DIY jobs to try to bless my wife. But just for added interest value for these holidays, Caleb has chicken pox. We're just grateful it WAS in the holidays, frankly.

Happy Birthday

2006-04-03T12:00:00.000+01:00

My Mum emailed me this link where you can watch the video for a song called Happy Birthday by Flipsyde. My mind was blown by this genuine track about a guy's regret at allowing his child to be aborted- and these are not some militant Christian Rap band either but just a bunch of guys who speak their mind (in fact, I'm pretty sure they say plenty that I don't agree with too, judging by the EXPLICIT rating on their album!)
Despite being a mainstream rap band who've supported the likes of the Black Eyed Peas and Snoop Dog it's actually quite hard to find the video or MP3 for this track- which is why I've linked to a German site - I guess the frankness of his feelings are just a bit 'controversial' for those record execs who want to shift their albums! Anyway, it's worth a look I reckon.

I have a daughter in heaven

2006-03-10T18:38:00.000Z

The sound of her laugh is not familiar to me. I don't know the colour of her eyes. She has never called me Mummy. I have never held her hand. I never got to welcome her into this world, or hold her to me, but she was just as much a gift to me as her older brother, and baby sister. Something about her was too precious for this world, and though it still hurts sometimes that I never got to know her in this life, I know that she has been spared so much, that nothing about her can ever be tainted, broken or stolen. I know that my grief is essentially selfish, because she is whole and happy, and that she has someone to rejoice over her. I know that she is not lost to me, but that I will see her, and even get to spend eternity with her at my side! Having Grace as 'mine' for a few precious weeks has taught me so much about myself, about God, about family, and even a little about the miraculous and glorious place that heaven is. Gosh, she is blessed to have been spared this earth, to go straight to glory!

Caleb's lesson for Sunday was...

2006-02-27T14:20:00.000Z

...Mummy will NOT be impressed to wake up and find you smearing poo over yourself and the sofa she is napping on!

The Serenity Prayer

2006-02-18T12:52:00.000Z

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Lots of you probably know the beginning of this, but you may not have see it in it's entirety, which I think is a shame. I was saying to a friend that I intended to type it up and present it all nicely to put up somewhere in the house for those times when I need a bit of perspective, and bless her heart she went and hand-painted it onto canvas for me as a surprise. That really touched me, so I thought I'd just share it.

New Year celebrations etc.

2006-02-15T12:48:00.000Z

This muddles things up a bit, coz Mark's posted about Valentines day already, but skipping back a bit I ought to mention our weekend (especially for those who wonder why we weren't at church on Sunday- as if anybody noticed!) Our very special friends Dave and Rhiannon, Sam, and the newly-added Oscar came for the weekend so that we could 'do' New Year. We had a lovely time just doing those holiday things that we all missed out on through everybody being ill. By 'those holiday things' I just mean eating and drinking A LOT and sitting around chatting and laughing together. It really felt like a holiday, and despite almost no sleep for anybody due to 2 babies and an excitable toddler, we all had a lovely time. Tiring as it always is when they visit (even without all the bed-hopping for those under 3s, we always stay up stupidly late) it does make me long for those days when they just lived upstairs. I miss them!
Mark scored loads of points with me for generally keeping on top of tidying and meal-preparation while they were here (and letting me lie-in on Sunday), then on Monday he emptied our garage into the car and went to the tip- so with that AND taking me to Ikea yesterday he had one happy Valentine!

St Valentin

2006-02-15T05:52:00.000Z

We seem to post things on here in fits and starts. Just had a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday, with a 12-days-of-christmas style lead up to it where each morning since the 1st Feb I have found a chocolatey treat hidden somewhere in the house when I got up. Then yesterday was treated to chocolatey soaps & stuff, chocolate-filled crepes and Bucks Fizz for breakfast, a trip to IKEA for a few bits & pieces and then steak and chips for dinner, followed by Charlie & The Chocolate Factory on DVD (see review shortly on The Greatest Trick). An altogether pleasant day, and for some reason the kids behaved beautifully, which just made things even better. Love is a marvellous thing...

My new passion

2006-02-15T05:37:00.000Z

Having got myself an iPod just before Christmas (to help keep me sane on those long, teenager-infested school trips I keep organising), I tentatively began exploring podcasts in iTunes, and have found the best one ever: Coverville. Host Brian Ibbott plays cover versions of songs, and that's about it, and it's brilliant. He's not the most professional-sounding DJ at first listen, but his style is warm and homely and every now and again his wife pops in to do a quiz with him. And the music he plays you will not hear anywhere else in the world. Check out the Teenage Dirtbag cover in show 177 for a great example of this. There was a Groundhog Day episode a couple of weeks ago which also comes highly recommended, with a brilliant selection of Britney Spears covers (particularly liked the Nickel Creek version of Toxic, a song I always avoided the video for because of the visuals but listening to 3 totally different versions makes you realise what a good song it actually is). I won't give away the gag, just in case anyone wants to listen to it, but try and do so without reading any comments on the website first. Check it out.

Our holiday plans

2006-02-04T20:17:00.000Z

My French has taken a nose-dive, and we haven't had a holiday for years, so we've been investigating villas in Nice. Found this gorgeous one and have made enquiries for August (sadly of course we HAVE to fit in with school holidays). Hopefully it will be a great time, especially as Nikki & Robin & the kids are planning to be with us! Fantastique!

Things I have intended to blog about

2006-02-02T20:11:00.000Z

1. Christmas- was a lovely 2 days, followed by a couple of weeks of extreme illness- glad the kids timed it right!

2. I don't recommend that people who need to re-mortgage do it with their existing lender. We have. It was stupidly complicated. Don't go there.

3. I managed to not only not kill an orchid but I got it to re-flower, quite proud of myself actually!
Photographic evidence

4. A surprise jaunt to check out the new Ikea at Milton keynes, I was thrilled to find the right sideboard in stock, unfortunately we underestimated the amount of woodstain we'd need so it's not completed yet. Silver lining: another trip to Ikea in the near future?!

5. Getting the Singin' in the Rain DVD for Christmas (thankyou, thankyou, thankyou Nikki and Robin!) and slowly working my way through the extras on these gloomy winter evenings. Also, discovering that Caleb loves it!

6. Caleb's current tendency to define things as things he 'loves' or 'doesn't love' (Classic example: 'I love dis game....OW! I don't love dis game!)

7. A family trip to see real dinosaur bones, there's not much in the world as exciting as that as far as Caleb is concerned.

8. Caleb's first chocolate fondue- a little messy, LOTS of fun!

9. Elodie becoming more gorgeous by the day, and getting bigger all the time!

My big boy...

2006-02-02T19:24:00.000Z

...started pre-school this week! He's taking it in his stride, unsurprisingly playing with dinosaurs and singing songs comes quite naturally to him, and when I picked him up from his second afternoon his reply to 'what did you do today?' was a very teenage-sounding 'I don't know' -it starts early doesn't it!
The idea that I might use the time to get to know Elodie isn't going to work as the sessions fall at her naptime, but honestly I'm not complaining if this means I'm going to get some things done around the house- or even if it only means I get to watch Neighbours in peace! I think I'll often end up using it as a bit of breathing space to just stop and do nothing, actually. I'm grateful for the 'time off'- Caleb has a strong personality and the weeks can get pretty exhuasting when it's all-day, everyday. Things in this house have just been a permanant whirlwind these last couple of years, not just because we've become 'a family' but because that's coincided with increased responsibility at work for Mark, and with Church for both of us. I think at least one of us in this house needs a little of their sanity restored, and this might be how we do it- offloading our kids!

Under the weather

2006-01-23T13:12:00.000Z

Feeling a bit glum. After months of deliberation and indecision, it was finally going to be Caleb's first day at pre-school today, but he (along with the rest of us) has a cold and a cough so he'll have to wait another week! He's doing alright, he's just not well enough for a big day like that. Things are, on the whole, more manageable than they have been for some time, but 2 afternoons at pre-school is part of my strategy to get him good and tired, and get his sleeping back to normal- and I'm ready for that to happen as soon as it can! We gratefully took Wendy's advice to pop a stairgate on Caleb's bedroom door- we've even managed to borrow one that he can't open for now- and things are slowly improving. It's nice to feel I have my (snotty) boy back after enduring months of the tired and screamy little monster that took his place for a while...

Elodie Hits the Sales

2006-01-16T13:20:00.000Z

Well look at her- the poor girl clearly has nothing to wear!

Those of you with Kiddleywinks...

2006-01-09T19:06:00.000Z

...might be interested in the Early Learning Centre Book Amnesty between 5th - 31st January:

Take up to 5 used childrens books to any Early Learning Centre store, they will give them to (local) children who need them, and you get to buy up to 5 new books for 1/2 price!

Saw Mim's Hit Song generator and found this for me!

2006-01-04T20:42:00.000Z

You Should Learn Japanese

You're cutting edge, and you are ready to delve into wacky Japanese culture.
From Engrish to eating contests, you're born to be a crazy gaijin. Saiko!

What Language Should You Learn?

WARNING! The following is a big moan!

2006-01-01T11:17:00.000Z

The other day I had a bit of a rant at Mark about how people of our parents' generation roll their eyes every time you complain about any pregnancy niggle or how tired you are or anything about how tough it is to raise children. They say things like 'it's as if she's the first person in the world to have a baby' or 'I had to do it with six of you' / 'and I did it without a husband there' etc. But any time you ask for advice, encouragement or support they say things like 'it doesn't last forever' or 'you need to take it one day at a time' or my pet hate 'hang in there' so it can feel a bit like you are the first person in the world to have a baby, it's not as if there's someone there to tell you how to do it, and everyone who has done it is resting on their laurels because the slog is finally over for them. I think it might be a little bit to do with a fear that giving advice can seem pushy or overbearing or presumptious. I've found since having Caleb that the best thing to do with advice is lap every last bit up, then dump what you don't need, and hold on to the gems that come your way. I've borrowed SO many books and watched The House of Tiny Tearaways etc. and we're already doing it all! So here I say PLEASE GIVE ME ADVICE! I don't mind if you suggest the blindingly obvious, I don't care if you've never even touched a baby in your life, but doesn't it take a whole village to raise a child or something?
It's clear to most people who read our blog that we haven't slept a whole lot since having Elodie, obviously, but the worst thing is that Caleb stopped sleeping through the night in July, and since he's been in his 'big bed' that means that no-one sleeps. This week they got the flu, and I'm afraid I have run out of sympathy, I'm exhausted already and I have no physical or emotional reserves to draw on for the constant back-rubbing etc. Tell me, what do you do when you just feel like you can't do it anymore? How do you stop a Thomas from screaming his lungs out every time he disagrees with you? How do you get a 2 year old to sleep through the night again? How do you make the time to give your second child any attention? What will I do when Mark goes back to work?
We celebrated New Year by repeatedly settling our coughing, screaming, children back to sleep between 7pm and 1am before crashing ourselves, I'm not sure what time Caleb came and joined us. That sums up 2005 for us. I want 2006 to be better!

*Disclaimer* I ought to stress that our parents aren't meanies when we unburden ourselves to them, but they have been guilty of the vague kind of encouragements that don't really give you anything to hold on to!

RIP Porgy and Klaus

2005-12-27T14:21:00.000Z

Oh dear, despite repeated warnings that his behaviour would kill the fish Caleb has finally managed to traumatise both of them to death. Porgy, who didn't seem at all fazed by sharing the fish tank with books, tree decorations, toys, and the occasional cat paw suddenly went belly-up on Christmas day (peace to all men, and for 1 fish...) Poor Klaus has been a sporadically wonky swimmer since we got him but he hung on until today, when I foolishly decided to change all the water and clean everything in the tank in case there was something toxic in there. He didn't even get to die in peace in his own tank, the inside of a Carte d'or tub was the last thing he saw!

I need that sideboard I've got my heart set on, then I can put the next ones out of Caleb's reach. They might at least last a month that way!

Since we're sharing...

2005-12-22T12:42:00.000Z

... I ought to also mention that Elodie finally has 2 little teeth poking through at the bottom- she's been teething for literally months with nothing to show for it, and I think they're all about to burst through in one go, I'm expecting two top ones shortly. More importantly, our little Princess has started to crawl instead of rolling everywhere. She looks oddly like a dying fish but she's getting the hang of it at least. We're thankful that she was such a 'roller' because the frustration at not being able to get those legs moving was making for a very screamy little Missy and it would have been ten times worse if she'd been completely immobile. It won't be long though before she's got lightning precision- I just don't think Caleb is prepared for this! I'm glad Christmas is coming and they're both going to have new toys to interest them- it might make for a smoother transition into the next stage if they've each got something to engage with seperatly...

I was reading Wendy's thoughts on how relaxed she is about the development of her third child. I've think about this a lot, because our kids' birthdays are only days apart which means I can draw a pretty straight line to what Caleb was doing at each particular stage- nightmarish when you're desperatly trying not to compare! His experience was typical of most first children I suppose, with both parents coaxing and encouraging every little developmental detail. Yet Elodie has for the most part done things exactly as he did- some things a bit later, some things ever so slightly sooner- despite having far less attention or enthusiasm. It certainly adds fuel to the nature-nurture debate when you have more than one child with the same genes- I can't imagine those teeth would have come through any faster if I'd read to her more! :-)

Christmas has come early!

2005-12-22T06:03:00.000Z

In the past few days, we have been blessed by so many things, not least of which: moving Elodie out of our room, and getting a dishwasher plumbed in. Never has a kitchen appliance been so well appreciated in my opinion.

Too stupid to boil an egg?

2005-12-11T13:26:00.000Z

I don't do eggs. I will only eat them in cakes or something, or at a push in an omlette if it's loaded with extras. So imagine my horror when Caleb requested an egg for lunch! Since he doesn't have them that often, and he'd come up with something he might eat (rather than smear over the house) I felt I had to oblige. However, Daddy is away for the weekend so I was going to have to take responsibility for it. Now, frying an egg is something I have learnt to do out of love for my husband, but I don't think I've ever boiled an egg in my life! Felt a bit silly, and had to keep reassuring myself that I can make risotto, roast a chicken etc. I confess, I had to ring my Mum to check I wasn't going to poison him...

New additions

2005-12-09T19:24:00.000Z

We've had an empty fish tank hanging around all week- kindly donated by Nikki- and Caleb's been desperate to fill it. Here was one of his early attempts:

Well, we couldn't leave it up to him (I didn't mind the frog, but a pile of dinosaurs,Christmas cards and plastic McDonalds toys was not my idea of appealing aesthetics) So today we welcomed Porgy (R) and Klaus (L) to the family. Don't ask the relevance of the names, Caleb came up with them (well, he came up with Porgy, then requested 'somefin German')

Hooray and Thankyou God for Mothercare!

2005-12-09T13:09:00.000Z

For making Navy socks that don't run when they find they're way into a white wash...

Mark's Seven Things

2005-12-06T19:37:00.000Z

Seven things to do before I die:
1. Drive across America
2. Write a novel
3. Visit Egypt (among many other places)
4. Continue learning Italian and spend some time in Italy
5. Get more sleep than I am now
6. Find out how some of my favourite pupils turn out when they grow up
7. Have a good spiritual effect on our town

Seven things I cannot do:
1. Multi-task
2. Complete the 'very hard' setting on my Sudoku widget. Keeps going wrong!
3. Stand the texture of porridge
4. Cartwheels
5. Lose weight in any meaningful way
6. Comb my 'hair'
7. Understand why pupils continually see 'Q' when I've written 'O'

Seven things that attract me to my spouse:
1. Her smile
2. Her ability to conduct three conversations, at once, over a period of about a week
3. The fact that she likes things to be tidy
4. The mothering skills she doesn't think she has
5. She's downright sexy
6. Her humorous cynicism
7. Her never-ending patience with me

Seven things I say most often:
1. Bonjour!
2. Guten Tag!
3. So you have no book and no pen. What did you bring to school today?
4. Well we're not going to watch Finding Nemo.
5. I love you (obviously not at school)
6. Silence s'il vous plait.
7. Ruhig bitte.

Seven Books I love:
1. Either of the 'Darkness' books by Frank Peretti, or The Visitation
2. Lord of the Rings
3. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
4. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
5. Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater
6. Dogger by Shirley Hughes
7. The CEV Bible

Seven Movies I would watch over and over again:
How the HELL do I limit this to seven?
1. Star Wars (or Empire or Jedi)
2. LOTR (FOTR or ROTK, but not 2Towers - drags more than the others)
3. Leon
4. It's a Wonderful Life
5. Aliens
6. North by Northwest
7. Signs
...and so many more!

Seven people I would like to join in too:
I don't have any friends who haven't already done it. In fact, I just don't have any friends.

Heidi's 'Seven Things' list

2005-12-05T18:44:00.000Z

*this post has been updated*

Argh! This took me ages!

Seven things to do before I die:
1. Go to Egypt
2. Go back to Corsica for a second honeymoon (for longer than four days this time!)
3. Sing in a smoke-filled nightclub, in a swanky dress
4. Find my vocation- as if motherhood wasn't enough!
5. See a revival (in Carterton?)
6. Not screw up my kids or my husband any more than is inevitable
7. Lose my baby tummy and become a hot young mama! (snigger)

Seven things I cannot do:
1. Maths (by about £35,000 apparently!)
2. Geography- even finding our car in a car park. I kid you not.
3. Say no to people, or chips
4. Give directions
5. Stop my hair and fingernails growing at a ridiculous rate, or even stop time altogether
6. A french plait
7. Survive on a small amount of sleep

Seven things that attract me to my spouse:
1. That he humours me
2. How great he is with kids, not just our own
3. His stamina and determination
4. You've got to love a French-speaker!
5. That he's big and tall and manly
6. His tenderness
7. His bottom (You asked!)

Seven things I say most often:
1. I'm going to count to three...
2. Sweeeeet
3. I need Coke/chips/chocolate
4. I'm knackered
5. If only.../I wish...
6. No way!
7. Right, so...

Seven Books I love:
1. I could probably fill this list with Frank perettis but I'll just say This Present Darkness
2. The Drowning People by Richard Mason
3. Annabel Karmel's complete baby and toddler mealplan
4. The Chronicles of Narnia
5. The NLT Bible
6. You are Special by Max Lucado
7. Trade Secrets

Seven Movies I would watch over and over again:
1. Aliens
2. The Usual Suspects
3. Hello Dolly
4. The Princess Bride
5. Terminator 2, although I already know it by heart!
6. Wait Until Dark, or anything else with Audrey in
7. Finding Nemo (and I frequently do!)

Seven people I would like to join in too:
1. Nikki
2. Robin
3. Alana
4. Colleen
5. Wendy
6. Ben
7. Marky of course- but his answers must be identical to mine, obviously! (tee hee)

Doesn't it take ages? And I didn't even get to add:

THINGS TO DO: See my kids grown up and fulfilled and best buddies with Jesus, win an Oscar(!), get Elodie to stop sucking her thumb, wear an Anni Faith original, get a degree- or at least some more A-levels, get my house cleaned to my satisfaction at least once, have a 50th wedding anniversary bash, get some more sleep

THINGS I CAN'T DO: Contemplate being pregnant ever again, dance, kick my Diet Coke habit, Psychology A-level, eat mushrooms, fish or eggs

BOOKS I LOVE: Dave Gorman's Googlewhack adventure, Anne Mckevitt's Designer know-how, Audrey Hepburn by Barry Paris, After the Fire Trilogy

THINGS I SAY: Caleb, what do you need to say to Elodie? I knew it! No/stop it/get out, I love you Caleb/Eds/Marky, I've been thinking...

MOVIES: Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Wedding Singer, Arachnaphobia, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Signs, White Christmas (always makes me cry happy tears), It's a wonderful life (ditto)

THINGS THAT ATTRACT ME TO MARK: His smile, his sense of humour, his Star Wars obsession, that he's neat, his rich relatives (tee hee)

Alana added Seven Albums I would listen to over and over again, so here are 7 of mine:
1. Tobymac- Momentum
2. Radiohead- The Bends
3. Eva Cassidy- Songbird
4. Maroon 5- Songs about Jane
5. Newsboys- Adoration: The worship album
6. Shirley Bassey- The diamond collection (how sad am I?!)
7. The Virgin Suicides soundtrack

Perhaps the most obscure 'What (such and such) are you?' game

2005-12-03T21:00:00.000Z

I'm 'Galileo! Galileo! Galileo Figaro! Magnifico!'!

Which Line from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody Are You?

We found the best game!

2005-11-24T13:25:00.000Z

I know Nikki will rock at this!
I tend to score between 4-6. Is that sad?

To the tune of 'Little Donkey'

2005-11-24T12:44:00.000Z

Little monkey, little monkey
You're a cheeky boy
Those are not yours to mess around with
Find a better toy

Stop throwing things downstairs!
(Son of mine, son of mine)
Stop knocking over chairs!
(Son of mine, son of mine)

Little monkey, little monkey
I know you want to be
a sweet angel, a little cherub
but it's not to be...

Evolution

2005-11-19T09:46:00.000Z

While fiddling on the computer instead of doing something important, I stumbled across an interesting article from the Washington Post on Evolution vs Intelligent design. I disagree with a fair bit of what both sides of the argument say in America so it's a bit contentious in places, but I loved the way it finished up:

'How ridiculous to make evolution the enemy of God. What could be more elegant, more simple, more brilliant, more economical, more creative, indeed more divine than a planet with millions of life forms, distinct and yet interactive, all ultimately derived from accumulated variations in a single double-stranded molecule, pliable and fecund enough to give us mollusks and mice, Newton and Einstein?'

I certainly think that Evolution should be taught as theory, not fact, and that there should be room for alternative explanations on the school curriculum. But I believe that evolution could be evidence of God's creative process, so I'm not getting myself tied up in knots about it!

If you want to read the whole thing it's here.

It's been a while

2005-11-19T06:02:00.000Z

Sorry to people who check our blog regularly; things have been a bit stupidly hectic around here for the past week or two, and chances to blog have been few and far-between. We have both been battling with a son who won't sleep at appropriate times (like now) and a daughter who is somewhat teething and miserable. I have also had a very busy week at work, with two parents' evenings in the same week (not that I can complain to the school - I fixed the date for one of them), one for Year 9 and one for a Christmas Markets trip I've been organising to Lille and Cologne. Should be a lot of fun.

And even though I'm knackered and fairly disillusioned with my job, God reminds me of the reasons why I do it. At Year 9 parents' evening:

Me: "So, Georgina, how are you feeling about your German at the moment?"
Georgina: "I'm loving it." (big grin)

With the prospect of teaching kids like that for another two years (as she's already decided she wants to do it for GCSE, and told me the other day that 'my teachers have decided my GCSEs for me'), how can I even think about leaving (and I have)?

Just came across this

2005-11-09T23:20:00.000Z

And it majorly tickled me. Thought it should be shared. Click here

Another big weekend

2005-11-08T13:34:00.000Z

This weekend was a pretty major one for both our families. On Friday my 'baby' sister turned 18, and on Saturday Mark's sister, Mim, got married to the quite wonderful Adam. So, much merriment, and little sleep was experienced by all!
Friday night was a fun time- we went to the wedding rehearsal before dinner at my parents, so we saw a fair whack of our families all on the one day. Very exciting for the kids, yet they were angels. Mark was on top form at dinner I must say, and special as it was to all join in the toast to Abi, hearing what each of her brothers-in-law had to add was particularly moving. Feeling very old, and a little bit like I have to grow up- or at least let Abi do so! She's very special to me, and I don't think she'll ever be too old to be indulged, or blindly defended, or given the benefit of the doubt, or teased, or hugged (or to sleep on my sofa whenever she wants to!) She will never stop making me laugh I'm certain, and I'm sure I'll never know anyone as stunningly beautiful. I love her very much, and hard as it is to face the idea that she's actually quite a grown up young woman, I'm proud of who she is, and I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for her.
Saturday was equally moving. Caleb didn't actually manage to walk up the aisle with the rest of the Wedding party, but no-one seemed to mind. He looked, and (mostly) behaved, like a cutie so he was forgiven! Most importantly, Mim and Adam clearly enjoyed their day. The service was lovely- everyone contributing hit just the right note- and it was a pleasure and a priveledge to share in it with them. Unsurprisingly, Miriam looked completely gorgeous, and beamed all day (despite not being able to breathe in that dress, according to Lorraine) I think we're all very proud to welcome Adam to the family- I can say that you see, coz I'm a joinee myself!

How lovely to see so much of our families in such a short space of time, and to celebrate such cherished moments together. We are truly blessed, and honoured, to be part of two such exceptional families.

(For some better wedding photos have a look on Sarah's flickr account.)

We've found the perfect babysitter!

2005-11-07T23:05:00.000Z

Not only did she cuddle Elodie back to sleep, she did our washing up- and put it all away! The whole house looked untouched, she hadn't even watched tv (she was doing coursework) and she refused to be paid! Of course, we insisted, but how long have I been moaning that we don't have any free babysitters?! And she's a sweetie to talk to (wants to teach English and Drama, so she stole my heart right away!) Something tells me we'll be calling on her services again...

Try this too...

2005-11-02T20:58:00.000Z

Crazy, stupid quiz which gets the right results! I really should be working!!!!

http://www.smalltime.com/dictator.html

Which sci-fi/fantasy character are you?

2005-11-02T20:47:00.000Z

I am Yoda! Result!
A venerated sage with vast power and knowledge, I gently guide forces around me while serving as a champion of the light.
"Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not - for my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life greets it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminescent beings are we, not this crude matter! You must feel the Force around you, everywhere."

Full-on weekend

2005-10-30T13:12:00.000Z

Gosh, we like to pack it all in when we can! On Friday we drove up to Nottingham to visit Dave, Rhiannon (& bump) and Sam. Due to multimap's diabolical directions it took us about an hour longer than planned to get there but everyone perked up as soon as we'd each had a giant hug from Dave. Since Sam was unwell when his Mummy and Daddy came for a visit in the summer he got to meet Elodie for the first time, and he's clearly going to be a great big brother. Their new place is lovely, and the local indian takeaway is very yummy! Sadly, we didn't manage to kick-start labour (Rhiannon was due on Thursday) but it means we'll have an excuse to go and see them again as soon as possible once the baby's born.
Yesterday Mark and I had the first of a series of leadership training days in Oxford. It was great, really encouraging and helpful, just a bit of a rush to get the kids ready and dropped off with Nana-Lorraine, and us there in the right frame of mind, for 9am! At the moment I measure these sorts of things on whether I can stay awake, and yesterday I didn't struggle to keep my eyes open at all so it must have been just what we needed. It was lovely to chill with Mark's family for a bit, and have a scrummy lunch all together. Then it was off to Mum and Dad's to beg shoes and a pashmina for Mim's wedding next week. Unfortunately, I don't have feet as dainty as my Mum's...

This afternoon, we're finally having Elodie's dedication service- can't wait to get her good and prayed over!

'My' Theology

2005-10-25T19:16:00.000+01:00

I was browsing through Sarah's archives and I came across this quiz that she'd done. Here are my results. I found some of it surprising!

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern 75%
Neo orthodox 71%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 71%
Charismatic/Pentecostal 64%
Fundamentalist 61%
Reformed Evangelical 43%
Modern Liberal 39%
Classical Liberal 29%
Roman Catholic 14%

What's your theological worldview?

Is she good?

2005-10-24T18:35:00.000+01:00

I detest this question. With Caleb it never bothered me because I could give the appropriate response, and sing his praises. Since having Elodie, I've realised that it's a remarkably unfair thing to say. When I said that I didn't believe that any baby was 'bad' my f-i-law said I had a pretty dodgy concept of original sin but I think he didn't get what I was trying to communicate.
What people really mean when they ask this question is does she feed well, is she quiet, is she happy and does she sleep through. Well, Elodie has been a lot harder to get to know/figure out than Caleb was, she's not as compliant, she's more restless and she doesn't feed (or digest!) well so far. The thing is, she cries a lot because she's often got uncomfortable innards, she doesn't sleep too well because often she doesn't feel well, she is hit, bitten and screamed at, forcibly woken (day and night) - all this and she has to compete for our attention which Caleb never had to, obviously. So if she's sicky, she doesn't sleep through and she cries a lot she's not being 'bad' she's being a baby! My daughter may not be easy to look after, but she's easy to love, and as she grows up I hope I can always communicate to her the same attitude that God has towards me: he tells me I'm righteous even though I sin. So, Elodie, you will undoubtedly choose to do the odd bad thing in your life but you will always be my 'good' girl.

Controversy!

2005-10-23T20:04:00.000+01:00

Wow, things are really getting emotional on our other blog and many of us, haven't even seen the movie being commented on! But it's a subject matter that is both universal and complex, and undeniably EMOTIONAL. Also, hard to talk about without using terms like 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life' which everyone has minutely different interpretations of, that can make for major disagreements, heartache, clumsy moralising, and 'it's not my decision to make, therefore I won't stand for anything' (or worse 'permit everything') type avoiding of a moral question. If you're not feeling emotionally vulnerable, and you're not aggressive then join in! Did I really just say that?

We love...

2005-10-22T08:31:00.000+01:00

...our new car! Thanks Steve & Sarah!

Freckles

2005-10-21T22:38:00.000+01:00

I'm not going to embarass the specific person I'm thinking of, but I know that some people who have freckles don't like them, so when I saw this post I thought there would be people who might enjoy reading it.

What a day I'm about to have...

2005-10-18T04:56:00.000+01:00

Our son is quite amazing. Suffering from a horrible cold and cough right now, just to clarify, before I moan. I went to bed at 11:15ish, slept for an hour and a half before he woke up and came in. Put him back in bed, as we always do, came back to bed. Five mins later, there he was again. Put him back again, but this time he starts kicking off about something, and it takes me the next four hours, a mattress move and more discomfort than I'd like to describe to get him back to sleep. I thought I'd better turn his alarm clock off, so he can sleep past 7:00 if he can. He slept for 40 minutes before crying and coming to find me again. AARRGGHHH!!

And guess what, after sleeping for just an hour and a half myself, I have a full day's teaching ahead of me. It had just better not be too windy, that's all I can say.

I'm a Schroeder

2005-10-11T09:14:00.000+01:00

What do you reckon?

Just to explain

2005-10-10T20:22:00.000+01:00

I wasn't a fan or anything, they just made me laugh!

I'll huff I'll puff I'll blow you away!

2005-10-10T20:17:00.000+01:00

Does anyone else remember B*Witched as these crazy, jumping & dancing Irish girls who had clearly been pumped full of sugar just prior to any performance of any of their songs? Sorry, it's totally random, but 'C'est la vie' just came up on my internet radio, and I felt I had to share my remembered amusement with the world. Takes me back to the final year at Uni. Good times.

The best weekend in ages

2005-10-09T22:54:00.000+01:00

Hi all, me here, who hasn't blogged for ages because work has been eating my life away and it seems to have just slowed down somewhat. So we had a LOVELY weekend.

On Saturday we relaxed, lazed about a bit, Heidi made some biscuits, I planned my lessons and we all went swimming late afternoon just in time for the kids to be tired for bed. Then today we went to Cote (haven't been for ages, good just to catch up and see people), and then took the kids to my parents' house so they could babysit while we went out for Heidi's birthday. Yes, it was nearly a month ago, but we had tickets for the RSC doing 'Completely Hollywood' (abridged) in Oxford. Yes, that's the Reduced Shakespeare Company, whom neither of us had seen before, and hope we can see again very soon. It was fantastic! A non-stop frenetic trip through the cliches, genres, famous lines, camera shots, special effects and language of 100+ years of movies as visualised by three highly professional comedians. Totally recommended - here are the tour details, we advise you to get to a show if you can.

Exploding python

2005-10-07T19:27:00.000+01:00

I get the latest news from the National Geographic on my homepage, and fascinating as it was to see the first-ever pictures of a live giant squid, I didn't feel the need to share it with everyone. This however you had GOT to see!

Any ideas?

2005-10-04T13:05:00.000+01:00

Help me! Caleb needs a white shirt and black trousers for his Auntie's wedding and I'm really struggling to find either in the right size. He has longer than average legs but is very slim and quite small for a 2 year old, so buying any bigger is hopeless, and 18-24 months might not be too small. I've tried Debenhams, Next, Tescos, Mothercare.com... any suggestions?

Our car has exhaust issues...

2005-10-01T19:09:00.000+01:00

...thankfully we have RAC membership (one of the best things we spend our money on!) but more importantly we have a very lovely, and willing, brother-in-law who came to our rescue for the second time this year. No hesitation, just jumped in his car, filled it with our shopping and our kids and took us home. We took a scenic route and had a nice chat. Unbelievably, the RAC arrived not long after Robin did and were able to do a temporary fix, so we ended up all getting home at about the same time in the end! God is gracious and our children were too sleepy to complain- Elodie ended up over an hour late for a feed and didn't complain at all, and Caleb was just thrilled to see Uncle Robin. Mercifully we had not bought any frozen stuff either- a real miracle!
Bizarrely, I feel quite relaxed and like we had a lovely day. Fab!