Happy 100th Post! :)

Yes, this is my hundredth post :)  God, I've been blethering about a load of rubbish for ninety-nine posts so far.  You poor readers - I do wonder why you keep reading this dross!  I don't even know who some of you are.  How on earth did you find me?  Who is that who reads in the Isle of Man?  And what about South Africa?  And lots of you from places in the UK that I've never even been?  Who are you?!  Well, glad to meet you anyway :)

Anyway, back to my entry.  I wrote this earlier today when I was in town:

'That was quite a nice weekend.  A very pleasant evening out on Saturday to celebrate the forthcoming nuptials of Noomski and Jessica.  I chatted to some lovely people :)  But the most impressive and exciting part of the evening was surely close to the beginning when Aunty Trish produced, from her enormous handbag, precious photos of her and Uncle Phil, posing white-toothed and tanned, with Donny and Marie Osmond.  Oh yes.  She regaled us with full details of her conversation with said warbling toothsome siblings, and all - all, I tell you - were emerald with envy.  Some were even on the verge of turquoise, they were that jealous.  Incredible.  Trish left soon after that, worried no doubt, about the angry, jealous mob that was forming and issuing threatening mutterings about 'getting' that spawny Osmond stalker.

Nothing so exciting for Sunday though.  But do you know what happened that was just wonderful?  I didn't get out of bed until half past one in the afternoon!  I haven't done that for years, and maaaaaaan, it felt good.  And best of all, there was no guilt attached.  I made sure the kids had a drink when they got up and then I went back to bed.  They helped themselves to brioche and apples for a nice balanced breakfast, and entertained themselves with Lego for the morning.  I slept off the booze, until Kev had the splendid idea of calling the kids up to come and watch a film in our room.  This is something we never do.  We always have this crazy idea that we have to do something that involve fresh air and exercise, so we drag them out for a walk somewhere.  We do always enjoy a walk, rain or shine, of course.  But oh, to be lazy :)  Divine.  To the boys it was the perfect day - their favourite thing to do is to have a lazy day with whichever particular toys they're obsessed with at the time.

After the film though, we all did feel a little starved of fresh air.  And Kev thought a walk would work wonders for our hangovers, so we decided, at three o'clock in the afternoon, to go for a game of golf.  Yes, that's what I said.  Golf.  Proper golf mind, not pitch and putt.  So it was off to Forrest Hills, after taking three quarters of an hour to get everyone dressed, for a quick ten holes.  Indeed.  We actually only played five, as we had some very tired sons by half past five.  Three hundred yards times five is a long way for a three year old to walk when his babysitters have let him stay up until ten the night before.  And actually, Matthew zigzagged up the fairways, so he probably walked four times as far as the rest of us.  Thomas and James were great with their little clubs, by the way - both can hit a ball further than I can (but that really isn't saying much!)  James has little tantrums when he hit the turf, but was asking when we could come again nonetheless.
Definitely had to be Chinese food after such a hectic and strenuous day.
Definitely had to be Chinese food, because the Indian was waaaaaaay too expensive!  Has anyone been to the new place at the bottom our road - wow!  Pricey!

Back to work today :)  Invigorated after tremendous lazy weekend.  Cases to pack, and speech ... er, still to write.  (I've got some ideas for that now - I'm writing it tonight.)'

That is what I wrote this morning, as I said.  I have also written half of my speech, and I hope to finish it tomorrow, leaving myself a good bit of time to learn it :)  It'll be nice.  Hopefully.

Friends Friday - I wrote this on paper yesterday!

I have been learning over the past couple of years that relaxation time can be just as productive as hours spent with head down at a desk forcing oneself to work on that masterpiece of literature.  Time with friends is time well spent, now I know.  It used to be that I would feel guilty being with my pals, drinking huge quantities of tea and devouring mucho packets of biscuits.  But there is truly something restorative about going round to someone's house for a natter.  And even if you don't really need to make use of their healing powers, just putting the world to rights for a bit, at the very least, makes you think about things from a different perspective for a while.  That can be invigorating, if you allow it to be.

Even better if you have friends like mine, who bitch not at all (unless absolutely necessary!) and offer encouragement and praise, for every tiny achievement, by the skipload.  Never do I feel so puffed up and full of myself as when I've spent some time with Sara, Sarah and Sarah-jane (in no particular order - I love you all dearly).  Tremendous friends, and I really couldn't wish for better ones.

This is so not like me.  There was a time not so long ago, when I would tire of people very quickly - that's not a poor reflection on my friends, but rather a negative quality in myself.  A lack of patience and tolerance, which I haven't had to learn to control because it's just disappeared, thank goodness.  And now I can see that there was never anything that I needed to be patient about or find tolerance for.  I have just been a cranky old hermit for most of my life!  No more of that - I've left my cave, and don't intend to go back in it for a while.

And of course, the huge advantage of chatting to lovely people is that when you do have your time to yourself you're very eager to use it wisely.  Well, I am anyway.  I am now able to make use of the odd half hour here and there - a blog  entry can be written in half an hour (a hub can't, a hub takes a good couple of hours of thinking).

Macmillan coffee morning this morning (after a brew at Sara's!), then coffee (and Waterstone's - my poor overdraft!) in town, with Sara, and then tea at Sarah's with Sarah-jane too.  What a lazy and lovely day.  Please understand that I do not spend all, or indeed many, of my days like this (Rev. Roy - I do not, honest, I am not completely lazy, like what you fink I am!).  I am just blogging about it because it's been such a happy day.  And there are more happy days to come - me and Sara made plans today; here come the girls, oh yes.

Sara is actually a terrible friend though, truly.  She practically cudgelled me over the head and dragged me into Waterstone's - I didn't want to go; I only have a Waterstone's loyalty card because I was forced to have one.  And Sara, wicked woman, made me buy two books.  She made me.  But at least I did buy mind-broadening books - one, a beginner's guide to humanism, and the other, Derren Brown's book about the psychology of magic and the supernatural.  Good, good.  Books to read in snatched spare minutes.  I would imagine that I will struggle to understand much more than the words 'and' and 'the' in both of these books, but still, I try.  I'm sure there's a genius locked inside me somewhere - I can feel it fighting to get out, but it's been locked away one of the basement rooms of my mind.  I distinctly heard it once, when I heard the word Brobdingnagian and my genius knew what it meant.

Ugh, whatever.  Wittering again.  :)

This is what's happening round our way :)

Linda is feeling rather tearful quite a lot because she misses James so much.  She doesn't want to moan about it because she knows she's been lucky to be able to stay at home with the little fella these past four years, but it's all gone far too quickly and it feels like he's all but left home already.  Of course, Matthew's still at home for another two years, and that helps.  Linda's throwing herself into playing Lego and Happyland and alsorts of things with the titchy kid, and both she and he are having tremendous fun.  But Linda still can't help but be teary after James has gone to school in the mornings.  She thinks she's finding it harder with James than she did with Thomas, though she's not sure why.  She'll get over it though.  She's looking forward to two things: 1) James bringing home some homework so that she will be forced to make some time to sit with him before tea; 2) the half term holiday, when she can have all three of her precious babbaloos around her for a whole week :)

Kev is feeling a bit down because he's had to go back to work after such a lovely holiday and Noomski-stag-do.  Linda knows how lucky she is that she wasn't the one who had to go back to work.  Poor Kev.  Wouldn't it be better if money, as a whole concept, didn't exist, and if we could just share everything freely and fairly and everyone could have enough food and water, clothing and shelter, and we could just spend all our time growing food, pursuing happiness and learning and achieving great things.  Utopia.  Linda's utopia anyway - not everyone's, certainly!  (Who thinks that the word 'utopia' should actually be spelled 'eutopia'?  Not for any intelligent or credible reason - just because it looks nicer.  I do.)

Thomas is reading a chapter of his school library book to Linda every day, and improvements are very noticeable daily.  By the half term holidays, Linda is certain that Thomas will be just whizzing through his school books.  She has inspired him to read by showing him her copies of 'Harry Potter ...' and the Narnia Chronicles.  (She will allow him to read them, she's not just taunting him with her closed copies, only in readiness to whip them away from his hungry eyes once he reaches the required reading speed.)
Unfortunately there aren't enough hours in the day to work on his reading and his maths, so maths has to wait until the weekend.  Linda wonders how she will manage to find time to help three with homework. And go out to work.  Linda knows that working mums are incredible if they manage to find time for their kiddies!

James has breezed into school, with not a single tear, and has made LOTS of friends already.  Who knew that settling into the big world of school could be so easy.  Fantastic!  Heartbreakiness aside, Linda is incredibly proud.  She is looking forward to the Macmillan coffee morning tomorrow, when she will get to see James (and Thomas) at school.

And finally, Matthew.  Linda is working on the little monkey's naughtiness.  He really doesn't give a sod what anyone thinks of him, he will just try his damnedest to do whatever he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it.  Very naughty boy!  But since James went to school Linda has been spending better time with her tiniest son, and has seen improvements already.  She is very confident that she will be able to sort out this wee devil's behaviour before he goes to school in two years - and if she doesn't, well, never mind, he's so bloody cute that no-one will mind!

Linda now has to get ready for Barbados - oh dear, what a terrible shame for her that she is being forced to go to the Caribbean.  She doesn't know what she's done to deserve such a punishment.

:)

Oh God!  She still hasn't written her speech - must get that done!

Babies!

There are some babies around at the moment. It's a time I've come to dread, as I know I'll get broody and I know I'll want to have a couple more of my own! But I'm not having any more. Nope. That's it. My three perfect boys are all I need, and I am more than happy with them - they're more wonderful and beautiful than I would ever have imagined if I'd ever imagined what my babies would be like. To have any more would be just greedy and selfish. Although it would be great :) And the boys would love to have another little sibling, a girl or a boy, they wouldn't mind which. Four boys would be so cool, even more fun. But girls are lovely too.

Oh my goodness, look at that - I started to talk myself into having another baby. Ridiculous woman! I should be ashamed of myself!

Well, I am going to visit my friend Catherine, and her husband Phil, and their brand new baby, Poppy Beatrice at the weekend. It's very strange seeing your friends become parents. It's sad for me, because I was one of the first of my group of friends to have my babies, and I'd had three before most had had one, so they're still at the beginning of all the baby stuff, and I'm at the end already. Matthew really isn't a baby anymore, and I'm getting empty-nest syndrome already! Of course, that's completely stupid, because none of the boys are leaving or going anywhere away from me for many more years, lol. I still see plenty of Thomas - see him for several hours every day, get plenty of time to chat with him, to do homework with him, to have fun with him. And it will be the same when James is at school full time next week, and it will be the same when Matthew starts school in two years' time. Just won't have anyone at home with me every day anymore - that's the horrible bit. This is all going to be over soon - this way of life that I've got so used to over the past seven years. But I know how lucky I am to have been able to have these years at home - I won't be wallowing in misery about it all, don't worry. I know that would be very dull to read about. And I'll be fine anyway - I'll be busy, with getting on with my own stuff, whether that will be writing or midwifing (or both) or whatever.

But Noomski and Jessica might have a baby next year - that'll be great :) I'll get to spend lots of time with that little niece or nephew, and will be able to spoil it because it won't be mine, ha ha!

I have to go to sleep now. It's only 10pm, but I seem to be a little bit elderly at the moment, and am needing about 27 hours sleep each day. Hmm. Annoying.

Ugh, sorry for another negative post. I'm actually not feeling negative today, I'm actually feeling very positive and motivated and all that - writing's still going well. Homework with Thomas has been fantastic - he read seven pages of his first reading book from Year 3 tonight, and he learnt his 10-times-table. All is very good :) Very happy :) Hope you are all very happy too, anonymous readers, whoever you are!

Little bits of time

At the moment it's proving difficult to find a really good chunk of time, with which I can achieve some good stuff. I haven't blogged about the Stag Do, which I really wanted to do, because I've been waiting for a good couple of free hours. Nothing doing. So I might just have to not really blog about the Stag Do - that's kind of good though, since what happens on a stag do is supposed to stay on the stag do. I would be breaking the rules if I told all, of course. Mind you, the worst of it (and there was really nothing that was awful - everything was really great) is there for all to see on Facebook! Literally, eh Gary? No photos of the lap dancing club, naturally, because I didn't get to go in (sadly :( ) and cameras are not allowed in there anyway.

And the other reason I won't be blogging about the stag do is that the memories are starting to fade already. A few days after the weekend I found that I was still able to recall almost every detail of the two days and nights with perfect clarity. But the memories are getting patchy now. No doubt I could remember most of it if I sat down and put my mind to it, but really, I can't be bothered! So I'll just tell you that there was much alcohol consumed, plenty of hilarity and chatting about complete nonsense, and a very pleasant lack of hangover :D Also, quad biking is the best laugh, and I would very much like to do that again - it was so funny, jolting up and down these bumpy tracks through Sherwood Forest, trusting that the quad bike wouldn't topple over when we drove it down near vertical little drops. Very, very funny. I drove the whole course with a big grin on my face, and if anyone had been close enough to me they would have heard hysterical little giggles escaping on the bumpiest bits :) Paintballing is also awesome. I was very proud of my mega-bruises, and spent the week after showing anyone who stood still next to me for any length of time. The biggest bruise was on the back of my left upper arm - it was a whopper, and possibly the biggest bruise I have ever seen. My cousin Stephen did it, at quite close range. I laughed my head off, after I'd run screaming to safety :) I was quite covered in bruises, on my legs particularly - just as I'd hoped. I didn't want to be bruiseless, because that would have meant that I'd hidden like a girly girl and hadn't participated properly :) We loved paintballing so much that when I saw a stall, serendipitously, in Lancaster last weekend I jumped at the chance to book some cheap tickets (shared them with Phil, who was a fellow stag - even more serendipitous that I saw him in town as I was talking to the paintballing representative!). £27 off each ticket - can't say no to a deal like that!!!

Here are me boys :) Handsome fellas, one and all :) Not Noomski though, of course, he's a minger.

See, minger. We look alike though, so I guess I'm a minger too - certainly am in this photo!

The latter end of Saturday evening, after many beers and many Jåger Bombs (sorry, can't find the right 'a' that's got two dots over it!). A lovely photo of us four cousins - must print a copy for my grandma, she'll be very proud! Actually, it's really very nice that Jason and Stephen here have come to join me and Noomski - Noomski and I have been the only two grown up cousins for a long time now, and it was nice to welcome these two new adults to our little gang :D I guess the others will be grown up too in no time - *violent judder* - time is passing far too quickly :|

One of my lesser bruises - shot by my cousin Jason, on purpose.

My biggest bruise - it got darker and more dramatic than this. Good eh? :) It's still there, a week and a half later - just yellow though, and not very visible. It's sad to see it go :(

Male bonding stuff rocks, and I would like to do much more :) Mind you, it's not just male stuff - my friend Catherine's hen weekend was just as awesome, because we went to GoApe, and had a fantastic time. It's not really to do with maleness or femaleness is it? It's just to do with awesome people :) The past few years I've met some really incredible people, and I hope it continues.

I had a bit of a post-stag-weekend downer for a few days after Nottingham (Nottingham is a lovely place, and I'd love to visit it again some time). I'm fine now.

James is on half days which is what's making it difficult to find good pockets of writing time. Mind you, that's a rubbish excuse for not getting my final chapters drafted - I can usually only concentrate for a couple of hours at the most anyway, lol. What a fraud I am. Never believe a word I say, because I'm usually lying to myself :| I've really got plenty of time, but I just always click on my Facebook button, or my blog button, or my Hub button first. Very naughty. Look at me now, blogging away, wasting this little bit of time that I have. There are two little boys, zonked out on the couch (not sleeping, but watching telly with their heads lolling), exhausted as kids always are in September. Might as well make the most of their lack of energy and enjoy a bit of relaxation time myself :)) (- that smiley face has a double chin, because I'm getting fat with the lack of exercise and the increase in consumption of brioches! I'll get into my bikini in Barbados, it just won't look very nice!)

Well, I'll just pop off and write a letter that's been waiting for a month. Laters.

I'll be back very soon, I'm sure.

Hello friendies :)

Sorry I've not been blogging. Don't know what's up with me at the moment. I can't seem to get up the energy to do anything much in the evenings; I'm just pooped and a bit jaded and teary as well. I think I'm just a bit exhausted and still recovering from the most excellent summer and most excellent stag do. I think I'm probably on one of those post-fabulousness downers :( I don't usually get these, but I'm sure I'll get over myself soon enough :)

Silly really, because life's very good. I have motivation during the day (and now that the littlies are at school and nursery I have a little time too) to write, so my book is getting close to having its first draft finished. Oh yes, oh yes! That is going to be fantastic - writing 'The End' or something similar! Of course, it won't be the end, it will be just the end of the beginning, and then I will have to go back to the beginning again, and go right through to the end, and then that will only be the middle, and then I'll have to go back to the beginning and go right through with a fine toothed comb, from the beginning, through the middle to the end, and then that will be the beginning of the end, and then I will have to do that comb thing one last time, and that will be from the beginning to the end, and then that will be the end. So quite a lot still to do.

Life is also good in other respects. The kiddies are being fun. My mum had them for the weekend when we were in Nottingham, and sadly they were very naughty for her :D Bit of a shame really, because I think they've been improving - they must have saved up their naughtiness for her, he he! But I think I'm feeling very sad about them at the moment, because my time at home is starting to run out - I have only two years left. I know that for some of my friends it's run out already and they seem to be fine. But I'm dreading Matthew going to school, just because I'm going to miss being here, here in my house, watching little tiny people play, having nothing too important to do. My friend has just had a baby, and that baby looks so perfect and tiny and beautiful, and I'm so jealous because she's right at the beginning. Wish I could be right at the beginning again - I'd do some things differently, I would (I'd shout at my kids less for one thing, find other ways to encourage super behaviour - I'm sure they're naughty now because I scream and shout so much!) Hmm, it's not like me to turn good things into sad things - usually when I think about my kids I'm cheery, but it all seems a bit painful at the moment, with them growing up so quickly. I must be very tired.

I have lots of things to do - I have a letter to write, some hubs to write, and a proper blog about the stag do to write, and few other things as well. I just can't be bothered! So I'm going to bed. It's only just gone half eight, but I'm pooped. Sorry. I hate writing negative posts, but I'd been silent for a bit and I thought you might like to know why!

Bleeeurgggh! I think I'll be back tomorrow if I go to bed now - hope so anyway. Maybe I just need some vitamin C or something...

Night.

Stag Dooooooo

I am sitting and waiting. I thought it would be nice to not be rushing around at the last minute, and to not be packing the car as it's moving out of the drive, but I'm just a bag of nerves now. I've been all prepared, got everything ready last night, bar the ironing of a few bits of clothing, and thought I'd be all chilled out today. But I've just been sweating ALL DAY. I stink! I'm so ridiculous sometimes.

Nothing to be nervous about of course - I'm off to spend the weekend with some blokes, who, by all accounts, are a lovely bunch. I haven't met a few of them, but I do know most of them, and I know that it'll be lots of fun. I've been putting a bit of pressure on myself - not a lot, just a little - to shoulder the responsibility for making sure everyone has a good time. But that's just silly. I may be Noomski's Best Man, but that doesn't mean I'm responsible for everyone. I'm only responsible for Noomski! I am happy and content in the knowledge that all I have to do this weekend, is relax, be myself, and enjoy! I do have certain things that I need to do, such as keeping the directions to the hotel and eateries about my person, and making sure that we get to our activities on time etc. And I do have a responsibility to get the ball rolling with anything that concerns the embarrassment of Noomski :D But I don't have to be the centre of attention, and I don't have to be bossy and remain in charge of the whole of Saturday night. I'm sure there will be enough imagination among the blokes that Noomski will be embarrassed plenty :D

I would imagine that I will have some interesting photos to post on Sunday - I'm just hoping that I'll be fit to drive, and then fit to blog in the evening. If I'm not fit to blog then something has gone very wrong with my plan to stay sober enough to avoid a hangover :( Oh dear. Hangovers: the reason I made a pledge to stop drinking nearly a year ago! I've only had a drink on about three or four occasions this year, and each time I've only had about two pints of bitter! I must avoid shots tomorrow, I must avoid lager, I must avoid double vodkas, I must avoid drinking games, I must avoid alcopops, I must avoid drambuies at the end of the night. I foresee messiness. This is mostly why I am nervous. This is why I am actually sweating!

I am not at all nervous about paintballing and quad biking. I am looking forward to comparing bruises with my little/big cousin Stephen and my little/big cousin Jason :) You might know I have a thing about bruises and scabs? Maybe I'll have to write a post on bruises and scabs! Well anyway, I understand that a person can receive some amazing bruises from paintballing. I'm not sure if I bruise easily or not though - from the clay-pigeon shooting experience that I had, when both barrels went off at the same time and I didn't get the slightest bit of a bruise, I think I probably don't bruise easily. But time will tell, and I'll show some photos on Sunday :)

Right, I'd best go and get myself a cup of camomile before I pass out with nervous excitement! Those who are travelling down to Nottingham from here are coming in less than an hour, so I need to make myself less smelly! Speak to you after the Stag :P

Have a good weekend all.