Next years holiday

Already, I hear you cry!

Well, we haven't had any holidays at all for the last 6 years, mainly due to Ryan's Mum getting so much maintenance for all that time, so we thought that we should make up for lost time and spoil ourselves. We've got the Caribbean bug.

One of the couples that came with us to Jamaica realised that they couldn't face going to Europe in 2008, once you've had Caribbean you can't go anywhere else you see, and then loads of people started coming out of the woodwork saying they wanted to go too. We were a bit reticent at first, we had 18 months to pay for the last one, and will only have 10 months to pay for this one. However, Pete has a full time job now so our income has doubled, and we wont have a wedding or my Mum to pay for. So, we are going for it!

We should be booking tomorrow for the Iberostar Dominicana in the Dominican Republic, once the whole party of eighteen people have confirmed. There is only one small problem...

I feel a little strange this week, a bit off colour, and it will be just my luck that I'm pregnant. There is only one way to convey how I'd feel about that:

Proud of my boy

Taylor has been playing for a football team for a while, about 18 months now. They've never played in a league before, this is their first time. The team is made up of mixed year groups, under 9's and under 10's(Taylor falls in the under 9's category, as he's 8), so they are having to play in an under 10's league. It's tough, and so far they've been thrashed every game by at least nine goals. Taylor ended up in goal a few weeks ago and did a really good job, so they've asked him to be their goalkeeper full time. I'm a bit sad for him, he's an excellent midfielder and they really need him on the pitch too, but he can't be in two places at once and he is happy in goal. Last week, the score was 8-2, and they only scored because Taylor did two huge goal kicks into the opposing box, a striker picked it up and scored. This week, the score was 5-1, the whole team looked like they knew what they were doing, and it was actually exciting to watch them. Taylor did such a good job, that he won Man of the Match, bless him!

Tag

I've been tagged by my online pal Thursday, so here goes. I have to take each letter of my name and write something that begins with that letter which represents me. I can't be doing with the tagging certain people bit you are supposed to do at the end, so if anyone wants to do it, consider yourself tagged!
I've used my real name, even though it's not often used in real life. It was just easier than Laney.

Crumbling, derelict buildings. I love them. Don't even ask me to tell you why, I'll just look like a loon. They just pique an interest in me, I'm drawn to them. I want one of my own to explore whenever I feel like it. I want to save them from falling down, but Pete always says that when they are fixed and alive again I won't love them anymore. He's probably right.

Love. Sorry to be an old romantic, but I love being in love. Not just loving someone, actually still feeling it and being thankful for it every single day. Nothing has changed since we got married, which is a good thing, because it was perfect before and we were worried about ruining it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Arts and crafts. Not that I get much time for it these days, what with my high maintenance veggies and attention seeking children. But, I do love to draw and paint and make things, and without being big headed I am (was?) good at it. Sadly what I don't lack in talent, I do lack in drive and ambition.

Internet. Or more precisely communicating on the Internet. It's always been one of my favourite things, and I didn't realise that it's a very typical Gemini trait. I have to be speaking to people, friends or strangers, all the time. As a teen it was on the phone, but who needs such antiquities these days, when we have the wonder of the Internet? Hell, I don't even have a mobile. I've made some fantastic friends on the Internet, whom I value a lot.

Recipes. New recipes. I love to cook, especially traditional, proper rustic food. The bigger the meal the better(as my waistband proves). I should've been a farmers wife or something.

Energy. I do tend to be a bit of a bundle of boundless energy, especially in the mornings, and it pisses people of(and rightly so). I fully admit that I can be perky, annoying and in your face, but I stopped caring years ago. I like it.

Expansion

I hate this part of the growing season, because every bit of veg I eat is one less in storage for the coming dark winter months. I just put my last onion into a batch of soup. I can't wait to get out there in February and start all over again.
On Tuesday I built a new raised bed, we are going to have another go at carrots next year. They HATE our soil, so need a deep bed. I also cleared out the sweetcorn and lettuce, and two of the tomato plants. It all looks kind of bare now. :(

New bed, minus soil and manure


The cleared out patch with parsnips, leeks and bonus child.


Work sucked today, two of my friends at work have mystery illnesses affecting them at the moment, which could potentially be serious, so that's a worry. I'm off out boozing in a minute with my long lost friend Dee who I haven't seen for 5 years(except for at the wedding reception, I was so glad she came). It'll be good to catch up.

Online at last

We've had no Internet all week. It's been perjury. So what have we been up to?

We went to Sam's birthday party not last weekend the one before. Your costume had to begin with the same letter as your name. Our costumes were pretty uninspired, Claire the Cowgirl and Pete the Pirate, but some of them were excellent. We had Scott the Scouser, Martin the Mexican, and Jennie went as Jordan. Alli was Audrey Hepburn and Sam was Satan, but the the best was James dressed as...Judy Garland! Really, he just wanted an excuse to wear a dress and killer heels.

Garden confessional

I must confess my sins. I haven't weeded the vegetable patch for 4 weeks. It's getting pretty scary out there.




I did it before we went away, and I haven't bothered since. My tomatoes are nearly finished now, so the creeper that is working it's way up each stem doesn't really matter, does it? I've pulled all my onions, so the chickweed taking over that row isn't too much of a problem. My lettuce and rocket have gone to seed, but I want to dry them for next year and save myself some money on seed packets, if I can.
This week we've eaten leek, onions, spring onions, tomatoes and the best of all, sweetcorn. Although the amount of cobs is rubbish due to the lack of sun(12 formed, but only 4 have grown to edible size), the two we had the other day were divine. I'll be growing them again, that's for sure.

What's left of our onions. We've eaten the rest already.


Gargantuan Lettuce


Pretty Rocket flowers


I'm already planning next year. I don't think we'll be moving before this time next year so I may as well make the most of the garden while I can and plant next year. I wasn't going to but I know I'd just be miserable without my veg. :(

Retro Big Brother

What with it being the Big Brother final last week, I was reminded of some of my favourite BB moments from years past, and this is a clip of one of them. Even if you are not a Big Brother fan, this will make you laugh, I promise.

Aqua Aerobics

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