Duh!

The stupidity knows no bounds.

Honestly, is it just teenage boys, or have we got a complete moron on our hands?

Ryan doesn't actually engage his brain, ever. Unless there is money involved of course, then you might see a flicker of life. I wouldn't mind if it was the occasional thing, but this is a relentless barrage of idiocy, every single day. It's driving me to despair, I may actually have to start talking to him very slowly as if English isn't his first language.

Just this week, Ryan has opened new jars of mayo and tomato sauce, even though there were two already open in the fridge right in front of him, he's locked us out of the house after we categorically asked him to not lock it as we had no key, he's ripped a curtain track off the wall after I sat the whole family down and told them not to open the window anymore as the track would fall down, he's left sauces and condiments out of the fridge all day that only he uses, left the bread unwrapped so it went crusty...it just goes on and on. He'll say "What's for dinner?", then literally before he's even left the room it'll be "What's for dinner?". We had to sit him down last night and tell him to open his eyes, think about what he is doing, and tidy up after himself. I'm at my wits end with him, it's infuriating.

After telling him off for an hour last night, he's just waltzed out to the kitchen and picked up Pete's visibly larger dinner(Pete is still at work), on a much bigger plate, and sat down and ate it. On what planet does a 35 year old man eat the same size portion as a teenage boy? Even the plates were different sizes. Since he moved in, whenever he's asked which plate is his, I've always replied "the smaller one". What on earth made him think today would be any different?

Arrrggghhhhh!

Musical Monday #23

I love this song, it's really retro. It came out a year ago, and I couldn't believe it was a new tune at the time.

Mish Mash ~ Speechless

Grey Day

Well, what a dismal weekend. I had planned to take Isobel for a walk in the woods today, as all the boys were at football, but that plan went out of the window.

When we were in Jamaica the boys both caught ear infections from the pool. Taylor's was awful and cost us £100 in doctors call out charges, but Isobel was fine until about 2 weeks after we got home when she seemed to get one. My useless doctor gave her ear drops at the time instead of antibiotics, and so yesterday she developed a high temperature and looked awful. Her ear actually didn't start hurting until midnight last night, when she suddenly got really poorly with a temperature of 100 degrees, and we had to get an emergency appointment at the hospital at 7am this morning. Needless to say I'm worn out, and am now trying to cook a roast in a state of half slumber.

Taylor got collected for football this morning by his manager as I couldn't go, and they told him yesterday at training that he would be playing on the pitch rather than in goal. The defence they had were just letting too many strikers through, and although Taylor was catching 90% of them, he was being attacked every few seconds and the scorelines were showing it! They've always said they missed him out on the pitch, and as it happens one of their other boys was a bit poor on the pitch but OK in goal, so they've swapped them over. Taylor wasn't too happy about it as he hates defence, but you have to do what's best for the team! They only lost 2-1 today, which was fantastic as it's normally 10-1. The manager said it was the best defence they've had, the new goalie barely had to do anything as the ball couldn't get through.

I just pulled my first parsnip out of the garden to use for our Sunday roast. It was like Excalibur! I pulled and heaved for ages, dug all around it, and I still left half of it in the ground. I'm saving the rest of them for Christmas dinner, so I've got plenty of time to excavate the rest.

Show

We've been to see Disney on Ice - The Incredibles today with my work. I took the boys and my mum with me as there were some spare tickets. We had a nice Thai meal in a restaurant that sounded like it should have had topless waitresses. It was called Thai Silk. very sexy! The show was good, I wouldn't pay to go and see it, but I don't mind doing it for work. Ryan was far too old for it(in fact, I wondered why half the adults were there as they had no children with them at all), but it was still funny. It was incredibly cheesy. I'm sure Isobel would've loved it, but I was working and I couldn't be responsible for 48 old age pensioners and her. Too much work!






In other news, I am getting a new digital SLR camera for Christmas. It'll probably be this one, has anyone ever used one? I am so excited. I'll be able to take proper pictures. I love taking photos, I literally carry my camera around everywhere, but it's so rubbish that I'm pretty restricted. I'm only going for a budget model, but I'll still get better quality shots from it.

Musical Monday #22

I love, love, love this song, but as it's climbing the charts we should all be sick of it in a week or so. I want to make the most of it now before it gets overplayed.

Mika ~ Happy Ending



I want the wallpaper in the video too!

Christmas is coming

Sixty five days to go!

I know that will either fill you with excitement or dread. I know some of you hate the preparation and shopping side of Christmas (*coughs* Dan), but I love it and can't wait to get started. I've drawn up my lists of who gets what, and am now just waiting for the next payday so I can start shopping. Taylor was supposed to be visiting relatives in Australia at Christmas, which would've been weird for us here without him, but it's been put back a year. I am not looking forward to another year without my Nan. I've dreamt of her loads these last few weeks, I always wake up feeling like it's real and she's still here.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas dinner this year. I love to cook anyway, but for some reason I'm really into it at the moment. I have mad flurries of activity in the kitchen a few times a week where I cook three new things at the same time. Last week I made Watercress Soup, Fresh Ravioli and a Rabbit pie, it was mayhem. I don't know whether to stick with Turkey or try something more gamey for Christmas dinner this year. I don't actually eat meat, so I couldn't care less, and Pete will eat anything, but will everyone else? If its a disaster it would ruin dinner.

Maybe I'm just not that brave!

The Cat Came Back

Well, the cat is still here, is still very cute and very friendly, and still keeps coming back even though we aren't feeding her very much at all. I didn't want to encourage her, so she's just had biscuits and nothing too appetising. Also, she isn't the cat we thought she was. We spoke to Berry's family, and it isn't her, so we are back to square one with the ownership issue. Until we find where she belongs, she needs a name. I have a list, but need to choose one with Pete. The boys wanted to call her something stupid, but the rule in my house says that I do the caring so I do the naming when it comes to pets! The day they start cleaning up after them and feeding them is the day they can choose their names. Name choosing is half the fun of owning a pet.

Musical Monday #21

I love the original of this, by REM, but for some reason this version by The Corrs is my preference. I just love it.

Everybody Hurts ~ The Corrs

s

Fungus Foray

We went for a wander yesterday to Thorndon Country Park. Taylor wanted to practise his goalkeeping so Pete took some shots at him. They had a little sandpit in the picnic area so that kept Isobel quiet(and dirty!), so I could eat my sandwiches in peace.




Then I dragged them all on a mushroom hunt. It was a really nice walk, Taylor and Isobel enjoyed clambering about and helped me look for stuff. I struck gold with these evil looking little beauties;


The Amethyst Deceiver, some people think they taste lovely, some people hate them. I'm going to have them fried with garlic butter for breakfast. I'll let you know how that goes!

Red sky at night

Isn't it supposed to be a nice day when you have a red sky the previous night? I've always used that little rhyme to tell me the weather, but it failed miserably.

Last night we had one of the most fantastic sunsets I've ever seen, better than Jamaica even. The whole sky was on fire. It was so amazing it even scared the crap out of Isobel. She covered up her ears(?!?) and cried.

I hung out my washing this morning before work in hope of some sun, and it drizzled all day. Poo.

We signed our mortgage papers today, I can't wait to start renovating. I suppose I could start clearing stuff out now, but that's the boring bit. Where's the fun in that? I'm just looking forward to hiring a skip and throwing crap in it.

Isobel has been telling the childminder that Daddy doesn't live here anymore, that Mummy hits her(she has a bruise on her head from headbutting her bed in a rage), and that I have a baby in my tummy(thankfully not true). It sounds like an epidode of Jerry Springer. She's also been telling us that the childminder doesn't feed her, which is a blatent fabrication as she eats her out of house and home. She is such a windup merchant. She has also shot up this month, and she looks huge!




Can you believe I still haven't seen or heard from my Dad? It's actually making me feel quite sick. I can't believe that I'm the one that has to arrange for him to come round here. He told us he had a present for us, that he'd call us that week to arrange to come over, and that was 7 weeks ago. I'm sure it's some weird game to him. I'm going to call him tomorrow and end the Mexican stand off. Maybe I'll invite them over for a roast.

The end of the dummy

Isobel was never really that addicted to her dummy, or dodi as we call it. She'd leave it in bed every morning, and wouldn't even ask for it all day. But, when we flew to Jamaica, she had it on the minibus, then on the plane, then for most for the holiday. My Mum is a soft touch. She knew that if she whinged loudly enough in a restaurant, we'd have to give in, and a vicious power struggle started.

Since we've been home she's either had it plugged in her mouth, or she's been whining for it. Listening to "I need my dodi" starts to wear a bit thin after the 100th time. She is very persistent, which is an admirable quality, just not in this particular situation. I decided yesterday that enough was enough, so explained that when we went food shopping she could have a toy and swap it for the dodi. Today, she went ahead and did it, and is now the proud owner of a Fifi and the Flowertots musical whatumacallit. The most annoying toy ever invented. But, she placed the dodi on the supermarket shelf and walked away and went to bed without even asking for it or crying. Success!

Musical Monday #20

I haven't done one of these since we went on holiday, I just haven't had the inspiration! This song came on at a party few weeks ago, and reminded me(and a few of the others there) how great this song and video are.

Radiohead ~ Just

Strange

A few weeks ago, another cat turned up on our doorstep, just like this time last year. I realised straight away that this new cat was actually the daughter of the old cat(are you still with me?). When we finally tracked down the first adopted cats owner after her death, she told us she had her daughter too, called Berry. Fast forward a year since Isla moved in with us(and sadly passed away in the spring), and Berry starts coming in our house. The first time we let her in for a sniff, and then off she went again. I thought she could probably smell her Mum.

Today, I opened the back door and she was asleep in the garden. She jumped up and came in, and now wont leave. She's been out twice and come back again. Why do these cats keep doing this to me?

Insert title here

I've not really had much going on this week. I was ill on Wednesday, some kind of fluey bug. I curled up on the sofa with a raging fever all day, and could barely walk a few feet without getting worn out. It was horrible. Ryan is getting bullied at school again, but this time the school haven't even called me back to discuss it. I called 4 times on Thursday night and Friday, and lots of empty promises of teachers calling me back were made and broken. He didn't go in on Friday, and I've told them he won't be back until it's sorted. I am so sick of other peoples kids. I just want to move to the middle of nowhere. Nobody has perfect kids, Ryan can be an arrogant git and Taylor is just dumb at times(we won't mention Isobel and her bossiness), but none of them are naughty, rude, violent or disgusting. Is it really that hard to raise them properly?
I had Harvey here for a few hours this morning, then when Sam picked him up we went out for lunch and for some retail therapy. I got Isobel more winter clothes, I'm going to have to stop now, she has too many. Then Isobel had a party invite this afternoon so we meandered over the other side of our estate for that. We are signing the papers for the house sale next Friday, then I can finally take a sledgehammer to our much hated kitchen, and put my lovely new free-standing one in. I want it in by Christmas. Is that a bit ambitious of me?
I haven't taken any photos this week, but I have a few new ones from Jamaica that I like that Tony & Jeanette took.

Weekend away

Well, what a weekend! When we got up on Friday morning, Pete’s wages hadn’t gone in and all our bills had bounced, so that was not a nice thing to wake up to. Thankfully the wages were there by lunchtime, or we would’ve been in trouble.

On Friday night all the staff from my office went to the greyhound racing in Romford. We haven’t been for a few years, it was a good laugh, and Pete and I won £90 so we broke even. During the day on Friday, we bought a ticket for the Euro Lottery, and when we got home from the dogs at midnight I checked our numbers. I nearly died when I realised our numbers had come up. The jackpot was £88 million, and it had to be won, so whoever had the highest amount of numbers would get the jackpot. For a few minutes my emotions ranged from jumping for joy to pessimistic. I didn’t get excited, but it’s hard not to wonder. Of course, when the results were released, too many other people had won the same prize and it had been split. We’ve still got a little amount coming to us, but it won’t be paying for any luxuries, probably bills. Maybe next time.


On Saturday, Pete and I dropped the kids off for the weekend and waltzed off to Norfolk to stay in a hotel called Catton Old Hall. Well, I say hotel, when you get there they give you a door key to this fabulous Jacobean hall, built in 1632, and you have the run of the house.


It’s more like staying with friends. I was in my element! The house is all original, with antiques everywhere. They have thought of everything, and it’s the little details that make it special. There are books to read everywhere you look, at the breakfast table, the lounge, the toilets, but the best one was in our bedroom. On our bedside table we had A History of Sainsbury’s and The Complete Guide to Sexual Love. What made them choose that combination, I wonder?
We had a spa bath/Jacuzzi in our room, it was bloody marvellous. We need one of those at home. We chilled out for a few hours, then went out at about 9pm for a lovely Italian meal in Norwich city centre. Back at the house, Pete went up to watch the football (men!), while I sat in the lounge alone armed with my camera and a glass of Baileys being brave/soaking up the atmosphere. I wouldn’t say it’s haunted, it certainly wasn‘t scary, but it’s very old and atmospheric.



I then had the worst nights sleep, I woke up every half hour of so needing the loo or I just couldn’t get comfortable. At 10am we had breakfast, then drove a few miles north to The Broads to hire a boat. Pete hadn’t been to the Broads before, and he loved it, and we are hopefully going to take the kids up there for the day in October (if the weather doesn’t get freezing before then).













It was probably one of the most relaxing weekends away we’ve ever had. We normally go clubbing, and although it's very fun, it isn’t relaxing. You come home more tired than when you left! I can’t wait to go back to Catton Old Hall either, but it won’t be for a while I should imagine.