Mad Monday

When looking around other blogs, I’ve often seen that some follow similar formats ie Tackle it Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday etc. This is a really good way of keeping the blog updated and makes for interesting reading.

I would like to propose a ‘Mad Monday’.  This is where you reveal something from your life that has been, well quite frankly, mad! Let me give you an example. 

When I used to work in the city I had a bit of a miserable drive to and from work.  So to make it more interesting I used to give myself a running commentary about all the people around me, in an American accent!

Well, it kept me amused.  Hello . . . . . anyone still out there?

Speaking of Mad, I went for my annual tinnitus appointment today, which was the same as ever.  My hearing is actually good, it’s just certain tones I can’t hear, rather akin to not being able to hear a dog whistle. 

Okay, do dogs whistle?  You know what I mean - the very high tone that humans can’t hear.  So all in all I have good hearing.  I just have this constant hissing noise all the time but it doesn’t drown out other sounds.  (Sometimes I think that could actually be a godsend).

I went to the front desk at the hospital to check in and was asked my date of birth.  Would you believe I got the year wrong!   I am now officially one of those women who lies about her age.  I can’t believe I did it.  Okay it was only out by three years, but what was I thinking?

And I actually saw a doctor who didn’t want to feel my boobs today, so result.  I say that because on Friday two of my children had their 6 monthly check up and one of the new consultants was a chap I had seen a few years ago who thought I may have had leukaemia (at that time). 

He had asked me if I regularly self examined, to which I replied I did.  Okay he said, but when he went out of the room to confer with one of his senior colleagues, he came back in and (blushing) said that he had been advised to check too.

I swear, I don’t know who was more embarassed. 

I kept my fingers crossed that we didn’t get him on Friday and thankfully we got a new lady doctor instead.

And while I’m still talking about hospitals mom is doing really well. The physio said she is walking much better than a lot of people he had seen so soon after a hip replacement.  So well done mom!

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The Weather Can’t Hold Us Brits Back

Despite the forecast being showery today, we decided to take the children out for a picnic.  It’s the first time I’ve been able to leave mom all day without fretting (me fretting that is) for the last couple of weeks. (Update tomorrow.)

We took them to Witley Court as the boys had never been there.  Although there is nothing for children to do in terms of playgrounds etc, we crossed our fingers hoping they would enjoy the ‘exploration’ and ‘investigation’, which they happily did by the bucket load.

It started to rain when we got there, so we sat in the car devouring our sandwiches waiting for it to slow down, which it did.  The beauty of children is that they don’t care about rain and will quite happily run around getting soaked.

Even in the partly miserable gloom of the day the remains of the house were still beautiful and still made me well up.  There is something about this house that really gets to me.

A fire in 1937 in the servants quarters was the cause of the building being in the state it is today.  We were informed today that although the house was insured, the insurance company would not pay up anywhere near the amount needed to put it right.  It seems (apparently) that this was all that was needed for the owner to abandon it as it was.

Looters got in and stole the lead of the roof and once water started to get in, that was that.  Then in the 1950’s antique dealers were sent in to salvage what they could.

The English Heritage have started work on it, but it will be a slow and costly process.

However, a lovely event that happened today was a young couple getting engaged by the fountain.  He’d phoned up a couple of days before to ask if the fountain could be put on for him to propose by as it was his girlfriends favourite place.  The fountain is not usually put on for visitors after the end of the season, but they obliged for him.

There was champagne and roses and smiles all round.  I did try to catch a sneak look at the ring (as you do) as she walked past, but congratulations to the both of them.

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Xtra Special

A much stronger show this week, better than the big band last week.  It opened well with Niki and finished on a high with Rydian.

Even Dermot was entertaining this week (goodness did I really just say that!).

• Niki was back where she belonged this week with a Kelly Clarkson song.  No silly dance routines, just belting out a good performance.
• Leon’s confidence is improving, but I think Dannii should get Leon to just stand still to sing a song.  His ‘dancing’ is not natural, very wooden and pulls his performance down.
• Same Difference.  Another effervescent routine.  You just can’t help grinning when they’re on.  I could see them in a ‘Grease’ type show.
• Hope.  This was so much better than last week, a really good performance.  When Simon said it was going to be an Amy Whinehouse song I was whittering, let it be ‘Back to Black’.  And yes, it was.  I can’t believe Phoebe who sings the lead is only 15.
• Alisha.  I still don’t think Sharon is getting it right with her songs, but the one last night did suit her voice.  I think she has much more to give and a power song would be great to hear from her.
• Andy.  Again a weak performance from Andy.  I think it was right he was voted off this week.  Despite wearing a rock t-shirt, he still didn’t look strong enough.  He has no emotion in his singing and no personality is coming through.  Yet, I think given the right song he too has power in his voice that we’ve only seen glimpses of.  Dannii again, although giving him a really popular song, still didn’t give him something to get his teeth into.
• Beverley.  This was a good song, although I did think it was a bit ’shouty’ this week.  I really like Beverley and want her to do well.  I think she is a great stage personality.
• Rhydian.  Again, I thought he was the best act this week.  They definitely saved the best til last.  I really can’t wait for them to bring out an album for him!

I think the judges were in bitch mode this week.  Louis made himself look like a spoiled child and for the first time during this show I disagreed with some of Dannii’s comments early on in the show.

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Who’s A Naughty Girl Then?

We are in the process of choosing a junior school for our youngest son.  We’ve had no doubt that he will follow his brother to the school he is currently at.  However, as there was an open day today, we decided to let him have a look around anyway even though he’s visited the school on many occasions.

My eldest son took the role of guide for us and showed his brother around the classrooms and led us to his.  His teacher was still there putting some finishing touches to some work when he approached me about my son’s reading record.

This is a book that the children are supposed to write in when they’ve read part of a book and then make some comment in it.  For my husband and myself we have never seen the point to it, as my son is a good reader and has good comprehension skills.

I also feel that to write about part or all of a chapter (if that’s what the child reads in a night) is out of context with the book and then you’re writing something down for writing’s sake.

I admit I have never encouraged my son to complete this record in the 3 and a half years he has been in the school. That’s my stance and I’m sure there are people who would disagree.  If my child had difficulty reading and comprehending then I may think differently.

So his teacher asked me if my son had mentioned the reading book.  I then stood before him feeling like a naughty girl who’s been caught out but I gave him my honest opinion.

What I didn’t know was that earlier in the day he had asked my son about the book to which my son had replied "my mom and I don’t agree with it".  His teacher asked him twice more, probably because he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. 

The teacher then took a straw poll of the class to find out what the class thought of the reading book and most of the class disagreed with it.

Hat’s off to the teacher for checking this out, but I now realise why when I had started to explain my viewpoint the teacher had given me a wry smirk.

Without realising I had backed up my son with the comments he had made so he would also have realised that he’d been telling the truth!

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Let the games begin

The email address was a success and the lines of communication are well and truly open.

The list of names that I am now communicating with has changed slightly and I now definately have my favourites but I am still reluctant to go the next step and go on a date.

I have the man with a complicated life who seems to have a good soul but is desperately in love with the woman of his dreams who has put him on hold while she investigated the possibility of dating her cousin whilst at the same time as declaring she is possibly pregnant with this good soul being the father.

Sounds complicated - it is and a situation that should be entirely avoided. I will state for the record that I do not see him as a potential mate but I am fascinated by his life and the fact is that we have become ‘friends’ through our communication. He uses me as a sounding board as I do him.

However this relationship for want of a better word is not getting me any closer to finding Mr Right.

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X Factor Big Band Week

Amongst a week of preparing for Halloween, arranging a 1930’s style costume for my son’s school trip, two visits to school for two children (doing a colour trail and a literacy trail), walking the dog twice a day, changing mom’s stockings every other night, shopping, hospital appointments, getting up at 6.30 one morning to make chocolate fairy cakes (which earned me the title of best mom ), taking mom on errands along with all the other usual mummy and family type stuff - phew!!  I had to have one bit of normality.

This was of course sitting down to watch the X Factor. 

Now I love the big band week, it’s one of my favourite shows, but for me they did it too soon during the series and the whole show was sadly flat.  I don’t think any of the contestants were ready for such a big week (apart from Rhydian) and the choice of songs out of so many big band songs was quite frankly appalling.

• Leon was more confident this week although he needs to sort his dancing style out, but the big band show suited him more so it probably helped him
• Niki was given the wrong song and dance routine.  I think she’s got a good voice but she should have had the chance to belt a song out.  The sexy routine just seemed awkward.
• Same Difference.  I’m not sure about this act as x factor winners, but they put on a good performance and are just so bubbly you can’t fail to smile at them.
• Hope.  This was, to quote a Simon Cowellism, ‘a train wreck’.  Wrong choice of song, sung flat, not a coordinated performance.  They can do so much better.  They are relying too much on being ’sexy’.  Get the vocals sorted first.
• Alisha.  Even though she got through, I think Sharon could have chosen a much more ‘popular’ song.  She was lucky to be voted back.
• Futureproof.  I really like this band as I think individually they are all really good singers.  Simon chose the completely wrong song for them and has now paid the price for it.
• Andy.  I really want to like this act, but I think Dannii needs to ‘butch him up’.  Give him a funky new hairstyle, stop with the ‘weak puppy eyed performances’ and give him a power song he can sing that shows what he is capable of.  And Dannii, not ‘every girl’ will be voting for him.  (It does annoy me when people generalise like that.)
• Beverley.  Although she was great, I still think she could have been given a bigger, more powerful song to sing.  A bit of Shirley Bassey would have been good.
• Rhydian.  I thought he stole the show overall, purely because he ‘owns the stage’.  I did think the arrangement was a bit like the ‘Phantom’ so it would have been good to see it a little differently, but again he won me over this week.

This coming week the judges need to re-think their strategies.  All these acts deserve the best support their mentors can give them.  Futureproof should not have gone this week and Simon admitted he chose the wrong songs.  Too late.  It’s not just the acts that only get one chance each week!

(I’m such a pop-mogul aren’t I??). 

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Whirly Bird!

Today (or yesterday now) has been a blur of activity and juggling.

Get up, get the children ready and take them to school.  Round to moms and take the dog a walk.

Back to nursery for an activity with my daughter which was to find things around the playground that matched a colour chart (good fun by the way). 

Back home, lunch, get daughter ready to take to moms for an hour while I went to my first hospital appointment.

Back home, walk the dog again, get home have tea and off to parents evening.  Back again and get ready for halloween ie finish porch decorations, light candles for the pumpkins and get the children into costumes for answering the door.

Fell asleep on the childrens beds, woke up and it’s now 1.45 am and I’m not tired!!!!!

Tomorrow, more of the same but fit in making a costume for my eldest son ready for a school trip on Friday and add in vacuuming mom’s house and taking her out on an errand.

So, back to the hospital appointment.  Had to drink 2 pints of water before I went for the scan today.  Lovely.  Don’t drink that much water in a week normally (I know, not very healthy).  For someone that can wee for Britain generally, it was very hard holding onto that amount of fluid.

I got to the appointment early because I couldn’t concentrate, so had the agonising wait for my appointment which was only 5 minutes over the time but when you are desperate for the loo, every second counts.

Of course it doesn’t help having the little scanning tool being pressed over your tummy either.  

But as soon as the chap had finished I was out of that room in a flush (sorry flash) into the nearest toilet.  Frankly if the door had been locked I would have gone in the car park.  It was definitely an oooooooooh moment!

I now have to wait for the results but he did spot 2 smallish cysts on the ovaries.  Not sure what that really means in terms of my health and although I’ve looked at the internet think it’s best to wait for the proper information. 

So one down, three more to go!

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