A great Dad...

A couple of reasons why I love my husband.

Milly and Alan were going to go up to the other end of the village to feed a friends cat while they are away for the week.It was a dry night and as usual Milly had no shoes on, As they set off Alan called out "Emily are you not going to wear shoes"! she looked back and said "No" although she was a little confused, we rarely question the fact she chooses to go with no shoes on(she often gets negative comments and funny looks from other's about her decision to walk with no shoes )Alan said "well neither am I",the look of delight on her face that he was going to join her barefoot on the journey was worth a lottery win,and the two of them walked off giggling.

We have been really busy over the weekend with painting and jobs and entertaining family for lunch today and have hardly had a minute to ourselves.Al was going out into the garden to get the last of the sun to read his book for some well deserved time on his own.Emily came bounding into the room just as he picked up his book,she asked him to draw with her,I knew how much Al really wanted to just sit and read and yet he changed his plans and the two of them have been sitting at the table in the sun chatting and drawing for an hour.

I love him for many other reasons but these have been a couple over the last few days that have reminded me he is one in a million and I am glad he sticks with me xx

Bust ups and set ups...

10.45 am.Milly still in the land of nod!!

Just been up to check and she looked at me blearily and then turned over and went back to sleep.

She had two friends over for a sleepover on Saturday.Lot's of laughter and play .They were quite good and kept the noise down but it was about 3 am when I last heard them.They were sleeping on mattresses in the living room and unfortunately we can still hear them talking even when they are doing it quietly.All of them slept until 10.30 the next morning, then it was a relaxed day for us all.Homemade pancakes for breakfast then play for them and pottering doing small jobs for me and Olympic action on TV for Al.Homemade pizza for lunch and more play for the girls till we took friends home at 3.30.
Home via shop for crisps chocolate and wine ;-)

Major bust up between me and Milly!! Both very tired and she was vv angry about a small incident and I reacted badly and it slid into shouting and tears quite quickly:-( Not happy at all with how I handled things.I can now see where her anger started but in my tired haze I was not switched on and didn't react well enough to stop it getting to the stage it did.Her initial angry reaction brought out feelings of resentment in me about how ungrateful she was being after all we had done to enable her to have a sleepover and a day with friends, unfortunately I voiced it which only inflamed things.

After a time to allow things to cool down we talked and sorted it out as best we could clearing up a few things and then all had tea whilst watching the Alex Rider film Stormbreaker.I came through to do some paperwork while they watched Midsomer Murders(god is it a week since I last posted?)

Milly finally got up at 11.00 am.Loose plans to go for a walk on the beach and to the big playground were changed and we stayed inside and had a great day full of cuddles,tickles,painting,story tapes,top trumps.Polly pocket and playmobile set ups were made through the day I got to sit with the pile of things and pass them to her as she set up her scene.

We also managed to talk more about what had happened yesterday and each got to say how we felt and what we could do differently next time,given that exhaustion on both sides played a big part!!Lessons learnt on both sides.......

You Are an "A-OK"

Your life philosophy can be summed up as, "Whatever will be, will be." Your greatest wish is to live each day a little better than the next. You are naturally calm and stable. Some people would call you a rock. You feel one with the world. You are a spiritual person, though no one who knows you would guess it.

What Hand Gesture Are You?

A typical day?

I am not sure you could call any day typical as each day does seem to be so different.One thing that is fairly typical though is that most of our days do have a certain flow to them, generally a slow start and then a relaxed pace through the day.

This Sunday started off early for Alan and I.He walked Beauty while I made us some porridge for breakfast and when he got back we chatted for a while as we ate before he went to watch the news on TV and I came on the PC and visited my usual blogs.Got a great link from Schuylers blog and spent time drawing a house!!I will post that later.

The plan for the morning was that Alan was going to start painting the exterior of the house and Emily and I were going to a garage sale that one of her friends in the village was having.I went up at 8.50 to see if she was awake yet.She was fast asleep,I knew she had been really keen to go to the sale so I attempted to wake her, but gentle stroking on her hand didn't wake her and as she was in such a deep sleep I decided to leave her a while longer.I lay next to her for a while then got up to get a few things ready and came back at 9.30,she was still in a deep sleep and it took some time to wake her.When she rolled over I quietly reminded her about the sale but said that it was OK for her to go back to sleep if that is what she wanted to do.She turned round and I said the other option was that we could change plans and just snuggle in bed and read to which she gave a big smile and nodded enthusiastically.(I took the picture a little later when I reminded her we had talked about recording today as our typical day.Milly is not always happy for her private life to be blogged so I checked first.Milly has her own room but likes to sleep on a mattress next to our bed)



Before we started reading Emily was keen to talk about our holiday plans.We are going to New quay in Wales in September and we are taking her older friend with us and she is beside herself with excitement.Emily said she was keen to start a packing list today and wanted to do it on the computer and she also wanted to get a book that she could use as a holiday journal and stick pictures in and write in each day.We talked about her relationship with her friend E and she said it felt like she had an older sister.

We read for quite some time and about 10.30 Alan broke off from painting to come up to remind us about the sale,he and Milly had a cuddle and we decided just to carry on reading when Alan went back to painting.The book prompted a discussion about running away and why someone would feel the need to run away.She talked about options to dealing with problems and said she would never run away.Certainly hope she never feels the need ;-))

We got up and I got dressed quickly and made her a crisp sandwich with chopped apple on the side and water with ice in to drink.(a favourite meal at the moment breakfast,lunch,or tea)She took it back upstairs and chose to listen to a story tape called The Knight of the storms and stars by Terry Deary set in Tudor times.

We were expecting my sister and nephew for Sunday lunch and after I had finished preparing the chicken and trimmings I called up and asked if she would like me to continue reading.She came down and we read some more and when one of the characters described himself as a Pacifist,she reminded me that Simon in the Spiderwick Chronicles had been a pacifist. She said she considers herself a peaceful person and does not like fighting at all, but would not hesitate to defend her friends if they were being threatened.The conversation then moved on to her other best friend who had been away on holiday and did not yet know E was coming on holiday with us and Emily was concerned she would be upset and it is playing on her mind a little.She decided to draw A a picture showing the two of them climbing a tree and Best Friends written across the top, to reassure her that she still loves her.She did most of the card then a conversation we were having as I was cooking reminded her of Harry Potter and she decided to go and watch one of the films.I took her through a snack of fruit and some mint tea I had made from our mint in the garden.

We had a really lovely lunch with My sister and Nephew and then lots of chatting,playing,swinging,trampolining.

When they had gone Alan went back to painting,we had a great sunny day and the forecast was not looking good for the next few days so he wanted to get as much done as possible. I took a while to wash the pots, and in between spent time sitting with Emily as she finished watching Harry potter.When I went upstairs to put something away I decided I would tidy Emily's room.



Yesterday Emily and E got an early start packing for the holiday and sorted out which Bratz they should take with them!!It only took a short time to straighten things up and I fulfilled my need for order and Emily was happy to have a clear floor for more set ups ;-))

Later in the evening Alan and Emily took Beauty for a long walk,Alan said they never stopped talking all the way round and they were out for over an hour.They have an ongoing story about Black eye Bill the pirate who lives in the woods and who has amazing adventures in the different areas they pass on the walk!!
Paddling in the stream in the woods is one of Milly's favourite parts of the walk.I made a light tea for us.They took theirs into the other room to watch Midsomer Murders.Emily loves it.
I browsed on the PC and then sat and watched TV in here for a while.Emily came through at 10 when her programme had finished, she was so pleased this time as she guessed who the murderer was ;-))
I asked if she was heading to bed,she said she would soon but she felt like going outside, so out she skipped, to go on the swing, stroking socks as she went.






Back inside and into a quick bath while I read to her and then all three of us got into bed and read a little more Best friends before lights out and the end of a beautiful day.

I'M BACK ;-))

An unscheduled sleepover is taking place. Much hilarity at the moment as the two girls and Alan bring the mattresses down into the living room.A couple of reasons why they are not sleeping in Emily's room,number one being the fact that 3 guinea pigs are residing in there, we've been looking after them for two weeks for a friend and that's the best place for them so they aren't scared to death by the dog and cat!! The other reason is that when they are in the living room I can't hear all the giggling and whispering so am more likely to get "some" sleep.

A and Emily went swimming with Alan this afternoon whilst I did all the housework,I know it might seem that I got the short end of the straw but we have found that if we take turns and one of us goes out with Emily on a Saturday afternoon the other one can do some housework as most of the house rarely gets touched during the week.I have moved a long way out of my tidying comfort zone and the upstairs is basically left the whole week,the bathroom being an exception and that may get a quick going over midweek.I do vacuum downstairs most days, having a cat and a dog really makes that a necessity and I tend to gather stuff up and take it upstairs as I go up throughout the day, makes for a clear living space during the week but an almighty pile to sort out upstairs ;-)

A came over to play when they got back and then as her sister was having a sleepover at her friends house the two of them thought it would be a good idea for them to have one too.I am hoping they don't spend all night awake as we are going off for lunch and having a walk to celebrate my Brother in laws birthday tomorrow.There is also the chance Emily will try her hand at Kayaking.A tired and grumpy Milly could make hard work of the day.

It actually feels good to be back blogging ;-)
I have had a crap couple of weeks, lot's of emotional stuff going on which in turn has a big impact on my Chronic fatigue symptoms.Home edding with low energy and high emotions is a tricky job:-(

When I started the Hypnotherapy course I knew it was going to be a really deep experience and felt it was just what I needed and it certainly has been.
This is what Rezwanna say's in her first leaflet I got.

We are going to create a clear focused mind,a happy mind, these create in the physical body a sense of well being.The two of these are 100% connected.

The aim is to give you, the power to access the source of existence itself.'life force energy' the positive force.
Expanding the miracle of life and channeling it for your own well being.

How to visualise what you want from life, make it happen by focusing your mind to create it.

How to deal with the hurdles in life, not to take on others emotions.To create the life you want.

Much of this is dependant on your state of health.So we are going to look at how to make yourself strong, by understanding how the breath connects you to the 'life force energy'.

Understanding how to be alert,focused, but have inner relaxation.

Understanding ,balancing and nourishing your 5 vital organs.Your vital organs ;Lungs,heart, liver,spleen and kidneys determine your state of mind,therefore to be balanced the energy into your organs must be balanced.

Understanding that meditation, hypnosis is a very important factor to all of this.Understanding the three minds and it is only through meditation, hypnosis that we can disconnect the conscious mind, connect with the subconscious mind,which is the pathway to communication to the external self(soul)

Understanding how to enjoy life, be childlike and have fun and be responsible when needed also.Enjoying ourselves at the deepest level from moment to moment, then we truly feel alive.

Sounds like a great end product doesn't it:-))


I have been using meditation and Homeopathy alongside other complimentary therapies for quite a few years now and I strongly believe they have been instrumental in the significant improvement in my emotional and physical well being.

This course incorporates techniques from many different cultures and faiths Buddhism, Taoism being two.It also ties in with many books and spiritual readings I have seen over the years.The group has settled into around 7 or 8 of us who go regularly, some of the ladies I knew from my monthly meditation group some I had never met before and it feels good to be supported by and supportive of, the group.

We have been doing some work on healing the inner child and this has been quite emotional but so rewarding.Rezwanna is such an inspiration, she is very down to earth and funny but is so wise and intuitive.She is charging a nominal amount for the classes and I believe she really wants to make a difference not a fortune;-)

Instead of blogging I have found the time to read the daily digests I have been recieving from the Unschooling basics Yahoo group I joined ages ago.I have felt for some time that I was going through a transitional period. I had a good grip on what unschooling looks like but have been struggling to understand Radical unschooling and how that could work for us.I read the philosophy and 'feel' it is right for us but translating that into day to day and how to make it work was harder.Reading all the topics on the list has helped enormously as has a new Radical Unschoolers group that has just been set up.I think a lot of people think of unschooling and radical unschooling as an easy option and that the parents take a very hands off approach to schooling and parenting. As I delve even deeper into it I am reminded that is far from the case.Radical unschooling excites me,I am enjoying the whole process of growth that we as a family are going through, even though it is not always painless.We have quite a way to go but I will keep on reading and learning,however that will have to stop on Learn nothing day :-))

Back to normal soon?

I would love to say I have been absent because of the exciting fun packed days taking all my time and energy,however that would be a big porky pie;-)

We have been through what I will describe as a lull.Probably a well deserved lull but not very blogworthy.

Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon.

A day of two halves.

Things started slowly today with a nice lie in and then pottering about until we went out at twelve.We were going to support our local village hall, the commitee had arranged an open garden day and Milly was very keen to go around so she decided to dress up for the occasion.



We are going to see Mcfly in concert in August and have purchased a top with stars on,it seems stars are important for Mcfly!! Anyhow she has been wearing it over the last few days with leggings but came down this morning with it over a skirt and leggings combo.Then she added the leg warmers and asked me to customize a pair of long socks my sister had bought her for christmas that had toes in, she could never wear them as socks so asked me to cut off a little bit of the toes to make them into fingerless gloves.



A picture of the effect from the back.



We managed to get round a few gardens,my favourite was actually an allotment, the lady is a real inspiration.She spends hours and hours on her plot she has a greenhouse/shed arrangement where she grows things but can also sit in a comfy chair listen to music and have a cuppa.She dosen't throw anything away and has utilised allsorts as plant supports, frames have been made from old metal bunk beds and wire fridge baskets and yet it all looks so good and not at all like a junk yard.

After a while our plan to go out before lunch proved flawed.We did get round one half of the village before Emily decided she had had enough and needed some food.Managed to keep in my mind a wonderful quote I read on the New Unschooler the other day and went to the hall for some tea and cakes.The revised plan to accomodate Emily was that Alan would carry on round and I would go home with Milly and get lunch ready and then I would try to get out after lunch whilst they took Beauty off to St Bees to go along the coastal path.As it turned out the plan changed again Al came home and after lunch they decided to head off and get back for tea rather than having the picnic tea they had planned. Talk about adapting and going with the flow!!!!


Milly just couldn't resist the water.



Recreating the famous scene from the blog header ;-))




Dog and girl in heaven.






We are so lucky to live so close to this.






Emily striking a windswept pose.



Having a little breather.



While they were out I had a list of jobs,the quiet start to the day turned into a marathon cooking session.I had soup to make for one night this week,I had all the veg in the fridge but I hadn't got it used for tea during the last week and it was starting to go limp so I needed to use it up ,bolognese sauce to make ready to go in a Lasagne one night this week,similar reason as I had got the mince out of the freezer but had not used it,write letters,send emails,secret sauce for homemade pizza to make and freeze,tonights tea to prepare.

Under normal cicumstances I would never choose to do this many jobs but I didn't have a good week health wise and things kind of piled up.As we have quite a few things on this week I needed to get these done and it will save me making meals when I have had busy days out.So it will all pay off in the end.

Never did get out to see the rest of the gardens and was still hard at it when the intrepid explorers came back.All were suitably tired,Beauty flopped down in the sunroom not to be heard from for a couple of hours.Emily went in a bath then listened to a story tape flat out on her bean bag while I finished prepping tea and trying to sort out some computer problems.Unbeknown to me after Emily had come down Alan decided to have a lie down and fell asleep .He only got up in time for tea because he woke himself up snoring!!!

Blogger isn't checking spelling.I am shattered and am sure there must be many but hey ho.....

EXCELLENT

Ever since we took Emily out of school our whole lives have changed dramatically.We have relaxed into a way of life that is much more fluid.We have evolved from a routine set by the clock to no real routine at all.We get up when we wake up and eat when we are hungry.Bedtime for Emily can be 7.30 as is the case tonight or 10.30 as it was a few nights ago.In many ways we are lucky that Emily is not too much of a night owl but if she wanted to stay up later we would find a way to accommodate her that worked for all of us.

Unschooling has become so much more than giving Emily choice in what she "learns" our whole parenting philosophy has had an overhaul. I so often wish I was better at capturing our days in words and feel sometimes I don't always get the point across very well.In the last post when I wrote about sitting on the harbour it struck me after re reading it that most caring parents would have sat out with their child,I did forget to mention two other occasions where we had had a similar experience and had all ended up cold and pretty miserable with a portion of Emily's meal being dropped on the pavement trying to eat and hold on to it at the same time :-( My point really was how we have changed our approach to parenting and instead of pointing out the previous times and using them as a way to get Emily to do what we felt was best we just accepted that it was important for her to be out side and it wasn't going to kill us to facilitate that.It is also most likely that one of us would have felt the need to comment on the "wise" decision she made about sitting in the car next time because it would have made us "right".These little scenarios crop up so many times in a day and our decision to move towards a non coercive way is most definitely not an easy one,we don't always do the best we could in a situation,sometimes we are truly crap at doing the best thing and revert to the old ways.We may stray off the path we have chosen to go down but manage to fight our way back through the undergrowth and get back on track;-) Any how it didn't make sense to me when I re read it and I hope that makes a little bit more sense now if any of you thought the same?

I truly believe with all of my heart that this way of life is right for us and is just what Emily needs.Having said that I have spent the last few weeks worrying myself silly.I read so many blogs(unschooling and other) where the children are so motivated to learn and are producing wonderful art and have rich and varied interests and I have felt so envious.For quite some time now it has seemed that all Emily has really wanted to do is listen to story tapes and when she is not listening to one she wanted to be read to and we had four different books on the go at once.We have been on outings and as soon as we are back in she has gone up to our room to listen to the CD she has wanted her food up there and has done very little of anything else when we are at home.She has not been on the computer for what seems like months and apart from a couple of films has not watched TV over the past few weeks,she has done very little drawing, she is so into the story's.I have questioned how I would feel if she was reading rather than listening to a tape or CD and to be fair I think I would still have worried.Initially it didn't worry me but gradually I began to get twitchy,it just seemed so reclusive and obsessive.My instinct was to let her work through it and although I offered things up they were most often declined so I just bit my lip and let her carry on.I can't tell you how hard it has been and for the first time I have seriously considered a more structured approach. I heard all the "I told you so voices" in my head when I thought about the future and saw her unmotivated and lounging around with no interests.

Thankfully before I did anything stupid some evidence appeared to show me that is unlikely to be the outcome.Milly has enjoyed The Lottie project on CD a couple of times now and got it out again when my mum took her to the library on Tuesday.She stopped listening to Alex Rider and put it on immediately they got home,the next day she showed me a story she had started.It is about a young Victorian nursery maid it is beautifully illustrated and there is a lot of writing and the story is obviously based on the Lottie project but with an Emily twist.The things she has learnt by "just" listening to story's are all coming out in the words she is using in her book, the history involved and the life she has developed for her Lottie character and all the other characters she has created in the story.She has said this is the best thing she has ever done and never wants it to end, she is writing obsessively(see a pattern emerging!!) and is so proud of it that she wants me to put pictures on here.She wants to get a book about Victorian nursery maids to learn more about their lives.Unfortunately the library was closed so we will have to go again,any ideas for book titles would be greatly appreciated.We went into Wilkinson's as she wanted a spiral bound book to write in and to stick the pages she had already written into.She wanted plain pages as she said she found it too restrictive to write with lines.I had it in my mind to say something but decided to hold my tongue until we had looked around and as there were no pads without lines I just casually said that I often found it easier to write with lines as it kept my writing straight and we continued to look for other bits and bobs and then she went back and got a pad and we headed home.She ended up re writing all the pages(very proud of herself as it was so neat and within the lines) instead of sticking them in the book and re drew the pictures.It now goes every where with her and I am sure she will get great pleasure from developing her story.However long it lasts I am happy for her.I can read the story as most of the words are spelt phonetically but I love to hear her read it,she knows where she wants a breath or when the character changes and she reads with great expression.She read it to her friend when we picked her up from school and when A asked why the girl in the story couldn't see her family Emily explained about nursemaids and how they went into service quite young and didn't get to go home very often. My fear has been calmed,Emily has her own way of doing things (she always has so you would think I would have learnt by now!!) they are different to mine and different to many other children but she is learning and she does have passions and interests.I am really hoping that in the future I stop needing these demonstrations of "learning" and just accept.

Life will be so much easier then ;-))

Emily came down with Al to get some supper as she felt a bit peckish and asked what I was writing about and I said I was just trying to explain how our lives had changed since she came out of school and she suggested I just write EXCELLENT in big letters right across the page, I suppose that does sum it up quite well ;-))

All's well that ends well.

Two posts in two days,almost feels like old times ;-)

We have had a really strange day today when things just didn't happen as we had expected them to.

We set off and dropped Alan off at the hospital and went in to the town to meet a friend and her son at a soft play center.I had been into the town on a few occasions but had never driven,in a panic at a junction I took a slight detour and we ended up on a scenic route around the lovely one way system to the car park :-)

When we were planning the outing my friend and I had had a discussion about a journey myself and another couple of friends had been on to a center in a neighbouring town that had closed on a Monday. I had meant to phone yesterday just to make sure this one was open but forgot.Emily was so excited as we hadn't been for ages and she almost dragged me along the street to the entrance and yes you guessed it, it was closed :-(

She is feeling so fragile at present and she just crumbled and cried and blamed me for not checking,my initial reaction was to be defensive however I breathed and took a moment and I just hugged her and empathised rather than pointing out my reasons for failing to check and how it really wasn't my fault.She calmed down quite quickly and we discussed our options which unfortunately in her opinion weren't a patch on the soft play.Our friends came and E who is 6 was also upset but was so keen to spend time with Emily that he was OK with going to the park.Luckily it was a sunny day and we set off with a rather sullen Milly.It didn't take long for her to perk up,I got some crisps and innocent smoothies from Morrisons and also some bubble gum which is her new craze at the moment(took a while but she can now blow bubbles and is immensely pleased with herself)I have to say I am not keen on the stuff but I am not 9 and I do remember many happy hours chewing and blowing bubbles when I was her age so can live with it.

In the end we spent one and half hours at the park and then just as we were walking to McDonald's for some food a nurse from the hospital rang. I had been expecting Alan to ring to let us know he needed picking up so got a bit of a shock at first thinking something had gone wrong, however everything was OK and we had lunch and then walked back to the car park.Said our goodbyes and E gave Emily a lovely hug and kissed her neck as he couldn't reach her cheek :-))

Just to complete the journey we took a wrong turn and saw rather more of the town than I would have liked and after a few more wrong turns ended up at the other side of town but at least on a road I knew!! 20 minutes late for Al .In the examination they had found an inflamed area and have taken biopsies, so now we wait three weeks for the results.

Back home for a rest and then as Alan hadn't been able to get the fish and chips he had wanted for lunch we decided to go to a nearby seaside town where there is a really good chippy and sit by the sea.

However true to form the chippy was closed and after many attempts we ended up in another town and found what seemed to be the only chippy open on a Monday night!! As it turned out they were lovely and we sat out overlooking the sea but it was rather less scenic in a much more industrial part.Milly had her binoculars and was keen to be outside, we were less keen as it had taken us some time to find the chippy and the sun had gone ,we suggested it was too windy and cold but decided as it was so important to her that it would be much kinder to sit with her than make her sit in the car. We put out the picnic mat on the harbour wall,put on our fleeces,and held on tightly to the paper while eating our tea. After five minutes Milly casually commented on being a little cold and said that in future she would probably sit in the car unless it was really warm.We both managed not to say "I told you so"or any words to that effect, maybe we are both growing up!!!

So, things didn't go quite according to plan today but as my old Nan used to say, all's well that ends well..

A summery note.

This wonderful geranium brightens up my driveway, the photo actually doesn't do it justice, the purple is much deeper.No real reason to show it,I just fancied opening with a summery pic:-))

Emily started feeling sick last Saturday night,from about midnight we made numerous visits to the bathroom.We had my nephew staying and had to be quiet so as not to wake him. At 4 am as she was sat on the loo and we were having a whispered chat she informed me that she thought he might be a bad omen because the last time he had stayed she had been ill as well.She spent the next night coughing continually and for the next four days spent most of the time in our room listening to her story tapes watching DVDs and resting.Whatever it was knocked her out and she is still not 100%.She has been quite emotional and not wanting to venture far.

Bit of a pity really as we had planned to stay over at my sisters this weekend to look after the animals and clean the two holiday cottages they have attached to the house.This is something Emily normally loves to do but really wasn't keen to go.I would of gone on my own but Alan was working and so I couldn't leave her here.We set off after A had gone home on Friday night and got to my sisters around 8.We unpacked and went to see to the donkeys and chickens.Last time we had been Emily was so confident with them but this time was very scared and wanted me to do everything for them.We went in and took a glass of wine(Emily had a tiny bit with some water in) into the bath.It was great to be in a large bath with the tap in the middle so we both had room.We had a good chat and then she got out so I could add some more hot water in and she wrapped herself in a towel and opened the bathroom window and sat with her legs dangling out so she could watch the sun set over the fields.It really is an idyllic place.Got ourselves bundled up in bed and I read for a while and then lay with her til she dozed off and then I went down to watch some TV and have another glass of wine:-))

I had to wake Milly up at 9 and went to see to the animals before getting breakfast,then Mum and dad came over to help us clean the two cottages. We got them done in double quick time,which was a good job as the first guests arrived over 2 hours early!!

Home in time for tea and Dr who on Sat then an early night for me and a long lie in this morning.Under normal circumstances as it was Fathers day Al would have got a lie in and we would have made him breakfast in bed but he needed to be up by 7 to take some medicine, he is going in to hospital for a flexible sigmoidoscopy (bowel examination) on Mon. He has not been able to have any food today and has had a very effective laxative to take!Never one to let anything hold him back he has still managed to do a couple of the big jobs in the garden that he wanted to get done and taken Beauty out for two walks and he hasn't once moaned about not being able to eat or the constant trips to the loo!!He really is an inspiration,it has to be said I would have handled the day quite differently and sadly not in a good way!!!Fathers day has been postponed until next Sunday.

I am getting up in the morning so he can have a lie in and then we will drop him off at the hospital and meet up with a friend for a trip to a nearby soft play centre.When we pick him up he has requested fish and chips by the seafront:-)

Some other shots from the garden to end on a summery note....








This one shows some growth in the veggie plot,things seem to be growing so slowly I think I was late planting or maybe it was the cold snap just after I put things in and that gave them a bit of a shock.Either way we have not had one thing from our plot as yet,unless you count mint and parsley.I have planted cut and come again lettuce 3 times and each time it has come and gone again, pesky slugs!!!
I will attempt it once more but intend to try in a tub this time.My first two attempts to grow peas also failed but as we speak the third lot are pushing their first tender shoots through and have been protected by organic slug pellets so fingers crossed.I was given a tip about using 4 pt milk bottles as individual cloches so have transplanted some broccolli over and will see how they do.I am getting immense satisfaction from the whole process although it has to be said the watering each night can be a little time consuming.I would like Emily to take more interest but she really isn't that keen to be involved and turned down my offer of her own little plot.In previous years she has humoured me and planted things in a tub in a half hearted way.This year I have just accepted she is not interested in the process as such but I know she will enjoy the end products, especially the peas straight from the pod, if the slugs are deterred from munching this last lot of course;-)

A fairly quiet week..

I am finding blogging when the weather is nice really hard,so much easier when it is cold and dark outside on an evening;-)

Alan had last week off and he and Emily had some nice afternoons out and I got some jobs done that have been put off and then put off again.



This hides behind the sofa in the living room.Out of sight out of mind ;-)


Thursday Alan got on with the mountain of jobs we had to in the garden that were too physical for me to tackle.This rockery area is at the top of the side garden.



I didn't manage to get a before picture but it was a real mess, a couple of years ago I had bought some Euphorbia which is a gorgeous plant with tall light green "flowers" in the spring the unfortunate thing is that it spreads a lot and it had quickly overrun the rockery and all the other plants in it:-( Quite a job to clear it but we have plans for the area inspired by the lovely Grit more on that later.

While Al was tackling the rockery and other bit's and bob's Emily and I had a lovely day out with my Sister and Nephew at Muncaster castle it was the annual Festival of fools and the sun shone and the fools entertained us for hours.The winner AJ was superb,he was extremely funny and had me crying with laughter.We were there later in the afternoon than we usually are and got to see the Herons been fed for the first time.The front of the Castle has a fabulous view overlooking the estuary and you can see for miles.At 4.30 every day 18 Herons swoop down for food,quite a sight.I was sitting on the benches earlier in the afternoon watching them fly around, they really are elegant birds to watch.

It was Alan's birthday on the Saturday and we had planned a trip to Dalton in Furness to the Zoo It was a horrible 2 hour journey along a twisty road on a hot and sunny morning, Emily and I felt sick and were glad when we finally arrived.The zoo was good but Emily said she preferred the small animal park near us,mainly I think because of the horrid journey. At one point the day deteriorated and she informed me I was the worst mother in the world and that she was never going to speak to me again.It seems I could of handled that incident better!!!Milly is quick to the boil but after simmering for a time she apologised and we had a big hug and ended the day well.Hormonal females at each end of the spectrum is proving to be interesting :-)
Couldn't resist taking this picture of three sleeping lemur's if you click on you will see the one on the bottom of the picture has been gagged :-))



Since then things have been fairly quiet the rest of this week,it has taken me a while to get back to full strength so we have not ventured far. Lot's of gardening for me and lot's of story tapes for Emily.She has started on the Alex rider series and is now in spy mode ;-)

An unscheduled DVD fest.

After feeling so positive last Thursday things took a nose dive and I haven't been dressed for 3 days.Watched all the Lord of the Rings trilogy plus other DVDs and have been incapable of much else.

A little person who was also feeling under the weather,wrapped up and listening to a story tape.

Could this be the beginning of something Big?

What a fantastic day today has been:-))

Emily came down around 8.30 (after going to sleep at 7.30 last night)She had got to sleep around 1.30 am on the Tuesday sleepover but they had both slept in til 10 am which wasn't bad but she was still tired obviously...

After reading some of The Golden compass she went to watch the Golden compass on DVD for the second time in two days,while I threw the vacum around. She got part way through before we needed to go out.Just as we got to the front door my sister arrived,she knew we were heading off but had popped in for five and to see our new veggie area so I willingly showed it off and then we had a natter and headed out.

We spent the morning at the food coop as usual.Milly played and I chatted whilst packing up the fruit, setting up and the packing up takes approx 1hour and then from 11 til 12 we just chat and drink tea and chat to the folks coming to collect their bags,not a bad morning eh;-))

Home for a quick lunch,and more of the Golden compass DVD for Milly then at Milly's request(very unusual for her to actually request to go out)we went off to Trotters World the local animal park.It was a pleasant afternoon weather wise and we had a great time.Emily was in fine form and was funny and great company to be with.We got to see the Lynx being fed and it was amazing to see it in motion and jumping up to get the piece of venison on a rope, as we only ever see it sitting on the rock.I was probably more interested in it than Emily though,she had found a "good" stick and was more interested in prodding that in things and wondering what would happen if she were to touch the electrified fence with it and whether sparks would be visible.At one point she was walking around with the stick behind her neck like a yoke with her arms hanging over the top of the stick and her head hanging down limply and the story was that she had been a robber and she had had a stone thrown at her as punishment and had died and she was hanging on the tower of London for all to see as a deterrent!!!

We very nearly got a fantastic close up of the peacock,it was in a marquee and Emily got within stroking distance and went to get her phone out(not too sure if I blogged about the mobile? She got it for 19.99 from Argos, long story as to the whys and wherefore's but she paid for it herself and after initially texting a couple of Aunts and her friend who has one and pretending to be on the phone round Tesco's etc it has hibernated in her bag just as I suspected it would,but gets taken out to take photo's now and again) as she was about to take it out the bird screeched so loudly we both shot back,Milly is not good with loud shocks and I thought she was going to burst out crying which would be the usual situation,she held it together but did not want to take the photo at all and just wanted to get out of there.Pity though cos it would have been a great shot.

In the car on the way home we heard that Mcfly are coming to Carlisle this summer and Milly is keen to go so it looks like I will be getting to see them too;-)) Her first live gig and my first open air one too.My good friend M and her daughter E (who is the one responsible for introducing Emily to the boy's) will also be going with us.So at nine sharp I will be on the phone to try to get tickets,fingers crossed....

Back home to make tea and I was flagging but had arranged to go to a Hypnotherapy course and it was the first night.Rezwanna who does my massage ,reflexology etc was running it.I was quite excited as it promised to be a really healing series of workshops and I was looking forward to it but it involved going out at 7.00 and not getting back til 9.30 and I am not good in the evenings as my energy is so low.I suppose the other thing holding me back was the fact there would be people I didn't know there and I am not good in new groups but on the plus side a couple of the girls I meditate with were going so I talked myself into going and I am so glad I did.We sat in the garden (which was a little nippy but it was nice to be outside) there were around 15 of us and I think it is going to prove be the most exciting thing I have done.It is about healing yourself physically ,mentally and emotionally and empowering yourself using hypnotherapy techniques.It seems to bring together so many elements that I have been reading about and attempting to practice over the last few years in a very easy and workable way.Can't wait for the next one.

Planning department failed to plan, causing major wobble...

One of the things that I had a hard time dealing with when we were deciding whether to take Emily out of school was the fact she was an only child and I felt that by taking her out of school we were condemning her to a lonely life without all those kids in school to play with.

As it turns out Emily was very lonely at school even with all those kids to play with and eventually that concept lost any validity. However over the last 14 months there have been days when the worry about her being lonely is overwhelming.
Most of the time I think we have a good balance of being with friends and having the down time that I know she needs,but sometimes the balance is off.

I think the nicer weather has been a trigger for her feeling left out and lonely.Her best friend A lives at the other end of the village and on the nights she is staying with her mum (parents split up and she stays 4 nights with mum) she has children who live near her and they spend time playing on the allotments, this happens spontaneously and last week Emily expressed a wish that she had friends nearby to play with in that way.Now the rational side of me accepted the fact that quite naturally she was feeling a little lonely and that I had not been as proactive in arranging play dates etc and that we could work on ways to ensure she see's more friends. Then within a short space of time (after watching her swinging on her own in the garden looking,in my opinion,sad) the totally irrational side took over and blew it up out of all proportion,all the old fears came back and I felt so responsible for her sadness.

It took me a while but I let the irrational thinking go and looked at it for what it was without projecting all my own fears and assumptions.Emily does like company but she also needs her own space and it was simply that the balance was off and thankfully this week we had things planned that have allowed me to see a more balanced view.

Monday she had a play date,Tuesday she was with her cousin,then had a sleepover with E ,today was Home ed and she made some new connections with a couple of the boys there.A friend they normally play with wasn't there and they were more involved with the other children and Emily got to play with them both at group and later when we went back to my friends house for a cuppa, so a stronger connection and the possibility they would come to play means another couple of playmates in the future.Tomorrow she will have 3 hours playing with two other home ed friends,some weeks they are great mates some not so great but generally a good experience for her.Friday best friend A will be here for tea.Things don't just happen, her friends don't just live up the street and it takes work to plan things,her group of friends has taken time to evolve but is still growing.I just let things slide a little in the planning dept and had a wobbly few days because of it.

Friends of all ages.

I have taken five to blog so I don't have a whole week to catch up on again;-))

We had one of our home ed group friends over for the afternoon yesterday and Emily and her little six year old boy got on really well, as the weather was nice they spent most of the time in the garden.It was not warm enough for us to sit out so we sat in and chatted which was very pleasant indeed and we got to know each other a little better.We had made some cookies and luckily there was nothing in them that E was allergic to so he managed three of them;-)) We had made some fresh play dough up as well but that wasn't required so I must remember it is in the cupboard and get it out sometime before it goes off!!

Alan went off to his Tai chi and in past weeks Emily has waited up for him,however she came in from playing in the garden at 7.00 looking really tired,I said I was going in a bath and would she like to join me and she said she would and then go to bed.We had a giggle in the bath,we really need a much bigger tub now she is growing so much!!! Into bed to read The Golden Compass (We had started it some time ago but had not got too far into it and it was put to one side,listening to the end of the trilogy on story CD had sparked her wanting to pick it back up again) usually when I say I am going to stop reading she asks for more but tonight she just said "goodnight" and gave hugs and kisses and rolled over and got settled and was asleep quite quickly.That's two nights when she has decided to go up early.She didn't wake til 9 this morning so is obviously needing even more sleep than is usual for her, and she is a girl who likes/needs a lot of rest.

Tonight is definately not going to be an early night as we have E here for a sleepover.We picked her up around 5.30 to come back here for tea.One of the things I love about her is that although she is 14 she really likes to role play and the two of them like the same stuff so tonight has been a "game"(for want of a better word) involving Spiderwick and Golden Compass characters.We lit the chimanea(logs are drier so no smoke and pleased to say we are not smelling like a bonfire)played a game of pass the pigs and a couple of card games before coming in at 8.30, them to watch some primeval on DVD and me to wash up and tidy round,Al finished watering the veggies and then sat in front of the fire in the garden having a well deserved five minutes quiet thinking time.

Weekly catch up....

This week has flown by.We have enjoyed the weather and spent lot's of time in the garden both working and relaxing.Milly has requested lot's of reading and when possible I have managed to read whilst lying on a lounger catching the sun;-))

I had a blip over the last couple of days as my period finally arrived and after feeling loving and giving for quite a while,changed overnight into the fire breathing dragon with murderous mood swings and severe irritability.Not too proud of myself on occasions and feel guilty about my lack of patience and the burning need to be left alone.I hate that this keeps happening and that Emily ends up being the one that suffers,well actually not just Emily ,the relationship between the two of us also suffers....

Things we got up to this week.Or at least the things I can remember!!!

A nice quiet day at home on Monday, spent mostly in the garden.Milly has been really into story tapes and re reading the roman mysteries series and has turned down many suggestions to do other things,TV has played a very small role this week there have been many days she has not watched any at all. I have read a lot of one Roman Mystery book and when I have been unable to read for whatever reason she has put on the CD story of another roman mysteries tale and listened to that whilst swinging outside.

I went to my monthly meditation meeting on Tuesday.
Had a good natter and a short meditation, we really should meet more often then we might not have quite so much to talk about, what am I saying we would probably still spend the time chatting:-)) Emily spent time with Granny and Granddad and then we went to look after my nephew after school.

Home Ed group for a couple of hours on Wed lunchtime we took Milly's teenager friend with us while her mum and brother stayed home and then went back to her house with some of the others for a chat while the kids played in the garden.

Thursday I was due to have a tooth out but woke with a migraine probably brought on because I was panicking about having the tooth out!! Anyway I cancelled and will now have to wait till July to have it removed.Milly and I spent time in the garden when the headache had eased off a bit.Milly was very needy and kept asking me to read as we had got to an exciting part in the story, I was in a p***y mood and was not as kind as I could have been and we had a tetchy day.

Luckily feeling a little better on Friday, as we had arranged to go out with a friend and her two to The Heavy Horse centre. I drove and after a detour into town so we could both get some cash(both very unorganised people who often get places without a penny in our purses!!)we arrived in time for a carriage ride, not a heavy horse pulling this one but a nippy little pony in a small carriage, we loved the ride but it was even better when we got back in to the barn and it took off and cornered at speed, great fun!!!!Lunch in the cafe and the kids enjoyed playing in the playground and looking at the pigs, guinea pigs, rabbits and birds that were around there. The pigs were so cute and really chatty with lots of grunting;-)))
The proprietor then gave a talk as the different breeds were brought in to the barn. There were clydsdales,Shires,Percheron,Ardennes and the rare Suffolk Punch. They are amazing horses and the guy was a real character, so very entertaining. Then on to a large carriage pulled by two Clydesdales and the kids loved it. We then had a cuppa and a chat to the staff while the kids played in the park just outside the cafe.Back home in time for Emily to meet A off the school bus to go for tea at her house and then I went off shopping.

On my way back through the village I noticed some boys in the field behind a wall and as I passed they threw a large balloon filled with water that banged into the windscreen and burst,I was scared out of my wits and it could so easily have caused an accident, I pulled in to our drive ,they had obviously gone but had they been around I am not too sure I would have been able to contain my anger at such a stupid and dangerous stunt.
I was going to call the police but it would serve no purpose as I had no identification and they had gone from the scene.

Some time ago a family was moved into a local housing authority house and we heard real horror stories about drug dealing and stealing and the sons carrying knives . There was a village meeting to see if the decision could be reversed but it was too late as they had already been given the keys.At the time there was a lot of talk about giving them a chance.It has taken a few months but the behaviour of the two sons and their influence on the local teenagers has become a real problem and alongside drinking in the park til late at night playing loud music and leaving bottles etc strewn around, sleeping out in the play park and setting fire to the bandstand in the kids play area, they are terrorising people who have called the police out due to their anti social behaviour .It is getting out of hand and our small village has gone from a quiet and friendly place to one where you never know where the next damage is going to happen.I am going to report what happened but after attending meetings with the local community policeman we really are fighting a loosing battle,these kids are streetwise and know what little the police can actually do,it will just get added to the growing list of anti social behaviour that is being reported.

A couple of people in the village who work with youth offenders have set up a youth club type meeting on a Thursday evening and hope that through forming a relationship with them they will feel part of the community ,not victimised as they said they felt, because they were getting blamed for everything that went wrong. I think some of the teens involved may have got out of their depth and would be glad to step back from the trouble but the two boys with the alleged drug dealing father may not be as easy to persuade that being part of a community is a good thing to be. Time will tell, all I know is that as the lighter nights have arrived their presence on the streets has increased and the cars speeding through the village have also increased.

I had planned to take Emily out to a local small animal farm on Saturday but woke with another Migraine, I asked if she wanted to go and she said she did but wanted what was best for me, bless her. I had a bath but felt no better so had to get in to bed.She settled me in and got me extra blankets and pillows and decided she would get my lunch,it was 11.15 by now.She made her speciality toasted cheese sandwich,a mini flake, a bag of buttons, a bag of crisps and half an apple which she had cut and cored herself.I have to say as I was lying there I did debate whether I should go down to ensure there was no blood shed but decided that would do more harm than if she did cut herself!!! She did nick her finger but she was so proud of herself for looking after me. She apologised that it wasn’t the most healthy meal but I said that didn’t matter a jot and ate the lot.Al came home from work at two and I finally managed to get up at tea time and sat to watch Dr Who with them.

Today we went over to my sisters to meet Buttons the donkey, it was a family affair we drove my other sister and nephew over and Mum and dad came for lunch as well. Buttons is adorable, a chocolate brown colour with a white muzzle and so calm and placid.,Meg has softened toward him and now lets him sleep in the stable and will stand near him outside. My sister made a great lunch, then out near the donkey's in the field, to play badminton and Boule I had a game of Boule with Al ,then Emily and I had a game but she spent most of her time either with the donkeys or sitting on a high wall talking with Pan ( her daemon) she is listening to the Amber spyglass story tapes of the final part of the Northern lights trilogy and daemons are playing a large part in our lives again,not that they ever actually went away!!! She has not heard the second book yet but doesn't mind at all and said she will just get it from the library and either listen to tapes if they have them or we could read it to her.

Seeing red....

Over the last week we have had a bit of a garden makeover.
Another makeover has involved Emily and her hair colour.She has been talking for ages now about dying her hair red and I got some cheap wash out sachets and kept them in the bathroom but she never wanted to use them when it came to hair washing and they sat there for over two months until last week when she decided it was time to give it a go.



She loves the colour and says she looks like Ginny Weasly now;-))
I am going to get a natural henna dye to do it in future as the sachet we used washes out after three washes,I would much prefer not to be putting all those chemicals on her head, just need to do some research about henna.It will probably turn out to be more of an actual red shade than this is.Milly would like to go black but I will have to work up to that!!Strange that I find red hair easier to go for......

What a week that was.....

This has been a great week helped in no small part by the fantastic weather.Alan choose the right week to have off and he has enjoyed spending every day in the garden,however this has been no lounging around week,he was a man with a mission and never one to give less than 100% this is what he achieved in a little over 5 days.

This was the before picture looking from the side of the house around a month ago



Here is a similar view from the side showing the new table area and the border that has been cleared to make way for more veg to be planted.The fence has another rung on it as we wanted to make sure Beauty couldn't leap over at all, there is an area of the side garden that is not fenced and she has escaped over there once before when the gate was left open,and "surprised" a lovely couple and their Bishon frise....



How it used to look,a view from the shed across to the border.



Here it is now,there is Jasmine climbing up the tripods, parsley growing in the pots alongside lavender.Coriander and basil seeds freshly planted today in the silver planters.in the beds there are red onions,I will be sowing spring onions in between the rows, cut and come again lettuce,broccoli,parsnips and leaf beet.Netting over the top to stop my cat and others from"visiting".



This is what the view from the fence up into the garden used to look like.



Here it is now.The raised bed has beetroot and carrots in with space left to sow a few more in a couple of weeks.In the large bed( Alan had so many stones to dig out and had to barrow in 15 loads of compost/soil to get it looking like that) we will have peas,sugar snap peas.Green beans,a nice yellow bean my brother in law gave me to try,squash,sweetcorn,courgette,cucumber and aubergine,which are all at present doing great in my sun room.



And last but not least my rhubarb in a cosy spot at the top of the garden.



This all looks fabulous and Alan has been amazing to get this landscaping done.I have thoroughly enjoyed planting and sowing but the test will be exactly what will be produced by this novice gardener by the end of the growing season????
Fingers crossed;-))

Alongside this major job life has gone on at a frantic pace and Emily and I have been busier than ever.I will try to be brief but you may need to stock up with tea and biscuits if you are keen to read on;-))

Saturday,
Milly and I got the bus into Cockermouth to go to the Georgian Fair that's held every year.We used to travel by bus all the time before I started to drive again and we used to really enjoy our journeys,on this occasion I got off at the other end green and non too well.We had to nip in to our favourite pub for a rest and to order a bar meal,which I really enjoyed once I had had time to get over the bumpy ride.

Quite a few people dressed in the period and dancing and acting sketches going on in various parts of the town were quite interesting but overall I found it a little disappointing this year.

Sunday,
A lovely day at home with Alan,some gardening and Al and Emily took Beauty for a good walk.

Monday,
My sister and husband were away in Lanzarote and had asked us if we could spend some time with Meg as she was finding things tough without Strudle around,we jumped at the chance and decided we would go over to Carlisle and visit Tullie House Museum and go to the Spring fair in the park as well before going to see Meg and stay at my sisters overnight. Fabulous time in Tullie house, we went to lunch first and Emily choose to sit near the open french doors and was just in time to have a go at holding Meg the Harris Hawk.



We spent ages in the museum and enjoyed the natural history and animals(stuffed obviously,but very life like displays)in the section on the water life in Cumbrian rivers and other wildlife displays.We didn't have much time left to see the exhibition about Carlisle history and the roman display amongst many others so we had to rush around a bit so we could get to the park before the time was up on the car and my time was up in the energy dept...
We will have to visit again,yeah a museum Emily wants to spend time in!!!
On to the park and we missed going to the spring show as at the play park, the water park and huge sandpit took preference......

When we got to my sisters Meg looked so sad and she just went wherever we did and when we sat on the bench in her field she just stayed with us:-( We gave her far too many carrots and Emily groomed her to within an inch of her life:-)) Meg loved the attention, even the chickens seemed to sense her loneliness and never strayed far from her side.There were three sheep in the field with her that their farmer friend had put in for company as well. Luckily the weather was fabulous.We spent the night and then the next day the vet came to take some blood from Meg and Emily was fascinated to see the process and the lovely young lady vet talked her through what was happening.Meg is getting a new buddy on Monday, a sprightly 19 year old male called buttons is travelling up from the donkey sanctuary in Devon on Monday,fingers crossed they like each other...

Tuesday
Back home in the afternoon for a visit to Rezwanna for Emily.She had a Massage and reflexology,along with some Angel healing and fell in love with Rezwanna.I was also shown some massage techniques to help clear Emily's sinus's, she is having a lot of headaches because of the congestion.
Nice to be home and relax...

Wednesday
Got up in the morning and was having a leisurely breakfast at nine thinking about getting things ready to go to home ed group at 12 when I suddenly remembered we were going with the group to a clay workshop over near Keswick and would have to be there around 11!!! I had not received an e mail with the directions though so had to contact a friend, who was luckily still at home, and got them then set about throwing a picnic together and heading off.
Great place, making things with clay outside under the shade of some trees, picnic in the field near a river where the kids played,fabulous and we get to go back in June to glaze them :-))

Thursday
Usual day today helping at the food coop,Emily and two other home eddded friends had a great time playing in the sunshine and then home in the garden for the afternoon.

Friday
Alan and Emily went off for a picnic to Mirehouse which has great gardens with a play area with assault course type equipment and lots of lovely gardens and walks.Back home for tea and play with best friend A,whilst I went shopping.

saturday
We had a family day out to Muncaster castle and had a picnic and a walk,I did some of the walk and then sat out in front of the Castle with fantastic views and Heron flying around, it was very relaxing.

Sunday
We were due to go off to Rannerdale to see the Bluebells but I was exhausted and we decided to stay home and after a lazy start set too on the last little bit of gardening to finish in the side garden.Emily was a little under the weather and subdued and found it hard to find things to keep herself amused so I would read to her for a bit then head off and give Al instructions before reading a little more.I got to do a little sunbathing as I was reading and I was lying on the lounger so can't complain too much;-))

Phew back on track,not keen on marathon post writing so will attempt to post as usual each day but realy did not have any time or inclination last week.........

Choices choices choices

Hello again,I have been sooooooo busy I have had to make choices where to use my limited energy and unfortunately blogging came at the bottom of the list....

I hope to do a post this evening to catch up on all that has gone on,if not I hope things will get back to normal tommorow when Alan goes back to work;-))

Good friends,playdates,fall outs and garden bliss.

I have finally managed to spend some "real" time in the veg garden.Since I last wrote about the plans we have to turn the whole of the side garden over to veg and fruit over the next couple of years, the weather has been terrible and on the dry days I have always been doing something else and had no energy left to start in the garden.

Well today everything slotted together nicely;-))

I was hanging my washing out this morning and I heard Milly saying hello to someone,my initial instinct was to dive into the shrubbery,I had just got out of the shower and my hair was fluffy and spiky without the aid of wax and I had no makeup on and the oldest and baggiest pair of joggers I own,so looking really good the last thing I needed was to have to talk to someone, but that was exactly what I was going to have to do:-(

Luckily it was my good friend and her kids walking past and she was in a similarly elegant state.She had her hood up to hide the fact her hair hadn't yet been washed and she had no make up on so we made a great pair.We chatted for ages while the kids sat at the front and played,and then they invited Emily to go round to play on their allotment for an hour after lunch,which is just what she did.While she was away I decided to have half an hour in the garden,oh what bliss to be out in the sun with my hands in the soil.

I was due to go and meet A off the school bus with Emily and then stay at her house with them till her mum got home from college.Just as I was about to set off L my friend rang to say she was back early and had seen Emily at the allotments and she could stay with her and I didn't need to go to the bus stop. YAHOOO, I then managed to plant seeds,carrots,beetroot,cut and come again lettuce, fill some tubs with parsley and lavender, plant some thyme in the gravel area and prepare another raised bed for planting,and sit in the back garden for 15 minutes just day dreaming listening to the birds and loving every minute.

Alan came home from work and after a quick breather set about clearing a large bed in the side garden of very established herbaceous planting, a really tough back breaking job,necessary though as that is where our sweetcorn,pots, rhubarb,beans,peas, and broccoli will be going.We managed to have a row over where he should put all the plants( we have tried very hard to give them away but no takers)he was piling them up at the top of the garden, behind some trellis that started off 9 years ago as our compost area, but rapidly became a hellhole with any crap from the garden dumped up there.In my mind not the best thing to add more crap up there,I voiced my opinion and narky pants took offence and downed tools and took the dog for a walk......

Whilst he was gone I sorted the problem,and when he got back explained that we could pile it in the side garden and take it to the tip next week when he is off.He had to question whether they would take it at the tip of course,then admitted it was a sensible idea,so back on speaking terms again we carried on;-))

We got a lot done and by the time Emily got home at seven we were both on our last legs!!!!But oh the sense of acheivment,I love our garden.