Catch-up post

Sorry for not posting in so long, I’ve just been busy with the kid’s half term and stuff. Plus my laptop has died and I have to wait in line for my turn on Paul’s PC.

P & I have also been going through a bad patch, okay a terrible patch. Fingers crossed we are coming out the other side now because it was truly getting to the point where it looked like one of us was going to have to leave. I just hope we can get through this, I hate the bad atmosphere around the kids. We had a good heart to heart last night and finally managed to talk seriously without it evolving into a major row, so that’s a step in the right direction, We have been through these bad patches before, we have been married for 19 yrs this summer after all, but we have agreed to work hard to pull together as we have before.

Harriet is off college for a while (study leave even though she’s finished all her exams???), so we have been spending some time together and probably too much money too. We’ve been shopping in Bristol and at Cribbs. I have a new favourite shop now. Everything I tried on in their Bristol store looked really lovely on.

Mortgage is still not sorted - the solicitors are farting around with paperwork.

Harriet is sulking because I won’t give my permission for her to get a tattoo before her 18th.

Paul is off on a 2 day Aikido course this weekend so I have to entertain the kids myself.

Paul and I had ‘The Big Conversation’ until the early hours this morning and then I couldn’t sleep so I feel well tired today. H and I were going to go to Glastonbury today but she spilt lots of black goo (make-up?) all over her bedroom carpet this morning and it will not come out so I was very angry with her. We only had the neutral coloured carpet put in upstairs less than 12 mths a go and I am always asking her to be careful as it cost a fortune. Paul will probably go APESHIT when he sees it. I have helped her cover it with a rug for now (I’m always the peacemaker) but I am very angry. She needs to learn to take more care of things. It would help if she appeared to care that she has ruined the carpet but she doesn’t.

THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEKEND;
Big Brother tonight
Doctor Who
Sunshine (pleeease!)

Something Weird

Something weird has happened.

I have been concentrating on eating more healthily lately. Mostly Vegan too. I haven’t been obsessive about it and I know my Calorie intake has still been too high.
I have been exercising too. I’ve walked and even rode my bike if at all possible, instead of using the car. It saves petrol, is better for the environment and good exercise. I’ve also started running on the Treadmill again. well, walk / jogging to alternate tracks on my Zen. I’m covering just over 2 miles in 30 minutes every morning.

And the scales have not budged. But I have lost a whole trouser size! My legs and bum have defintely shrunk.

I mean, I’m pleased of course, but I was surprised when I got on the scales and they still said 179 lbs.

Stan & Charlie playing yesterday. The weather was so bad all day they didn’t get a walk until late evening and they had lots of excess energy!
(Click on pic to enlarge)

Half term

Kids are off school for half term.

We spent most of yesterday waiting at Southmead Hospital for Harriet to see the Consultant about her knee. After waiting for hours and hours she was in and out of the consulting room in 5 minutes. LITERALLY. What a waste of a day, not to mention a horrible drive in pouring rain through Bristol and then back again during rush hour!

Still dealing with the mortgage and trying to sort out finances.

My TOM is coming up and the Migraines are escalating again!

Jody washing up for me yesterday;
(Click on pic to enlarge)

Hayfever

I have got to get to the chemists today for some Hayfever tablets. My eyes are very sore and dry (which plays havoc with my contact lenses), I’m sneezing and have a tickly / sore throat.

My car is still at the f***ing garage  waiting to be MOT’ed. The wrong part was ordered to make the fog light work and has had to be re-ordered. Won’t be using THAT garage again.

I had to go to the Mortgage shop to sign more papers this morning. So I walked Jo to school, walked the dogs and then got on my push bike and rode up to the village. I’m Knackered.

I am trying very hard to eat and shop a bit more healthily for all our sakes. It’s so shocking that all the healthy stuff is so expensive. You can buy loads of unhealthy, filling crap for very little in comparison.

Stanley dog has been in a terrible mood for a couple of weeks now. Last time we went to the vets I got a real telling off because he said their teeth were bad from the tinned food I feed them and that I need to change to dry food only. So I’ve been doing that gradually as advised, mixing more and more dry in with the meat until now it is 100% dry. And they are not happy. Charlie has lost weight and hardly eats any but Stan has got quite nasty. He won’t eat much but ‘guards’ the food until I take it away and he snapped at Paul for moving one of his chews. He sulks in his bed most of the day. The vet says it’s tough love, it’s for his own good to make this change but he is so sad and grouchy. I am trying to perservere but I feel so mean.

Busy Week

I have had such a busy week, I’m exhausted.

Trying to sort the Mortgage out, had Valuers in, been filling out forms and going in to the mortgage shop.

We had a business line put in at home for P’s work and the engineer was here hours sorting it out. With the dogs barking at him of course!

Mum came with some bridesmaid dresses for Jody to try on. I think we’ve found the right one. A lovely Ivory sleeveless dress with an embroidered cream and pink bolero jacket over the top and pretty pink sequined shoes.

My Car has been in the garage since Monday. It went in for a service and MOT and was due to be ready at 1pm on Monday afternoon. BUT they keep ringing me with more and more things that need doing to pass the MOT, and they’ve had to order parts. It’s going to cost a bloody fortune.

Tuesday night we went to the Bristol Hoppodrome to see Paul Merton’s Impro Chums. It was a very funny show but a late night for me!!

Harriet is on ‘Study leave’ from college for 4 weeks. Read that as ‘Doing nothing and seeing her boyfriend’. I asked them both (Edd, the boyfriend has been here all day every day as he has the week off work) to take the dogs for a walk for me about an hour ago and they haven’t done that. I really ask H to do very little in the way of chores but if she doesn’t move her butt and take them in the next 20 mins I’m going to have to get mad with her.

Half term for Jo next week.

Taken yesterday;
(Click to see Original Pic)

Update;
Harriet & Edd took the dogs out and have now gone shopping for me. So I’m not mad at all!

Click to see Original Pic.

Friday already?

  Me today
  Hair - It’s growing really quickly and is harder to spike up!
  (Click to enlarge)

Hi, I can’t believe it’s Friday already!
I have had a bit of a busy week and haven’t gotten around to posting here.

So what’s been happening?

Harriet had her General Studies and Psychology exam this week. She is now on ’study leave’ for a few weeks and only has to go in to college for exams, of which she doesn’t have many. She has been discharged from physiotherapy and is down to one crutch to walk any distance. She has been a bit of a sullen so and so this week mind you for some reason. Probably just ‘teenage angst’ but I do wish she wouldn’t take it out on me and her little sister!

Jody has had her SATS this week and seems unfazed. She had a drum lesson from Edd, H’s boyfriend who by the way totally ROCKS on the drums. I am beginning to regret buying them to be honest as she seems to be losing interest already and I’m a bit annoyed. Wouldn’t mind some lessons myself actually although my sense of rhythm leaves a lot to be desired so I’d probably be crap. You should see my dancing!! LOL.

Paul predictably has been working long hours.

I had a 2½ hour appointment at the Mortgage shop on Monday, and came away with a splitting headache after trying to understand all the gobbledegook to do with changing our mortgage. We have actually now applied for one, the house is being valued next week so fingers crossed the prices here haven’t gone down too far or it will bugger the whole thing up. We are not actually going to be much better off with the new mortgage although that is because we are switching to repayment which will take a load off my mind. Luckily the particular mortgage we have gone for absorbs the legal and valuation fees but we do have to pay the mortgage shop charge (ALOT). Add to that my car needs a service AND mot AND taxing next month I’m not sure how we will eat. Good for the diet I s’pose!

Another Job I tackled this week was cutting back the plants at the front of the house. The Ivy had started growing across the windows and the bush in front had grown really tall. Consequently most of the daylight was obscured and the front room was feeling very dark and cave-like. It took me HOURS. Here are some pics of the finished job, now I wish I had taken some ‘before’ photo’s as well!

  Cut Ivy & bush
  (Click to enlarge)

  View from inside
  (Click to enlarge)

The Weekend

Bad day Saturday.
Lots of tears.
Lots of hurt (why do I always hurt MYSELF when I am angry at someone else?)

Better Sunday.

PS…

I hate my brother. My only sibling. This is the second year running he has missed mine and both the kid’s birthdays.
No Card, no text, no e-mail.
If my Grandad / Dad were alive they would be ashamed of him.
He is a Selfish Pig.
I hope he rots in hell.

Happy Birthday Jody!

Thank you for the kind comments on yesterday’s post. I started to feel a little better by late afternoon, and then I took some tablets to send me to sleep at bedtime as I couldn’t get there alone. I had a horrible bunchy feeling in my upper tummy all day, it felt really horrible and I felt short of breath. It took me a while to work out it was probably anxiety I was feeling.

But, moving on to happier things, as you can see from the post title, today is Jody’s 10th birthday! Where has the time gone? I think I have done a bit of a silly thing and bought her a drum kit! Not sure the neighbours are going to thank me either but Jody is happy!

Click to enlarge!

She has scootered off to school now and has a friend coming for tea and a sleepover tonight, plus my mum is coming for tea and Harriet’s boyfriend who has been drumming for 10+ years and is going to give Jo some lessons (God help me!)
Tomorrow I have a Party booked at a local ‘Play farm’ for her and 9 friends. She is sooo spoilt.

Bad Day

Had a very bad day today. Spent it either raging or crying. I don’t know why. The ‘voices’ (my voice?) are getting worse again. they have been over a few days but bad today. For example I was walking home after dropping Jody off at school this morning and this came completely out of the blue and for no reason - ‘ You deserve to die, you should be dead’ over and over in time to my steps. Why would I think that for no reason? nothing had happened. I have been fighting the cutting. I don’t want to do that, the scars are just settling down but pictures of it just pop into my head without control.

What a bloody looney.