Wind... Rain... Whitehaven!

I had to take my sister through to Whitehaven this evening for some kind of presentation/art night thingy after hubby decided that it was probably easier for me to do it coz I was washed and changed.

We got off to a flying start when I was heading for Lillyhall and she wanted me to go through Harrington instead. Yep, great idea, traffic lights on the hill! Made good use of the handbrake I can tell ya. It wasn't raining all that much when we set off, but the closer we got to Whitehaven, the heavier it was, especially going up the hill towards the school!

The poor little car didn't like the hill either. I kept having to drop down into 3rd gear because my speed was dwindling to 25mph at one point. I was just hoping and praying that we'd get up there! Oh, must remember to say that I wandered a little on the road before the turn off to the hill because I thought I'd seen my old instructor, Liz, but it wasn't. We did see her on the way home though! There dear sister, I told everyone, ok..?

Anyway, we got there just after 5pm and she then told me that we had to stay till 6pm for the presentation. Now had I known that, I'd have left it till about 5.30 to go through! I did wonder why she wasn't all that fussed when I'd said earlier that we might be a bit late setting off. Now I know why!

So after many games of eye spy and the eventual presentation at 6pm we set off back home and I was told to avoid the hill coming back, so decided to go through Whitehaven instead. To say I don't know the area is a complete understatement and I nearly went over the top of the roundabout at Sekers, not realising it was raised till it was almost too late! Don't think my mam would've been too chuffed if I'd buggered her car up, though I did try to flatten her battery when we got home!

I was sitting at the computer earlier on when I got a phonecall from my uncle asking if I had my mam's car. Thinking he was gonna say it'd been pinched from their road or something I said yep, only to be told I'd left the radio on! D'oh! That's my sister's/hubby's fault, that is! If she hadn't wanted driven round to McDonald's and if he'd phoned for our pizza delivery, then I wouldn't have turned the volume off while I was using the phone in McDonald's car park and then forgotten that it was in fact still turned on! Thankfully I found the £20 note that fell out of my pocket as I was getting out or that would've been the icing on the cake...

I Got Me Some New Wheels!

Well, ok, I haven't EXACTLY got me some new wheels, but I do have unlimited access to my mother's car while they're on holiday for 2 weeks! Woohoo! Luckily for me, she added me to the insurance when it was up for renewal, so now I can drive around till my heart's content, as long as I put some juice in it of course.

I went out with her a few weeks back to try and get used to it (can't remember if I blogged about that or not) so I wasn't too bad when I got into it earlier and it's definitely much easier to park than ours! I just don't like the pedals because they're too close together and feel totally different to ours, though I do prefer the clutch! I even braved the hill when fetching my daughter home from Brownies earlier and I've NEVER done that before, not since the stalling episode at the stop junction on Senhouse Street, but I'm finding it increasingly hard to park when dropping her off (and son at Beavers) so I guess I'm gonna have to brave the smaller roads seeing as everyone else has cottoned on to my thinking!

Anyway, it now has pride of place outside my neighbours house, where it will most probably sit till my sister decides she needs to fill up the cupboards again. Probably the day before my parents come home knowing her!

I'm Wasting Away!

I have a family christening to attend this weekend so new clothes were to be bought for all. Daughter sorted in New Look, mind it took all weekend! Son sorted in Next, wants to wear trousers he always has so no complaints from me! Hubby sorted in Next today, as long as the shirt matches the trousers when he eventually tries them on... Probably next Saturday tea time when it's too late to change it! Me on the other hand. I bought a top from New Look yesterday which I liked and the added bonus of 20% off because of some special event that was going on. Got it home and tried it on. Hhmmm... It looked ok but it was HUGE under the arms and arounds the bust which I found really strange! Under the arms I'm used to because I have to buy a bigger size for the bust anyway, but nope, it looked like a tent on me!

Anyway, off I trot today and surprise, surprise, the 20% event has now finished but I ended up with a totally different top anyway. I tried on the smaller size in the original which looked ok, but I'd kinda gone off it so I've ended up with a kimono style top which I'll have to wear something underneath because it's cut so low at the front! There's cleavage and there's cleavage, but showing your brassiere off at the same time is not all that flattering, especially if it's pink and seen better days!

Many people have asked me recently if I've lost weight, which I haven't, but I guess I've lost inches and hadn't even noticed till now! Still, I'm not complaining, still plenty that I could get rid of anyway!!

My 24 Hours Of Sleep.

The strangest thing happened to me when I was at work yesterday. I suddenly started feeling unsteady on my feet just after having my lunch. It started off just feeling funny if I moved my head to the side a bit, then I felt like I was walking like a crab each time I moved, then this extreme sense of nausea and dizziness swept over me so I headed for the stairs to get a drink of water. I told the boss what I was doing and almost collapsed as I got through the door. Needless to say, I never did get up the stairs! They brought me a drink of water down, and I sat on the stairs for maybe half an hour while they phoned hubby to come and get me.

By the time he arrived, I'd started to feel better and could kind of lift my head off the wall I'd been resting it on, but as soon as I tried to walk, I felt like a drunk crab again! My eyesight started to go funny and I just could not walk in a straight line at all. It was awful!

He took me straight round to the doctors and I saw the nurse who said she couldn't find anything wrong. Temperature, blood pressure, throat and ear tests were all fine so apparently I could have simply fainted whilst standing up, though I don't buy that. Anyway, we came home and I crashed on the sofa. I was there for hours, hubby picked son up from school and everything, then I was literally awake for a couple of hours before I went to bed and zonked straight away.

Today has been much the same if I'm honest. I'd phoned work yesterday and said I wouldn't be making it in today because I still felt so bad, so we both took son to school in the car then came home and I crashed on the sofa again. Woke up at lunchtime and had some dinner. Zonked again, then went to pick son up from school, zonked again and woke up for tea! We headed round to Morrisons for a few bits, though I didn't drive, and I felt sick all the way there and all the way back. That'll teach me, eh?!

I managed a bowl of cereal earlier on, but now I'm knackered and ready for my bed. Honestly, I must've slept more in the past 34 hours than I did the whole of last week (or whenever it was) when it was so hot! Maybe it was simply the heat and exhaustion catching up with me, but whatever it was, I hope it's completely gone by tomorrow. I don't fancy going through more of the same in a hurry!

I Did It!! I Did It!! I Did It!!

I just perfected my very first parallel park without any help whatsoever and without having to shunt in and out of the space!! Hubby was standing talking to our neighbour too, so I even had an audience to witness it! I think that deserves a gold star today.

Frustration Of All Frustrations!!

My son is currently sitting right next to the telly (how many times do I have to tell him to sit back??) watching flipping Max and Ruby on Nick Jr, when I could be finding out what happens to Dawn in EastEnders!

I heard on the news today that there were many complaints about last nights episode, and while I don't understand what so many people were actually complaining about, I do think it was a bit harsh to be showing what they did at 8pm. My kids were in bed though so there was no harm done there.

It's not even as if it's an episode that he hasn't seen before because I've seen it at LEAST 3 times already!! Ruby sends Max to the shop for stuff to make an angel surprise cake with and he wants marshmallows for his mud pie. However, he can't write so simply draws them on her list. It does make you wonder though why she's sending him to the shop on his own when he's obviously so young, but what gets me even more is the fact that they have no parents living with them!! They aren't people mind, they're rabbits who have a grandma that comes to visit occasionally, but no sign of any parents anywhere!!

I know, I'll go watch it upstairs instead. I've missed the first 5 minutes mind, but surely not that much can have happened in 5 minutes! Can it..?

It's Only Taken 3 Months!!

I was out in the car earlier taking my son to and from Beavers, as well as nipping to Morrisons for a few bits that we needed and I had to stop and start so many times that I really didn't know if I was coming or going. Made good use of my lights though!

Many people show their appreciation if you give way to them, but there are still some miserable buggers that just drive past you and don't let on AT ALL which is really annoying. I don't HAVE to pull over when I do you know, I COULD carry on driving and make YOU sit there looking like a prune instead you know!

Anyway, not only did this happen, I actually managed to park in a space all by myself! No help from anyone, though I did have to pull out once to get myself right, and I still managed to hit the kerb, but there was no-one there at all to help me! When I was going back out an hour later, I saw a T&S forum member who could possibly testify to my parking (but who probably didn't take too much notice in it anyway!), but not only him, I saw my instructor out in his car!! It's only taken 3 months for me to actually see him when I've been sitting behind the wheel, but it finally happened, so I did exactly what I shouldn't have done. Flashed a couple of times and waved frantically, all whilst getting ready to turn onto Queen Street. I thought I'd seen him earlier on actually but decided it couldn't have been because he never worked Mondays! Obviously does now though.

It made my night anyway, and I'm hoping it did his, to finally see that I AM driving around and getting much better at it each time I'm out too! Not to blow my own trumpet or anything of course...

Maritime Fun.

Yesterday we headed off to Whitehaven for the maritime festival, knowing that we wouldn't see the Red Arrows because they were there on Friday. However, there was still plenty to do and eat so we made the most of it.

We had originally planned to go on both Saturday AND Sunday, but seeing as the kids wiped us out in one afternoon, it didn't happen! We didn't get there till after 12pm as it was because we had stuff to do in town beforehand, so as soon as we got there it was time to hunt down something for dinner. It never actually crossed my mind to call at the chippy on the way, even though I nipped in the papershop next door for a Times & Star to check for park and ride prices, and even though I picked up crisps and sweets for everyone! Honestly, it would've been so much cheaper and more filling to just buy everyone a bag of chips! It didn't happen though, so as soon as we got there we headed for Greggs, who had nothing but steak bakes and cheese n onion pasties. Not a favourite in my house so it was time for plan B. When the chippy didn't work we decided to just head down to the festival instead. Afterall, traders had been told to kerb their prices apparently... Hhmmm, well that's debatable! £3 for a burger or a hotdog sausage!! Still, it was nice and there was no queue so that was that.

So it was time to head onto the fair. Now my son's not the best of people when it comes to rides because he's really nervous about them and he likes to have his feet firmly on the ground so he wasn't overly keen on the funhouse, until he realised that he didn't have to go through the spinning drum thing because there was a gap to get out at the side of it! They went on many other rides too, though we had to stand and watch the more dubious ones before he would get on them, which I don't blame him for, I'd be the same, especially with some of the bigger ones! I think the highlight of his day though was going on the armadillo with me! He'd already been on with my daughter and had sat on the outside at the front, so as it went round the corner it kind of whipped him round! I later found this out when I went on with him as daughter and hubby went on a bigger ride that I went on years ago and vowed not to ever again! I can't even remember it's name, but I didn't like it anyway, however she loved it! She has no fear that child.

Many prizes were won by hubby, and the kids bought wiggly snake things and a metal slinky (hopefully no chance of breaking it!!) so I headed to my favourite shop in Whitehaven, B&M, and bought a new duvet set! Well they all had something so I was feeling left out! I'm gonna be decorating during my next holiday anyway and I saw the perfect duvet to match the colour I'm painting so I bought it! Never has something been washed, dried and put on the bed so fast, EVER!

We eventually headed home just after 6pm, TRYING to get home in time for Doctor Who, which we did, just, but I had tea to make so ended up missing most of it anyway. Thank god for BBC Three, that's all I can say!

Why Are They Giving Way??

I believe I may have made a silly mistake yesterday when I was taking my son to school. I don't normally drive him to school but it was raining and I didn't want to get wet, especially with the car parked outside so I made an exception. Halfway down our road I came across a car coming the other way so I stopped by a rare gap in the cars and flashed to let them through. I sat there for a little while but they didn't come through, instead, THEY flashed me!! Now I thought this very strange, especially because the space was so big but decided what the hell, they've flashed me through now so I went, waving my appreciation as I passed them and thought nothing more of it.

This morning the rain was twice as heavy and twice as wet so I texted hubby to say I was taking the car to school and work! I instantly got a phone call asking how was I going to when he had the keys at work..? Me being gullible I believed him, till I spotted the keys sitting in their usual home! Lying bugger!

So anyway, I took both kids and friend to school and headed up Oxford Street to park on the car park before heading off to work. As I was driving along, there was a car wanting to turn onto James Street so I flashed them over because I was quite a bit back from the junction. It was then that I realised what I'd done the day before! Instead of flashing at the other car, I'd simply attempted to wash my windscreen but hadn't quite pulled hard enough to get the water out! What a plonker I felt!! Had it been dark, I'd have instantly realised, but it was 8:30am, I was still half asleep and I had my son yapping at me from the back seat! Oh well, hopefully I'll remember for next time...

I Promise That I Will Do My Best...

No, I'm not going back to Girl Guides, I've decided that I really should make my blog a more regular thing, especially as I used to do it daily until I started the driving lessons last year!

I'm hoping for good weather this weekend for the Maritime Festival in Whitehaven, especially as we've decided to go along on both Saturday AND Sunday. That's the theory anyway, whether it happens or not is another matter of course!

I decided to be a lazy bugger this morning and took my son to school in the car. Well it WAS raining and it WAS cold! Mind you, we may as well have walked because we were parked nowhere near the school! Now because he's in the last term of his school year in the infants, my son's school have decided that we should no longer take them up to the classroom and do their morning tasks with them. We now have to drop them off at the cloakroom and let them go up themselves. My son had different ideas this morning though! He insisted that I didn't need to take him, I could just cross him over the road and go, but when I said no to that, he said I could drop him off at the gate!! I'm not ready to let him go in by himself yet though. He's still my baby until he starts the juniors, so I took him to the cloakroom like everyone else! The little sod even ran to the gate, shouted, "Bye mam!" and ran off! No kiss, no nothing!! I know he's excited about growing up and being more independent, but surely he can't begrudge me another 6 weeks of helping him with his coat. September will come soon enough!

A Star Is Born!

The most surreal thing happened to me today. There I was minding my own business, packing the shopping at Morrisons whilst daughter answered the phone to hubby who was asking if I'd remembered the sugar coz he was gagging for a coffee (which, incidently I had!) when the bloke behind me in the queue suddenly asks, "Do you write a blog for the News & Star..?" So I instantly look up to see who it is and I haven't the foggiest! Just some random bloke doing shopping with his family. I reply, "I did, but I don't anymore." Neglecting to add that I now write an occasion blog for the Times & Star, whenever I remember to do it, or more importantly, have something to write ABOUT!

Anyway, he starts harping on about how you know when you see someone and you instantly know the face but can't put a name to it, then it just clicks! I politely smile and laugh with him then get on with the subject at hand, wrestling yoghurts, chicken and the BOGOF crisps into my bags, really hoping that he isn't some stalker type person who's gonna check out my shopping and follow me home to "see how the other half lives". Not very likely obviously, but you know how it is these days, especially the way my mind works anyway! I don't know why, but I really didn't feel the need to tell him that I'd passed my driving test, therefore rendering the blog useless, or even the real reason for my "resigning" from the site, I guess I just thought he'd realise from the fact that it was just me and my 9 year old daughter!

I think it may be a regular occurence now though. Not the sitings and stalker like qualities, the shopping expeditions! We were round, packed, paid and home within an hour and it usually takes twice as long, with the added bonus of wrestling sweets and biscuits out of the trolley or saying no to everything, and that's just to the hubby!!

I'm really, really hoping now that it wasn't a member of THIS forum and they got the name of the paper wrong... If it was, then I sincerely apologise, but I was caught off guard and the fame has got to me!

Spring Has Sprung & Left..?

It's just been me and my son today because hubby is back at work and daughter is still in Holland so I was thinking up things that the 2 of us could do in the house because I'm so tired after yesterdays day in Blackpool!

This morning we made a burglar alarm that will no more scare away a burglar than it will a dog with it's high pitched tone, but hey, we had fun making it! We got it all put together and son pulled the trigger only to find that it didn't work! I read through all the instructions again to make sure all the parts were in the right places when I noticed that one of the pieces (a 3 pronged thing, can't remember it's name) was placed on it the wrong way round! The head of it was in the shape of a semi circle and the flat bit was meant to be at the bottom, not the top as we had it. Anyway, we turned it round and I told son to cover his ears just in case it was really loud.... Hhmmm... Sounded more like an electronic lice comb with dodgy batteries! At least I know how to make it now though, I'll have the other to do once daughter arrives home at the weekend!

Once that was done, son decided we should do some Spring cleaning so out came the dusters, polish and sprays and off we set. I did the telly so that he didn't press too hard and break the screen and he removed everything from on top of the fireplace and fire. Well, he started to then decided to spray half a bottle of polish on it! I remember now why I used to like the minimalistic look because it takes FOREVER to remove all the photos, bowls of pot pourri, pebbles and rattan ball thingies, dust them and put them back in each bowl before putting them back.

He dusted everything off, then I think he found something he'd lost and decided that that was much more important and buggered off! Needless to say, I was left to put everything back, hoover and take everything back upstairs that had managed to find it's way downstairs and in places that they shouldn't be. Namely behind photos and in clay pots!

I'm really not one to speak mind. I still have the computer desk to tidy and dust and the dinner dishes to wash. I guess we may not be so different afterall! Still, I can blame my haphazard approach on hubby who has rang AT LEAST 3 times already today! You can tell I'm not at work...

Abs Of Steel In The Making!

Today marks the start of my newest fitness regime. I've started the seafood diet, coupled with 10 minutes of general exercise, then another 10 minutes of crunch craze. Tonight's tea consisted of vegetables, carbohydrates, calcium and garlic that helps somehow! The tomato puree on the pizza and the chips helped me gain 2 of my fruit and veg portions per day, the pizza and garlic bread bases gave me my carbs, along with the chips and can someone tell me what the garlic actually does?? Oh! I got the other 3 portions of veg from the coleslaw that went on the side!

Eee, by heck, if I'd remembered just how easy it was to workout like this then I'd have taken it back up years ago! I may even up the intensity tomorrow and move onto level 2! Thanks, Ab Gymnic makers, you're the best!

Changing Places & Tentacles.

I think last night's dream has got to top my list of weird dreams EVER and that's saying something!

For some reason I was dressed up as Whoopi Goldberg, big hair and everything and I managed to fool everyone, even though I didn't sound anything like her and I took my kids to my sister-in-law's for the day. For some reason she gave them some breakfast, even though they'd already had some and my son proceeded to leave it because he was already full!

My brother-in-law didn't believe that I was Whoopi Goldberg and then the real person turned up so I had to come clean. I pulled the wig off and ran my fingers through... my shaved head! I wasn't me at all, I was my hubby!

I left the face on and went home to find my mam babysitting an extremely active baby. She was only a few weeks old, yet she filled the moses basket and was actually managing to flick herself up by holding herself rigid. There were 2 baskets, one bigger than the other and she was in the smaller one. I said to my mam that she filled it and should be in the bigger one, and the next thing I knew, she'd fallen into it and was filling that one too! I picked her up but still had the Whoopi Goldberg face on so my mam suggested I should go clean up. I was looking for face wash stuff, then realised I just needed to peel it off.

Somehow I ended up back as me and was nursing the baby again till her parent's arrived to pick her up.

The next part of this blog details a conversation I had with my son when he was in the bath earlier. He'd had his hair washed and was full of bubbles which I told him to wash off and he had his hands in the water. Now he has a habit of playing with Stephen and the twins and today was no exception, but he suddenly asked, "What's these mam?" I looked down and saw what he meant and was struck dumb! What do I tell him? Do I tell him their real name or make one up..? I consulted hubby and decided to tell him the proper name, though he insisted that they weren't called that, they were beans because that's what they felt like. Beans in 2 bags!

Anyway, he finished with the bath and came through to where everyone else was sitting and told everyone quite proudly that he had beans! Then he said that they weren't reallt called beans, they're really called tentacles, but girls don't have tentacles. Thus ensued my pre-pubescent whispering to me that she knew what girls and boys bits were really called and going all shy and embarrassed when she told me!

So I've now got no doubt that the talk of the playgrounds tomorrow will be of tentacles and beans...

RUBY Wedding Anniversary??

Today we went shopping for anniversary cards for mine and hubby's tomorrow. The kids decided they wanted to pick one for us too so off they toddled. A couple of minutes later daughter shouts, "Which anniversary is it? Ruby..?" "Oi! Cheeky madam!" I shouted, "No it's not, just stick to normal ones!" I dunno how old she thinks I am, but I'm nowhere near as old as her dad looks!

We've decided to head out for a meal tomorrow night to commiserate, I mean celebrate, so I'll report on how it went/tasted/etc, probably on Friday at the earliest as I plan to have an early night tomorrow...

Woman, 28, Shot In Barrow!

Ok, so I wasn't really shot in Barrow, but I was in my dream last night!

For some reason I was in Barrow and with Cameron Diaz and someone was pointing a gun at me! When he pulled the trigger, he was aiming at my head and I was lying on the floor, but I managed to get out of the way and he hit me in the shoulder instead. There wasn't really that much blood, but I was holding my hand over the wound to stop myself bleeding to death.

The next thing I knew, I was still holding my shoulder, but was back in my old secondary school which had turned into a radio station. I was told that I'd need to find Philip Schofield to help me because he knew loads about gunshot wounds. I was up and down the stairs trying to find his studio but couldn't find it so I went back to the person who'd sent me looking. They then said, "Oh, it's downstairs, not up." So I went downstairs and discovered that it was Phillipa Forrester NOT Philip Schofield!

I managed to get it properly dressed but there was still a bullet in it so we decided that we'd have to drive back to Whitehaven for the hospital, but there were galeforce winds outside so we couldn't drive on the motorway. They'd closed all roads leading out of Barrow and were even taking away gates and barriers so that no-one could drive so we had to stay where we were.

By this time all my family were with me and we happened to have mattresses and duvets with us, which we set out at the side of the road to sleep on! My son was sleeping low down so we had to kinda half cover him with the duvet to keep him warm.

The next thing I remember is that we were back home and packing for my daughter's school trip to Holland. We had loads of suitcases for her to pick from but I could only carry them in one hand because I still had that bullet in my shoulder and it was fastened up in a sling.

Then we were in the car and I decided to check the wound and found that it had healed but the bullet could clearly be seen under my skin!

The night before I dreamt that me and hubby were renewing our wedding vows in Morrisons (of all places!) and it was on the telly! We were keeping it a low key affair, but loads of people turned up all dressed up to the nines and we were in jeans and trainers! I kept remembering that we'd forgotten stuff and kept nipping out to grab bread, teacakes and stuff every 5 minutes!

I'm wondering if it's the hayfever doing something to my head because I haven't had such strange dreams in a very long time!