During my...

...sojourn in the armchair in July/August, I did quite a bit of online shopping.

Lots of it was fantasy shopping, filling up baskets and then emptying them again.

Most of the real shopping was things for Megan.

A little of it was for me.

One book I bought was a journal. The Q & A a Day: 5 Year Journal to be precise.

I wasn't sure when I was actually going to start filling it out, I liked the fact that you don't have to start on the 1st of January, you can start whenever in the year you are.

So I started on the 23rd of September 2012, the fifth anniversary of my fathers death. When it reaches the 10th anniversary, I'll have a whole book full of daily thoughts to look through.

Hopefully.

Anyway, as part of my plan for blogging more frequently, I'm hoping to post every Sunday with the questions (and my answers) from the previous week.

But to get the ball rolling, here is today's question and today's answer.

January 1 - What is your mission?

"To boldly go where no man...." oh hang on, that's someone elses mission.

My mission is to be the best that I can. At mothering. At loving. At being me.

-----

What about you?

Who's a...

...dreadful blogger then? (Obviously that is a rhetorical question, you don't need to answer it in the comments!)

Partly it's due to having a long stretch of time where life was just "get up - work - sleep", then it has become "get up - sit on sofa with feet up - sleep".

This is because I have the most amazing inflatable feet and ankles, to the point where yesterday I gave in and bought some flip flops (Union Flag design of course) because the sandals I have been wearing will no longer do up, even if I try to put them on straight after getting out of bed.

The amazing feet and a sudden attack of high blood pressure has meant that I've been in and out of the hospital twice a week for the last three weeks (hence giving up work earlier that planned) for blood pressure checks as they're a bit worried about me developing pre-eclampsia. Currently this does appear to be the case, as although the meds they've put me on seem to be keeping my BP stable, my hands have now started swelling up at night, and urine protein levels seem to be slowly creeping up.

Sitting on the sofa is rather in conducive to blogging, since I am not a laptop owner and haven't been able to get it working properly on my phone (new app just downloaded though).

Also, the temptation is to moan about my achy hips and sore feet and not sleeping and constant heartburn/acid reflux and and and... which quite frankly is all bloody boring and would mask the fact that despite everything I am still bloody joyful to be in this situation and would much rather be in it than not!

It's now less than 4 weeks til my official due date, but I have been told by my consultant (first time I'd seen him since September! (although I've seen a bajillion others in between)) that he "likes to induce high BP ladies between 38 and 40 weeks" so baba will be here before the 24th from the look of things. At the moment I have a final (probably) scan and assessment due for next Tuesday (Jubilee Bank Holiday day) which is when I should find out when I'll be induced.

That means you can probably expect another post from me round about baba's 4th month of outside existence ;-)

Ok, cannot now bend my ankles, so retreating back to the sofa and my cross-stitching (new one, have a peek on Flickr).

Love you all oodles you lovely patient people xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gosh...

...so much for saying I'd be blogging more.

To be fair, I've got a pretty good excuse.

This picture was taken on the 15th of November.

Then these pictures were taken on the 13th of December.

So I'd say that's a pretty good excuse really. ;-)

What with my dreadful past history and all (2, 3, 4), the doctor signed me off work as soon as I went in there with my positive test. This was a very good thing, as apart from all the pre-planned pills I needed a course of antibiotics that basically led to me sleeping right through November. Seriously. For five weeks I was awake for about three hours a day and either asleep or dozing the rest of the time. Thank goodness for audiobooks!

But since I'm 14 weeks and two days pregnant today, oh and cos it's my birthday, I thought I'd spread a little bit of sunshine into the post-Christmas gloom. (I'm back at work tomorrow too!)

I also want to say a massive THANK YOU!!! to the lovely folks who have been aware from the start and kept me going through my paranoid days. You lot are real blessings.

(I won't finish this post by saying I'm going to blog more, cos that'll just jinx it...again.)

Blood, blood...

...glorious blood. (with apologies to Flanders & Swann)

Today was appointment day to see the consultant at New Cross about my miscarriages. Unfortunately we didn't get to see him this time, but it wasn't as bad as last time.

We got a lovely nursing sister who talked me right through my entire history and picked out a few things to focus on. Then she took another armful of blood (note to self, right arm has better veins) for testing.

I will get to see the actual consultant in "probably August but possibly July, he's running some extra clinics". But "if you get an appointment in the next 10 days, well done but the blood tests won't be back by then".

Meh.

But I have enquired about progesterone and oestrogen testing and she has flagged this up in my notes for the consultant to review when I see him "as he knows more about that than I do".

Essentially no answers again, but when I do get to see him I will get a PLAN that will be passed on to my GP and will also be for me to keep and will potentially include things in it like no lifting of any sort, daily aspirin, etc etc.

Fingers very much crossed that I get an appointment in...oooh, 12 days maybe!

Plus much much love to all my darling darling twitter-folk for their support, hugs, kisses and virtual cake this morning, just what the doctor ordered ;-)

PAD Week 1...

...01/01/11 to 08/01/11.

Suddenly I'm getting the urge...

...to pull on some worn out jeans and a bashed up pair of DM's and to run my hands through my hair while looking bewildered, sulky & misunderstood all at the same time.

A few of us on Twitter have decided to rewatch My So-Called Life (or in Keris' case watch it for the first time).

This means that every Tuesday is #MSCLRW day on Twitter for us now. Most of them get to watch it at lunchtime, I'm catching up on my episode in the evening.

Diane has summed up my feelings about this show here, and her feelings on today's rewatching here.

It's nice to know that the misunderstood 17 year old is still alive and well as part of my soul. Plus my crush on Jordan Catalano is still as huuuuuuge as ever.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to dig out my red Converse sneakers to wear to work tomorrow...

*Sent from my iPhone*

I really didn't think...

...that men like him existed any more, but they do.

Now don't get me wrong, this colleague of mine is a nice guy, he works hard.

But that fact that he is CONSTANTLY patronising me because I'm female, that is driving me bonkers.

The way he constantly offers to carry/move things for me could be seen as a polite act, if it wasn't for the condescending smile and the "I'll get that love, it's too heavy for you". The fact is I'm actually fitter than he is, the man who is on a constant diet and has to use the lift to go up to the second floor or he's to out of breath to talk.

I also don't know anything about sport because I'm female. My interest in Formula One puzzled him until he discovered that Anthony is also a fan. I'm now a fan because Anthony is, not because I liked it myself beforehand.
The last time he watched a race was when Damon Hill won the championship, yup, back in 1996. Despite this, he is an expert on the sport.

Today he spent a good 20 minutes telling me which drivers and teams he rates this year, told me exactly why the Bahrain GP was so boring "not that I watched it mind, but they mentioned it on the news" and attempted to explain to me how a double diffuser works. Then he said "and I have to tell you, though *whispers* I'm not a queer like, that Schumacher has come back fit for his age. It's like that Lewis lad, he's a fit one too, not that I'm a queer like, I'm just saying"

Oh, Dear. God.

I swear the only reason I didn't call him out for being a homophobic know-it-all was because I was too busy trying not to laugh in his face.

Mind you, if he calls me Katie once more, I swear I'll do to him what I threatened at the Christmas works do - "If you call me Katie one more f**king time, your balls will be dangling from the top of Nelson's f**king Column"

While I have...

...been spending my days off on the sofa with my new shiny iPhone I have been sewing.

Here is the progress so far.


3rd and 5th of July








21st of July and 6th of August









I did take a whole lot of photos in between the last two, but my camera is having a tantrum and won't let me download them. The last picture was therefore taken with the shiny iPhone (hence no flash).

Once again...

...Richie Fingers made me laugh today.

There I am reserving a copy of The Magical Adventures of the Wishing Chair for a customer and vaguely aware that there is a lady waiting behind him.

The lady waiting was holding a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

Flowers for me.



Flowers with a card...



...and what did Richie say?

"Does your Anthony know that you're getting flowers from a bloke called Nelson?"

When I stopped going scarlet and gasping for air I explained a little.

Then Richie took over the book reservation for me, explaining to the customer "she just got flowers from a F1 driver, yeah."

Those rotas...

...aren't really THAT bad.

They could be THIS bad...

Secrets of the fixture computer

A recipe...

...for creating a grey Tuesday.

1. Write a long To-Do list


2. Look outside at heavy rain


3. Read back through long To-Do list


4. Sigh

...for cheering up a grey Tuesday.

1. Ignore list in favour of reading all 73 posts in Google Reader


2. Discover a fabulous new (to me) blog


3. Cry at fabulous new blog and remember that I am still allowed to grieve


4. Open up iTunes and put on crazy music


5. Get changed into:
   
   
   
   1. swishy black wrap dress
   
   
   2. leopard print tights
   
   
   3. lovely warm stripy jumper (dress is thin fabric)
   
   
   4. ridiculously high heeled (for me) red shoes
   
   


6. Do first item on To-Do list (put on dark load of washing)


7. Take pictures of feet
   


8. Write recipe on blog while leaning over awkward cat
   
   









9. SMILE!

My OU course materials...

...arrived last week.

I have to confess I had a couple of problems getting into the box at first.

Problem 1 on the left, Problem 2 on the right.







I like to think they were just excited for me.

But the real problem started when I opened the box up and started looking through the books and paperwork.
I felt stupid.

When I was growing up I was a smart kid. I read like a demon and school was easy, and therefore boring. Senior school was pretty much the same at first. Easy - therefore I didn't really have to put much effort in.

The first time I noticed it was with essays in English lessons. Friends would do draft after draft, I'd write one. Then when it was marked for the first time and handed back with suggestions for changes I couldn't do it. I'd written it and it was done. If I tried to rewrite the sections the teacher wanted changing they'd stick out like a sore thumb and wouldn't flow like the rest of it. So I'd get the same suggestions on the second draft, except that this time the lack of structure would get mentioned.

It ended up being that I'd just write the thing and then leave it. I'd hand in the exact same essay the second time unless I'd thought of anything I could add to it, in which case the whole thing would have been written again. Not rewritten - written from scratch. Because these essays were getting me A's and B's the teacher never seemed to worry that I didn't seem to be able to rewrite and edit my work. I can remember getting so frustrated with her and with myself. This was one of the main reasons I didn't do English for A Level and why I didn't do the IB.

I got 9 B's in my GCSEs. 9 B's with hardly any revision.

I'd try to revise. I'd read over the work and know it. So I stopped bothering. I knew the stuff, why should I waste my time going over and over it for a better grade - I was getting the good grades anyway.

The problem really started when I started my A levels. I didn't know how to work on the stuff that I didn't get the first time round. I had too many other things to worry about rather than the fact that the Chi-square distribution method I used in Statistics was different to the one I used in Biology. The Biology way made more sense, so that was the one I stuck with despite the worried notes on my Maths work.

I went from being a smart child, to passing 1 A level and dropping out of uni.

I didn't feel stupid, most of the time I still don't. I can remember ridiculous amounts of facts and figures about all sorts of things. Mike (our Sunday lad at work) is always saying to me that he doesn't know how I know so much stuff.

I don't know either.

What I do know is that after years of being the smart kid - my sister has a university degree and I don't. I'm not jealous of her, I'm fantastically proud. And I'm not saying that she's stupid, she's a smart cookie! I just can't quite work out why I haven't got one - where did the last 12 years go?

It's taken me two years to decide to do another OU course. After I dropped out of uni I signed up for one, and then bailed out part way through when I split up with Jon. Then I started it again the next year but bailed before the course started because I split up with James and then moved back home.

This time I am starting small. I'm going with something that will seem more like fun than work, partly because I'm worried that if I don't I'll just quit again.

I am doing Fossils and the history of life which is one of their short courses.

I have already read the reference book that comes with the course. (and that Amazon.com review has made me feel stupider - "the text reads like something intended for intelligent junior-high students").

I would like some advice on this, the course actually starts on the 16th of May but I am resisting starting it now. Should I be? Should I just jump straight in? I've got myself the study skills book so that I can learn how to study as I study.

What do you think?

------------------

Oh, and you may have noticed the lack of structure to this post. Well it does have some sort of structure, just a very random one cos that's how my mind works. I have about 50 posts saved that I've typed and then decided not to publish cos they aren't coherent enough, but then they never get published because I don't know how to edit them...

Oh. Piffle. Stop explaining Kate, the folks get it already.

This week I was supposed to have...

...four days at work before then having nine days off.

Then I got a letter from the hospital informing me that my appointment time had been changed AGAIN!

So I phoned them up and ranted a bit (and cried quite a lot) and the end result was that I could either take the new appointment time or wait until July for a new one.

So I then had long confabs with Anthony and with RichieFingers (who is a Rota God, seriously) and the end result is that Anthony and I will be at the hospital for our appointment time of 10.55.

I am stupidly scared and nervous. Although I know that it is very unlikely, my mind is already running through all of the worst-case scenarios that it can think of. The stupid thing is, even if one of them happens it won't have prepared me for it.

But we are prepared.

Anthony has Series 6 of Pokemon, I have Ashes to Ashes, Numb3rs, CSI:NY and Eleventh Hour (which I haven't seen any of yet, but it's got Rufus Sewell in it!) on the V+ box. Of course, we both have WoW for when the other one is watching TV.

I also have this:


It was in the Thornton's sale for £10 (from £30) and I couldn't just leave it sitting there...

Update: Home now. Got to see consultant a mere hour and 15 minutes after appointment time. Then she made me cry when she demanded to know why I wasn't currently taking folic acid.
Her - "But if you're trying to get pregnant you need to be taking it."
Me - "I'm not trying bloody anything til I know what went wrong last time, and that's what this appointment is for!"

The blood tests were all fine, the chromosome tests were also all fine. The only one that was slightly iffy was the blood protein one and so off I trooped to have some blood taken.

So basically, no idea what went wrong. But at the same time it's not a case of "give up, there's no chance".

Now I am going for chocolate egg and beer (the sun's past the yardarm) and since it's sunny I shall probably sit in the garden too.

I have always been...

...domestically challenged.

My house is a mess, I loathe washing up and when I think about cooking properly I tend to come over a little faint.

I just don't have a very tidy life. When I do try to have a tidy life, or when someone tries to help me have a tidy life, things I need tend to vanish. (Like the sewing threads we spent 15 minutes looking for last night that had vanished after Anthony cleared up the living room) (they turned up behind the radiator...neither of us knows how they got there).

One of the things I am determined to do (apart from buy a dishwasher) is to cook actual proper meals. Not that I live on microwave rubbish, but it is mostly whack-it-in-the-oven-and-forget-about-it food.

So today (after drooling over it for four months) I finally bought this book.



I had intended to buy it post-Christmas (when it was half price) with some of my Christmas/Birthday vouchers (that I never got - wahhh!) but couldn't. But since with my discount it was only £16.75 I decided that I'd waited long enough. (and yes, it is still cheaper on Amazon and on Waterstones.com but buying it from my store helps to pay my wages).

So now I am trying to decide what I should cook on Sunday...

Cheese and Corn Pudding?
Ragout of Venison with Wild Mushrooms?
Creamy Tarragon Chicken?

Or I could always try the dish I talked about with Anthony during our first ever MSN chat...Beef Wellington.

Probably not

I love the fact it has all the basic dishes in, as well as some fancier ones that it makes sound easy. I love the DVD that comes with it containing step-by-step techniques on everything from chopping herbs, to cooking pasta, to making caramel, to gutting and boning fish. (and they're all in the back of the book too).

I especially love the shopping list book that comes with it. Pocket-sized and containing the ingredients and serving sizes for every single recipe. It's gone straight into my bag and will be perfect for the inevitable time when I haven't thought out what to cook and we're in the supermarket looking for something for dinner.

My grand plan (and it's cunning too) is to try and cook something every Sunday. It'll be for Sunday lunch on 3 of them, and then something quicker and easier on the Sunday that I work. This way I can still have a sense of achievement after one of those Sundays where we don't go out and just flake out and watch the Grand Prix/Numbers/CSI / play WoW / sew.

I shall even try and take a picture of my weekly dish, possibly even with Anthony's flash camera!

Stand And Be...

...Counted.

Timed Meme No. 1

1. Put your iPod (itunes) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!


IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
The Knowledge - I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Extraordinary Girl - Green Day

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Mercury Rev

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Ridiculous - Bowling For Soup

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Frittering - Mercury Rev

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Comes Love - Joni Mitchell

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
4 + 20 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

WHAT IS 2+2?
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - Elton John

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
I'm Going Slightly Mad - Queen

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Ride Of The Valkyries - Wagner

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Take On Me - A-Ha

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Annual Rule Changes - I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Today I've Lost You - Take That

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
As I Come of Age - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Whiskey In The Jar - Thin Lizzy

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go) - Wham!

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Unknown Legend - Neil Young

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Dear Jessie - Madonna

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Tiger Lily - The Bluetones

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Heard You Were Dead - The Bluetones

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
The Four Seasons: Spring - Vivaldi

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Nice Guys Finish Last - Green Day

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Beetlebum - Blur

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Polly - Nirvana

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Paddy McCarthy - The Corrs

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
I'll Stand By You - The Pretenders

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Simple Like The Truth - Darius

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Stand And Be Counted - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Very freaky. Some of them fit perfectly, others (like the Wham one) are simply very strange. Loving the fact that ISIHAC got itself in there.

Musical...

...meme.

Make your band's album cover!

1. Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2. Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3. Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use Photoshop (or something like picnik.com) to put it all together.

Here's mine:



and just in case anyone wants to know more about the Minakshisundaram-Pleijel zeta function...just click on the name. (then nod and smile like you understand it. If you do understand it...stop reading my blog and go and invent time-travel or something.)

I'm just so...

...in love with this view of London right now.

The Monument

When I went to London back in September the Monument was one of the places I planned to go as it's where Edie gets kidnapped by the Minotaur. But alas, it was closed, which made Anthony (not so) secretly relieved as he hadn't fancied climbing all those stairs.

I've been up there once on one of my London trips with Dad and I will get up there again on my next trip to the Big Smoke.

In the meantime this view will have to do, and it's pretty damn good.

(and yes, it does look a little Eye-ish at first, but it passes...)

Tuesday's...

...To Do List
(red items are uncompleted)

• Clear off dining room table and polish


• Empty bins


• Empty cat litter trays


• Put black bags into wheelie-bin


• Descale kettle


• Sort bottles for recycling/Paul


• Take down Christmas/Birthday cards


• Change Ecological Wall Calendar to Winter/Spring


• Update Books Read in 2009 list


• Listen to some classical music (in an attempt to be able to name all the pieces I know by ear eg. Pachelbel's Canon or 'Pizzicata' from Sylvia)


• Play some Warcraft


• Watch some things from the V+ box (cos it's filling up!)


• Spend some time fussing the pussycats


• Work on my cross-stitch


• Do washing-up

Quite a productive day really...shame about the washing up though...just ran out of time...*whistles innocently*

A Facebook note...

...on t'blog.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I wish snow would go away tidily. I like it when it's here and new and fresh, but when it's starting to go and has melted and refrozen then it's just very very slippy and annoying!

2. I have been meaning to take photographs of my walk to work for over a year now.

3. I did it this morning because the snow would make everything look pretty.

4. But I'm not going to upload them until tomorrow as this house is freezing so I'm going to bed early to keep warm.

5. I judge books by their covers. Only in the fact that if a book I love is available in a hideous cover for £5 or a lovely cover for £10 then I'll spend the extra and get the lovely one.

6. I still have all my birthday cards up because I can't bear to take them down yet.

7. I have hardly any feeling in my right hand at the moment because it's so bloody cold.

8. I really need to buy some fingerless gloves to type in. (The pair I had last year were normal gloves with the fingers hacked off and they unravelled).

9. I buy books the way some people buy clothes.

10. If I'm happy, I buy a book. If I'm sad, I buy a book. If I really really want to kill one of my co-workers...I buy a book and then read it at lunchtime with my iPod on so she can't natter at me.

11. I have issues with suppressed rage. (and one of my co-workers).

12. I spent a whole hour on Saturday choosing which audiobook I should download next from Audible. It was a tough decision!

13. I eventually decided on The Borrowers by Mary Norton. (and if you click to play the sample, you'll hear her talk about me).

14. I do love books that have a Kate in. You don't get many of them, they all tend to be Katie instead.

15. One of the best ones was a little girl called Mary Kate. (Mary is my middle name). She was a well behaved, neat and tidy little girl. My exact opposite!

16. I wish I could be tidier. I do try. I'm just not very good at picking up after myself.

17. I also remain terribly bad at washing up.

18. One day I shall have a dishwasher! (and be terribly bad about emptying it)

19. I follow the random article link on Wikipedia every day to see if I'll learn something fascinating.

20. Today I learnt about the King's Pawn Game.

21. I am terrible at chess.

22. I got a personalised Monopoly game for Christmas that includes Chance cards where Lewis Hamilton retires, the cats win an advertising contract and my letting agent finds me a "large, cheap house - with library".

23. I don't know how I'm going to cope in the future without a dedicated book room. Eep.

24. But I'd like to point out that I'm NOT going to throw loads of them out! (Would be no good anyway, see #9)

25. I'm now going to bed with a) the electric blanket turned up high, b) Easy Italian on my iPod, c) Stolen by Kelley Armstrong and d) dinner = burger and chips.

I have tagged you on the book of face. And no, I don't think tagging people who have already done it is cheating!

Yesterday was supposed to be...

...Blue Monday.

(At least it was according to some strange formula which made the news full of it)

The most depressing day of the year.

It could very easily have been.

It was the day before my payday - which used to mean 19p toast for lunch (except that the Tesco Value sliced loaf has rocketed up to 40p since I last bought it) - but as we had thought ahead I had lovely galettes filled with cheese and ham instead.

The shop was very very quiet - which could have meant us all worrying about our jobs - but instead we wrote reviews, pulled returns and made suggestions for Richie Fingers' display of adult picture books (sick puppies, this kind of book, not that kind of book).

I got incredibly broody over an adorable little girl - which could have ruined my whole afternoon - but instead I thought that although I don't have that right now, I will in the future and so it's something to look forward to, like a holiday is.

Oh yeah, did I mention? I'M GOING TO MONZA!!!!!

*ahem*

Today is also going to be a very good day.

I have just slathered Marilyn all over my hair so that it currently smells gorgeous, and in 5 minutes it will look gorgeous too (once dried anyway).

I have two houses to go and view just up the road. I still want to move and even if they're no good I like looking at houses.

I plan to do some nesting things and some bookish things and with any luck Keris might have Joe while I'm at home to read the updates! (although not looking promising so far)

I've gone online to do all my banking and remembered that I don't have to pay any Council Tax this month! That makes me £71 richer than I thought I was. I'm going to be good too and not just go straight to Etsy with it...I shall pay off my book club instead.

And Nie is posting again.

Life is good.