PINK

At the moment everything has to be pink as far as Ruby is concerned. No other colour will do. So you can imagine how happy she is with her new pink bike. Her parents are also happy with the bike as it was bought for the bargain price of £7 from the Fulwood Church Playgroup sale. She loves taking the bike to the park, but she has not quite learnt how to peddle properly. The bike also has a little seat on the back so that dolly can go for bike rides with her.

After Sunday afternoon's bike ride we went home for a pink dinner. Pink ham, followed by pink milky jelly (surprisingly good, just substitute evaporated milk for half of the water and whisk) and Ruby loved it and ate everything up. Maybe we should colour the rest of our meals with pink food colouring. Coralie also enjoyed the pink milky jelly, so much so her face went pink in her desperation to reach out for seconds.

Monster

This morning there was a monster in the bath! No kidding. It had eight eyes. We brought Ruby to see the monster and she was well impressed. However when asked if she liked him she replied 'no I like pink incy wincy'. Well that says it all really. If she going to like at the moment its got to be pink (no encouragement form me I hasten to add). I shall have to find one...Well I have found a pink toed bird eating spider, but the best I have come up with so far is this, the purple bloom bird eating spider. Ha ha ha i will have see what she thinks of that in the morning! The one below is the found in the bath. If you enlarge the photo by clicking on it then you can see the hairs on its legs and its eyes shining on its head, lovely.

A day of firsts

My first day using a rotavator. Great, very addictive extremely satisfying and effective. Much easier than the alternative.

The first time we used our new camera. Having lots of fun, there will be some photos to follow.

AND most importantly, drum roll please, Coralies' First steps! she was just about to go to bed then she just let go, aiming for a pot of sudocrem, three steps the first time. Witnessed by my mother and I. Then Brian arrived on the scene and she took another four (twice) it was so lovely. we were all clapping but she didn't know what she had done and just gave us a marvelous grin as if to say what are you clapping about. Ruby of course had to show us she could walk two steps too and did a queer little shuffle, for which she also got a clap. We shall have to see what happens tomorrow perhaps she will have forgotten all about it.

Now some photos , just because we can.... a shadow on the wall,
now some of you will have seen another picture rather like this!I have a thing for hairy plants and I was given this blue poppy today by mum. Just look how hairy it is. Looks itchy. reminds me of caterpillars . I love it.

A Ranunculus flowerBy the way. By next Monday evening our old mobile phone numbers will be restored to use. So if you feel like calling us next Monday that would be great so we have your number on our newish phones. Ta.

this and that

Well We did have some lovely pictures for you all to see. However, owing to an unfortunate incident on Wednesday night, when there were uninvited guests roaming round our downstairs in the middle of the night. We no longer have the camera or the pictures to show you.

Easter has been great, very Eastery this year. Its funny when you are not really used to having bank holidays, then you suddenly start having them and being off at the same time as most other people, you suddenly realise just how much you have been missing out on. they are great. Good weather helps I suppose. But they really do make you feel good. We have been very Eastery this year. Our Easter tree is quite nostalgic for me. We made home made hot crossed buns, an Easter bonnet and even had a roast lamb supper and popped a bottle of champagne with friends to celebrate the Rising of Jesus! To say I am not normally in favour of making events of events it all feel quite well celebrated. Nice. Next year we will do an egg hunt too.

Well done to Harry who celebrated his birthday yesterday by organising a minor event in the city of London. I love the pictures. are you doing it next year?

Have had my first rejection of my manuscript. To be expected, but I was impressed that they actually replied (and very promptly) to be truthful. Thank you Anderson press for replying. I had better send off a few more and get writing the next one, I feel my creative juices bubbling away at present and they need an outlet. It must be not nursing that makes them bubble. My theory is that nursing is directly opposed to creative juices.

Looking forward to having Brian at home again tomorrow, hooray!

I am not holding my breath

But today I am sending of the first few copies of my manuscript to publishers! I don't hold up much hope and fully expect as many rejections or no responses as I have sent out but it is exciting anyway, something new. They are all sat in envelopes by the door waiting for me to take them out. I will have to start working on my next one now. I think I will call it 'sprouts!

Six words

Yesterday in the Guardian magazine was a series of stories in six words. I thought it was great. One example, by Earnest Hemingway 'for sale, baby shoes, never worn'. I thought it would be fun to have a go myself. I will post my story shortly but I was wondering if any of you would like to post some stories too, why leave it to the professionals. Have a look at the link to get some ideas and lets all have ago.

Reason for the blogging absence I shall attribute to Coralie being unwell and finding myself too tied up with her.

As promised
A wee video of our big C strutting her stuff at Cannon Hall. She was SO proud of herself, she doesn't get much opportunity to stretch her legs like that at home and couldn't quite contain her excitement.

Lovely spring weekend

Trying to enjoy being out again

Well today we went to art in the park at a little community garden not far away. We looked for bugs under rocks and thing and I got so excited when I found a centipede and a baby devils coachman. And we got to make sculptures of all bugs and stuff. I was a bit amateurish but I did have Coralie on my back and had to squat in an uncomfortable position while Ruby pulled things and fought with Coralie and I tried to harness my creative side. I think Ruby enjoyed helping me and she certainly like having the lacewing hanging in her room. She loved painting we will definitely go to the next one.
Yesterday we took the girls for a stroll at cannon hall, and treated Ruby to a cherry ice cream, we may have a small video for you later.

Spring is so exciting

Such lovely weather such lovely flowers, birds singing. So much easier to get out and about, so much nicer than being cooped up in this cage. Here are some photos from the botanical gardens yesterday with friends. Anyway got to go, we are heading off to Rivelin park today.



That's Ruby with Hannah and Freddie. We put them in the bear pit so we could have some peace and quiet. Not really.


And of course we wouldn't want to forget Coralie and Leni, they are lovely. Like an old couple.

Allo Allo

is making a comeback! Hooray. So if you love it as much as I do then make sure you watch it.

Other news, I have started knitting again but have gone and chosen a pattern using kebab stick sized needles and very fine yarn. Coralie may be 10 before I finish these groovy trousers.

Photos to follow this later this evening.

Its 9.11 in the morning

And we have taken the rocking chair bus to the seaside and been fishing in the rock pools, swimming in the sea and had some ice creams. Ruby is just puting her sunrceam an and settteling down to catch some rays. Do you like her swim suit? Here are some of our holiday snaps.

Well I had planned to get out to graves park this moring as we have been a bit cooped up recently and the sun is out but it may take a bit of pursuasion, Ruby just loves the seaside.

I did it!

And I actually enjoyed some of it. The lessons on plants are over, phew now I might be able to think about something else, and I actually enjoyed it ish. There have been complaints that photos of the girls are lacking so I will try and find one to remedy that right now.

Ruby Just loves that museum, perhaps I will apply for that job I saw there and she can visit me at work, Cant say fairer than that.

mmmmm Jelly and cream. I had forgotten.

Ruby and Robin

Got stuck in the toilet together! Maybe you had to be there but it was so funny (if a little alarming too). Location, Jessops maternity hospital. On our way out Ruby and I in need of the ladies. Robin came to. Robin in the cubicle next door, Ruby finished I let her down and no sooner had I done so but she skipped of to join Robin thump, clunk, chuckle, chuckle, chuckle. They had only decided to lock themselves in the toilet together.

A wave of panic swept over me, calm down, calm down. I called for Bea waiting outside. Well it was all OK, the fire brigade did not have to be called they did manage to unlock the door after a bit more chuckling and a bit of cajoling by Bea. But for one moment I could see it turning into a slightly embarrassing moment.

Oh and Congratulations the Lawrensons. Joseph was gorgeous (we were there to visit a friend before anyone gets any ideas!) if a we bit small (6 weeks early but doing great by the sounds).

One year on
Well one year on, Coralie is one! And gorgeous. I was at work, so we didn't do so much, but it was lovely anyway.

Mozart, Mahler and Halle

I have just had the most amazing experience and I am going to have to write it down so I don't forget. Colin took me to see the Halle orchestra at the city hall.and It was just incredible. I did however leave with more questions than I would have thought possible and found watching the music very distracting because I kept thinking of things I needed to know but didn't. Just listening to music I think I would have heard more of the music and far less of the clutter of the mind. I should have taken a blindfold. Bear in mind these are the thoughts of a person who normally turns music off as clutter and has the musical abilities of a deaf jellyfish.

Some of my thoughts and questions, If you have the answers please let me know:

Do conductors have marshmallows underneath their armpits?
How brave female musicians are wearing armless clothes in front of an audience. But I guess they all have great arms cos they have to work them so much.
Can left handed people play the violin, if so do they play it in the other arm and if they do can they play sitting next to a right handed violin player or would it get nasty?
Mozart is a bit frilly, Mahler is amazing
How the big copper drum player just looked like a musician, he could have been nothing else, how did he manage to tune it while the orchestra was playing and he was sitting in the middle of them?
How come musicians are not ever fat?
That I still think violins are squeaky and a bit irritating but they were very good
How mysterious musicians are
Do violinist get RSI?

It was amazing how when the mood of the music changed instead of listening to the music I would end up thinking about something in my life that reflected the mood of the music at that point. this never happens when I listen on the radio it was most distracting, I will have to listen to it again without watching it to actually hear the music.

Oh I cant remember all the questions, I have to go back to my first day on the wards for a year tomorrow so I have to go to bed now. I am cutting into sleeping time by reliving my experience my nagging husband keeps reminding me. Goodnight.

this UNICEF report thing is very interesting

I really must get rid of the cats before Ruby learns too many swear words. Poor cats.

Look what I made!



OK they are not identical, that will be sorted out, I had to reshape the second glove when i realised I had not made the thunb big enough. They are for Ruby who hates to have cold hands. If you haven't already you should get hold of the Guardian craft guide from the other weekend. I can see our next girls night taking on a distinctly creative theme.

Ruby loves wearing the gloves, but she calls them her oven gloves!

Oh no, I am going to have to tell her its not true!

We went for a lovely walk today and got lost in the disused allotment at the bottom of the road. There were gates standing there with numbers on with no wall attached like standing stones, derelict buildings, crumbling glasshouses. The hedges were grown tall and sticky forming an arch over our heads at all times. It was very overgrown. We learned names of holly (she calls it polly), ivy, moss, fern and fungus. There was a stream that traveled underground and popped up every now and then on or by our path to form a pool. It was by one of the pools I made a big mistake. The setting was quite magical really, the whole place has a surreal feel of forgotten and crumbly, there where roots of trees creating dark hollow and the polls edge and arcing over us and the water. I said this was where the fairies came out to dance at night, oops. Now she was so upset that we did not see a fairy it was all she could talk about from then on. Now I am going to have to tell her it is not true and It will ruin everything.

Fun in the Snow

This year Ruby is a bit less scared of the snow, a little cautious initially but now seems to embrace it. She was very happy holding Coralie on her knee and being pulled along, they are so gorgeous. I took them out yesterday and today Brian took them while I was out at the Spa (lucky me). We have even had Skiers walking past the house on the way to the park.