Is it that long since I last commented on here?.. Where has the time gone to? Ah yes I know, work, family, moving, work, work and the dreaded facebook. I really need to prioritise a bit more ;o)

Baby is named Thomas James O'Neill Ryan - lovely name. Have spoken to Ems, but not been round to poke baby yet, I'm hoping to do that this week, then hopefully I'll have some photos to upload.
G&T came round for supper last night bringing photos of grand baby Freddie and also Thomas and I can honestly say they are both really gorgeous (the babies are ok too!). Have arranged dates and now made booking for our annual descendance (sp?) to G&T. Yippee! Now I have good stuff to look forward too!

I'm sure when she gets back on her feet she will come and inform y'all. But I wanted to let everyone know that Pickles2u has had her baby! Yippee!!! I had a message from her partner on Sunday morning saying she had had to go in for an emergency C-section and had delivered a 6lb 5oz baby boy. No name as yet.
Way to go Ems!!!

Well, I thought that being as busy as I possibly could this week may have helped...It didn't!
Can't believe that a whole year has gone by. On the one hand it all seems a life time ago and on the other it still seems like yesterday.
Tonight is the first time I have stopped and let myself think about miss_jen. Not that I didn't want to, just couldn't.
It's still the little things that get me, she so would have understood my DD1 calling her goldfish Marsole, Mufasa (cos he looks like him), Clive and Marigold; and been equally devastated as they have all (but Marsole)gone to that big fish pond in the sky...
In her honour on Saturday night I got rather tipsy and sang Karaoke very badly, then partook of the 'Chocfest' that was the childminder social meeting a couple of days later - Sara - 'backinthegarden' managed to squeeze more in than me though!
Fortunately G&T put up with me turning up on the door step f'coffee whenever they are in the uk, and I usually manage to catch up with Jen's sisters and delightful niece whilst there. So it's sort of 'business as usual', but of course it's not...
So Jen, keep sending the dragonflys and I'll keep on stalking hot boys and worshipping at the divine altar of cakedom.
K x

Well, we did it!

Last night 11.00pm I started queuing with DD1 (& boyfriend), DD2 and Pickles2u, full of excitement for HP7! It only took us 1 1/2 hours to get to the actual desk to collect our reserved copies. In the meantime I had a little chat with some girls who were trying to queue jump, pointing out that my 11yr old was patiently waiting and maybe they could learn some manners from her... (Very restrained, considering I had been in the pub since 6.30pm celebrating more of my 'birth month')
We finally got home about 1.15am this morning and I managed to only read for 30mins, as we are attempting our house move this weekend, so I knew I needed to be a bit sensible to help load furniture.
Most of the big stuff has now left - cooker, wardrobes, children's beds... Oddly enough the house doesn't seem any emptier, maybe I did have too much stuff after all...

Will post Harry Potter photos when I've got them from my phone.

K x

p.s. Very special birthday pressie from a work colleague - Personalised birthday greeting from Robbie McEwen (Winner of Stage 1 of Tour de France, I know I'm soooo sad!)

Well, I am now part way through my 'birth month'I am having far too many celebrations to be calling it a birthday...

So far have been shopping in Ikea and lunch out with DH, had childminders BBQ -which is usually hosted by the Hayes collective :o( so a bit poignant, although I managed to have a few wines and did some very dodgy dancing around handbags...Went to visit Pickles2u f'cake and more pressies, of which I will try and post a piccy. I also managed to have a cake on Monday, Tuesday, two on Wednesday (my actual birthday), one at work Thursday and at the other job Friday and another one on Friday evening! Hurrah! EAT CAKE!

Next week I will take a trip to spend birthday money from family on more frippery for my new bedroom (boudoir...)and hopefully a lunch date with aforementioned pickles2u and enichols (another Jen friend), THEN the following week I am having a work's bash to get a bit tipsy before going to collect my new Harry Potter book at midnight - phew, I'm knackered just thinking about it all, I must be careful now I'm 30-10.

Well here goes with attempting attaching picture... (no good, still can't f**king do it!)

K x

Hey everyone, I have now joined the 'growed ups', yes I have finally achieved the grand old age of 30-10 (40...)

My bestest pressie was from my DH, a very exciting new camera :o))). But I also got some lovely choccies, perfume, more choccies, jewellery, dosh ALOCHOL, and a trip to Ikea to munch on meatballs (oh and buy some furniture for daughter's bedroom). I managed to buy for myself a pair of very gorgeous lampshades for my new bedroom, and hopefully I will learn how to use aforementioned new camera and post some pics on flickr.Off to eat more chocs and get slightly tipsy on pear cider...

Karen x

Well, I took Sara for a visit to Jen's Bench on Friday - May the 4th be with you - this is the first year for ages I didn't receive a text with that message :o(.

We decided that it was a sin for their not to be cake at the bench, so we secreted a few little items for Jen's nearest and dearest to spot when they visit... Not obviously so that the museum folk get upset, but just to cheer us up on a visit.

I've attempted to compress the photos and will now attempt to post them here...

Here goes.

K x

OK I can't do it, grrr I'll post then to flickr instead then :oP

(username planetwheeler)

My lovely car decided to misbehave rather badly this week... Well she has been a bit sad for a few days and finally decided to give up and have a hissy fit on me on Wednesday. From spluttering she just stopped and said "no, I don't want to go any where". Well after a little persuasion she also threw her exhaust pipe out from her underbelly, so determined was she not to leave the house.
Ha ha! I had the last laugh as I called the good old AA out and got us both towed to my garage, where the nice man gave her a bit of TLC (oh and I gave him £150). She now really likes going out again... Tis good to have a working car again.

Very exciting too! My new purchases from Ebay have started arriving - a luvverly pair of long william morris curtains for my new lounge, I know we haven't moved yet, but I HAD to have them, how sad...

Was about to post when I found this... "Yet more scrubbing today... I am off work due to dreaded lurgy and was feeling guilty, I decided to attempt to spring clean the kitchen cupboards. So there I was with my Cillit Bang, not very enviro friendly I know (but it was all I had) scrubbing to my heart's content, when I started feeling even worse so had to call it a day. Even so, I managed a bit, and now have the wrinkly hands to show for it." Must have been from last week.

DS2 was 11 yesterday and parents from hell-we have bought her a cheapie mobile. She starts high school in September and I just feel a bit happier knowing that she can get hold of me if she needs to, bearing in mind she has a 30 min walk to and from school.

I have survived the 'party'. Bowling followed by supper at the nearby Frankie and Benny's (I know, but at least it's not Maccy D's). I'd forgotten how much noise 10 girls can make - surely I wasn't ever that loud?

Update of clearing - well it's still there and I'm still ploughing my way through it all. Many bags of clothing for bootsale/jumble sale/recycling etc. Now have to wade through my paperwork. I feel like just dumping the lot as most stuff is now on disc. In fact I think that's what I'll do - bung it all in the recycle bin... All I can say is that it's a good job they're not charging for rubbish by the weight, lol.

Met Pickles2u and another Emma f'coffee this afternoon, a treat to reward myself for working hard and getting nowhere, lol. Then Pickles and I hit Waitrose and played the 'lets see how smutty we can make food labels' game. I think 'pork ring' scored quite highly...

Then this evening I went shopping on Ebay, oh my god, didn't realise how much time I could waste on there. But most importantly got the curtains I wanted, phew.

I'm exhausted now.. see y'all later. K x