Michelle's Spot

Moving blogs..

2007-09-08T19:18:00.001Z

I've been building a new blog over at WordPress, and I really like it over there. So, I'm focusing my efforts over there. Anyone who's been reading and/or commenting here, please come over and take a look.

http://mjmoore.wordpress.com/

See you there.. I'm looking forward to those comments! ;)

Weather Watching!

2007-08-10T15:17:00.000Z

For the past few days, I've been even more interested than normal in the up-coming weather. And the reason is because we're off on holiday tomorrow, and I needed to know what to pack. The last thing I want is the girls moaning because they're too cold.. or even too warm, so I need to cover all eventualities; and the weather has been so changeable, that we could be facing hot sun, or chilly rain!

The other concern when it's colder and wet, is that I can't get much washing done, because of getting it dry, so I have to make sure I have enough clothes to last. And, that's all of us, not just the girls.. I can be clumsy too! lol

Anyway, we're going to be staying in a caravan park in Romney Sands - it's a nice family area, and we do enjoy the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch railway, as well as Dymchurch itself.

Oh, and the weather? Well, the bbc site looks hopeful, the weather.co.uk site looks wet!

I dispair of this world that I live in..

2007-07-26T17:07:00.000Z

"A 16-year-old boy has been shot dead after being chased by youths on bicycles, police have said."

Just one more in a long line of stabbings and shootings.

Tour De France Video Part 2

2007-07-17T20:24:00.000Z

The video has now had 20,977 views, and is a featured video in the sports category. I think it's really funny! :)

It soon adds up..

2007-07-15T18:01:00.000Z

We've had a really nice family afternoon.. but it soon gets so expensive! First we went to watch Shrek 3.. £23.80 for the tickets, plus over £9 for popcorn and drinks. Then we went out for something to eat.. another £30. That takes the daily spend way over £60! Sigh...

Next time, we'll take our own popcorn, and come home for dinner!! LOL

PS.. It was a lovely afternoon though! :)

Tour De France Video

2007-07-15T11:15:00.000Z

That little video that I posted below.. it's been viewed 10,981 times, and is #57 most viewed this week! LOL

Grammar - it's & its

2007-07-14T13:54:00.000Z

Here's an interesting discussion that's cropped up in the book forum...

I always understood that it's was used instead of it is, but also when talking about possession, such as the cat licks it's fur.

However, Bethany is being taught that the possesive is its, and it's is only used as a contraction. A quick web search seems to back this up.

Then again, in Eats, Shoots & Leaves, she has it's as a possessive.

So....?

I hate my hair!

2007-07-14T13:52:00.000Z

Why is it that everyone else seems to have nice looking hair, but mine always looks horrid? Short, long, or anywhere inbetween, I am never happy with it!

I'm sulking!

Tour De France

2007-07-11T12:36:00.001Z

On Sunday morning, Beth and I enjoyed the rare bit of sunshine, and wandered down to Erith to watch the Tour De France. After rushing to the French market to get Beth a crepe, we rejoined the crowds in time to watch the bikes go by.

It was all over very quickly, but worth watching. The best bit, however, was watching it on the tv, and seeing all the roads that we know / drive along.

Strange times...

2007-07-01T19:17:00.000Z

It feels like a strange time at the moment..

Two car bombs found in London, a burning car driven into Glasgow airport. I just thank God that no one so far has been hurt.

A big pile up on the A20, because of the rain and fog.. in June, when it should be sunny.

Ten years since Princess Diana was killed.. and it's also ten years ago that we got married, just a few days before.

We were on holiday when 9/11 happened, and on the way home in the car, I heard Missing You by P. Diddy, the words of which had me crying. I've just heard that he's going to sing it during the Diana concert. Considering how emotional I feel right now, I'm not sure I can listen.

If you've never heard it, watch it here.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QJse82M6BM

Will it ever end?

2007-06-29T07:18:00.000Z

Police were called to a suspicious car in The Haymarket early this morning, and they made safe what they described as a "potentially viable explosive device". According to a reporter on the tv, an eye witness said the car was packed with boxes of nails.

As a young student nurse, in the middle of the IRA threat, I attended a teaching session from a Consultant, explaining just how these types of bombs work, and the damage they do.. so hearing that this morning sent chills through me.

Londoners lived with the IRA threat for many years, and it seems that there is always someone ready to carry on that threat. Will there ever be an end to this?

We're back...

2007-06-10T17:49:00.001Z

Cottage - front
Originally uploaded by mjmoore uk

The photo is of the cottage where we stayed, and there are plently more photos here, if you wish to peek.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjmoore/collections/

Amy is still spotty, and my mum is looking after her tomorrow, whilst hubby and I return to work. The washing is actually now all done, and most of the ironing! And when Beth returns to school, she's going into the new building.. which she's rather excited about. I don't want to go back to work, but I guess I should. :(

Oh.. as a side note, I would recommend Flickr if you're looking for somewhere to store and show your photos.. I've had great fun over there, arranging all of mine! :)

Mid holiday...

2007-06-06T18:26:00.000Z

What a mixed holiday we're having! On the positive side, I LOVE spending some time with grandparents, it's nice to just be away from home, and for once, we're getting pretty good weather.

On the negative side, I've already had a migraine, and yesterday I managed to cause all sorts of aches and pains around my neck and shoulders, due to going on an old fashioned funfair ride. For anyone who remembers it, it's the 'caterpillar' ride.. it goes round rather fast, and a cover comes over you. Unfortunately, being an old ride, it really bumps you around. My neck and shoulder is my 'weak spot', so it's left me with 'whiplash' type pains.

However, beating all that is the fact that poor little Amy is now covered in chickenpox!! We took Bethany out for a bit today, and left Amy with her nan., and we're not too sure what the rest of the week will bring.

Still, the weather report looks good for the weekend, so I'll be able to get through all the washing that's piling up, and get it dried! LOL

Holiday time...

2007-06-03T08:48:00.000Z

Well, here we are, in not so sunny Wales! Yesterday was a good trip down, and for the first time I can remember, I stopped at one point to change from my boots, into my sandals! LOL Today, however, is very gloomy, and we're expecting rain. We're not too bothered though, because we're going for Sunday lunch in the local pub, then going to visit my grandparents.

The forecast for the next few days is pretty good. I don't need it to be hot, as long as it's warm and dry, and we can get the kids out and about.

We stayed in this particular cottage 5 years ago, and it's still lovely. The owners are really nice, and they've invited us to see their farm, and help milk the cows. I'm not sure what little Amy will think of them.. they're quite big up close!

I have access to the phone line, so I can use my dial up account. As it's pay-per-minute though, I can't be on for long!! It's strange not having it on constantly, but it is nice to have.. being with no internet at all is a strange experience!

I'll pop up some photos when I get back home, rather than attempt it on dial up!

We're ready...

2007-06-01T18:39:00.000Z

I *think* all the packing is done, and we're ready to go! I will have very limited dial up access, which will be very odd, but I have my new camera to play with whilst there.

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to persuade 2 over-excited little girls to go to sleep!

Seeya in a week!

Getting ready for our holiday...

2007-05-31T09:41:00.000Z

On Saturday morning we're off to Wales for the week. We're staying in a cottage near Carmarthen, which means we can get out and about, as well as spending some time with my grandparents, who live nearby. You can tell we're going, because the weather forecast is WET! Nothing new there.. sigh!

Anyway, these are the days I hate.. trying to pack! Because of the weather, there are plenty of clothes to pack. Instead of shorts and sandals, it'll be jeans, sweatshirts and boots! Plus, knowing how messy my kids can be, plus the fact that there's no dryer in the cottage (thank goodness there's at least a washing machine!), I have to make sure we have plenty!

On top of that, I'm not good at organising myself until the last minute. I AM good at writing lists, but actually getting on with something until I NEED to is a different matter! LOL

Anyhow, this is where we're going... link - I suppose I should go and get on! :-D

More sorting...

2007-05-26T17:38:00.000Z

Today I asked Glen to clear out the loft, so we could see what we have. Oh boy! When I got back, there was stuff everywhere upstairs, but he had had to stop, because there wasn't room for anything else!

I started on what we had, and created 5 bags for the charity shop, as well as some rubbish. After dropping Amy off at nanny's (and grabbing a cuppa), we came back to get down the rest, and I now have 5 more bags!

I've stopped for dinner, but I need to get back upstairs, to sort out the remaining mess. And to think this house was ultra-tidy not long ago!!

Shopping...!

2007-05-24T18:16:00.000Z

It's been a fun couple of days.. for a start, the rain has stopped, and it's been lovely and warm. (It's not going to last apparently, but that's English weather for you!)

Yesterday I was able to get hold of some school trousers for Beth that actually fit, plus some nice t-shirts. I also found some new sandals for myself.. shh, don't tell hubby! hehe

Today, I got sandals for the girls, plus a lightweight raincoat for Amy.. which is usually needed during our British summers! I then went into Argos, where a new stereo system jumped into my arms! Oops.. how did that happen?! LOL

Link to my new stereo :-)

I've been using my computer to play music, but now I have my laptop, the desktop is often off, or the girls are playing games on it. So, obviously, I NEEDED something to play my CDs on. Right?!

Update...

2007-05-20T20:54:00.000Z

I had trouble with blogger the other day, so I haven't updated. On Monday, we learnt that our buyer had in fact dropped out. Thankfully, over the next few days (full of stress!), we got another offer.. just below our asking price, but good enough.

I also went for a 2nd viewing of the house in Dartford, and I love it even more. I'm already planning the furniture on my head, so I have everything crossed it works out!!

With the move in mind, I've started sorting out various cupboards etc. There have already been many bags of rubbish, and a few for the charity shops.. and I'm yet to attempt the loft!!

Please keep all fingers and toes crossed!!

We sold!

2007-05-11T20:53:00.000Z

Yesterday at 10:30 we had a visit from an estate agent from Your Move.. we took the contract into them at 6pm, had a viewer at 8:30pm, and by midday today we had accepted an offer, from first-time buyers, of our asking price. Speedy or what?! :D

Blood, Sweat & Tears...

2007-05-06T19:09:00.000Z

Ok, so maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but it felt close! lol A while back, I promised a friend that I would design her a web site. As a writer, she wanted something to show agents etc, so I wanted to come up with something nice for her.

After playing around with a few ideas, which weren't going well, I came up with a design that we both thought was 'ok', but wasn't exactly what Cindy was looking for. However, it did the job, so we left it up for a while.

A few weeks ago, I finally persuaded Cindy to give MySpace a whirl, and I offered to sort out a layout for her. Once we had the right colours for that, I set about trying to transfer them to her site.

Eventually, after the afore-mentioned blood, sweat and tears, www.cinthiahamer.com was re-born.. a design that I think we both finally like. :)

House hunting continues..

2007-05-06T08:00:00.000Z

Yesterday we trotted off to see the house that Glen liked.. and I think he got a shock. The road was absolutely lovely, but the house was old, and would need some work. Every bedroom had strange 'fitted' cupboards which looked like they needed pulling out, and the kitchen was tiny and old. We walked away saying that if you had extra money to do it up, it could be lovely, but that's something we don't have.

So, after that, he suddenly started looking at some of the other houses, and phoning estate agents! LOL

We went to see two more yesterday, both newer, but neither were suitable. if we could have taken the good points from each, we would have been ok.. but not on their own.

We're off to see one this morning, and another tomorrow.. and I spotted two more last night that we want to phone about.

The hunt continues!

Time to start viewing....

2007-05-04T15:23:00.001Z

We've contacted a few estate agents about coming here to do their valuations, and three are booked for next week. They have all told us that properties here sell VERY quickly, and one said they have buyers waiting.

So, it's time to start seriously looking...

A new property to come up is http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property/7508703 which we are going to view tomorrow morning.

I'm also in the middle of arranging a viewing of http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property/7441281 which I have liked ever since I saw it. However, they have switched estate agents, and the price has gone down, so I wondering if there's anything to NOT like...?

Third on the list is http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property/15210172 - when I know when we're viewing the above, I shall try to arrange this one too.

Buying, Selling, Moving.. Argh!

2007-04-27T13:16:00.000Z

I am now officially starting to get stressed, because this is starting to get close! Glen has done the bulk of the decorating, and just has some fiddley bits left to do. As he does those, I'm going to follow on behind, trying to make this place look tidy and uncluttered.. and with two children, that'll be fun!!

The stair carpet will be replaced by mid-may, and that is when we will go on the market.. and that is but a couple of weeks away really!

I started seriously looking at houses today, and I have 3 that I'd be willing to look at. All have their good and bad points.. unfortunately, my perfect house just doesn't exist in this price range!

1) http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property/14673916
2) http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property/6701868
3) http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property/15088159

If they should still be there in a couple of weeks, we shall go along and have a look.. and I'll let you know!

Tour De France

2007-04-19T10:47:00.000Z

I found out yesterday that the Tour De France this year will pass literally streets away from me. I knew it was coming close, but not THAT close! I suppose I should be excited, and if it's not too crowded, I guess I could go along and wave at the tv cameras.. ;-)

However, because of the way the roads are laid out around here, we will be COMPLETELY shut off. That means I won't be able to make any plans for that day (possibly all weekend), because I won't be able to go anywhere. It's kinda weird, to lose my choice to be able get in my car and drive off, if I so wish.

There's another negative too. Some of my friends know that we have had MAJOR roadwords going on around here for some time, which have caused alot of stress. Well, that is finally nearing it's end, and has gotten much better. Now, however, more roadworks have sprung up, along the Tour route.. more chaos and stress during my daily journeys! (Yes, I know it'll be nice to have improved roads.. but the ironic thing is that we're moving away from here in the summer. )

Anyway, if you're a fan of the Tour, and you fancy coming my way to watch it, let me know, and pop in for a cup of tea! :-D

Bargain Hunting...

2007-04-13T20:13:00.000Z

Today I went shopping with the girls and my mum, hoping to maybe get a couple of sweatshirts for Beth, and maybe a summer jacket. Whilst walking to Matalan, I noticed a NEXT Clearance store, and decided to pop in. Not only were the clothes cheaper anyway, but many were also on sale! But of course, I had to head for the children's section...

I managed to get Beth a jacket, a pink lightweight sweatshirt, and two long sleeved tops, and we also found matching for Amy. And that was Beth's idea! LOL So, 2 jackets and 6 tops, for the grand total of £37.. pretty good so far! :D

Then we wandered into Matalan's, saw absolutely nothing in the girls section, but spotted 2 sweatshirts in the boys section that were pretty unisex. One was only £5, the other reduced to £2.50! Still doing well...

Then I picked up the same tops, age 12-13, and thought how big they looked.... Sure enough, not only did they fit, but they looked pretty good too. I suppose, on reflection, your average teenage lad is quite big... hehe

So, the grand total was 2 jackets, 4 tops and 6 sweatshirts.. all for £54! Bargain! LOL

Coffee....

2007-04-11T11:58:00.000Z

I once mentioned instant coffee to Cindy, and got a response somewhere along the lines of "EEWWW"! It turns out she's a self-confessed coffee-snob, who believes you can get more flavour from an old sock than you can from instant coffee!! lol

Now whilst I don't mind the odd cup of instant, it did make me think about how I much prefer filter coffee. As hubby doesn't drink it at home, I picked up some of those little plastic thingies with coffee in, that you put in your mug, then throw away. Having enjoyed that, I bought myself a little cafetiere, a bag of coffee, demerera sugar, and those little cream thingies!! And, it's absolutely yummy!

So thanks Cindy, you turned me into a coffee-snob too! :D

So how about those of you reading.. what do you like? Do you have a favourite coffee.. or even a favourite tea?

Being the Easter Bunny

2007-04-08T07:37:00.000Z

I got up at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, and put chocolate eggs around the garden, ready for the girls to go out and find. Does anyone else do silly things like that?! LOL

Wishing you all a happy Easter.. whatever you do!

Ouch!

2007-03-07T15:02:00.000Z

Since starting my new job, I've been dreading the day when I had to work with one of my bad headaches.. and yesterday it finally happened. My usual painkillers didn't do the trick, and by mid afternoon, I was losing the ability to even think straight.

Somehow I managed to get through, and I came home at 5:30, for a Tramadol, and a darkened room. Oh.. and the company of a purring cat! (Which was actually quite comforting.)

About an hour later, things were under control enough to get up and do my usual evening stuff.. get the girls bathed etc. But, by the time I tried to sleep, I was feeling generally unwell. Whether that was the headache 'hangover' or the tablets, I'm not sure, but I had alot of trouble sleeping because of it. Add in Amy having a night time cough, and you end up with a very tired me today!

So what were the after effects? Well, whilst browning off some chicken for the slow cooker, I managed to burn my little finger. Then, whilst trying to open a box with a pair of new (sharp) scissors, I managed to slice my thumb! Nice one, Michelle!!

Before long, it'll be time to pick Beth up from school, cook dinner, do baths etc. Then I can think about a nice hot bath, and an early night. Oh, I forgot.. I have a pile of ironing to do as well. But then again, with my track record today, maybe I shouldn't be using a hot iron today!? LOL

Another birthday...

2007-03-01T22:05:00.000Z

Well, that's another birthday over with.. whether I'm another year wiser remains to be seen! :-)

Every year my birthday is a little different.. last year I spent my afternoon chatting to Cindy on AIM.. this year the poor lass is stuck at work. Last year I was very reflective.. this year I only allowed myself a few short minutes to do that in. Last year I'm sure there were more ecards etc.. but this year I've realised that it doesn't matter.. the ones I do recieve are the important ones.

Last year I looked out all day for a message from a particular friend.. and when it came in the following day, I reacted in a way I didn't expect. This year, I don't expect to hear from her at all.. it still makes me sad, but that's just the way things are. What I did get was a lovely ecard from someone, which made my day. As I blogged some time ago, windows really do open when doors shut!

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, and here's to new open windows! ;-)

Over at the book forum...

2007-02-28T12:51:00.000Z

I decided to turn my MySpace page into a profile for the forum,and it's given me a great chance to meet some writers and authors. I approached a handful, enquiring about interviews.. and they all said yes! (That'll teach me to have a little faith in myself and the forum! lol)

So, I'm gradually working my way through, with some help from Kell and Jo.. I'm 'meeting' some great people and reading some interesting new books.. and hopefully I can introduce those people to some new readers over on the forum.

Some of those authors are getting further involved, by being a Featured Author, and most are offering free books as competition prizes. In addition, the lovely people at Headline are working with me, and giving away lots of books.

So.. if you haven't been over there, isn't it time you aid us a visit?! :-D
www.bookclubforum.co.uk

Here, There & Everywhere!

2007-01-14T19:14:00.000Z

It all started with MSN Spaces (now called Windows Live Spaces).. I set up my little space, spent ages changing themes, adding photos, blogging etc. Then I found Blogger, and set up this blog.. and now I've finally succumbed, and have spent ages setting up MySpace! I also have a Yahoo page, but that never really got going for me, and now I have a friend who blogs using LiveJournal.

What annoys me is when you need to sign up to one of these, simply to leave a comment on someone else's blog. Ok, so I know it may help with spam, but the owner simply needs to set up security their end. On here, for example, I moderate my comments, so if I do get spammed, it never gets published.

It's the main reason I left my MSN space, because anyone without an MSN account couldn't leave me a comment. And I made my Yahoo profile just so that I could comment on Kell's blog there. That one, however, has given me problems, so I'm afraid I gave up. MySpace, I'm not sure, but I don't think I'll blog too much over there. (It's very addictive getting 'friends' though! LOL)

So, I now have quite a few different 'homes', and if you look around, you'll probably spot me! ;) But hey, leave me a little comment to say hello, please?! :-D

(PS If you use MySpace, please be careful with the adverts there, and DO NOT click on any of their pop-ups!)

The Beatles - Third Time Round!

2007-01-11T18:42:00.000Z

My mum was a big Beatles fan, and so I grew up listening to their music. Whereas my mum tended to prefer their earlier songs, I always went for the later ones.. although I've grown to appreciate them all.

I recently bought the newly released Love album, which I think is an excellent compilation album, and Bethany immediately decided that she liked it too. She was delighted this evening to discover that I had quite a few albums, so we're starting to work our way through.

She's started something now! LOL

Spammers - again!

2007-01-04T21:25:00.000Z

These 'people' are starting to make my blood boil! They're everywhere, and they're getting harder to avoid. I get a ridiculous amount of spam in my email, but I've found ways to deal with that.. it still bugs me, but it's dealt with.

Blogger is the same.. I had to delete a previous blog because it got completely overrun with spam comments one night. With this one, I've learnt to turn on moderation. Then if they do spam, I can simply reject it.

My biggest battles, however, are on my forums. I had to search for modifications for my phpBB boards.. it makes registration a tad more complicated for members, but it has stopped those bots in their tracks.

'Bots?' I hear you ask? This is automated software that allows spammers to join a countless number of forums, post their rubbish, and even send PMs (Private Messages) to all members. Yes, people actually make and sell software to do this.. scum, that's what they are! (Grr!)

On my book forum, I've also found a way to stop the bots.. the software is now clever enough to bypass the inbuilt security, so other ways need to be added.

However.. what we can't stop are people who physically sit at their computers, and join up.. they can see the extra measures, just as any genuine person can, so in they get.

Again, on my book forum, I've made changes, and new members have limited privileges, including a block on sending PM.. and I'm now very grateful for this. The other night, someone decided to join the forum, and post very explicit photos. We chased after them, and they were deleted and banned very quickly. But, without those limited privileges, my poor members may have all found these images in their PM inbox.

I have to hope that I never come face to face with one of these 'people', because I won;t be held responsible for my actions!!

Photos...

2006-12-31T15:26:00.000Z

Cindy's comments reminded me.. photos! :)
This was Christmas morning...

And this was taken on Boxing Day...

2006 comes to an end....

2006-12-31T13:54:00.000Z

So there we are, another year is about to come to an end. How has yours been, what were your highs and lows?

My biggest high, as always, has been watching my gorgeous girls growing and developing. They're two very different girls, and both wonderful. :)

My other high was finding a job, with just the hours I needed, and some lovely people to work with.. which always makes a difference.

My book forum continues to develop, and it's brought me lots of highs. I've been sent books, and even a manuscript, and I have some lovely people on the forum to discuss them with. Most importantly, I've met some great new people, and made some new friends.

And talking of friends, I've been lucky enough to have a lovely friendship develop over the course of the year. Cindy, I'm hoping next year holds good things for you! :)

I wonder what 2007 has in store....?

Tidy Up Time

2006-12-21T20:16:00.000Z

We have an embarrassing problem in this house.. fleas! First Hannah seemed bad, now it's Louis! We keep putting Frontline on them, and the other day we had to get some strong stuff for the carpets upstairs.

Of course, the trouble was, we needed to get to the carpet, so some tidying was in order! At least it gave us a kick to do it. Today, we've gradually been working on tidying down here too.. not easy with two excited kids running around!

I've found a solution though.. whilst looking for a missing present in the cupboard, I discovered my bottle of Martell.. Merry Christmas Everyone! LOL

Are you feeling 'Christmasy' yet?

2006-12-17T13:52:00.000Z

The presents are (mostly) bought, the decorations are up, and Beth has started learning the words to some of the Christmas songs I've been playing. And yet, it still doesn't feel as if Christmas is just over a week away.

Mind you, Beth has finished school, and Glen is now off until after Christmas, but I have 2 days of work left. Maybe when that's over, I'll start to relax, and get into the spirit of things?

How's it going for the rest of you..?

I'm here......!

2006-11-05T13:45:00.000Z

It's been a while, hasn't it? I doubt I was missed much! LOL

Anyway, I've been busy with a new job.. I'm once again working as a Practice Nurse, two days a week, and it's going well. The staff are nice, and it's good to be working again.. honest! :)

Amy has had to go back to nursery - we had a few days where she wasn't very happy, but last week she seemed to enjoy it. Well, they do have cars AND trains! hehe

My book forum is also keeping me busy, as always. But it's paying off.. there was a HUGE jump in visits last month. I've also recieved a signed book from an author, and I have 2 proofs coming my way.. one being the latest Stephen King!

Thanks to anyone who still visits when I'm quiet - I'll try to come up with something more interesting next time!

Moving to MAX

2006-09-17T16:55:00.000Z

I finally decided the other day to switch my adsl to a MAX product. I found my stats in my router, asked on some forums, and was told that I should expect good results with them. So, the regrade was ordered.

Now, I'm not too bad when it comes to technical stuff, and I've even been called a geek by a few people.. but all the information about MAX is just beyond me!

I'm reading web pages about attenuation, SNR, interleaving, checking wiring etc etc.. I have a friend also trying to explain it.. I'm watching my router stats as they change.. and it's making my head hurt!

Mind you, I recall being a little like this when I first started looking into networking and routers. That all makes sense now, and in fact seems pretty simple, so I'm not sure why I got so confused. So there's always hope!

Oh.. for anyone interested, at the moment I'm quite worried.. at certain times my noise margin keeps dropping (not good), and I lose sync (also not good). And at the moment, my speed test results are pretty useless. I have, however, been told by the above mentioned friend, that it's fairly normal, and it should settle.

I shall let you know if things improve.. and if it ever makes sense!

Comments

2006-09-08T09:09:00.000Z

Someone commented the other day that I don't get many comments in my blog, and she wondered why I bothered. That is true, but I do know that I get more visitors than I get comments.

So how many of you are 'silent readers'.. do you regularly visit various blogs, but never comment? I know I often omit to leave comments where I visit some blogs, and it's usually because I'm not sure what to say. But, to blog writers, it's nice to know that you've been reading, so next time, maybe say a quick hello. :)

Hever Castle

2006-08-31T12:05:00.000Z

If the weather behaves, I can't recommend a visit to Hever Castle enough. There's plenty to do, for both adults and kids, and the surrounding grounds are just lovely.

We started our day by going to the water maze, which is great fun. If you go the wrong way, some water shoots up in front of you, and you're meant to turn around, and try another route. Needless to say, most of the kids simply ran through it, getting wetter and wetter!

This is Beth, trying to find her way around.

After this, we sat by the lake for our little picnic, and then fed the remaining sandwiches to the 100s of ducks, then we made our way to the archery display.

This was also good fun. The costumes are as close as they can get to the originals, and they showed us archery and face to face combat.

Following this we queued for the actual castle. I've been reading some historical fiction about Anne Boleyn, so it was interesting to see her childhood home. However, even the girls seemed to enjoy it!

What with the grounds, the gardens, the model houses and the play areas, that was the rest of our day taken up.

Read more here.

2006 Holiday

2006-08-21T08:07:00.000Z

Yep, this was how the girls were dressed the first night of our holidays! It was wet, windy, and cold.. in the middle of August!

This is how the girls started off, behaving beautifully, and reading before bed. However, Amy didn't like the sound of the wind and rain, and Beth was soon complaining she couldn't get to sleep because of Amy talking too much! So Beth moved in with Daddy, and I settled in with Amy.

This was in the play area in the caravan park.. Amy really has no fear, and was soon climbing up everything she could find. It took Beth years to get that brave! lol

Mid week the weather became much nicer, and on Tuesday we went to Hastings for the day. I took Beth up the cliff lift, and we visited the castle, and the Smugglers Caves.

Then back at the sea front, Beth surprised me by wanting to go on the kiddies roller coaster by herself! And she came off with a smile on her face! lol That's her in the pink cardigan.

The next day we all went on the 'Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway'. It has a little station in the caravan park, and so Amy was very excited about finally going on it. However, about halfway along, the movement sent her to sleep! She'll make a great commuter! hehe

Dymchurch is a lovely place for kids.. there are outdoor rides, an indoor play area, amusements, and a lovely beach, complete with donkeys! I recall Beth being quite nervous of these last year, but once again, Amy's response was quite the opposite. In fact she started laughing when they first set off!

On Thursday night, the clubhouse had a 'pirates' theme night, so when we shopping in Folkestone, we had to hit the charity shops and the market to see what we could find. One waistcoat and bandana later, we were all fixed!

The kids entertainers did face painting for them. Beth became a 'princess pirate'.

And for Amy, they said she needed something cute!

Has anyone else been away this summer? Dd you get better weather then us?!

Interviews / Holiday

2006-08-11T06:49:00.000Z

I know I haven't been around much recently, but I've been busy with various things. Bethany is on her school holidays now, so having both girls at home is keeping me busy!

Mind you, it appears I wasn't missed too much, so never mind! ;-)

For those of you out there who like reading, you might be interested in a couple of interviews I've just carried out for my book forum.. Tess Gerritsen and Kelley Armstrong. They were fun to do, and make interesting reading. At the end of the month, I will interviewing Jodi Picoult.. forum members are invited to send me questions to include, so if you're interested, pop along to the forum.

Tomorrow morning we're off on holiday. According to the 10 day forecast, we're expecting showers every single day, and temperatures in the 60's. How can that happen in August?! Sigh!

Anyway, assuming we manage to leave he caravan, I shall be back in just over a week with a few photos!

Have a good week!

Watching the clouds

2006-07-23T20:43:00.000Z

Driving back from Essex today, I found myself getting lost in the clouds.. does anyone else do that? :)

The clouds today were those lovely fluffy ones, that look so 3-dimensional and solid. They were set against a backdrop of a beautiful blue sky, and yet some were dark storm clouds. In fact, some were partly grey, and partly white, and where the sun was catching the white, it was a fascinating contrast of colours.

To finish off the picture, to one side the sun was shining through the clouds, so that you could actually see 'rays' reaching down to the earth.

Sometimes I get caught up in the wonderful nature we have all around us, and I could have watched those clouds for ages.

Surely I'm not the only one....!? :)

Memories of Dreamland

2006-07-13T19:35:00.000Z

During my younger years, many of our summer holidays on the coast included a trip to Dreamland in Margate, and as a child, it was a very exciting event. I recall being excited the moment I saw the Big Wheel from the car-park (even though I never went on it), and later looking up in awe at the Scenic Railway, Looping Star and Big Dipper.

I remember going on the Big Dipper (very tall water chute) with my mum, going in the 'Tubs' with my grandad, and deciding against the Scenic Railway because it looked just a little too scary!

Other than that, specific memories are hazy. I just recall a large amusement park with was great fun for us all, and a trip to eagerly await!

A few years ago, I returned with my own child, and was in shock at what I saw. Of course, in our childhood memories, everything looks bigger, but the park I was faced with was nothing like my memories. It was actually a really sad experience.

Coming home, I chatted to my mum, and discovered a site about saving the park. It explains that it had in fact dwindled to almost nothing, was in a bad state, and was faced with closure. The park attracts attention, however, because it houses the Grade II listed Scenic Railway roller coaster, the oldest operating roller coaster in the country and Britain's first listed amusement park ride.

I know that this park is now eclipsed by many theme parks in the UK, and will never compete. But I strongly feel it has a future, and I wish the campaign much success. Many families still visit the Kent coast, for holidays or day trips, and with the great sandy beaches on offer, a nice family amusement park would be a great attraction.

How about you, do you have any childhood memories that have been a wildly different experience as an adult?

Hhmm...

2006-07-07T08:56:00.000Z

Is my life so uneventful at the moment that I have nothing to blog about?! lol

They think it's all over... and it is now....

2006-07-01T19:42:00.000Z

They haven't played their best, but somehow England managed to make it to the Quarter Finals.. and what a match!

First we lose Beckham to an injury (although to be honest, he hadn't been performing well), then Rooney gets a red card! Why oh why do football players let themselves get frustrated and angry, when there's a man with a red card watching their every mood?!!

Despite being a man down, the rest of team played really hard.. perhaps not attacking the goal as often as we'd like, but they did a damn good job of denying Portugal their goal too!

So there we were, once again facing penalties.. and once again we lost them! :(

Never mind.. qualifying for Euro 2008 starts in September!

Birthday time....

2006-06-29T12:38:00.000Z

Sunday was birthday day for my God-daughter Kira, and her twin sister Hannah. The weather held out, and everyone seemed to have a good day. :)

This was Amy, in her pretty pink dress:

And this was Bethany, in her England top! LOL

However, a few days previously, Mandy had picked up a new kitten, and he kinda stole the show! This is Bilbo playing...

And this was when it all got too much...

I'm afraid that after that I got carried away watching the England match, and forgot all about my camera! Hope you had a great birthday, Kira & Hannah!!

I'm still here....

2006-06-23T09:17:00.000Z

I've not had much chance to blog recently, as I've busy dealing with some problems on my forum. Unfortunately it didn't stay on the forum, but spread elsewhere as well.

I won't bore anyone with the details (some of you will know them all anyway!), but I have learnt quite alot from it, both as an admin, and as a person.

I've learnt that some people can't be trusted, and will turn on you.. I've learnt that some people are just plain childish, no matter how intelligent or better they think they are.. but most importantly I've learnt that there are people who I can rely on for support and help.. and they're the one's that matter! :D

Aside from that, life ticks over.. Bethany has become quite involved in the World Cup, and is insistant that she wears her England kit to a party on Sunday, because we will be watching the next game there, and Amy is as cheeky as ever!

I should be back next week.. with photos from the party. :)

Summertime!

2006-06-12T12:06:00.000Z

Finally we have some sun, and some warm weather. Although, I'm going to be very British, and say that's it's a bit too warm right now! (We are never happy with our weather, are we? lol)

I thought I'd post some pics of the girls:

This is Bethany, deciding that if her mum was
going to read in the garden, so was she!

Bethany again, sporting her
brand new England kit!

And finally, Amy, looking rather
cute in her summer dress!

Here we go....

2006-06-09T08:20:00.000Z

So here we go.. the World Cup starts today. Are England going to make us proud, or are all those flags soon going to be ripped down in disgust?! lol

That's the trouble with England, as far as I can see.. you can never tell how they're going to play. When we think they're doing great, they get beaten, and when we're all saying how rubbish they are, they beat Germany 5-1! (I lOVED that game!)

My first memories of the World Cup must be Mexico in 1986.. not only did my mum watch it, but my best friend at school was a big football fan, so of course I became interested too. I remember being so disgusted that Maradona could get away with that 'hand of God', and of course it was all his fault that we got knocked out! ;-)

1990.. losing the semi-final to Germany in a penalty shootout. :-( What else is there to say?

1998 I remember for a different reason.. I was pregnant, and feeling rough! I'm pretty sure we were on holiday in Devon when Argentina beat us on penalties, but I remember more feeling sick and tired! :-(

2002.. knocked out by Brazil (who went on to win) in the quarter finals.

And so, what lies ahead for us in Germany................??

Amy's move to a 'big girl bed'...

2006-06-05T12:30:00.000Z

I thought I'd share this little experience with you....

When we go on holiday in the summer, Amy will be too big for the travel cot, and will have no choice but to sleep in a bed. I therefore decided that I should get her moved to a bed at home. She has a cotbed, so I assumed it would be a simple enough transition for her.... wrong! lol

On a Friday evening, I had to take Beth to her nans to stay, so I took Amy for the ride. I informed hubby that this would give him time to get the bed ready. All he had to do was to remove the sides, and change one end piece, so it should be simple enough.

However, when we arrived back, he was still half way through. Amy toddled up the stairs, saw her cot in pieces, and informed me 'Daddy broke it'. I tried to distract her, but this idea carried on all evening.. daddy had broke her bed!

So, along came bedtime.. and the new bed was greeted with tears, and howls of dismay! We had to bring her down for a while, and at 10pm, Glen eventually settled her.

From there, things were fine.. no night time waking, and no falling out!

The same thing happened the next few nights.. she was most distraught when faced with bedtime, but eventually went off to sleep, and slept right through.

Finally, on Wednesday night, we seemed to have a breakthrough. Although she had fallen asleep over her night time drink, as I put her in bed, she opened her eyes, said 'goodnight mummy' and fell asleep. Then... she made up for it! Awake and crying 3 times in the night! Argh! And we had more or less the same thing on Thursday night.

I had kept the same blankets on the bed, hoping it would help the transition, but a few people suggested we try something different. So, I dug out our thinnest duvet, and a Tweenies duvet cover that Beth had had. We made a big thing about how nice it was having a 'Tweenie bed', and when I got in it at one point, Amy said 'no mummy, Amy's bed'.

And yes.. it has worked! She's back to being really good at bedtime, and she's back to sleeping through the night! :)

Now, if only I can stop Bethany crying in the middle of the night, because she's having some sort of nightmare.. that she has no recollection of the next day! :(

She can do it!

2006-06-04T08:39:00.000Z

After much frustration and hair pulling, today Bethany easily swam a width of the training pool, and would have done a length, if the woman at the end had moved out of the way! It's not the smoothest swimming in the world, but that can come.. the important thing is that she can do it! :)

June already?

2006-06-01T10:27:00.000Z

Is it really the beginning of June already? Another year seems to be rushing past.. by the end of the month, we'll be half way through the year.

Bethany has half a term left, and then she would have finished the equivalent of Infant School. She's been doing her SATs recently.. with her practice papers at home she's been reaching level 2 in the English papers, and level 3 in Maths, so we're waiting to see her final result.

Amy is now almost 27 months, and learning all the time.. she amazes me with the things she knows - she can count to 10, plus recognise most of the numbers, she's great with shapes and colours, and she can name loads of objects. :D

Louis has settled in well, and is getting fluffier.. photo below. Plus Hannah seems to have accepted him, so he's here to stay. It's nice to have 2 cats in the house again.

I wonder what the rest of the year has in store?

Random Question...

2006-05-27T18:45:00.000Z

If you won just a small amount of money, and you were told you had to spend it on yourself, what would you do with it? (Not enough for a new car, holiday etc, and it has to be for YOU.)

For me, I'd go to an expensive hairdresser, and see what they could do for me (I'm never happy with my hair!), and I'd have some bras especially made for me (I can never find any to fit)! LOL

Book snobbery?

2006-05-23T09:47:00.000Z

Here we go again - according to a member of my book forum, if you like The DaVinci Code, you don't appreciate 'well written' books.. or words to that effect.

I can't properly describe the tone of certain posts, so the thread is here, if anyone is interested in reading.

This one book seems to have raised the old issues of 'book snobbery' - I keep coming across people who believe that if you're an intelligent person, you don't waste your time reading thrillers, horrors etc. It seems that reading books by authors that most people haven't heard of is a sign of how clever you are. In fact, it's an attitude that's actually quite insulting.

Personally, I read for enjoyment, and I choose books that interest me. If that happens to be a thriller, then so be it. I don't believe it's a measure of my intelligence.

Dressing up...

2006-05-22T11:25:00.000Z

Every now and again, Bethany's school comes up with the bright idea of letting the children dress up for the day.

The first time I came across this, they'd been learning about pirates, and on the last day of term, they were asked to dress as a pirate. After some panicking, we bought some short trousers and a baggy stripy t-shirt in a second hand shop, a bandana in the market, and an eye patch in ebay. She actually looked pretty good, and I breathed a sigh of relief that that was over with!

Then came the next note.. for World Book Day, they were to dress up as a character from a book. And this time we only had a couple of days notice! After much hair-pulling, I finally had a brainwave.. she put on her blue top, wrapped herself up in a couple of bandages, and was Mr Bump!

Of course, nearly every girl was Snow White, Sleeping Beauty or similar, but my daughter doesn't own girlie dressing up! She does own spiderman / power rangers etc, which alot of the boys actually DID wear. But as far as I'm concerned, that wasn't really the idea. Ok, so spiderman may be in a comic, but not the kind of literature they'd be reading!

Anyway.. now it's happening again. This time they've been learning about castles, so the suggestion is a prince or princess, knight or dragon. Once again, that's most of the girls sorted out.. apart from Bethany.

On Saturday we went into town, as I was sure I'd seen a cheap knight's outfit in one of the shops. But no.. the closest was a king's outfit.. 12 pounds for a cape and crown!! So.. panic time again!

In the end, I picked up a gold-coloured disposable tablecloth - it's a wipe-clean one, so it's not as destructable as it sounds! Beth chose some star stickers, and a couple of parcel bows that she liked. We then needed the stationary shop to find some decent card for the crown.

After many hours, and trial and error, we now have a cape and crown. Teamed up with a baggy white blouse, and some shiny paper as a sash, I think we've managed a pretty decent outfit....

Eurovision - The Winner

2006-05-21T10:18:00.000Z

A rock band.. dressed as monsters!? That was hilarious! What has happened to the world when The Eurovision is won by a rock song, and not by a mediocre pop song or ballad? Next year's entries should be interesting..... :)

Eurovision

2006-05-18T09:48:00.000Z

Ok, I admit it.. I like the Eurovision Song Contest! I love watching the different entries, and laughing at alot of them, and Terry Wogan's comments add to the whole experience.

I've watched for many years.. I cheered when Bucks Fizz won, and laughed when Jemini earned 'nul points'. (I actually went on to be a Bucks Fizz fan for a while, but you'll have to let me off.. I was only young!)

It's not a serious contest, but one to be watched with a sense of fun. The voting is so political anyway, and we don't seem to be very popular.. but it's still fun to take part.

As for this years entry, I'm not sure what I think. At first glance, it seems a very unusual entry.. but it's very catchy, and very well done. It was certainly more polished than dear old Jemini, and it actually looked as if it had come straight from a modern musical. But is it what the Eurovision Song Contest is looking for? Something tells me no.

Last Night's Viewing

2006-05-16T09:54:00.000Z

After watching 2 programs last night, the word that came to mind was 'compromise'!

The 1st program was 'Honey We're Killing the Kids', and this week was a single parent struggling to bring up his son. This child, aged 9, lived on junk food, spent all of his time in front of the TV, and stayed up far too late.

Obviously big changes were needed, and on the whole, things went well. But what annoyed me was the swing from one extreme to another. For example, the only thing he was now allowed for breakfast was proper porridge or museli.. which of course he point blank refused. Whilst, of course, crisps and sweets aren't the best breakfast, pushing to this extreme means no food at all. Ready Brek and Weetabix are decent enough filling foods, and more likely to be accepted. Don't you think?

Later on came 'Wife Swap', and of course the 2 extremes were once again chosen! On the one hand, you had a family that spoilt their kids, both with gifts and food. But on the other, you had a strict family.. not a calm strictness, either, but with lots of yelling, and not alot of space for fun and relaxation.

Of course both families felt they were in the right, whereas a blending of both strictness and fun would have helped both of them. Again, a little compromise.

Just as a side point, 2 bits in particualar upset me. In one of the families, both parents work in the family cafe. During school holidays, the children (aged roughly 4, 8 and 11 I believe) were expected to help out in the cafe.. then sit in the car after their chores were done. The sight of those 3 children just sitting in the car was heartbreaking.

In the other family, the dad took his 2 sons to a pub or social club every Saturday evening. At 11pm, his 6 year old (yes, I said 6!) was obviously overtired and upset. The swapped wife insisted that he went home, and the dad just couldn't see what the problem was!

The more I see on these programs, and the more I read the news, I'm beginning to think that you should have to take classes and exams, and get a licence before even thinking about having children!!

Dr Who

2006-05-15T08:41:00.000Z

There has been some discussion on Invicta radio about Dr Who. The 2 breakfast DJs don't like the program, and wanted to know what it was that made it so popular.

The listeners came up with some good reasons...
a) Nostalgia - the adults watching it now remember watching it when they were young, and so it therefore has some nostalgic magic,
b) Family viewing - it's something that parents and kids can sit down together to watch,
c) Escapism - speaks for itself really, and
d) David Tennant - he's sexy, and a good actor.

Personally, the only one I can really agree with is the escapism angle - it is one of those programs you can just get lost in for an hour. As for the others, although I was aware of Dr Who, and especially the Daleks, I didn't really watch it as a child. I can't share it with Bethany, because although she really likes it, it does seem to scare her, and cause nightmares. :(

As for David Tennant, although I can see a certain sexiness about him, I'm not keen on him as The Doctor. I enjoyed Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor.. he seemed to portray more emotions, and he had a better relationship with Rose.

Unfortunately, the DJs decided to give it another try this weekend. I say unfortunately, because I wasn't impressed by the Cyberman, or the storyline, so it may have been that they chose the wrong week to watch!

So what do you think.. do you enjoy it, or do you not 'get it'? How are you finding David Tennant.. is he your Dr Who, or do you prefer one of the older ones?

It continues...

2006-05-13T07:48:00.000Z

It appears yesterday's topic has had many people talking.. it's been discussed in various forums, and blogged by other people.

As an update, it appears that the boy is now going to be charged with rape, something that everyone seems to agree should happen. It's also been hinted that social services are going to get more involved in the 12 year old's case.

Some have even suggested that the mother of the 12 year old should have all her children removed from her. I guess she has endangered her child.. she has allowed her to smoke and drink since she was NINE, and she allows her to go out to situations where she can have sex. Nowhere is it suggested that this is an 'out of control' child that the mother can't handle.. she seems to encourage her activities, and seems proud of her.

The sad thing is, I believe that this isn't as isolated as we hope. In my job, I came across many 14 - 16 year olds drinking too much, and having sex at parties.. I'm sure there are some younger ones out there too. Whatever happened to just being a child?

What were you doing at 11?

2006-05-12T09:17:00.000Z

I think this is the saddest thing I've heard for a while..
Pregnant at 11

In case the article gets moved, this is a young girl that found herself pregnant at 11. Even sadder is that it happened after she got drunk and lost her virginity to a 15 year old boy.

Why on earth was an 11 year old girl in a position where she could get drunk and get pregnant? And why did she feel the need?

When I was 11, my mum knew where I was all the time, I hadn't thought about alcohol, and I certainly hadn't thought about sex! I was busy settling into secondary school, making friends, and talking about pop groups and football!

We didn't start having 'proper' parties until we were about 13, and there was always an adult presence. And nothing stronger to drink than cola!

What sort of upbringing has this child had?

In the article, she talks about taking her baby swimming, and for walks in the park. She knows how to give it a bottle, and how to change a nappy. However, every parent reading this knows that there is so much more to bringing up a child.. and I doubt she's ready for that at 12 - she's still a child herself, for goodness sake! And she can't rely on her own mum for help.. she's hardly done a good job with her own child!

I'm sorry if I sound judgemental, but this sort of situation makes me feel sad and angry. Seeing the kind of upbringing this child must have had herself, and the life she leads, I see little future for a baby.. and I see history repeating itself. Children are a gift, and we have a responsibilty to bring them up well - and in my eyes, this child's mother has failed.

Yay - Sunshine!

2006-05-11T12:28:00.000Z

A friend pointed out that my last 2 posts were both rants, so today is different..

The sky is blue, the sun is out, and it's a gorgeous day!!

That's all! :D

Things that make you go 'Grr'!

2006-05-10T11:54:00.000Z

Today I saw these two posts on a book forum:

"what are some fiction or non-fiction book that is sorta short n is interesting n like pulls u in? im in highschool 9th grade n this is for english. if u had to recommend a book wut wud it be that isnt too long."

"thanx! does any1 else hv any books n i cant read animal farm cuz i read it last yr n mice n men i cant read either cuz thats our summer reading. thanx tho"

I find it hard to believe that a high school student would really write like that, so I assume that he/she has spent too long sending texts on their mobile phone. And that's something that makes me go 'Grr'!

I understand the need to shorten words when texting.. you need to fill as little space as possible, and those keypads are quite restrictive. However, when you're at your pc, with a perfectly good keyboard in front of you, is it really necessary?!

I always found that most of the youngsters using MSN Spaces did this.. whole pages written in 'txt spk'. I didn't hang around long, and could be heard muttering about it for some time afterwards!

I have another gripe today - toddlers wandering around with juice in bottles! Do their parents not realise that they subjecting those poor little teeth to a constant sugar bombardment?!

When I worked in a day surgery unit, we had a theatre that the dental school used. Twice a week we had a massive list of toddlers and young children having to have a short anaesthetic so that they could have fillings or extractions. When they came in for their pre-assessments, a high percentage of these youngsters arrived with bottles of juice.. sometimes hanging out of their mouths. When we tried to talk to their parents about it, we were simply dismissed.

Adults, if you wish to destroy your own teeth, that's up to you, but please take care of your childrens.

So.. what makes you go 'Grr'?!

Argh!!

2006-05-09T07:51:00.000Z

As some of you know, we have major long term roadworks going on around us. Most of the time it's been an annoyance, but a couple of times it's caused us real problems.

At one point Bethany had to stop Judo on a Wednesday evening, because the traffic was so bad, and we now have to leave a little bit earlier in the mornings.

This morning however, things are horrendous.. the traffic on the main dual-carriageway doesn't appear to be moving at all, and the cars approaching it were turning around, obviously fed up with the wait.

The way the roads are situated, I have 3 routes out - this morning, all 3 of them were blocked. I couldn't see movement, so we turned around and came home.

I called hubby, and even at 7:30, when he left, the traffic was crawling, so I don't know what's changed this morning. There was talk of an extra pair of traffic lights going up for a couple of weeks. If that's the case, and this is the effect, I might find myself taking my daughter to school at 7 in the morning!!

And the annoying thing is that my council tax is probably helping to fund this - instead, I think I should be getting a refund, as compensation for this stress!!

Do we have a sleepwalker?

2006-05-07T06:38:00.000Z

A little while ago, I found Bethany almost out of her room, having dragged her duvet off her bed, and dragging it behind her. Last night it happened again.

Earlier in the night, I found her standing next to her bed, holding her pj bottoms in her hand, and crying. My 1st thought was that she'd had an 'accident', but she hadn't.

Then about 30 mins later, she was once again dragging her duvet out of room, and was at the top of the stairs.

Thinking back, some of the times that she appears in our room, she may not be awake, as she doesn't always respond.

Her Dad doesn't sleepwalk in the 'classic' sense, but he does do some strange things in his sleep sometimes!

Does anyone have experience of this.. any tips?

Was that summer?

2006-05-05T09:10:00.000Z

On Wednesday we started to see some lovely weather, and the evening was gorgeous. Yesterday was a lovely warm sunny day, with temperatures hitting 75. Today, however, is cloudier and cooler, and we're expecting rain at the weekend. :(

Knowing British weather, I wonder if we have more nice weather coming our way, or if that was it? It's such a shame that you can't rely on the weather to be nice in the summer.. I've been on too many cool, wet holidays in the country! lol

As a quick update, little Louis has settled in just fine.. he loves sitting with us in the evenings, and is often on the bed during the night. He's been out in the garden, and seems quite happy to potter back here. Being a persian, he forever looks grumpy, but I'm sure he's happy really!

Hannah has also accepted him. I wouldn't say that they're best buddies, but they're getting on just fine. :)

Bad dreams...

2006-05-01T16:39:00.000Z

Once again Bethany appears to be having 'vague' nightmares. She can never remember what she was dreaming about, but she wanders into our room mumbling about bad dreams, and if we send her back to her room, she sits there crying.

We were recording Dr Who, and watching it in the morning, but I'm giving up on that idea. On top of that, however, I think I need to restrict most 'adult' tv. On Saturday night, for example, she was watching a bit of casualty with us, and there was a fire, resulting in some bad burns. That night, she was in our room again!

I may also have to watch Amy. Last night she sat with me having her milk, and I was watching Dr Who. At 11:30pm, she was crying, and having to sit up with Daddy! I guess she takes in more than I realise!?

I guess it's time to restrict to The Tweenies?!! ;)

Splish splash!

2006-04-30T09:31:00.000Z

This morning we all got up at some silly hour (ok, it was 7.. but that is silly on a Sunday! lol) and went 'swimming'. Unfortunately none of us can actually swim, but we're hoping to change that for the girls. Beth has been having lessons, but isn't getting that far. Thankfully she wants to go, but she's lacking in confidence.. so today was a chance to let her practice.

By the end of our time there she was jumpling off the edge, and going down the slide by herself.. which is quite a step forward for her. She's also slowly doing better with the 'swimming' side of things too.

Amy hasn't been in for a while, and was quite scared at first. But by the end she was having a great time, and doing really well. At this rate, she'll beat her big sister!

As for me... no comment! LOL

She did it!

2006-04-27T17:08:00.000Z

Bethany decided the other day that she wanted her stabilisers off her bike. Watching her, I felt that we'd spend a long time practicing. However, on her 3rd (short) trip out today, she did it.. she cycled a short distance! Now it's a case on building on her confidence, and practicing.. then we can go on cycle rides together!

Now to get her to swim....

Collecting

2006-04-25T15:10:00.000Z

Do you collect anything.. or is there anything you would like to collect, if only you had the funds?!

As a child, I realised that I had a few pigs (no, not the type that go 'oink oink'!), and so I decided that I was going to collect them. I started off with small cute ones, and as I got older, I progressed to 'Piggins', which are quite comical little things.

That collecting phase has passed.. I've kept a few of my favourite Piggins, but the rest have gone. My collection had been started by a full set of Natwest Pigs, and I'm afraid I sold them when I needed a new cotbed for Amy.

As for the present day, although I didn't set out to collect anything, I now have a small collection of small teddy bears upstairs. I like Gunds and Boyds, and my favourite is my little Steiff that my mum bought me. :)

Other than that, I do like carved wooden boxes, and if I could justify spending out, I could see myself collecting these too. At least I could put things in them, and actually 'use' them.

So how about you, dear reader..?

Font Change

2006-04-25T15:08:00.000Z

I've been making my font 'small' in my posts, but I wondered if perhaps that was a bit too small. 'Normal' looks a bit large for now, but I'll try it, and you can let me know what you think.... :)

Site Update / Cat Update!

2006-04-23T17:06:00.001Z

The extension to the blog that I was working on has actually now replaced my original site. I needed to bring MJMoore.co.uk up to date, and this way it blends perfectly with my blog. I hope you like it - let me know if you have any feedback.

In it's new format, it's easier to add new sections, so I'm using the oppertunity to add ideas that have been floating in the back of my mind for a while. One of those ideas is a section on pc security.. a growing interest of mine. My aim is to explain some of the basics, and then point people in the right direction for more information. One of those places will be SouthernladySecurity, a site that a friend of mine is in the process of building. :)

As for the kitty cats, things are looking positive. Louis appears to be settling well, and has spent most of the afternoon curled up on the sofa, and looking very much at home! Hannah is desperate to show that she is Miss Boss Cat, and is still coming out with the occasional hiss. But's she's not stayed hidden under the bed, which was my main worry, and there has been no fighting. It's looking good! :D

Holding back the tide..

2006-04-20T20:45:00.000Z

I'm not going to pretend to be a tidy person.. a quick glance at my computer desk alone would prove that theory wrong. However, I have recently found myself pulling my hair out at the mess my young children make!

We have one large room downstairs, and so I can't tuck toys away in another room. I did try telling Beth she had to leave everything upstairs.. but that didn't last long! So, in an attempt to stay organised, I have various tubs and boxes in a couple of corners.. and if everything stayed there I'd be happy enough.

But no.. every single time I put something in it's proper box or tub, I turn around, and it's been pulled out again, and scattered around the room! I am forever stepping on a Tweenie, Fimble, doll or bear, or kicking Thomas along the floor, swearing as it cheerfully goes 'chug chug'! And then there's the case of crayons.. I seem to be forever putting them back in their case.. and always finding the 'one that got away', as it snaps under my feet!

Oh, and then there's the silly idea I get of packing something away, and 'tidying' it neatly in the attic. I choose something that hasn't been even touched for months, let along played with, and quietly send Glen up the ladder with it. Two days later, and that exact toy is being hunted for by Bethany, because she has to play with it.. now!

Ok, now the girls are soundly asleep in bed, I'm off to put the toys away - until they get up in the morning, and drag it all out!

Visit to the Science Museum

2006-04-19T09:43:00.000Z

Well I'm quite proud of myself.. we managed 3 major trips during this spring break! Yesterday I took Beth up to the Science Museum. Sadly the building for this one is 'normal', so no fantastic architecture to admire. Basically, I enjoyed it, but Bethany wasn't too impressed.

The main halls downstairs are quite impressive.. one in particular looks at how the modern world developed, and it has steam engines (including Stephenson's 'Rocket'), cars, and even aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling! They also have the actual Apollo 10 Command Module - I tried to explain to Bethany that this had actually been in space, with real spacemen, but she wasn't impressed!

I then got dragged down to the Launch Pad, which is where they have hands-on experiments for children. However, Beth wasn't really interested in what she was learning, she just wanted to play! We did go in a show about bubbles, which was alot of fun.. especially seeing a methane filled bubble set alight!

After lunch we went to The History of Medicine section.. Beth had some interest, but not as much as myself. We went to a show entitled 'Medical Marvels', which was ok, but not that well presented. I've studied a little bit of Medical History, and there were more interesting things they could have picked.

Our final show was 'Remedy Detectives', which I was looking forward to.. again, it was different to what I expected, and disappointing.

The final section we visited was about the development of the modern home, looking at the development of items such as washing machines, vacuums and radios. This was a bit better for Bethany, because they provided some buttons to press!

All in all, this is a great museum for older children and adults. There are things to keep the younger ones interested, but also alot that will bore them. For a good day out for all ages, I would recommend The Natural History Museum instead. :)

Extension to blog...

2006-04-17T19:14:00.000Z

I've been adding a little 'extension' to my blog today. Over in the sidebar you're see 'More About Me', with various links to some new sections. Take a peek, and tell me what you think. :)

Louis Update...

2006-04-17T10:18:00.000Z

Louis seems to be pretty well settled, but still gets a little nervous when Beth and Amy are running around, or being noisy. But then again, who can blame him!

The 2 cats are able to sit in the same room, but if they get too close, Hannah starts hissing and growling. She's also spending alot of her time upstairs, under our bed, which was my main worry.

We can only do our best, I guess time will tell...

Photo

2006-04-16T10:47:00.000Z

Btw, here's a photo of Louis. He's officially a black persian, but he looks more chocolate brown. However, prior to coming to us, he had gotten knotty, and so has been shorn. He's very strange looking right now, but looking at his head and 'boots', he's going to be a big fluff-ball!

Miow!

2006-04-16T05:58:00.000Z

My least favourite sound right now! Earlier in the night it was Louis's miow mixed in with Hannah's swearing each time they met. Then it was on and off during the night. Since about 5:30 this morning, it's been almost constant! I've had to get up and direct him downstairs, so everyone else can sleep a bit more.. but it's still happening.

Maybe after his good start he's now missing his family.. maybe he's just a noisy cat.. or maybe I'm missing something? Whatever, I'm now sitting here with a cuppa, about to search the internet for ideas!

Oh, it appears that he's a 'pillow cat'.. and as he got hissed at in our bedroom, he decided Bethany's would be a good place to go. He kept getting on her pillow.. and she kept coming into us, to say she couldn't get him off! In the end, we swapped. So I spent the night in my daughter's bed, with only a miowing cat for company!!

Miow!

A new kitty.. but will it last?

2006-04-15T20:30:00.000Z

To start at the beginning, we used to have 2 cats, Hannah and Rebecca. Unfortunately, last year we had to have Rebecca put to sleep, aged only 9. As much as we love Hannah, we're all used to 2 cats, and Rebecca's death left a gap.

Recently we were asked if we could give a home to a persian cat.. his owners have a baby who's 18 months, and experiencing bad allergies. At first I said no, but it stayed in my mind. When we found out some time later that they were still looking, we decided to give it a try.

Rebecca was a 3/4 persian, and we're used to the grooming. We were told that Louis is an extremely affectionate cat, and that's something I miss.. Hannah is much more aloof. Louis is used to young children, and so shouldn't be phased by Amy, plus both Louis and Hannah have experience of other cats.

So, this evening Louis was brought over to us. He's explored, he's eaten, and he's used his litter tray. He's been fussed over, he's purred, and he's napped. Considering that he's been pulled out of his home, he seems really settled already.

However... Hannah is still under the bed. She did wander out, met Louis, hissed, and retreated again! For a while, she sat under the bed growling, and Louis sat not far away, just occasionally miowing quietly.

So now we have to see how Hannah reacts. I'm praying she remembers what it's like to have another cat around, and accepts him. I know that we can give him a lovely home, as long as Hannah decides she can too.

Keep everything crossed for us!

Web Designing

2006-04-14T21:58:00.000Z

This is something I enjoy doing from time to time. However, it's something that keeps changing, and I've recently had to almost re-learn what I knew before.

My latest project was a site for a friend was hand-coded, and validates in xhtml and css. My earlier sites use html, and were designed in Frontpage. I attempted to make some content changes in MJMoore.co.uk.. and the code is a mess! LOL It really shows how much of an improvement xhtml and css is.. and it also shows how much I've learnt and improved! :D

Trip to the Natural History Museum

2006-04-13T14:30:00.000Z

Being determined not to sit around for the whole of the Easter break, I sat down Tuesday night, looking for somewhere to take the girls for the day. After having a heart attack about some of the entrance prices, I discovered that London's 2 main museums were free. Also, as our weather hasn't been too reliable, indoors sounded good to me!

So on Wednesday morning, we got up, got ready, and set off on the train as soon as the off-peak prices kicked in! Amy looked a little unsure at first, but soon settled into the ride, and both of them seemed to enjoy their first experience of the underground!

When we arrived at the museum, we were greeted by a beautiful building. You can read more about it here. After a short queue, and a bag search, we were in! Bethany was looking forward to the dinosaurs, and once I saw that a queue was forming for that, I decided that we should head straight for that. Later in the day, I was glad I did!

They have a large moving T-Rex in the middle of the exhibition, and it's pretty lifelike.. although not as big as I expected. I was a bit concerned about Amy being scared, but she just sat in her pushchair, roaring back at it!

Other than the dinosaurs, we saw the blue whale (the one thing I remember from 'my' childhood visit), the 'creepy crawlie' gallery, and the primates. By the time we reached the 'Human Biology' gallery, Amy was snoozing in her pushchair, so Beth and I were able to spend some time playing with exhibitions, and doing some learning. :)

All in all, it was a great day out.. although I haven't done that much walking for a long time!

I'm back!

2006-04-08T20:33:00.000Z

It's been a while.. sorry! I've been recovering from a 3 day migraine, getting to the end of my daughter's term, and then enjoying the start of her spring break. Oh yes, and designing a site for a friend.. and learning even more xhtml and css along the way! Now it's time to dust off some brain cells, and re-learn how to install a contact form and mailing list.

Our main day out last week was a trip to Rochester.. Beth and I explored the castle, and I realised that I was a little more worried about heights than I used to be! Beth, however, climbed to the top, spotted Daddy and Amy far below, and was leaning over trying to catch their attention!

Then after lunch we strolled around the cathedral - they have some nice leaflets for children, so they learn a little more about some of the features, so Beth enjoyed that. Then it was time for a coffee, and a slow wander along the lovely little high street! :)

I have a confession to end with.. between us all, we've already gotten through 4 Easter eggs!!

Clocks 'springing' forward!

2006-03-27T19:17:00.000Z

I really don't like this idea about putting the clocks forward. On both Sunday morning, and today, it didn't matter what the clocks said, my body knew it was having to get up an hour earlier.. and it has complained all day! I'm tired! hehe

And, it's not even as is we now have lovely spring weather to show for it.. it's been windy and wet! If I have to get up early, I want to be rewarded with a little sunshine, pretty spring flowers, and cute little bunnies! LOL

Ok, that's todays moan over.. hopefully I'll be more refreshed tomorrow.

Tea or Coffee?

2006-03-24T16:19:00.000Z

Is it true that Brits like their tea, and the Americans always drink coffee? Or am I being terrribly stereotypical?! I'm a tea drinker.. I occasionally like coffee, especially if I've been out for a meal, but on the whole, it's the tea bags that I reach for.

How about the type of tea or coffee.. are you fussy over what you drink, or do you slurp whatever is put in front of you? I'm not particularly fussed.. I have Sainsbury's own coffee in the cupboard, and that does me fine when I do crave some caffeine. My hubby likes PG Tips, so I go along with that awell.

When I was having some trouble sleeping, I bought some shop brand decaffinated tea bags, and Glen was horrified. They taste fine to me, but he insists on his PG Tips. Have I married a tea snob?! :)

&*%!$ Spammers!

2006-03-21T20:53:00.000Z

The one thing guarenteed to get my blood pressure rising - spammers!

Email spammers I've learnt to cope with - most of my spam goes into particular accounts.. I check them occasionally, and delete the messages without really looking. I know they're either offering to extend the length of a body part I don't have, or they're going to tell me that I need to click the nice link, and provide my log in details for my bank/paypal/ebay etc. Yea.. I'm not that dumb!

The scum of the earth to me are the individuals who spam forums. For those who haven't experienced this, most forums have a 'memberlist' of some sort, and that list often shows the members websites, if they add it. This provides a link back to their site, and it's always a good thing to get decent sites linking back to you.

So, my forums get a constant influx of new members. Are they interested in the topic matter? No, they want a link back to their search site or porn site. NOT the sort of thing I want showing up on my memberlist!

In my case, they don't even gain from it. My older forums I check at least once a day, and with my most recent one, I'm on there throughout the day, and I know pretty quickly if I get a new member.. and they get checked out. Some links get removed, but usually the offending spammer gets their account deleted too.

So, their link is gone, and they've achieved nothing. Oh, actually, they have.. they've wasted a part of my day, and they've increased my blood pressure!

Yet another fun part of owning a forum!

Are you a morning person?

2006-03-20T09:54:00.000Z

I, most definitely, am not one of the cheerful 'morning people'. My hubby does pretty well, and my eldest is full of energy the moment she jumps out of bed. I, on the other hand, hate mornings.

I have my alarm set to the radio, as I think the grating 'buzz buzz' is an inhuman way to be woken up! However, as I gradually come round, I tell myself that I'll just listen to the news.. then the weather.. then the traffic... The next thing I know, they've all been and gone, we're on at least the second song.. and I'm late!

I then drag myself to the bathroom, trying desperately to get my eyes to open up. I dread hearing my daughter saying 'mum...', because I know she'll be rewarded with a growling 'what?'! I then go through my bathroom routines, just knowing that I'm not going to feel any more awake all day, and how on earth am I supposed to get through it?

Of course I gradually wake up more and more, and half an hour later I'm usually found yelling at the girls to GET DRESSED for the 20th time. Then it's out to the car, to get Beth to school, and to face another day.

Oh, btw.. over recent weeks my morning has developed a rather nice touch. For some reason, hubby has decided I need tea.. and there's always a cup waiting for me when I arrive downstairs! Bless him! :)

Omelettes - Take 2!

2006-03-19T17:33:00.000Z

Arming myself with the information given to me by a couple of friends, I decided it was time to try another omelette. I used 2 eggs, and no milk, kept the heat lower and put my filling (just cheese this time) in the middle, rather than mixing it in (well, I was guessing last time!). And.. a HUGE improvement! :)

So thanks to those who advised me! hehe And next time I want to try something new.. I'll ask!

Bookworm Bethany

2006-03-17T19:29:00.000Z

Soon after she turned 7, Bethany was placed on the 'free reader' level at school.. and so far, she's one of only three in her year. This means that as well as having more difficult books, she can go and get a new one whenever she wants, instead of set days.

This seems to have been an inspiration to her, as she's now working through them at quite a rate! Today we went to the library, and I helped her choose some more 'grown up' books, including a Secret Seven story, a Jacqueline Wilson book, and Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Snow Queen' ( I actually fancied that one myself, since it was an important part of Graham Masterton's 'Spirit').

When we came home I discussed the idea of reviews with her, and she liked the idea. So, she started 'Bethany's Book of Reviews'. I'm just about to set her up her own blog, so she can also practice her typing, and keep an online record. :) Watch out for the link when she's done her first one!

Omelettes - milk or no milk?

2006-03-14T12:34:00.000Z

This may shock many of you, but I've never cooked an omelette before. Today I was looking at the contents of my fridge for lunch ideas, and decided to give it a try.

The closest I could think of was scrambled eggs, so I mixed up eggs, milk and a little butter, added a little cheese and ham, and popped it in the frying pan. My first effort was far too thick and runny, so I popped that in the bin, and tried again!

The result may not have been the perfect omelette, and was a little.. how shall I put this.. ok, it was a little burnt! But, it was certainly edible, and I left a clean plate! (My daughter left all hers, but then my excuse for that is that she doesn't like scrambled egg either!)

Anyway, I then decided to turn to the internet to find out how I should have made it.. and it turns out there's a big debate as to whether omelettes should contain a little milk or not! (What a fascinating world we live in!)

So, do you add milk or not? Any tips on making the perfect omelette, any favourite fillings? And will anyone else admit to being an 'omelette virgin' as I once was?!

Amy...

2006-03-12T10:39:00.000Z

Amy has reached that point that all toddlers seem to hit.. knowing the animal noises! She really impressed us with her farmyard knowledge the other day.. cats went meow, ducks went quack, sheep went baa, and so on. However, there's one little blip in Amy's world.. apparently frogs jump up and down, and say.. 'oink'. She knows that pigs say oink, and we've told her countless times that frogs say 'ribbit'. But in Amy's world, they're still going 'oink'!

She's also good at recognising pictures now.. we were going through a book yesterday, and she was telling me the names of some things, and pointing at others. When I asked her where the 'light' was (there was a lamp in the book), she slowly looked upwards, pointed to the ceiling light, and with a smile on her face said, "there it is".

Would you be surprised to hear that when we were looking up our Chinese horoscopes (Beth had been asked to find out hers for school), Amy turns out to be a monkey?!

(In case you're wondering, Beth is a tiger, hubby is a rooster, and I'm an ox!)

Randomness....

2006-03-04T19:09:00.000Z

A few random bits from me today...

Firstly, when are the Oscars going to be over?! I can't turn off the radio without hearing these DJs and reporters who have 'popped over' just to fill us in on what's going on. And.. I haven't even heard the films mentioned, it's all about the celebs and money.

And what's with the 'goodie bags'?? The celebs attending already have plenty plenty of money, and yet they're being given bags full of holidays, gadgets etc, worth thousands. Here's an idea.. each celeb can suggest their favourite charity, and they can be given a few thousand dollars instead!

My second rant.. I took Beth to Dartford today, so my friend could take her to a party. A journey that should take 10-15 minutes took me an hour! Stupid roadworks.. I've just about had enough of them!

Ok, enough ranting!

We saw a good friend today.. he's been under alot of stress, and keeping to himself, but things are working out nicely now, and he's back to his old self. :) He also came laden with gifts for the girls, as he missed Christmas, and their last birthdays. That put a smile on their faces!

Tomorrow my littlest baby is 2.. where did those 2 years go?! We have grandparents and godparents coming for a little party.. it should be nice. :)

Birthday...

2006-03-01T21:47:00.000Z

That's that then.. another birthday almost over. Thank you to anyone who sent birthday wishes.. be it by a traditional card, ecard, text, or message on a forum.. I appreciate them all. Also thank you to a lovely friend who kept me company on AIM all afternoon.. it was fun! :)

Tomorrow it's back to reality.. I have to write my cv and fill in an application form, and I've been putting it off. It's for a little bit of agency work in the weekends - thankfully we don't need the cash, but it will make life more comfortable. I've put it off not because I don't want to work, but rather that going back to work scares me. For the past few years I was working in a day surgery unit, and then as practice nurse. Going back to working on a traditional hospital ward will be difficult, and doing it as an agency nurse, when you're expected to just get on with it, is scarey.

Still, it needs to be done, and filling out that form will be the first step. If anyone catches me making excuses, and putting it off, give me a push!

Tired Sentiments...

2006-02-28T22:36:00.000Z

It's my birthday tomorrow, and I always get a little sentimental. I'm also tired, so it could get even worse! lol However, my plan is to do the 'sentimental' bit tonight, and to have it forgotten about by tomorrow. :)

It's nothing much, it's just that birthdays are special days to me, and that includes my own. And I get kinda sad about the people who aren't going to share it with me. There are friends who are no longer part of my life, whom I still miss.. one in particular whose birthday wishes I will miss terribly. Then there are those who haven't been in touch for ages, and have probably even forgotten.

But... there are plenty of people who are in my life, and they're the ones who are important. I'm looking forward to getting a cuddle from my girls, and spending the day with my hubby. I've already recieved a lovely card from one friend, and I hope I'll get a few good wishes from others.

So it's time to say goodnight to those sad sentiments, take myself to bed.. and wake up another year older! Yikes!

Horoscopes

2006-02-27T12:20:00.000Z

Do you believe in horoscopes? I don't put much faith in daily readings.. after all, one prediction covers 1/12th of the population, so it's hardly individual.

However, I do believe that star signs have a big influence on us, and who we are. Again, I'm not saying the population can be divided into 12 personalities, as your sign depends on many things.. the actual day, and even the actual time.

Saying that, I am a very typical pisces. If you read most descriptions of a pisces, you're reading a pretty good description of me.

Out of all the horoscope sites that I've pottered around in my time, this one has impressed me most:
http://www.astrology.com.au/

And if you're interested, this is where you can find out more about me:
http://www.astrology.com.au/12signs/pisces.asp
http://www.astrology.com.au/366bdays/index.asp (1st March)

Two bits in particular jumped out at me:
"Being a highly emotional individual works both for and against you, and your sensitivity will cripple you from time to time as you absorb both the good and bad vibrations from people in your environment. Learning to become just a little more thick-skinned wouldn’t be a bad idea, Pisces."

"Often you have a strong desire to simply get away and escape from the pressures and responsibilities of your daily routine and "life"."

Both very true!

Doors & Windows

2006-02-26T12:23:00.000Z

How does that phrase go.. "When God shuts a door, he always opens a window"? I never really got that.. why shut a perfectly good door, and then make us crawl, probably very ungracefully, through a window?!

Of course, I get the general meaning, and it can be interpreted in many different ways. Recently a good friend, someone I used to really care about, decided to step out of my life.. and she's made sure the door slammed firmly shut. It's been a long journey, as you can tell just from a few posts here, but I've finally accepted I can do nothing about it.

However, as always, other people have stepped into my life.. some have come and gone in a short time, but have offered me something whilst they've been around. Others have stepped in, and I have a good feeling that they're going to stay. :)

Hmm, there's a thought... maybe they're the ones who have to crawl through the window? Hopefully they're manage more gracefully than me!

It Returns!

2006-02-26T12:05:00.000Z

I'm back!

Both of my blogs became a little neglected.. this one mainly because I forgot about it! Oops! Anyway, the other day, I finally remembered about it, found the URL, and showed it to someoneone. I then went out in the car, and the first song that came on the radio was Fix You, the subject of my last post! Creepy! hehe

I've deleted a couple of old posts on here that just seemed too negative when I read them. The rest, I hope, are more about growth, and learning to deal with things, so they're staying. And maybe I'll remember to ramble some more on here now.....

Coldplay - Fix You

2005-09-27T09:26:00.000Z

The more I've heard this song, the more I love it.. and the words have really touched me recently. I'd love someone to 'fix me' right now!

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

High up above or down below
When you too in love to let it go
If you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth