Sorry I've been away....been busy. Will blog soon.

Monday Monday

It's raining! Well it would be, Wimbledon starts today. So that's it then, two weeks of rain?

Had a great weekend. My promise of photographs from my evening in London will not be realised. Not just because I forgot to take my camera but also because once Sue and I became ensconced in the members lounge of the Tate Modern, we stayed there all evening, moving once down to the cafe to eat something more substantial than a tiny bowl of mixed nuts. Art? Well, we went past a few paintings!

On Saturday our good friends Cas and Mick arrived with their two lovely children. We put the table under a tree and pretended we were in Provence! In the evening, it was so warm we brought the TV outside to watch the football! Well, why be in, on a summer's night! Perfect!

It was warm in Ipswich. Not so warm at the beach! We stopped for a coffee and a quick 'blow'. That munchkin is Amy wrapped in an adult cagoule and some kind of head gear!

On our return we fired up the BBQ, ate more meat than I usually eat in a month, and drank an enormous amount of white wine and watched England win! Brilliant!

Busy Weekend Ahead!

Whilst cooking up a feast today for our guests arriving tomorrow, I listened to the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2. It was all about 'affluenza', ie. the need to have money and spend money that our nation seems to be suffering from. The guest speaker said that if you are motivated by monetary awards and posssessions you won't experience happiness. Rather, what makes you happy is 'flow'; that is, doing something that absorbs you totally, which could be a job or a hobby. Other things that make you happy are interacting with people, this means not only your friends and family but also your community. He also said that those people who watch a lot of television suffer most from 'affluenza'. They see things on the TV - people with stuff and great lifestyles and think that they should have it. He went on to say that in today's society people have the most enormous mortgages, mortgages that they can't really afford. This made me think. Why am I worrying about this house malarkey. I have tennis! I have my allotment! I have my painting! I have you lot! I have a social life! (and today I also had horse riding). I have flow!


So, I shall stop stressing and thinking that I am merely treading water until I OWN something, and continue to enjoy the summer as I have been. I'm off to London today to meet my good friend Sue at the Tate Modern (it's open until ten on a Friday, I think it's to attract single people, wonder if anyone will hit on us?!!) and then we're going to wander along the south bank, and find a lovely place to eat. I shall try and remember to take some photos.

Tomorrow we have Cas and Mick and children coming for the weekend (he of the marathon), and, of course, England vs Equador! (can't wait!). By the way, weren't yesterday's matches exciting!

Well, bonne weekend tout le monde! Have fun, and remember to go with the flow!

THREE SISTERS

Which one is me? One of these is Bangla Jess, who is arriving in the UK tonight!!! But won't be in Hipswich until the 3rd. The other one is my sister in Ipswich, shall we call her, hmm. not sure what to call her, she's a practice nurse with a botox and dermal fill business too! Any ideas?

We have a brother too, but he was too busy to be in the photo as he has remained in adult life! He is to be seen very irregularly, sadly.

same old, same old

Isn't nature wonderful!

I'm so glad I have my allotment, it's keeping me going. I went yesterday after having neglected it for a about five days. What a lovely surprise! My courgettes are romping away. My potatoes are all up and thriving (six rows), my two rows of broad beans have all germinated and are showing a few leaves. My sweetcorn is about two inches tall! My pumpkin plant is about to flower. My artichoke has artichokes on it! The only 'failure' is my french bean patch - two rows of seeds - four plants! (trying to think of something witty to say about the french there and failing).

Nicola phoned me the day before yesterday to get advice on handbags of all things! I should have put her on to Dons for fashion advice. In the course of the conversation she told me that she'd heard that I'd leafletted my roads of choice from someone on the dog walk in the park. Also, this person had been greatly disgruntled that I'd knocked on some doors of houses that I particularly liked to ask if they were selling. One lovely but 'fally downy' house did not answer my knocks and so I asked a neighbour who was in their garden who lived there and did they know if they were likely to sell? This woman was very friendly (an ex londoner, blah blah). But she'd obviously told a friend/neighbour who was very cross about this predatory/speculatory attitude of this 'incomer'. This news immediately made me feel paranoid and I had the overwhelming feeling as I went to bed that I didn't want to move into a neighbourhood that gossiped to this extent. I had the feeling that I wanted to go home! (except I don't want to go 'home' to London, which no longer feels like home but I wanted to go somewhere!). I'm over it now....I know it was just probably just one person who was gossiping and I shouldn't take it personally.

Nicola and I are going horse riding on Friday! First time in years. (GULP)

Oh yes, I've applied for a job! (I've been waiting for such a job to come up!) It's as a 'proctor' at the local secondary school. Don't ask me what that is....something to do with supervising lessons and school trips and stuff.

Hope Springs!

I've been feeling rather low today. All because of this stupid house business. I put the offer in to the agent who all but laughed in my face. I don't really mind, I wasn't IN LOVE with the house anyway.

I haven't been so low that I can't do anything - I've bottled my elderflower champagne, washed the sheets and the covers on the sofa. Bought some new oil paints for my painting (which isn't going so well actually, am having a re-think) AND a quick visit to TKMaxx to look for the ULTIMATE slouchy handbag (No joy). However, I did come away with some new bathroom scales, a bath mat and some new sunglasses!

I picked the girls up with resolve in my heart - to finish leafletting my desired road. When we all got in (about ten minutes ago) I checked the messages on the phone. Lo and behold there was one from a Mrs Arbuthnot who lives on one of our favourite roads and is thinking of selling. (someone at tennis had given me the tip off about Mrs Arburthnot - she has a PR company which she runs from home and needs a bigger house). I know exactly where she lives! It's a lovely house. And I'm sure we will be able to afford it as it is next to the one we nearly bought and then changed our minds about ages ago. Every time we go past the SOLD sign on the one next to it, Holly says 'we should have bought that one'. I had no idea at the time that houses come up on this road very infrequently and we thought we would be able to pick and choose. This house is quite big - five bedrooms and a cellar. We changed our minds at the time because we thought the kitchen was too narrow and the garden wasn't as big as I would have hoped. But, I now know that we have to compromise somewhere along the line. And if we can get a private sale, all the better! Cheaper for them, cheaper for us and two fingers up at the agents! I left a message back with Mrs Arbuthnot's colleague and am awaiting her call!

If your name was Caca wouldn't YOU change it by deed poll?
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We so enjoyed the Brazil match. Not because the Brazilians were great players but because it was father's day and Andy had had half a bottle of Cava and half a bottle of red wine (wonder who had the other halves?), and kept dropping off throughout the match. We really enjoyed poking him awake every five minutes. I think my husband is officially an OLD man now!!!

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It's such a shame Thierry Henri has just gone off. I was really enjoying looking at his lunch box.

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Yesterday at the sea side Andy saw the light and decided (completely unpromted) to go see the 'too expensive house'. We went to see it today and although it isn't the 'perfect Quirky house' for us, it certainly ticks most of our boxes. So tomorrow, I will make an extremely low offer for it. I know they are desperate to move and there have been two other viewings. We shall see.

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CONTROL!

As I said on my other (diet) blog, this diet is having a knock on effect in my real life. I've taken control of my house situation by printing off 50 letters (so far) and posting them through the doors of houses that I'd like to buy! I think another 150 letters should do it. Last night I had two phonecalls regarding the leaflets. One was from a woman who had been told about the leaflet from a friend who'd got one, but her house was already on the market for way above our price limit (but funny she can't sell it - market must be slow as Cream says).

The next phone call was weird. Here it is:

(Phone rings, I pick it up)
Me: Hello?
Man (of elderly Eastern European tone): Hello, I got your leaflet. We live at 46 Corder road.
Me: (Hopefully) Yes?
Man: We have no intention of selling our house.
Me: Oh, well, thank you for calling.
Man: We have three double bedrooms, and one single.
Me: (confused) Yes
Man: A new fitted kitchen, a large garden and it backs onto the Spinney (a large wooded area)
Me: Oh, how lovely for you (snarl)
Man: So it's a lovely spot.
Me: (Through gritted teeth) Yes, I see
Man: We wouldn't want to move from here, it's lovely
Me: (thinking: Oh GET LOST WHY DON'T YOU), Oh right, well good bye.

WTF?

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We had arranged to go away this weekend to see my old friend Julia (that's Moonwalker) but Andy, sadly has to work this weekend. I was going to go on my own anyway, but gradually began to feel guilty about it as it is Father's Day this Sunday (I am right this time aren't I?). We don't really do Father's Day here but I felt bad about Andy having the weekend on his own. I phoned Julia and she understands (thanks J), although she's a bit worried about the bottle of gin she got in especially for me - as it's sitting there asking to be drunk! We've made another date for September!

I told Andy last night that we weren't going and he said he was pleased we were staying as he didn't want to be Billy No Mates all weekend. His form of working means that he has to 'log on' to work from his laptop. As long as he's near enough home to be able to get back within half an hour or so we can go out! So we're off to the beach today! Hooray! Aldeburgh to be exact.

Well, bon weekend everyone!

Oh, Yes, just tell you this - Our guinea pigs escaped yesterday. We came home at about 7.30 from Holly's swimming lesson and saw two small things on the grass! There are three large crows who live in our garden and periodically try to fly off with baby rabbits. They are often to be seen hopping around the guinea pig run in the hope of pecking out their eyes. So, you can imagine our horror to see a little chestnut form and a little grey and white form just sitting in the middle of our rabbit farm garden with the crows hopping nearby.

"OMG, the guinea pigs are out girls" I said as we drove into our drive. "Stay here, don't run, I'll get them in"

I walked briskly up the garden to the pigs who were quite happily munching away, unaware of circling crows and sparrow hawks. Rocket the grey one is such a friendly, happy guinea pig that he didn't move when I approached and allowed me to pick him up. But Nutmeg who is a very timid thing then panicked when Rocket disappeared and ran away under a box bush that is next to a grave stone! (for those of you who are new to my blog you'll have to go back to see some pictures of our garden!). Have you ever seen a guinea pig run? The funniest thing ever! It's great though, because GP's don't really want freedom, they want their box to hide in! So I put her 'igloo' out and she dutifully ran into it! I wasn't really worried that they would be lost for ever but the girls had, all this time, been quivering on the sidelines in total panic! Aaaaaaaahhhhh. Despite the fact that they ignore their pigs nearly 24/7 I now know I love them really. Alice said "my heart was beating so much I could feel it in my chest, I thought we were going to lose them for ever and they are like family!"

Untitled

Hello, Have been feeling a bit quiet of late. Not much to report here really.


Have been painting! I had two large canvasses in the garage that I had started but decided to overpaint them as I'd gone off them. In the process of laying down some underpainting, I rather liked the effect I was making on the canvas and now have the germ of a picture. I noticed at the tennis club that in their club room they are exhibiting some Peter Blake prints 'borrowed' from the trendy modern art gallery in town. The pictures have their prices next to them. I'm quite pally with the treasurer of the club who plays on club nights, so when I'm happy with these two canvasses I might approach him. Don't know why I didn't think of it before. I mean, there are a lot of people of means that play at the club, with large houses, with walls in them!

Nothing new on the housing market. One large house came on that was 70 grand above our top limit. The agent phoned me about it and talked it up. Finally I said, after getting excited 'how much?' He told me the price. 'PTB' I said, that's too much for us. However, I phoned up yesterday just to see if there was anything new coming on and I got the 'girl'. Sorry to be sexist, but when you get the 'girl' you get the info!! This house (that is too expensive) has had no viewings "but it was only in the paper today" she said. To which I said "if someone is seriously looking, you would have phoned them, or they would have seen the house on the internet and would have viewed already". To which she said "the market's very quiet, there's hardly anyone looking in this area at the moment" "Result" I thought!! Hahhahaah, the other agents would never have told me that! They would have said 'there 's been a lot of interest, blah blah blah.
The 'girl' also told me that the vendors of this house have found a house they want to buy and need to sell before their offer is accepted!!!! So, anyway, I went to see this house..... yes, perfect in every way, well it would be, it's too expensive. The girls came with me, and liked it too. Is it really worth making an offer 70 thousand below the asking price? When the house has been on the market for three days? I think not. I can't persuade Andy to go and even look at it. "It's a waste of my time and their time" he said (sensibly)

Wanna see it? Here it is..... (it's enormous)

Phew We Won!

Guilty

Despite the fact that he's a moody so-and-so, I did feel guilty about my last post so I've erased it!
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Well, it's my friend Wendy's birthday today and this morning she'd invited me round to hers prior to our tennis game for a dip in her pool and a spot of lunceon at the pub up the road.
Unfortunately it had been raining and was still threatening when I turned up so we had a coffee next to her pool instead. (which was nice). We then had a half a sarny each at the local pub! Then off we went to play tennis with another lot of women at the tennis club in the searing heat! Good fun though.

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Holly had a day at the secondary school she'll be attending today. She came home with a friend for tea and the two of them have been discussing the good looking boys in their classes (Tch) and complaining about the 'geeky' ones (of which there seem to be many!)

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Not feeling very entertaining today.....must be the bad karma I have released into the universe.

Great Weekend!

I've had a fabulous weekend!

Saturday was spent at my sister's house, eating, drinking, watching footie, chatting, lounging around.......




That's Kev my bruv in law, and Holly, eleven going on 16 I think.


That's the Argentina vs Cote D'Ivoire match, which was great fun! I enjoyed that more than the England match.

On Sunday morning there was a French market in Ipswich. I popped down and felt that with the sun and all the French people and all the French produce I had been transported! I bought wonderful, juicy, drippy peaches, real Charentais melons, tomates en grappe, tarte au citron, baguettes and real croissants. When I brought them home we all stuck our noses into the croissants bag to get a smell of the France we know and love. (then I stuck them in the freeezer until after the diet!)

Sunday, I had forgotton that I'd agreed to do this 'Driving Challenge' for charity with Nicola and a friend of hers. She picked me up at 1 oclock in her soft top BMW! We drove through the beautiful Suffolk countryside to the venue (RAF Bentwaters - where they do TOP GEAR stunts!) (as well as Fifth Gear and other things). From 2pm to 6pm we drove or were driven in about eight different types of vehicle! Started off in a military vehicle called a D.R.O.P.S.

where we were given a lesson in discharging ammunition to the battle field in less than 40 seconds (!). After that we drove artic lorries. I was a complete wimp - I had 40 tons of container behind me and had to do a slalom course (in a lorry!). Needless to say I killed upteen fictional pedestrians as my trailer mounted the pavement or went into oncoming traffic! I will look upon lorry drivers with a new respect from now on! (hear that Wendz?) And as for all those gear ratios!

Next we went on these bubble thingies, which were great fun! You had two levers to control them, they were like bumper cars and a light relief after that HGV! Then we could go on two of the following: JCB diggers, enormous tractors, gritter lorries or a coach. I chose the JCB digger because it was stationary and I'm a wimp. Then I went on the gritter lorry which was just like a normal car really, no funny gear ratios!

Next we got a ride in a fire engine, complete with siren! They don't let us drive those since someone rolled one last year! The fire engine took us to our next vehicle which was the four by fours. This was FUN! I had an automatic ex military long wheel base land rover and we drove 'off road'! Great stuff.

I forgot to say that earlier we went on quad bikes. I kept thinking of how Ozzy Osbourne and Rik Mayall rolled theirs. So I was wimpishly slow on mine!

After the landrovers we went in a limo to our next and final vehicle which were the sports cars. Two of them were Audi TT's and thinking of LeChat, I chose one of these. Well, I am a wimp of the first order! We had to drive (with an instructor, I had the Stig) down a runway and round a chicane and back up! Down the runway was fine but I was too wimpy to reach 100 (80 I think) and then the instructor told me to take the corner without breaking!!!!! 'Trust me' he kept saying. I couldn't, and I breaked (broke?). One of the problems was no knowing the road, and the heat haze didn't help, it was HOT HOT HOT. I realised I was a complete weakling so I asked him to take ME round next! WOW! What an experience. He did a complete Jeremy Clarkson, I thought he was going to roll the thing. I just sunk in the passenger seat and said 'shit' alot. He thought it was very funny!

Oh, actually finally, we went on golf buggies. Much more my thing!


This is Nicola climbing into one!









When we got home, sunkissed and full of happiness, I persuaded my family to go back out to the 'deep' countryside to a pub where we sat outside on the village green in the setting sun drinking and eating a plate of their home made chips. Bliss.

It looks like while I'd been away they'd been making their own fun! You see what happens when you deprive your kids of normal stuff like badminton nets?

Morning!

Isn't it wonderful when the sun shines!

The badminton set that I ordered on ebay has arrived. I shouldn't have bought it though. The net seems to be made of gossamer and is only four foot wide! (what a waste of money). Got a lecture from Andy about how I should have gone to 'Toys R Us' and got a proper one for less money. I might do that anyway.

I have to stay in this afternoon as we are taking delivery of a new/old bed for Alice. I bought it from a shop that does up old metal beds. When I bought it, it was in a state, but the guy has sandblasted it, and has painted it off white/cream and put bedrails and new slats on it! I hope it's OK and not a mistake like the badminton set. This would be rather a costly mistake to say the least!

I noticed on the front of a 'woman's magazine' Rachel Hunter. Reading the article about her, I discover that she is the same height as I am but weighs about ten stone less. How can that be? I always assumed she was one of the 'bigger' models, yet she must be skinny! I weighed her weight when I was in primary school! ptbb! (that's bugger on the end).

The editorial of this magazine made me laugh (for once) on the subject of body confidence:

"And with it that ticklish subject of body confidence, which is never far from most women's thoughts - particularly when the warm weather means that hiding under layers of woolly jumpers and wraps is no longer possible. Or even, Heaven help us, the annual appearance on a beach when many of us wonder whether it is actually possible to swim in a sarong - and why was the idea of bathing huts being wheeled down to the water's edge allowed to die out, anyway?" (Good Housekeeping, July 2006)


Here here, bring back the bathing machine!

Well, the world cup starts tonight! How excited are we! Andy is doing the 'Fantasy World Cup' thing. He did it eight years ago, but it was just the local paper one and he WON! Nice cash prize if I remember rightly. This time though he's doing a major one like the Times (not sure) with an enormous cash prize!

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I forgot to say earlier (so I'm adding this at midday) that last night I went to see a French film called Lemming. If you are planning on seeing it - forget it! What an odd film it was. It looked promising, it had Charlotte Gainsbourg and Charlotte Rampling in it (in French! - didn't know she spoke French), but it was a weird thriller with an element of the supernatural in it. You just didn't know what the film was going to do next. The film lurched between no musical soundtrack at all to really loud music, although some of the music was very interesting.

I looked at some reviews of it when I got home (should have done that before I went!) and most of them are bad but some of them say it's a cross between a David Lynch film and a Bunuel - which I think is about right. But the Lemming was good!

Oh and I found these on youtube. They made me laugh so much. I've put these two on because one relates to my diet at the moment and the other I think is just plain funny!

It's my old friend Pam's birthday today. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Pam!!!! Have a great day.

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More rambles.

I think my washing machine has broken down. It pretends it's washing the clothes. It makes all the right noises so that I'm fooled into believing it's doing it. The lazy ba**ard! When I go back to the machine all the clothes are totally dry. It took me three revisits to realise I wasn't as absent minded as I thought I was! I'm giving it one last chance and then it's down to John Lewis (I wish, more like Currys/Dixons/Comet/Shiteplace). I just hate those kind of shops, but needs must I suppose. Anyway, I'm not giving up, I'm giving that machine which surely must win a prize in acting another chance.

Thanks for all your concern about my chest. It stood up to four hours of tennis yesterday. The first two hours was our match (best of three games) of which Wendy and I lost! Which was a surprise and a disappointment because we played two weak players - well I thought they were weaker than us but I must have been FOOLING myself.

I popped along to club play last night and played a great set of tennis with this guy called Mike who is a fantastic player and his son is a tennis coach at the club. He always gives me lots of tips about my playing. We won our set but we got to a tie break situation which was fun. (for us). He says my footwork is at fault and that I shouldn't run backwards to get a high ball but rather lean into it and volley it. (that was for Bangla Jess really).

During another set, I got hit right in the eye by a tennis ball, really hard. I was terrified I'd blinded myself and had to stop for a bit as my eye was really hurting and watering. It wore off and I continued to play. But as it was the end of the evening I didn't want to wake up blind this morning so I popped round to my sister's (who is a nurse) for her to check that my retina was still intact. She was out but Kevin, my brother in law took a look and laughed at me - 'hahha he said, it's not even swollen, you won't even have a black eye, you big girl's blouse, get on with you'

I've got a theory about my allotment. As I go there nearly every morning during the week all the old men there think I'm putting a lot of work in - which I am. However, nothing much is growing apart from the potatoes and they're coming up in patches. But they all seem to take pity on me and give me stuff! Can't wait until the strawberry and raspberry season kicks in! Yesterday I was given potatoes (to eat, not plant). One man offered me chickens and to make me a run too! He's just been made redundant and I think is looking for money making opportunities. He has his own chickens and the chicken coop/thingy is big and shedlike. I'd love to have chickens but not sure I could visit them every day - well I suppose I'd have to. I'm tempted. Apparently they only lay for about two years, then they live for a bit longer then die! According to him.

A house came on the market yesterday (oh, not another one, I hear you all sigh). Right area, lovely road, prime location, third of an acre south facing garden. One drawback, it's a bungalow. Not just a bungalow, a chalet bungalow. They've put an upstairs in it but the upstairs only has two bedrooms (and two bathrooms). That would be strange to put one of our daughters downstairs. The remaining bedrooms downstairs are smallish. It most certainly doesn't have a 'grand' feel. But it does have a double garage, and LOADS of outside space. It's sandwiched between two lovely Victorian houses that must be worth about a million each. I think I've just answered my own question, thanks. But it was good to get it out there. Here's a picture of the house anyway.

IN TRUE RAMBLING STYLE

I've had this funny throaty, chesty thing for a couple of weeks now. It feels like it's in my throat and is worse in the morning. I wake in the early morning with a really sore upper respiratory tract (probably cos I've been sleeping with my mouth open). It doesn't feel like a lung infection but I cough up gunk in the morning. This morning when I got up I had shooting pains in my chest!!! WTF! They seem to have worn off now but a bit worrying, either an infection, tired muscles from all my digging or something much more sinister. I give it a bit longer and see which way it goes!

I have to play in a tennis tournament this afternoon. We are doing what's called a box league tournament where you arrange to play at your own convenience with other doubles people in the league and you get so many points for win, etc. Wendy and I have played two matches so far and lost both of them! It does make us laugh though. Luckily we are not competitive. We like to think that our secret weapon when we play is the element of surprise! (even to us!)
Just hope my chest stands up to the exercise.

Well, it's now summer and the weather forecast is set fair for the next five days at least. I can't believe we've lived in Ipswich for over six months now. I feel very at home in this town, I like it. But I do recognise that I personally have to shift my arse and do SOMETHING! I seem to be able to fill my days rather wonderfully though, gardening, tennis, reading, a bit of cleaning, dog walking and lunches and cinema with Nicola.

Oh, by the way, we met Nicola's husband - always a sticky moment - will we like him? Will he pass muster? Nicola phoned us last bank holiday Monday to see if we fancied a walk. True to form Andy didn't (he would be a hermit given the chance) but I said yes anyway. It was just Nic and Henry (her husband), (and the dog) and her kids are a bit older and couldn't be bothered. Ours couldn't be bothered either but being younger had to! We set off from our house (as it's in the country) and had a wonderful walk even though we got caught in multiple hail storms and were soaked by the time we reached home. I have a feeling Henry is a bit of a man's man as he commandeered Andy and they walked on a head discussing this and that (pubs in the City of London from what I could glean later). They stayed on for coffee and cake (my good friend's Elen's cake that she'd brought up for us on Friday (they stayed until Sunday, (you following this?)). Well, as they left, Henry suggested we meet again! I am flattered because from what Nicola says, Henry doesn't suffer fools or bigots or anyone else we don't suffer either. He lives during the week in London as he is a 'captain of industry' which must be a bit hard for Nicola.

I'm sticking to my 'get fit and thinner' for summer diet which I'm logging in my other blog. (don't go there, it's boring) (although Le Chat is giving me lots of advice!) (no don't laugh).
I've been assembling for myself wonderful looking salads which my family (except Alice) are coveting. Andy says he'd like to join me and so does Holly! The only problem with giving Andy salad is that he's hungry five minutes later and then eats all the bread and peanut butter. Shame Alice won't eat anything green, it would make life a lot easier!

That's enough ramblings. I've taken a few pictures of my 'garden' which I will upload later. My garden such as it is (apart from the acres of rabbit holes) is all in pots brought from my old garden in London. Things were doing well until the rabbits discovered them and nibbled my oriental poppies and other prized things down to stumps (blasted rabbits). I've had to elevate all the pots now or put them in the conservatory. The only thing I've left in their reach is the oleander, but they seem to know not to touch that (it being poisonous and all).

Off I go with my funny chest.

WHY!

Why, even though the clothes looked trendy on the hanger, they make me look like a fat Russian peasant woman? Why is Andy in such a bad mood because he couldn't find the TV remote control? Why did he shout at the children? Why are both children trying to finish off their half term projects at 7pm on the Sunday before school starts? Why can't I get my youngest daughter to do anything I ask her without her telling me she hates me?