Essentially...

... an annoying day, full of annoying people, doing annoying things, which annoyed me...

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


But, I'm trying to be good by getting a box of 'old stuff' together for Holly's harvest festival thing tomorrow. Not because it is churchy, far from it, but because they are going to an orphanage in Tanzania that a friend of ours has been too. In fact I'm sure I wrote about him raising a fantastic amount of money for them last year; and he delivered new mattresses to them. This year it is things such as pencils, pens etc. So I'm raiding our overflowing drawers and sending them. Along with some glue and shiny stuff and a few stickers too. Not much, sadly, but hopefully they will be enjoyed a wee bit.

Off to polish my wonky halo...

Who do you love, Daisy?

"Kate"

"Do you love Mummy?"

"No. Just Kate."

Mummy bends to lovingly kiss her youngest child. The blonde beautiful girl looks up at her mother and says:

"I love Kate. I just do. I just love her."

The other day we had to come to the compromise of her loving Kate AND Mummy before disowning started.

Tonight said spawn-of-all-things-horrid put on her Father's glasses and with a cheeky, cute grin said

"Who do I look like?"
"Daddy!"

BIG GRIN. She takes them off.

"Who do I look like now?"

Being silly I say

"Holly"

"No. I look like Kate. (a beat) Kate and you."

Disowning is still not off the cards... she's just so damned cute!!

(all that was because I couldn't remember the funny cute thing they said this morning)

Ah! I just remembered about Holly and her crisps. We buy very expensive Organix crisps for our kids because they are not fried and full of nasty stuff. They'll get plenty of that when they are older. Anyway, they love them. That is until now... school time. They have until the last few days been making up H's play piece. Then one day she announced that they were for toddlers and she wasn't eating them. Thinking that another child has been telling her this (and it is true that they are generally given to toddlers, but many kids her age and older eat them too) we tell of her other friends that eat them and that she normally eats them etc etc. She then announces that it was her teacher that made the claim that they were 'baby food crisps'. I hope that is NOT true. I don't want a teacher of all people putting my child off healthy food.

It has to be said that the claim has only been made by Holly who, tonight, (when out of no-where decided she needed to again justify her not eating the crisps), she told me that Luke (her sight neuron) had clicked the mouse on his computer and now she couldn't see the crisps, so she couldn't eat them. He then did that to all the neuron's computers so she couldn't see, smell, taste or touch the crisps, making it impossible for her to eat them.

"Oh... and I couldn't hear them either"

She helpfully explained when she realised she might have left a loophole...

... I'm going for a lie down... for a long time.

Phew... I survived the Flu Clinic!!

I was on reception today at the surgery... lots of staff shortages, still, and our newest receptionist on holiday for 4 weeks!! eek! So, a lot of Laura and I covering reception (we are the new admin gals... er... actually it isn't official for Laura yet... oh, cripes I hope I haven't jinxed her... especially as that would be like jinxing myself... NOT GOOD!). Others are helping out too, but we (esp Laura) are doing the bulk of it. Today, I was on, on my own, from 2pm, and at 2.10pm I realised Laura had left me with no instructions on how to 'do' the 'frantic flu clinic'. *Gulp* So I sneakily sent her a text saying 'help!!'. About 20mins later I got a call which basically said

'right you do this, then that, and if that hasn't been done you need to do the other, unless of course you're doing whatsit. OK? Right bye.'

:-(

I felt a bit miffed.

However, when I started looking for the said stuff and starting doing the thing, it became clearer, and I managed to cope through it with only one minor mistake.

To explain a little further; The clinic is full-on 30+ people arriving and leaving for 2hrs. It finishes at 5pm. At 5.10pm I got a phone call from Laura apologising for her less than sympathetically helpful earlier call. She only JUST got my text and the earlier call was off her own bat and on the understanding I had done it all before... We giggled.

Ok, it was funny to us.

We have a practice manager, yeehar! Well, almost. They haven't officially started yet, but they were offered the job last night. THAT is going to make a big difference and get us another step closer to normality at work. It's only taken 6 months!!! Hey, that's nothing, it will nearly be a year before our full time receptionist will have been replaced.

The other good news is that I will be getting 2 days off in the school holidays... doesn't sound like much (and to be fair it isn't), but considering that up until last week I wasn't getting ANY days off, I feel really chuffed.

We better use them wisely.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

oops... nearly forgot!

But hey, here I am... I know, I know, it's only the first day, and I nearly didn't make it to this, so I think that's pretty good.

What has happened today? See, this is why I don't bother, not a lot happened today. I was up at 7am to tend to the toileting needs of the girls, while Liam slept. I then made tea and brushed my teeth, while Liam slept. I went for a ½hr lie down, while Liam slept. I got the girls dressed with minimum fuss, while Liam slept. Then downstairs for breakfast for the girls, and into the shower for me, while Liam slept. Then dressed, while Liam sat around in bed watching me and wondering why I was a little miffed!!! grrr

Nipped into surgery work to setup something I forgot to do on Friday when I wasn't feeling well and I remembered about at 5.30am this morning. Then onto hotel work. Got everything done, just about and almost impressed my new line manager, who by-the-way has a really annoying habit of coming to have a meeting with at 4.55pm and keeping me there until about 5.30 (I usually leave at 5pm!!).

Went for a cup of tea with my mum on the way home, which was lovely especially as it was dry and sunny and just warm enough to sit outside with coats on. And after being stuck in an office with no windows all day, until 5.30, it was especially lovely.

Got home to a house full of girls; Naomi had come to ours from school and Liam had taken 3 girls to dance class!!! What a guy. :oD Very proud of him. It also works out nicely because our friend Debs will take Holly after school tomorrow and take her to shinty, so he gets an afternoon with just Daisy after nursery. Thank you very much, Debs xxx

Then tonight had a lovely bathtime with Holly and Daisy, Liam did stories and I have been sat here 'chatting' to Debs and Gaenor... excellent!

Now, I'm going to bed because I'm working all day tomorrow on reception, not my favourite job, and it's normally my day off... boohoo for me. However, poor Laura was there for a 10 hr day today, on her own with Practice Manager interviews and flu clinics happening around her... she is amazing!

OK, I'm away... see you tomorrow... ???

If I said I'd try and do more blogging in October... would you believe me?

No? Well, yeah, I don't really blame you. Not had a good track record so far have I?

Things you've missed me telling you about in September are:

• Panto rehearsal starting
• 23yo, blonde, Johnny Depp look-a-like staying for a couple of nights
• Madness of trying to do rotas with no staff at the surgery
• Holly and Daisy swimming with arm-bands and not clinging onto me
• Us being scarily skint (but who isn't?)
• Rude couchsurfers
• But... did I mention the Johnny Depp guy??
• My mum staying in the village (woohoo!)
• Green Wing night, again
• ... the Johnny Depp guy
• Liam and I shopping alone in Oban for the day!!!
• Taking 5 hours to go for coffee at the coffee shop 1½ miles away

hmmm... more than I thought actually. Well, if you want any elaboration on any of these topics, let me know. Otherwise, I really will try harder in October.

ouch... my nose just got longer?!?!?!?!?!?!

Future is not bright and it's not Orange...

Yesterday, with no warning whatsoever, the barhstuds deleted my account from their server (because it was once a dial-up account + we are now broadband), and so went not only my email address but also ALL my emails along with pictures and vids, and all my contacts.

I cried.

I now have a new Google email address (actually I have two, because of their insanely weird way they have of doing stuff and them having so many fingers in so many pies, Desktop/Blogger/Talk etc).

The one I was going to use, isn't the one I wanted, and the one I wanted has my old email address as the username (for some unknown reason); my head hurts.

Anyway, here is my new one that I'm going to use, you just need ignore the name on it when I mail you.

glittermummy@gmail.com

merriol@merriol.com still works fine.

RIP ermintrude-slipper.freeserve.co.uk

Double first in this house today!!

Holly - 1st day in Primary One

In through the door without a backward glance... well barely... but I missed it with the camera.

Holly: "My favourite bit today was drawing a fish by joining the dots. I drew bubbles on mine, everyone else just coloured theirs in."

Daisy first day in Gaelic Nursery

In through the door without a backward glance... and straight to the felt-tip pens.

Kate: "Are you going to help me make play dough?"
Daisy: "Yes, when I've finished drawing!!"

Big girls x

(PS: I finished Harry Potter on Sunday night; so not quite a month to finish!)

Happy Harry Potter Day!!

Yes, I have my copy. Can't wait to read it. GO TO BED, KIDS!!!!

At 12pm today someone on the forum Liam is part of had already read it... I'll still be reading it in a month probably, I'm a very slow reader. Hopefully I'll enjoy it more than the speed reader.

I'll let you know how I get on... actually I probably won't as I keep saying that and then never coming back and updating. bad, Merriol, bad

Liam is giving me a hard time at not keep this thing up-to-date, but as he is the only one who checks it out (apart from occasionally, Phoebe), and he lives with me, he knows what I'm going to write so is there really any point, because he'll be writing about it in HIS blog, (and Phoebe reads that too).

Oh... back briefly to HP, I found a fantastic site with instructions to make a wizard wand. Right I'm off to put the kids to bed, find my hot glue gun and then read the Deathly Hallows!

We survived our first Couchsurf!

The wet, cycling Finnish guys stayed, and it was great. Even Liam said so... high recommendation indeed. Which is good, because we have 2 more arriving on Monday and then 2 more on Wed and Thurs, cripes!!

Thomas and Johannes were really lovely guys. Thomas was especially friendly, Johannes was quieter but was very interesting when he did speak. Very intelligent. Both so polite.

It was quite funny when I met them, because I had managed to skive off work early, and was going to the TIC for a coffee with my friend Richard who is running away with his gorgeous girl to Spain. Lucky guy... but he really deserves it after working as a KP at our hotel for the last year. Seriously thankless job. He needs some sun, stress-free time and some serious loving. Anyway... I digress. We arrive for coffee and he looks at me quite strangely as I walk up to two bikes outside and say: "Ah, my Fins have arrived!". Go in, order coffee and walk up to two strangers and say: "Hi, Thomas, I'm Merriol... ". I left them to their coffee and cake, had my tea, and then brought them home.

The girls were at their Grandparent's house and arrived home just as Thomas and Johannes were sorting themselves out in the caravan. When Daisy walked in the first thing she said was: "Where are our visitors that are staying?"

Holly shone as a hostess, berating Liam for taking a biscuit from the plate, when it should be visitors first! :D

They went for a walk around the village and took some photos, then came back and Liam cooked and we ate, and chatted. It was lovely.

Really hope they keep in touch.

Here's me... taken by him!

Race for Life - One of our 2007 challenges... achieved!

Well, we did it, and we feel great about it. Mad and very, very slightly stressful at times, but totally worth it.

Will go into details later (hopefully), but wanted an entry for today and at least a couple of photos.
I was doing the race for a challenge and also for Joyce Barber (23 May 2007)... I think she would have liked the flowers my sister Sophie gave us to carry in Joyce's name... I'm sure they would have made her smile. xxx

CouchSurfing!

The other day... er... Wednesday, actually, I signed up for CouchSurfing. I had vaguely heard of it a few years ago, and then I came across it again in an article in The Big Issue I bought when I went to get my lovely haircut. There were actually a few things in that issue I was interested in, but it got 'lost' once it arrived back in the house, and so many of them have come to nothing. (one of them being A Priscilla Drag Queen event in Glasgow asking for volunteers which I would have loved to have got involved in... but hey... ).

So, back to the one thing I did remember and finally, after 2 months, look-up on-line and actually do something about.

Today I got my first request for help and request for possible hosting... WOOHOO! (if you do go and check-out my profile look in 'Connections' and you'll see the guy I've been Skype-ing tonight). I'm very excited. Probably nothing will come of it, but it was great getting that initial contact. Actually, I got two emails from members within the first day saying 'hi, welcome etc'. Very friendly. Very impressed.

I regret not travelling more. So, this is my way of making up for it a little. (My big plan is to move to Spain or France for a while and let Liam work and me look after the kids... still working on that one... may take a while... this is my first step! Wish me luck!!) (oh, and if you know of anyone who'd want to rent a drafty old school for 'a while' let me know).

Had a great day today. Took the girls to our friends Michelle and Brian's wee girl Ava's 1st birthday party. (what a truly awful sentence, sorry). Kids had a riot eating crisps and running around the garden. The sign of good hosts, I think, are ones that not only setup a table for the kids, but have an extension cable running out into the garden with a kettle and tea and coffee... excellent!

Brought the girls home for a while to see their sickly father, chatted to my mum on the phone, then took them to the official opening of our local, newly improved, swing park. A group of locals got together and raised loads of money and spent it on new equipment. It is brilliant. The kids love it. And not only that, they also hosted an open day with bouncy castle, tea and coffee, burgers, raffle, races and games... all for free! There was something for everyone. It was great. Even in the rain. And the midges. A lot of hard work, but worth it for the number of people that turned up and stayed for a long time. I'm sure they'll be having a few beers tonight, they deserve it!

Thanks guys.

Breakfast in bed...

... this why you have kids!

The girls were, as usual, up and about before us yesterday. First on the balcony watching telly, and then downstairs. They were being quiet, but not worryingly so. Quiet enough to hear things being moved around and Daisy saying

"Holly, I want Shreddies... Holly, I WANT Shreddies... "

"In a minute, Daisy, I've just got to get Mum and Dad's breakfast first, haven't I?"

"Holly, I want SHREDDIES!!"

"I'm just going to take Mum and Dad's breakfast upstairs for them, then I'll do it, ok?"

Footsteps upstairs. A small body arrives in the bedroom with a bowl full of museli (Liam's favourite), milk and peach yoghurt.

"Here you go, Dad, here's your breakfast. I'll just go and get Mum's now."

Walks out of the bedroom and then back in again and says in a reassuring way...

"Mum, I didn't put peach yoghurt on yours." (not my favourite)

Footsteps downstairs and back up and a bowl of Shreddies with strawberry yoghurt.

"Thank you, Holly" with tears in our eyes. She disappears and goes and gets Daisy Shreddies.

Hopefully next time she'll bring a cup of tea too... xxxx

Trying out new software, because I don't have the motivation to do it by hand... although I really want to and maybe this will inspire me.

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Welcome baby Kate Ramsay!! xx

My good friend Ilona has had her baby... a day early and a girl. Yay!

Here's to her wanting pink stuff and knowing how to 'do' hair.

Congratulations, guys xxxx

"Are bogeys animals that live in your nose?"

The spots return...

... Daisy is diseased... Chicken Pops for another two weeks!

Wore funky sandals today... I LOVE sunshine

... and we got our first lot of sponsorship money for our 'run' THANK YOU, Pamela xxx

Other than not taking Daisy to playgroup (up too late), taking Holly to school and having a walk with Liam and Daisy up behind our house and collecting Holly from school. Not really done a lot today. Did see an old friend and her 3 kids (grown-ups) moving their stuff out of their recently sold house, ready to move to Colonsay. It was great to see them all, if very briefly. Then we had another surprise of Molly and Marianne coming to visit. Sadly for me just before I went to work at the surgery but lucky for the girls who had a great time playing with Molly in the garden.

Home in time to see the end of In the Night Garden which is the newest weird thing to come out of Cbeebies. It is like someone has realised that Teletubbies, Fimbles, Trumpton and Boobah all worked and very popular, so if you take elements of each and stick them together with a few other characters it really should be a smash hit... it seems to be working. The girls absolutely adore it and Holly cries at the end. Not because it has finished, but because the theme music moves her... I'm not kidding!

Just in case you haven't had an email about it...

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/merriolanddebs

Trains, Tubes and Toilets!!!

Saturday was really good. Up early and back late but it was worth it. (All of us were totally knackered on Sunday.) The kids absolutely loved it. When Liam asked Holly what her favourite bit of the day was she said 'All of it.'.

We got on the train at Bridge of Orchy and of course had to have 'airline' seats but at least we were behind each other. It was also 2 carriages away to the toilet... a source of great enjoyment for a 4 and 3 year old. Toilet trips have never been more exciting and, sometimes, so unnecessary. Thankfully on the way home we got a table and were ½ carriage away from the toilet. They were, by then, too exhausted to make constant trips, having visited nearly all the toilets in Glasgow. Well the ones in Kelvingrove Museum x 3, Borders x 2, GoMA x 1.

They also got to eat huge chocolate sundaes and travel on a train (Holly's first), an underground train and a bus (Finlay's first). Mums even both got to go to their favourite shops and buy stuff (Formes for Morag and of course Lush for me - Holly was very excited at going into Lush, that's my girl!!).

The longest time we spent in any one place was the cafe in Kelvingrove where we had lunch, and this was mostly because it was table service. Morag and I revelled in having 2 small children, bags, coats etc and not having to lug them all, and a tray of food, through a crowded cafe. Wonderful!

The shortest time we spent in any one place was GoMA where we had 10 mins (literally till it closed) and nearly 5 of those were spent, by me, with Holly in the toilet!

Sunday we walked to the swimming pool and 'swam' for a while then walked back in SUNSHINE!!! The kids then played in Morag and Mike's garden, ate lunch and while I sneaked off and had a sleep, went to the park and had ice-cream for tea. I think they had a fantastic weekend!!