Mind your language

I'm going to have to really watch what I say....Sunshine has been absorbing words and expressions like a sponge...some of which I'm not sure where from but some are definitely from me...:(

At least she seems to be using them in the right sort of context (if there truly is such a thing!)...

Big bumps/potholes in the road elicits an "Oh my god!" response...

Dropping something or bumping into inanimate objects results in "Bugger!"....

hmm....well...at least that seems to be the worst...so far...

Christmas 2007

...was spent in Portugal. A quiet affair with Peter, Sunshine and Peter's Mum....almost a repeat of the last time we were out at Christmas as a family except with more activity from Sunshine...she seems to be solar powered and enjoyed endlessly running around the pool with either, a ball, brush, both or neither but a devilish glint in her eye!

On the whole it was a good holiday...away from the hectic-ness of Christmas shopping and crowds and the like...the weather started off a bit rotten -2 days and nights of torrential rain and thunderstorms- but this eventually gave way to glorious days of sunshine...

Sunshine was great on the plane there and back...and seemed to enjoy herself although trying to get her to nap in the afternoon seemed impossible...but then she slept soundly through the night (in a cot which we thought may have been a bit of a problem!!). Peter seemed to get the raw end of the deal with chaperoning Sunshine on the patio when she was most active...whilst I cowered from the heat of the sun trying valiantly to finish the book I was reading (I managed to get through 2 -shame on me!). We had a few trips to the local beaches where Sunshine enjoyed collecting shells and sea urchins which had been washed up...a few shells made it home, but the sea urchins just smelt so they got left behind on the sand!

Christmas Day itself was fairly quiet, the day infused with Sunshine opening her presents as the day wore on...more from Sunshine on that...

We didn't get a chance to have a meal on our own...but I guess that was wishful thinking...It was nice to get away but better to be home despite the cold weather, the lack of heating and hot water! C'est la vie...

Sunshine's Phrases of Note

We think this was initiated by Sunshine discovering the washing machine with a load of her wet, clean clothes....

Me/Peter: "Time to get dressed...."

Sunshine: "I've got nothing to wear...." 

( A bit worrying from a 2-year-old!)

After a pretend phone call to Grandma (and Bella the dog)....

Peter: "How are Grandma and Bella feeling?"

Sunshine: "Rough."

No More Excuses...

Ahem....After a couple of years of saying "one's enough" and "never again"...it turns out one isn't really enough (although there are days when one is more than enough!) There is to be another Allen joining our little family...At the moment it is called Shark...and we had our 12 week scan this morning!

Sunshine came too and was very good and even correctly identified the image as a baby...a "baby swimming"! And then it all got a bit too much and she decided that she'd seen enough and turned off the monitor!

So, I have an excuse for being a complete lightweight and going to bed at 8.30pm is becoming a bit of a norm! It's hard enough being a host but being a mummy to an energetic toddler can push you over the edge!

Oh, it's called Shark because I had an early scan and Sunshine also came to that and when asked what she saw on the TV she said "A Shark"....so Shark it was!

Away for a Week

I was in Altrincham all of last week giving a training course..it was enjoyable in so far as being the trainer is...I had a good bunch which made it a bit easier...I wouldn't say that I have a calling for the role, but it is good for the soul to occasionally get out of routine! It's exhausting standing in the front and having to talk,think, move, engage people all at the same time! A week also seems to be a long time these days, especially as Sunshine seems to change on a daily basis!

Needless to say I managed to fill each evening with catch-ups with friends...Katie & Mark (Katie cooked some fab lamb burgers and I didn't scare Tully too much this time!), a lovely evening with Marianthi in Manchester (I'm sure we walked further than we needed to....!) and a class night out...lots of good food and not too late nights...why am I so tired?!! Well, it would have been a bit rude not to make the most of my 'freedom'....but it was definitely good to get home...eventually...

FANTASTIC!

...and a little sad....But a brilliant book! This has got to be my fastest read yet...but then I am away from home...:(

'A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary For Lovers' is a love story between a young Chinese student and an English man...The story chronicles the year when Z attends an English school in London and everything that happens from her point of view. The story is written in ever improving English and tells of her heartbreak. I loved it! I finished it on the tram and I'll admit the end made me well up a bit....

The Parsifal Mosaic

I finished 'The Parsifal Mosaic'...it took a while to get into it as it's not my usual genre of novel. But once I managed to maintain a steady reading pace I found it hard to put down! Although I will admit that I have been tired recently and it took me about 4 attempts to read the final and most exciting chapter!! I was given a further challenge to read another 2 Robert Ludlum tomes straight away (as Peter's mum managed to finish 3 in a week- but then I do have to go to work etc etc...)...but I have declined and decided that as I was on my way up to Manchester to deliver some training that I could find a new book to read whilst at the airport!

I would not read this particular book again...but I may try another Ludlum in the future...if pushed...and there being nothing else to read!!

Dragon...grrrrrr

It's the Southampton Boat Show next weekend...and there were some PR people handing out free dragon masks....I think it's an improvement...

Raiding the Veggie Patch

Trevor seemed to have a lot of produce (especially rhubarb), so after breakfast and the rain, we dug some potatoes with the kids, I picked some rhubarb and lovely onions..Sunshine was responsible for the apples!

Thanks Elizabeth & Trevor!

Half-Blood Prince

As the last Harry Potter has finally been released (and out for a couple of weeks!), I decide that it was high time to read the penultimate tome "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". Ok, so I am little behind the times...anyway...it was ok, the end was a definite lead into the final chapter of the long-running saga. I have a feeling that Harry could be a horcrux, but I could be wrong! I'm going to have to read the last installment for completeness, but I can wait until it's out in paperback (as I like to maintain the look on my bookshelf!)

Peter was a bit fed up with me spending any spare time I had with Harry Potter, and has challenged me to read a Robert Ludlum novel as his mum has a complete collection. I have accepted this challenge....watch this space!

A Week Off

Last week Peter and I took a weeks holiday...initially we were going to go away but we ended up staying at home and having a few days out with Sunshine and doing stuff around the house. Sunshine will tell you all about the fun stuff we did!

As the weather was so lovely, we finally erected the gazebo and table we purchased at the end of last summer....Hmm...the gazebo is rather grand (i.e. probably a little too big for the garden) but houses the table nicely...so whilst the weather was lovely we enjoyed some al fresco dining!

Tuesday was a fun day for us because we had the day to ourselves...so after dropping Sunshine off with her child-minder, we had a round (9 holes) of golf at Windlemere. This was quite a momentous occasion as it has been well over 2.5 years since I picked up my clubs, what with being pregnant then out of commission with my back! Anyhow I managed to bag a couple of bogies and actually one a hole from Peter....who incidentally seemed to be playing down to my level and had the most disgraceful of scores (he said) since we first started playing! Now we just need to find time to go play again....

After that we had lunch out which was a nice unhurried, relaxed affair at Pizza Express. Whilst we were in town, the Early Learning Centre did very well...and so did Sunshine! I felt a bit like a mean Mummy as she didn't have many outside type toys...so her birthday came early! We spent the afternoon assembling stuff and Peter had fun destroying the 'clutter table' which used to hog the conservatory...Sunshine has more room to play in now and an inside place to paint!

Factor 50+ Works

We went to the beach and I protected my lovely Sunshine from the harmful rays with Factor 50+....and then stupidly wiped my hand on my shoulder...

These white stripes are not cool!

Penguins Stopped Play

Yet another of my airport buys...this is fab! Especially if you are a cricket fan...

It is really fun from start to nearly the end....I say nearly the end, because the afterword is sad as the Author actually died after writing this book (but I was warned, so it wasn't a surprise!).

Anyway, the story of a village cricket team playing it's way round the world and all the trouble and strife that goes along with it! Brill!

I forgot to mention that it's a true story...a sort of travelogue/memoir if you will...

Tiny Frog

Yet more wildlife in the garden! Whilst out playing, I saw something jump and thought it may have been a grasshopper...but it was a little big..On closer inspection (after capture) it turned out to be a tiny frog...

It was either on the way to our neighbours pond, or it was living in the damp undergrowth at the end of the garden! Anyhow after a bit of a photo call and a gentle prodding from a toddler it was liberated to the neighbours' pond -out of sight of the cat basking in the garden!

Raspberry & Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

Yesterday I was looking for easy recipes and I came across one for an upside-down soft fruit sponge...and that was before Peter even suggested going fruit picking! It was perfect for all those lovely raspberries and blueberries we picked earlier today...So whilst Sunshine rested, I whipped up a sponge! It was lovely with some double cream and some fresh berries on the side...Yum!

This Book Will Save Your Life

...I'm not entirely sure it will...but it certainly made me think! It was a really good read (another of Manchester airport buys)...there is a really good review here but it's a bit of a spoiler....so here is the synopsis...

"An uplifting story set in Los Angeles about one man's effort to bring

himself back to life. Richard is a modern day everyman; a middle-aged
divorcee trading stocks out of his home. He has done such a good job
getting his life under control that he needs no one. His life has slowed almost to a standstill, until two incidents conspire to hurl him back into the world. One day he wakes up with a knotty cramp in his back, which rapidly develops into an all-consuming pain. At the same time a wide sinkhole appears outside his living room window, threatening the foundations of his house. A vivid novel about compassion and transformation, This Book Will Save Your Life reveals what can happen if you are willing to open up to the world around you."
I really enjoyed it...even though I kept losing my bookmark (thanks Sunshine!)...another book with no chapters...not sure how I manage to pick them!!

Wildlife in the garden

We have a bit of a wild garden at times...an although I cut the grass intermittently, it is a bit rough most of the time! Anyway, when we were raking after the last mowing, Peter found a slow worm...They always seem a bit bigger than I think they should be! Sunshine seemed to be intrigued and wanted to run off with it..but I just don't know if they bite..!
Just reading the facts...it would be great if there were enough in the garden to keep the slug population down, but saying that there don't seem to be too many slugs at the moment so perhaps there are...
Given that they have a protected status, we really should be more vigilant when mowing....

West Country Holiday

We have just spent a week as a family in the West Country. Accompanied by my parents and of course by the clement 'Cornish sunshine' (=rain).
We stayed at the Crylla Valley Cottages which is a well laid out, I hesitate in the use of holiday park...it's a collection of cottages which overlook the valley of the River Lynher at Notter Bridge (just down the hill from Saltash). The accommodation couldn't be faulted and the location is ideal for the nearby beaches of Looe, Downderry and Whitsand Bay. If the weather had been nicer, then we would probably have spent more time on the beach...but it's difficult to tell as Sunshine has a fairly short attention span (being a toddler)! A definite bonus was the leisure membership at St Mellion Golf & Country Club as we could take Sunshine swimming which she really enjoyed especially when we bought her a float...I think if she had had a float suit or a ring she would have been off on her own! Her confidence in the water has dramatically improved and she is quite happy throwing herself into the pool at her parents!
A favourite was the Aquarium in Plymouth...each time we have been it has been slightly different...I am still mourning the absence of the Weedy Sea Dragons...and it was a shame there wasn't very much in the touch pools...I think they were gearing up for the school holidays!
As tradition dictates, I had to take a picture of the fish/crustacean/sea bird thingy which stands at Mayflower steps on the Barbican... Unusually, we only managed a cup of tea at Cap'n Jaspers.
I think we all enjoyed the Eden Project, although I think my visit may have been enhanced by not wrestling or watching Peter wrestle Sunshine all afternoon! I was amazed at the sheer size of the place and the organisation was brilliant. If I went again I think I would spend more time in the biomes before exploring the outside gardens...there was so much to see and read and by the time we got inside, Sunshine had lost interest...
All in all a pleasant week, even with the rain, but trust the sun to come out for our journey home!
There are some more photos here...

The Time Traveler's Wife

Absolutely bloomin' fantastic read! This is by far the best book I have read so far this year! Peter kept having to tell me to put the book down and go to sleep! I don't know why I was worried about reading it...perhaps it was the thought of a genetic condition that made it a bit repellent...but it was a great story and in no way gory. Once I got my head around the space-time fluctuations a beautiful love story developed.

If you only read one of 'my' books, this has to be the one!

OK, I'll forgive you....

In the last three weeks I needed a hire car for work twice....and twice the car never turned up! Well after all my cursing I think I will forgive Avis as I had a nice letter this morning telling me what they had found out about the first rental disaster and that I would be getting a corporate gift by way of an apology...ok I though it's going to take a couple of days/weeks to get here and it'll be a mousemat or keyring...Nope! A huge bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine....and on the same day I got the letter...in fact because the post only arrived at 1130 it was within an hour!!! Now that is an apology from customer service! Now they just need to make sure I get a car when I next need one!

So I have some flowers to make me smile and some wine to help me smile even more! Hoorah for Avis! It would probably be too much to hope for a repeat of the flowers....I mean who could be unlucky enough to have two rental disasters in 3 weeks!??!

Be Mine

I was seduced by the reading material in Manchester airport on my way back from the office last week...I didn't feel up to 'The Time Traveller's Wife' just yet...although it will be my next read! Anyway amongst all the trashy novels which seemed to be on offer to the holidaying masses was this one...'Be Mine'by Laura Kasischke. Whilst it is billed as an 'erotic thriller' it is not cover to cover sex! It was a compelling read...and there were no chapters as such...it was divided into 3 parts, I suppose you could call them chapters as they focused around the before, during and after periods of the goings on...if you haven't got a day or to just to sit and read a bookmark is a must! I did enjoy it...it made a change form the 'tame' books I have been reading! Would I read again? Probably not...Would I pick this author again...hmmm...probably not as this is her 4th 'adult' novel I am thinking that they may be a bit formulaic...but then I guess the proof is in the reading!
...as an aside it must have been good for me to be able to read it so quickly!

Big Stone Gap

Next on my list of 2007 reads is 'Big Stone Gap' by Adriana Trigiani here is the synopsis. As books go it was ok, another easy read...there was some humour a couple of love interests and a happy ending (which isn't a bad thing!). I managed to finish this on the first night of my latest trip to Alty...This book is the first in a series about a woman living in a sleepy Virginia town. She starts a journey to find out who she really is after her mum dies and she finds out that her real father is not who she thinks it is!

FinePix Revival

Last week I managed to finally source a Compact Flash card for our Fuji s602z... initially it was going to be a whopping great 4GB card...but after trying it and it not working, I exchanged the 4GB for a 2GB which works great and is plenty big enough to  hold 855 shots when using 6M Fine setting!! So the hulk of a camera is having a bit of a revival round here...I have decided that I am going to try and take some 'decent' photos rather than random snapshots! That is proving a bit more tricky than I first thought for a number of reasons....Sunshine, shaky hands and the need for a topic to work around! Any suggestions for a topic/mini project will be warmly received...they may not be undertaken...but it could prove interesting!

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

As it was a very wet bank holiday (well, there's a surprise!) in the moments when I wasn't entertaining Sunshine with all sorts of stuff and doing general 'home' stuff, I managed to finish my book! I did enjoy it, it was a lovely light read although it did seem to take a bit of a while to get going...and then it was all over! But that could mainly be down to me only being able to read in short chunks for the beginning of the story! I'm not very good at doing reviews...but the synopsis is here...

I would probably read it again, and may even try another title by the author...but not just yet! I have a pile of books I borrowed from my Mum to tackle!

Off to the Office

I'm off to the office in Altrincham today, my first trip since I changed my role from project analyst to support analyst. I'm off to a training course and I am quite looking forward to a few days without toddler duties! I don't think Peter is looking forward to it though given that Sunshine has been testing the boundaries for the last couple of weeks....still he did go to Portugal a couple of weekends ago so it is my turn!!

I've decided that although 0430 is a silly time to get up (although Sunshine has had us up this early all weekend!), arriving at Heathrow at 0540 for a 0700 flight is not a bad idea...especially as I checked in yesterday! No check-in queues...no bag drop for me today and only a little queue for security...the only pain being that I had to remove my boots, unload my laptop,take out my toiletries, take off my belt and jacket and empty my pockets! Still that is all par for the course these days!! Bag drop does have a few advantages after all.... Despite there being loads of signs, there is always one person who waits until they get right up to the check-point before they decide to undo their lace up boots! But, this is good for me, I wasn't the one tutting!!!

So now I am settled with a cup of Costly Coffee and updating my blog... oh and checking my (work) emails - well I may and try and use my time constructively!

What's been happening...

It's a good job I don't make resolutions at New Year because I am sure I would have failed at keeping any of them! Unless of course it was to spend money...that is probably the only one I would managed to keep!

What's been happening? Well, I managed to change my job at work so that I can spend more time at home and not be jetting off around the world....well at least not as much as I have been recently. This has had a knock-on effect on my reading...I managed to borrow some books from my Mum when Sunshine and I went up at Easter and since then I have only managed to read a few chapters of 'The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets'...

Sunshine seems to have gone into overdrive and has boundless energy for running,climbing and tantrums which keeps us on our toes and on the go from getting up until going to bed! But we wouldn't have it any other way!

When Sunshine and I went to my Mum's at the weekend, Sunshine got worried every time I was out of sight or went to the car....I think she thought she was going to be left behind...Well after all my trips away and Peter not being about I suppose it's hardly surprising! I'd like to say that I recharged my batteries when we went to Norfolk...but no such luck!

Shoelaces

Who knew there were so many ways to lace your shoes...or boots...Ian apparently!
Ian's Shoelace Site - Shoe Lacing Methods
....just something I stumbled on.. :)

Viking Night

As we were in Sweden doing a project and the pilot is underway, we celebrated by having a Viking night at Odinsborg in Gamla Uppsala.

This is me trying to balance on the stone on top of the mound which was used by the Swedish kings to hold court...it was a bit windy which is why I look like I'm struggling!

We ate at Odinsborg (Kings Graves) and this involved dressing up in Viking tunics and hats....

Eating without the aid of knives and forks (unless you were vegetarian....although strictly speaking I am sure any veggie viking would have been run out of town!) and drinking beer out of horns! Very tasty ribs and chicken accompanied by raw vegetables and a wonderful mushroom soup to start.

Team photo

Anyway, much beer was drunk (from horns or otherwise) and many songs sung....a good team-building night out!

There are some more photos here and here and maybe even some video at some point...but that may be going too far!

Because I only had my phone to take photos, most of the photos posted here are Nick's...Thanks Nick!

The Undomestic Goddess

I have had this book kicking around since 2005 and I finally got around to reading it! I loved the 'Shopaholic' series of books (there's a new one out in hardback now) so I had a feeling that I would enjoy this too...but I didn't enjoy it as much as my last book...It's a nice light-hearted read and a good holiday book. Nothing to take too seriously and something you could recommend to your Granny without being too embarrassed...

I probably will read 'Shopaholic & Baby', but I think I'll get it from the library...

Lunar Eclipse

Last night was the much hyped lunar eclipse...I was really tempted to go to bed early but as there was only 45 minutes to go I decided to stay up a bit longer. Watching, waiting and the moon didn't seem to turn the coppery colour we were promised. Still the moon did look rather wonderful through our binoculars...like a big silvery helium balloon, quite defined in the night sky!

This was probably the best photo I got...and this is cropped!

Amsterdam

This week was a filled with a three day meeting...in Amsterdam...so not so bad. It was fun. Maarten had organised everything well...we stayed at the Radisson SAS in the centre of Amsterdam and he had also organised evening entertainment...a canal boat ride and dinner on Tuesday and BoomChicago on Wednesday night for Best of Boom: The Director's Choice. All in all very good!
Thursday ended with me being stranded at Schipol after two cancelled flights because of dratted snow, KLM put me up in the Mercure Airport Hotel...just a shuttle bus away from the airport. With a care package, dinner, a bed, and breakfast....who could ask for more...? Well, me! I was looking forward to being at home after three long weeks travelling...ok so I was at home at the weekends...but still....


I got home around 11am on Friday...what a relief...my first flight cancellation experience....and I am sure I am relatively unscathed!

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

I just finished this book and it was fabulous! A real page-turner from beginning to end. I didn't too badly time wise...about 2 weeks (but really only because I was away from family duties for two weeks!). I picked it up at the airport a couple of months ago (along with 'The Fourth Bear' - Jasper Fforde) and finally got around to reading it! I liked the title and the cover of the book...I know you should never judge a book by it's cover...but when it comes to books and wine I tend to go for quirky!

Read it! (my copy is currently on loan to my mother-in-law, but will be available shortly I would imagine!)

Uppsala at Night

I have had a couple of trips to Sweden in January, Peter has been a star looking after Sunshine...I don't know how he puts up with me!!
Anyway, we had a few good meals this last week...On Wednesday we went to Tzatiki and had some fab food..I was considerably stuffed at the end...no room for pudding...On the way back to the hotel, the lights in the trees alongside the river looked so pretty I just had to record the scene...I only had my phone...so the quality isn't as great as I would have liked...but still you get the idea!

Then on Thursday night we went to Kung Krål and had a fab reindeer steak with the best mashed potatoes in Sweden!
I will apologise now if Santa is late this Christmas....

Copper

This weekend was our 7th wedding anniversary and as a treat Peter and I escaped to the Oaklands Court Hotel, Norwich whilst my mum looked after Sunshine for the night. It was a treat, but in the morning whilst we were relaxing, we just thought that there was something missing! Sunshine!

I was really lucky in finding the copper hearts I gave as a gift to Peter, and unlucky in that Sunshine found them before we had even packed the car...I really must learn to hide things better! I found them on the internet at Greens Weathervanes...I really fancied getting the Seahorse weathervane but it may have looked a bit pretentious in our semi-urban environment....!

More recycling places...

Further to my last blog, I have been Stumbling around the interweb and found a couple of more sites which could be a good way of swapping your old stuff for someone else's old stuff...All you pay for is the postage but in the end if you get what you want it all evens out in the end!



The first place I found was BookMooch where you list all the books you want to pass on and you get 1/10th of a credit for doing that...when you get one credit you can 'Mooch' a book that you want from someone else...



Then I found chanceXchange which is basically the same thing and has only started up this year...At the moment there is a special offer..if you register and list two things you don't want anymore, you get one credit to use for exchanging for something else...The exchanges are limited to the country you live in so that you never have to pay international postage or worry about the regioning of DVD's and videos

chanceXchange recycle your cds, dvds and books a free exchange service

Alternatively you could just take your box of books,cds and videos down to the local charity shop of your choosing...

Free-cycling

At the end of the month our council has decided that it is going to trial fortnightly collections in our area which could pose a problem for me in my ever escalating de-cluttering program as I'll be able to put less stuff in the green bin (which is actually our rubbish bin...our recycling bin is blue!)...so I found this site and joined a couple of local groups and I have successfully freecycled some babygros and some freezer baskets (which were just attracting more clutter!) This has also enabled me to reduce the stuff we send to landfill...(pat on the back for me!)...and some of the stuff which has accumulated!

So if you don't think you can eBay something because it's not worth much but still has some useful life left in it...there may be someone who will take it off your hands! (I don't think you would believe some of the stuff which people try to get or get rid of!)

USB Batteries

How cool is this!? I was just shopping for some more Ecoballs (the ones I bought last year have come to the end of their life) and I saw that the Ethical Superstore had USB rechargable batteries! These would be a definate improvement on taking regular batteries or rechargable + charger on trips (as long as my laptop was coming with me of course!)