Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Happy Hallowe'en!!

We didn't go out with Mae trick-or-treating but boy did she have fun giving out candy! And her childminder, Liza, and her two boys showed up just as Mae was going to bed and she was so excited!!

What's cool about Scotland? The kids here tell you a joke when you give them sweets! (better than slashing your tires like the Bristolians! Just joking Rach!)

Mae was her own little monster today: We went to her playgroup and when we came home she sang 'five little monkeys'- the Cranmer Variation:

'Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
one fell off and bumped his head
DAMMIT!! DAMMIT BED!!!'

I almost died laughing. I know it's not funny though, mom!




I don't know if I have said this before but Rumpole has a new friend- he loves these stupid toys that we won for Mae at one of the numerous fairs here in Dumfries:

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Moffat

We went for a nice walk today in one of the many local nature reserves. It was warm and sunny and we saw loads of birds and toadstools and stinging nettle, which Mae, as usual, touched. Plus we went into a hide and watched some birds feeding and then one of the hatches fell on her head. Other than that it was an untarnished day. We even found a little mammal jawbone, complete with teeth. Me, in my infinite wisdom, showed it to one of the dudes in the reserve, who decided to keep it. Bummer.

Here are some pics.



Thursday, October 26, 2006

Independence or Gluttony?

When I got out of the shower this morning Mae informed me that she was eating 'toast' and honey. In reality, she had removed two slices of bread from the bag and globbed honey in the centre of them, and proceeded to suck out the middles.
Time to hide the sweets.

We haven't been up to much

This working malarky has kept me busy! Although we did go to Edinburgh last weekend and had a nice day with the rellies. They all went to the museum on Monday while I worked there! Bummer!
And on Tuesday Mae went to her friend Findlay's birthday party- it was a hallowe'en theme, so Mae went as a 'Boo Witch'.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Happy Birthday Geoff!

You old dinosaur! Geoff turned 37 this week. ooh-wee!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Look what I did!




No more tangles


No more fuss


No more yoghurt in hair



Cute cute cute!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

What are girlz like....

There was a 12 year old in my workshop on Monday, and at the break she came up to me and said 'no one knows what I want to be when I grow up'

Of course I took the bait. 'what do you want to be?'

'well, either a supermodel or a fashion designer or a chef or an assassin- ....but I only wear pink'

What the!? Please Mae, don't turn into that!

Then later, when we were doing crafts she said 'I LOVE double sided tape- it's great for waxing my legs!!!'

I am hoping Mae is going to be a goth- it would be much safer.

I have a feeling she will be.

Weekend with the Reids

What a great weekend! Sharon and Johns place is great (except for the bed in the front room which is a toe breaker, thanks you very much)- a really good size and a nice sauna-looking bathroom. The girls all had so much fun and not much sleep. At one point we put them all in bed together and all we could hear was a rousing rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Mae saying ' I AM SO EXCITED, AILSA!!'

On Sunday we went to the Glasgow Science Centre, which was fabulous- I reccommend it to anyone who visits. There was a show called Junior Sky Tonight which I thought was going to be too scary but Mae loved it- and the exhibitions were all hands-on, including piano keys you could walk on and a spinning disc that you could stand on, it was all a real hit.

It'll be so much fun to see them on a regular basis. Ailsa and Heather are lovely girls and they all get along so well!
Cookie decorating- fun and sweet at the same time!


I asked Ailsa and Heather to smile- they are ignoring me with style, huh?

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Here's a quiz

Answer these three questions and I will be eternally in your debt:

1. Why is Mae waking up at three a.m.?

2. Why can't I get back to sleep when it happens?

3. What lottery numbers should I pick to win and therefore enable me to hire a nanny?

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

What? No ha ha?

Didn't anyone think my last blog was hilarious? I want comments!

Anyway, another day, another coupla bucks. I hate working and I need to win some sort of lottery.

I am going to bed now, I was up all night thinking that some tick was side-shuffling it's way into me. You'll all be pleased to hear that I am free of ticks this morning though, although this may be my monthly theme. Too bad October is almost halfway through.

Night night.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

EEEEUGH! Would I ever need a lot of sauce for THAT!

Gross me out! I just found a tick in the laundry room! Who do I call?! 911? Gross me out the door.

Sharon told me that when she was here Ailsa got sucked by one. Apparently it was still wriggling when the health visitor pulled it out. (Cue shivers down the spine).

And I met this woman Libby this summer who's husband is a postman and he got one on his testicle. Hence, the title of the blog..... okay, let's drop this subject.

Here's a bit of advice.

DON'T rent 'The Weatherman'- it's a movie starring Nicholas Cage and it sucks (worse than any tick)
DO read 'A Confedracy of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole. It was written in the 60's and as yet doesn't seem to be going anywhere but that's good because I don't want it to end. It is very well written and an easy read. Go get it!!!

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Pictures to follow......'oh sweet jesus'

Well, this week I have been working my ass off. I have been preparing for my workshops next week and am slightly freaked but at the same time I have been doing school workshops at the museum.

So school classes visit and we break them up into two groups and go through a 'presentation' with them, either a Victorian classroom, with them as the students, or the servants in the laundry. They seem to enjoy it, although the women who I watched do it last week were VERY strict. That will take me a while.

On Wednesday I did the laundry twice. It must be very physically demanding to be a teacher, not the 20 coffee/smoke breaks that I was used to a Social Services, although I would defy anyone to tell me we didn't work hard....

Anyway, on Friday I was the schoolteacher. It was a bit scary as you have to show them the back straightener, the finger stocks, the dunces cap and the belt. When I watched Kate do it last week she whacked the belt so hard on the table that even I jumped.

So before the kids arrived yesterday I went up to the 'schoolroom' and practiced hitting the belt on the table, which is covered with thick, toughened glass. I couldn't make it sound loud, although I tried.

So when the time came the little guy who came up for the 'belt' was quite a trooper. I warned him of what I would be doing. He holds out his hand and what I do is whack it on the table, just beside him.

You all think I hit him, don't you....?

Well, no, I hit the table.

AND SMASHED IT!!!!!!!!

Do you think they will dock my pay??? This job is turning out to be not so fun....pictures on Monday nite....

Thursday, October 05, 2006

I blame Sharon Reid

Okay, so Sharon, John, Ailsa and Heather have just moved into their new home.. Sounds good and positive, doesn't it????
After dinner tonight Geoff, Mae and I went to the postbox to send a card, as any good friend would do. After all, it's a new beginning and all that junk.

Probably about a 10 minute walk if I was alone, with Mae it was a lot longer. It was misty when we went out.

Mae was in a good mood, and as we were crossing the last road before the postbox, she decided to jump in the deep puddle on the road and soaked me. She said 'jump!' as she did it. Quite funny, I admit.

But on the way back I decided to get her back.

I didn't factor that by trying to soak her by jumping square in the puddle that 80% of the splash would affect me.

You owe me one, Reids.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Freaky things

Work is freaking me out a bit, I must admit, but I won't go into it as I am trying to think positively ( I don't call it blocking anymore as that disturbs my bowels).


BUT!!
Guess what I saw today on my way home, feeling tired and a bit low?
A WHOLE RAINBOW!!!!! Beginning and end, if you can believe it!! No pots of gold, but seeing a full rainbow was pleasure enough.

Here's a pic (not mine, I hasten to add, I need to start carrying my camera with me at all times- I got this from Wikipedia)