Happiness is......

Is it a new car, with leather heated seats, air conditioning, 6 CD changer, turbo charged, kick ass bass? Maybe, but it ain't green. I drove it to Castle Douglas the other day ( a wee town with great shops, for those of you interested in visiting.), and smiled all the way home. Especially when I was driving by a loch and a guy on a sea-doo was sailing along with me. And playing hip hop, which doesn't suit the car (it reminded me of a bit in Lorenzo's Oil, where the dad is driving along listeing to classical music- I always wanted to be like that when I finally became an adult, but Missy Elliot sounds better, somehow).

Or is it your childs first representation of the family? I think it must be. I don't prompt Mae to draw certain things, but when she pointed out herself, me and Geoff in this picture my heart almost burst. No comments on likenesses please, for you non-parents who don't understand these things.

It's looking forward to more guests, although some have cancelled due to teenage pregancy of their cat. Woke up one morning to fine 5 kittens. They must have got it pregnant- bummer!

It's spring as well, watching the birds chase each other and make nests, new lambs, all the fun places that we went to last year opening again- a bit of variety. It's having a day off- ugh, working over holidays doesn't suit me at all, especially holidays associated with chocolate. On that note, happiness is also losing a stone. Lookin good!

Have a happy day!

updownupdown

what a crazy few days. back from holidays, then Sharon and the grrrls for the day, (John was a bonus in the evening), then Lesley, now Joy and Helen and Maya and Jamie! All ups!

The downs: fridge breaking down, car failing the MOT. Bad downs. Bad bad bad.

S0- new fridge- that's an up. Unfortunately it sounded like a lawnmower hitting a 60 foreign gerbils (see bethanne's blog), so swing low.

Up- have bought a new car.

Here's a quiz then, the prize will be a Milka bar (betcha know what that is, Dana!!):

What car have we bought:

a. Renault grand scenic, light blue, power steering, diesel, 7 seater.

b. Ford Mondeo, air con, heated seats, V6 engine.

c. Range Rover Land Rover, turbo diesel, go-faster stripes.

We're having a grand time with the folks this weekend, and it's great to get the yearly beautiful photo of Mae (courtesy Joy):

Spring has sprang

We are recovering from our holiday, which was lovely, got to go sledding! Mae got to use her snowsuit once before she grows out of it.

Sharon came on Friday morning with the girls (John followed in the evening) for a fun filled day of skating, easter egg hunting, fun and games, and Saturday Lesley came for a weekend visit and fun on the farm.

Next weekend Joy, Helen, Maya and Jamie are coming for four days and the week after Geoff's old (not OLD!) work colleague Carole is coming with her daughter Amber (may will have fun- Amber is a teenager and teenagers are COOL!) and the week after that my cousin Mike and little Abbey are coming for a few days.

So, who wants to come care for us the week after.........

Homage to one of my favourite paintings- the Death of Marat. This is what I will be like after April, lying in the bath writing my shopping list. Pretend he's asleep, not dead.

Uh-oh

We are booked for a holiday- heading to highland Perthshire next week (from Sunday) to stay in a log cabin with a grass roof.

The Met Office is predicting heavy snow early next week.


Better pack the sled!!!!!

Split-second decision...

A split-second decision and you're ridiculed in cyberspace! I was running around the supermarket 10 minutes before it closed, dry-cleaning in one hand and shopping basket in the other, looking for cat food and finally having found the aisle, made the split-second decision to buy organic. I'm not ashamed, check out this link: http://www.messybeast.com/cat-food-industry.htm

Apart from labouring under the terror of Jen's omnipresent blogging, Mae and I had another great Saturday (no pictures this time as it was a grey and rainy day in Dumfries). We stopped in at the environment fair where Jen was working on a stall for Shambellie House. Mae loved seeing mommy at work, making monsters out of scrap and drumming on junk ranging from old pipes to plastic oil drums. The best part for me was when she stopped to look at a table of animals skulls. The woman behind it held up a skull with antlers and asked what she thought it might be? "a deer", Mae answers. Then the woman holds up a rabbit skull, Mae looks puzzled, the woman asks " what has big teeth and might eat things in your garden?" Mae looks more puzzled, concentrates for a few moments, smiles and finally replies " an elephant?".

G.

Grounds for divorce...?

The cat keeps us awake most of the night and Geoff goes out and buys it.....wait for it.......

ORGANIC CAT FOOD!!!

Maybe if I slap him I will get some bling for Mother's Day.....

Happy Birthday Bethanne and Chelsea!

33 and 2, respectively. Keep up the good work (of growing up and having fun).

And if I worked for http://www.creativecakes.com, this is the cake I would order you. I would scrape off the Billy, and eat that bit first, though.

Happy Birthday St Louis'!

This is for Hannah, Jack and Henry- I know I am late/early, but wanted to get you all at once!!!

Love seeing pictures of you and hearing about what's happening with you all- maybe we will meet again!

Growing up too fast

I was in the library today, with Mae, who decided she needed to take in her play cash register. Fine, it wasn't too loud, kept her amused, I was able to look for books myself. Great.

So we were walking by the libarians, one of whom was actually in a good mood (I have never met a librarian who wasn't a cranky moo)- and she asked- 'what's that you have there?'.

Mae mumbled something so I said 'the librarian asked you a question , Mae.'

She said it again: 'what's that you have there?'

'A PSP'

Do you know what a PSP is? It's a Play Station Portable. Not a cash register, a play station portable.

Mae isn't 3 yet. Think we are in trouble???

Happy Birthday Lil!

I couldn't find a picture of Lilian so here is one when I was 7 months pregnant (I just thought it was funny). Dana, don't worry, there won't be photos of a birth for your kids' birthdays this week!!!

He's Got Hairy Legs...

My first post on the blog! After months of living under the threat of having every stupid thing I do posted in cyberspace, it is about time I had it a go at it myself.

Jen was out with friends on Saturday, so as it was a beautiful bright day, Mae and I decided to go to the beach at Rockcliffe. I had ideas about making sandcastles but Mae likes to stamp on them as soon as they as soon as you lift the bucket and we soon gave that up for digging in rock pools and drawing on the sand with a stick.

After we got good and cold we went to the tearoom for soup, sandwiches and hot chocolate. The high point of this was when some young mountain biker walked in in shorts and when he as ordering at the counter, Mae exclaimed with a big smile... "He's got hairy legs!". Luckily for me he gave no indication of having heard, although the elderly man at the next table managed to spray his wife with a mouthful of tea. I'm sure I'll be laughing about that one for weeks.

G.

this is what I contend with

You would think, wouldn't you?

That with all this paraphernalia I would be able to sleep, wouldn't I?

But with this evil cat I cannot. I am thinking about a list of his kills. 2 mice in three nights. Thank god they were dead.

I was thinking, after Geoff disposed of the second poor one, of calling this post 'The Killing Feilds'- but that's no good, as anyone who has read/is aware of the history of the actual killing fields under Pol Pot in Cambodia, knows. Then I started thinking about the movie, and the book, of the same name. Then I had a quick thought about Napoleon Dynamite- a movie that I (alone, apparently) hate. And not just because it's worthy or some such crap, but because it it just good, this movie is SO MUCH BETTER, Bethanne. So get it. Or the book. But be prepared to get sad.

And because I don't want to end the night on a sad note. Here's three happy things:

I have now lost 10 pounds!! (I will send you the book, Toni)

&

I am knitting! - I know that is more hilarious that happy- it keeps me busy at night, when I would otherwise be stuffing my face. I reckon I am going to knit the longest damn scarf while I lose loads of weight. Stop laughing now. I mean it, stop laughing.

And here is a cute boot I embellished at work. See all the little butterflies? Mwaaaah.

Ghost shirts

Mae and I went to Glasgow to visit the Reid gals this week. It was a good day, and we got to visit the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, which is spectacular.

I visited it in the early 90's, and was touched by one exhibit, a Ghost shirt, which was originally a sacred peice of clothing for North American Natives. I though that it should go back, (the plaque said there was a request, and the museum turned it down), and have thought about it a few times over the years.

Well, I went off on a hunt to see if it was still there, and there was a new ghost shirt in it's place, sent over by the Lakota Sioux representatives, following the return to them of the original one.

What a nice story. It really made my week. Check out the link.

Lake 'You know what I mean?'

This weekend we went to Loch Ken. In Scotland, some people (not all of them, my brother in law would kill me if I said that...) say ken the way North Americans say 'like'. Example:

We were on our way out to Liza's place, ye ken?, who lives in Troqueer, ken? And then we went to the farm, ye ken the one up at Mabie, ken?'

So, sometimes it is very difficult to understand. Because you are wondering who all these Kens are, and you can't concentrate on the picture behind the kens. Ye ken. But I guess the lake was maybe named after a real Ken. Who the hell kens. But it was lovely anyway.

Nothing else is new. Except Chinese New Year! Gung hai fat chow! Happy year of the pig! I am a year of the pig- so in honour of that I will eat loads of bacon this year. Poor wee Bob. Ye ken?

And spinach- I will eat spinach, which I have recently discovered. Mae likes it too (this is just a funny face- it wasn't like I tricked her by cutting it into star shapes- I was just having a Martha Stewart moment. That's two in the last 6 months. ooooh crap)

Happy Birthday Juin May!!! This one is for you!!!

This one is for you!!!




Hee hee just joking- here's your dreamboat fantasy.......

Baby's got no back

Hello! Yay! I have lost 6 pounds this week- I am on a new eating regime which is great and easy and I am so happy! I tried on one of my tops today that I usually don't iron because I stretch the wrinkles out of it and it was loose! Check out my link....

Today Mae and I went to Mabie Farm which is open this week as this is half term. There was a little pig there when we went in who chewed on our fingers- he was lovely, his name is Bob and I will get a picture.

When we got home tonight Mae got out her ukelele and sang:

Old MacDonald had a farm

E I E I O

And on that farm he had a pig

who ate me

Wait for more nightmares.....Bob was gorgeous, look out Rumpole (this blog is turning into an anti- Rumpole crusade, isn't it? Well, keep the damn birds oot me bed!!)

Trick question

The fiddle concert (I am confident) will be at the Reids this Thursday. And if it's really 25£ per ticket that will be my consumerist protest- the placards are just being painted.
And the Karate Studio take kids from 3 years old- so look out school bullies, Mae is going whup your ass.

Bing sur la ring!

There's no real meaning to that title besides the fact that Les Raftmen is Mae's new favourite song. It's weird, but so is Land of the Silver Birch, both of which are on our Oh Canada CD, the new after dinner dance music of choice.


My camera has not been with us very much so no pretty pics of the frosty mornings, the sunny days and snowdrops in the forest, no pictures of our recent visit to Caerlaverock Castle to have sword fights and poop hunts.

Just a wee pic of Mae's latest gift, which was chocolate haystacks that she made at her childminders (I didn't have the heart to tell her I was on a diet, however to my own amazement I didn't eat one....)

And some faces at breakfast time-

notice the nonnie face....

And Thelma, the boxer puppy who also goes to the childminders sometime and who we went to visit today. Mwaaaaah- what a cutie. Can't wait for the cat to kick the bucket.....

Next week we will be joining a Karate studio, going to a fiddle concert and protesting consumerism, so there will be more news then... (you tell me which one is not true and I will buy you whatever you so desire....!)

Happy Birthday Nathalie!

Have a great day, sis!