Bunglehouse, babysitting & baby deer!

Yesterday Carl and I drove 'home' to see my family. We were amazed at what the bunglehouse looks like now!! It has a wet room (shower facility my dad can use), a ramp to the front door, the central heating is nearly complete and they've done a lot of the fencing (with my brother's help!) The garden still needs turfing, but it is really beginning to look like their place now. After lunch we wandered down to Paul and Sarah's to babysit while Sarah went to look at a flat with Liz. Joshua has grown...more and has a cheesey grin he shows every now and then. We had fun playing with his toys and keeping him occupied - he has such a personality now!

It was then dinner time (fish and chips), chatting and watching soaps (luckily Anna called and I missed most of Eastenders!) before heading home.

We'd only just got out of Potton and past Sutton when we spotted a baby deer sitting in the other lane. Carl thought it was dead, but I didn't, so we went back. The deer was alive, but in shock, so unable to just leave it (it would have been run over as it was on a bend) Carl flashed the car lights and clapped at it in an attempt to make it move but it wouldn't so we wrapped it in Carl's coat and put him in the boot, drove back to my parents and called the RSPCA. After a cup of tea, a lovely lady called Kate arrived and peered into the boot. She said we'd done all the right things, but as it was now moving about we'd try and let it back into the wild. We discoved it was a Monkjack Deer, and was probably clipped by a car or run over (so the deer was under the car but not squashed) so it was in shock. We went back to where we found it and managed to release it back into the wild, where it pranced off. Sadly the photo was a bit rubbish, but I din't want to scare it more by using the flash! We decided to name the deer Deirdre!!

I have to say, we drove home feeling all good about the whole thing!

Center Parcs

After looking forward to Center Parcs for so long, it is now all over...

We had a great time, in our Exclusive Villa - complete with hot tub, sauna and steam room!! It's a hard life!

Friday - The journey to Longleat was bad - well the traffic was bad, but we had great views of Stonehenge and Putin say's he saw a unicorn too! When we arrived we were allowed straight into our Villa, and I can say, once you've done Executive, you won't want to go back!! The Limpets and Poes arrived about half an hour after us, and then we wandered down to get some food...at the Pancake House. It was gorgeous weather, so we sat outside and ate our Jacket Potatoes and Pancakes. I think the excitment got to me, Lou and Noo as we sang the theme to James the Cat, substituting the lyrics with Dave the Tank!! I was crying with laughter!

Then back at the villa we decided to give the hot tub a whirl - it was soooo nice! Champagne, bubbles, gorgeous weather...what more could you want!!

After relaxing in the hot tub (with some Greco Roman wrestling from Po and Putin) we got ready to go out for the evening...10 pin bowling!

Now, I am usually rubbish at this...but I won the first game (the girls had a lane and the boys had one...I didn't beat the boys though!). Sadly we didn't get to finish the sencond game...sadly as I'd got a spare on my first bowl and then 2 strikes in a row on my 3rd and 4th bowls...and I never got to find out what would have happened!! Aaaargh!! After this it was off to Huckleberry's for dinner before heading back to the villa.

Saturday - No lie-ins for us!! The girls were up and out and at Aqua Sana for 9am!! We had booked a Aqua Sana Spa session (3 hours in various steam rooms, saunas and relaxation rooms), but little did I know that my birthday pressie was at the spa too...I had an Exotic Frangipani Body Nourish Wrap - oooh eeer! It was a complete suprise..I had no idea...and it was brilliant, so thanks guys!!! Basically (from what I can recall, as I wa soooo relaxed!!) Frangipani oil is poured our you, a bit at a time obviously, and massaged in (which feels gorgeous!) and then you are wrapped up in foil (like a baked potato!) while you have a mini facial, with more Frangipani on your face, hair and neck. Then you have a shower and then lots of lovely moisturiser is massaged in too. I felt very relaxed afterwards! Bliss!! (While I had this Lou did too and Noo and Joey had facials.) We all met up in the relaxation room before having our Spa session, trying out almost all the steam rooms and saunas and then having lunch in the Conservatory (feeling very 'my body is a temple' and having healthy salads and jacket potatoes!)

After all the relaxing, Lou and I decided to meet the boys in the pool and go on the rapids and flumes! So, aiming to suprise them, we snuck in and went in search, going on flumes and the rapids as we went. After about 45 mins of sneaking about, keeping our eyes peeled and being detective like we decided they weren't there and headed off...only to discover that text messages are pants and we arrived as they were leaving the pool!! All our sleuthing for nothing!!

In the evening we had a BBQ and did pressies for the birthday boys. Without going into too much detail the evening consisted of...cider (8 pints from the farmers market), red wine, champagne, bagpiping, party-boy-shake-your-arse dancing, body-pump dancing (as taught by Joey), reggae muffin Lou, the Feeders dance, more cider and champage, hot tub, duck vader aka EVIL DUCKY!!! I went to bed at about 12.30am (feeling like a saltana) leaving Po, DL and Lou still in the hot tub - becoming saltanas - especially as they then went into the sauna!!

Sunday - With dodgy tummies and no chance of a lie-in it was time for the zip-wire and cake-

off!! DL, Noo, Lou, Chudders and I were doing the zip-wire, while Joey and Po had a cake-off with Putin as referee and cameraman! The zip-wire turned out to be a pretty good hangover cure, and woke me up nicely!! It was tamer then the 3G swing we did last year (we really wnated to do the high ropes but again, it was fully booked...and ended up cancelled on the Sunday anyway!) Still it was good fun! (The photo is Noo zip-wiring)

On our return to the villa, the cake off was all over, with Po's cake cooking and Joey's cooling on the side. We then had some chilling out time, with the guys watching 'Demonic Toys' (a pressie for Putin.)

Archery was in the afternoon. This is the bit I didn't really enjoy...I would have liked it more if I didn't have such knobbly elbows that got in the way. After the string hitting my elbow 3 times in a row (Ouch! See massive painful bruise piccy!!) I decided I wasn't keen! (Doing it left handed (as I was told I was left eye dominant - but at clay pigion shooting I was told right eye dominant! Who knows?!?) didn't help as I felt kack-handed) I think I was the only one to score zero...although I almost got 3 pints, one on someone elses target!! At least I didn't catch myself where Joey did...OUCH!!!!!) On a good note, Putin did well and won! Hurrah for Putin!

After this, the boys, Lou and I went to the pool....more playing on the rapids and flumes and generally being big kids!! We then met Noo and Joey for dinner (at Huckleberrys again) where I had a lovely CHILLI!!)

Back at the Villa we played the 80's tunes game. We were in teams of 2 (the boys names were drawn out) and I was with Po. We had an unbelievably easy first round (passing into the middle zone!) and ended up winning the game!! Hurrah!! We then settled down to watch Feeders 2 - probably THE worst ever film EVER - Feeders (the aliens) seemed to be made with potatoes for heads, bottle tops for eyes and twigs for arms...also the sound effect fart was unbelievable!! If you want to see a film where Santa shoots spindly-legged, potato-headed, gibbering, dancing aliens with a ray gun - see this!! (Also the mother acting was soooo wooden I think she was previously a tree!)

Monday - After packing everything up we waved goodbye to the Limpets and Poes while the Putin's, CP and myself went to the pool...again...just because we could!! We were the first ones on the rapids and had our first run all to ourselves! Brilliant! We went on the flumes and rapids and in the hot tub (not as good as the one at the villa!) before calling it a day and decideding lunch was needed before heading home (especailly if the traffic was as bad as on Friday.) So to the Pancake House again for a final feed before heading home.

A GREAT weekend!! Same again next year?!?!?!?!

Growing (things) Pains

Since my last blog, just a few hours ago, I decided to do some gardening (shock horror!!) I decided to tackle the small patch of overgrown-ness out the front near the garage. It is very small with a bushy thing with prickles that cut you to ribbons - nice. The shears had zero effect on it, so out came the hedge trimmer. I was having great fun cutting the prickly bush of pain to pieces when suddenly the trimmer stopped working. I thought something had got stuck or I'd caught the wall. Inside I went to check the plugs etc and it was only on my return I realised the problem...I'd cut though the cable. Hmmm, so that's what the slight tingle in my arm was about!?!? I feel lucky not to have electrocuted myself (thanks Black and Decker for making it idiot proof!)
However, this did not deter me from trying to contue the garden. I pulled up everything, except the roots of the prickly bush of pain, and had to leave it there. I'd blown the fuse in the trimmer and we had no spares. Bum. Still...it does look a bit better...the pain was worth it!

Easter Holidays - at last!

So, what have I been up to since my last blog? Well, we did the production...a lot. I am now free from it and no longer have to endure rendition after rendition of Starlight and Treasure Hall (aka Crystal Ball) and the Pugwash theme played by the kazoo band...although it doesn't stop them entering my head at random times so I'll end up singing along! All in all, the production went well, but I was exhausted afterwards - felt like I could have slept for a week (getting to sleep was a bit of a problem, with Cap'n Pugwash whirring about!)

Anyway, I am glad it is now the Easter holidays. Carl is at home too, which is good (in some ways!) Since I have been off I have kept myself busy...mainly trying to get onto the next level of a tetris-like game, called Luxon Amun Rising, I have become addicted to. I have completed it at beginner level and am now trying it at expert (missing out intermediate entirely!) I was stuck on level 10 (namely 10.2, then 10.4 then even worse 10.5) and last night I finally cracked it and now am on level 11! hurrah!

Friday night Carl went out with the people from work and I had tea at the Po's. Ross cooked a chilli (which was tres yummy) and we watched Ross Noble on DVD - Lou did tell me he was random, but random just doesn't cover it!! Very funny! Laughing at Elton John hitting midgets and faces in muffins (there's a face.....next muffin). On Saturday we popped over the Po's to jump start their car, only to find the battery was beyond dead, so a new one was required. On Sunday the boys went golfing, so Lou and I went into town. We wandered about, savouring the farmers market, trying not to buy too much stuff - we did purchase a few good items mind;o), having lunch and Lou trying to find clothes for me (she is very good!)
Yesterday Carl and I went into town to do a few jobs and then to the driving range (Carl wanted to hit some balls) and I had a go. I wasn't too bad....I managed to hit the ball, and some went in a straight line...I just found the way you had to stand a bit tricky...I mean, it doesn't do a girl any favours - my butt sticks out enough without having to actually 'stick it out'! (although I did notice the American guy next to us had a very large butt, so it kinda made me feel better!) It was fun though, but the guys don't need to worry, I won't be crashing their games!

Well, CENTER PARCS TOMORROW! Very exciting!! We have a few things booked (but the high ropes were booked up again - bummer) zip wite, archery, bowling and the girls are doing some pampery stuff too. Hot tub, here we come!!

Older and Wiser...I don't think so...

So, I am now 31...and it feels no different, I am happy to say. On my birthday weekend we went out for a few drinks and had a meal out - all very civilised! Caro and Andy came too...and we exchanged Christmas presents (we hadn't seen each other since J&M's leaving do!)...and I was told I have to wait 3 months for my b'day pressie!! ha ha! We started off in Document House, then to Pizza Express for food, (and we were in there ages!) before going to the Berkshire Tavern for a final drink, then catching taxis home! A very nice evening out so thanks Po's, Limpets, C&A and CP xx

Sunday (my actual b'day) was not so good....Carl came down with 'man flu' and was not well at all :o( bummer! He felt a bit rubbish all week but is okay now.

This week at school as been production, production, production. Some of the songs are beginning to be a permenant fixture in my brain, which is annoying - the same 4 or 5 songs on continual loop!! Last Friday was comic relief so the Lower Juniors dressed up as pirates, all in preparation for the production of course!!

This weekend I went home to visit my mum and dad. They are having the bathroom and toilet made into one room and central heating put in, so things are a little untidy....and they have no bath and a curtain up to give you a bit of privacy on the loo!!

Things to look forward to:
1. Centre Parcs in 2 weeks - yay!!
2. Isle of Wight Festival
3. Our trip to Ireland
4. Seeing the Police in concert

Catch up!

This last few weeks seem to have been rather busy...although looking at my diary I don't know what I have actually done!! So here is a quick catch-up...in no particular order...it depends when it pops into my head!


School has been busy, with parent's evenings, production rehearsals, Egyptian day and an Egyptian exhibition on top of the regular stuff!

Egyptian day went really well - the children made clay cartouches with their names in hieroglyphics, made clay shabti and amulets, made Egyptian bread, board games and jewelery, as well as colouring in death masks and sarcophaguses! We all dressed up too. The photo is of myself, Anna, Annette and Sarah all dressed up....and it was rather chilly and windy outside!!


We have also booked a holiday to Ireland for the summer. Carl's cousin is getting married, so we are making a holiday out of it, visiting Co Clare, Co Kerry and Co Cork with Carl's folks, which we hope not to repeat the 'Cook Family holiday experiences' of Christmas 2005 (see archives!)

Also, I am doing the Race for Life this year, "running" with Lou and Nicky. Which I am quite looking forward to, even though I am not a running person! I don't think I'll ever be a runner, but never say never...

Dad had his eye op 2 weeks ago...and tried to tell me all about it the Friday after. He knows how squeamish I am about eyes too...what a meany! He says it is much more comfortable now (as it was very sore) and during his describing what happened he said he had to have a bit of his eyeball cut out under LOCAL anaesthetic!! No way! You'd have to knock me out and keep me knocked out until it healed....YUCK...in fact words cannot describe the yuck factor here....

This weekend we 'celebrate' my turning 31...I'll be in my 30's (rather than on the edge) and then have to tick the 31-39 age bracket box....actually I am not too fussed about being 31...I barely remember how old I am anyway!

Time flies...

Well, doesn't time fly...half term came and went and I have been back at school a week, with parent evenings next week to look forward too...

So, the rest of half term...

Carl, Dave and I went to the NME Awards tour on Monday night (I got a ticket for Chrismas from Ross and Lou) and saw Mumm-Ra (who were good), The Horrors (who were shockingly bad - lots of flashing while lights and screaming 'singer' who loved himself a bit too much), The View (who are far better on CD than live - I wasn't impressed) and The Automatic (who were cool!))

I went back to Potton on Thursday to see the folks, who are OK. Their fireplace FINALLY arrived and looks very nice indeed. Dad has to have an eye operation (squeamish-squermy-yuck!), but it is on his bad eye so at least he'll be able to see a bit afterwards! Mum and I babysat Joshua on Friday morning - he is soooo cute and kept saying Dadda to everything and da (like ta for thank you!)

While I was 'back home', Carl decided to do some DIY. He sorted out the internal garage door, making it open into the garage, rather than into the hall. He then decided to move the 3 bedroom radiators, so they'd be under the windows (more efficient and freeing up wall space!) He was going to do it earlier in the week, and decided against it, as it was a BIG job, only to do it anyway because he didn't want it to beat him! Check out http://rayspics.blogspot.com/ for piccys of Carl's handiwork!

On Saturday night we met up with Lou, Ross and Dave for a "quick drink at The Cock", which turned into a session, ending up at the new Po residence, drinking too much, eating vast quantities of biscuits and cheese (which was very tasty, and Lou kept saying "I can cut more cheese!") and crawling into bed at 3am a bit drunk and trying not to fall through the ceiling (the floorboards were still up in parts of all 3 bedrooms due to the moving radiators). We were a bit hungover the next morning!!

This week at school has been quite good, doing a major science 'rocks and soils' session! Next week we have Egyptian day and parents eve. Sadly due to having to move Egyptian day from last week (because of the snow day the letters didn't get out in time) we have Egyptian Day on the SAME day as the final parents eve...Mmmm...not sure the eye make-up will come off in time - may have to do it in costume!!

Dave, Ross, Carl and I did the quiz at 'The Cock' on Monday night, coming joint 2nd...well actually, not-joint-2nd, as afterwards we discovered that the team marking ours marked one wrong when it was right....but then there was the spanner/wrench answer (In Cludo which weapon was missing: rope, candlestick, dagger, revolver and lead piping - we put wrench, but the answer was spanner (but it is a wrench in America/Canada!) and it was marked right), so we decided it was karma that we didn't get our £1.50 each prize money!!

Carl and I got tickets to the IOW festival this year. We are taking Carl's little sis. The line up is really good, and coz Carl's folks are islanders, we get to sleep in a bed each night!! Woo-hoo!

The pain was worth it!

What a great weekend! Carl's parents came up and we had a special surprise for them on Saturday (it was/will be their birthday pressies this year!) as it is Barb's birthday next week.

We set off at 10.15am (having got halfway there are realising we'd let our picnic lunch at home!) and arrived at 11am, after taking a long route there and getting a bit lost!

On arrival they still didn't know what the surprise was!! When you get there there is a dirt track and a few metal huts. Barb's only guess was "Are we driving a tank?" Ha ha ha!! Charlotte guessed when we met the people who ran the place (as one of them was wearing a cap with it on.) When we told them, Barb's face was a picture, as she's wanted to do this for years! We were clay pigeon shooting (or clay tile shooting as it is now known!)

We had a safety check before getting down to it! Barb didn't seem to care if she hit anything or not!! We did tiles that went across the sky infront of you, those that arched towards you and some that went away, before doing 2 tiles at a time and a flurry competition! We all managed to hit some (Carl and Bern did the best!) In the flurry, Barb and Bern were together (6 for Bern and 3 for Barb), then Charlotte and me (we both scored 4 each!) then Carl and Barb (Carl got 10 and Barb got 2 - and one was twice!!) Bern got the most tiles in the 2 at a time bit, so he got a little trophy! After a lovely cup of tea we headed off for some lunch (at 3pm!) and ate at the Swan before heading home, collapsing and comparing bruises (I won!!) We then watched a couple of movies, played Simpsons Operation and ate our picnic!


On Sunday we visited Donnington Castle before heading into town to show them around. We had tea and a pasty in the West Cornwall Pasty Co shop (very tasty!) In the evening we went to Indigo Bay for an Indian, which was very yummy. We then attempted to play the Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit game - which was very hard and I think I only answered 2 questions correctly! Oh well!

Tonight we are off to the NME music awards tour in Reading to see The Automatic and The View - Excellent!

Snow day!! Or should it be Ice day?

Shock of shocks, the school was closed today!! What a lovely suprise! It was only decided at 8.20 this morning. Have to say, today would have been a bit on an anti-climax after yesterdays fun events!! Anna and I were very pleased with this result - an extra day to do stuff!!
I stayed at school until 1 o'clock, catching up on bits and bobs, marking and tidying up, before heading off to the tidy-tip with the Lower Juniors recycling for the half-term, followed by trips to homebase and B&Q to get a fuse for our shower (which stopped making hot water earlier in the week! Cold showers are not good when in a chilly house, in winter!)

I did recieve some sad news today though. I found out someone I knew passed away yesterday. I knew she was ill and the outlook was bad...she was the lady who first got me to go to the Salvation Army sunday school when I was about 6 years old. I have very fond memories of her.

Tonight we have Carl's parents and Charlotte visiting for the weekend...if they make it through the weather!! We have a suprise planned for tomorrow...but I wont say anymore in case they see this!
Lou and Ross are moving today too! Yay! I am going to pop over shortly to help bubble wrap stuff - love bubble wrap! *pop*
Also going to the NME award tour in Reading on Monday (thanks to Lou and Ross as it was a Chrimbo pressie!) to see The Automatic - really looking forward to it!

Caro text me today with a classic Comedy Quote from Spaced. (Thanks mate!)

Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
Mike: You can't drink a pint of Bovril.

No Snow Day!

Hmmmph! So about 100 schools in Northants and Berks were closed today, but not us!! I started off being a bit miffed by this...and ended up having a fabulous, but exhausting day!!
We made snowmen in the morning - as part of DT and PSHCE (construction and teamwork!). The children had to create snowmen in small groups which had to fit a hard hat on, withstand a snowball pummeling and look pretty!! The children were in their element and we had some super snowmen (as well as a few 'snowcones.') This fed nicely into an extra-long playtime where all the Juniors were building snow 'things' - we had a snow throne, a snow turtle and a VERY large snowball, as well as snowmen and snow dogs!!
In the afternoon we were building bridges...out of food!! It was great! They had lasagne sheets, spaghetti, sponge fingers, malt loaf, potatoes, curley-wurleys, strawberry laces, chewits and bread sticks to work with, and their bridges had to be over a certain height (so a 7cm tank could fit under it), a certain span (to cross the river - yes a tank went under it but we had no boats - and none of the children noticed!!) and be strong and stable enough to hold a train and it's track! The children created some brilliant bridges - whcih worked! I was so impressed - one of those feel good lessons!!
All in all a good, but exhausting day...right, I'm off to bed!!

Comedy Quote: Black Books (season 1)

Manny: Do you think I should wash my beard?
Bernard: I think you should wash it, yeah. Then shave it off, nail it to a frisbee, and fling it over a rainbow.