Almost 2 years since my last blog...

...and how life has changed!

I am now a mummy to 10 week old Bethany, who arrived 5 weeks early giving us quite a shock! Fortunatly she was fine and didn't require any special care. We were in hospital for 6 days as she was prem and jaundice.
10 weeks on and she is beginning to develop her personality. I have read that although she is 10 weeks old, she is really only 5 weeks old so not to worry if she doesn't do things as quickly as we expect. I am loving being a mummy and Carl is fantastic with Bethany and enjoying being 'Papa.'
Since my last blog it has been babies a-go-go with DL and Joey having baby Isaac in March '09, Lou and Po having baby Jimmy in Oct '09 and Nicky and Putin having baby Will just 2 weeks ago! Also, I recently discovered my good friend Caro is expecting a baby in Nov '10. So many friends for Bethany to play with!

I could go on and fill you in on the last 2 years...but it would take to long! I wonder how long it will be 'til my next blog!??!

Up-to-date-ish

I have just spent the last 6 hours marking...and for the 1st time since September I am up to date with marking!! Not bad with 6 days of term left!!

Just the filing, sorting, planning and tidying to do...not much then!!!

6 days....and counting!! (That's 6 work days...it sounds better!!!)

Busy, busy, busy...

So busy, I have had no time to blog! That's mainly because of report writing :o( but happily they are all done now!! Hurrah!

Last month Carl, Noo, Putin and I went to the IOW festival. The weather forcast was shocking (rain, rain, rain RAIN!) but we only had a few spots of rain....hardly worth getting a mac on for!! We saw some great bands...Newton Falkner, The Enemy, Feeder, Teh Police, Kaiser Chiefs, Zutons, KT Tunstall, One Night Only, The Delays etc etc. So it was all great...except the getting up at 4.45am (after getting to bed at 1am) to catch the 6.30am ferry!!! We were soooooooooo tired!!!!

At the end of June we popped back 'home' to visit my folks as it was Dad's birthday. We have also been asked to be Joshua and Joseph's godparents, so we thought Carl had better meet Joseph before the christening!! Joshua was 'full of it' but Joseph was poorly and on antibiotics :o( Luckily we arrived in the afternoon and he had stopped screaming the place down by then!! Paul had had his last reseve fireservice medical too, so much to celebrate and talk about!! Joshua showed me his runner beans (Auntie Ray! Come and see how my runner beans are doing!) and he calls Carl 'Auntie Carl' as he is the only Uncle, which is rather amusing! I got to give Joseph a cuddle and him not cry too, which is an achievement!! We then babysat Joshua, while Paul and Sarah took the little one shopping for holiday bits. It was really nice to see everyone, and now looking forward to the christening next weekend!!

Last weekend we did the Race for Life....in the pouring rain!! We ran the whole 5km in 34mins 5secs which we were really pleased about. I almost missed the race altogether as the traffic was so bad, I got out of the car in the M4 roundabout and walked!! Carl arrived 15mins after the race had started!! I was very proud of us...but haven't been running since!! Ooops!! I will aim to go once a week...

Bad Film Club was on Wednesday night, to a much smaller audience to last year. Piranah 2 was on offer and it was a pretty poor film and they ripped it apart pretty well! We also saw Simon Munnary (?) afterwards for his act, which was pretty random. I liked his aubergine and great temporo sketches!!

On Friday CP, CL, Joeth and myself went for a bad film night at Putin's house. After much deliberation and voting, we watched 'Isolation', which is an Irish film set on a cattle farm. basically cows ahve been 'tested on' and they give birth to 'mutant, inside-out, russian-doll, crispy foetuses....which attack people'!! (Did I miss anything out of my description guys?!?!) It was quite bad!!!

Saturday was Carl's birthday. Sonia and Colin came over in the evening and we had a lovely meal at the Madagascan Gin Palace (Red snapper....yum yum!) carl and I have also spent a lot of time playing the Lego Indiana Jones game which I got him...I can't believe how long we played actually!!

So, 8 days left at school....I can't wait!!!!!

The Best Anniversary Present Ever!

...But I'll come on to that!

Since my last blog, half term has been and gone!

The last day of school was non-uniform day and so LJ dressing up was called for...this year we dressed up as fairies, much to the children's amusement!

On the Saturday evening (24/5) it was a Salsa Party at the Hilton Hotel. I had a good time, a couple of dances and lots of watching everyone dance. A few more dances would have made the good night even better, although I didn't actually ask anyone...I am too much of a woose for that!

The next day I went for a run. We did 25mins and ran 3.1km. Not bad. I did feel rather ropey afterwards and had a poorly tummy for the rest of the day. Maybe something I ate the night before? Who knows!

During half term I went home to visit everyone. Mum and I babysat Joshua, taking him to the park. He enjoyed watching the big grass cutter and laughed when I went on the swings with him. Well it was a baby swing and my bottom almost got stuck!! By the time I was leaving to come back home I was feeling rather rough and ended up with a stinky fluey cold for a few days. Luckily I didn't give it to my family!!

On the Friday, feeling a bit better but not 100% I went for 'coffee' with Anna. When I say 'coffee' I mean a tea and a hot fruity drink!! We were on kid watch, hoping not to bump into any of our classes, but were spotted by one (and avoided two others!)

By the end of half term I was feeling all better. Kim and I went for a run - 3.8km and after we both felt exhausted and I felt a bit sicky....maybe running to soon after being poorly! Or maybe becoming allergic to Sunday running?!?!?

Tuesday I was sent home from school after actually being sick! I ate something that really didn't agree with my tummy and so it came out rather violently 20mins later, bursting lots of blood vessels around my eyes in the process! Lovely!! Luckily it wasn't the bug returning and I was fine the next day!

Last Friday (6/6) The Newbury/Thatcham lot were out on the town. Much wine was consumed. Lots of scummy food eaten. A good night out...

...but not so good Saturday morning when I was supposed to be ready to leave for a run at 8.40 and wasn't out of bed!! Too much wine the night before a 4km run is NOT a good idea!! I got ready and we left 15mins later, me still half asleep and having had no breakfast or cup of tea!! Nightmare. Needless to say I found the run VERY hard going, but managed 30mins along a very pretty bit of Thatcham canal.

Now, back to the blog title...'The Best Anniversary Present Ever!' Our Anniversary is in April and we had our celebration today. Strange, you be thinking. Carl got us tickets to see Richard Hammond's 'Car Science' talk at Cheltenham Science Festival. Now, I am a big Richard Hammond fan (and he is nice to look at too!) and loving Top Gear and being an ex-scientist, this was the perfect pressie! The talk was great - very funny and I know lots more about how cars work than I did before...including how much horsepower a horse has!! After the talk he did a book signing, so I met him, had a brief chat about the weather, he signed by book and I had a photo taken with him!! Not every wife can say they recieved Richard Hammond as an anniversary present!!

The 3-month-I-hope-I remember-it-all-update-blog!

Thought I'd better blog...as it has been 3 months!! Facebook seemed to take over, but I can't reread it to jog my memory on what I've been up to, or keep people up-to-date with my life. So here is The 3-month-I-hope-I remember-it-all-update-blog!

February
Half Term - After being ill, I managed to survive until half term! I popped 'home' for a couple of days to visit family and friends. I visited my old school at lunchtime to see everyone, which was lovely. Sitting in the staffroom was just like old times! I also saw mum and dad and ended up taking Monty to the vets. He pulled his dewclaw and made a right mess of it! The vets bandaged him up and he spent the entire evening milking the situation! It is his poorly leg anyway, so he spent the time waving his paw around in a 'look I am injured, pay attention to me,' kind of way..hilarious! I also saw Paul, Sarah and Joshua. Sarah was quite big at this point and Joshua very talkative. Paul is in the process of signing up for the firefighter reserves, which is great news.

After half term, which went way to fast as usual, it was back to school with parent evenings to look forward to...

Salsa - I started salsa dancing again, going to Candente Salsa with Sarah from school. I put my self in the improvers class to recap stuff!!

March

Doctor Who - Our department at school went into production overdrive! Our production this year was 'Doctor Who and the Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff.' So it was rehersals galore for most of this month!
Housewarming - The Po's had a cocktail housewarming party! A full house with plenty of cocktail making by hostess Louey.
My birthday - This year we went to Jongleurs in Reading to celebtrate my aging. It was a good night of laughs, food, drinking and cheesey dancing...then leaving to late and missing our train! We then got a taxi that cost about £50 - boo hiss! All in all, a great night out!
Easter Weekend - It was great having Easter weekend outside the school holidays!! We popped to my parent's place and caught up with everyone. Joshua was trying to work out how his remote controlled car worked...by putting it upside down and watching the wheels move!
New Arrival - A friend of mine Sue had a baby boy, naming him Alex. Congrats Sua and Laith!

April

Training - Lou, Nicky, Kim and I started training for the Race for Life. We started off walking 3 mins, running 1 min 5 times, working up to some 3min run 3 min walks this month.
Performances - We did our Dr Who performances - including a drum duet during Don't Stop Me Now (I played bass drum!) My percussion debut! We also had fabulous Dr Who t-shirts we made for the occasion! LJ's rock!
Stags and Hens - It was time for DL and Joey's stag and hen dos. DL was taken to Liverpool by the lads...lots happened...including DL having a back wax and wearing a wrestlers outfit! Joey's hen do was a much more sophisticated affair. We watched cheesey movies, dank champagne, palyed beat the intro, did face masks and nails and went out for a meal. Kim brough baby Alex along too...his first hen do!!
Baby Wilson - Baby 'Kermit' was born! Sadly they decided not to go with this name, and called him Joseph instead! Still, that means Kermit is still free for me to use in the future!
Home - During 'spring break' (well it wasn't officially the Easter holidays any more!) I went home for a visit. I popped into school again to help with games club. I hadn't seen Darren for early 2 years! Helping out brought back lots of memories of working there... Also I got to see my new nephew. Joshua was very good, and I played playdough with him. He was very chatty. baby Joseph was a cutie and didn't cry when I held him! Amazing!!
London - Carl and I spent a weekend in London. We saw Avenue Q at the theatre and went to the King Tut exhibition at the O2. Avenue Q was BRILLIANT! We got half price tickets from lastminute.com and ended up weth 2nd row from the front seats!!! I enjoyed the King Tut exhibition too, but it seemed to lack something...maybe I was expecting too much?
Christening - Baby Alex was christened. I hadn't been to a christening for years (at least 10!) so wasn't sure what to expect. It all went well, Alex doing a lovely burp and making us giggle. Carl managed to blaspheme as well, which made me giggle as it was when it was really quiet! He was just trying to get his camera working!!

May
The Kitty-Flitter-Brooks Wedding - DL and Joey got hitched! It was a fabulous day with gorgeous weather too. The wedding was at Shaw House. The ceremony was a registary type. Lou and I got a bit leaky, especially at the Pooh poem! Alex made us laugh with his timing again, when he made noises when the registar did the 'does anyone object line' - obviously baby Alex does!! The reception was at The Sun in the Wood, so crazy golf was a must! A fantastic day! Congrats DL and Joey!!

Training - We continued training for the Race for Life. We did 3 min runs, 5 min runs, 8 mins runs and 10 mins runs with walking intervals. Lou and I did our 1st straight run of 20mins on 13/5/08 (which I didn't think I'd manage but so proud I did!) and all four of us did a 25min run last Thurs (about 3kmish) Amazing as 6 weeks ago I could barely run for 1 min!!

Bertie's Birthday BBQ - Last Sunday we had a BBQ to celebrate Bertie's birthday at the Putin residence. Again, we were lucky with the weather. DL and Joey showed us their wedding photos too. Bertie recieved some classic presents including the new Whitesnake album, Eastenders 25year edition book, wine, bath bombs and Ambrossia Devon Custard!!

This term is too long...

...and I need a rest! I was poorly sick this week...actually is was a year 3 bug that seemed to effect the teachers! Both Anna and I were ill on Monday, although we dragged ourselves on an orienteering course, which was good, but would have been so much better had we been well! I went to school on Tuesday and Wednesday and Anna was off ill. I was told I souldn't have been in either, but teachers generally go in until they are on death's door...and even then they try! I decided that I was too ill on Thursday so stayed at home, watched crap daytime TV and blew my nose a lot. Luckily Anna went in...even though she wasn't 100%! Friday we both went in and opted for an 'easy life' day, auditioning the children for the production and watching a history video!
Luckily feeling much better now...even more so now that the heating is back up and running!! A week with no hot water or heating is pants...especially when you are ill! But, it was all worth it as we have moved the 3 downstairs radiators and put shiny new ones in too. Carl is a plumbing genius! We also puchased new upstairs radiators (well they were 20% off at Wickes!!) but they will be installed at a later date....preferably when it is warmer!!

Other than that, we have been to sunny Bedfordshire to visit my family and say happy birthday to my mum. Joshua was a right chatterbox and there was no shutting him up...he even told me to 'Sush Ray!' We were discussing baby names, for my new nephew (who is at present a bump!) and Joshua liked the name Kermit...so maybe Kermit Wilson is the way to go....maybe not!

Also, I have joined the masses and am now on Facebook. I was slightly skeptical at first, but it is highly addictive, and I have made contact with some old friends, which is great!

Once again it has been musical houses with the Putins finally moving back to their proper house and the Pos moving to a new abode! All very exciting...and housewarming partings a-go-go!

Right now I am going to dish up my lovely roast dinner and curl up on the sofa in my lovely warm house! T-ra!

Too much work!

I have done far too much work this week! I need an early night, or even better, a holiday!!!

I feel chuffed that I have completed so much of my 'to do list' (including marking 31 pieces of unaided writing and planning guided reading questions and activities for 4 weeks (for 6 groups!), sorting a French display, as well as the regular planning and marking grind...

Much of my productive-ness is due to my self-reward scheme. I don't reward myself with chocolate (as I am trying not to eat to much of that!), but with a level on Lemmings! I used to love the game when I was younger, and it is just as addictive now! So, once I have completed a task, I am allowed to play a level (or two) of Lemmings. Sound like a fair system to me!!

Let's go Bisons, Let's go!

That was the chant at Ice Hockey on yesterday. We went for Lou's birthday and I had a great time! Ice Hockey is fast paced and fun to watch (especially when the players get squished!) Lots of chanting, a bit of dancing and lots of Ooohing and Ouching basically sums it up! The Basingstoke Bisons were playing the Edinburgh Capitals...when I say playing I mean defeating...a lot! The score ended 10-2 to the Bisons! Hurrah! I would definately go again, so thanks to Lou for introducing it to me!

Happy Birthday Loue!!

2008...already!

Well, it is 2008...it seems hard to believe! 2007 went by very quickly...I must be getting old!

We had a lovely Christmas. We went to the Isle of Wight on the Sunday before Christmas and returned to 'the mainland' on Boxing Day to then drive to my parents for a couple of days.

Christmas Day itself was er...hot! Although most places seem hot compared to our little house! There was a relaxing morning, followed by present opening, a delicious dinner, playing card games, watching some festive TV (including Dr Who), more playing games and bed!

We didn't get to my parent's house until late afternoon on Boxing Day. After dinner, mum watched the soaps (hours of them!!) while I read a book (the Richard Hammond book...very good - although Carl did ask if it had a shock ending where he died...he's such a joker!!) and Carl played on his Rubik's Cube (fastest time to date...approx 30mins!)

The following day Paul, Sarah and Joshua came for dinner. We game them their presents...and I was very pleased that Joshua loved his bus!!!

The Saturday after Christmas we (the Newbury lot) went to see 'I am Legend' at the cinema and then had a nice pub dinner and exchanged presents. It was a really nice idea, as no one had to be host and we took our time sharing our pressies. Carl got a some 'quality' DVDs (and we got a DVD player to play them on!!) and a rather special bottle of wine amongst other things. I got a super 'Spider Pig' poster, Monsterz stationary, IoW fest DVD and a rosy cheeks Mr Happy and more. A lovely evening...

New Year's Eve...we went to the Castle Pub. We drank far too much wine/ beer/ champagne/ vodka and some parts of the evening are pretty hazy for all of us. There is much photographic evidence of the evening...which speaks for itself...

A

A great night...but a not so good morning with hangovers all round!!

It is now back to normality. Back to work/school. Miserable weather. Not enough money...

Last night was spent at the Pos for a few drinks and a game of Taboo. Kim, Bertie and Baby Alex joined us too. I still have images of Putin's baby invention that is poo/methane powered, soundproof, occupies the baby and hoovers!

Today we are going to Basingstoke to watch the Bisons play Ice Hockey for Loue's birthday. I am really looking forward to it...I just hope I understand the rules....

At last...the school holidays!

The last month has whizzed by...so fast that I am having problems remembering what has been going on! I really should update the blog more often!!

Christmas shopping has been ongoing this month...and almost finished! Fortunately quite a bit was done on-line. I think I have only got a couple more items to get tomorrow morning - when town will be even more hellish than today!

So, what have the Plugs been up to? We visited my family a couple of weekends ago for Joshua's 2nd birthday. I finally, after hours of trawling the internet and shops, found the swimming jacket I'd wanted to get him...in Argos of all places! (Which is where I also found his Christmas present! Hurrah for Argos! Who would think a toy bus for a 2 year old would be so hard to find?!?!?) I am pleased to say he still remembered my name and said 'bye bye Carl' too! Soooo cute! He loved his swimming jacket so much he didn't want to take it off!!
We also had a visit from Caro and Andy, who we hadn't seen since...er....May! Disgraceful! We (and the Newbury lot) went to a couple of pubs, had a carvery and lots of fun conversation....as always! We have had a few nights in video watching, played CoD4 (which I was shockingly bad at!) and last weekend the girls had a girlie day and the boys a blokie day, which I enjoyed a lot!

School has been hectic, the kids hyper and I am so glad it is the holidays! Our school Christmas do was on Monday at the Madagascan Gin Palace - yummy food and a bit of a boogie - sadly nowhere is open on a Monday night to continue partying! We had the Carol concert, Christmas lunch and Christmas Party this week, and although there was not a lot of actual teaching, it is exhausting!!

DIY - the kitchen is still ongoing! We are now focusing on moving the door, and spent a couple of hours making grooves ready for the pipework (as the radiators will be moved.) We put up a curtain across the door, to keep the dust in the lounge, and we are soooo glad we did! The dust was unbelievable!! We left the curtain up and it has kept the lounge much warmer...so the kitchen is where we seem to be losing all our heat downstairs! More curtains needed I think!

This weekend, Lou and I are shopping (again!!) and having haircuts. I am not 100% sure on what I am having done...I want a complete change! We'll see...
Tonight is festive night at the Noo & Putin residence, which I am looking forward to. Roll on the mulled wine and mince pies....

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Fireworks, cars and wedding bells!

It has been a busy couple of weeks since the last blog.

Kitchen-wise, things are progressing well...the plinths are now done, and the pelmets too (although we are not having them hanging down (like you would have to hide lights), they are side on so are about 1cm thick, giving a nice edge to the cupboards :o) We returned the cornices (when we put them up to see and they looked hideous!) and are pelmetting the top like the bottom, the ends of the upstands are in place too and Carl is in the process of starting to seal the worktops. The light at the end of the kitchen tunnel is getting closer...especially with the 2 new power tools Carl has brought...it is like B&Q in our house!

The Fireworks at the cricket club were good...especially the heart shaped ones, although the guys were gutted that all the hog roasts had gone!! I only saw 6 or so children I knew...far less than I thought! :o)

Also, I got a new car...well...new to me! I part exchanged my little blue Fiesta...which was dying en route...with a shiny silver Toyota Corolla! I only got £190 for the Fiesta, but considering it was kangaroo-ing on the way there, I didn't think that was too bad! Also, it saved us the hassle of trying to sell it! I love my new car. It does things like accelerate when you press the accelerator! It also has electric windows, central locking and a 'pleeper'...all new things to me! Shame the insurance was doubled!!

Thursday we received a shock email from DL announcing that Joey had 'set the date!' She always said that she would just do it one day...and she has! So BIG congratulations to the Flitter-Brooks' We had a meal out at Cafe Uno to celebrate.

Friday night we all went to the Po's Place for an evening of B-movie entertainment. I 'enjoyed' the movie, which was so dire I can't remember the name of it or anything that happened in it! I recall a 'comedy fart' (which wasn't really one)...and that's about it! Guys - anyone remember anything about it?!?!?

The weekend I spent on the sofa doing absolutely nothing apart from watch TV! I think I needed a break!! I had no energy for anything and felt a bit coldy. So now we have watched season 1 and 2 of Lost and are eagerly awaiting season 3...

Kitchen, Dad and games.

Well, the worktops have now been fitted!! Hurrah! It took the kitchen guy and Carl 2 days to do it but it looks great! Apparently the kitchen guy said he has never seen a house of this age with such wonky walls! I will put some photos on soon...when I have taken some! This week Carl has also straightened the cupboard doors and rehung one of the cupboards as it wasn't quite straight. There is now light at the end of the Kitchen DIY tunnel!

Dad went in for his eye op this week. He was supposed to go in 2 weeks ago, but was told the day before his appointment had been cancelled as the doctor was on holiday. How ridiculous! Did they not know this before?!?! Poor Dad had psyched himself up was then let down. We were not happy bunnies! Anyway, he went in this Tuesday and came out Thursday. Without going into squeamish details (mainly as I didn't want to know the squeamish details), the op took 4 hours and the removed fluid and had to put silicon-stuff (I can't quite recall what it was) to seal it up and help the eye keep its shape. So he now can't see anything out of that eye! The apparently have to suck that stuff out in a few months, and then hopefully we should see some improvement. Dad was also told he had a cataracts on the other eye, which explains the cloudiness, so that will be sorted in about 6-8 months time. dad says he still feels sluggish due to the anaesthetic, so get well soon Papa Bear!

Also, a 'Joshua can say my name' up-date. I thought that when I left he would stop saying my name and I would have to try to get him to say it again when I next see him. Well not so far! Last Sunday Paul, Sarah and Joshua popped to the Bunglehouse to see Mum and Dad and Joshua starts shouting 'Rayyyyy!' Also, Mum gave them some photos we had taken, one being of me and Joshua, and whenever Joshua saw it he'd point and shout 'Rayyyy!' so much so that Sarah had to move it to get some peace!! This morning, Mum said she was showing them photos of when me and Paul were little and when she pointed out Auntie Ray, he'd shout it again! I am so proud!! :o)

On Friday, we went to the Flitter-Brookes residence with the Pos to play some games. We played girls vs boys Trivial Pursuit...and the girls won!!! We also played a guitar game on the Nintendo 360 (NINTENDO! ATARI!) which I thought was great...and Joey took pleasure in taking the mick out of me. Well, I was concentrating, with my tongue poking out, my feet tapping and goodness knows what else!! So thanks to Dave and Joey for being great hosts.

This week I have the joys of Parent Teacher evenings (boo hiss!) and a firework night (Hurrah!)

York.

Carl and I went away to York for the weekend last weekend. We left home at about 1.30pm and arrived at our destination at 8.15pm! Yes, we travelled on a Friday, but even I wasn't expecting such an awful journey. We hoped to arrive at 7pm!!

All was well...at first. We kept our ears peeled, listening to Radio 2's travel updates...hearing that the M25 was more like a car park than usual! Luckily we didn't have to go that way. The first nightmare (which I usually miss out when telling the story) is our near death experiences on the M1. The first one was us driving along in the 2nd over taking lane when an idiot in a new 57 reg car pulled out in front of us. When I say 'in front of' I mean 'if Carl hadn't put the brakes on, into the side of.' He obviously has no idea what mirrors are for, and when Carl beeped him (to say 'Oi, we were there!) he decided to slow down! So we pulled in and let him get on with it. A bit further on, we were back in the 2nd overtaking lane when suddenly everyones brake lights went on. There was smoke, squealing tyres and we missed the car in front by millimetres! We think it was the idiot from earlier, pulling in front of people...and if it wasn't, we like to blame him anyway!! We got going again and heard that the M1 was backed up for miles, so we got off to take an alternate route....which was all fine and dandy until the stretch of road that goes onto the A1...where we sat for 90mins...most of it with no reception, so it wasn't until the last 30mins we could phone the B&B to let them know we would be late...only to discover the cutting off time was 7pm and no one would be there to let us in! Luckily, the lady we spoke to was lovely, called us back and said she'd leave the key with the landlord of the pub next door...phew!!

So, after all this we finally get to York. We parked up in a public car park (the B&B one was full due to our late arrival) and headed off to find food. We were hungry, miserable and had bad heads! Great start to a weekend away. Carl fancied a curry, so off we went in search of a curry house. We passed a takeaway, minutes from the B&B and headed into town. After an hour of walking around, we decided to go for the takeaway and steal borrow knives and forks from the B&B. On arrival, I notice the sign says restaurant and takeaway...something that wasn't clear when walking the other way! So in we go. The food was OK, but I was feeling pretty awful, so we took the rest to go in a doggy bag. No sooner had we got outside I felt really sick. We got as far as the car park before projective vomiting...twice! At this point we decided to just write off the day and go to bed, hoping for a better day on the Saturday!

Luckily it was a much better day! After a yummy breakfast and lots of tea, we felt ready for the day ahead! We went to the Minster first, going up the tower (where we could see our B&B), in the understudy/crypt and exploring the Minster in general. On our way out, via the gift shop, we heard a strange noise outside and went to investigate, only to see York being invaded by Romans! They were having some kind of show in the market place and were marching about advertising it. We then went to find somewhere to have lunch. Being picky, I wanted somewhere that wasn't a chain or fast food, and wasn't horrendously busy. After walking around for a bit, we found a little cafe and had more cups of tea and lunch. In the afternoon we went to the Jorvik centre, which I enjoyed. Carl went years ago, when it first opened. We went in the car around a Viking village and looked around the museum. We then had a stroll along the shambles, popping in the shops and trying not to but things! We then decided to pop back to the B&B and drop off our purchases before finding somewhere else to have a cup of tea. We had seen a tea room earlier that seemed very popular as it had a huge queue outside. It was called Betty's Tea Room (or something similar!).The queue was a bit shorter now so we decided to go there. We queued for a while, but managed to get in a bit early as we were a couple and the queue in front were in larger groups! We had teas with finger sandwiches, scones with cream and jam and a selection of mini desserts all served on a silver 3-tier tray. Very posh! The sandwiches were delicious (smoked salmon and chicken! Not together though), the scones were nice, although the cream and jam made it a bit sickly for me so Carl had one and a half! The mini-desserts were lovely too! It was then back to the Minster for a Ghost Walk, via a pub for a quick drink! When we arrived the place was heaving! We weren't sure it it was all people for the walk, or people outside the Minster having a go on the 'light-art' (microphones rigged up to lights to when you shout into them the lights on the Minster change...it's better than I have described it!) About 120-150 people were for the ghost walk...being Halloween weekend it was rather busy! We walked around parts of York, being told Ghost stories. The guy doing it was brilliant. He had a way with words and managed to arrange everyone so they could see and hear him. After that we booked our dinner at Cafe Rouge before having a drink in another pub. Dinner was delicious and all in all we had a fabulous day!

On Sunday we had breakfast and left at 9.15am, worried about the traffic and not wanting a repeat performance of Friday. Our journey home only took 4 hours, so we had the afternoon and evening to chill out, and get ready for the worktops to be fitted in the kitchen!

Check out the video!

Check out my gorgeous nephew saying my name in my previous blog entry. I am a genius...it runs in the family! :o)

HE CAN SAY MY NAME!!!!!

The kitchen is coming on...slowly! We (and by we I mean mainly Carl!) has been doing bits each night after work. Right now our weekend away can't get here fast enough!!

So, from the list, we have:
- removed brambles from back garden (this took me ages..and was painful too!)
- sprayed the new(ish) fence panels (the 1st two took ages...as I hasn't pumped up the spayer enough...I was too woosey! Also, it took sooooo long I missed BA on Monday!)
- finished plastering the socket area and other bits
- moved another socket that was in a stupid place...and the wire runs across where the door will be! Why is nothing ever easy!
- brought more bits from B&Q - including a new sander!
- at the moment, Carl is sanding all the pasterwork!

We still need to:
- rewire the sockets (washing machine and dishwasher)
- level up all the cupboard doors
- pit the end panels in place
- clean up the mess!
... before we go on holiday tomorrow!



On a much more exciting note...JOSHUA CAN SAY MY NAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He seems to like my name. Ray is a word that can be shouted and elongated...a lot. I went 'home' yesterday to see my folks and family and had a lovely time. Thanks M&D for letting me use the washing machine...and sorry it is now broken! I am sure it wasn't my fault! I got to see Joshua twice - he has changed so much! He is sooo chatty and loves vehicles - cars, buses, lorries and woo-woos (trains!) I think he knows quite a lot...much more than when I saw him a couple of months ago. He is such a sweetie! I even experimented and managed to get a little video of him saying my name imported into Blogger. Rayyyyyy!

I also met up with Gail from RPLS and we had a lovely chat over a cup of tea...for two hours! Maybe we should have brought refills?!?!? We were far to busy catting up on gossip and having a good natter...after all, it had been over 12 months of chat to catch up on!

Right...I am hungry...I am off in search of food!

More kitchen DIY...

It is now half term! Hurrah!! I had a lovely lay-in this morning...and it was still a struggle to get out of bed...especially as we now have the thick winter duvet on - snuggletastic!

The last week of term went well...but slowly! On Friday we had 'English Civil War Day' in the Lower Juniors as part of the local history we are doing. We had 21 re-enactors come in who told the children about muskets, pikes, weaving, food, drumming, surgery etc. A great day was had by all...and a super end to the half term!

On Friday night Putin, DL, Carl and myself watched Cthulu Mansion - a cheesy 80s horror flick. It was pretty shocking, with a random storyline and no real baddie! After watching and taking the p**s out of it, I went home and left the boys watching some other film. One was enough for me!

The weekend has been DIY overload, with more to do before we go on holiday! We:

chiseled out a hole for the sockets to be moved to
brought lots of bits from B&Q
moved the sockets and started to plaster them in
cleaned the cooker
tidied the 'sunroom'
started tidying the lounge and moved the table and sofa
removed all the worktops and sink
levelled up all the units and fixed them to the walls

put a shelf in the cupboard under the sink

filled in the pipebox to stop giant spiders attacking (and for insulation)

put the worktops back replumbed in the sink
trimmed the bush outside the front door

We still need to:
finish plastering the socket area and other bits
sand the walls
rewire the sockets
level up all the cupboard doors
remove brambles from back garden
spray the new(ish) fence panels
buy more bits from B&Q

Apart from the DIY, we did watch the rugby (disappointing) and Blades of Glory which was hilarious. Carl laughed so much at one point we had to stop the DVD...then he rewound it to watch it again!!

So, I am off to B&Q now, to get more supplies, before spraying the fence panels. I am going to Attack tonight (as I didn't go yesterday) before cracking on with more DIY this evening. Tomorrow I am going into school to do some planning with Anna, in our attempt to be organised. Then Wed and Thurs I am back 'home' to see my folks before going to York on Friday. Can't wait!

Going on a holiday!

With only a week until half term and our plan to go to Germany coming to a dead end, Carl and I decided we needed a weekend away. So, we will be off to York for a weekend at the end of half term! I only booked the B&B this morning and it has been confirmed. 2 minutes walk from York city centre - should be great!
Over half term I am also going to go 'home' and visit my family. I expect Joshua will have grown (and I've been told he is becoming more mischievous by the day!) and I have instructed mum to practise saying 'auntie ray' at every opportunity!!

4 teaching days till half term (the fifth is Civil War day...so doesn't really count!!)

Wine Festival, Football and Rugby

Yesterday we went to Newbury's first wine festival. We went to the wine masterclass first, where we tasted 2 pinot noir wines and was told how to taste them properly. We then went to the festival part, where there were lots of wine stalls and plenty of wines and cheeses to try! There were plenty of yummy wines, and between us all, we purchased a fair few!
After the festival we watched the Estonia vs England Euro Qualifier match at the Berkshire Tavern. Noo, Lou and I left at half time to do a spot of shopping (which was good timing as the 2nd half was a bit pants we were told!) Noo and I 'Trinny and Suzannahed' Lou and she now has an outfit for Nolan and Mel's wedding in a couple of weeks. On our return, we all ventured to Lock Stock for another drink before the meal. Sick Boy and Joey joined us for Noo's birthday meal at Prezzos. The wine was a bit pants after all the good wines we had tasted at the festival though! After our fill, we went to Chicargo as they had the rugby on! Sitting next to Poot was a bit scary (he really wanted to cause the French pain!) After a close game, we won! Hurrah!!
It was then back to the poot residence for a nightcap (a cuppa!!) and we watched 100 greatest stand-ups.
We all ventured home at about 11.30, and I was not feeling great. I know it wasn't because I'd had to much to drink or mixed my drinks as I'd only had the wine festival wines and a glass and a half of wine with the meal. Still, at 1am (I needed to see who the number 1 stand-up was - it was Billy Connelly (with Eddie Izzard coming in 3rd! Yay!!)) I chundered projectile stylee. Nice. I reckon it must have been the fish in my food :o( My tummy is still a bit sensitive today...so no BA this morning!
Still, apart from the vom, a good day was had by all!!

Superheroes, Poot and Orion!

Last Friday it was Noo's birthday. Her actual birthday celebration will be today, but we went to the Cock Inn for a few drinks on Friday to say Happy Birthday.

Sonia and Colin were up for the evening...and I am not quite sure what they thought of us by the end of the night...because...

we revised our 'superhero names.' This was a conversation we had weeks back - what our superhero names would be. So, Joey is 'Kitty Girl' with the power to diffuse fights with her purring power, Louey is 'Poochie Girl' (this was one of the better names, which didn't sound like she was being dirty with dogs!), who is Kitty girl's arch nemesis, by creating unrest by barking! Putin is 'Poostick' (can you guess where this converstaion went?!?!?) who has the ability to poo and fill holes in ravines...the point of this superpower, however is unclear! Carl is obviously Putin's arch nemesis, being 'Buttplug' - enough said! Noo is 'Fact Girl,' which she reckons is a little boring, although I think she may be the one to solve evil schemes of supervillians! Dave is obviously 'The Tank' - and I see him as some kind of transformer!! Po is 'Fin Boy' (although the fin was missing that night!) who uses his fin as a weapon or for whisking things! I don't actually remember my proper superhero name (if anyone remembers - let me know!) but it was something to do with my embarrassing dancing on the Centre Parcs video and my power was to disctract people with my awful rave moves!

If Colin and Sonia didn't think we were completely bonkers after that conversation, there was the whole 'I dare you' session. Putin was dared £5.83 to let someone write 'Poot' on his head with tomato ketchup! I volunteered, and would be getting £1 per letter! I almost did it too, but the barman, and the rest of the pub seemed to turn around just as I was about to, and I chickened out!!

On the way home, Carl was rather drunk and tried to look up at the stars while walking, which was quite unsuccessful. He kept looking up, staggering and saying 'Look at Orion,' in a gimp like fashion. Of course, Poot and DL did superb immitations of Carl's gimp walk!

On Saturday, Colin was very poorly sick - too much beer! We had a chill out day watching Saw 2 and 3 and having a scrummy chilli for dinner!

On Sunday Carl and I went to the tidy tip (after I'd been to BA) and cleared out the garage of boxes! Yay!

The rest of the week has been fine...but very slow! Now, with a couple og hours to go, looking forward to the Newbury Wine festival!

No interesting title for this blog update...

It is now October? When did that happen? I am hating the darker mornings and am struggling to get out of bed. If I am like that now, what on earth will I be like when we change the clocks? I dread to think.

So, school has been busy... too busy! I am not liking the new strategy and planning from it is a big pain in the butt - feels like I'm reinventing the wheel...again!

Last week I was poorly sick with a bad cold. I phoned my mum Tuesday evening and she said her and dad had the lurgi...by 10pm I had it! I had no idea you could catch it over the phone! Must be a new strain!! ;o) So, there was no Body Attack on Thursday or Sunday for me. On Thursday it was an effort to move, let alone run around like a loony for an hour!

Carl's folks came to visit this weekend. I was still feeling rough so we ended up watching a lot of TV and eating out! We had a gorgeous meal out at The Sun In The Wood (after playing crazy golf - I came 3rd...2nd if you don't include the last hole, which takes as many shots as the other 8 holes put together!) and we had Sunday Roast at Toby Carvery on Sunday. Yum-tastic!

Apart from that, we had a lovely curry at the Flitter-Brookes household, along with some Viking mayhem in the form of Pathfinder....sadly we had to leave halfway through due to arrival of the in-laws.
Carl and I are catching up on TV stuff and how now seen Lost season 1 - a little behind I know!! Season 2 disk 1 has arrived and so far we have watched episode 1. Would like to have watched more but maths planning got in the way :o(
Lou and I had a lovely girlie catch up a couple of weeks ago, which was great. It felt like we hadn't seen each other properly in ages, and after a drive around Beedon and the surrounding villages, we ended up in Newbury town eating pasta!

Can't think of anything else I have done, but then again I seem to have a poor memory of late!