raining cats and dogs

Two weeks ago today, we picked up Harvey. He seems to have settled in OK, and we are adjusting to the daily walks (bit of a shocker I can tell you). I have never stopped and spoken to so many strangers and petted so many unfamiliar dogs in my life. It's a whole new world. One which I think will make it a whole lot bigger though, so that's a good thing. Poppy, surprisingly seems to thoroughly dislike Harvey and has taken to lying in wait around corners for him. Truly if looks could kill - instant death to us all. Another of her tricks has been to lie across doorways in her vast pregnant state, like a big furry draught excluder, effectively trapping Harvey in whichever room he happens to be in as he dare not attempt to step over her.

This morning she popped out 3 kittens at the rather obliging hour of 9am. They are tiny, tiny little tabbies by the looks of things - not a ginger in sight, which is a surprise. Apart from the fact it is a true miracle of life that this cat, at less than a year old herself can give birth and suckle her young guided only by instinct, the whole business is a bit smelly and wet looking. I too was guided by instinct at 7am when I had to drag her out of a holdall on top of the wardrobe and hastily empty a cupboard in the dining room to prepare for the birth which I sensed may be quite imminent....

You can't really see much here, as she has conked out with exhaustion.

And here is sweet Harvey, settling in with Oliver. We let him off the lead for the first time yesterday in the park, and he loves tearing up and down. Have to have a pot of mature cheddar cubes at the ready though, for bribery purposes, lest he runneth off.

Will update with more kit pics soon.

another day, another dollar

Since the last post, we decided that maybe we should just bite the bullet, and get a puppy. Theory goes that rearing a puppy would be better for Oliver rather than a rescue dog with issues, BUT as it happened, the Blue Cross had a young lovely looking dog come in last Saturday, some collie thingy, so (without Oliver - he was cubbing it on a trip), Mark and I hot footed it out to Tivvy for a looksee. The dog was a nutter but Mark asked to see another dog, (one which we'd argued the toss over the previous week - a Jack Russell, blind in one eye) and in came Charlie. He put both paws up on Mark and laid his head in his lap. Sold.

Honestly, I ask you, a bloody one-eyed terrier. Still, he was very sweet, and we put a reserve on him. The next day we took Oliver out to see him - and it was love at first sight.

I thought he was OK too.

We are going to call him Harvey. Think he will be joining us shortly, just around the time Poppy will be having her kittens. Spiffing. Tranquilisers at the ready...

Scrapping; been doing these Scrappy Sunday sketches from Paper Craft Planet, which is getting me scrapping much faster I have to say. May have to revise my opinion of the whole using a sketch thing.

And finally, this is what happens when you put a seven year old boy in charge of his own camera for the day:

woof woof

A couple of drops of artiness;

For the ModScraps sketch challenge:

and for the Paper Craft Planet Scrappy Sunday Challenge:

AND: we are getting a dog! After years of banging on about how good a dog would be for Oliver, Mark just suddenly turned around today and announced we were going to the Blue Cross to look for a dog! Blimey, out of the blue or what. Anyhoo, the dog we chose to look at, although matching each other's criteria fairly well, was a right boisterous little bugger and scared the beejaysus out of me and Oliver. Tomorrow we will try the RSPCA. Lead on McDuff.

just a quickie...

...to post my layout for the Sarah's Cards Challenge....

This photo was taken on the Santa Express Train at Buckfastleigh, Christmas a few years ago. Yet another example of Oliver 'enjoying' himself on a 'fun' occasion...

a sudden onset of middle age

Having been nagged from several quarters lately about my lack of blogging, thought I'd update. Most often, the reason I don't blog is because I've got so much to rant about, I just don't have he time to get it all down! Also, don't really like picture-less blogging. (Sorry Nessa if that hyphen is in the wrong place)

Okaaaaay - firstly, let me draw your attenion to the 'Save me' link on the left. This is to do with the current ban on hunting in this country, and the fact it may soon be under scrutiny due to political changes. The fear is that the law may be repealed. Anyhoo, check it out, think this is important.

The next rant comes from today's guest publication: 'The Manual Of Getting Fucking Old Suddenly', which I seemed to have opened without realising.

I decided (clearly without giving this due consideration to the lengthy consequences) to take Oliver swimming. What I didn't bargain on was the sudden need to visit M&S for a new swimming cossie and the hour in the bathroom spent hacking back the undergrowth with razors, scissors and depilatory creams. Phew. It's all a bit exhausting to tell you the truth. And another thing: I bought a swimming costume. From Marks & Spencer. With tummy control. Middle aged, that's me. (hyphen needed??) The days of purchasing a bikini from New Look with detachable straps are long gone then...... AND another thing - the other day I needed a new moisturiser. Post purchase, I wound up standing in the bathroom staring in disbelief at a bottle of oil of Olay with spf15 and smelling like my Mum. Not that there's anything wrong with that per se, I just didn't imagine turning into her for at least another ten years.

This is the costume I plumped for:

Looks kind of sexy on her huh? Now imagine a polar opposite and you're on the right lines of how I actually look in this....

After huffing, puffing and sweating in the changing rooms to try on 3 of the buggers, I was rewarded by a concise and matter-of-factly stated observation from Oliver: 'Mum, I think you look better with your clothes on.' After delivering this killer blow, he then stuck his thumb back in his gob and settled back to relax for 5 minutes leaving me to contemplate my cellulite.

And so to craft:

Last weekend was the UKS cyber-crop. A monopoly theme this time. I took part in the Mystery Kit and pre-cop challenge, and did 2 other challenges at the Exeter crop:




And this morning I seem to have a flea bite on my arse. Little feckers.

chocs away squadron leader

Easter is now upon us, and the inevitable pressure to go and 'enjoy' various Easter activities. Here is Oliver 'enjoying' his Easter egg hunt with the Beavers.

Actually, that's probably a little unfair, since this face was just to spite me for insisting he be in my photograph. In reality, he very much enjoyed this particular egg hunt. Those in the know had their cars waiting for them at the top of the mountainous climb - those not in the know (that will be me then) had to turn around and retrace our steps the twenty miles (at least) back to the car park at the bottom. By the time I climbed wearily into the car, I had backache, a bad temper and needed a big poo.

Poking about on blogs I have found this one, which has some chic cards and sexy blog candy:

What else....hmmm... Oliver decided a couple of weeks ago that he would ride his bike, and at last 'got it'. This has sparked a sudden interest in family activity and we have been out a few times for bike rides. It also sparked a sudden panic in buying a bloody bike, as neither Mark or I actually owned one. Mine is quite embarrassingly girly, but has a basket on the front which I am inordinately excited about. I feel very academic zipping around with my basket. Tres Oxford. Never mind it always has a bottle of manky squash, my phone, my camera and Oliver's discarded coat in it, the feeling of intellectual superiority prevails. Think we need to get Oliver a bike with gears as he has to get off and walk every time we hit a minor incline. I was startled to hear him talking about when 'we were bike riding in Holland'. Turns out he meant Haldon. (it's a nearby forest, for you non-locals). Ah bless.

This is the River Exe, incidentally, as Haldon forest does NOT have a river running through it.

In scrap world, I have decided to attend some of this years Scrapaholix retreat in nearby sunny Sidmouth, and to this end, I will be spending a lovely sunny (don't bank on it) Saturday at the Sidholme Hotel scrapping my little heart out with good company (surely) and good (hope so) food.

Scrapping achieved: this layout inspired by a challenge over on Indigo Mill. The challenge was to scrap the story of your name, but since mine is pretty dullsville, and the story behind it is non-existent, I have scrapped the story of Oliver's name. Marginally more exciting to me as I had some input there. In short, practically the night before he was born, (as prepared as ever) we cobbled together a list of names on a scrap of paper which we both found barely acceptable. These names were all girls names as I had it fixed in my mind I was going to have a girl. On the back of this scrap was one boys name - just in case. Oliver. You know the rest.

Other news: bashed out another hour of maths on Wednesday, and find that I get fractions, but decimals are a bit of a mystery to me, although they shouldn't be. I have asked Mark to help me with this, so I am looking forward to the look on his face when he wonders how I have got his far in life not really understanding 'to the power of ten' ha ha.

Do I like this look?

New blog look - not sure I like it, but I am fed up with messing around with it for now.

Just read (within 48 hours) a good book:

It's about a teenage girl who goes out one night, gets drunk, gets brought home by her father, there's a row, she passes out in her room, wakes up the next morning and the whole family have disappeared - mother, father and older brother. Fast forward 25 years and her family seem to be trying to get in touch.......MWAH HAH HAH HAH. It's very readable. Got to be, for me. If I don't like the writing style within a few pages, I won't stick with it. I would be the crappest member of a book club ever. I suspect there would be limited discussion on impressions of the first two pages.....

And I have just started this:

recommended by a friend. Oh dear, they're the worst sort of books usually, because you feel hugely obliged to find it as brilliant as they do. And I rarely do. However, this is bloody HILARIOUS and I have lol'd alot over the first three chapters. This passage had me sniggering away:

'Not even every parent I knew telling me that the baby would totally disrupt my life prepared me for how much the baby would totally disrupt my life. It was like having your most difficult and demanding relation come to stay with you for ever. In fact, it would have been easier to put up with my ninety-year old great aunt coming into our bed at three in the morning: at least she might have gone back to sleep for an hour or two.'

Many a true word and all that.

Am approaching the end of March, and the end of my alcohol ban is in sight. Whilst I will be pleased at the thought of a nice glass of chilled white in the evenings, I now know it doesn't dominate my life as I feared it did - I am freeeeee!

On the down side, I have compensated the lack of alcohol for sugar in other forms. My lifelong love of all things savoury has diminished under the powerful urge for cakes and biscuits. I now have an extra layer of flab to deal with. I just cannot seem to manage anything in moderation, sigh.