I'll Let You Make Your Own Mind Up

By the power of Facebook, here's Lisa!!! From Madam Thenardier in Les Miserables to the delights of Uni!

Senses

A few days ago, my lovely Gemma started a blog of her own and I think it's fab. If you want to have a look it's called Little Gem. It makes me feel so much more closer to her since she moved out. (Lisa & Liam say that about my blog too when they read it, so I now know what they mean.)

Elena's been a good girl too & written on her blog everynight this week. She loves taking photos and seems to have the 'eye' for it. Her blog is here if you're interested :O) I'm hoping it will help her with her English if nothing else.

Here's the fifth photo of my 365 project.

No.5We have some hyacinth bulbs flowering in the conservatory. I wish you could smell the scent, it's gorgeous. It beats any shop bought air freshner hands down.

Lisa & Liam look as if they've been having fun since they went back to Uni. I snook these off facebook, I hope Andy doesn't mind (thank you Andy). All the girls together, Abby, Lisa, Katie, Emily & Andy at Laverstoke GdnsAll the girls again outside the theatre (I'm not jealous, honest) :O) Liam & Abby eating pizza :O)

Andrew had a night off from the utility room last night & I don't blame him either. He did, however, go shopping at lunch time today & get new shock absorbers for the washing machine because it's making such a racket on the spin cycle. He's a real superstar isn't he :O)

Me, well for the first time in my life I feel fat! I know what it's down to, eating the wrong foods (chocolate & cheese being the main culprits) and not enough exercise. When I went to the doctors a few weeks ago for the dreaded smear test the nurse weighed me. As we have no scales in our house I had no idea how much I weighed (not that it matter's really) but I was shocked to find out I was 12 stone ~ yikes! So I'm going to start by walking more & eating a lot less chocolate & cheese ~ easy ;O)

Update: Some bad news today, Andrew's Mum (involuntarily visualisation of a hippo wallowing in mud (thank you Reginald Perrin)) has had a heart attack. The reason she was taken into hospital was because she had fluid on her lungs & round her heart which resulted in an irregular heart beat. This in turn triggered the heart attack. She's poorly obviously but in the best place. There's no love lost sadly but I do feel sorry for Andrew because it's his Mum after all.

Nerves are a Plenty

Carrying on from yesterday, the electrician has to come back at some point to finish the new fuse box. Apparently there's a fault with one of the downstairs lights and it keeps tripping the switch out. I did suggest that it could be the one in the dining room as it flickers on & off sometimes, for no apparent reason. Lisa suggested it might be the kitchen one as a few years back we had a small flood and part of the ceiling came down. She recalled the time that Elena thought the shower base was a bath & bunged it up until the water escaped over the sides, through the floor and down the kitchen wall, lol. It will get sorted at some point in the near future, I'm sure.

This afternoon, I have to take Elena to the dentist, to have the tooth out that's growing in the roof of her mouth. I'm not looking forward to it but it must be done. I think the kids at school have been telling her of the horrors that are injections, but I have convinced her that the dentist, rather than the hospital, is the best option. Not only that she will get money for being so brave ;O)

Lisa's really nervous today too as she is taking her driving test tomorrow. She really wants to pass and will be so upset if she doesn't. The odds on her passing first time are pretty slim in this day and age though. Not because she isn't any good, because she is. It's just that the driving examiners seem to make people sit more than one test now. They must have their reasons and I suspect one is to get more money??!! She's still working really hard on all her essays for Uni. She's been typing an average of 500 words a day and she now only has one more essay to do.

We're back from the dentist and Elena is now toothless. Well not literally, just one tooth less. Here are the photos to prove it. Anyone with a squeamish disposition should look away now lol. She was very brave. She's still numb but recuperating nicely.

Dying Changes Everything

OMG I've just watched Episode 1 of the new series of House ~ Dying Changes Everything & I don't want Wilson to go :O( I'm sure he won't but then I was sure that Daniel wasn't dead in Stargate lol. www.sidereel.com/House

It wasn't as emotionally charged as the Season 4 finale but I still enjoyed it. It's really strange though. I don't know if the writers intended the story line of House & Wilson to be the most prominent part or whether it was me being more interested in their relationship than the actual case. I started watching House because I loved the puzzle & how each one was solved but now I care more about the characters personal lives (shock) I hope I'm not going to turn into a soap addict after all these years of boycotting stuff like Coronation Street & Eastenders!!!

Last night I received an e-mail from Lisa with photos of her room now she's sorted it all out. Loving the new Ikea shelves Lisa but OMG that's the biggest indoor TV aeriel I think I've ever seen. It looks like something out of Mork & Mindy ~ Mork calling Orson, come in Orson lol . Only kidding, as long as you can watch TV sweetie xXx

She sent me a text message the other day too ... Good morning Mum. Would you please be able to e-mail Liam your CV because he needs 2 do one for his course. Miss you lots & love you 2 the end of the universe & back send my love to Dad & Elena tb xxx ... My heart melted :O)

Found a secondhand guitar on Wightbay last night too (The islands answer to e-bay) so I'm taking Elena to look at it after school. It's only £10 and looks very similar to the one my Dad had years ago.

And Then There Were Three

We dropped Elena off at drama this morning and then carried on to the car ferry in Cowes. Gemma said she would pick Elena up from drama for us and look after her while we took Lisa to Uni. Lisa had a hang over from last night lol so made herself at home on the ferry ;O) We found her new house and with the help of the other girls who she is sharing with, moved her stuff in. The weather was gorgeous, lovely & warm & dry.We were so busy helping everyone else with their stuff that I forgot to take anymore photos. The boat show was on in Southampton so managed to get this shot of a sunseeker through the car window. Just look at that blue sky!!Andrew's photo of the Waverley ~ the only working paddle steamer in the UK (apparently)We made it back in time to catch the 6pm boat & met Gemma & Elena at the Ponda Rosa for tea.

One More Sleep Until Lisa Goes Back To Uni.

Yesterday was spent working. We managed to repack some of Lisa's stuff to make it fit into smaller boxes. Today we packed it into the bus, which was quite a feat of Krypton Factor proportions :O) Good job is was lovely & sunny as we had everything spread over the footpath at one stage lol.That's the back, then on the middle seats we have 2 TV's (a large one for her lounge & a small portable for her bedroom), Liam's X-box, a swivel chair, a coat, a dressing gown & a box with make up etc in it. Then we had the mother of all storms (not of hurricane standard you understand) but one woth torrents of rain, thunder, lightening & hailstones!!

This morning we had a meeting at High School with Elena. Mr Mills her form tutor wanted her to set herself 3 goals. So she has chosen to achieve 97% attendance, to join the choir and take part in Global Rock & join a sports club (she fancies trampolining). She loves High School and can't wait to go the next day. I'm so happy for her because she really didn't enjoy middle school at all. Hopefully she will blossom now :O)

Will The World End Tomorrow ???

OK, so the world is going to end tomorrow ~ Wednesday ~ so the papers, TV & radio are telling me. It got me thinking, should I go to Tesco to do the shopping or shall I just stay in bed and not bother if the world is going to end anyway? NEWS HEADLINES: Move over 9/11. 9/10 could be our worst nightmare: the end of the world. That’s if one goes by those opposed to the largest science experiment ever that will be conducted on Wednesday. Come September 10, an excited bunch of physicists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva will fire subatomic particles into a 27-km loop, making them travel the bend 11,245 times a second, and then smash them head on. For those conducting the mega-experiment 300 feet under the French-Swiss border, answers to the birth of the universe may be answered. But for people like Prof Otto Rössler of the University of Tübingen, it will be apocalypse. Last week, Rössler and other naysayers of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment had hoped that the European Court of Human Rights would block it. They believe that the chances of a black hole — an intense gravitational field sucking in everything including light — being created by the experiment is very high. Rössler says that the worst case scenario will have the Earth sucked inside out “within four years of a mini-black hole forming”. The Court, however, dismissed the petition. So what is the experiment about? Arrays of delicate sensors in the LHC will track the wreckage of the smash-up: a spray sub-atomic particles like quarks, muons, and pions. Overground computers will then sieve this data before sending it to institutions around the world that specialise in high-energy physics. The truth is, no one really knows what will emerge from these collisions. Considering that the ‘mini black holes’ created at CERN will be so weak that they will exert minuscule gravitational tugs, we shouldn’t worry. But just in case, on Wedneday, keep your windows shut.

So I may not be here tomorrow lol.

Lisa & I went to Newport shopping & I actually treated myself to some more jeans! Well I say more jeans, what I mean is 2 pairs to replace the ones I have. Goodness knows how long I've had them but they have holes in them where they shouldn't have. So I bit the bullet and bought some more :O) We bought some fogherty feather pillows from Argos for Uni. We asked for a pack of 4 and when the lady bought them to us we nearly fainted ... This is the pack of 4!!! But, just as the sales assistant said, open it up and it will go 'puff' and be full size pillows :O)

Guitar Lessons

At High School the teachers encourage out of school activities. This, in my opinion, is a great idea. Elena is so laid back I'm sure a bomb under her at times would not get her moving any faster lol so encouragment from school is very welcome. Don't get me wrong, she looks after her hamster Monkey & her 2 fish Spongebob & Gary with the upmost care. She bakes and helps around the house & she goes to drama on a Saturday morning. As some one her loves her very much I want her to mix with children her own age, to have fun like I did when I was 13. So she has enquired about trampolining at school and tonight a teacher phoned me to say she's been picked to have guitar lessons. Cool, all I have to do is pay £95 for 30 minute lessons or £65 for 20 minute lessons! After I got over the shock I duly wrote a cheque for the said amount and handed it to her. Brian May, watch this space lol.

One down One to Go

Yep, Liam has left us :O(

It hasn't sunk in yet & then, if that isn't bad enough, I've just booked the car ferry for Saturday. This week we have to help Lisa get organised for Uni. She is really looking forward to going back & being with her friends again which I'm pleased about. I'm sure they'll both have an amazing time :O)

Viva Pinata

I treated Elena to the Viva Pinata game today, on the DS. Liam treated Lisa to the Xbox 360 version of it too. So guess what they're doing this afternoon? Lisa loved the original version and would play nothing else :O)

It's Liam's last night with us tonight. He goes off to start his 2nd year at Uni tomorrow. He seems excited about it but probably doesn't want to leave Lisa. They have the rest of their life together but that's easy for me to say isn't it. It will be starnge without him & then even stranger when Lisa goes next week.

Elena started back at drama this morning and has been asked to perform in 'Roman Roots' again. This time {drum roll please} infront of Prince Edward!!! How cool is that. She needs to be at the rehearsal next Saturday and we need to be in Roehampton next Saturday too. Isn't that always the way! Gemma has very kindly offered to look after her for the day whilst we take Lisa & all her stuff up to Uni. I have the best family in the world don't I :O)

Last but not least, a photo from the Bestival (which I can hear as I sit typing this through closed windows/doors & heavy rain ~ 6 miles away) don't know who they are but look at the mud ;O)And a video from You Tube ROFL ~ here

Lisa's Free Stuff ~ ROFLMAO!!

I'm still feeling like poo! Elena's feeling much better so she's going back to school tomorrow. Andrew's been getting to grips with the downstairs loo :O) 16 years ago we had a 5 year plan to completely renovate the house lol. The downstairs loo is the last room to be done :O)
I've been talking on MSN to my gorgeous Lisa Locket :O) who has lifted my spirits like you wouldn't believe. Her and her 2 new friends have cooked a Sunday roast!! I am a very proud mummy indeed, prouder than a peacock with all his tail feathers on display {grin}. She sent me this ... Last night she went to her last fresher party (for this week anyway). It was a school disco theme and this is what she wore ... I've had to censor it a bit, not that she was doing anything wrong ~ lol. This week she went to a fresher fair where she got loads of free stuff. The conversation went like this ...
Me: Free stuff, like what?
Lisa: An ice age pencil case which you can give to Elena, some shrek ears which I'm keeping lol some 3d glasses, loads of diary's and calenders, 3 packets of smash, 2 dinosaur puzzles, badges, postcards, some sweets and 19 condoms lol.
Me: 19 condoms????
Lisa: We were seeing who could get the most because quite a lot of stalls were giving them away
Me: ROFL
Lisa: I won of course :O)
She is such a tonic, I haven't laughed as much all weekend. I love her more than anything in the whole wide world apart from Gemma, Elena & Andrew of course :O)

Another Fab E-mail From Lisa :O)

I'm sat here in my pink fluffy dressing gown with a cup of tea in one hand and a mouse in the other (computer not furry lol) and this is what I've been reading ...

Hello everyone,
Just thought i would email you again since i haven't had a chance to properly speak to any of you all day. I hope you don't all feel that I just cant be bothered to get in contact with you it's just that the only time I'm not mega busy and have enough time on my hands for a lovely long conversation is stupid times like now (02:15!!!).I am missing you all loads, I really am! Hope your not missing me too much. In reply to your last email, Liam can't come up this weekend due to the fact that no freshers are allowed guests either staying or to the parties until Monday.Well done for you bargains!!! I am very proud of you. In my last email I said that i had my uni identification card done and that my photo is really bad due to the fact that I'm not even looking at the camera!Riteho, before i get onto telling you about my day I have a few favours...when Liam comes up, please may u send him up with some bluetac (if you have loads spare, if not i will buy some) and some drawing pins. Also I found out today that we have to supply our own toilet rolls so if i can't fine any in Asda like £1 ones in Morrison's (which is highly unlikely) then please may u send Liam up with some of those as well. (soup is not included in this list lol)Now I think I last told you about Wednesday day time so I will move onto the night... For tea i cooked myself mushroom and bacon pasta, I can't believe I actually managed that one since that was the first time I had cooked pasta lol. No where near as good as dads though, but still good. Then I got ready and had a few drinks in the staff room (our nickname for our kitchen/lounge) then headed off to "the grand" a nightclub in Clappham that used to be a theatre. It turned out to be a really good night, the place was packed but, it was well snazzy the doors had leopard print material on them and the dance floor was tiles that lit up!!!!!!! That i found pretty darn amazing myself (most people didn't notice because they were so drunk) then after that we got the bus back and i went straight to bed.I woke up the next day and went and sat in Katie's bedroom for a bit with Andi and watched postman pat lol (or PPP). After that I had some breakfast and quickly got ready for the cinema. We all went and watched "super bad" for Wayne's birthday as a group with some other third years and got in for free due to the fact that Wayne and Kerry work there which is always good. The film was really good! After that we had subway and travelled back. When we got in we socialised in the staff room for a bit and then decided that we would have Chinese for tea (Katie, Andi and I) we found a really good one and managed to get 5 dishes and chicken balls for £5.70 each, how good is that!!!! oh yea an it included duck!!! We had quite a bit left over after as well because the portions are so big! Later we gave Wayne his cake and he opened his presents from all his friends, my favourite one he got was Optimash prime (a Mr Potato Head dressed as Optimas prime from the transformers).Shortly after that most of them went to bands night, but Katie and I decided to go on a walk where we went to a cashpoint to see if our loans had come through. Hers had but mine hasn't so I'm hoping mine will tomorrow since i registered a day later than her. We then explored the southlands campus where i discovered another lake and two more fountains!!!! The bar looked really nice there, its a lot more modern the Digby Stuart and Froebel which is nice because it gives it a huge variety. By the time we got in it was nearly 12 due to the fact that we started talking to some other freshers from flat one. As soon as i got in I helped Katie apply for a TV licence then went on the Internet to speak to Liam and you lot if you were on there (which I didn't expect since it was after 12 and pumpkins can't type!!!!). He seems really upset at the moment, he's finding it really hard so please can you make sure he's OK for me. Also, please could you put a TV in my room before next Thursday for Liam so that's he's some background noise to make him feel more at home. Sorry to be asking so much.Well that is my day done! and now I am officially cream crackered so am off to the land of nod to dream of being with all of you. Tell Dad that I'm missing him tonnes and tonnes and can't wait to see him again and give him a big hug and slobbery kiss.Tell Gemma that I'm missing her also and give her a squidge and a kiss too. Tell Melmin to get well soon, jokes Elena, I'm missing her too and give her a get well hug and kiss.If Liams there tell him that I miss him millions and give him a hug and a kiss...and mum, i miss you loads too and can't wait to see you either.Dad please give mum a big squidge and kiss for me since she can't do it herself. I will speak to you soon cant wait to give all of you those hugs and kisses in person rather than virtually lots of love, Lisa

Lisa's Having Fun & I'm Saving Money :O)

Look what I had this morning waiting for me :O)

Hi Mum, Dad, Gemma and Elena,
Sorry I haven't been chatty on msn today, had a bit of a busy day. I've had both my subject briefing and am pretty happy with them so far. The education one seems a lot more writing than I expected, but too be honest I didn't really know what to expect. The drama one is a lot better than I thought also because I was worried that it would be all theory but its 50/50 with performance as well.I cooked my first jacket potato today and.................I'm still alive!!! Then Katie and I went around the ground to explore, the lake is so nice and grove house (the one we queued up outside of for ages on Sunday) looks so beautiful, its got an amazing fountain outside it.My books for education are £10 for two packs which you can only get here and the rest I can borrow from the library and I get my drama book list next week.Sorry but I've gotta go to sleep now because I'm pooped. Love you all lots Lisa xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Goodness me, I'm missing her like mad, keep thinking she's going to walk through the door any minute, oh well :O)

To keep my mind occupied I am on a money saving campaign :O) Last night I had the best money saving shopping spree thanks to moneysavingexpert.com! Gemma has given me her Christmas wish list and on it were quite a few books. As MSE (money saving expert) explains, never buy anything until you've entered the item into a price comparison site first. So I put these 2 books into "pricerunner" and Amazon came up the cheapest. Instead of going straight to their website I logged onto nectar.com and then followed the link to Amazon because you can earn nectar points. Triple points at that!! So I put the 2 books into my shopping basket which came to £16.33, so I qualified for free delivery. They offered me £15 of my shopping if I signed up for (& was approved) a MasterCard from the Halifax. As I have nothing on my present card, I thought, what the heck. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Five minutes later I was approved a new credit card with £15 off my shopping. All I have to do is sign & return the paper work when it arrives :O) If that wasn't enough, because I had bought the books, I qualified for 60 free photos from photobox (new members only). I was already a member so I signed in with a different e-mail address and hey presto, 60 free photos ROFL ~ pretty snazzy if I say so myself :O)

3 Bottles of Dandelion & Burdock ~ lol!

I feel a bit better today so wanted to say a huge thank you for all the support from my wonderful blogging friends :O)

We had a bit of a hiccup, my fault really although Andrew did say he never gave it a thought either :O) We left Lisa yesterday after making sure she had everything from her TV aerial down to a beef stock cube for her first meal and every other possible item in between you could think of, apart from the kitchen sink. She spoke to Liam later and told him she had no money!! Poor thing didn't have a penny on her ~ lol. (Her loan won't be paid into the bank until Wednesday.) So off we toddled to the bank this morning to pay in some cash. Not long afterwards I received a text message saying she was in Asda (a shop we haven't got on our little Island) and she was really excited as she could buy 3 bottles of Dandelion & Burdock for £1.00 ~ lol! "Bargains galore" was the exact phrase she used :O) God I love her :O) She's off out to a Freshers Party tonight with all her new friends. Liam's been round for his tea tonight, love him, and set up skype and the webcam for us so we could speak to Lisa through the Internet. She looked as happy as Larry (whoever he is?)

Liam decided to move back home so I took all his stuff and dropped him off last night. I spoke to him later and he didn't seem very happy poor thing. Told him he can come and stay anytime he wants so he's sleeping here on Thursday night. We saw him at work this morning and asked if he wanted to come round for a curry tonight, which he did. He is so gorgeous I just want to eat him ~ lol! He is every mothers dream :O) He's helped Elena with her homework (told you he was gorgeous) because I knew nothing about static electricity. Well, apart from it hurting like hell when I touch the car door ~ lol.

Gemma looked after Elena yesterday for us and they had a great time at the beach. The manager where Gem works, Sharon, was having a BBQ and invited Elena along too. Thanks Gem xXx

Just wanted to say about Shane and how horrible his Mum was (nothing new there then). We went round to his house on Saturday night to pick up all his belongings and she never even said hello, thanks for taking Shane to Uni for me, nothing! She just stood there and watched us carry everything to the bus and load it up. We picked Shane up on Sunday morning at 9:30am and she never even came outside to say goodbye to him. He had no lunch or a drink for the journey. I thought this might be the case so we had made him a sandwich etc. bless him. If I ever win a lot of money I'm going to buy a massive house with loads of rooms so I can take in all the teenagers who are wonderful but their parents couldn't give a stuff about them. Enough said!

Roehampton University

We caught the 10:30 boat this morning from Fishbourne to Portsmouth. We took Shane with us so the Nissan was full to the brim. Look at these 3 playing 'Bratz' Top Trumps ~ lol :O) Got to Roehampton Uni about 1pm and stood in the cue for about an hour to sign in and get Lisa's key. Everything was OK, the rooms she has are fab. An on suite bathroom with shower and a shared kitchen & lounge. She even knew the girl in the room opposite, another Isle of Wighter so she was sorted bless her. We all cried buckets when we left, even Andrew! I'm missing her like crazy but I feel much better now I've seen where she's staying :O)

We're Sorted

The bus is all packed. Only a suitcase (when the rest of the washings dry) a lockable box, bedding, laptop & Shane's 2 x suitcases to load and we're ready. No idea if the Nissan will go above 40mph up the motorway tomorrow ~ lol. Lisa went out to Bogies nightclub last night with Liam & and all their friends. She got talking to someones girlfriend who had been to Aspen at Frobels college and she said it's gorgeous. The buildings are fab, beautiful grounds to walk through with fountains, lake etc. Really posh!! I've got my camera of course :O) Keep getting the urge to cry for no apparent reason today, I know Lisa's going & I know that's what it is, but nothing actually sets me off if you know what I mean, I just want to cry. She's gone down to the beach with Liam this afternoon, it's such a beautiful day. We're having a BBQ later so I'm sure she'll enjoy that :O) Can't believe we're going tomorrow, when did my little girl get so big?

Lisa's Leaving Home

Lisa's leaving home on Sunday to start a new life at Uni. There, I said it! I know she'll be able to look after herself, she can feed herself and she can use a washing machine. She knows how to change her bed and keep her room clean & tidy. She knows about staying safe and keeping her belongings secure. She's only a ferry crossing and a 2 hour drive away. She's a sensible girl and knows what she want's in life. She knows how to have fun and she's got a friend, Shane, who will be in the same halls as her. She'll be talking to me on MSN or the phone most nights. I have nothing to worry about :O)

See I know all this so why won't my head tell my heart??!!

A Trip To The Dentist

I am lucky that I only have to visit the dentist once a year. Nothing is usually wrong but I want to keep my teeth as long as possible, so I go. I had a check up and 2 x-rays (because I haven't had any x-rays taken for 3 years) and nothing is wrong. How much did it cost me to find this out ... £47.50 !!!! There are no NHS dentists on the Isle of Wight only private ones. Luckily they still treat the children under the NHS. I have looked into Denplan etc. but have worked out we would be well out of pocket.

Today's job was to help Lisa sort out her wardrobe. She's got rid of 3 bags of clothes (lucky Elena)! We went through all the things she already has and put them in the conservatory ready for the journey to Roehampton. Things like towels, bedding, pots & pans, 1st aid, toiletries etc. She sorted out all her paper work and has it all filed in a folder with labels so she knows what's what (Monica {Friends} at her best ~ lol). She went through everything that she would have to spend, tuition fees, accommodation, TV licence, Internet connection and then it dawned on us that she hadn't got a cheque book!!! She left it a bit late to apply for a student bank account and her loan is being paid into her savings account {roll eyes}. After brain storming she came up with a solution and has phoned the bank who will do there best to send a cheque book asap. If it doesn't get here in time, goodness knows what we'll do.

It's Bee(n) a Hive of Activity

Been a busy bee today :O) Ironing done, bed changed etc. etc. I'm feeling in a spring cleaning mood which is a bit worrying seen as it's September??!! It may have something to do with trying to help Lisa get organised for her move to University? OMG there is so much to do. We have to get a TV licence for her ~ £135.50! That's beside the one we have to have at home, scandalous it is, piggin' scandalous!! We have to sort out some kind of insurance so if any of her belongings are damaged or stolen we are covered. We're trying to make a list of all the stuff she'll need. I don't know if it's me, but it seems endless. We have to mark all her belongings with a security pen for obvious reasons. She's made a menu plan so at least she'll know what shopping she needs to get. I think I'm worrying too much ... last night I woke up wondering what she's going to do with a bag of frozen sweetcorn once it's been opened ~ ROFL. Today I'm worrying what Liam will sleep on when he goes and stays with her at the weekends :O) I think I need to chill out a bit don't you ~ lol!

Elena had an OK sort of day at school. She wasn't that thrilled when she came home but nothing had upset her so that's OK. I went to Woollies this afternoon and bought her a DS LITE for Christmas shhh! We got 20% off because it's double discount week for people who work there and their Mum's ~ thank you Gem X

It's been really hot and sunny today ~ bonus! You never know what to wear, one day you're freezing the next you're boiling {rolleyes}! Well there have been some other busy bees here today too, buzzing around the garden :O)

Great Scott, We've Been to Woolworths.

What a lazy, lazy morning we had. Didn't get dressed or showered until 11:00 am !! It was great :O) Had to be at work for 1pm so once I'd got myself motivated I put some washing in, hung some washing out etc. well, you get the picture. No drama for Elena this morning either which I think she was thankful for, as she seems less tired today. Oh well 5 more days at school and then she's finished for the summer holidays.
Last night Elena & I had a conversation about Ragtime music of all things. She's been learning about it in music at school and she loves it. I think she was amazed that I knew who Scott Joplin was and that I could actual hum 'The Entertainer' & the 'Maple Leaf Rag' but I guess when we were kids we never imagined that our parents went to school, did we :O) I'm really pleased they're still teaching them stuff like that otherwise that sort of music could quite easily be lost forever.
So, after work it was a trip down Sandown with Lisa, as good old Woolworths were having a double discount day and with Gemma working there we could get 30% off everything ~ yipee!! The plan was to get as much stuff for University as we could at the cheapest price possible :O) So we bought ..... A steam iron, an oven dish, a can opener, a vegetable peeler, knives, forks, spoons & teaspoons, a bread knife, a paring knife, 4 plastic tumblers, 2 mugs, a measuring jug, a cheese grater, a chopping board, a round casserole dish, a saucepan & lid, a wok, 2 hand towels, 2 bath sheets & a flannel, some tea towels, a laundry hamper, a bag for her laptop, a box of dinner plates, side plates & bowls, a large pack of food containers with lids, dish brush & 2 single fitted sheets for the grand old price of .... £63.02. Well after they picked me up off the floor I paid the girl behind the counter and we came home. I thought we did really well considering the amount of stuff we bought. I'm sure there's things that we've forgotten but I can get that next month. Elena's wanting a mobile phone, and as her birthday & Christmas are no where in sight she's decided she's going to buy it herself. Andrew came home with one a couple of weeks ago that he bought through work for £40.00 and she's taken a shine to it. She's got £35.00 saved up so needs another £5.00. She asked if there were any jobs that she could do to earn some money and Andrew let her mow the lawn this afternoon for a pound :O) Lisa, Liam & Gem came back from the cinema last with some 3D glasses. Die Hard 4 wasn't 3D but apparently there's an advert for Red Bull that was. So Elena took the glasses and disappeared outside and this is the result ...Well, we'll be off to see Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to it ~ have I told you that? Next Saturday the new book is out, OMG 7 days & counting! In Woolies today, Gemma showed me the posh little HP bag you get with the book!!! It's gorgeous, very impractical but gorgeous all the same. The books aren't being delivered until the day before the release and aparently they're all in steel cages under lock & key which is a bit daft because you'd only need a wand and the Alohomora spell and it would be open in a jiffy!

The names Bond, James Bond :O)

Carrying on from the Uni letter Lisa received yesterday. We filled the form in. She would like a self catering en suite room which costs £92 per week! That is a cheap one too. We went to the post office armed with money, scissors & a pen. We bought 2 x A5 size envelopes and stuck a first class stamp on one to turn it into an SAE. We filled in the acknowledgement card and stuck a stamp on that too. Lisa had 4 passport photos printed which she cut up as they only need 3. I wrote a cheque for £200 and it's all been sent 1st class recorded delivery. We walked down the High Street arm in arm to 'Boots' to buy some iceshine conditioner and carried on to Woolies to see Gemma & Liam (they are both working there). Lisa bought Andrew a Father's Day card and I bought one for my Dad :O)

Andrew has a new phone (paid by Vectis Housing where he works). Last night Lisa put the James Bond theme tune on it as a ring tone (he loves James Bond) and he was well pleased. This morning she asked me text him as she has also put on a new text message tone, Pierce Brosnan (swoon) saying, "The names Bond, James Bond!" ROFL.

A moment of weakness (oh dear!) I went to Tesco and just look what lept off the shelf in to my shopping trolley ... Aren't they the most gorgeous coloured pegs you ever did see? I have a thing about pegs, some folks it's shoes and some folks it's handbags but mines pegs :O) I know, nutty as a fruit cake full of nuts ~ ROFL!!