What a lovely weekend

The weather was warm and sunny.  Not sure if I've had a skin breakout - probably, but let me kid myself for just a few weeks more, eh?

We got a load of jobs done in the garden.  I had 2 wonderful labourers.  They did a lot of lifting and breaking (old terracotta plant pots to make drainage chips for my new planters).  K & I filled said planters and planted seeds in them.  A then set up the watering system.  Fingers crossed, we will have loads of vegetables.

Yesterday A & I went down to the sea front.  There were lots of yachts out doing their thing, and one whose owners were enjoying the view.

Today, whilst not strictly the weekend, I was up at 7.00, in Makro by 8.15 and home by 9.10 to put the second load of washing out.  Then I put away all my Makro shopping, tidied the cupboards under the sinks in the bathrooms, hoovered the stairs, and hoovered and tidied the big cloak cupboard by the back door.  By 11.30 the third load of washing was out.

Then I decided it was ME time so got out the camera and played with some of the settings.

Bognor's nice

Today I took K to look round the Bognor Campus of Chichester University.  It's a couple of years early (she's planning to do 3 years at college) but she wanted a look to see if it really was for her.  Bognor is a small campus, focusing mainly on Business and Education courses.  There are only 3 halls of residence and it really is a very small site.

Anyway she thinks it's lovely.  The rooms in the halls are bigger than hers.  There are no big lecture halls; lessons are given in classrooms similar to those used in schools and colleges.  She also likes the idea that it is less than a mile's walk to the beach.  And the strangest thing of all, according to her, is how far it is to the horizon at sea when there's no Isle of Wight in the way.  She couldn't get over it.  It was very warm so we sat on the sea wall, eating ice cream, as the sun came out.

K reckons she gets the same  positive vibes about Bognor Campus as she did when she looked round St Vincent (where she is now at college) - warm, inviting, friendly, welcoming, etc.

So look out all the other universities, you've got your work cut out to convince her to come to you.

It's over!!!!!!

Yesterday was the Great South Run 2009 around Portsmouth and Southsea.  The weather was pleasant - sunshine and clouds, a decent breeze and 16 C.  Once again the intrepid Great South Stumblers assembled at the start line in various stages of preparedness.  Chuck and Tom did it in 1:15 and 1:19 respectively, leading us home, with Kamila and I bringing up the rear (of the team and just about the whole field) in 3:02, crossing the line together.

We backmarkers have our excuses.  Kamila's knee has started hurting if she runs too much and I sprained my ankle 2 months ago and it still twinges occasionally.  It had been nagging a bit last week so I decided to wear my ankle support.  This was a good thing insofar as the ankle didn't hurt once, but it was a bad thing as the rest of the leg went off in a huff.  Kamila thinks that although the support is just fine for general day-to-day stuff, it's far too tight for any serious exercise.  First of all the plantar fascia (smooth muscle that runs from heel to toe under the foot) couldn't flex properly when I jogged (only a bit, and only over the mile markers).  This set up a chain reaction.  The muscles along the shin bone joined in the nagging, then my knee started.  I was ok at 4 miles.  By 6 miles I was seriously considering quitting.  By 6.5 miles it had worn off and by 7.5 miles we were walking at a fair clip to keep ahead of the clean-up crew.  At just after 8 miles the course returned to the front near the Marines Museum.  And of course, being right by the beach, the breeze was blowing well - straight into us.  By 9 miles my whole right leg felt almost numb.  Various bits of it took turns to spasm with each step - sometimes more than one bit.  Believe me if there had been a first aid crew there I probably would have stopped.  But it was still a fair trek back to the flat so I figured I might as well carry on.

Just after mile 9 we were joined by Richard, Clare and Alex, who were spectating and there for moral support - THANKS GUYS!!!!  The breeze kept blowing me about - it wasn't that strong but I just couldn't brace against it enough.  I weeped and hobbled my way to the end, barely able to put one foot in front of the other.  But I finished.  Special thanks to Kamila for all her support.  I'd definitely have quit without her.

Then the muppet on the mike at the finish line asked for big smiles and waves as we approached the line.  HA!  Fat Chance!  Then he told us we needed to try harder, put more effort in.  If I'd had the energy to climb his gantry the mike would have disappeared where the sun don't shine.  I mean, we'd just done 10 miles and I was obviously struggling and there was he (thick eejit) wanting happy smiles!!!!  Plus all the first aiders just stood by the finish line.  Not one of them offered me assistance, just because I wasn't weaving about.  No, it was taking me all my remaining energy to concentrate on the immediate road surface in front of me and avoid any changes in direction and foot orientation because that was sheer hell.  Then to add further insult all the medium t-shirts had long gone and I had to have a large (really not a big ego boost).

I daren't stop moving as it was over half a mile to the flat.  At some time Rich had phoned hubby (who was just about to hit the shower after his race) and told him he was needed.  I have never been so happy to see A in all my life.  I collapsed into his arms and couldn't stop blubbering.  He immediately ordered me to put my fleece on and, after a few feeble protests that I wasn't cold, I did.  Looks like the almost-hypothermia got me again (got it last year).  I was still cold at 9pm last night despite a lovely hot dinner and loads of hot drinks.  And I'm still on the cool side today.

My knee was definitely the worst bit of me.  It got well-acquainted with the ice pack, yet was still very sore when having to lift the rest of my leg.  I was expecting it to be murder today but it's gone away.  Shame the hips and fronts of the thighs have taken its place.

Will I do it next year?  I really don't know.  Last year was tough but the day after I knew I wanted to enter this year's.  This year it felt more like an ordeal.  Today I have been feeling a bit down, my medal is just hanging with all my others on my wardrobe door handle.  Last year's was hanging in the living room for months.  I'll have to see how the training's going when the entries open next year.

And to cap it all I weighed myself this morning.  I didn't lose a thing - NOT ONE SOLITARY POUND!!!!  Now that really is depressing.

And there's more!

Another box arrived to day with more freebies in, just over £238 worth this week. Fortunately I don't have to re-organise the kitchen yet again.

D is off to Explorer Camp tomorrow on the Isle of Wight. A has to have him and a friend down to the Red Funnel terminal in Southampton by 8.15am. Not too bad you might think, except tomorrow is the first day of Cowes Week and the ferry terminal is likely to be packed. Hence why A is taking him and not me.

K's back is slowly improving. She can get her hands behind the small of her back but still has trouble reaching up to brush her hair. She fell off a tyre swing and landed on her neck and shoulder. Fortunately we have an osteopath friend who could fit her in on Wednesday. She has a follow-up appointment for Tuesday morning as friend couldn't do a full treatment due to the pain level. K is being good and doing the exercises that were set.

I hit the meaning of life tomorrow - 42 to you non-Hitchikers people.

Oh, and the hot tub is back to full working order. It's so quiet. I'm sure it was never this quiet at all in the 6 years we've had it. I'll be in there later (again), watching the stars come out as the sun goes down, possibly with a glass of wine.

And you know what really got my goat today?! Yesterday was supposed to be THE day to get your washing done, and it gave us heavy showers. Today was supposed to be cloudy with showers, and we had lots of sun and some clouds. No rain whatsoever. Big deal, you might think. Well, I had plans to get the washing done yesterday and have been out all day today. So the laundry pile is still taking over the bathroom. And what's tomorrow's forecast - cloud and showers! HUH!!!!!!

So far, so good

I've now done two Pampered Chef parties and earned myself £65. It doesn't sound much for 3 weeks work but when you realise that it was less than 8 hours work in total, the hourly rate is much more interesting - somewhere around £8 - £10 per hour. Certainly worth my while! June is already busy with 5 parties (but I can certainly squeeze in one or two more), and I've already started booking for July.

Today is a beautiful day. The kids are in town with friends, and A is at work, so the house is all mine - a rarity till September when both D & K are at college. So I'm sat at the computer listening to Bon Jovi and catching up on reading some blogs. I may even drag up Civ IV shortly. Oh, the decadence! I probably should point out that there are already 2 loads of washing on the line and all the paperwork from last night's party is dealt with, so I'm not being a lazy toad all day - though it does have its appeal.

Last Sunday friend E had a house-warming party. Her back garden has very little shade but some kind soul had brought along some umbrellas to act as parasols, so I borrowed one - not a perfect solution but better than nothing. I survived in short sleeves for a few hours until the rash started. I'm not downhearted about it this year, as spending 4 - 5 hours in direct sunshine is probably asking for trouble. However I am feeling quite smug about it as the rash didn't develop into full-blown red spots - it was more bumps in the skin. Now all I have to do is wait for them to clear off (up to two weeks from flare up).

The kids have finally spotted themselves a nice little earner - unfortunately it is me that is coughing up. They've twigged that voluntarily doing chores round the house and helping me with my PC stuff will probably trigger financial remuneration. D, in particular, has been most helpful in the last few days as he has too much month at the end of his allowance (as usual).

A is working hard but seems to have his hayfever under control (so far!). I've probably jinxed him now. We're making a slow but steady effort in sorting out the garage so that - GASP! - we can get to anything in it from the internal door instead of having to open the main door to get to the fuse box. Wonder if the local tip will start charging us business rates for all the clutter we're getting rid of.

Long time, no write

I've been too busy living life to write about it.

The job-hunting front is a 'bad' topic. A says I can go to college and get some qualifications if I can decide what I want to do. Unfortunately I CAN'T decide. Do I get some proper office qualies or do I do something different? Decisions, decisions! For now we have decided that I should do some voluntary work. It'll give me some current references and experience, just no pay. But, you never know it might morph into a real job.

A has got his hayfever/snuffly sinus allergies under reasonable control. He's been taking Hayleve (cheap OTC remedy) and it seems to be working. Fingers crossed for tonight as we are going to try sharing a bed, something that's not happened regularly for the better part of 7 years or more. You see, he snores. It's loud enough that if he goes up for a nap during the day I can hear him over the tv. No amount of prodding or changing of position helps. None of these anti-snore devices make a difference either. So we have separate rooms on different floors of the house (with an old external wall between us), otherwise we'd probably be divorced by now. He wants to take me away for our wedding anniversary this year (20 years) so we have to start being able to share a room first.

K is a clever girl. She has just got the results from her latest Maths module exams in March, an A in each paper - 50/60 in the multichoice and 52/60 in the structured. I am so proud of her as she doesn't really like the subject. She's refusing to study it at AS level yet it will probably be the best of her GCSE grades. She's off on a sleepover tomorrow night.

D is considering his university choices for September 2010. D & I have spent 4 days this week visiting Aberdeen and St Andrew's. Don't think Scotland likes us though as it was sunny when we arrived and sunny when we left but cold, wet, and/or foggy for the rest of the time. These visits also raised as many questions as they answered. Yes, he'd be quite happy going to either of them but, thanks to St Andrew's, he might also want to do a single honours in Chemistry rather than a joint honours in Geology and Chemistry. Cue more soul searching and changing of minds. He has been trying to make his mind up between Oxford and Cambridge too. Both do interesting courses but their entry requirements might be a bit too much. The silly boy didn't revise for his January modules and got high Bs. Just got to hope that he works hard enough to turn those into As in summer.

As for me, I survived the Scotland sojourn. D might not be as bad as his Dad for snoring but he's certainly in training. I've finished my 'medical microwave' sessions for this year. Of course since then I've had minimal opportunity to keep topping up in sunny weather! D & I played golf at St Andrew's - there's a pitch & putt right next to the 18th fairway on the Old Course. You just have to, don't you. I won by one hole!!!!!

There, I'm more or less up to date again. No more moaning when you see me.

It's snowing!

The weather forecasters were right again. It's not going to settle though, as it has rained for most of the night.

You don't want the flu

Trust me, I'm an expert!

The 104 F fever broke on Christmas night. By Boxing Day I was down to a manageable 100 F, and believe me it made a lot of difference. I got up at lunch time and managed to eat a sandwich, the first real meal I'd eaten since Tuesday. During the afternoon I played a few hands of cards with the family, making sure I was sat away from FIL. Then it was back to bed till the following day.

It took till New Year's Eve before I could face going out shopping. Over Christmas our dishwasher gave up the ghost - not funny when there are 7 of you to feed and wash up after. So on New Year's Eve A and I braved the cold and the crowds (what crowds, I've seen worse on a typical Sunday in Southampton) and went to John Lewis. Our new toy arrived 2 days ago and the kids are very happy. We are just waiting for the special offer pan set to arrive (out of stock of course). Needless to say I was very tired after the trip into town. However I managed to stay up till after midnight but had to forego any partying.

One thing I have noticed is that my memory is not up to speed. Someone at our local Home Ed group apologised for not sending me an e-mail over the festivities, containing some information he thought I should read. I needed a lot of prompting to recall that he was supposed to do this and what it was all about. I find myself getting distracted from the job in hand and then forgetting to go back and finish off - I now know how A feels as this is his default position.

Tiredness is still an issue, albeit diminishing slowly. I am finding it hard to wake up before 8.30. During the holidays it was 9.30 and more usually it was 10.00. This was despite going to bed and being asleep by 11pm.

I have been avoiding as much social contact as I can. My immune system has taken a battering over the last 2 - 3 months and I'd like it to recover. As I sit and type this I am feeling snuffly. Last night I sneezed a few times. No more illness, please!

This cold weather is supposed to go tomorrow. Everyone keeps saying that it should kill off all the germs. So how come so many people are ill?!

My baby is 10 and other breaking news

Scooby celebrates his 10th birthday today. Regular readers may remember back in May (I think) that our vet suggested he might not make it this far and most likely wouldn't make Christmas. Well, he's intent on proving her wrong. Today is a sunny day so he's full of life, energy and bounce. On wet days it's an effort to do anything.

Also today saw the first frost of the coming winter. It's all gone now but at 7.30 this morning the roofs were white and the car windscreens were iced over.

Speaking of cars, I now have a Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 with a tiptronic gearbox sitting on my drive. It's my courtesy car till my Merc is returned all shiny and new. This Corsa is a 58 plate with a mere 400 miles on the clock!

K & D are off sailing with Explorers this week. Had the leader on the phone at 8.30 this morning saying K wanted to come home. I told him, and her, that I couldn't come and fetch her as I was waiting for the garage to fetch my car and bring me a courtesy car. The leader has transferred her to the smaller boat for today to see if her stomach will settle. Otherwise we face a long trip to Lymington or Poole to fetch her this evening. I did state that I would prefer her to finish the week out but we'll see.

Who ordered the rain on Sunday?

Whilst I don't mind running in the odd shower, I draw the line at constant drizzle. However I was in the Great South Run for a good cause, so I got on with it. I managed to run almost all of the first mile without stopping - a long way for me. Think that was about the time Paula Radcliffe was crossing the finish line.

My feet behaved themselves for the most part until blisters started forming at about 7.5 miles. By 8 miles my hips were protesting, but I was at walking speed only (and slow at that) by then. The last two miles were along the seafront from Eastney to Southsea Common by the Pyramid Centre. There was a cold breeze blowing constantly, which made you very cold very quickly. Foolishly I'd handed my fleece over to A at 6,5 miles because I was so hot and sweaty I was sure I wouldn't need it. Note to self for next year - keep the fleece!

Yes, that's right. D & I are already planning to enter next year's event.

By the time I crossed the finish line my arms were red and almost completely numb. My fingers were like lumps of flesh with a mind of their own - not good. I managed to collect my goody bag and quickly found A & D. Then I burst into tears - I had had enough and wanted to go home. A got me back into my fleece and waterproof coat then stood hugging me to try to get me warm. We walked slowly back to some friends flat where a hot shower and a mug of tea soon perked me up a bit. Then we came home. I think it took me till yesterday (Monday) to be properly warm again.

Here are the finishing positions and times (will fill in the blanks when I can):

I (friend K's sister) 4455

C (friend with flat) 4461

Friend K 10201

D (my son) 10985 2:09.04

Me 11486 2:39.35

Friend A 11530

Taken before the start with our other halves.

Not much happening

Just thought I'd check in.

The kids are off on camp till Sunday - peace and quiet reigns.

Scooby is on antibiotics again. This recurring superficial pyoderma is a pain. His appetite will go and it will be 'interesting' trying to get all his pills down him - the ones that go on his food will be untouched otherwise.

Thank goodness today is a little cooler. This hot weather is not doing my sense of humour any good. I have lumpy skin but it's not glaringly obvious like it usually is at this time of year.

Gammon, egg and chips for tea tonight.

Ah well!

I suppose it was too much to hope that my polymorphic light eruption rash would stay gone for the whole year. I thought it might be making an appearance but my skin can be lumpy and bumpy anyway, so I was hoping that's all it was. Alas, this morning's run in wall-to-wall blue skies and hot sunshine has pushed me over the edge.

Now I have to hope that the patch-testing next month (unless the NHS decides to move it again) shows what it is in sunscreen that makes my face react. I don't get much reaction on the rest of me, except when it dries out after an hour or so and makes me itch. My face goes red, itchy, hot, and feels puffy, and if it gets near my eyes they start to run.

When you are doing exercise you absent-mindedly rub your face with your hands so I can't just use any on my hands. Anyway, who wants to have to bath themselves in suncream just to hang the washing out! I think I'll have to search for UV-reflective gloves.

Why I hate hot nights

It's now officially too hot to leave the bedroom windows closed. Unfortunately that means that I get woken up, frequently, by people coming home from the pub/nightclub. I have enough difficulty sleeping in hot weather as it is without being roused from my slumber by shrieks and giggles or one-sided mobile phone conversations.

I'm not ecstatic about hot days either but at least I can take refuge in front of a fan. I need peace and quiet to sleep so have to turn them off at night.

Going off at a tangent - I can't decide if my hands/arms are reacting or not. The skin isn't smooth at the best of times so it isn't always obvious if new spots are UV related or just a coincidence. Fingers crossed it's the latter.