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.

A little less tax for the Government to mis-spend

As with everything else these days the price of booze is going up. Why should I pay £5 - £10 for a bottle of wine when I can make six of my own for £8. That's right, each bottle will cost £1.67! Yippee!!! A return to the days where I can get seriously off my head for under £2. (Not that I would, you understand).

I used to make my own wine when we lived in Ferndown, Dorset, and I still have a lot of the equipment. So I set to cleaning and sterilising everything I would need to convert this can of elderberry concentrate to wine. The demijohn is now sitting upstairs in the airing cupboard and fermentation is underway.

I really must have a good look for my old Winemaking books. Mum used to make her own too and I remember the tea wine and the mixed fruit wine - as in raisins, currants, etc. I've got the urge to make them so just need the recipes.

It'll take about a month for the results to be bottlable and they suggest leaving them to mature for another 3 months! Somehow I don't think ALL the bottles will last that long ;-)

Race for Life

This was on Sunday 13th. K, friend A, and I all finished within 5 minutes of each other. A & I were pleased for K, but kind of put out that we had been doing all the training and K hadn't - yet she almost kept up with us. Gonna have to train harder now.

Where I disappeared to

I went back up to Nottingham on 5th July to sort out FIL's garden. My Dad had offered to help. It was decided that I would tackle the inside instead so I spent the week making things more manageable in the kitchen, chucking nearly 2 years worth of newspaper, and making a start on decorating the front room. I have bruises, now fading, on my knees from gripping the stepladder so hard. I'm not really a ladder person but the ceilings are quite high, it being an older house.

A couple of years ago FIL had some work done by a charity/agency. They sorted out the damp-proof layer, fitted new windows to the front of the house, modernised the electrics and found that for all these years there'd been no earth for the house, and put in a new boiler for his central heating. Unfortunately their attention to detail and finish on the plaster front was pretty dire. So eventually we'll have to get the walls reskimmed.

I did the best I could in the time available but I really need to spend a few continuous weeks up there (and a few thousand in money - fat chance at the moment) to do a proper job. FIL has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the amount of dust I'd have to kick up wouldn't do him any good. Hopefully a solution will pop into my head before 14th August when I go back up to finish off the front room and take stock on the next job.

If only I could do that every time

Last night was bowling night. My handicap has been as 'low' as 58 this season but it's currently back at 60. My bowling of late has been dire. Some games I have struggled to make 100! I've discovered and then lost the art of bagging corner pins for spares.

The first game last night started reasonably well with 67 scored in 4 frames. I then went on to get 7 strikes in a row to make a final scratch score of 226 - my best ever! Unfortunately the game had to end. The second one was pretty awful, of course. I just about managed 112 - not much difference, eh? The third game was better but not as good as the first, giving me an overall scratch series score of 471 (an average of 157 per game). This is still way better than my season average of 132 but I was disappointed after the excellent start. On the positive side my name now graces the pole position for the ladies scratch and handicap games (226/286). Should be a little bit of prize money coming my way in August.

One of life's lessons

My two have been to the beach today with a couple of friends. One of the friends parents did taxi duties, otherwise the kids were left to their own devices for the day. They took towels, sun cream and a packed lunch.

Apparently they all had a great time. Mine now have a better idea of how much sun cream is enough and that they should re-apply it every 2 - 3 hours. My after-sun supplies are taking a heavy hit.

Me?! Laugh?! As if.

What we did on our holiday - part 2

Before we discovered the aforementioned urban jungle we spent the day at Skegness, taking MIL with us for a day out (MIL and FIL are not together). It was a lovely day and, once again, my kids proved why whisking them off somewhere exotic is a waste of time. All they want is a sandy beach, then they create their own fun.

This was taken at just after 4.30, and it was still pleasant. MIL and I were sat out of that bracing breeze that Skeg is famous for. A pity we didn't take the kites really.

We also got D on a rollercoaster. He's worse than me for not wanting to get on one so we were somewhat shocked when he agreed. A had only asked him in fun.

We bought the kids wristbands for the funfair and they certainly had their money's worth out of them. The dodgems were the favourite. I think each child notched up at least a dozen drives.

Foods is also cheap in Skegness. A double-coned whippy ice cream with a flake cost £1. Five hot meals and drinks came to under £25. All of these were bought right next to the beach.

All in all a good day. The kids are already planning next year's East Coast invasion.