Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm - Winston Churchill

Last week didn't start very well. I'm not the greatest fan of Mondays, this particular Monday started far too early and it went down hill from there. It was one of those mornings that felt like one step forward and two steps back but I plodded on with my paperwork with the occasional cup of tea to keep me going. Eventually I decided that it was time for a lunch break and I went to put the kettle on. Our fridge-freezer is taller than me with the fridge at the top. I opened the door to reach for the milk, I had been to the fridge several times during the morning with no problem but this time two bottles from the top shelf launched themselves towards me. A bottle of water gave me a glancing blow on the head and a full bottle of diet Pepsi flew out like a torpedo and hit me on the calf! I cried out, hopped, danced and fell over a cat! I missed out on lunch, I was too busy dealing with a badly bruised leg and a very indignant cat!

Glasgow Central - photo by kilnburn

Tuesday evening went a bit pear shaped, Euston had one of its increasingly frequent periods of inertia which I believe was due to signal failure somewhere or other. Eventually Robbie gave up and took himself to St Pancras, bought another ticket and caught a train to Kettering, and I headed to Kettering Station to pick him up. I got there early but I didn't mind waiting, it's a nice little station and I like the old buildings. Considering the earlier disruption a surprisingly cheerful Robbie emerged from the station. He told me that there had been news reports suggesting that Abellio would be awarded the ScotRail franchise. It was still just rumour, but an announcement was expected the following morning and he dared to hope that the rumours might be true. Robbie made a very early start the next morning and he was in London before the formal announcement was made. The rumours were true, the ScotRail contract had been won by Abellio. Robbie was delighted, he and the rest of the bid team had spent months in Glasgow working on the bid and now their efforts had been rewarded.

I loved Glasgow when I first went there many years ago but it had been a long time since I'd been to Scotland and Robbie working in Scotland gave me an opportunity to  fall in love with Glasgow all over again. In the autumn of 2013 Robbie arranged to take me to Malmaison in Glasgow as a birthday treat. It was a bit of a joke on his part, but great fun, he had booked the Big Yin suite which is inspired by Billy Connolly who is a favourite of mine. It has a four poster bed, a very nice double bathroom and a roll top bath in the living room. 

Robbie knows how much I enjoy a nice long bath so this was his way of teasing me, but I have to admit that it was fun. I enjoyed the bath, I wasn't so struck on the four poster bed, it was very solid and a bit scary, but it was reasonably comfortable.  

I don't think I would go back to Malmaison because the food was horrible, the service was poor and the room was a bit tired, but as a one off experience the suite was interesting.

Work for the ScotRail bid began in ernest in January and Glasgow became Robbies second home. He caught the Sleeper to Glasgow on a Sunday evening and he returned home late on Friday evening. During the week he stayed in the Premier Inn in George Street. It is an interesting building just a short walk from the centre of Glasgow and very close to the Merchant City area with beautiful buildings and lots of nice places to eat. Unfortunately Robbie didn't get to see much of Glasgow, he was far too busy with the bid to have time for sightseeing, but he enjoyed his walk to and from work each day. Often when he was finished for the night he would call in at Queen Street Station to watch the trains and to experience the hustle and bustle of the station.  

I was able to spend time with Robbie occasionally when he was in Glasgow. I didn't really spend much time actually with Robbie except when we had our evening meal but having so much time to myself worked out rather well. I was still working on my book at the time of my first visit, so having the room to myself gave me plenty of peace and quiet to get my writing done. I would write until lunch time, then I would allow myself an hour or two to walk into the city centre to visit the shops, look at the wonderful building and discover more of Glasgow. Then I would go back and do more writing until about 9pm when we would go out for dinner. Glasgow was even more beautiful in the dark. 

A building nr George Square, Glasgow

By the time I returned to Glasgow the book had been submitted to the publisher and I had more freedom to explore, I loved it. One of my favourite walks took me past Buchanan Galleries, past the Doc Shop and along Sauchiehall Street. There is something special about Sauchiehall Street, it isn't the grandest street in the city, in fact parts of it are quite shabby but it has character. It seems to be a favourite spot for street entertainers, some of them are very good. It seems to attract some interesting characters too, I met some interesting people on my walks, and most seemed happy to stop and chat. I'm looking forward to Robbie having some free time so that we can go back and explore Glasgow together.

“Life is a frail moth flying caught in the web of the years that pass.” - Sara Teasdale

We live quite to a park and there is other open space nearby too, perhaps that is why we get so many moths in our house during the summer months. They come into the bathroom, maybe they are attracted to the light, but I read somewhere that they like a humid atmosphere so perhaps that explains why they choose the bathroom. 

I rather like moths, they have beautiful markings and they don't really do any harm in the bathroom. I love having the chance to take a close look at their markings when they settle on the wall, they really are very beautiful in a more subtle and understated way than butterflies. The problem is that our cat Oreo has appointed himself moth catcher in chief and during 'moth season' he lurks in the vicinity of the bathroom ready to pounce on any unsuspecting moth which is careless enough to stray within his reach! I feel very sorry for the moths.

Since we have been back from holiday it seems as if the moths have a death wish, I gave found corpses in the bath damp and dying moths around the sink and moths turning up their toes on the window ledge. I don't know what is going on. On Friday I found the corpse of what I thought was a grasshopper in the bath. On closer inspection I found that it was a speckled bush cricket. The question is, how did it get there? Speckled bush crickets are flightless, they can jump but our bathroom is upstairs and only the small top window was open, so how could it possibly have got into the bathroom?

'There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them' - Sylvia Plath

Photo by Linneabe

A am a bath person, there is nothing I like more Than a long soak in a hot bath while listening to Radio 4. Robbie on the other hand is a shower person, and being a train planner his ablutions are timed to the second and they have to be performed in the correct order! So a leisurely bath is an unfamiliar experience for Robbie, but he was in so much today that he look my advice and plodded off to have a hot bath to ease his pain. I was busy so it was a while before i looked up from my work and realised that he had been gone for a very long time. I listened and it was suspiciously quiet, I could hear the radio but there was no splashing and no sound of movement - and Robbie is never quiet. I rushed to the bathroom to find out what was wrong and I found that he was sound asleep. He had slid down in the bath and his face was only just above water! I shouted at him to wake him up but he didn't even flinch and I was cross with him for scaring me, so I poured water over him, that woke him up! In future he can stick to showers, there is less chance of him drowning in the shower!

Warning - Short, Angry Woman at Large

We have had a problem for some time with things being moved, usually out of reach! That little problem has been more or less resolved because as they say, 'where there's a will there is a way'. I have plenty of determination and I have found a way to reach even the highest shelves  Now it seems that things have started vanishing too and I am not amused. I don't think we are being plagued by a poltergeist, I suspect our 'phantom' is all too human!  


This morning I went to have a bath and the bath plug had 'vanished'. I could have had a shower but I am not so keen on showers and Robbie doesn't like the shower head to be adjusted, so by the time the water gets to my head it feels too heavy - yes really! I decided to have a wash and postpone my bath until I had the plug. That was when things took a turn for the worse, I reached into the little basket by the window where I keep my toothpaste and several other essential bits and bobs. I pulled out the tube that was in the position of my tooth paste and it had mysteriously become a tube of Ralgex! That was a very lucky escape!


Later in the morning I went out to have a bit of 'me time' and to buy a bath plug, it was nice I should do it more often - not the bath plug, the 'me time'. When I got to the shop that sells bath plugs the conspiracy against short people continued, the bath plug was on the highest hook on the rack. There was no one around to help so I selected a metal shelf bracket from a lower hook and used it to reach the item I wanted. Then once I had paid the huge sum of 99p I went home with my personal bath plug and enjoyed a long hot soak. 


Just one word of warning, the culprit should sleep with one eye open in future because I have the Ralgex and I may be tempted to use it ...................!!! 

First Catch Your Cat!

The wanderer has returned from his busy weekend playing trains and he is now sitting in the corner snoring and the dog is sprawled on the floor also snoring! I shouldn't moan at least while he is dozing it gives me a break from listening to tales of his wonderful trip to Swanage. He didn't seem so interested in my adventures over the last few days, I don't blame him it really.

On Friday I went to the dentist, only minor treatment needed, the pain was financial rather than physical! The trip to the dentist was followed by a trip to the vet for George the cat, he was also in need of dental work. He had all his teeth out soon after we got him because they were in a bad state and causing him pain, but recently a fragment of tooth or root has come up through his gum and it looked inflamed and painful. Typically the fragment came out on Friday morning before we went to the vet, George needed antibiotics to help with the infection. More financial pain for me and serious indignity for George.

Unfortunately George gets travel sick, on the way to the vet he vomited and on the way back disaster struck he had a serious bowel accident. When we got home I opened the cat box carefully because he was covered, but he shot out of the box and hid under the table – thank goodness we don't have carpet! I dashed to the kitchen for wipes and cleaning materials and by the time I returned George had managed to 'pebble dash' the dog as well. I was starting to lose the will to live, but after an entertaining hour bathing the cat and washing the dog I managed to get the house cleaned up. After that it was back to the same old routine, laundry, shopping, cooking, taking people here and there and then fetching them back again. There was also the little matter of getting the cat to take his tablets!

Is It Raining Men?

Friday went past in a blur of activity, dealing with all those last minute jobs that have to be done before going on holiday. The day began with me chasing Robbie upstairs, he had been promising to go up to the loft to fetch some of my talking books for weeks and he had finally run out of excuses. Once he was safely in the loft I moved his ladder, to make sure he didn't escape until I was satisfied that all the jobs in the loft. There was a lot of thumping and clattering, it sounded as if he would fall through the ceiling at any minute, but just for once my worst fears were not realised. He emerged triumphantly bearing a box full of talking books that for the last few weeks he had insisted were not there, and he insisted that he had to have a shower before he did anything else. Unfortunately I had just run the bath for the dog and since Robbie was already dirty and semi naked (as usual) he was the ideal person to bath he dog! She wasn't overjoyed about the experience, but she behaved very well until I was safely out of range, then she shook herself vigorously and covered Robbie and the bathroom with water. Finally a rather damp and dejected, but clean dog and a clean and adequately dressed husband emerged to face the world and we were ready to go out and tackle the long list of errands that needed our attention.

We had already bought a whole trolley full of 'essentials' for the pets at the pet superstore, and we were heading to the garage to check the tyre pressure before braving the supermarket. Robbie had been getting increasingly annoyed with himself and he was ready to fall out with his own shadow. I knew what the problem was, he was in pain and struggling to walk, but there was nothing I could do to help. He sat in the car and used some of the more obscure and descriptive words in his vocabulary to tell his right leg exactly how he felt about it. Of course the leg took no notice, and Robbie grew increasingly angry with himself. In the end I had to get cross with him and remind him that many people with spina bifida would think he was lucky to be mobile and have fairly normal function. It sounds hard hearted, but I love him, I can't change the way things are, but I can do my best to keep him motivated and help him to keep a sense of perspective. He has to go back to the doctor to get his pain relief sorted out, but as usual I will have to drag him there!

We got everything done in the end, but by the time went to bed we were shattered and we had to make an early start on Saturday morning.

A Quiet Life - I Wish!

I love animals and I couldn't imagine not having pets, but I am starting to think that they are giving me a hard time this week. With Robbie away I intended to enjoy the peace and quiet and make the most of being able to get up a little later, unfortunately when it comes to being noisy early in the morning Robbie has some rivals. At about 5.15am every morning a group of Canada geese fly over on there way from one lake to another and they honk loudly. It is nice that we have two beautiful parks within walking distance and it is nice that they attract wildlife, but why do they need to get up so early! Yesterday it was so loud that I am sure each bird looked into the open window and hooted extra loud as they went past. At least the geese go away, the crow that hangs out in the tree opposite my bedroom window stays there for hours on end making the most dreadful noise, leaving me in bed wide awake thinking of ways to silence a crow!

When I went out to put the bins out early in the morning a bird flew into my face as I walked back towards the house. It really hurt, I hope the bird was OK, I think it was a starling or something of that size, it flew off before I could get a good look at it.

The cats have been causing trouble too, Oreo jumped out of Laura's bedroom window onto the paved area of the garden below. I was terrified, I expected him to be badly injured or dead and I raced downstairs to get to him. I opened the back door and he strolled in looking completely untroubled by his adventure. Not to be outdone by the cats Megan also made her presence felt, she rolled in something unspeakable and she stank. When I mentioned the 'B' word she looked pathetic, I washed the offending area, but I decided to postpone her bath until Sunday - Robbie can do it!

The Sights You See ...................

Now I know why they say that you should be careful what you wish for. I am fairly used to sharing the house with assorted teenagers (and a 36 year old who closely identifies with his inner child!) so I am used to challenging behaviour of one kind or another. I have been wishing that a certain 14 year old would grow out of his aversion water, and that our daily battles about having a shower would be a thing of the past. My wish came true! He has discovered the joys of soap in a big way. Every time I go into the bathroom it looks as if there has just been a tidal wave, there are so many lotions and potions around the bath that it it takes me ages to move everything before I clean the bath. He uses so much shampoo, shower gel, deodorant, aftershave and assorted smelly stuff that breathing apparatus is required before entering the bathroom, but there is something even worse than all that. He balances a great big mirror behind the taps at the edge of the bath! The last thing I want is to sit and look at myself when I am in the bath, and when Robbie is in the shower - no I will not go on, some images are just shouldn't be imagined. I keep removing the mirror and it keeps mysteriously reappearing. I almost find myself longing for the old days!

I Blame Network Rail!

On Friday when Robbie left for work I asked him to promise not to be late home, and he assured me that he would be on time. He was with Network Rail, so before I put the dinner on I phoned him to check when he would he back, he said he would be on a later train, so I agreed to pick him up. I dropped Sam off at his friend's house on my way and then drove to the station just in time to meet his train. I sat there for a minute or two, then my mobile rang and Robbie announced that he was not on the train and would be an hour later!! He still hasn't explained why he didn't tell me as soon as he knew he wouldn't be on the train, it would have saved me a wasted journey. Maybe it is a Network Rail thing - never give anyone any useful information!

I picked him up later and he was full of apologies, he promised me his undivided attention for the rest of the weekend. That promise turned out to be like the countless Network Rail promises about the West Coast main line – all hot air! He went online and got into an argument with some lame brains about train overcrowding. I gave up and went to bed and he promised he would be there in a minute. Over an hour later he was still on his computer arguing about trains with those sad acts, so I gave up and went to sleep. This morning when he finally woke up, he cuddled up to me and told me in great detail about how he used to collect erasers when he was a child, that was a real turn on! Later when I was having a bath he came in and sat down to have a chat, I was pleased, at least he wanted to talk to me, but then he started a long discourse on his plan to partition the hard drive on his computer! He doesn't need a wife, he needs a robot! If this is the result of a couple of days spent with Network Rail I dread to think how bad he would be after a week with them!

Chaos on the Coventry Corridor

This morning I decided to have a nice relaxing bath. The bathroom is about the only place in the house that I can have a few minutes peace, and even then it is not guaranteed. The bath water was lovely and warm and I lay back in the bath with my eyes closed listening to the radio and enjoying the luxury of the moment. Suddenly I became aware of a presence looming over me, he stood there hands on hips with indignation etched on his face. His lips were moving but I was getting no sound (bliss!) there was water in my ears but as I moved my head my hearing returned in time to hear the 'headline' Chaos on the Coventry Corridor. Robbie was pleased that he hadn't been at work today because there had been delays and confusion on the line. He told me in detail about each delay and the reasons for it, but I will spare you the detail. I have (mostly) enjoyed having Robbie at home and I will miss him when he goes back, but it will be nice to have a bit of peace!

Conspiricy Theory

I am old enough to remember a time when our lives were not ruled by mobile phones and occasionally I feel nostalgic for those days when you could go out and not be troubled by messages or phone calls. During my childhood the house phone was connected to the wall and nobody thought of phones in every room, often it was positioned on a table in the hall and it certainly didn't dominate the house. Now I am driven to distraction by the phone, we have two cordless phones but when the it rings the handset is never on the base and I have to sprint from one room to the next looking for it. It is usually in Emily or Laura's bedroom, but by the time I have found it the ringing has stopped and I am left to wonder who was calling.

I think our bathroom is bugged, as soon as I get in there you can guarantee that the phone will ring. I would understand it if I shut myself in there with a magazine, but I don't stay in there any longer than necessary. I know the caller can't see you but I am never going to be comfortable about chatting on the phone while using the smallest room. I have to rush out in a dishevelled state to find and answer the phone and it is almost always Robbie just ringing to say hello. I don't know how he manages to time it so badly so often. Even more annoying is when I have just got into a relaxing hot bath, the phone rings and my moment of luxury is ruined. It is bad enough to drag myself out of the bath and stand there dripping and freezing to death just to answer the phone, but when it is Robbie ringing to tell me something 'exciting' about a train that he saw on his way to work I find it very hard to be civil to him. We probably couldn't manage without our mobiles for long, but just occasionally I long for the way it used to be! Of course I could ignore the phone, but it could be important. My parents may need help or Sam's school may need to get hold of me, I can't ignore it.

Five Minutes Peace

I had a back to front sort of day yesterday. I had one or two messy jobs so afterwards I looked forward to sinking into a nice relaxing bath. I took a cup of tea with me and I switched on the radio ready for ten minutes of 'me' time without the rest of the world intruding into my thoughts. I love Robbie, but it is nice to have the occasional break from the constant chatter about the railways. The bath was lovely but as I listened to Radio 4 I realised that they were discussing – trains! In fact they were discussing ticketing, permitted routes etc., I can't seem to get away from train talk. I could have got out of the bath and switched off the radio, but once in the bath I was staying put. I just didn't listen, I have a very well developed 'deaf ear' – I can't imagine why!

Catastrophe!

Robbie will be returning to work tired (as promised) and wounded. I was only indirectly responsible for his injury, it happened when I called him to rescue a kamikaze cat. After a lazy morning, I took possession of the bathroom and I was just about to get in the bath when I realised that there was something moving on the ledge outside. It was Oreo, he must have scrambled through the tiny top window and he was poised on the edge of the ledge ready to jump on to the paved area far below. I opened the larger window but he wouldn't come in, my and fear for his safety combined with fear of the vet bills if he survived the jump.

I was not prepared to scare the neighbours by hanging out of the window in a state of undress so I yelled for Robbie to help me. He sprinted up the stairs (clad only in pants) and reached out of the window and along the ledge and grabbed the cat. Oreo found himself flying through the air held only by the scruff of his neck, he is not used to such harsh treatment and he panicked. His legs flailed but there was nothing solid for him to grab. Then as Robbie swung him in through the window he realised that he was dangling over a full bath, and not being keen on total immersion he lurched to one side and sunk his claw into Robbie's chest. In a split second Robbie yelped and the cat fell to the floor and fled. A torrent of abuse followed and then Robbie clutched his chest and danced on one leg unable to adequately express his agony.

Oreo had come within an inch or so of piercing Robbie's left nipple! Robbie stood there admiring his wound and telling me over and over again that the claw had punctured the skin twice, it went right through his skin like a needle. I offered him a plaster, but he wasn't brave enough, he would have needed a general anaesthetic to remove it from his hairy chest! Since then Oreo has kept a safe distance from Robbie, but they have traded insults from opposite corners of the room.

Reaching For the Off Button

I love Radio 4 and I listen to it in the car, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in fact I listen to it wherever I am. For me the height of luxury is a relaxing bath with Radio 4 to listen to. Yesterday I was enjoying my bath, a tranquil moment in a particularly trying day when my ears were assaulted to such an extent that I had to jump out of my bath to turn off the radio. Can you believe it, Radio 4 is serialising Chere Blair's book. Why would anyone imagine that I would have any interest in that woman, she is an irrelevance and I have no respect for someone who attempts to make money from backstabbing and sleazy revelations about people in public life. I can't undrestand why she would imagine that anyone would be interested in her sex life, even the thought of it turns my stomach! What really makes me cross is that when Tony Blair was prime minister they were fierce about protecting their children from press intrusion - quite rightly in my oppinion (but they didn't mind using them for a bit of PR from time to time). Now, Chere Blair is telling the world about how Leo was conceived, how can a mother do that to their child? I'm not sure how old Leo is now, but he is certainly old enough to be mortified by her revelations. There are standards and there are some things that you just shouldn't do even for money, it seems to me that Chere Blair has put £'s before parenting and I am disgusted. I really would have expected better from Radio 4, what will it be next - readings from the News of the World perhaps?!

Getting Old? 20.02.08

Robbie said that his work colleagues have accused him of getting old - don't they have mirrors in Birmingham? On second thoughts, judging by some of the sights I have seen at New Street, they probably don't have mirrors. Apparently it is Robbie's choice of podcasts that led them to suggest that he was old and boring. I can't see anything wrong with Farming Today, the Archers and Woman's Hour, in fact we have Radio 4 in every room at home (even the bathroom). Anyway he can't be old, because that would make me even older and I'm not ready to deal with that yet.

Robbie says that people at work start doing strange things when they get old, like having pictures of their partners on their desks, wearing those horrible brown suede shoes and horror of horrors they listen to Radio 2! Robbie may be a bit 'unique' but I haven't noticed any dodgy footwear, he is certainly not a Radio 2 person and I hate having my picture taken so there is no danger of us becoming the next Howard and Hilda just yet!

Judging by Robbie's mates I think the railways attract more than their fair share of 'characters' and young or old they are a little odd. This evening Robbie was chatting online to a friend who happily announced that he had been playing with battleships in his bath! All I can say is ...beware of men in white coats!

Parting With Memories 02.02.08

Robbie was late home again on Friday, but not so late that his dinner was in the dog. It wouldn't have matter because the very first thing he told me about was the buffet at the meeting he went to today - I am sure people must think I starve him at home! He said that they were expecting several more people to stay for lunch, but for various reason the other people had to leave early so there was a lot of food. 'Was' being the operative word because it sounds very much as if Robbie did his famous locust impression by eating everything he saw. No wonder he wasn't able to hurry for the previous train!

Now that we have hot water again I have been reorganising the airing cupboard. I have lived in this house for almost 17 years and every couple of years I have had a sort out and tidy up in the airing cupboard. Usually we reach a point where the airing cupboard door refuses to close properly and then I reluctantly sort through and rearrange the piles of bedding and towels until looks a little more orderly again. We had to empty the whole cupboard for the hot water cylinder to be replaced and yet again I marvelled at its tardis like capacity - how did all that stuff fit in there?

Robbie said that I simply had to get rid of all the old or unused items. People who live in glass houses......he is a terrible hoarder. Anyway, I spent much of yesterday sorting though piles of stuff trying to decide what should stay and what should go. There was Emily's Thunderbirds Duvet set - she was a great Thunderbirds fan when she was tiny. I asked her if I should keep it and received a resounding 'YES'. Laura still uses her Noddy set, but we also have her 101 Dalmatian's bedding and there is NO way she will part with that! Sam proved less sentimental, but somehow I couldn't quite bring myself to part with his old covers either, they are a record of his different interests as he grew up. Dennis the Menace, Sharks, Super Heroes and Simpsons. I packed them all neatly into a storage bag to be stowed away at the bag of the highest shelf - just in case.

Sheets were sorted in to double and single piles and I found it a little easier to part with a few sheetsthat were looking a bit shaggy. I even added 2 or 3 double duvet covers to the bin bag, but it is hard to be ruthless. I found the duvet set that I had at college and with considerable reluctance I added to the bin bag, it hadn't been used for 20 years so I don't need it, but it feels like throwing away memories. The towels are even more difficult, they are like old friends. Some were wedding presents (the first time) some where collected along the way at significant events. We still have the towels I made for the children to go over their heads and make it easier to get dry after swimming lessons, they refused to part with them. Then there are the pets towels, am I the only one to demote towels to dog towels when they get a bit worn? Ok, I admit that we have quite a lot of pet towels - but when Robbie baths Megan he always ends wetter than her and the bathroom looks as though there has been a tidal wave.

One of Those Days 25.01.08

Thursday was one of those days. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but our hot water failed a couple of weeks ago, the central heating still works but it is so frustrating not having hot water. We still have a working shower so we don't smell, well not unless Robbie has been over enthusiastic with the aftershave again - that can be a breath taking experience! Anyway I am grateful that we have a working shower, but I miss my bath, there is nothing quite like a leisurely Sunday morning listening to The Archers in the bath - with two cups of tea, of course! Having been messed around by the first couple of plumbers we contacted, we finally had an appointment for someone to come and fix the problem yesterday. I had spent the whole day planning a long hot bath that evening, but when I arrived home at about 6.15 I could tell by Robbie's face that it was bad news. Still no hot water! Apparently the plumber thinks we need a new cylinder and it can't be fitted until next week. I'm not convinced that he is correct, so I intend to check that out first but whatever the outcome we are facing another weekend without hot water. Our boiler is only 4 years old, so I am unimpressed to say the least! Oh well, I expect we will sort it out eventually.

Problem Pets 01.11.07

Yesterday was an odd day. Shortly after Robbie left for work I glanced out of the kitchen window and saw Meg wandering around the garden wearing some sort of contraption around her neck with an additional piece dragging along behind her. I couldn't believe my eyes, it looked as if she was ploughing the garden - it could probably do with something radical like ploughing! On closer inspection I realised that she was wearing what remained of the dog flap! She is a lovely dog, but possibly not the brightest of the canine world. It shouldn't be too difficult to guess what 'Bob the Builder' will be doing this weekend.

When Sam and Laura had been safely despatched to school, I was ready to indulge in a few moments of luxury, a nice relaxing bath. Seconds after settling myself into the bath there was an almighty crash, so close that it could only be someone breaking into the house. I sat still, listening to Meg's frantic barking, eventually she stopped and the house was silent. Realising that my present situation put me at considerable disadvantage in tackling a 'mad bad axeman'. I got dried and dressed in record time and walked quietly downstairs (suitably armed) to investigate the clatter. It was immediately obvious what had happened, the hall curtains, rail and all were on the floor and Oreo was on the windowsill. That dratted cat had tried to climb up the curtains and had managed to bring the whole lot down. I am starting to see the attraction of a goldfish as a pet!

Déjà Vu 05.08.07

I had so much to do today and so little energy, the intentions were good but the effort was sadly lacking. When I rather belatedly emerged from the shower and ventured downstairs my nostrils were assailed by the unmistakable fragrance of fox. Megan had rolled again, we get foxes in the back garden sometimes and she must have found the 'noxious substance' there because she was fine last night. Robbie and Sam were sitting in the lounge wondering what the smell was, neither of them had noticed the caked on 'perfume' around Megan's neck! The 'b' word was mentioned and Megan instantly became a quivering wreck, she was dragged off for a bath by two equally reluctant men. I kept well away, but I could still hear the soundtrack - a crescendo of expletives followed by a cry of anguish from Robbie and further disparaging remarks directed at Megan. In due course Meg reappeared looking fresh as a daisy, next came a rather dishevelled Sam and finally Robbie looking like a drowned rat, he was drenched and was promptly despatched for a shower. Sam explained that the shriek of anguish from Robbie was in response to Megan jumping out of the bath prematurely she then shook herself which soaked Robbie. He and Meg kept out of each others way for the rest of the day!

Robbie nearly drove me mad regarding the choice of our next washing machine. We both agreed that we wanted a Bosch machine, but I wanted a basic one as there is less to go wrong, while Robbie wanted to get one with lots of extra bells and whistles. We ended up arguing over the need for a digital display and as the machine hasn't yet been ordered it is not clear who has won the argument yet.

I forgot to mention yesterday that yet another garment has made a lonely journey to Euston. This time it was Sam's jacket - I am sure Robbie bribed him to do it. A few minutes after they got in the car Sam announced that he had left the jacket on the train, that necessitated a flurry of phone calls from Robbie to a variety of railway people. The jacket was rescued and is now safely tucked away awaiting collection, so Robbie will have to make yet another trip to Euston to fetch it. He has made so many detours to Euston recently that I am beginning to think he must have a woman tucked away in the stores there!!

A Day Out 28.07.08

You will be pleased to hear that Robbie has survived unharmed, but I can assure you that I didn't require a crystal ball and dangly ear rings in order to tell him his fortune very accurately when he got home. I think we have reached a clear understanding that should prevent any further episodes of 'the demon spring cleaner' running amok. That should make life easier for his colleagues, I suspect they found him rather challenging on Friday!

Robbie was up at the crack of dawn to travel all the way to Newquay by train just to come back again! Apparently it is a tradition that he always goes to Newquay on an HST in the summer - whatever! The hedge by the drive is so overgrown that it is threatening to take over the drive and today is the first day for ages that it could have been cut, but Robbie is on a train with a load of other train obsessed men talking about trains! They forecast rain tomorrow so I doubt it will get done this weekend. Oh well, why should he have all the fun, I decided to take Sam and Laura to Wicksteed Park (our local theme park) to celebrate the appearance of the sunshine.

Wicksteed Park is in Kettering and while not on the grand scale of Alton Towers it has more than enough to keep everyone in the family busy all day. When I was a child a trip to Wicksteed was the highlight of my summer, I was very clear about my favourite activities, I loved to visit the pets corner/zoo area and I loved the helter-skelter, both are long gone in favour of more high tech activities, but today's children seem to love it every bit as much as I did. There are very few activities that remain largely unchanged since my childhood, but one familiar feature is the train, it is safer these days, but just as popular. My children always want to go on the train, so today that was our first port of call. Robbie was not amused to hear he had missed out on a trip, but he can't do everything.

When we got home I embarked on one of those jobs that I detest - defrosting the freezer. I knew that I couldn't turn a blind eye any longer when Robbie threatened to take a chisel to it! He is not exactly Mr Practical, but he tries. It is a tall freezer with lots of drawers and it is a bit of an effort to defrost without creating too much mess. Bowls of steaming hot water speed things up a bit, but it is not my idea of fun. Megan nearly drove me mad by sitting so close to the freezer that she was getting wet and I was in danger of falling over her. I don't know why she always has to be so close.

On the subject of Meg she almost got me into trouble with Robbie a couple of days ago. She came in from the park wearing the unmistakable scent of fox poo, it is one of her favourites but it was pungent enough to make your eyes water. She had rolled again and since we don't possess gas masks, a bath was unavoidable. Laura volunteered to do the deed, but Meg had run out of shampoo so we borrowed Robbie's instead. Meg emerged smelling significantly sweeter but feeling very sorry for herself. We thought nothing more of it until the next day when Robbie asked if I had been messing with his stuff in the bathroom. I almost confessed, but before I could say anything he accused me of blunting the blade on his razor, so I was able to summon up my most indignant look and deny the 'crime'. I don't see why he should blame me! He didn't find out about the shampoo (until now!).

The picture today is of Sam's guinea pig Shadow, she is the cutest little thing, but she has attitude. Meg is quite nice to her really, but just occasionally Meg is overcome by the urge to round her up and Shadow has plenty to say about that! I love the noises that guinea pigs make, you can certainly tell the difference between a contented noise and a cross noise.