A cats got her own opinion of human beings. She don't say much, but you can tell enough to make you anxious not to hear the whole of it --Jerome K. Jerome

If there was such a thing as a Krypton Factor for cats Dave would be a champion. A few nights ago there was a commotion in the kitchen at around 2am but thankfully it was not burglars, it was Dave attacking the cat proof food recycling bin. I put the bin safely out of his way and trudged back to bed. The next morning I came down to find an open food recycling bin and an work of abstract art made from tea bags and crusts set out on the kitchen floor. Dave gave me a penetrating look and I was left in no doubt that he disapproves of cat proof containers. He doesn't eat tea bags and he's not fond of crusts, he was just proving that as far as he is concerned nothing is cat proof. Cats are such wonderful communicators, it only requires a look or an almost imperceptible flick of the tail for Dave to convey absolute contempt. 

As I picked up the debris and then cleaned the kitchen floor I realised how much of my time is taken up attending to the needs of an assortment of animals. We only have three cats, but my mum and stepfather are both frail so I help them with their animals too. Their elderly cat Jessica is beautiful, but she's as wild and unpredictable a tiger and it takes nerves of steel (and protective clothing) to get her into the cat basket when she needs to go to the vet. Shopping for the cat takes far longer than anyone would believe possible because because mum has to examine every flavour and brand of cat food to decide whether Jessica would like it. Then after lots of deliberation she buys the same combination of brands that she always buys!

Lucy is my favourite of mum's three dogs, when she came from Wood Green Animal Shelter she was pathetically thin and afraid of her own shadow, but now she is healthy and happy. One of her parents was a Shih Tzu and the other a Border Collie - an improbable liaison which probably involved a step ladder! She combines the intelligence and behaviour of a (rather neurotic) Border Collie with the build and colouring of a Shih Tzu and despite her difficult past she has a lovely friendly nature. She seems to be especially attached to me, she follows me like a shadow, sits next to me whenever I sit down and when I stop stroking her she nudges my arm with her nose to get my attention - which often results in spilt tea and a disgraced dog! 

Bobby and Misty the other two Shih Tzus are a little younger than Lucy, and completely bonkers. They are brother and sister but Bobby is twice the size of Misty, he is gentle and friendly but Misty is a little spitfire and what she lacks in height she makes up for in attitude. Taking them to the groomers is a nightmare, it's like having chimps in the car, Bobby cries because he has left my mum behind and Misty spends the entire journey telling other road users to go away! She also objects to the car radio, if I turn it on she barks frantically and searches for the people hiding in the car. Needless to say, I prefer not to take them out in the car more often than absolutely necessary! 

Shopping for their food is a nightmare, Bobby is a solid little chap and despite being reassured by the vet that he is the correct weight for his size my mum worries that he doesn't eat. Getting him to eat seems to have become an obsession for my mum, so we loiter endlessly in the dog food section looking for new possibilities to tempt him to eat. Lucy eats reasonably well (as long as no one looks at her) and she is the easiest of the three dogs to shop for. It probably only takes about 15 minutes for my mum to consider every option and then decide to buy her regular brand of dog food! 

The other member of the household is Fred the tortoise who has been part of the family since my childhood. He is probably the most pampered tortoise in the county and there are times when I envy his lifestyle! In October he retires to his winter quarters and sleeps until the spring when the days become warmer again. His summer quarters, an open fronted hutch in a large pen has to be moved around the lawn so that he can enjoy fresh grass and plenty of dandelions (his favourite). Throughout the spring and summer he munches his way through a monumental amount of salad and such like. Mum insists on having a bird net over the pen to stop them from stealing his food and every time it rains my mum covers his run with a tarpaulin so that he will not get wet, then when the sun comes out she adjusts the tarpaulin so that he has plenty of shade. So as you can see one small tortoise manages to dominate the daily routine of the household!

A couple of years ago we made the mistake of buying a multi hanger bird feeder for my stepfather so that he could enjoy watching the birds through the window. It was a success, in fact it was too successful, feeding the birds seems to dominate their lives! They get through unbelievable quantities of seed, sunflower seeds, fat balls and assorted pellets and every couple of weeks I'm dispatched to the pet superstore to buy a trolley load of supplies for the birds! Judging by the amount of food they eat it is a wonder that any of the local birds can still fly! 

I wouldn't be without my pets, but they are not quite as pampered as my mums. If the people who believe in reincarnation are proved right I hope that I will come back as a tortoise because Fred seems to have a happy and untroubled life!

A Day in Cromer

We decided that we would get up early on Monday and drive to Cromer. The early bit didn't quite work out as planned, the Norfolk air must be getting to Robbie because he has lost all sense of urgency. Even when he'd had his shave and shower, he took an age to get dressed, then when he was finally dressed he put his shoes on in slow motion - how long can it possibly take to put two shoes on!

When we got to Cromer Robbie found a hotspot and he took the chance to upload a lot of photos to Facebook. Mobile phone and internet  reception in Norfolk leave a great deal to be desired, so Robbie was determined to make the most of the hotspot - while I waited! We enjoyed wandering around Cromer, but Robbie kept vanishing, one minute he would be next to me then I would turn around to see him darting off to take yet another photo of a bus. They all look the same to me, but I don't tell Robbie that otherwise he would explain the differences in far more detail than I could cope with.

We enjoyed looking at books and jigsaws in Jarolds and our favourite book shop behind the church. We bought one or two things but we were quite restrained by Robbie's standards. It was another lovely warm, sunny day so we strolled towards the sea front. I must have taken countless photos of the pier over the years, but I couldn't resist taking more because it really is a splendid pier. When we had seen all we wanted of Cromer we drove back to Walcott in time to stroll on the beach and enjoy the garden.

You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a prince

Who needs a handsome prince when they have a Robbie? I thought this little chap (found in our front garden) was perfect just the way he is, he even posed for the camera!

Men do cry, but only when assembling furniture - Rita Rudner

Who would have thought that the simple act of erecting a gazebo could cause me to have homicidal thoughts! Now that the monsoon season appears to be over my mum wanted us to put her gazebo up so that she and my step father can have a bit of shade in the garden. I had my first encounter with that gazebo last year, it is allegedly a pop up gazebo. It weighs a ton and the one thing it doesn't do is 'pop up' it needs a lot of attention and encouragement and if you are very lucky after half an hour of hard labour the thing will be up. It is absolutely huge, my mum has a big garden, but that thing takes up a lot of room.


This was Robbie's first experience with the gazebo and when I asked him to help he had a 'how hard can it be' look on his face. It didn't take him very long to find out exactly how hard it could be! Simply getting the enormous box out of the shed was a challenge. Then when we got it out of the box there were no instructions, so my mum went off to sort through her vast collection of instruction manuals (for everything that she has ever owned in her adult life!). A little thing like no instructions didn't bother Robbie he began the task with enthusiasm until I pointed out that he was assembling the frame upside down. Why do men think that possessing a 'third leg' gives them superior ability in such matters? It is rare for Robbie to come over all macho and I didn't like what I saw. Undeterred by his error he took charge, barking instructions at me, do this, hold this, fetch that. I kept my temper with great difficulty, he had conveniently overlooked the fact that I had erected this thing before - he was the novice!


To compound my irritation, every so often he would walk across to me and kiss me on the forehead. I could hardly contain my annoyance and when my mum returned with the instructions and a mallet (to peg it into the ground) the temptation was overwhelming. I stood there obediently passing him the parts according to his instruction, but in my head I was considering other uses for that mallet!


Despite his irritating ways I was very grateful to him for helping to sort out the gazebo. Hopefully my mum and step father will be able to enjoy lots of sunny days in the garden. 

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant - Robert Louis Stevenson

I love Saturdays, there is nothing better than the luxury of time. Going to bed on a Friday evening knowing that you don't have to set the alarm clock. Then waking up on a Saturday morning knowing that you can lay there and listen to the radio if you want to, or you can take a long lazy bath without anyone telling you to hurry up. Perhaps most important of all from my point of view is having time to enjoy a cup of tea without the need to rush, in fact I can enjoy two cups of tea if the mood takes me!


It was such a relief to have a more or less dry day on Saturday, it gave us a chance to consider the garden. I use the word consider rather than a more active word because I rendered myself incapable of anything more active. Robbie whispered the magic words into my ear and I gave in to temptation. The words in question were 'full English' - Robbie's speciality. I couldn't resist, it was more brunch than breakfast by the time we got around to eating and by then I was hungry. I ate too much because it was too nice to leave and after that I felt so full that I thought I would never be able to move again. So we spent time planning our next moves in the rather than actually doing the deed.  

We decided that the back fence needed urgent attention. I wanted something to grow up the fence that would look more attractive than the fence and would deter anyone who may be tempted to climb the fence. So we went out to choose some plants to grow along the fence. Robbie spotted a very pretty fuchsia, which while beautiful was not what I had in mind at all. We settled on Pyracantha it has several things to recommend it, it will add some colour to the garden in winter and if anyone tries to climb over that they will probably end up on hospital, it has thorns as long as spears! We bought some more potting compost too. We need to replace the soil in the tubs in the front garden, they have been washed out and waterlogged for so long that we need a fresh start. I think I will leave that job for a little while until I am certain that it has stopped raining.

Gardens are a form of autobiography - Sydney Eddison

If it is true that gardens are a form of autobiography then it probably suggests that my life is a bit of a disaster! I am not a gardener, given the choice I would always choose a beach to a garden, in fact I would choose field in preference to a garden. I don't like to see things growing in rows and I don't like big brash plants in bold colours. I prefer a gentler, more natural look, with more subtle flowers such as bluebells and primroses. 


In our back garden we have a couple of large lilac bushes, which I am quite fond of. The trouble is that they are thugs, if you turn your back on them they double in size and start marching across the garden. In the far corner is a large Hawthorne tree, I love that most of all, the blossom is beautiful, it cheers me up when I look out of the kitchen window. We have a couple of other trees too, the holly is still there because it puts off anyone who may think of coming over the back fence, but maybe I should plant a couple of Pyracanthas as well, they have some serious thorns! There is a big tree at the back of the garden, I don't know what it is, but I know it is too tall and it really should come down. The trouble is that it is easier said than done and it is one of those things that keeps getting put off because there is always a more urgent call on our finances.


In the front garden we have several rose bushes a climbing rose, clematis, forsythia and my absolute favourite a very large Philadelphus. I am fond of the roses, especially the climbing rose, but it feels as if they are in competition with the hedge to see which one can grow fastest and take over the garden. Allowing things to look natural is one thing but allowing them to take over is quite another. The rose bushes had become too tall and too wide so that it was hard to walk around the front garden and the hedge was reaching out into the garden and threatening to stop anyone walking down the path. Clearly it was time to take drastic action, so this weekend we the whole family made a concerted attack on the front garden. Robbie was incredible, he tamed the hedge next to the drive. I was really worried that he would aggravate his back and I could tell that he was hurting but he did a good job. I did battle with the roses - they fought back and they fight dirty, but in the end they were cut down to size. My daughter's boyfriend tackled the rest of the hedge and my son and daughter tamed the other shrubs. It looks a lot better now, but it will be a while before I want to do that again.

White Rabbits

Photo by Fish

When I was a child I was always told that on the first of the month the very first thing I should say was 'white rabbits'. It never really made any sense to me, but apparently this ritual somehow brought good luck. I guess I have never been superstitious, I couldn't imagine how a white rabbit could bring good luck. We had pet rabbits when I was young, mine was black and white female with attitude (all the women in our family are a force to be reckoned with) and my brothers was a big placid white rabbit called Skippy. He was a big softy, he was gentle and he liked to be petted there was just one problem, he didn't like my grandma. Their cages were mounted on the wall one above the other with Skippy on top. My grandma was not very tall (under 5ft) so she had to reach up to Skippy's cage  when she went out to feed the rabbits. Skippy would do a turn jump and urinate on her head every time he saw her. That particular white rabbit certainly didn't bring my grandma much luck and he made life miserable for us too because my grandma had plenty to say about it - we never heard the last of it!


When I began this entry it was my intention to write about a different white rabbit. The rabbit in question appeared in our garden a few days ago much to my son's amusement. He thinks I have some sort of Dr Dolittle thing going on, after all most people don't have white rabbits turning up at their back door uninvited. We still have our feline lodger, she turned up and just moved in and of course Dave turned up as a stray a few years ago. According to the vet 'the lodger' is a probably a long term stray, we haven't been able to find her original owners so we are trying to find a new home for her. Fortunately the white rabbit was easier to deal with, it lived in the road behind us, but it had decided to make a tour of local gardens. Thanks to my son it was caught and returned to the safety of it's own garden. Robbie wasn't at home when the rabbit turned up, but when he heard about it he vowed that if one more animal moves in with us he would move out!

My connection to the earth is reinforced through the rhythm of the waves - Mike Dolan

It was another lovely sunny day. I was up before before Robbie and I wandered out into the garden and stood looking over the gate at the waves lapping up the beach. It was a very special because it is rare that I have the time to just stand and enjoy the moment without having to dash off to do something more important. The most precious thing about coming to Norfolk is being able to take time to do nothing and to recharge my batteries.

By the time Robbie emerged to face the day I had already done some washing and hung it out, and been for a walk along the beach. The tide was in so there wasn't much beach but I like to look at the beautiful colours and shapes of the sea washed pebbles and with the sun shining on them they almost sparkle. A percularity of this beach are pebbles with holes worn all the way through, I am not sure why it happens, but when the children were young a friend told us that they were special because the ones with holes all the way through are wishing stones.I still look out for them, I need all the wishes I can find and it brings back happy memories of collecting shells and pebbles with the children.

We were happy to stay at the bungalow to enjoy the sunshine and the luxuary of time, it was a lovely relaxing day. We popped out to Stalham briefly in the afternoon to get milk and a few other bits and bobs and then back to the bungalow to enjoy a nice quiet evening, just us and the bats - they really are amazing. The sunset was amazing too, it looked as if the sky was on fire, there is nothing quite like a Norfolk sunset.

Childhood is The Most Beautiful of All Life's Seasons.

I am looking forward to another long weekend. Having such lovely weather last weekend made Easter extra special. On Easter Sunday we had a family picnic in my mum's garden. Having my three year old nephew Oliver there made it extra special. My daughter had the idea of doing an Easter egg hunt for him. He is too small to have a lot of chocolate so I bought a set of hollow egg shaped chicks and my daughter bought some fun things to put inside them (or to hide near them). 

Oliver went racing around the garden looking for the chicks with Grandad giving directions from his deckchair and his cousins trailing behind ready to help him. It was lovely to watch him and to see how much pleasure he got from a tub of bubbles, a balloon on a string, bouncy balls and a selection of books. I think the rest of us enjoyed it every bit as much as he did. It was so nice to have all the family together and to be able to enjoy the sunshine.

I couldn't help feeling a twinge of sadness because Oliver has come along so much later than my own children and he will only remember Grandad as old and frail. My children have a wealth of happy memories of time spent with their grandparents and their grandparents have been a very important and much loved part of their lives.  When my children were little they longed for cousins and I longed to become an aunt - we had a long wait! Oliver has cousins who adore him and a whole family who love him very much and who enjoy spending time with him. His experience of childhood will be different, but the important thing is that he is surrounded by people who love him. Grandad may no longer be able to race around leading ponies or playing cricket in the garden, but he and Oliver are great friends and he still enjoys the fun of family life.

The Sound of Silence

Sunday was taken up with doing the washing and getting everything back in order ready to get back to reality on Monday. Robbie really should have tackled the garden, we have only been away for a week but the hedge seems to have moved half way across the drive and the back garden looks more like a scene from Sleeping Beauty - wild and untended for 100 years! He promised that he would deal with it during the week, but I spotted several pigs flying past!!

Monday was strange, Robbie was back at work and Sam was back at school and when I sat down to make a start on my own work I realised that I had missed something while we were away - the sound of silence! I wonder if Robbie's colleagues noticed that their peace had been shattered when he got back on Monday morning?

A Testing Time.

We had a call from Laura this morning, she was bursting with excitement because she had passed her driving test this morning and of course that meant I had to ring my insurance company to add her, so that she could drive the Micra. I am really pleased for her, she has always loved cars for as long as I can remember she has been longing to drive. She will have to make do with the Micra, but perhaps that's not a bad thing, because she needs to take things slowly and carefully.

One of the nice things about being on holiday is doing nothing and today was one of those days, it was sunny and warm and all I wanted to do was to enjoy the beach and the garden. Robbie and I took a walk to the shop, but that was the furthest we went today. It is so peaceful sitting in the garden, all the every day worries seem a million miles away. It was so nice today that Sam was in a good enough mood to let me take his photograph - almost unheard of.

Robbie has been in his element this evening, he is watching train DVD's, but being Robbie he can't just watch he is providing his own commentary and providing all his own sound effects! I bought him a whole set of DVD's about British Heritage Railways, and he has brought his Branch Line sets as well as an assortment of other train DVD's. If he is still feeling deprived of after all that, he also has a stack of railway magazines and every few minutes he shows me a picture or reads an article to me. We did manage to take his mind off trains for a few minutes this evening, there was an amazing orange moon and I had never seen so many stars, so we all went outside to have a look.

What Comes Down Must Go Up - Eventually

After Robbie's reluctance to sorting the fence out, it was inevitable that matters would eventually come to a head. The whole fence episode had been going on for over a year and my tolerance levels were at rock bottom. After a frank exchange of views Robbie finally saw things my way and agreed to spend Sunday in the garden. It took all morning to chase him out there, but eventually he ran out of excuses and headed out with a resigned look on his face. I left him to it and went out and he rang me later to say that the final fence panel is now up! It isn't perfect and I am not sure how long it will stay in place, but it is a huge improvement on the gap that was there before! Anyway while I had him in garden mode I decided to make the most of it. A couple of weeks ago I got him to spray the weeds to keep them under control, I am not sure if used weed killer or miracle grow, but they have grown like triffids ever since. I asked him to spray them again and to make sure that none of them got away this time. For a couple of hours he wandered around the garden spraying everything in sight. At about 7pm he retired injured - repetitive strain injury to his trigger finger!

Triffid Trouble

Robbie spent Sunday morning doing battle with a 'triffid' in the garden that has to be dug out before he can erect the final fence panel – it won! It is still standing defiantly, Robbie had to retire from battle due to exhaustion but he thinks he has a least inflicted some damage to the roots and battle will recommence next week. Maybe his skirmish in the garden put him in an awkward mood because he was in argumentative mood in the afternoon. First he absolutely insisted that I was wrong about the type of shampoo that I use for the dog, then later he insisted that I was lying about the cost of a BT call out when there is no line fault. What stupid things to argue about! He did apologise later when he found that he was wrong on both counts, it was fun watching him eat humble pie!

In a Minute!

I hope our neighbours go to bed early because if they had glanced out of the window at close to midnight they would have seen a very odd sight. The wind and rain had caused the fence at the end of our garden to lean perilously and Robbie had been promising all evening that he would go and investigate 'in a minute'. For someone who deals with train times accurate to the minute, he is far less respectful of time in his personal life! He managed to put off inspecting the fence until bedtime when it could not be ignored any longer because Meg needed to go out in the garden. Robbie ventured out wearing in a jacket, PJ trousers and Dr Marten boots and armed with a torch! I can't imagine what the neighbours would have thought, but at least the fence is secure (for now at least).

It Could Only Happen to Robbie

There are some things that only seem to happen to Robbie. When I got home last night I found Robbie sitting in his PJ's with one trouser leg rolled up. It crossed my mind that he could have joined the Masons, but it seemed an unlikely explanation (unless they have a railway section) so I had to find a more obvious reason for the new style. As I took a closer look at his leg I saw that it was badly cut in a series of scratches that ran up and around his leg. According to him he was innocently walking home when a rose jumped out and grabbed his leg. Apparently he'd had quite a struggle to free himself! I hope he hasn't ripped yet another pair of trousers, it is bad enough when he falls over and writes off his trousers without finding new ways to destroy them. His leg is hurting him quit a lot, I really hope it will not turn septic.

Back to Reality

On Monday morning I had that disconcerting experience of waking up and having no idea where I was. Then with a sinking feeling I realised that I wasn't on holiday any more, I was back at home in my own bed, in the real world and our holiday is just a fading memory. I really don't want the summer to end, it has been nice to have more time with Sam, Laura and Emily and now there is only one week left before school starts again. Before we know it the clocks will be changing and the dark days of winter will stretch ahead of us.

The more immediate reality of work and daily routine can not be avoided, but I am determined not to let it completely overshadow family time. Coming home after a holiday makes you look at things with a fresh eye and I am determined to de-clutter the house. there is also too much stuff and too little space. I am also going to redecorate the kitchen, I have been promising that I would do it for ages, but I have to stop thinking and get on with it. We have had temporary fencing up on one side of the garden for months, it only required three panels but Robbie turned a supposedly simple task into a bureaucratic exercise of endless planning and indecision – he's been spending too much time with Network Rail! In the end I gave him an ultimatum, if he couldn't get it up I would find someone who could! So yesterday he and Sam ventured out into the garden and after three hours of effort they had managed to erect one panel! Oh well, only two more to go. Maybe Robbie should stick to train planning!

The Demon Strimmer

After being 'allowed' out to play trains on Saturday Robbie said that he would give me his undivided attention on Sunday. He told me that his body was at my disposal, so I booted his body out of bed and sent him off tho establish a deep and meaningful relationship with the strimmer. I stayed upstairs doing some jobs and listening to The Archers, but Emily kept popping in with regular bulletins on the lack of progress in the garden. The strimmer thread kept breaking and Robbie would have made more impact with a pair of scissors than with the strimmer. Being a man Robbie had an answer - when in doubt head for the DIY superstore! The garden was finally tamed at about 8.30pm!!

Watching Paint Dry!

On Sunday morning Robbie finally fulfilled his promise to do some work in the garden. our grass is so long that a whole family of tigers could be in there and we would never know. Maybe we should get a sheep! Robbie's main aim was to bag up all the wood from the old fence panels and the remains of the tree/shrub that he chopped down last week. We took a car load of garden waste to the recycling centre so we must be making progress, but the garden still looks like a tip. Is there such a thing as slow growing grass? I'm sure it would be worth us scrapping the present lawn and starting again.

Robbie deserved a relaxing evening after all his work in the garden. He could have enjoyed some family time or he could even have talked to me - no chance, he was chatting online with his little friend from work. You may wonder what was so important to talk to a work colleague about on a Sunday, no for once it wasn't trains - it was trams! There are some things in life that you just can't change and Robbie is one of them. He kept telling me how lucky his mate was to have visited the tram museum and I kept giving the occasional nod or mumble to make him feel that I was interested. In reality I wasn't listening, I wasn't going to let him bore me rigid on a bank holiday weekend. Do you know the difference between a tram and a trolley bus? I don't, I dashed off to watch some paint drying as soon as he embarked on that subject!

At least his chat with his mate solved one long standing problem for me. I have no idea what they were talking about but Robbie used the phrase 'Head Honcho' at least that is what he intended to say. Unfortunately every time he uses that phrase he always says it wrong, I have told him about it loads of times but he never takes any notice of me. His colleague has finally made him understand that 'Head poncho' conjures up an entirely different image - a South American gangster perhaps? For some reason it reminds me of a zany television series from my childhood, it was called Michael Bentine's Potty Time. The thing I remember most is that the puppets had no legs, they were just a coat and a head (and arms of course), I don't recall one wearing a poncho, but I can just imagine the sort of crazy character he would have created.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqXiqiC5dS8

Yet More Trouser Trouble!

Robbie's pledge to work on the garden caused a change in the weather - we woke up to find a covering of snow this morning! I can't complain, when he finally got into the garden yesterday he worked hard to tidy it up. He had to go to town on Saturday morning because he had to return his black suit trousers to Marks and Spencers. On Friday he had a 'close encounter' with his zip and now like Grand Old Duke of York the zip is neither up nor down, not the best way to get noticed! Robbie and Sam headed off to town and it seems they disappeared into a black hole because they vanished for hours. Robbie finally returned without exchanging his trousers, they didn't have his size in black so he has to look in Birmingham next week. He said they had a similar suit in beige that would make a nice change. It would be a change certainly, but he must have taken leave of his senses if he thinks it would be nice. He is not a beige person, to borrow a phrase from my mum, you can wear beige when you are dead. In fact he may as well go all the way and get a white suit, like in Randal and Hopkirk (deceased). At least that would add some comedy value!

While in town he accidentally bought another railway book. It is called Traction Recognition, and Robbie sat reading it and making appreciative comments for ages, anyone listing to the commentary would have assumed he was looking at a top shelf magazine rather than 'anorak's' reference book! Finally the procrastination had to stop and he headed out to the back garden to restore order.

High Speed Chase

When Robbie got home yesterday he was very keen to tell me about a link that his cousin Wendy in USA had sent him. It enabled Robbie to guide the cursor and view the road where Wendy lives. It isn't like google earth where you are looking down on the houses from above, it is as if you are driving along the street and you can look at all the houses. Robbie doesn't drive, and he wasn't very good at virtual 'driving' with the cursor either, one minute we were looking at Wendy's house then suddenly we went speeding off down the road into the next road, and the next - we were practically in the next state before he released the cursor! It is an amazing link and it was really interesting to experience, it was like being able to walk down a road in a country that you have never visited. Well, actually with Robbie in the driving seat it was more like playing The Simpsons Road Rage game, but you know what I mean. Robbie said he would look again later when he had more time, I think he wanted to practice his 'driving' skills in private.

I am rather glad there is not a similar site that allows people to have quite such a close look at our house, the front hedge needs cutting and the hedge cutter is still out of action after Robbie last escapade - he cut through the electric cable! We have a gardening weekend planned, Robbie plans to restore order to the back garden and I need to tidy up at the front. I think we will avoid the electrical gadgets for the garden as far as possible!