Rain Rain Go Away

The snow has all gone at last, but now we have rain. I think I would rather have snow because I am so sick of rain, it seems as if it has rained with hardly any break for at least a year. I know I am exaggerating, but that is how it feels!

We drove to my mum's on Sunday, it was nice to be able to get around more easily but the rain had washed the snow away and the world looked very dull and bedraggled after the beauty of the snow. The winter jasmine which grows around our door had been looking splendid before the snow came but now 
some of the bright yellow flowers have lost their colour and they look very sorry for themselves. The flowers should stay until March, but it looks as if they are on the way out. 

The River Nene skirts one of the roads that we take on the way to my mum's house, then the road crosses the Nene and heads towards Bedford. The river was very high and in certain parts it had spilled over into the surrounding fields. This time last year we were worried that there had not been enough rainfall (and it has hardly stopped raining since!) but now we have the opposite worry, the last thing we need is more rain.

I don't want this post to seem like a catalogue of moans because there was one bright spot amid the damp and gloomy garden - new shoots! It is only the end of January and no doubt we can look forward to plenty more rain and perhaps more snow too, but we can also look forward to better days ahead because even in our bedraggled and neglected garden we can see the promise of spring!

Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. - Oscar Wilde

We had a very nice day today, a long lazy morning listening to the radio and enjoying some computer time. Then after the luxuary of a nice hot bath it was time to go out. We took a gentle drive to Wolaston to check out the Doc Shop. We like to drive to out through Earls Barton, then on towards Great Doddington until then we turn off on to Hardwater Road towards Wollaston. The route takes us past a very pretty old water mill, the water was very high because we have had a lot of rain recently, the fields were flooded and the water came right to the edge of the road. I am so fed up with rain, after the unusually high rainfall in the last twelve months I am starting to feel like Noah!

Robbie's new boots

They had some of the boots from the Boxing Day sale at the Doc Shop, the ones that were used in the Olympics. They were a very good price and the proceeds were going to charity, it was nice to see them but I didn't want to buy any. I didn't think I was going to buy anything, but then I spotted some rather nice ankle boots. They were so comfortable that I couldn't resist them and Robbie bought them for me. He bought some ankle boots for himself too, they are not his usual sort of boot, but I rather like them.  

My new boots

It was not too difficult to drag Robbie away from the Doc Shop because the next stop involved food. We drove back to Northampton and had a quick look at the sale items in W.H. Smith, I love books and art products and I can't resist bookshops. I spent more than I should have done, but most of the things I bought were for birthday presents so I'd better not write about my purchases. After that we went to eat and we had a nice relaxing time just chatting and enjoying time together.

When we got home it was time to take the decorations down, Robbie got the boxes from the loft and brought them downstairs, the sight of the boxes cleared the lounge instantly, I felt like 'Billy No Mates' - even the cats scarpered! Robbie went off to the kitchen to feed the cats and get on with the routine jobs while and I spent the next couple of hours taking down and packing away the Christmas Tree and the decorations. The room looks really bare now so perhaps it this would be a good time to redecorate. On the other hand redecorating the kitchen is long overdue so that has to be my highest priority. 

Storms batter South West coast as 'monsoon' weather hits Britain - The Telegraph

My younger daughter had spent weeks planning a long weekend in Cornwall with her brother and a friend from university. She really isn't the camping type, but they had arranged to spend the first couple of nights 'under canvas' before moving to more civilised surroundings for the remainder of their stay. She is a confident driver and she has made the journey a couple of times before, but I'm her mum and I can't help worrying especially as she planned to make the journey during the night - and that was before I saw the weather forecast!

"Strong winds, possibly up to gale force, are expected from the afternoon onwards in south-west England particularly Devon and Cornwall," forecaster Mark Seltzer from the Met Office.

When I saw the warnings from the Met Office yesterday I was seriously worried, I wouldn't have enjoyed driving to Cornwall in those conditions and I really wanted her to postpone her journey until the morning.

"Winds will increase this afternoon in Devon and Cornwall and there could be gusts of 60 to 65mph, or even 70mph on exposed coasts and headlands......"

My daughter is as stubborn and determined as her mother and she wasn't going let a little matter of the weather spoil her plans. She is also half Cornish and the call of the sea is very strong - it took her dad years to adapt to living so far from the sea. So soon after midnight they set off on their journey - and I began to worry! I had made sure that they were as well prepared as possible, but I was still worried. It was a very long night but thankfully they got to Padstow in time for breakfast. My daughter said that the journey had been very wet and very windy, so it was a challenging driving experience.

I really wish that they could have had better weather, it sounds as if they had a nice day despite the rain and according to my daughter the sun came out later on. Padstow holds so many happy memories for our family and it is nice to be there whatever the weather. However camping is a different story, I doubt my daughter would have enjoyed it even in perfect summer weather. She wrote on facebook that "Camping is most certainly not for me" and she went on to inform the world that she will be sleeping in the car tonight! Perhaps she will appreciate the comforts of home after this. I hope they stay safe and have a lovely day tomorrow.

“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain”

It seems that I was wrong, 'monsoon season' is not over. After a perfect week of sunshine last week a very hot weekend and a hot sunny days at the beginning of the week the rain came back with a vengeance yesterday evening. It was uncomfortably hot and late afternoon we had a brief shower which cane as a relief, it was so hot that I wanted to go and stand in the rain to cool down, but unfortunately I was busy at work so I couldn't do that . At about twenty past eight I was at the station waiting for Robbie because he was having a bad day and struggling to cope with the pain in his legs. The sky darkened and the heavens opened, it only lasted for about twenty minutes but it came down so hard that many roads including those in the station car park flooded (the water soon soaked away afterwards). By the time Robbie came out of the station the rain had more or less stopped. I thought his pain and the bad weather would have put him in a bad mood, but I was wrong. He was very happy, because lots of people had admired his new and rather splendid pink Lego brick cuff-links. 


As we drove home we encountered huge puddles and several flooded roads. The road where we live is quite high up and not prone to flooding but the drains couldn't cope and when we got home the road was flooded just beyond our house. The people from the houses opposite were all out trying to stop the traffic because the water from the road was flooding down into their houses. Thankfully our side of the road was fine.

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.

Raindrops keep falling on my head ......

I am so fed up with all this rain, I am thinking of changing my name to Noah! Even when it is not raining heavily it seems to be constantly damp and miserable. We have floods in various places, two caravan parks at Billing and Cogenhoe and some other properties have been evacuated. Sheep and cattle have had to be evacuated from flooded fields and in the park the lake has flooded and paths and benches are hidden under water.The ducks and water birds seem to be enjoying their newly enlarged lake, but for the rest of us the conditions are depressing. So why when we have more water than we no what to do with, do we still have someone from the government saying that we will be getting our water from standpipes in the street if we have another dry winter? It is all very well for the water companies to say it is the wrong kind of rain and telling us that it just runs away. Rain is rain, too much of it causes floods and creates havoc. Of course water soaks away gradually, but it us up to the water companies to collect it and store it, heaven knows we pay them enough!

This photo was taken yesterday looking towards Weston Mill from near Bedford Rd in Northampton. On the left is the River Nene, on the right is the flood storage area (usually you can walk on this land). That is a lot of water! 

It is exactly 14 years since we had another very wet April, apparently we had 3.5 x the average rainfall for that month and according to news reports a whole months worth of rain fell in one day in April. On the night of 9th April there were terrible floods in the town and there was no advance warning. 2500 homes were flooded and 2 lives were lost. There had been no serious flooding in the town since 1939. The reasons for the 1998 flood were complex, but building on the flood plain certainly played a part. Since then a lot of work has been done to protect the vulnerable areas of the town. Without that additional protection Billing and possibly other parts of our town would have suffered serious flooding again this year. It does seem that 'the powers that be' have got their act together in respect of flood protection. Now we need the water companies to do the same in terms of water storage. It is a nonsense that we are up to are eyes in water yet we still have a hosepipe ban!

Adults are obsolete children - Dr. Seuss

It hasn't been much of a weekend. I was kept awake by the wind last night (the outside kind) it rained all night and the wind was very strong. It woke me up and then I couldn't get back to sleep because I was worried about the roof, it felt as if the wind was strong enough to dislodge tiles from the roof. I got increasingly irritated  with myself because I was tired and I really needed to get some sleep. Then this morning I really didn't feel very well, I am cold and shivery and I ache, I really hope it is not a bug, I haven't got time to be ill. 


This morning Robbie was anxious about the state of the railway, it seems it took a bit of a battering last night and fallen trees and such like have caused problems today. I was more anxious about feeling unwell, Robbie brought me a cup of tea to make me feel better. Then he cuddled up next to me and talked about the weather (and trains). He was surprisingly perceptive in noticing that I am sick and tired of 'weather'. It seems to have rained every day since I they declared that we are in a drought area! I have to admit that Robbie managed to cheer me up with his next topic of conversation. Only Robbie could cuddle up in bed on Sunday morning and talk excitedly about his childhood collection of erasers. Apparently his favourite was one in the shape of a cassette tape which fitted into a cassette player shaped case.


We went out briefly this afternoon to see my mum, there were floods on several roads and our lovely park is flooded; we saw the ducks swimming along what should be a footpath. We were glad to get back to the relative sanity of home. I was still feeling out of sorts, so I wasn't that bothered when Robbie asked to watch Get Carter for the second time this weekend. I had my head buried in the computer when Robbie gave a shout of excitement. He said he had seen a Deltic and he insisted on rewinding it so that I could see it too. He sat there on the floor rewinding it and watching it over and over again. It seems he is easily pleased!

Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly - Epictetus

Why do I have to wake up at 6am when I am on holiday? The things I do for a quiet life! Robbie absolutely had to go out at the crack of dawn to play trains, so I had to get up and take him to the station. The journey to the station at North Walsham is very pleasant if you have time to get there, but as always Robbie cut it rather fine so I had a stressful drive to the station. All was well in the end, he caught the train and I had a whole day to myself.

We had been promised a nicer day today - so it rained! I wouldn’t have minded so much if it had rained from the start, but it waited until I had hung all my washing out and then it rained. The rain didn’t last too long, before long it was replaced by sunshine, so I was able to get the washing dry after all.

Unfortunately the sunny afternoon brought unexpected perils. The chap who lives next door is rather difficult to like, he is thoughtless, noisy and always so pleased with himself. I have no idea why he feels so smug, perhaps he doesn’t possess a mirror, he has what my mum would call ‘a face to go ratting with’ and the body of a Moomin. I didn’t notice him when he went off for a swim but when he and his cronies came back from the beach the full ‘glory’ of his outfit was unmissable. Somehow he had poured himself into speedos! To add insult to injury he cavorted around the garden in just his speedos for the rest of the afternoon. Honestly, it shouldn’t be allowed, that man is a danger to shipping!

Robbie had to be picked up from the station at North Walsham and he chattered on and on about his day on the railway. I just can’t make him understand that I am not really interested, but Robbie has a knack of giving far too much information and not just when it comes to trains! The main thing is that he’d enjoyed his day. When we got back we had a nice walk on the beach and then a lovely quiet evening, the sea looked beautiful tonight, it was almost silver in the moonlight.

The only way to see a rainbow is to look through the rain.

I had a busy day yesterday and as usual it involved dashing around acting as a taxi service for various family members. Then after all the rushing and urgency I was on my own and I had an hour to myself. I was enjoying the unhurried drive home with only myself to please. I like having time on my own, but it seems to be in those quiet moments that all my niggling thoughts fight for attention in my head, things such as wondering how I will ever afford to fix the roof, concern for the health of a relative, and sadness that our dog is reaching the end of her life. It started to rain, nothing much, but I kept having to turn my wipers on and off. Then when I turned a corner and in front of me was a beautiful rainbow, it was very clear and a compete arc and it remained visible for the remainder of my journey. I can't explain why, but there is something meaningful and uplifting about seeing a rainbow and I felt as if I really needed a rainbow in my life just then.


Earlier in the week one of my friends had said that sometimes she felt as if everyone else is busy with their while she is just fading into the background. In a way I could identify with that, I had to put my career on hold and prioritise care responsibilities for the last few years, and it seems as if my life has been 'on hold' for some time. If only I could put the ageing process on hold as well!! For such a long time my life has been focussed on doing everything I can to support my family that I have almost forgotten how to take a little time for myself. Now things have changed, I have a little more freedom and at last I am able to return to full time work so I need to apply myself to the daunting process of finding a suitable job. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. 


I love the quote that I used as the heading for this blog post, because it sums my life up very well. I believe that the original quote was by Dolly Parton


“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta 


put up with the rain."

Moomins in Norfolk!

Saturday wasn't really an enjoyable day, after a breakfast of bacon sandwiches we set off for the station at North Walsham. It was a lovely drive, but part of me wasn't keen to part with Robbie for two days and he seemed more reluctant than usual to spend time on the railway. It was probably more to do with replacement buses and disruptions to his journey than leaving me, but you never know. On another level I wanted him to go, there were things that he needed to do and I don't want to stand in the way of him enjoying himself.

I decided to go back and clean the bungalow from top to bottom so that I could then go out and enjoy myself. The cleaning didn't take very long, but I promised myself a nice cup of tea and sit down in the garden when I had done the washing. I had just hung the washing on the line and taken my chair outside when I became aware of a number of cars arriving in the lane. My heart sank because after last year I knew exactly what to expect. Within a few minutes six cars had arrived next door and I had already needed to get one of them to move because it was preventing me from getting in and out of the drive with my car. To be fair they moved without complaint, but I knew that parking was only the tip of the iceberg.

Within a few minutes a collection of tents had popped up in the back garden next door and the fumes from their barbecue were polluting the atmosphere (and my washing). I wouldn't be sitting in the garden after all! I wondered if I could stand two days (and two nights) of noise, loud music, constant barbecue fumes and general annoyance. Suddenly with almost no warning a dark cloud appeared and the heavens opened, it wasn't just rain it was Norfolk rain, impossible to ignore. My washing got soaked but that wasn't so important, the good thing was that the barbecue was well and truly washed out and they all retreated inside. Within five minutes the rain stopped as quickly as it had started and the sun came out, so it didn't take long for my washing to dry. I enjoyed my cup of tea inside the bungalow before going for a walk along the beach and then to the shop to buy a magazine.

Nothing prepared me for the sight I encountered on my return. The man next door (who is at least 50 and shaped like a Moomin) was cavorting around his back garden in speedos! It is not a sight that should be inflicted on anyone else! All the visitors were scantily clad too, but they did not offend the eye in quite the same way. I did my best to ignore them for the rest of the day, but even when I drew the curtains at about 9pm he was still prancing around in his speedos. He must be having a mid life crisis or

something!

Robbie's Rucksack

It rained this morning, it was a shame because it stopped Laura and her friend from enjoying the beach before they headed back home. The thing about being here is that rain really doesn't matter, there are still plenty of things to do. I love looking out across the sea when it is stormy, the colours in the sky are amazing and the huge Norfolk sky looks awesome whatever the weather. I have seen some incredible rainbows over the sea, I don't mind the rain because without a bit of rain you don't get rainbows.

When the girls had gone we went for a drive along the coast road to Horsey Mill, it a really nice drive and the windmill is very impressive. Robbie seems to be doing a survey on street furniture paying special attention to postbox design. I am used to his random enthusiasms, but the excitement he displays when he finds an unusual post box is rather disconcerting. It all started when we went to Waterstones the other day, I knew it would lead to trouble when I pointed out the I Spy books - he took a particular interest in I Spy In The Street!

Robbie is getting ready for his train journey tomorrow, as I write he is sitting on the bedroom floor sorting out the contents of his rucksack. I have never seen so much junk and I have no idea how he gets all that stuff into one rucksack, even Mary Poppins couldn't fit that much into her bag! I am really going to miss him, but I'm pleased that he will be enjoying himself and he will be back before I have a chance to miss him too much.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Tuesday 1st June

It rained during the night and it was a dismal start to the day so it was an ideal opportunity to go to Newquay and take a look at the shops. By the time we got there it had stopped raining and we spent an enjoyable morning visiting all our favourite places. The old Woolworths building has now been redeveloped and the new shops have put the heart back into the shopping area.

Robbie needed to buy some body spray because his aftershave was in the rucksack that he accidentally left behind. On the subject of aftershave I was not best pleased when Robbie confessed that he'd had his aftershave confiscated at the airport because he'd tried to take it in his hand luggage. It costs a fortune and it is really hard to get hold of, I went to a lot of trouble to get him that for Christmas. Anyway back to the present, Robbie chose some body spray and I am already regretting it, he uses so much that you need breathing apperatus. How do I make him understand that in this case less is more?

It turned into a beautiful sunny day so after an outdoor lunch at Subway we headed back to the beach via Tesco to get Laura's birthday cake. It is her birthday on Wednesday and there is no way that she will let us forget it!

It was a lovely evening, I got some really nice photos as I walked along the coast path and on the way back I heard the skylark singing. It sounded as if it was bursting with joy, unfortunately I didn't feel on top of the world because Robbie was having yet another strop!

What Goes Down Will Not Go Up!

It is surprisingly quiet here Robbie is away on a course and I am feeling abandoned, he forgot to ring me last night.

This morning when I took Sam to school he opened the back passenger window of the car, he attempted to put it up again and it wouldn't do anything. So I am stuck with a window like the Grand Old Duke of York - its neither up nor down! This had to happen on a wet day, so I have had to cover the window with some plastic. I hope it will decide to work later on.

Rain Dance

When will it stop raining? I am so fed up with all this miserable weather, if it continues like this we will soon need an ark instead of a house. On Saturday it rained so heavily that the front and back gardens were covered in water. Robbie was off on his rail tour, but when I told him about it he didn't seem that bothered, he just told me about all the problems with flooding that had affected the railways. The standing water soaked away after a few hours but the constant rain means the ground is waterlogged. Robbie still hasn't finished putting the fence up because it is too wet, and Meg the dog (who has feet like a cart horse) trails muddy footprints through the house every time she goes out for a walk. Robbie says he gets blamed for most things that go wrong in the house and I am beginning to wonder if he has been doing a 'rain dance' to avoid doing the fence. He had used up every other excuse for delay and it had become a very sore subject, so bad weather was about the only way left to avoid finishing the job. I wonder if he will get it done this weekend? I will not be holding my breath!

After the Rain

Monday was wet and miserable, it rained relentlessly all day and it was too heavy to venture far so we enjoyed a leisurely day in the caravan. It worked out quite well because I had some writing work to do and Laura had loads of revision to keep her occupied so that left the boys free to enjoy the television - such a hardship for them!

Today was a much better day, we went to Newquay in the morning to check out all Laura's favourite shops. Sam had his own ideas about shopping, but the things he wanted were either too rude, too expensive or downright dangerous, so I was not his favourite person. He has his heart set on a new hoody, but we haven't found the right one yet.

When we got back I went for a walk along the coast path, it was such a beautiful day and I never tire of the beautiful views around here. We enjoyed some time on the beach, it was low tide and I watched the children fishing in the rock pools. It seems such a short time ago that Emily and Laura spent hours at the rock pools with Grandad, they would come running up the beach with their bucket to show off their latest catch. Where has all the time gone?

There was an amazing sunset this evening. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Déjà vu 16.01.08

I have a sense of déjà vu. It was January last year when high winds and bad weather resulted in travel chaos and Robbie's journey back from Leeds turned into a 10 hour endurance test. Today we have had high winds and the wrong kind of rain, the wet kind that causes floods. Some of the poor people who suffered flooding last year are facing more floods. Robbie is off to Cardiff in the morning and more rain is forecast, hopefully he will not get stranded in Wales, but you never know. He has given me a painfully detailed account of his journey plans, he seems quite excited about the journey because it is a route he doesn't usually take and it is a chance to travel on trains that he wouldn't usually encounter.

Disaster struck at home this morning, the kettle died! I can cope with most hardships, but I refuse to give up my cups of tea. Having ascertained that it wasn't the fuse I decided that it was beyond hope and I headed off to Tesco to replace it. I was amazed to find that they sell kettles for less than five pounds! Robbie has been bleating on about his cleaning cloth for his glasses which has (allegedly) been stolen, that's Robbie speak for 'lost' but I haven't bothered to argue the point. Apparently life is not worth living without his cleaning cloth and when he was having a 'man stress' at the weekend he vowed to crawl to Tesco's on his hands and knees because I had refused to take him. Well, I have saved him the trouble, he is now the proud owner of two new cleaning cloths (one for emergencies) so hopefully he will now find something more interesting to talk about, I am fed up with hearing about gasses and cleaning cloths. When I got home from shopping the new kettle was soon put to good use, nothing beats a good cup of tea.

Windy 24.09.2007

I had a slightly later start than usual this morning, usually I am embarking on my first journey of the day soon after 6.30am but today my bed was warm and comfortable and it was a bit of an effort to force myself into action to face a wet and windy morning. Robbie was also running late, moaning that it was raining hard and his waxed jacket would be too warm, so he would have to get soaked, it was apparently my fault because I stopped him from buying the 'flasher' mac that he had his eye on earlier in the year.

It must have been almost 7am when I left the house and the rain was torrential and I got soaked just running to the car. I was a bit surprised to find that several sets of traffic lights were not working, but I didn't think much of it. The rain was much more manageable within a few minutes. Robbie rang me shortly afterwards to say he was stranded at the station, trains in both directions were at a standstill. I didn't think anything of it until I took Sam to school and drove past Abington Park it was strewn with huge branches and there were leaves and debris all over the road. Laura and I commented that we didn't think it had been that windy, but I continued to notice wind damage including fallen fencing. I later discovered from the local news that we'd had a mini tornado!

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Chaos-as-mini-tornado-hits.3225455.jp

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Rain, Rain Go Away!Monday 20th August 2007

I didn't sleep very well last night, I seem to have caught up on my sleep and now my ability to fall asleep any time anywhere has deserted me. I imagined that I could hear the sea, but since the bedroom faces the front and the sea is at the back of the bungalow it seemed unlikely. Eventually my curiosity forced me out of bed to listen at the window, I opened the big window and there was no doubt that I could hear the thundering of the waves, I could also hear the roaring wind and the driving rain, not a typical August night, but a holiday is what you make it and good weather is just a bonus.

It was about 2am, I was wide awake and the rumblings from Sleeping Beauty were starting to seriously annoy me so I gave up on sleep and turned to Kathy Reichs, one of my favourite authors for comfort. A couple of hours and several corpses later I was relaxed and finally ready for sleep, a strategically aimed pinch shocked Sleeping Beauty into silence for a few minutes leaving me sufficient time to get to sleep.

In the morning the weather remained grim, the rain was too heavy to want to be outside for long and it was cold, so we had a leisurely morning and then decided to go out for lunch. We chose Mundesley again because the food is really nice and Sam was able to visit the amusement arcade afterwards.

When we got back we went out to watch the waves, they were really wild and noisy and we were glad to settle down in the bungalow out of the wind and rain. The weather forecast was not too promising, but if the rain would ease we could get on with all the things we wanted to do. We all wanted to visit Cromer and we decided that we would go there tomorrow if the weather was kinder.

Completely Normal! 02.07.07

Robbie (as you may have noticed) can be a bit irritating at times. He has to do things his way and if I deviate from the plan (which only exists in his head) he becomes completely irrational and I always end up having to do it his way just to shut him up. It can be very simple things like how I set the plates out when I am dishing up our evening meal or how I load the trolley when we are shopping, I could go on ....and on, but I'm sure you get the idea. About once a week Robbie gives his "no, I'm not autistic" speech this always ends with him telling me that he is incredibly 'normal' compared to everyone else in the rail industry. Incredible as that sounds I haven't yet met anyone who has disproved his theory!

At the weekend the rain was responsible for a full scale tantrum from Robbie. I took him to Tesco's in the rain and when I turned the engine off the wipers were in the out position rather than tidily in the off position. He couldn't cope, he demanded that I turned the car back on so that I could put the wipers straight. When I refused he ranted, folded his arms, stuck out his lower lip like a sulky child and finally stomped off into the shop still muttering that it was simply wrong!

The rain has quite a lot to answer for, Robbie has decided that he would look good in a raincoat or to be blunt about it - a flasher mac. He even sent me the link to it on the M&S website and he was devastated when I burst out laughing and told him he couldn't possibly wear that! Poor old Robbie, he will have to be disappointed because there is no way that I am going to let him wear that!