love Thursday - to my son

Despite being on a high with life recently I have been a tad harsh on my boy, I think slightly hormonal??

You see I haven't been a very good mother this past week and I think I have been a nagging / shouting / he can't do a damn thing right kind of mummy.

For instance, I hate and loath the way he just says yeah instead of yes or lile instead of little...it grates on me when he drops sounds from his vocabulary.
He just drops clothes on the floor instead of putting them where they should go...things like that. But the thing is he is just 5 years old and sometimes, because the child is soooo smart, I forget this.

But, whenever I go overboard on trying to keep him from doing something dumb and shout at him, straight away he just goes back to being his normal cheerful self without holding a grudge.

When I say cheerful self, I feel I ought to explain....the child is hardly ever grumpy and only gets grumpy when he is tired or really really doesn't want to do something. From the moment he wakes up till the moment he goes to bed he is full of energy and life, into everything and is like a little sponge waiting to soak up all the experiences he can.

As an adult, if someone says the wrong thing, or shouts at you for seemingly the smallest thing you get pissed off at that person and will probably react in a stoney silence with them or shout back or anything horrid like that...right?

But with my son, if someone (like me) tells him off he doesn't always necessarily take it on board but he doesn't do the destructive behaviour that adults do, he just treats the person as though nothing happened...or says sorry...he is quick to tell me if he has done something wrong as I have a rule (which is sometimes very hard to keep) that if he tells me what he has done he will not get told off...sometimes if he has friends over he is very quick to tell on them which is slightly worrying for future reference but right now..he is just 5 and cannot distinguish between telling me sonething he has done or telling on someone else.

I envy my 5 year old child. He moves through life without a bad word to say about anyone, he cares for people and their feelings, he tells the worst jokes EVER and is always telling me I look beautiful.
He loves to play at being a super hero or at being Harry Potter and if he is playing at being someone I am not allowed to call him by his name I have to call him by the person he is being. It's so fulfilling seeing him grow and develop and his hunger for knowledge and the ever boring questions "what's that for, what's it do and am I old enough for that yet".
Sometimes as an adult you can get complacent with experiences you can just do like go white water rafting or surfing lessons and it's such fun seeing him want to do this sort of thing (takes after his Daddy in that respect).

He has sooo many facets to his personality of which I would love to take credit for but I think at the end of the day, he's just Theodore.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes he can be a little bugger...but can't they all???

So this is for my son, ever quick to give me cuddles or "sugar" as one of my friends calls it...the every playful boy who I shed a proud tear for and can say "he's my boy".

Please leave your links to your love Thursday or just tell me what you have loved this past week.

some very exciting gossip

Hello my dear friends...I am one excited little bunny!!!

As some of you may know, I don't excel in my job as much as I would like..oh I am good at it and know what I am doing and all that. I Love just talking to people and getting to know them, in my job I can't do this as much as I would like / enjoy.

So with much trepidation I set about putting this matter right...what job could I truly fulfill myself in, one where I could ask questions and poke my nose into other people's business...hmmm hairdresser or something like that???
Then I got chatting with a very dear friend of mine about this conundrum and she light heartedly said...journalism...and so the seed was planted.

I have wanted to be a journalist for as long as I have been old enough to think about jobs in a serious light (not ballarena)...I remember babysitting for my neice when I was about 13ish and looking through a magazine thinking "ooohhh I could wear that when I get a hot new scoop"...but as I wasn't the most accademic person in the world so I never persued this.

I am lucky enough that my very local college runs a journalsim course and its the best course one could go on if one wanted to be a journalist...its run by the NCTJ (national council for trainee journalists).

Me being me, I never thought for a moment that I would get an interview for the course as the application form in itself was pretty long!!! But I did, so off I went with my heart in mouth and I took the interview - 4 hours later and I really thought that I had completely ballsed the whole thing up.
I started to wonder if I could devote that much time to a course / am I too old and will all the others be school leavers making me feel even older / what if I got half way through and the work load was simply too much for me to handle / am I a good enough writer / what if my 'need to survive' love of news wasn't enough???
That was what was going through my mind from the Tuesday when I took the interview / exam until Friday when the gentleman said he was going to call.

I sat on the edge of my seat for the whole of the Friday, every time the phone rang I gulped and thought this is it....it wasn't until 5pm that he called (yes, very long day) he asked how I was and I answered "ask me at the end of the call!", he then told me what a pleasure it was meeting me and what my score in the test was etc etc...this went on for about 5 minutes when I had to say "please, just tell me if I have got onto the course"...he told me I had and I have never felt so proud of myself...I had done it...little me gonna be a bonafidda journalist..who'd have thought!!! I was then able to answer his initial question and told him I was fantastic thank you very much!!

I haven't been able to say anything as I hadn't told my boss, she has been the best boss I have ever had..she is always there for a cuppa and a gossip, gives critism in a way so that you don't feel too crappy about it and is always a shoulder to cry on...so with a heavy heart I told her my intentions today.
My last day will be July 13th as the school holidays start the day after and I really want to spend the summer with my son.

So that's it folks..little old me did it - my advise here is never ever listen to a school careers officer as they generally talk out their arses!!!

I am ever sooo excited and now feel as though I can celebrate.

My thought / question for this blog is what have you done in your life that people or yourself thought you couldn't do but you made a success of / did it anyway????

hmm sunshine and a bit of a moan

I have a confession to make....I love the sun. But this passion is very temperamental.

Right now the sun is shinning but its not too hot. Its the sort of temperature where you can go out and do stuff, like gardening or go for a long walk without feeling like you will get heat exhaustion....my kind of sunshine exactly.

I love the sun but hate having to work in it, I like to sit out in the garden and read a good book whilst lounging around. I hate flies when sitting out reading a good book. I love to get a nice healthy looking tan, I hate getting sun burnt, which I do, no matter what sun screen I use...then go in the shower and feel like a thousand needles are sticking in my skin from where the water hits my tender red bits.
I love to swim in outdoor pools on holiday in the sun, I hate the amount of chlorine they put in the pool and can't stand the thought of swimming in someones pee.
I love lounging on the beach in the blazing hot but hate the way sand sticks to places that you didn't even think you had. I love the fact that the sun naturally bleaches my hair but hate the sticky feeling that you get in your hair line. I love summery clothes but hate the fact that unless you are a size 12 or less you just look like a very white blamonge in said clothes.

So all in all I simply love to lounge in my beautiful back garden where I can wear what I want, do what I want and smell however I damn well please but delight in the fact that if I get too hot or too smelly I can just jump in the shower and get refreshed!!!
A friend of mine said that she is very aware of what she is wearing in her garden as the neighbours might look over, I say sod it...its your land, let em look...they shouldn't be eyeballing you any-way!!!

I feel alive when the sun is shinning and spend luxury time just stretching out my limbs.
People seem friendlier when its nice and warm instead of being cold and rushing to get to their destination and running to get warm again. my husband and I can take our son to the park and spend hours their instead of silently thinking that he will complain he is cold so that we can get back in doors again!!
I laugh at the way ice cream suddenly becomes acceptable to eat again and also becomes a regular in our diets!!!
I love the way the flowers grow from being dormant and I purposely brush pass them so that they release their scent.
But one thing that I do find amusing and mildly affronted at his skinny, ghost white men walking down the street with their shirt off and tucked into their quarter length shorts with socks on and trainer clad feet...please men, I beg of you,only do that if your body is actually worth showing off to the world...the others, only do it in your back garden!!!

A poem I feel is required here...here's a part of a poem by wordsworth:-

The rainbow comes and goes,
And lovely is the rose;
The moon doth with delight
Look round her when the heavens are bare;
Waters on a starry night
Are beautiful and fair;
The sunshine is a glorious birth;
But yet I know, where'er I go,
That there hath pass'd away a glory from the earth...


Oh my dear dear sunishine, please don't leave until the leaves turn golden brown

So over to you, my fantastic readers...give me your thoughts and feeling towards the sunshine.

hair - tis a funny old thing

I had long blonde hair until recently. My hair went to the middle of my back but was in desperate need of a bloody good cut. All I did with it was tie it back.

A friend of mine comes to ones home to cut the hair, so I took her up on her services.
I am a very determined person and once I set my mind on something, its very hard to get me out of what I want to do.

I have what I call baby hair, its very fine and wispy.

All that taken into account I had the lot chopped off. Its now the length of just touching my shoulders and I have a fringe.

I don't like it, my husband in his ever tactful way says that he will "have to spend time getting used to it", or in other words - he don't like it!!

The length I like it's just the fringe. It sort of cuts my face in half!!!!

But it does look healthier (well at least one thing about me looks healthy!).

But don't you think that hair is a bit of an odd one? I mean us girls stress over our hair, does it look good, would it look good another way and if so do I have the balls to go for a complete change? Men on the other hand don't seem to have that much stress do they? I am not including all men into that because I have seen men with more products in their hair than they can shake a stick at...9 times out of 10 they are estate agents aren't they!!!

Come to think of it, when it comes to appearance, men do not stress as much as us ladies, which is weird because with animals its the male trying to impress the females?!?! We watch our weight, how much are our boobs are sagging with age, face creams to keep youthful looks, fashion to make us look nice...all these things add up.
Me, I'm not a trend setter by any stretch of the imagination, I am completely comfortable in a white t-shirt and blue jeans. If I think I look nice I tend to walk with a bit of a spring in my step. I know the critics out there will say "feeling good should come from the inside"...only a man would say that! I do agree with the statement, but in short, if one went out dressed in crappy old clothes then you aren't going to feel like wonder woman for the day!!

SO my thought / question for this entry is....what do you do to make you feel good about yourself, ready for the day ahead???

we are back

I have been at home now for about an hour after a very long and very bum hurty journey.

In order, here is the list of things that I have done since walking in the door.....
Thanked neighbours for feeding are 3 cats and gave them their gift.
Put the kettle on.
Un-loaded the car.
Made tea.
Got some food for child and started him on that.
Logged on.
Now writing blog.

My kitchen looks like a disaster area as this is where we have just dumped stuff until tomorrow when I get round to un-packing it all. We didn't do much shopping but seemed to have come back with exactly twice as much as what we took with us...it knows I am the one who will have to sort it as hubby goes back to work tomorrow, so it has decided to bread in the back of the car...how typical is that?!?!

We did have a great time, as predicted, and when I have my head on the right way round and can see everything and not just tail lights I will tell you all about it.

Tonight's menu for dinner consists of porkpie, fresh white bread, cheese, pickle and fruit...everything that doesn't need much attention or cooking...excellent meal after a long journey!!

So my friends, we are well rested and looking forward to the rest of the Easter break with family and friends.

My question for this entry and with food on my mind is....is there anything that you do to wind down after a long journey home??? for me is to have a cup of tea.

Love thursday...oh my beloved, I will see thee soon.

this is a photo of the last rock off lands end.

Happy love Thursday everyone.

Tomorrow night my husband, child, and me will be travelling down to Cornwall, the land that has captured my heart and sole.

The trip down takes for-ever, approximately 5-6 hours on a good day...and it's boring. The best part of the journey is stopping at Exeter services for snacks as they have a Marks and Spencer there!!.
The journey is packed with landmarks as we make our way down, I look out for them and get ever more excited as I spot them.

I first went to Cornwall with my husband about 10 years ago. We didn't have a car so heavily relied upon my mother-in-law for transport, at this point I didn't really know her that well but soon got to!!! The love affair was instant.

We then had our very first holiday in a cute little B&B in St Ives and the love just grew.

I love the people, the pace of life, the smell of the air, the scenery, the out door way of life, but best of all...some of my husbands family live there and I love each and every one of them.

When we go we normally stay with my sister-in law, Kate. She is a fantastic woman and I seem to laugh the whole time that I am there..her husband is such a hoot and her 2 wonderful daughters just take my son off with them and I never see him!!! he is always playing with "the girlies". He will only get dressed when the girlies do in case he misses something or won't go to bed until they do, the youngest is just 18 months older than Theo and the oldest if 5 years older, so they all get on tremendously well.

We have been counting how many sleeps to go for the past month!!! now it's only one more sleep but he has to go to school as normal tomorrow...god help his teachers as the child is already wired about the holiday!!

I would love to move down there and would move right now if I thought that we could get work relevant to what we do.
My husband once took me for a drive round the none holiday towns once to show me that some parts aren't as nice as the holiday towns. True they didn't have that holiday feel about them but I have rose tinted glasses on when it comes to Cornwall, almost blinkered!!! His trick back fired as the villages were surrounded by breath taking country side, I had visions of 3 of us trekking come rain or shine...that's what wet weather gear is for ...right?

So this love Thursday I dedicate to Cornwall.

Please leave links to your love Thursday.

the first weigh in

(this is a cake that I made for my friends birthday, of which I would love to sink my teeth into right now> I thought the image appt for this entry!)


Over the past week I have had a range of emotions and my body has gone through a state of complete shock!
The emotions have been pride at the fact that I seem to have stuck to the eating plan, grief for the food I can no longer consume, knackered due to all the walking that I have done, and tired...just tired.
My body however, is not amused. So used to crisps and delicious crusty white bread with a very nice coarse pate, that it has been screaming at me. But I do feel better (it may be placebo) on the inside.

This week I have eaten 12 apples, 7 banana's a ton of carrots, a whole swede, broccoli (of which I hate, but apparently its packed with good stuff), an amount of water that keeps me needing a wee, enough fat free yoghurt's to feed a small army, 2 punnets of strawberries, all fat has been cut off my meat....so pretty good for me. I have weighed and measured and written down all that I have eaten...no small task...I have checked and re-checked the fat content and added up what is ok to eat....in short, my food and what it contained has dominated my week!!

The exercise has been fantastic. I am not a lover of the gym, I find it incredibly boring and I am not the sort of person that can really take the elite that are gym goers...they are in a league all of their own aren't they???
I have walked my little socks off this week and feel really good for it. It does seem the more exercise you do the more energy you have...go figure. But when I get into my bed at night I feel as though I am taking a well earned rest...brilliant.

So off I went today with my new hobby (food) and my new priority (exercise) fully expecting to loose about 4 pounds....2 AND A HALF POUNDS...I mean, I have worked bloody hard this week for 2 and a half pounds???? enough said about that.

I think that if I am not careful this week I will be back to square one. Anything less than maybe 7-8 pounds is such a fragile weight loss and go can back on with one binge week.

So I press on and continue with a slightly miffed heart.

My thought / question for this entry is....what in your life have you tried really really hard at but, right at the finishing post has annoyed you???