My Lovely Neighbours

Several months ago, Malorie came into the house and told me that a woman who lived at the opposite end of the estate stopped her to tell her her mother (meaning me) was so fat she looked like she (meaning I) was pregnant. It upset me at the time, but I think it upset Malorie even more. There was no reason for the woman -- notice I do not use the term "lady" -- to do such a thing. It was spiteful and uncalled for.

Today I found out who the woman was. It's my lovely new neighbour across the road with the spotlight in her front garden. You know the one. I've blogged about her before. She's the one who was taken away in a police car within a week of moving into that house.

I mention this neighbour again, not just because I found out who it was making the crass remarks, but because of Malorie's comments. She said, "She might have thought you looked pregnant then, but you don't now and she's put on loads of weight! Every time I see her, she's eating junk!"

I think my neighbour's karma has turned her words back onto her.

Tom Delay -- Another Sleazy Politician?

According to Representative Tom Delay (R-Texas) in an interview on FOX News (a media outlet I said I would never watch again, but I was curious about this story and it's the only one showing US news at the moment), it's a conspiracy against him.

One of the things that gets me is Delay says he was "extorted" into waiving the statute of limitations on the crime of which he is accused because there was a "runaway grand jury" determined to indict him.

Oh please! This guy is a lawyer! Surely he wouldn't be easily fooled by such tactics.

He says it's a "travesty of justice".

But if the charges in the indictment are true, that's no travesty. I'm going to follow this story closely. It looks like it's going to be interesting.

Melinda's Gift of Gab

Thanks to Debby for sending me these two pictures. I think they're absolutely wonderful! They are so spontaneous!

The captions are my own works of fiction, however.




"Really? Do you think so?" "Really. Do you think so?" "I think so if you think so."



Melinda: "So I cut it right off!"
Mark: "OUCH!"

Hurricane Rita in Woodville

My dad sent me a link to a Dateline NBC video of Hurricane Rita in Woodville, Texas. Woodville is like my second hometown. I lived most of my life, before moving to England, in Garland, but I spent all my summers at my grandmother's house in Woodville. I was stunned to see just how badly it was affected by the storm.

You can click on the link above to see the video.

R.I.P. Maxwell Smart

From CBSNews.com

Still Losing Weight!

I missed my Weight Watchers meeting last week because of my sore back following my karting incident, but I dragged myself there this morning. I did so reluctantly because I was worried about the effect that burger I had at Chili's had had on my diet! Not to mention I haven't been out walking as much as I would have liked.

But so far I've lost a total of 21.5 pounds! I'm down from a UK size 18 to a 14!



No more pink marshmallow! I'm selling that top and skirt on ebay anyway.

Neighbours from Hell Part 3

Okay, now I'm pissed off. My next door neighbour has decided to build a bonfire in his back garden in the middle of the afternoon.

Why should that piss me off? I'm out in my back garden trying to get some work done in my "office". I have the cushions from the kitchen chairs drying on the clothes line. Not to mention we have strong winds blowing today.

Guess which direction they're blowing?

I'm going to have to pack all my work up and take it inside before I drop dead from smoke inhalation. I had to take my cushions inside because they have to be washed again.

And if anything on my side of the fence catches fire, he's going to get a Texas size ass-chewing from this bitch.

Update - 10.54 pm: The good news is the fire didn't spread, by some miracle, despite the strong winds.

The bad news is I didn't get into the house in time. I have some minor smoke inhalation damage, but I'm hoping it'll clear up quickly without me going to the doctor. Trying to get in to see my doctor is crap now anyway, so I'd be lucky to get an appointment right away.

I'm still pissed off, but my neighbour always thinks he's in the right because he owns his house and ours is just rented. I told Simon that yes, we should buy this house next year after I have a real job because it's our best hope of getting onto the property ladder. But once the time limit is up where the discount for buying a council property becomes permanent (if you sell before then, you have to pay back the discount amount), we're selling up and buying somewhere else! This neighbourhood is just not what it used to be! (No, I don't mean you, Lynn and Steve! You guys are the most sane insane neighbours we have!)

Time to Write a CV

I've officially started my job hunt today. Now I need to write my CV (resume to those Americans who might pop in occasionally). So far, through the employment service on campus, I've found five possibilities.

1. Retail staff in a sporting goods store.
2. Part-time receptionist in a tennis club (Ideal if it means I can take up tennis again!)
3. Customer service representative
4. Bar staff in a restaurant
5. Weekend news writer

All five fit in around school and family, so fingers crossed!

And the Job Search Begins ...

I have my timetable for my third and final year at university, and now I have to find a part-time job. I'd hoped that I wouldn't have to do that, and that we could get by on my student loans, but that looks increasingly unlikely. I told Simon that between me finding a part-time job, my student loans, and his ice cream van income, we should be fine until I can graduate and get a full-time job, and he looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. Not because of me getting a job. He's fine with that.

I have a feeling this is not going to be an easy year, but I've survived worse. I'm a tough cookie. Malorie and Braden enough are old enough to lend a hand around the house now, and I have good friends who will be there to lean on if I think I'm falling to pieces.

Now someone give me a whip so I can get Simon into shape!

New F1 World Driver's Champion

The King is dead ...



Long live the King!



At least until next year, when I hope to see Mark Webber as the new champion! I think he'd be a great King. He already makes a lovely Princess!

Family in Texas Okay

I finally had word from my dad about the members of my family in Southeast Texas who were affected by Hurricane Rita. Everyone is fine, thank goodness. My grandmother has a hole in her roof over her bathroom, my cousin Wes has lost all his outbuildings, and some roads are hard to get through without cutting through the fallen trees and branches first. No one in Tyler county, where my grandmother lives, has electricity. I don't think my aunt Glenda has been back to her house in Buna to see what damage there might be there because they evacuated to my grandmother's house in Woodville.

But the most important thing is that my family is safe!

A1 Racing

I've just finished watching the very first qualifying for the new A1 GP racing series. All I can say is: "COOL!"

Okay, maybe I can say more ...

This series is going to be really interesting. Twenty-five identical (except for the colours) cars relying on driver ability to compete against each other. They're calling it the World Cup of motorsport because, rather than traditional teams, it's countries competing against each other.

I hadn't really decided which country I was going to support. I'm American by birth. I live in Great Britain. After today, I'm leaning towards neither of those choices.

I was surprised to find out that a driver I was talking to at last weekend's karting event is actually Australia's driver, Will Power! I must have seen his name listed as being on Team Australia at some point, but I never made the connection until I saw him on television today. I never got his autograph either, even though I chatted to him for a minute. I never even took his picture! Fortunately Kate took one of Will with Karen. He's even wearing the same race overalls in the picture that he had on today.



So at the moment, it's not Team USA or Team GB I'm cheering, it's Team Australia!

*Note: After a great start yesterday in practice, Scott Speed for the US is starting somewhere like 17th or 18th on the grid tomorrow. So much for being a highly rated driver!

Mum the Cruise Director

Gone are the days when kids could keep themselves amused with the simplest of things. I'm sure at some point I must have driven my own mother mad because I couldn't find anything to do, but not to the degree that my own children are driving me mad!

Ricky and Jack have been grounded from the X-Box today. They were asked to tidy their part of their bedroom last night, and they never did. You'd have thought I told them they weren't allowed to breathe! They were horrified to be told they had to find something to do that didn't involve computer games!

I read books. Tons of them. Some of them I read over and over again for pure enjoyment. Not my kids. Uh-huh. How dare I even suggest such a thing? Ricky seems to be the most likely out of the two little monsters to pick up a book, but I get the impression he thinks he'll be considered a geek if he reads too much. Otherwise, I think he'd take after me.

Whoever invented Playstations, X-Boxes, GameBoys and the rest of this computer genre has a lot to answer for. They've turned children into easily bored consumers who, when they can't use their electronic gizmos, expect their parents to keep them entertained. I signed up for motherhood. I didn't sign up to be a cruise director.

Rita Hits Land

Thank goodness my "cuz" Rick in Houston is safe! Rita took a turn east and made land near Sabine Pass.

Unfortunately, Beaumont took a huge blow (literally). My Great-Aunt Will lives in Beaumont, so I'm hoping she headed for safer land north. My Aunt Glenda lives just outside Beaumont in Buna, which, according to the map published online by the Texas DPS, was outside the high risk area. I'm sure she still had some stiff winds blowing her way.

It looks like Texas was more prepared than New Orleans had been for Katrina. Thank God.

The Ex-Husband Strikes Again

I was helping Jack with his homework this afternoon, and he was struggling to come up with his own original sentences using words given to him by his teacher. He told me that last week when he did the same type assignment, he struggled with the word "thinner". His dad came up with a sentence for him.

"My mum was fat, but now she's thinner."

I don't know whether to be mad at being called fat or appreciate that he knows I've lost weight. I also don't know if he's aware I've lost weight because 1) he reads my blog, 2) the boys have told him, or 3) he's noticed.

I think Jack comes up with better sentences on his own. A few years ago, when he had to write about what he did over his summer holidays, he came up with a story about how they stayed in a caravan park and went to the fun fair. In the middle of it, out of nowhere, he added, "My dad has false teeth." That story hung in the school hall for a month.

Yes, I think I came off better by being thinner.

Kate: "I heard it was about THIS BIG!"

Racy Weekend Ahead!

I am going to be in motorsport heaven this weekend! This could be the weekend that decides the World Championship in Formula One. Fernando Alonso doesn't have to score many points to win it, but if he fails to score points, Kimi Raikkonen could still snatch it away from him.

Personally, I want to see Fernando win it, though I know Kate will strongly disagree with me! It's not really that I want to see Fernando win; it's that I want to see Kimi lose! Don't ask me why, but the guy just annoys me. It's not his accent or lack of emotion when he speaks because there are other drivers out there just the same, and I don't have the same problem with them.

My son Braden, on the other hand, is Fernando mad! As Kate says, "Well, someone has to be!"

This is also the weekend of the first ever A1 Grand Prix in Brands Hatch. I really wanted to be there in person to see it because the ticket prices are absolutely awesome, and even passes into the pits are cheap. You don't see that in F1. At the moment, tickets for the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone are on sale for £99 for the weekend. The tickets for the A1 race this weekend are £40.

I convinced Simon to subscribe to Sky Sports because it's the only channel we can get that's showing A1. It is going to be absolutely fantastic seeing every car on the grid equally matched. Same engine, same tyres, different drivers.

Of course there are all the support races as well ... The tomboy in me is going to be in her element this weekend! Okay, so I've never been a tomboy, but there must have been a repressed tomboy in there somewhere just waiting to get out, and after driving that kart last Saturday, my racing enthusiasm is greater than ever!

My Very Own Tom Sawyer

Lately my kids just haven't wanted to do anything around the house. Oh, they're happy to help the neighbours without even being asked, but if I so much as ask them to lift a finger, they freak out. You'd think I was asking them to smash boulders with the chain gang.

Braden especially has been trying to sweet talk his way around me. Sometimes I fall for it because, unlike his siblings, he asks nicely, and the charmer gets his way before I realise what he's done.

Today I was ready for him! When he came in from school, I said, "Right. You've got chores to do: take this to the post office for me, then get started painting that fence". He was shocked, but he did it.

Well, almost.

The next thing I knew, he'd convinced Malorie, Ricky and Jack that he had the been given the most fun chore ever created. Soon, the other three had paint brushes. But Braden didn't get out of having to paint.

Good thing I've ready Mark Twain.

Hurricane Rita Heads for Texas

New Orleans hasn't had time to recover from Hurricane Katrina, and now Texas is threatened. Hurricane Rita is headed towards Galveston Island and possibly on towards Houston.

These are places I know, having spent the first 30 years of my life in Texas. My grandparents used to take me to Galveston on the ferry when they lived on the coast.

I'm also worried about my friend Rick, who I like to think of as my "Cuz", seeing as his last name is Rice, same as my maiden name. We could be related. It's possible that in the annals of the Rice Family history we have common ancestors. He's riding out the storm in typical Texas style, since he likes to refer to himself as "white trash".

Take care, Cuz!

The Ineptitude of Local Government

In July of this year, Simon submitted our yearly application for Council Tax and Housing Benefits. Since I'm a student, and because Simon has pretty much given up on the ice cream van, we are a "low income" family. We get by, but it's not easy. It helps if we have a reduction in our weekly rent, so we sent in our application.

While the application was being processed, the local council agreed that we would pay £100 every month, and any arrears would be paid off when I received my student loan the end of this month. We stuck to that, paying the £100 every four weeks.

In the meantime, the council keeps requesting more information from us. First they wanted our financial books from the shop we used to have. They've wanted bank statements, which we then had to request from our bank (at a charge each time since we're currently "paper free" banking customers). It's dragged on and on and on ...

Now the council has decided that they don't want to honour their end of the agreement. The admit they agreed to those terms, but now they've decided to take us to court to seek repossession of our house! They said it's taken too long to get the bulk of their money (which they might not even receive if we are awarded benefits, reducing the amount outstanding), even though it's their fault that this wasn't resolved ages ago.

And at the same time, they've sent another letter requesting more information for our benefits claim! One of the pieces of info they want is the letter saying how much I will be getting in student loans and grants this year.

I don't have one.

So I phoned the council in charge of that particular bit of my life, the county council. Yes, they received my application back in May. It was one of the first they did receive, thank you for being so prompt, etc. No, they haven't processed it because they need more information! Did they write or call me to get this information? Nope. They just sat on it.

I'm trying to convince Simon to go to the Citizen's Advice Bureau to find out what we can do about the local council going back on the agreement and trying to kick us out of our house. I think it's going to take some doing. I might have to light some firecrackers under his ass, but I'll get him there.

Yes, I'm pissed off.

Update: Citizen's Advice says the council can do pretty much whatever they damn well want to do. It's the council's cock-up, and yet we're left holding the bag. They did say that if it's all sorted before they take us to court, we should be all right though.

My High School Forum

I re-joined my high school's Yahoo forum yesterday. I quit last November or December, mainly because I was up to my eyeballs in studying and couldn't seem to keep myself off the internet, but I decided it was about time I checked up on what the group was doing.

I think I'm causing chaos.

So far a thread that started out as a discussion on Hurricane Rita heading towards Houston has turned into a discussion on putting ex-husbands and -wives into a leaky raft, with one guy volunteering to dangle his wife beneath the raft as ballast.

Yep. I seem to cause chaos wherever I go.

What is it with people ... I throw myself down onto a stone, offering to sacrifice myself to whoever might want me ...

No takers. No pretence of a knight in shining armour. Not even the pretence of a lager lout on the pull. Even Simon laughed, snapped a picture, and wandered off to sit on a rock and eat his sandwiches.

Romance is dead in Derbyshire.

Of course I don't usually like having my picture taken. I never have. Pictures like this only reinforce my tendency to stay behind the camera:




Maybe I should have tried being a naked sacrifice. Nah. That might have scared the sheep.

Based on a slightly true but fictional story that popped into my head on a long walk down a boring country lane while looking at the images of the pictures I took with the digital camera! I did lie down on that rock, and I did wish some knight in shining armour (or even my husband in his sweaty t-shirt) would do something romantic, but that's about as far as it goes. Come to think of it, I did mention being a naked sacrifice, but the hubby wasn't interested. Maybe it was the sheep putting him off.

Don't ask me why Simon took the picture of me adjusting my top. I only blogged that photo because it was the most interesting picture of me I've seen in ages!

Off to Climb Hills!

Thank goodness we're having a bit of warm, dry weather! I feel the need to go walking up and down hills!

I'm only conquering little hills today though. Simon says he has always wanted to see Stonehenge, and not too far from here is the "Stonehenge of the North". The main difference is that someone has knocked this one down. Perhaps it was Chevy Chase in "National Lampoon's European Vacation"! And we thought he knocked down the real thing. He must have knocked the Arbor Low Stone Circle down instead!

I've seen Stonehenge a couple of times. Isn't it funny how the American immigrant has seen a lot more of the sites of historic importance in this country than the man who was born and raised here? I'm sure that's usually the case. I think I was 28 before I went to the top of Reunion Tower in Dallas and saw the Alamo in San Antonio.

Pictures will follow later on my Beaten Path blog.

Feeling Better Now

I didn't think it would last very long. My spirits have started to pick up now. When I went to get the kids from school, I stepped outside and saw how gorgeous the weather is, and that went a long way towards cheering me up.

So I'm sitting out in my shed/office/workshop working on the MWSC Christmas present for Mark. Jack's playing on the X-Box, Ricky's drawing me a picture, Malorie's walking the dog, and Braden's who knows where. He's a good kid so I'm not worried.

Simon's out on the ice cream van instead of glaring at me for some reason I can't fathom. Maybe he'll be in a good mood when he gets home. I can always live in hope!

What Robbie Williams and I Have in Common

I don't feel so alone. Okay, I don't dream about UFOs (not yet anyway) but it seems that Robbie has some weird dreams, too!

On Chris Evans' Radio 2 show, he revealed: "I've been dreaming every night about UFOs. I can't wait to go to sleep at night.

"I think they are definitely on their way, seriously. Mark my words. From now until 2012 - watch out kids."

Source: Sky Showbiz

Ahhhh, I don't feel so bad now!

Still Down But Fighting Back

I didn't go to Weight Watchers this morning. I know I should have, but I had such a lousy night's sleep that all I wanted to do after taking the boys to school was come home and go back to bed. Unfortunately, by the time I did get back home, I was wide awake. I also couldn't face finding out I'd put even half a pound back on in the past week since I didn't do a great job on my diet. If I'd gone, I probably could have faced it and moved on. There's another meeting tonight, and I might decide to pluck up the courage to go.

I managed to sleep long enough to have strange dreams. Okay, nothing new there. I always have strange dreams. This time I dreamed of David Letterman, Larry Bird, the room in the garage of my parents' house and my old drill team uniform. I knew I'd dream something like that after chatting with Eric yesterday. When we were teenagers, we used to spend hours on the phone (even though we only lived around the corner from each other), until David Letterman came on. Then he had to get off the phone to watch it. At least that's how I remember it. Eric was also a bit fan of Larry Bird from the Boston Celtics. I think he was amazed that I remembered. What I didn't tell him was that I remember when we broke up, he called me playing "Hard for Me to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago over and over again. If I'd only listened ...

Well, hindsight's 20/20, isn't it? If I only knew then what I know now.

Still, between my chat with Eric and rejoining my high school's forum after about 10 months away, I've decided that one of the first things I'm going to save up for after I get a real job next year (following, I hope, passing all my modules in my third year at university) is a trip to Texas. I'm feeling really homesick now, which is funny because I could probably count the number of times in the past seven and a half years I've been homesick on one hand. I haven't missed living in Texas because I love it here, but I've missed my family and friends, and that seems worse just now.

What a Pic!

This has cheered me up some! Hey, if we couldn't snog Mark Webber, Karen and I did the next best thing and snogged his mate Dave!

To be honest, neither one of us had the courage to approach Mark with the idea, but we know Dave because he runs the Mark Webber Supporter's Club, and he's such a doll we knew he'd be game!

Down in the Dumps

I know I'm at Weight Watchers in the morning, but right now I have a craving for just about everything in my kitchen cupboards!

Part of it is immobility. Because of my whiplash, I can't move around and do things that would ordinarily keep me from binge eating. Most of the time when I get hungry, I get out for a long walk or go paint something somewhere in the house.

I'm sure a bit of it is the fact that the karting event is over. I had been anticipating it for months, and now it's over until next year. The morning-after effect.

Another part of it is I'm feeling very melancholy. I've been chatting by email to a friend from high school. Actually, he was one of my first boyfriends, and now that we've been reminiscing, I've become very nostalgic, thinking of the past and what might have been. I found a picture of us taken at our high school's ten year reunion. Of course, at that time, he was married (and still is) and I was going through my first divorce!

I think the final part of it is the stress of having Simon come in from work in a foul mood because he can't get his precious satellite system to work the way he wants it to. He's even resorted to throwing the remote because I dared to speak to him while he tried to tune it. I keep telling him that neither of the satellite systems have a crystal clear picture when there's a lot of cloud cover outside, but he doesn't pay attention.

*sigh*

Emmy Frocks and Shocks

I don't tend to watch awards shows, but I always have to have a look at the outfits the stars wear to these events. There's always at least one who has to go for shock value ...



Why not just show up naked? That would probably be more original that strategically placed bits of fabric!

Am I a Criminal?

I woke up this morning with my back in absolute agony! That first lap shunt I had where someone rammed into the back of my kart on Saturday has caught up with me, and it looks like I have a "whiplash-type injury" similar to the one I had in January when I fell down the stairs at uni.

Still, that's part of racing. I don't know or care who it was that hit me. I still can't wait to do it again next year. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I took myself off to Tesco to get some ibuprofen and paracetamol so I can just get on with things.

But little did I know I was about to do something I shouldn't have ...

Because Simon takes ibuprofen for his back and headaches, I picked up two boxes of 16 200 mg tablets. And because Malorie takes paracetamol for her headaches, cramps, etc., I picked up one box of those.

The lady at the check-out shouted at me. Evidently I was breaking a law in trying to purchase three boxes of pain relief. There was no sign on the shelf, but she seemed to think I was thwarting Tesco's attempts to stamp out those of us in search of relief from our various aches and pains. I really did feel like a drug addict the way she looked at me, as if she was searching for signs of my addiction, while my seven year old stood there in stunned silence.

I stopped at the comments counter and left a message for the store manager saying that I don't appreciate being made to feel as if I'm a criminal because I wasn't aware they had limits on pain relief purchases.

I know how to get around the limit of 32 tablets next time, however. My doctor gives me 100 at a time on prescription. And they're 400 mg. I'll take up NHS time and money and go through him.

Other People's Pictures

Yes, I know, I'm still obsessing over the karting event yesterday, but I'm just now getting pics that other people took.

Here's Kate's "Power Ranger" picture:



And believe it or not, this is a pic of me on the track in front of Mark Webber:



Okay, he was lapping me for the third time ... but I'm still in front of him in this picture!

What a Weekend!!!!!

I still haven't come down from the great weekend I've had! Okay, I'm sore from head to toe, but I don't really care. At least I don't care as long as I'm sitting still. Getting up and walking around is another matter ...

Anyway, Simon recovered from his "lurgy" enough to enjoy the weekend as well. Imagine my shock when we got to our hotel in Basildon and I saw this across the car park:



Chili's is one of my favourite restaurants in Dallas, and I've since discovered that there are four of them in England. Unfortunately all of them are in the south, but that's probably a good thing. We ate there Friday night, and I had a huge shaker of margaritas, then we sat down to dinner. That's where I'm pretty sure I blew any chance of weight loss this week because, though I avoided having my favourite nachos for a starter, I did have an Oldtimer burger and topped it with lots of guacamole! The fries were incredible, too!

Since we were so close to the seaside, we also had a drive to Southend-on-Sea for a walk along the beach. It ended up being more of a comedy than an evening out (though it would probably have been worse if I'd had the margaritas before the walk instead of after) because the tide was so far out there wasn't much more than seaweed and muck between the seawall and the water!



I had wanted to get the kids at least a stick of rock, and I was hoping to try to find my friend Lynn something for keeping an eye on Malorie and Braden while we were gone, but absolutely everything in Southend closed at six o'clock except for two cafes! But I enjoyed the fresh sea air, as it wasn't too chilly, and it was a nice change to walk along the seaside instead of the usual trails I walk when I'm at home.







Fortunately I didn't have a hangover on Saturday morning from the margaritas! We even made it from Basildon to the track in Sittingbourne an hour and a half before I had to be there for the "driver briefing". I've already posted the best of my pictures, but I have to say again that Mark was the nicest guy! He was very accessible, answered any questions (like Kate asking him what he thought of Nico Rosberg who is tipped to be his teammate the end of this season and possibly next year), and didn't hide away from his fans.

I'm Back From Racing!

I'm too tired to do much blogging tonight, but I had to put at least a few pics on from my race today. Wow, what a rush that was! Now I know why some racing drivers say racing is better than sex! I can't wait to do it again next year!

I am pleased to report that I only spun once when some idiot rammed me (hard) from behind trying to overtake me, but I kept it on the track, swung it around and got back to racing. I never went off, never stalled, never ran into someone else.

Mark Webber was on track the same time I was. He lapped me three times. Our team came in 20th. Yes, there were only 20 teams. We've decided next year to have shirts with "Minardi Junior" printed on them for ourselves, and I said we need to add: "We like doing it slow". But I'll bet that out of all 20 teams, we had more fun than anyone else!

Here are the pics, anyway, then I'm off to bed!


Our team: Kate, myself and Karen


England won the Ashes ... Joel is Australian ... This photo was inevitable!


Even Mark wasn't spared!


He is a lovely bloke!


Mark and Dave


I finally had my picture taken with him!


Kate said I looked like a Power Ranger when I had my crash helmet on! I was thinking more Teletubby than Power Ranger ...

Off to See the Wizard of Oz!

Well, he is from Oz ... and he is a real wiz behind the wheel of an F1 car ...

I'm just about to pack up the laptop and load up the car. I'm getting really nervous about the race tomorrow and meeting Mark face to face. I've only packed about five different outfits, and we're only going to be gone one night! Usually it's Simon who packs half his wardrobe, but I don't want to get 200 miles from home and suddenly wish I'd packed that other top or the other pair of jeans, so I packed several!

And I tried on the size 14 jeans I was determined to get into by tomorrow ... Perfect fit! They went in the suitcase instead of back in the wardrobe on stand-by.

The hotel has internet connections in the rooms, so I might manage to blog later.

Pink Marshmallows

I know Gary hates me referring to a past picture of me as my "pink marshmallow look", but I've just tried THAT SKIRT on to see if I could tell a difference.

The skirt can almost drop straight down to my ankles.

The Weekend Ahead

The day I've been looking forward to for months is almost here! The Mark Webber Supporter's Club is having their annual karting event in Kent, and I'm heading down south for it. My friend Lynn is looking after Malorie and Braden, and Ricky and Jack will be at their dad's, so we're leaving tomorrow morning after taking the kids to school, then staying in a hotel in Essex for a night so we don't have to drive the 200 miles to the track on Saturday morning.

It's not just that I'm going to get to meet up with the great people I've come to know through the MWSC, though that's great in itself. No, what I'm so excited about is the fact that Mark will be there and will be racing against us in the karting event! My favourite Aussie! (Oops! Second favourite Aussie!) Fortunately I'm on a team with two other girls, Karen and Kate, so it should be a really good laugh. I was worried I'd be put on a team with two ultra competitive blokes who wouldn't appreciate the fact that I'm a rubbish kart driver! I haven't been in one since 1987, which should be an indicator of my abilities.

Simon's supposed to be charging up the camcorder batteries and getting it ready to go, and I have my camera and the spare digital camera ready to go. Hopefully I should have a few good pics to post when I get back home Saturday night.

Now you know one of the reasons why I've been dieting so faithfully lately. When the MWSC got together in July before the British Grand Prix, I had only been on my Weight Watchers diet for two days, and when I saw the pictures other people took of me, all I could think was, "Geez, I look like a big pink marshmallow!" At least with the 18+ pounds I've dropped since then the chances of that happening again are slimmer (as am I). I'm not wearing pink anyway.

Oh, and Simon's going along with me, but he's green with envy because he doesn't get to participate. I offered to buy him a club membership for his birthday/Father's Day/Valentine's Day, but he declined. Now he's kicking himself. He'll have to watch me going round in the kart, racing a real F1 driver, while he's standing track-side with the cameras.

And The Future Is In Their Hands?

I did a few hours work on my campus this morning, stapling flyers and stuffing envelopes for one of the university departments, and because parking is hard to find and expensive once you do find it, I did the Park N Ride thing and took the tram.

On the way home, I was joined by a group of six secondary students who, as part of their PE course, were meeting their teacher and the rest of their class at a golf course. As the tram neared, the kids started looking out the windows to be sure they didn't miss their stop.

When the golf course came into view, one teenage girl said, "Oh my god, it's outside!"

A future leader, if I've ever seen one.

Pepto Bismol Wedding

It's like a train wreck. I just can't keep away from this story. Sorry, but it's just so bizarre.

Jordan's Pink, Pink Wedding

Good Lord above.

We all knew Jordan's wedding was going to be an extravaganza of flounce and cash-spending - but the details will still make you gasp... and vomit if you hate pink.

Hand-made ivory shoes for Peter, a foot-high pink crown for Jordan, a ring made of 20 princess-cut diamonds for Peter, a ring of 35 princess-cut diamonds for Jordan, hair extensions for Peter and a Barbie-pink gown with a corset made from thousands of pink Swarovski crystals and with a train of more than seven yards long for Jordan... and breathe.

The extraordinary fairytale wedding, which features over 51 pages of OK! magazine, looks like a craze of pink.

The glass Cinderella-style carriage which Jordan arrived in had baby pink seats and pink fur carpet.

The 300 guests, including Gazza, Big Brother's Orlaith and Vanessa Feltz, slurped pink champagne and munched on canapes served on pink featured platters.

It took a team of 12 more than three weeks to hand-sew the crystals onto Jordan's dress, which was designed by Isabell Kristensen.

After the ceremony, Jordan told the magazine: "This is the best day of my life. It's the fairytale wedding I've always dreamed of."

Talking about her hefty diamond ring, she said: "It's so big, I can't bend my finger."

But once all the glitter and fluff has disappeared, Jordan can be safe in the knowledge that should it all go wrong, Pete won't be walking off with half of her hard-earned cash.

They've signed a pre-nup to protect her millions.

"Whatever happens, I can't take half of what she's got," Pete revealed. "I don't want anything from her apart from her love."

Bless.

©2005 BSkyB

"The Boy They Call Chucky" -- Reaction

Last night I mentioned a programme they were showing on ITV about one of my neighbours, a boy who suffers from ADHD and flies into terrible rages.

The programme was heartbreaking, even more so because these are people I know. I cried a few times while watching it, I worried that one of the boys who bullied Chris was my son (he assures me it wasn't), and I was really glad to see that they're making progress!

I saw Chris today with his dad, and I was really touched to see my son Braden stop to speak to them. A lot of people are going to be horrible to the family because of some of the things on the programme, and it warmed my heart to see that Braden rose above that.

"The Boy They Call Chucky"

There's a programme on ITV here in England tonight at 11.00 called "Real Life: The Boy They Call Chucky". This is about one of my neighbours, a boy who used to call for Braden to come out to play.

Fuel Binge

I couldn't believe my eyes when I went to Tesco a few minutes ago. The queues at the 24 hours petrol station were stretching around the roundabout! At first I thought there must have been an accident on a side road until I remembered seeing on the news that fuel protestors were threatening to blockade oil refineries. People are panic buying petrol.

A blockade did happen in the autumn of 2000. I can remember that because, although I didn't have a car at the time, it took me two hours to get home from work by public transport -- a trip of two miles! I should have walked home, but it was dark and I wasn't very confident of walking home down unlit paths on my own.

Fortunately, the people in the queues are wasting their time. I considered going back to the Tesco petrol station tonight around midnight until I read this article from the BBC:

Motorists are being urged not to panic-buy ahead of planned fuel tax protests, as queues of up to an hour are reported at some petrol stations.

The Fuel Lobby's Andrew Spence said no oil refinery blockades were planned so there was no need to stock up.

Some petrol stations have reportedly "run dry", while others are employing extra staff to cope with the demand.

Merseyside Police have asked people not to ring 999 to ask where to buy fuel after phone lines became strained.

And there are reports of lines of motorists topping up their tanks in Kent, Lincolnshire, Manchester and long queues at station forecourts in east London.

Last week the government reportedly discussed plans to deal with a threat to fuel supplies - including the possibility of petrol rationing.

A Department of Trade and Industry document details possible measures including purchase limits, restricted opening hours, and moves to discourage motorists from frequently topping up their fuel tanks.

Mr Spence told BBC News it was this talk of rationing that had prompted motorists to stock up.

Smaller scale?

"There will be no blockades so, please, there is no need to panic-buy."

He also urged Chancellor Gordon Brown to cut tax immediately.

Mr Spence said peaceful protests planned for Wednesday were an act of desperation from haulage and farming industries facing collapse.

They would also be supported by French, Spanish and American truckers, he said.

Petrol Retailers Association director Ray Holloway said there had been a day of increased sales and urged the government to set a pre-emptive "minimum fuel purchase".

That would prevent drivers with nearly-full tanks needlessly queuing, as many did during the fuel protests in 2000, he said.

He also warned motorists to behave responsibly: "I really do appeal to people to actually just buy fuel when they need it.

"If people really do buy in the normal way, fuel will be available on the forecourts."

There were now 25% fewer filling stations across the UK than in 2000, he told BBC News.

Protests against the fuel tax are being planned after the price of unleaded reached £1 a litre in parts of the UK.

Revenue boost

But few believe the demonstrations would be on the scale of those that left many motorists without fuel and supermarket shelves empty five years ago.

BP, which operates 1,300 filling stations, said there were no signs of abnormal sales. This was reflected by supermarket chain Asda, which runs 146 stations.

Mark Bradshaw, head of Garagewatch, which represents 6,500 independent retailers in the UK, said forecourts had been "quite quiet".

Protesters were not intending to halt deliveries, so there was no need to panic, he added.

But Mr Bradshaw is calling for a tax cut and a "maximum figure on the pump of 80p a litre".

"With the barrel price of oil at a record high now the government are making huge amounts of revenue from North Sea oil.

"On top of that the higher the price at the pump, the more they are making on VAT as well."

Institute of Directors chief economist Graham Leach also called for a tax cut pointing out that 47p of the 97p pump price went into Treasury coffers.

Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Vince Cable said there was no justification for panic-buying but said "the government needs to have contingency plans in place".

Roger King, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, said there was a "very strong case" for the government to reduce fuel duty, particularly for commercial vehicle operators.

Story from BBC NEWS:


Published: 2005/09/12 17:46:42 GMT

© BBC MMV

So, to you idiots in the queue, don't ruin it for the rest of us! Pay attention to the news before you go fill up your tanks just for the hell of it!

Back To School Soon

Only three weeks until I start my third year of university! If you ask me, the summer break from May until the beginning of October is way too long, just like the break over the Christmas holidays is too long. My kids get six weeks off in the summer and two weeks off for Christmas. I've had four and a half months off for summer, and I'll have six weeks off for Christmas.

Today I checked the student intranet and found my timetable, only for it to be yanked an hour later. Still, I managed to pencil it into my Filofax so I have a good idea when I'll be in lectures and seminars. Almost everything is on Monday and Tuesday, with one seminar every other Thursday. I might manage to get a part time job with this schedule, as long as it doesn't interfere with my studying.

I'm also going to join the university gym so I can keep up the weight loss and toning over the winter. I'll be a very busy girl when you add in the kids' activities and normal everyday stuff that needs to be done at home. And yet I can't wait for the next three weeks to be over so I can get back to the studies!

Pointless Celebrity Weddings

So Jordan and Peter Andre got married and can collect on their mega buck promotional magazine deal. It sounds like a totally tacky affair, and I can't wait to sneak a peak at the pictures in the trashy magazine that actually paid them for the exclusive pics. Don't worry about me contributing to their riches, however. I won't lower myself to actually buy a copy!

Jordan's Lavish Wedding
It's sparked rumours of everything from giant wedding dresses and boob-shaped cakes to celebrity guests - or lack of.

But after weeks of speculation, Jordan and Peter Andre finally got married - at a bash that was shrouded in secrecy.

According to The Sun, around 350 guests - including Jennifer Ellison and Vanessa Feltz - watched the couple tie the knot at Highclere Castle in Berkshire.

And Kerry Katona - who met the pair on I'm A Celebrity - and Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding were bridesmaids at the bash.

But those without invites - including fans and members of the press - were kept at bay by a strict security cordon.

And helicopters even circled the castle to stop unwelcome guests from getting in or snapping aerial photos.

Inside, the do was reportedly lavish, with Jordan showing up for the civil ceremony in a pink horse-drawn carriage.

She also walked down the aisle to the sounds of Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing.

And as the happy couple signed the register, Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered was played.


At the party afterwards, guests dined on lobster and foie gras, served by opera singing waiters - while Jordan and Peter perched on his and hers thrones, The Sun reported.

X Factor finalist Rowetta performed at the reception - replacing Charlotte Church, who was booked to sing but pulled out.

And guests were also treated to a duet from the happy couple - who danced to a recording of themselves singing the ballad A Whole New World, from the movie Aladdin.

"The whole event was an incredible spectacle, from the outrageous pink thrones to Jordan's outfit," a source told The Sun.

"She couldn't walk properly and it took four bridesmaids to help her sit down. She could have used some advice on good taste."

Earlier reports had suggested that a string of celebrity guests, including Myleene Klass and Denise van Outen - had snubbed Jordan's big day.

But Jordan's spokeswoman denied this, saying they had never been invited in the first place.

She also denied rumours that the pair would tuck into a boob-shaped wedding cake, saying the do wouldn't be "tacky"

©2005 BSkyB

So no boob cake, but still sounds like the ultimate chav wedding to me! I might be poor, but I'll take having class and limited means over having loads of money and being trashy! If I ever get married again (heaven forbid), I'll still forego the his and hers thrones a la Jordan and Posh Spice!

Pointless Celebrities

My faith in the British public is partially restored. Victoria Beckham has been voted the "Most Pointless Celebrity", echoing what I've been saying for years!

I'm not sure I agree that Tony Blair is also a pointless celebrity because, while he might not be the most popular Prime Minster Britain has ever had, he isn't in the media for doing nothing but pouting or his body! The Royal Family does seem to serve a purpose in so far as millions of foreign dollars come into this country in the form of tourism because people want to see the pomp and ceremony, as well as the trappings, palaces, etc.

10 Most Pointless Celebrities:

1 Victoria Beckham
2 David Beckham
3 Jordan
4 Abi Titmuss
5 Tony Blair
6 Jade Goody
7 The Royal Family
8 Jodie Marsh
9 All Big Brother contestants
10 Rebecca Loos

My Sunday

I've gotten where I absolutely hate staying indoors! Even though the weather wasn't great, it was only cloudy with no rain, but I didn't go out. Hopefully I can do a long walk somewhere local tomorrow before I pick the boys up from school. I bought an Ordnance Survey map of this area, and now I can pick out where the public footpaths and walking trails are. Unfortunately by the time the Belgian Grand Prix was over this afternoon, I had to dash to Tesco to buy a roast chicken and cook the rest of Sunday dinner for the family. Not that I regret staying in to watch the race. Seeing Williams driver Mark Webber come fourth and barely miss out on a podium finish was wonderful! It was also interesting seeing Michael Schumacher having a go at Takuma Sato when Taku knocked him off the track and out of the race. I wonder if he accused Taku of trying to kill him like he claimed David Coulthard tried to do in Spa a few years back.

Simon wouldn't go to work either, despite the fact the competition was out selling ice cream in our neighbourhood. It's 10.30 pm, and Simon never even bothered to get dressed today! We desperately need money this week, too. Wednesday we're driving to Silverstone to watch F1 testing, and although that's free, diesel to run the car costs money. And Friday we're driving down to Kent so I can race a kart against Mark Webber on Saturday! (Pictures and details will definitely follow on Saturday night or Sunday morning!!!!!)

Money wouldn't have been so tight, but when the Inland Revenue sent me my award letter for my tax credits, I didn't notice a mistake they made on it. With Simon not working much, I rely on those credits to pay the bills!

Not to mention that meant I missed out on going to IKEA to buy cheap picture frames. You know, with this diet, I thought I'd miss eating chocolate whenever I fancied it, but my cravings to go wander around IKEA are worse than my choccie cravings! Maybe I'm not craving chocolate like I used to because my motivation to lose weight is high. I'm actually looking forward to getting on the scales Tuesday morning, though whenever I feel this good it usually means I've put at least half a pound back on!

I must be bored, though. It's late on a Sunday night, and I'm colouring my hair! I scared Simon by telling him I'm going blonde. It's not supposed to be blonde. Hopefully it should be just a lighter shade of my normal and natural brown.

Cartoon

Ahhh, to have kids who even care about what a blog is!

Whatever Happened To ...

Every now and then, someone will just pop into my head I haven't thought of in ages, and it happened again today. A couple of years ago I struck up an online friendship on the Fiction Addiction website to "Veritas", a guy whose real name was Ron Braun. I remember he recommended that I read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt because Ron was from or lived near Savannah, Georgia, but even though I bought the book, I still haven't managed to read it. Then suddenly, he disappeared. Unfortunately all our correspondence had been via personal message on the FA website, and I never got his email address! I did get the webaddress for his real estate business (he wanted me to see his picture because he said people told him he looked like David Duchovny!), but I'm always reluctant to contact people through their places of work.

Well, maybe I'll send him a Christmas card this year.

Or not. I just checked and I must have deleted the link! Time for Gary's mantra: "Google is my friend. Google is my friend". Ah, found him!

Miserable Weather or Miserable Melinda?

Geez, what a miserable day!  So much for taking another long hike like I did yesterday.  Simon and I had plans to go hunting stone circles – the “Stonehenge of the North” is in the Peak District – but it hasn’t stopped raining since last night.  I don’t even feel like getting dressed.  I’ve lounged on the couch since the dog woke me up at 5.00 this morning, then watched F1 qualifying, and now I still don’t have the energy or inclination to go upstairs and put my clothes on.  Pajamas and dressing gown day?  

Nah, I’m sure I’ll get dressed soon, probably after I finish this post.  I might even manage to paint the stairway walls.  Or I’ll just go back to the couch and be miserable, just like the weather.

Pride and Prejudice

I'm really excited about the new "Pride and Prejudice" movie coming out this month! I have the BBC mini series on DVD, and I'm anxious to see how well this new adaptation is. I love the BBC version so much that I can't believe the new one can cram all of Jane Austen's story into two hours or less! (I always have the same worry about the Harry Potter films.)

Today I went to Chatsworth House, which was used as Mr Darcy's residence, Pemberley. I only went to walk the grounds and the woods behind the house, but I did notice they have a poster on the gate advertising the movie!

Scale-less Weight Loss

I found this article by Nicki Anderson that I soooooo agree with, I thought I would post bits of it here! I know I've been caught up in my weekly weigh-ins with Weight Watchers, but this is the mentality that I'm trying to develop as well. Last week I was certain that I'd put weight on, and I was prepared to step on the scales yesterday and find that I was a pound or two higher than the week before, but I was still happy because I'd just had to buy a pair of size 14 jeans on Monday! And better yet, with all the walking up and down hills I've been doing, my stamina is increasing, and my heart rate is improving.

The scale has become our gauge when we evaluate our failure or success with weight loss. But here’s the important thing: a scale can provide guidance but it cannot tell you how your overall health is doing. A scale simply provides a number that can make or break your day. And why? Why do we allow an inanimate object to wreak havoc on our emotions? Whose great idea was it that the scale is king?

C’mon, we KNOW when we’ve eaten too much and we KNOW when we’ve had a really healthy week. We KNOW when we’ve exercised regularly and we KNOW when we have not. Why must we continue to rate our weight loss attempts with a scale when, more times than not, it isn’t an accurate reflection of our overall health?

The truth is, the scale can work as a motivating force behind our weight loss efforts but remember that as much as that scale can build us up, it can tear us down. So, what do we do? How can we reconcile ourselves to the fact that the scale is NOT always our best friend and it often doesn’t give us the full story?

Well, it begins with understanding the job of the scale. The scale is not a buddy to bond with because it hides the truth - the truth being health vis a vis weight. Though many of us know that dropping a few pounds will enhance the quality of our life, the scale isn’t always the best source for positive feedback. Making small changes over a long period of time will get us to a healthy goal, but the scale may not reflect positive numbers fast enough.

Here are some ways to measure your weight loss success rather than using the scale. By the way, when it comes to weigh-ins, weekly weigh-ins are sufficient. If you’re doing the 3 times a day weigh-in, you’re doing yourself (and any attempts to change your lifestyle) a serious disservice. Here’s the scoop:

Clothing You know how it feels to put on a skirt or dress you’ve been unable to wear for a year? Nothing is better than being able to comfortably fit into that article of clothing that you considered giving away because you never thought you’d be able to wear it again!

Attitude When you begin to eat better and exercise more regularly, you will find yourself feeling more positive about the changes you’re making. Having a positive attitude plays a large role in keeping you motivated and moving forward. Feeling positive allows you to make more decisions that are positive!

Taking Up Less Space Before I lost 3½ stones, I always felt like I took up an unusual amount of space wherever I went. Whether it was a party, a meeting or work, I always felt that I took up more space than anyone else there. Once the body and the weight start changing, suddenly the space you take up seems much smaller. Getting into your car, getting on the train, going to the cinema or flying. Any of those venues can give us a feeling of taking up a lot of space. Once your nutrition is healthy and your daily activity increases, those spaces will magically seem to have more room!

Active Participation I don’t know about you but before I lost my weight, going anywhere with friends or family was dictated by the amount of exertion involved. The thought of long walks or, heaven forbid, climbing something, was an immediate, “No thanks.” Once I started practicing a healthier lifestyle and my body began to respond, I wasn’t as reluctant to try new things and go places.

Friendly Comments The best part of changing your lifestyle to healthy eating and daily activity are the comments you’ll begin receiving from others. Being told, “You look great!” goes a long way in reminding us that our efforts are well worth it. A scale cannot measure feeling great and looking great cannot be seen through a scale. Making positive lifestyle changes and connecting with the way your body responds to them is a wonderful way to reinforce the benefits of eating well, exercising well and living well! Scale down the need to weigh in every day and get your reinforcement through a means that makes sense!

Source: MSN Women

I experienced the last one yesterday when I picked Ricky and Jack up from school. One of the other mums said, "Wow, you look like you've lost some weight!" When I said that I've lost 17 pounds so far, she said, "Good, maybe now when I tell people you aren't pregnant, they'll believe me"! How funny is that!

Yeah Right!

I went for a walk in the Staffordshire countryside today, following my Ordnance Survey map and a guidebook. Before I left home, I read the instructions in the guide book, and it kept mentioning going through "squeeze stiles". I've been through and over all kinds of stiles, so I figured this one would be no harder than any of the others.

Then I saw it:



Yeah, like I can get my fat ass through that!

Thank goodness my ass is shrinking!



I might put Simon on Weight Watchers now!

"Gilligan" Dies

I grew up watching "Gilligan's Island", so it saddened me to hear that Bob Denver died last Friday. Little Buddy has gone to join the Skipper and the rest.


Picture from CBSNews.com

More Weight Loss

I really thought I blew it this week! After finally making it to one stone last week, I was fully prepared to step on the scales this morning and discover I'd put on a pound -- or two! With it being my wedding anniversary and going out on Sunday ...

Instead, all that walking I'm doing must be paying off because I've lost two and a half more pounds!

Spammers Beware!

For the longest time, my blog seemed to be safe from unwelcome posts. Occasionally someone hasn't agreed with me, but I can handle a difference of opinion.

Spammers are another matter. Last night I had some "Anonymous" idiot post four comments on my blog, and I don't care how nicely you comment on how great my blog is, if you follow it up with a sales pitch, it gets deleted. I've also had to resort to having comments word protected so anyone wanting to comment will have to type in the random letters Blogger puts on the comments page.

And if you spammers keep posting, I'll keep deleting, so if I were you, I'd wouldn't waste my time.

Girls' Night Out

I won't blog much about my night out tonight with Michelle, Shelley and Tracey, because I'm waiting for the photos to back up my post. I will say, boy! Do the women of Brim need to look out for Shelley's dad or what??????

More on the Hurricane

Is anyone else tired of seeing politicians giving press conferences? It's almost as if being seen to visit the devastated areas of the states affected by Hurricane Katrina is more important than actually doing something about it. My advice is get off the telly and get busy. I'd rather see a politician say, "Sorry, I can't speak to you right now" than see them spend all their time in front of the cameras defending what they've either done or not done.

Yes, I have to agree with George Bush on one thing: give as much as you can to the Red Cross. I'm hoping to do just that when payday arrives.

But to George Bush I have to say: charity begins at home. Your people need you. Don't abandon the people of Iraq who are innocent of the reasons for the war that has been raging around them, but for heaven's sake, the fact that you diverted funds away from the necessary repairs to the levees in New Orleans in order to bankroll your "war on terror" should be telling you something now. I'm sure there are a lot of funds you currently send to the Middle East that can be brought back to the US taxpayers who gave it to you in the first place.

I might live in the United Kingdom, but I still have a vote.

Wedding Anniversary

It's my third wedding anniversary today. Well, mine and Simon's. We kind of have to share it. That's how anniversary's usually work.

We've known it was coming for, oh, 12 months now, and at 3.30 this afternoon, he asked me, "So what do you want to do tonight?" I hate it when he does that because if I do tell him what I'd like to do (although at this moment in time I haven't got a clue), he'll say, "Nah ..." But if I ask him what he would like to do, he'll say, "Whatever you want to do"!

Aren't we a weird couple?

I did have my anniversary present from him. He's paid for me to go karting in two weeks, where I will get to race against a real F1 driver! I would have gone even if he hadn't paid for it, but it was very generous of him to pay for it for me. And it makes my present to him look a little lame: a backpack and proper walking pole for when we go hill walking. But I've also booked and paid for us to go away next month, just the two of us.

Okay, originally the plan was to take Malorie and Braden with us, but they can't be bothered to go, and the only time Simon and I have ever spent the night in a hotel together was our wedding night. That was an experience, apart from the fact it was our first night as man and wife. Simon got sick. Not drunk sick (thank god), but he suddenly started running a really high fever. We never cracked open the champagne, and I used the ice in the ice bucket to cool him down.

Next month I'm taking him to London. He's never been to central London, and the only time he's ever been in the Greater London area was to make a delivery for the glass company he worked for years and years ago, and when we are on the M25 to make the run to Gatwick Airport. I've spent a lot of time in London because I spent three summers at King's College when I was a university student in Texas. Now it's my turn to show Simon around. We don't have a lot of time, but I'll definitely drag him through the Tower of London.

And if he doesn't help me figure out what we're doing for our anniversary tonight, I might just leave in locked up in one of the Towers.

I Need an IKEA Fix!

I knew I shouldn't have done it. I should never have gone on the IKEA website because now I'm just itching to drive down the M1 to do some serious shopping! It's either a very good thing or a very bad thing that I'm broke!

I even found a lovely rug that will look great at the top of my stairs when I finish painting the walls!



I also need some picture frames, and whatever else I can find!

Another Weird Day

I can't decide if I'm bored, feeling low or just suffering from PMT. I spent the morning watching CNN coverage of Hurricane Katrina's devastation and practice sessions for the Italian Grand Prix. I took Ricky and Jack to their dad's, which is never my favourite thing to do. It's not speaking to my ex that's a problem because we tend to get along pretty well nowadays, but I'm still sad to be dropping the boys off. At least I get to pick them up again tomorrow evening.

I've been to the reptile/garden centre to buy crickets for Monty. I've put diesel in the car. I've bought Simon flakes for his 99s. In fact, I did that twice because I bought the wrong kind the first time. Then I came home and shouted at Simon for not getting off his ass to take some forms in to the council office they requested three weeks ago.

I've picked out and reserved his anniversary present, and I need to go get it, but now I'm stuck in the house waiting for someone who was supposed to be here half an hour ago. I'm so bored, I've just re-written my profile for my blog. Simon will probably be home for a cup of tea soon, and most likely he won't speak to me because I shouted at him. He does that when he knows I'm right. If he thinks I'm wrong, he shouts back.

I say shout, but neither one of us does much shouting, unless it's me shouting at the kids. We talk severely to each other. Maybe we slam doors. That's about it.

Speak of the devil, he's home for a cuppa.

Jack decided he wanted to hug a tree ... 

... so Ricky had to do it too! 

Hurricane Relief?

I'm furious. CNN International has finally switched off their regular news programmes to show coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The UK media has done a pretty good job of reporting on how bad things are in the US states that were hit, but the coverage is limited as they report on other world events. But now I'm getting the bigger picture of just what is going on in Louisiana and Mississippi.

One of the first bits of news I heard on Tuesday was that George Bush was releasing oil reserves to help out the refineries that lost their supplies. Need I say more? Not releasing food and water to victims. Not deploying troops to help save people's lives. He released oil.

I've heard an excellent interview with a furious Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin. He wants help and has been asking and begging. He can't believe that the government was able to send troops so quickly after 9/11 first to Afghanistan and then Iraq is so slow to help US citizens on US soil.

I'm also ashamed to hear how bands of armed US citizens are roaming the streets, shooting at those who are there to help in the rescue effort. It reminds me of Stephen King's "The Stand".