Cooler today: let's hope my theory about Maggie's failure to sleep for the past 2 weeks is proved right and she goes off like a lamb tonight. The more so because Cameron is out playing cricket (yes really) so I am on bath and bed duty single-handed. One night last week I got so desperate I put her into the big bed, where she wanted to be (and where she dropped off in about 30 seconds) and got into the cot myself for a snooze! Amazing what seems like a good idea in the middle of the night. I am just pleased Cameron was too sleepy to get the camera.
Lisa at 12:48
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Swimming

Lisa at 11:00
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For the record
Cat
Duck (NB cat and duck both sound a bit like 'da')
Bye bye
Islay
Jura
Flower
Quack quack
Woof woof
Buzz
Shoes
Baa
Teddy
Ball
Armpits
Chicken (food not bird)
Lisa at 11:07
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Positive thinking...
We will probably still be here for the apple harvest, so will be able to make lovely crumbles and cider again.
I don't have to leave all my new friends and start again (yet)
Perhaps the next house we find will be even better (oh but I liked having 2 en-suites)
Actually there is a near-identical house for sale on the same estate. Not so well located, and no conservatory - but we might just consider it. Would it be too weird to have the evil witch as a neighbour?
And as house prices are falling there are some very nice houses around. I just can't be bothered to traipse back round them again just yet.
Lisa at 11:55
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Feeling quite glum today. Evil vendor witch woman has pulled out of the sale - decided not to move after all. Just goes to show you should trust your instincts about people: next time we find The House, no matter how ideal, we are not going ahead if we don't like the vendors. Looking back, we should have expected it, all that wittering about how she won't find anything else as nice, and she actually told me they had nearly sold once before then changed their minds...but what did we know, it was on the market. Bah. Sigh.
We had just decided to rent out this house until the market picks up, too.
Am trying very hard to believe that these things happen for a reason so we will find another that is even better - but am not quite there yet. Am much more in the evil witch frame of mind just now.
Perhaps the next one will have room for chickens and a vegetable patch (see, I said I wasn't quite there yet).
Have told Maggie she won't be able to go to the nice little village school, too.
On the (?!) bright side, it seems the surveyors cocked up and only did a valuation rather than the very expensive survey we paid for, so we should get a refund there. Even better (?), they lied to us about having done it, so I am pushing for a full refund.
Bah.
Lisa at 11:34
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Gosh, I'm feeling prolific today.
Anyone know about chillies? I've been given three plants marked with undefined acronyms for species...
RoF (I guess ring of fire?)
THD (thai dragon?)
FH (no idea)
Anyone?
Lisa at 12:29
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Arg. How long have I been married? Yet just today the bank has decided I can't pay in a cheque made out to my married name (and Cameron's name, and apparently he wouldn't be able to pay it in either) because I have my maiden name on the account.
What do people who don't have a joint account do when cheques to both arrive? They tell me that wouldn't be allowed either. They tell me I either have to change my name (and if I put both names on the account, ie Lisa Stewart Watson, all cheques will have to say that exactly not one or the other), open another account for such eventualities, contact the people writing the cheque and get it re-issued (it's a share dividend) or, as a special favour and just this once, take in my marriage certificate.
After seven years with no such problems.
Lisa at 12:20
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This whole cleaner thing is not working out very well - it was supposed to relieve stress, not increase it. Slapdash dusting (better than no dusting at all, but a bit irritating when you are paying) then last week she skipped off an hour early (I only know because I happened to be here; maybe she does it every week): this week she hasn't turned up at all and hasn't called in sick either. I am starting to think it might be better to have half a day's childcare, enabling me to blitz the house...except the whole point of me staying home and not returning to work is to allow me to be with Maggie not the vacuum cleaner. Feeling quite cross, having spent the morning mooching round the town centre to let her clean in peace. Incidentally, why do Fathers' Day cards all have pictures of football/cricket/beer/ties (yes, really?!) on? Somebody out there could make a fortune being more creative.
I haven't been posting much, mainly due to sheer exhaustion and lack of enthusiasm. I hope it is teeth but Madam is once again not sleeping well. Last night we gave up entirely and brought her back downstairs to watch relocation relocation until she got tired (9.45). It makes Cameron go to sleep faster than that! While we are on the subject: why do all modern programmes repeat and repeat and repeat? Drives me crazy when they tell you the whoooooolllleeee ploooooottttt verrrry sloooowly again after each and every commercial break (and also summarise before the breaks). Thank goodness for sky plus.
Ooh, here's something exciting: I won my first ebay auction! Could be dangerously addictive, but an answerphone for 99p is not to be sniffed at.
Lisa at 11:22
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There's a bit of a debate on one of my hippy-parent messageboards about the MMR jab. Many people there are very anti-vaccination, believing (I think - I have only skim-read as I am a vaccination fan) that herbs and a good diet work just as well. I'd be a little more sympathetic - I am such a scientist - if somebody could come up with some sort of properly referenced study to support their Needles Bad theory...but was completely flabbergasted yesterday to read I don't bother with refs unless I [...] disagree with what is being said [...] I think sometimes evidence can become distracting. Arg. You can't argue with that, can you. Anyway, Mag is having her MMR jab in 2 weeks' time (but I won't be telling the board because I am mostly just a lurker and don't want to be attacked). Then on the midwifery board - which I am still reading despite being quite a long way distant from my pregnancy because it is just so interesting - some madwoman, in reply to a post from a poor soul undergoing a missed miscarriage (ie her baby has died but not yet miscarried), started on about doctors who misdiagnose in order to abort then get paid for the fetus by research companies! I actually, for the first time in my life (and it doesn't even affect me), complained about that post. Next thing you know, I'll be writing why oh why oh why to points of view.
Other news - cats are still hunting, kindly bringing me a live ?goldfinch up to the bedroom when I was reaching the end of my get-Maggie-to-sleep tether yesterday. (Suzanne and Mia came over and we had a picnic: we missed the sleepy window so she was utterly hyper and would not lie down for a whole hour). I saved it, they caught it, I saved it, they caught it, I saved it, they caught it, I saved it! Poor traumatised thing - but it survived.
Survey is going ahead next week and as far as we know the house is not back on the market (phew). And tomorrow, Cameron and I are going to the cinema! First time since I was 8 months pregnant. Maggie is going to the zoo.
Lisa at 10:57
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The orange prize is announced tonight. I am not really one for taking any notice of such things, but have actually read half the shortlist so am quite intrigued to see who gets it (it's a reading group thing - we all read as many as we can then vote ourselves. Unfortunately I can't make it to the voting evening as it clashes with Cameron's football night and is in Widnes, so I would have to brave the bridge and no doubt get lost). Yes, that's right - I am reading again! Must try to remember what I have read so far this year and update my list - I am not quite back up to my old one-a-week average but it is nice to be getting some reading done. A short history of tractors in Ukrainian was amusing and very easy to read but I wasn't really sure what it was actually about. I suspect there was some message, but if so, it was so deep as to pass me by. (Let's face it, it needn't be terribly deep to do so.) Liars and saints I loved; it reminded me of a Kate Atkinson (for me, this is high praise). Not sure why the blurb harps on about the photographer's kiss - but a fantastic read. But my vote absolutely goes to We need to talk about Kevin: completely unputdownable and is still haunting me now - I can't stop thinking about it. I did guess the ending about halfway but then talked myself back out of it and I want you all to go out and read it now.
Other news: NCT coffee morning here today went very smoothly until one of the toddlers fell in the pond! Jura (who was being tempting on the far side) is no doubt very pleased with herself.
Lisa at 12:12
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The hunt continues: going out to shut the catflap before bed one evening last week, without my glasses on, I shrieked when something scary (a frog, as it turned out) leapt out of the cats' water dish where it had been sitting and across the floor. Eek!
Had a jolly pleasant weekend in Harrogate with Suzanne and the girls from home (apart from Caroline of course, who is otherwise engaged). Maggie decided 5 am was getting-up time so I was rather zombie-like but the others were on good form. Katy: I did make you a list of baby stuff but it is in Suzanne's lounge. Perhaps she will send it to you before Zadok arrives.
House stress today, as the vendor has decided if she doesn't hear from the surveyor TODAY she will put the house back on the market. Just goes to show you should trust your instincts about people - I said after my first viewing that I liked the house but not the owners (but fortunately they won't be there if we buy it). Have spent Maggie's nap ringing financial advisers and estate agents rather than the planned grand tomato (and courgette) plant-out that was scheduled. Mind you, I can't find the shed key anyway so that was always a bit of a non-starter (if you were Cameron, where would you have put the key?)
Lisa at 13:22
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And a very small, very sweet, very much still alive (hooray!) field mouse.
A poor dead bird, possibly a thrush.
I think the cats have remembered how to hunt. Must buy Jura a new bell (she cunningly lost her collar at the weekend - will be interesting for future archeologists when they read the Japanese address inside).
Lisa at 11:39
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