Having a thoroughly pleasant day today, it being the first in, ohh, ages when I haven't had a million jobs to do. The house is clean and tidy (we had viewers last night) and I have no work on. OK, I still have to pack (we're Off! tomorrow) and I really should have gone to the bank, but for once I had a lovely long bath when Maggie went to sleep (which took a trip through three local villages with classic FM, but that is another story) and I feel quite calm.
Made it to the gym yesterday too - the gym proper, not sauna-and-a-coffee (despite having been up SIX TIMES in the night, where's that halo). There was some very odd daytime television on (quite hard to run to): has anyone seen (oh I forget what it is called) something like Playing it straight? A load of men - some gay some straight - and one unfortunate woman who has to (I think) guess which is which. How odd. The men were all trying to kiss her, when they were not chatting each other up. And then I ran out of puff and had to go for that coffee after all, so I don't know how it ended. Speaking of trashy telly, we've been quite engrossed in the rebel billionaire: v exciting. We want them all to lose (apart from Heather, because I had a nice long chat with her on a plane last summer. Mind you, she took my address and promised to send me some of her DVDs, and never did, so perhaps her niceness was an act.)
Viewers seemed very keen but perhaps they were just polite. They have to sell their house before they can do anything so we are not holding our breath. Their little boy was called Cameron though, so perhaps that is an omen.
Anyone got any good ideas of what we can have for tea? I have broad beans, a packet of bacon, half a tub of cottage cheese and some bananas. (Did somebody say takeaway?)
Lisa at 14:31
|  link

Having neglected childcare and paying work for a few days (hence am on the computer at 9 o'clock at night, finishing the Poxy Manuscript), have finished Harry 6. Much better - plus shorter - than Harry 5, I found myself thoroughly sucked in by about halfway through. Am left agog and gasping for the next one, which promises to have much less boarding school and even more adventure. Despite usual 2-D-ness of characters (I know I know, it is a children's book. All I can say is: Philip Pullman), JK successfully had me guessing about Snape. Is he good? Bad? Good! Bad! Very exciting. Ron and Hermione get flatter and flatter as time goes on, remaining in the plot purely to have the occasional fallout or insight (maybe it is a realistic portrayal of adolescence, though I like to think I am not so far removed that I don't remember the intensity of teenage friendships - if we had kept secrets as much as that lot, Best Friends would not have remained Best for very long. Though I suppose we were at home not away at school and, as such, reserved our secrecy and moodiness for our nearest and dearest. I don't know.) Anyway, a thumbs up from me, and Maggie is just relieved I have finished and will return to Mummy duties post-haste.
Lisa at 19:59
|  link

Hooray! What a great night. I don't suppose those of you without sleepless children will appreciate, but honestly - asleep by 8.30, woke at 12.30 for half an hour only, woke at 4 for 10 minues, up at 6.30 briefly then asleep until 8.15 - is fan-bloody-tastic. Woohoo! We're going for a celebratory swim.
(Workwise, it never rains but it pours, so I am rushing about editing odd bits while cooking dinner, reading stories and building lego towers.)
Lisa at 08:13
|  link

It is all my fault. I felt sorry for Maggie in her wintry leather shoes so went and bought some open-toed sandals. We won't see the sun again.
Lisa at 16:01
|  link

Arg. Has it really been a week? And I've not done a thing of interest. Mainly due to the amazing wide-awake baby (how long have I to wait before she will understand that if mummy is knackered we don't get to do anything fun?) Was quite embarrassed on Saturday when we went to some friends for dinner: their well-behaved boy was in bed asleep before we arrived and not a peep was heard all evening. Our little monster would not go to bed (let's be fair, she was in a strange place and there were some really good toys) and ran about until we put her in the car to come home, at midnight. Thus ruining their child-free evening, I'm sure. But at least she was cheery.
Looking forward to the Tatton Park flower show on Friday. Must be getting old.
And today was the last playgroup until September (why? I have no idea.) What are we going to do all summer?
Lisa at 15:20
|  link

Lay sweltering in bed last night debating whether we would prefer air-conditioning with cockroaches or no aircon, no disgusting enormous scuttly bugs. Cameron is firm: he says he didn't mind sharing our home with roaches (I think he has just forgotten). I am still on the fence but gosh it is warm.
Chester races on Saturday was lots of fun, but what are the chances of eight adults each selecting a horse for each of six races yet not one picking a winner. The best we did was one third place (Mark put £1 on and received 55p back. It's a mug's game.) - and the techniques used for horse selection ranged from being very keen on racing, following the form, knowing the trainers etc, to the colour the jockey wore via which horse has the most amusing name. Early on, Cameron nearly put a tenner on none of us picking a winner, but decided against.
Came home to find my grandmother has been taken to hospital with chest pains, where she is still (though nobody seems to know quite why). Can I ask you to divert the house selly/buy-y vibes I know you are all sending constantly, into get-well-granny vibes for a bit? Thanks. I'm sending vibes back in return you know: labour vibes, healthy vibes, house vibes and any others you like.
Lisa at 12:02
|  link

Meh. The owners of 'my house' accepted an offer from somebody else, who had the temerity to offer nearly the asking price! How dare they. So back we go again...only we don't, because I am so thoroughly fed up with the whole thing (plus feeling almost entirely humourless from chronic lack of sleep - things are not improving) that we have decided to have a break. We are going to have a jolly week in Scotland at the end of the month (please, please let it not rain, else we will wish we had gone to Spain) and then start again. Unless, of course, something marvellous presents itself to me in the meantime. Or we sell this one.
Otherwise, have had quite a pleasant morning. Being up half the night provides the perfect excuse to not go to the gym while M is in the creche, but to pootle up and down the swimming pool a bit, sit in the sauna, discuss football (yes, really!) with some chap in the steam room then go to the cafe and read a paper/stare into space for half an hour. I even didn't feel guilty (well, only a little) at being the only under-50 in the pool without a child.
Lisa at 10:51
|  link

Tenterhooks
here, as we at long last had some people viewing the house on Saturday! We were both convinced they weren't interested at the time, but, according to the estate agent, they really liked it - but hated the viaduct, which we can do little about. They have cancelled all other viewings and are deciding between this and another just around the corner. So please all cross your fingers and send me selly vibes.
We also found a house we really like...actually, we found two we really like but one is on a main road and needs a largish fortune spent on it, so we are sticking with the other. It's a wee bit beyond us unless we sell this, and we know the vendors have already rejected an offer higher than our cheeky low one (unless letting them play with our cute baby swings it for us), so I am feeling quite tense. It is still not absolutely ideal, but the compromises on this are quite small. It is older, which I like, but smaller than the last one (because it is in Cheshire not Wales, so the money doesn't go quite as far). I like the garden better but there is no garage for us to fill with junk. Two of the bedrooms are smallish and there is no separate study, but it is right in a fabulous village (and, as they say, location location location).
There is no other news due to my being awake with a certain young lady from 1 am last night; amazing really I can type at all. It just proved the I was right all along and she is not yet ready to drop her daytime nap.
Lisa at 16:26
|  link

I'm not sure which is worse: a baby who doesn't sleep until 10, 11 at night (as we've had for the past couple of weeks) or, like last night, one who goes off beautifully at 8.15 (hurray!) but then gets up at 5 the next morning. I am beginning to wonder if she just doesn't need as much sleep as we think. Probably the latter is preferable, if only because she was in such a lovely mood when she woke - but it wasn't helped by our being so excited by a Maggie-free evening we sat up past our bedtimes. So now it is 9 am, Maggie is having her 'lunchtime' nap and I am ready for my elevenses. Goodness knows what will happen this afternoon.
Her vocabulary of animal noises continues to expand: we now have a lion's roar and an owl's twit-twoo. Somebody told me that Aled Jones started with animal noises, so perhaps she will be a singer.
House-hunting starts again today. Sigh.
Oh, and the people who were talking below about relocation, relocation...I have finally got around to watching the episode to which you were referring (I am very behind: blame Sky+) and I agree with Mia, I didn't find them envy-inducing and sweet but rather irritating and smug.
And speaking of Sky+, i don't know if it was the thunderstorms (which have affected it previously) or a certain young lady messing with the remote, but while we were away this weekend our box took it upon itself to record hours and hours of cricket, wiping a whole page of programmes I had taped and was saving. (Just saving. I like to record things and then not watch them.)
Lisa at 08:11
|  link