Things I wish I had but don't, even though I own them, because they are in Stoke-on-bloody-trent, in storage. Meh.

Rice cooker (plus transformer).

About 70% of my cook books, including Delia, most of my Nige collection, the domestic goddess, Jane's veggies, ie my most-used ones. And all my Japanese ones. And the hundred-ways-with-apples one, which would be particularly useful at the moment given the weight of apples on the trees.

Lots of lovely china.

Spare sheets (so I didn't have to wash-dry-put back on in one day.)

Dictionaries.

A green yukata which would look fantastic on the wall in the hall.

An umbrella stroller.
And we have just forked out for a new charger/lead set for the movie camera as it was getting a bit silly.

Lisa at 13:22
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Am feeling v smug now. Just got sent a new (poxy) manuscript, with a message to the effect that the author had requested that I do it because he was so pleased with my work on his previous (poxy) manuscript! Hurrah; how nice to be appreciated. Cameron reckons I should charge more in that case (but that is why he is a successful businessman and I a lowly editor).
Lisa at 11:40
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and counting...
Ten teeth. Halfway.
Lisa at 07:23
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Maggie thinks I am a camel. Or she thinks camels are me (which is not quite the same thing). Twice today - once on the 'kiddies' menu at lunch and then this evening in a book - she has pointed to a picture of a camel and said, quite clearly, Mama.
Cameron says he hasn't taught her, she's learnt it all by herself.
Lisa at 18:22
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No news is just that: no news. The viewers like our house best (apparently) and (apparently) have received an offer on their house...sounds good so far...only that offer is a bit low so they are trying to negotiate that before coming back to us with - we hope - an offer. So we remain in a state of limbo, albeit quite optimistic limbo. Not optimistic enough to have revived my interest in house viewing, however.
I intend to compensate for my long absence with a lovely long post today, though I warn you now it might be full of boring boasty mummy stuff. I never liked toddlers before but this is a great age: Maggie gets more and more fun by the day. We popped south to my mum and dad for a long weekend, in the course of which we ventured into deepest darkest Surrey to visit Helen and her truly gorgeous new daughter Charlotte. Was lovely to see them; I hope Charlotte is starting to distinguish night from day now as Helen was feeling rather frazzled.
Cameron joined us for Saturday's trip to a vineyard in Hampshire (who knew?) for Gail and Martin's silver wedding lunch. Maggie stayed home with Granny and Grandpa (lucky for the other guests I reckon) and we had a lovely time, reuniting with various other friends from Tokyo (all of whom, we agreed, would go back tomorrow) and drinking (hampshire) champagne. How very civilised. Sunday, Cameron came back home to cut the grass, etc, while I visited Katy and Duncan: not long to go now so much baby chat ensued. Maggie was most out of sorts and didn't even want to play with their huge red ball. We think teeth.
Maggie and I were sitting on the sofa the other day, Islay came to say hello. "Kiss Islay" I said, so she did. "Kiss mummy" (she did). She then pushed my face towards Islay and commanded "Diss" (it means kiss, k is a hard sound to make!) How cute is that.
Went into the porch to pick up the post this morning, to see my next-door neighbours, her in curlers (most unusual, she is generally very groomed), peering in horror over the fence. And pointing. With a sinking heart I remembered the small dead rat Jura brought in last night: it was pouring with rain so Cameron flung it out the front door rather than putting it in the bin. Where it landed on the lawn to do its rigor mortis thing. Of course I had to pretend to be shocked and surprised (I didn't like to say oh yes, we put it there last night), although I fear I was not convincing: I am no actress at the best of times let alone first thing in the morning. I refused her kind offer to have her husband move it for me (!) - one thing you learn very fast living with cats is to deal with small dead things. (I have more trouble with small dying things, being too soft to put them out of their misery, but that's another story.)
I have no work on today! For what feels like the first day in ages. Am celebrating by cleaning the bathroom: woohoo.
Lisa at 12:31
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Phew. Is really hot and muggy here today.
Have you all still got your fingers crossed? July's viewers came back last night for a second look. Which apparently they are doing to several houses and we can expect a decision by the weekend (playing with us, they are). Has got to be hopeful, but not too hopeful. I was delighted to see, 5 minutes before they were due, all the neighbourhood children take to the streets for a good amicable play: they couldn't have timed it better had I bribed them with icecream from the van.
Am editing a poxy manuscript and, bizarrely, rather enjoying it. The reason? It is the first one ever (in, um, a good few years of editing) that has been about something about which I know something. (Are you following?) They have used some techniques I used for my PhD: amazing. Better than bluffing my way through cancer and molecular biology as I usually have to. Is fun. (OK, fun might be a little strong. Is still poxy. But fun poxy.)
Maggie went to the creche this morning and did her first ever paintings! They were very good: she is brilliant. One looked a bit like a flower if you held it sideways and squinted; the other was more abstract. Clever, clever girl.
Lisa at 14:12
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I am sure I am well behind the times, but if any of you out there haven't found Kath & Kim yet, please watch. We love it. The web seems quite full of amusing quotes but my favourite to date was Kim musing on how difficult it is to be a wife...so many decisions...house, trophy, fish...
Heh.
It's true, we do nothing but watch television these days.
Lisa at 13:16
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Apparently the reason you are supposed to supervise children with crayons at all times is not merely wallpaper-related: who knew? Nipped to the kitchen yesterday just long enough to stir rice and poke beans; returned to find Maggie chewing a nice big lump of pink. Yummy.
Lisa at 12:20
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We're back. What news?
Did I mention we were going away? I am rubbish, aren't I. We went to Scotland, to Cameron's parents' ruby-wedding shebang, then to Forfar (really) for a holiday, then to Aberdeen overnight, then back to Forfar, back to Fife and home again. Phew! Am v proficient at packing the car now (less so at unpacking: despite arriving home Tuesday afternoon, my car remains full of toys, books and bottles of beer). Hol v pleasant, we did virtually nothing, as planned. Afternoon naps and long lie-ins and Cameron read what he claims to be his first book this year (surely it can't be true, though I can't recall another). Visited Glamis Castle (us and an awful lot of Americans), Crathes Castle (which has the temerity to charge EIGHT POUNDS to get into the gardens. They are nice but at the end of the day just a load of plants), ate butteries and bridies and nothing healthy whatsoever. Reckon I put on half a stone so am on salad and fruit this week (bad side-effect of getting older: never used to put on weight). Went to a lovely beach, walked round a loch, toured the Pittenweem art festival. Visited my ancestral seat of Stonehaven. Feel well rested and much refreshed (and fat).
The chap who owned the cottage we stayed in used to work at Daresbury, spookily, and his wife is about to head to Nottingham* to take up a readership at the university. Different department but we were all scientists together. And they had chickens who produced delicious eggs.
I see Helen had her baby (well, OK, I heard via text while away) so lots of congratulations are due in Kent for baby Charlotte. Don't think they are getting much sleep: would she believe me if I promised she'd have forgotten that this time next year? It is true.
Maggie slept jolly well on her hol, must be all that fresh air and exercise (and not being stuck with boring mummy all the time). And she even managed to produce a new tooth (how many more to go?)
*It's just occurred to me that I haven't actually been blogging forever so you are mostly going so? at this news. Although I did the work for my PhD at Daresbury, it was awarded by Nottingham University. See? Spooky.
Lisa at 11:44
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