troublous times!

The farmer and I slid a vehicle over to Leicester to collect the youngest and all his belongings from University for his Christmas break on Friday morning. AFter a long night out in his home town on Friday he has simply slept. There have been brief periods of wakefulness during which he has taken in calories and conspired with the in-house plumbing, but otherwise he has just stacked up the Zzzzzs. It would seem that he was a tiny bit short of rest, and burning the candle at both ends does mean that eventually the wick meets itself in the middle and the flame puffs out! Am hoping that another day or two of sleep will rid him of his horrible chesty cough and allow him to function for an entire day!

Big boy drove down (up?) from Scotland yesterday, stopping at his Aunt's for food and succour before he got home! This almost makes her a child stealer!!! We were at a formal dinner, which we left when he arrived home. He is full of flu, and really unwell, so I am nursing him kindly, and delighted to have the opportunity to do so. hopefully the next 48 hrs will bring some improvement for him too.

So, boys home and needing as much care as when they were small. Lovely! Bring on the beef tea. The farmer has been flat out working which is quite an unusual state of affairs. What a challenge. We are short of heating oil, but owing to the enormously inflated cost of this necessity just now, we have turned down the heating to minimum and enjoying plenty of sitting room fires instead.

Looking forward to a family Christmas complete with ugly sweaters, bring on the healthy children!!!!!

wine flu

My brother in law has explained the condition'wine flu' to me, and I was so amazed I am taking the opportunity to share the description of this debilitating condition with you too.

Wine Flu: the condition shows itself after a variable period of alcoholic sampling. Some of the symptoms might be: the room becoming unstable, a queasy feeling in the digestive area, an undeniable urge to make a complete fool of yourself, the necessity to sprint to the loo to re-inspect the contents of your stomach and an inability to arrive home with any kind of dignity. If you suffer any of these symptoms I can pretty certainly diagnose that you are suffering from wine flu, which is prevalent during the festive season, and other celebratory occasions.

The flu may sometimes last throughout the following day, necessitating much holding of the head, and horizontal moaning. Do not despair. The symptoms will pass, given time, and possibly a 'hair of the dog'.

The spread of the disease is still being researched,there seems to be no single infecting agent, so keep your eyes peeled. Pretty sure that drinking Christmas spirits will keep the bug at bay. worth a try anyway. Have a Merry One!

from the depths of ICE WORLD - Merry Christmas!

wicked Grandchildren


Glittering party guests


Da boyz in Budapest


hands full of trouble!


Fun and games at the wild 18th!


My Dad and me at the 50th PARTAAAYYY!

And so, another year has almost slipped by. 2010 has seen the eldest working hard, in a large local factory and as an assistant Chartered Surveyor. He has accepted a place at Harper Adams to study Rural Chartered Surveying in 2011, and headed off quite happily in August 2010 for a one year HNC Fish Farm Management course in Scotland. He is enjoying freezing his ass off on fish farms north of the border so much that completing a degree in Aquaculture at Stirling University (which will take 2 further years of study) is now also an option. He is flying off to New Zealand to do the Work Experience portion of his HNC next summer, and there is also a chance that he might stay there. He has been warned that his mother will be joining him if he even hints at staying so far away from home long term!! He has celebrated his 19th birthday and seems to be thriving in the freezing climate that is Scotland this winter. I am looking forward to his return for the Christmas holiday. Very much.

The youngest celebrated his 18th birthday in hilarious style in the heat of the summer, surrounded by friends and family in the garden. Hardly a sober person on the premises, and egg and spoon racing, water fights and 'horsey, horsey' were the order of the day (and night). He went on to celebrate the end of his A levels with a 'boys only' holiday to Budapest. This was their first foray into parentless travelling, and they all survived, indeed enjoyed themselves very much. He worked all summer for a large holiday provider locally and celebrated yet again when his A level results came through. Two 'A' grades in Maths and History, and a 'B' in Biology. Off he went to the University of Leicester in September to read History where he is having a fine old time. We have only been graced with his presence for one night since his departure. He was kind enough to drag himself away from the high life of an Undergraduate to help me celebrate my 50th birthday. I am looking forward to gathering him home for Christmas too. He is rowing for Leicester University, which has proved to be a chilly pass-time during the cold snap the country is enduring.

We had a litter of 4 pups from one of our cocker bitches. All have moved on to fine homes and we are delighted to receive periodic updates.

I celebrated my 50th. As we awaited the arrival of some of our smartest friends prior to the event one of my sons (who shall remain anonymous for his own protection) set the sitting room chimney alight. There followed ten minutes of utter panic as he endeavoured to safely extinguish both the grate fire, and the inferno halfway up the chimney. A large fall of soot ensued. I left to greet my first guests at the party venue closing the door on a scene of chaos. Some sort of fairy must have descended, because when we all returned home at 2am every sign of the catastrophe had been expunged from hearth and home. Thank goodness. A jolly time seemed to be had by all at the party, and £921 was raised for Macmillan Nurses in the process. I am closing my year without my usual bob hairstyle, and have chosen instead to have all my hair cut off short. Its a change!

The farmer has taken up ploughing and is perfecting his 'straight furrow' technique. His wheat cropped very well, and he is settling into life as a professional arable farmer with enthusiasm. It seems to mostly involve a morning lie in, plenty of tea during the day, and much tinkering with farm machinery.

We have only managed a few days in the North of England with friends as our holiday this year, the cost of two sons in Higher Education meaning that our button collection is under pressure. We hope to save enough for a holiday to celebrate the farmer's 50th in the New Year. Fingers crossed.

Its been a hard year, with all the usual ups and downs, but hope springs eternal for 2011! We shall become accustomed to our empty nest and continue to look for new challenges to keep us busy.

coming soon!

Having written my Christmas cards today (yyyeeeeeessssss!!!) I am thinking about my Christmas letter, which is going on Skipper's blog instead of in all those envelopes. Just waiting for a bit of inspiration...

50, 50, 50

50th birthday photos @ www.lincolnshirephotographers.co.uk - absolutely hilarious!

dog walking & warthogs

It was a beautiful morning today. A band of mist hung in the air giving the landscape a haunting, ethereal gauziness. The dogs, however, couldn't give a monkey's cuss. It was all I could do to capture these snaps with a moderately steady hand, whilst being pulled with the combined might of two cocker spaniels in the direction of the next interesting aroma.

Is the large yellowish creature a giant pig? A Hippo? A warthog? No. Its Skipper. Enjoying the balmy morning, and absolutely covered in mud from his daily bath. He seems to be as fat, and happy as he looks, and only being ridden once a week, or even once a fortnight doesn't seem to make any difference to him whatsoever. My hero.

Looking forward to the brief return of eldest son for college break. Is driving down (or up?) from Scotland 'sometime this weekend' - oooohhhhh, can hardly wait! The house is tidy, the bedrooms are tidy, the washing is done, the ironing all complete. The fridge has vacant shelves, the fruitbowl keeps its contents for more than 48 hours, and all the rooms are empty, empty, empty. I HATE it! Doubtless, like all empty-nesters, I will become accustomed, but for now the WELCOME mat will be firmly outside the door all weekend!

The America travellers have returned today. This means I can have my day off at the weekend, (oh, joy!) and look forward to spending most of November at home, napping, shopping, riding, dog walking and visiting. There's no sunshine holiday for us this year. The expense of two young men at University, and the prospect of a new shower room, means we are guarding our buttons a bit more carefully this winter.

Art night-class begins tonight, I feel like I can hardly pick up a pencil, never mind a case full of painting materials, but hopefully some enthusiasm will bubble forth after work.

university ho!

The luxury of University accommodation! Took my baby chick yesterday.... easier than I was expecting, and he pushed us out of his room door before I could get a snap! His room was like a comedy set from the 1960s. Cupboard door fell off into my hand, cracked tiles and peeling ceiling. Carpet embedded with black grime. He thought it was wonderful. The kitchen facility I did manage to snap (just) and as you can see it is less than impressive for between 8 and 12 students. Nevertheless, he has optimistically taken possession and is now, no doubt, completely exhausted from his own freshers first night.

The nest is now empty. Rattling around and tidying up. I have never, ever had such a tidy home. Quite a surreal feeling. Big boy coming home for half term in two weeks, which should be just in time to prevent the farmer and me descending into a complete pit of despair, or alternatively, civil war!!! I have a builder coming to overhaul shower room and exterior, a plumber for a price for a replumb and later a kitchen company. Poor old farmer.

The salt mines still lacking any other guiding hand but mine, whilst sis and her husband gadding around the Carolinas. I am very ready for a day or two off, and its been a long, hard and demanding slog for September. However, the end IS in sight, in more ways than one, and should be welcoming other Salt Mine detainees back into the compound this weekend coming. Salt Mine Housekeeping Supervisor finished today to enjoy a holiday prior to her statutory maternity leave so staff levels are at an all time low.

The wonderhorse looks more like a yellow hippo with each passing day, and our quick scurries around the block together, racing the sunset are not satisfying anyone - least of all him.

Central heaing ON, fat duvet for the bed ON, chimneys swept and logs in stock. Autumn racing in and I am ready!