urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer Millie Millie 2008-07-03T15:16:24Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:45506 2008-07-03T15:16:24Z 2008-07-03T15:16:24Z I'd forgotten all about LJ .... and then I remembered ... so howdy folks!!<br /><br />Once a year posting eh!?!<br /><br />Wobbles off to find a caffeine fix. Wonder if I'll remember to come back. Hmmm .... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:45104 2007-07-12T15:02:03Z 2007-07-12T15:02:03Z I need to witter and other times I need to witter more.<br /><br />Today is the first day back at work, and getting back in to it is proving difficult.<br /><br />Amazing how many other things I can achieve though in order to delay the inevitable though!!<br /><br />I really need to discipline myself to focus .......... I need lists, that's what I need, lots of them and a big pen to cross them out ...... wibble wobble.<br /><br />All this not helped by the fact that we've run out of coffee and almost out of milk, s'pose I know what I'm doing at 17:00 after picking little 'un up.<br /><br />Hubbie almost had palpitations when he discovered the lack of coffee!!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:44891 2007-07-08T12:55:57Z 2007-07-08T12:55:57Z RIP Fred. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:44546 2007-07-06T09:51:15Z 2007-07-06T09:51:15Z That's what today is ...... we've just taken Fred to the vets again (do you know I am becoming word perfect on the Charlie and Lola book they have in the waiting room), for us to be told that unless he perks up over the weekend, then it looks like we're going to have to take the tough decision.<br /><br />I don't want to be an adult!<br /><br />I know it's pathetic but it's the anniversary (10yrs) of my father's death on Sunday, it's all a little too spooky for me.<br /><br />Today, we're up to nowt, except for tempting Fred to eat a little and move a little. I ought to be cleaning the house, I ought to be going shopping for some meat, but I really don't feel that way inclined presently.<br /><br />The results of his biopsy should be back on Mon/Tues, I was kinda pinning my hopes on waiting for that result, as if it was TB, then as the vet said, decision made, but if it is negative, we have to be grown-ups and make the decision.<br /><br />He isn't happy. He's not moving much, his paws and his ears are cold, he has swollen legs, he's on steroids and antibiotics, it's not a life, it's an existence.<br /><br />My baby is sick :( urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:44273 2006-07-17T12:33:09Z 2006-07-17T12:33:09Z <table width="350" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#E6E6FA" align="center"><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style="color:black; font-size: 14pt;"><b>Your Birthdate: September 14</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#F2F2FB"><center><img src="http://images.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/birthday.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"><br />You work well with others. That is, you're good at getting them to do work for you.<br />It's true that you get by on your charm. But so what? You make people happy!<br />You're dynamic, clever, and funny. And people like to have you around.<br />But you're so restless, they better not expect you to stay around for long.<br /><br />Your strength: Your superstar charisma<br /><br />Your weakness: Commitment means nothing to you<br /><br />Your power color: Fuchsia<br /><br />Your power symbol: Diamond<br /><br />Your power month: May</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/">What Does Your Birth Date Mean?</a></div> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:43444 2005-10-07T11:40:24Z 2005-10-07T11:40:24Z This morning I woke up to find an area near my house cordoned off by police tape.<br />Shortly after the police came with their cameras and torches and such like.<br />A sexual assault had taken place during the early hours of the morning.<br />The tape has now been removed.<br /><br />I have been sitting here at my office desk watching as people wander over to where the horrendous incident was alledged to have taken place, they've come to look at the beautiful view of the countryside, not because of what has taken place.<br /><br />No-one knows about what has happened. <br /><br />It's a very odd emotion, that something so hellish could have taken place and yet nothing appears to be out of place, glossed over, brushed under.<br /><br />Glad though that after I'd been out last night a couple of my girlfriends insisted on walking me home, they always do, I always protest, after all, it's a safe place, I should have the right to be safe, feel safe. We'd walked past the spot by less than 50yds an hour before it happened. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:43080 2005-06-27T20:29:18Z 2005-06-27T20:29:18Z Last week my feet were blistered, almost too painful to walk, I presumed it was hayfever:<br /><br /> ... well I think we've got to the bottom of what was causing it.<br /><br />A couple of months ago I was "tidying" up the garden, which means attacking it and cutting back the undergrowth.<br /><br />In my rockery there was this plant which looked somewhat like a rhubarb (big green leaves) and I hacked it right back ... <br /><br />About a month ago I noticed that it had grown ... and was now about 4 foot high, which was completely inappropriate for a rockery. However, I found it amusing and wondered how high it might grow. My ma saw it and thought it might be a gunnera and was most disapproving of such a large plant overshadowing my rockery .... so on I left it!<br /><br />Well, the day before Dave went to the US I took a picture of it with him next to it, it was just higher than him (6ft), when he came back it had grown ... in a week .. about 4ft ..... it is now flowering ...<br /><br />My ma came over yesterday and today has identified it as a "Japanese Hogweed" .... here's a description from the Environmental Agency:<br /><br />"Giant Hogweed <br /><br />Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) was introduced to Britain in 1893 as an ornamental plant. It escaped from gardens and now colonises many areas of wasteland and riverbanks. It forms dense colonies that suppress the growth of native plants and grasses, leaving the banks bare of vegetation in winter and increasing the risk of erosion and recolonisation from seeds washed downstream.<br /><br />Legislation: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides the primary controls on the release of non-native species into the wild in Great Britain. It is an offence under section 14(2) of the Act to ‘plant or otherwise cause to grow in the wild’ any plant listed in Schedule 9, Part II. This includes Giant hogweed.<br /><br />HEALTH HAZARD<br /><br />The stems, edges and undersides of the leaves bear small hairs containing poisonous sap, and the slightest touch causes painful blistering and severe skin irritation. Unshaded habitats with high soil nitrate levels tend to produce greater quantities of toxins in the plant. Contact with cut material in sunlight produces a skin reaction in almost all cases. Blistering symptoms occur 24- 48 hours after exposure, and dense pigmentation is visible after 3 – 5 days. This may persist for 6 years or more. Protective clothing must be worn. <br /><br />Facts and figures<br /><br />Native range: Caucasus mountains.<br /><br />Lifecycle: It is a perennial plant that takes up to 4 years to mature and flower, after which it dies.<br /><br />Stem: Green with dark-red or purple blotches.<br /> Hollow<br /> Up to 100mm across<br /> Up to 5m tall.<br /><br />Leaves: Dark green, in a rosette<br /> Jagged appearance and spiky at the ends<br /> Lower leaves up to 1.5m long.<br /> <br />Flowers: White<br /> Several hundred in large umbrella-like flower heads up to 500mm <br /> Across.<br /> June – July.<br /><br />New plants: Each flowerhead produces up to 50,000 seeds (approx. 10mm x <br /> 7mm) that are easily dispersed by water, so the plant disperses <br /> rapidly along watercourses. Seeds may remain viable for up to <br /> 15 years.<br /><br />Control: Aim – to kill the plant or prevent flowering."<br /><br />OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoops! Guess, I'd best kill it before those flowers disperse those seeds! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:42892 2005-04-19T22:34:14Z 2005-04-19T22:34:14Z Well, the 13th was a far better day!<br /><br />I won some Premium Bonds, always a welcome letter. (even better though was the post on Friday, when Elisabeth won her first set! Not a bad return on our investment ... 30% in a year).<br /><br />Also, on the 13th was my friend's second child's arrival ... Kathryn Elizabeth (7lb 13oz), nursing like a pro! Arrived in 2hrs45mins ... much better than Joseph who dawdled for 17hrs! (As opposed to my own daughter who dawdled for 5 days worth of labour .... sigh, too laid back that one!)<br /><br />Met daughter today for the first time, what a cutey! Didn't make me feel broody, but still really chuffed for my friend. It was kinda funny, cos she just handed her to me at one point when I wasn't expecting it, and unlike when I had Elisabeth and hadn't got a clue how to hold her, I just knew ... kinda weird! I also haven't held a newborn since Elisabeth was one, so really weird how light Kathryn was.<br /><br />Tomorrow is the big outing ... we're going to go and buy Elisabeth her first pair of shoes. She's been walking since the end of Feb (the 28th to be precise, LOL) .... and much as she forever attached to her wellies (and v.cute they are too) ... the time has come for the next step .... wish us luck!<br /><br />Oh, and by the by ... if anyone is given any Tesco vouchers for schools things and has no home for them ... please shove them in my direction .... I'm apparently now a parent and interested in such matters .. and Elisabeth's nursery is collecting them!<br /><br />Hey, I'll be digging out the potatoes next and cutting them out for printing purposes next .... I enjoy having a toddler, it means I can be a kid again! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:42691 2005-04-12T21:15:35Z 2005-04-12T21:15:35Z I've had an evening from hell, which is a pity cos it all started so promisingly today...<br /><br />Had a good time at Norton, Elisabeth really enjoyed herself, climbing in and on everything! Quiet lunch, and then off I went to the dentists ..... what was meant to be a pain free set of impressions, turned into a filling (and a nicely swollen face), her signing me off her books, which means I need to find a dentist and quick cos she reckons some of my crowns are about to die and she's not capable of sorting them out. Ok, so still not too bad a day .... off I went to Stoke for some bits 'n' pieces from B&Q and to pick up a pressie for the impending newbie Shearsmith from Mothercare ... still going ok, as Dave was looking after Elisabeth, I thought I would take some time out go to MacDonalds, read the paper and have a meal in peace ... bliss! Even if I did mistakenly sit in the childzone with Balamory screeching in the background! ..... and time to go home ... now do I go via Newcastle (I was at Festival Park, wherever that may be) or do I go via Stoke, I decide to opt for the latter cos Newcastle in rush hour could be dull.<br /><br />Trust me, not as dull as a solid Stoke, cos they've shut the M6 and various surrounding roads .... an hour or so later I finally make it to Baldwin's Gate, let Dave know that I'm only 15mins away ... carry on merrily, come into Loggerheads, thinking "wow, aren't the roads peaceful" .... come past the roundabout, down round the bend to see a motorcyclist about to pull out without looking ... and slap bang ... car crash ... motorcyclist into windscreen .... anyway after much time, traffic defending / witness statements, blah, blah motorcyclist (who the paramedics actually think was AOK ... which is pretty amazing comparatively to the mess he made of the car) gets taken to hospital and I finally got home .... narrowily missing some dozy mare pulling out of the Stag without looking ..... get out of car .... drop black paint all over the pavement outside Musicland ..... I mean a whole flaming tin! I give up!<br /><br />And they say tomorrow is the 13th and full of Woe, I think I've got it all over and done with in one day! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:42395 2005-03-09T10:59:14Z 2005-03-09T10:59:14Z <p>Hiya</p> <p>I have a big stash of MM fleece and a baby (toddler!) who has just undergone another growth spurt, so time to make a few more cute HoneyBoys for her.</p> <p>However, I've run out of hemp, which is what I've been using for the hidden layer / soaker.</p> <p>Any recommendations on</p> <p>a) What else I could use?<br>b) Where I can buy hemp which will ship to the UK for a reasonable price</p> <p>Thanks y'all.....</p> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:42236 2005-01-05T20:25:11Z 2005-01-05T20:25:11Z Happy New Year y'all.<br /><br />Well, I seem to recall that last year's resolution contained "completing something" .... hurrah, I achieved it! In abundance.<br /><br />The main one I personally am pleased with is the fact that I nursed Elisabeth until she was 12mths, which was my original aim, and something I am pleased we succeeded in.<br />____________________________________<br /><br />Life is returning more to "normal", that is, a state where I can have some personal time again and not completely "baby" orientated. <br /><br />I've decided that for this year, my aim is to pick back up my genealogy and see how far I can get.<br /><br />What are other's resolutions? urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:41949 2004-12-24T21:20:49Z 2004-12-24T21:20:49Z I know, I know, I haven't posted for forever .. and now I am after a favour...<br /><br />I don't suppose anyone taped "The Snowman" on Classic FM this evening did they? I promised my ma I would .... I forgot ... oh heck...... I looked at their website, and I can't figure out if they have a play again facility... oh heck ...<br /><br />Happy Christmas to you all by the way! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:41683 2004-07-04T23:00:37Z 2004-07-04T23:00:37Z <a href="http://www.coldplay.com/nappies.html">http://www.coldplay.com/nappies.html</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:41228 2004-06-20T18:48:45Z 2004-06-20T18:48:45Z Currently using Outlook 2003, with multiple mailboxes via exchange.<br /><br />I need to have separate mailboxes for different accounts under the same windows login.<br /><br />I want to get rid of using exchange.<br /><br />I can't do what I want with Outlook w/o using exchange ... so apart from netscape what options do I have?<br /><br />Eudora? Anyone any comments??? urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:41153 2004-06-18T17:24:38Z 2004-06-18T17:24:38Z Standing charge or not?<br /><br />Hmmm, as I figure it 0.03pence difference between the two..... what's the catch?<br /><br />Is the standing charge more likely to go up than the price per unit, or vice versa? urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:40777 2004-05-17T23:11:52Z 2004-05-17T23:11:52Z <a href="http://www.seriousaboutnews.co.uk/mk/">http://www.seriousaboutnews.co.uk/mk/</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:40680 2004-04-30T09:30:06Z 2004-04-30T09:30:06Z Elisabeth is 6mths old today.<br /><br />I've just made her up some organic rice flakes mixed with ebm.<br /><br />She's currently asleep, and when she wakes up I shall give her elevenses as normal, and then we're (the Royal "we" that is!) going to attempt to introduce her to the rice...<br /><br />I feel quite scared and excited at the same time.<br /><br />It is the beginning of a new chapter in her life, I wonder what she'll think of it?<br />It is also the beginning of a lot of hard work for me!!<br /><br />I know that the first couple of months of introducing tastes will be the hardest in the sense of having to prepare it all especially for her, but of course it is worth it.<br /><br />Wish me luck.... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:40392 2004-04-28T19:49:11Z 2004-04-28T19:49:11Z Today I went with Anna to the La Leche meeting in Telford.<br /><br />I wasn't sure what to expect, I'm still not sure!<br /><br />Anyway, I have borrowed Anna's hugababes sling, and after realising that Jacqui had put it on me upside down, it was quite comfortable. I am not completely convinced that this is the sling for us, but, I shall persevere tomorrow.<br /><br />Elisabeth is continually grabbing for all my food and drink, I think that the time is right to start introducing solids into her life. <br /><br />So, I took her for a "final" weigh-in before this begins.... she'd gained 4oz in 2wks, not brilliant, but not horrendous. She's just below the 25th centile.<br /><br />Whilst in the bath today, she shoved her foot into her mouth and sucked! This is the first time! She's been playing with her toes for weeks, but not actually sucking on them!<br /><br />Elisabeth has also worked out a way of moving to get to her desired object, and managed to "crawl" about 2cm backwards... all of this is still without her clothes on, so I think I am safe for a while longer!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:40157 2004-04-28T15:39:35Z 2004-04-28T15:39:35Z <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4146756343">http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4146756343</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:39799 2004-04-15T13:22:09Z 2004-04-15T13:22:09Z Time is passing so quickly, and I keep forgetting to record when Elisabeth does things for the first time.<br /><br />I really, really ought to discipline myself more.<br /><br />So, here goes for today.<br /><br />She's 24wks tomorrow, still exclusively breastfed (much to her Health Visitor's dismay) and thriving.<br /><br />She weighed in at 14lbs 5oz yesterday, another 3oz and she'll be double her birth-weight.<br /><br />She's been tracking my cup of tea/coffee for a number of weeks now, and today she has begun to shove more and more things into her mouth.<br /><br />Elisabeth is also recovering from her cold, which was only minor anyway, but has been a lot happier today, yesterday she was a bit miserable.<br /><br />She has been "talking" an awful lot today, different sounds, and stringing different sounds together, almost sounded like "hallo".<br /><br />This week she has started to mimic me when I wave my hand, so, I must start to introduce signing to her now. I know she will not respond until around month 8, but I must get into the habit of doing it.<br /><br />What else? She is rolling over from one side to the other more and more, and for the past week has been rolling from her front to her back, and from her back to her front. Still only when her nappy is off ... I think it is weighing her down!!!<br /><br />Also, Dave brought a whole load of nappies back from the US a couple of weeks ago, and we've been having fun trying different ones, so far my favourite has to be the Fuzzi Bunz, they are well fitting and absorbant. The hemp soakers (doublers) are a roaring success, so I am currently washing some hemp fleece and I'm going to make some up for her.<br /><br />Last night, I used Johnson and Johnson bedtime bath lotion and washed her hair in shampoo for the first time since she was born. No rashes have appeared so far, which is a relief.<br /><br />Those Pampers Sensitive wipes ... are not sensitive, I've used them twice on her, and her poor skin has gone bright red.<br /><br />So, we shall stick to cloth wipes and my own solution (chamomile / tea tree and honey).<br /><br />She is "sitting" better today, almost balanced for a couple of nano-seconds!<br /><br />______________________________________________________________<br /><br />Right .. baby stuff over.<br /><br />Our house ... yes, well, hmmm ....<br /><br />The kitchen which had 4 layers of floor tiles on top of each other, no longer has that ... we've (that's the royal "we" you understand!) got down to the red and black (blue actually) Staffordshire tiles, and Dave has bought 150 more tiles to replace broken ones and is currently in the process of relaying the floor. Currently my kitchen does not look much like a kitchen ...no cooker, no sink, no nothing ... except rubble!<br /><br />Of course in the process of removing the tiles, Dave discovered that 2 water pipes which were running across the floor, were corroded, and he has had to replace those too! We also found that next door has a piple running across our floor too, but above the tile level, so Dave has had to lower that .. also discovered a leaking gas pipe! So, guess what else has to be replaced!!<br /><br />The tree surgeon is here today, lopping back the yew tree, the sycamore and the lime tree ... and bonus of all bonuses has agreed to take away our rubble from the kitchen, as he has a farm it will be useful on! Which is wonderful news, as only this morning the council refused us permission to place a skip on their land for a day, so it was looking like we were going to have to make 15 - 20 trips to the tip, which isn't fun when the tip is 8 miles away!<br /><br />The dining room still looks like hell, we need to remove more of the plaster, and then we have to work out how to re-plaster it (it's horsehair and lime plaster)<br /><br />The downstairs "shower-room", no longer has a shower in it and we've re-positioned the loo, it'll make a nice sized loo once done.<br /><br />The plaster in the utility room has been hacked back a little again, and re-cemented, currently waiting for that to dry, and then we can re-tar the wall, and re-plaster.<br /><br />The snug, well, the floor has been stripped and is looking pretty good, we need to replace about 3 boards (anyone know a good source of oak floor boards in Shropshire!?) The woodwork is slowly being stripped, but there's at least a dozen coats of paint, and lead paint at that, so that is a slow slow job, and will take a while.<br /><br />Other than that, we're being fairly restrained!<br /><br />This is a major project, it will take us at least 5 if not 10 years, and we want it all now!!<br /><br />We need to sort the heating before next Winter, windows are not going to be this year.<br /><br />Dave said to me "before we start anything, we need a plan" ..... hmmmm ... anyone seen a plan!!!!<br /><br />Right, time for a slug of tea (fennel of course (no caffeine!)) and amuse the kiddie .... !<br /><br />Ciao folks!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:39664 2004-03-25T21:49:00Z 2004-03-25T21:49:00Z Dave is off to Boston, MA on Monday.<br /><br />We knew he'd be going in the next month or so ... just didn't plan on making the decision this quickly...<br /><br />All of which leaves me with very little time to buy a load of nappies (diapers) .... and the choice out there is overwhelming, and some are exceptionally cute..<br /><br />I must concentrate and buy some!!!<br /><br />Other news, we took Elisabeth swimming for the first time today, she seemed to enjoy it (well, she didn't cry, in fact she smiled!!)<br /><br />It's taken me a few weeks to work up the courage ... but we'll definitely be going again soon.<br /><br />She's now 21wks (well, tomorrow at 16:04 to be precise) and growing rapidly. She is slender and very long! Still exclusively breastfed, much to the health visitor's dismay (she doesn't seem to like it when someone is actually enjoying something!)<br /><br />Right, I must, I must ... concentrate ... right after I pour a glass of wine! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:39400 2004-03-11T16:10:49Z 2004-03-11T16:10:49Z Help!<br /><br />How on earth do I post to just one set of "friends"??? I have an entry which will be of no interest to most of you, and I want to post it to one specific place .... but being of tired brain .. I cannae work out how to ... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:39167 2004-02-07T22:48:51Z 2004-02-08T14:00:30Z <table><tr><td><img src="http://marnanel.org/county/1/ZDuw,-wXv,,,,000" alt="County map" width="399" height="612"><br>I've visited the counties in yellow.<br><a href="http://marnanel.org/counties">Which counties have <em>you</em> visited?</a><br><br>made by <a href="http://marnanel.org">marnanel</a><br><small>map reproduced from Ordnance Survey map data<br>by permission of the Ordnance Survey.<br>&copy; Crown copyright 2001.</small></td></tr></table> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:38708 2004-01-24T10:09:59Z 2004-01-24T10:09:59Z <table border="0"><tr><th>My life has been rated:</th></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.bart666.com/projects/movierating/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.bart666.com/projects/movierating/img/12a.gif" alt="Click to find out your rating!" width="46" height="46"></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.bart666.com/projects/movierating/">See what your rating is!</a></td></tr></table> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:buffer:38549 2004-01-23T12:19:44Z 2004-01-23T12:19:44Z Income Tax submitted : 14/01/04<br />Refund in my account: 20/01/04<br /><br />Oh yeh!!!