Just Jo!

Another one of them weeks.
On Tuesday I had a lovely lovely chat with a schoolfriend I haven’t seen for years. I won’t say an old schoolfriend ‘cos I’m older than her. But it was fantastic to catch up with her.
Then on Wednesday my aunt to be died after what was supposed to have been a simple routine procedure. I’d never met her (they live in the States), but she made my uncle happier and more content than he’s ever been in his life.
I love my uncle Nick to bits and I cannot express how sorry I am for him and Laura’s family.

I was more in the mood then (it’s been a bit of a week).
But Olivia hogged the ‘puter all day, first to do her photo prompt thingy, then watching DVDs. The choice of which was heavily influenced by the fact that she’s been well and truly bitten by the acting bug.
The Lighthouse - the last production by her drama group.
Shakespeare In Love - Olivia played a boy too.
Bugsy Malone - any one of the main parts would do, ‘cos she knows all their songs.

Her play was outstandingly good, pics here. Even Adam thought it was great.
We’ve had a lovely day in the garden today, time and the weather finally letting us get it tidied and sorted.

Yes, it’s been a somewhat roller coaster week….all the hoohah at the beginning, followed by some gorgeously giggly and chatty days, followed by the intense excitement, nerves and pride (both of us) of Olivia’s first play….followed by some unbelievably sad news this afternoon.
My usual witterings and burblings seem very much flippant, so I won’t bother.

So little to blog about!
It’s a case of, drop Olivia off, meet friends (sans children!), pick Olivia up, come home.
Except yesterday was a bit different in that I rushed home to make a whole load of sosmix rolls and then went out to meet me friend.
Today’s different as well because Adam had another early morning dental appointment and then went straight to work. So that meant there was no one in the house at all. Except Maisy. Who’s not exactly ‘in your face’. And tends to just open one eye to look at me before rolling over to get more comfortable. But anyway, I repeat, the house is empty!! Completely and utterly so!! (Except for Maisy)
Oh what to do with myself??
So I’ve had me bath and now I’ve got the tedious task of trying to amuse myself for the rest of the afternoon. Olivia doesn’t finish ’til 7 tonight (dress rehearsals, dahling), so I’ve got over six hours on me tod!
Do I go and read in the garden?
Or do I go upstairs to watch a film?
Ooh, decisions, decisions….

Nice sunset last night by the way….
Olivia saw it and wanted to get a photo of it. I told her no. Because she’s doing the photo prompts every morning and I haven’t taken a photo in days.

Yes, I know they look identical. But they’re not. Perhaps I should do some kind of Spot The Difference Competition? How many differences can you spot?

Updated to add….
I ended up doing a bit of both. I read in the garden ’til it got too hot ( ) then cooled off upstairs watching a film. Memento. One of those that I’m going to have to watch again because my sun addled brain kept drifting away.

Sort of.
But then I read Amanda’s comment which made me re-read that particular post.
I’ve gone over what I’d written and still stand by it, so I won’t be changing any of it. Although it does seem that I’m having a go at an 11 year old boy, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
I hadn’t used any names, but by choosing to allow him to do so, Lin made things public herself.
I can still look back on most of last year and think that we were friends at the time and had some really good laughs. I went out of my way to invite and include Lin and her boys in things we were doing. I very rarely open my house to people (only people I consider very good friends and that I trust implicitly), I invited them all in lots of times and, as an example, spent an absolute fortune on goodies we brought back from Spain for the kids so that they all could enjoy a Spanish themed day here.
If I talk about anything we did last year, it will only to be say we did it with friends.
It’s not often I get so angry that I let rip like that, but I feel very disappointed and incredibly let down that Lin didn’t place the same importance on our friendship.
Sorry if Amanda (or anyone else) thinks it’s out of order. But when my daughter is sobbing like she was because of it, I get a little defensive. Who in all honesty wouldn’t? I personally think it’s out of order that someone who so often went on about not mentioning children’s names then went and allowed it to happen. Hypocrisy is the word I think.

Anyway, I said that I’d calmed down. .

Soooo…..

This week then….

Olivia’s been in drama and very giddy with excitement she’s been too.
So Monday I came home after dropping her off and had an incredibly long and very bubbly bath.
Adam had been to the dentist. He’d had a front tooth knocked out a few years ago. He’d had a false one to replace it, but it kept falling out (footie ) so he gave up on it. However, he’s got a very important (to him!) job interview in London next month and wanted to get it sorted properly. He’d had a root canal done on the remaining front tooth last week. Which obviously meant I had to show him pictures and things on the internet.
But they all said that root canal nowadays is a doddle.
He had another appointment on Monday where the dentist did an impression….
“She did a great Michael Jackson….” so says my son, the comedian.
And he’ll have a new falsie in time for his interview.
He seems to have a very decent dentist as well, who is going out of her way to get everything done for him before he turns 19 and has to start paying for treatment.

Yesterday, I was indeed that lady who lunches and had a very lovely time in a friend’s garden, giggling and eating.
Today I’ve been a coffee morning lady with another friend. Except I had tea. Green tea to be precise. And cake.
Now I’m going to jump in the bath before I go to pick Olivia up again.
And Adam’s just got back from the gym and is desperate to get on the ‘puter.

The post below is passworded because I’m having a major rant. Most unlike me. Feel free to beg on bended knees for the password. I have nothing to be ashamed of and may very well make it public anyway.
Oh, sod it.
Like I said, nothing to be ashamed of.

Olivia just read this on what she thought was a friend’s blog (she was quite excited to see he was doing the photo prompts as well), although we haven’t had any contact with them for ages, and it upset her an awful lot which I personally find unforgiveable. I’m making it private because it involves children. Although it’s quite possible I may change my mind because I’m so bloody furious about it.

“We saw this boat on a home ed group trip to Teignmouth. It was a bit of a sad day because my Mum’s friend stopped talking to her because I told Olivia I didn’t like her. Now Jo doesn’t want to be my mum’s friend any more and its made my mum sad. I don’t understand why adults get like that because the argument was between me and olivia and she was being spiteful too. My Mum said I shouldn’t worry about it though because some adults just get silly and there’s nothing you can do.”

I purposefully have never used or indicated (and I’d certainly never allow Olivia to)anyone’s name in any of my minor rants, especially not children’s, because I’d like to think I’m better than that and it’s not actually anyone else’s business. Having read that though, despite it being from a child (I can only think it’s come from the mother, I really don’t believe that children are that awful), I think it’s fair to say I’ve had enough.
Just for the record, I didn’t stop talking to Lin because Josh said he didn’t like Olivia. I have said to Lin on numerous occasions that it is absolutely pointless to fall out over any disagreements between kids as they always make up before you can blink. The reason I stopped talking to Lin is a very long story and has absolutely nothing to do with the kids. Someone else was stirring things up (although I have severe doubts about that now) and, although I thought we had a good friendship, Lin chose to believe them. Obviously we didn’t have the close friendship she so often went on about. She looked me in the face and told me that she’d never home educate in this city again because of what was going on. All the time knowing that was what she was planning on doing. There have been plenty of other ‘little white lies’ and, from talking to other people, which is something I don’t actually do a whole lot of, I have discovered that Lin tells different versions of the same story to different people. I am fully aware that Lin has been extremely betrayed by friends in the past and has huge trust issues. I think I have been very accommodating in view of that. But seeing that I can no longer believe a word she says to me, I have chosen to have nothing to do with her.
I have skirted over this issue before, but, as I’ve said, not actually mentioned any names. I’ve also said I don’t like being lied to or about. And that is the reason (the only reason) I “stopped talking to her”. I feel extremely uncomfortable around her and I don’t happen to think I’m being “silly”.
And I’m under no illusions about Olivia, she can be very bossy at times and likes very much to be the organiser, but she hasn’t got a spiteful bone in her body (and that particular day she had very little to do with Josh and Matt anyway).
I also think it’s abysmal to use your child to say things you are thinking yourself.
Rant over.
I’d like to apologise, but I can’t. Still absolutely steaming.

….thank goodness Olivia’s been more regular (in a blogging sense), I’ve got something to jog my somewhat lacking memory.

Monday I was still mourning my little Kodak. No news, so it must be having a jolly old time at British Rail’s expense.
We met friends for lunch in Rougemont Gardens. Not strictly true, we got a phonecall whilst in Sainsbury’s, so Olivia went haring off to Primark to meet them and I eventually caught up with them. Then we went for a picnic.
Then we went deep into the bowels of the museum to experience the terrors of a WWII air raid. Some wonderful (and missed) photo ops of the girls dressed up as ARP’s. Curses.
They all came back here and suddenly it was 8pm.

Tuesday morning was spent hanging out of the window, all agog, as I waited oh so patiently for my new beastie to be delivered. Back into town to buy it a snug little bag to keep it safe and warm on all our adventures to come.
The rest of the day was spent taking mindnumbingly boring photos around the house. Well, the first one isn’t so boring, quite like it actually….

That’s enough of that, methinks.
I was up ’til four in the morning playing with it. Zooming in on corners in my bedroom. Zooming in well enough to highlight the general grottiness….

Wednesday was a friend’s birthday party, so cakes were made.

Which got demolished within seconds.
Back to Lisa’s after, and a late walk home meant we got some gratuitous shots of the sunset.

Thursday….
Made another birthday card for another little friend. Can’t for the life of me think what else we did. Do remember Olivia in fits of giggles because Adam exploded baked beans over himself and the kitchen. He’d microwaved them and the lid got stuck, so when he opened it….
I really don’t think one corner of the kitchen escaped a coating of baked beans.
I stayed in my room.

Friday we were up bright and early. Ish. We headed down to Cockington to have a look around the pretty little thatched village and Cockington Court. And the Drum Inn. Because it was designed by Lutyens. The fact that it also sells a very nice pint of shandy is completely irrelevant.

Still working out the settings. And shutter speeds. And aperture. I blame the weather. Such awful lighting….
We saw Romeo and Juliet on the cricket pitch in front of the house. Jolly good it was too. The girls grabbed a picnic blanket and got as close as possible to the action. No photos because it was dark and I couldn’t see the buttons and things on the beastie.
I did, however, get this one of a speeding train at the station on the way home. Slow shutter speed. Very pleased with myself. Although I felt quite uncannily (and quite scarily too) like a train spotter.

Saturday didn’t start ’til roughly lunch time.
We needed to catch up on some sleep. My excuse, and I’m sticking to it.
Olivia suddenly had the brilliant idea to make her friend’s birthday present. Out of clay. And her birthday was the day before. So the late present she was going to get, is going to be even later while we wait for the clay to dry.
Stiil, it’s looking good so far.
Olivia wanted to paint her gargoyle (from the Cathedral workshop), so she did. Then spent hours mixing paints to get the right skin colour, then mixing paints just for the heck of it. So there are reams of paper now covered in splodges of paint. Mostly browns and greys, but a few pinks and blues too.

Notice the Saturday-not-brushed-hair?

Adam went charging off early to play footie. When he got back, I noticed some red ‘marks’ on his neck. They looked suspiciously like nibbles of some sort. I queried them and he ripped off his T-shirt to show me more of the same marks on his chest.
“Um….dearie, you haven’t mentioned a new girlfriend lately….”
“It’s not that, I got burned!”
“When??”
“The baked beans the other day.”
I confess, I sniggered. Really didn’t mean to, just couldn’t help myself.
I asked him what his friends thought and had he told them what had happened.
“Did they laugh at you?”
“No, they did call me Heinz all match though….”
Snigger snigger. I defy you not to.
Then he scarpered off for a five aside game in the afternoon. He’s dedicated that boy.

So now we’re up to yesterday. Sunday. The day before today. The day before Olivia started drama. Which meant she got steadily more excited throughout the day. To the extent of making her own rolls for packed lunch about 4 o’clock. Which is good. I suppose.
I spent ages ringing round to remind people of raft building, one of the activities I organised. Then an early bath and bed. Because we had to be up early this morning and we’re not too good at that kind of thing.
It’s been chucking it down all morning. So I’ve had a few phonecalls.
“Is it (raftbuilding) still on? Even though it’s raining?”
“As far as I know. It’s supposed to be getting brighter this afternoon anyway. Try ringing the centre and see what they say.”
It’s an outdoor centre, they only cancel if there’s a chance of killing any of the clients. Bad publicity and all that.
What do I care though??
Olivia’s in drama, I’ve got the day off!!!
Time for a trashy gossip mag in a big huge bubbly bath!

….but Olivia’s at drama all next week. I’ll have oodles of hours to blog and play. I’ve worked it out (not that I’m quite excited by the prospect at all you understand), I’ll have 51 hours off. 51!! Why oh why do numbers not come in capitals??
Ooh, I know….

51

51

51

Yep, 51 hours.
Oh my giddy aunt!!
What shall I do with myself?
I think a few midday baths are absolutely essential. Would an accompanying glass of bubbly be considered decadent? Or obscene even perhaps?
And lunch maybe.
I could become a ‘lady who lunches’. I’ll need some kind of hat though. Red of course, to match me tasteful purple outfit. In which case I’ll also need a big stick for the railings and satin sandals too. Oh and let’s not forget the brandy.
(Apologies to those who have no idea what I’m wittering on about. Try reading Warning by Jenny Joseph.)

Before I go, check out what my new beastie does….

Yep, pretty much got super macro sorted.

Don’t think you need to be a pupil at a £22,500 school to enjoy a good chav hunt.

And my new beastie comes tomorrow morning!! Yay! I say again, YAY!!!

Adam has just come home from work….
“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you yesterday that a bloke from the council came round to measure up for a new kitchen.”
Wha????
“And you didn’t think that sufficiently important enough to text me right away??!!”
B****y men! No sense of priorities at all!!

And if he’s winding me up, he’ll be moving out a lot sooner than the end of September!