That was the holiday that was.

Or so they would have you believe! Had Friday at the dentist, lunch with a friend and a trip to see Oliver in Motherwell, Saturday morning frantically doing the housework I should have had done on the Friday for the visitors coming. Cooked up a storm mind you! Had a pleasant enough afternoon and evening with the guests and did a humungous fry up on Sunday morning for breakfast! Toddled off to Livingston for a couple of hours and then collapsed into my bed shattered! Monday saw me back in the dentist's chair first thing and rushing from there to Lanark to drop off my impression and to catch the train to Glasgow. Met up with the gang and had a rather pleasant few hours stotting about, managed to get some really cool fabric for the dance routine in The King and I and some trimmings into the bargain. Rumbled back to the train eventually and managed to collect my dentistry in Lanark before trundling home. Alas and alack the dentistry was not a success and I have had to go back again this morning to have the work re-done and so am very conscious of a gap at the edge of my smile that may not be filled till Friday! However, this panic notwithstanding, we tripped off into Edinburgh for a change! Had a good gallop around the West End, bought some music and then sloped off along Princes Street. Was 'conned' into assisting in the purchase of a Wii Guitar Hero which pleased Victoria no end and sauntered through the Gardens to deposit music and game in car to leave hands free for other delectations and delight! Up onto Rose Street and into Cex and Fopp for a browse among the CDs (never got as far as the DVDs!) made a couple of (in my opinion) good purchases and perambulated back along Rose Street to The Filling Station. A branch of which we had eaten in in Glasgow yesterday. Good grub and great value for money, but looking at the price list, I don't think I would be terribly likely to go for a drink - £4.75 for a glass of wine a £14 for the bottle!!! From hence we clambered (some of us staggered) up the Mound and down onto the Royal Mile. After a look around the joke shop and costume shop I bought a pair of blue earrings in a wee crafty shop that I am fond of and, having established there was no-one had a burning desire to go anywhere else we strolled along to the carpark and went off to Ikea for the finale of the day. Didn't buy a thing but had a good look round and imagined what I'd like to have in the kitchen if finances would allow! Some really fab stuff in Ikea - we like it. Had a coffee and cake and roamed aimlessly through the Market place and then back to the car and home.
Back to the school tomorrow (that reminds me - I'd better go check the work clothes situation) So I'm off to bed to try and get a decent night's sleep (I live in hope!)
Till next time!

Holiday Weekend?

I should co co! Holiday? As much chance of that as there is of sprouting wings and flying. So much to do - so little time in which to do it. Friends coming up from Bury for the weekend, others descending upon us en masse on Saturday night for food and frolicsome Wii fun. And I have to go out tonight to see a production of Oliver over in Motherwell, a trip I really could do without! However, friend's daughter is in it playing the part I once played so maybe it won't be too bad. However this is not my favourite musical by any means. The King and I isn't either these days. Lots of work still to be done and the opening night is less than 4 weeks away. I get a bit annoyed when basic stuff is neglected, like what curtains we will need and where we will get them from, what lights we are going to use, and a whole plethora of other things that were discussed way back but have not actually been actioned.This, of course, is the trouble with doing things with so many chiefs. While it's not really a case of 'somebody else will do it' there is a slight tinge of 'well I said I would need it' with a large inference of 'why has nobody organised this?' I can understand the reservations the youth leader had initially (especially as a lot of them are coming home to roost) but I'll be damned if I will allow it all to crumble thereby giving her or anyone else the opportunity to say 'I told you so!'
As a result am finding myself taking on more and more bits and pieces to try and paper over the cracks that are appearing which is not good for my blood pressure. And let's not even think about the cast member who, having not been at any of my rehearsals, eventually turned up and then began asking unnecessary questions, thereby losing a good ten minutes of my precious rehearsal time! A not entirely tongue-in-cheek comment was thrown out at the first Production meeting, that the Seniors would have to up their game to be on a par with the Junior and Youth sections. Sadly this comment is an unfortunate reality. Less than four weeks to go and scripts are not learned, blocking not integrated and the pressure keeps building.
I've always been a calm sort of person but this is really pushing my buttons. Having to keep a very tight grip on the temper, fastening on the rictus smile, swallowing the antacid like sweeties and trying to get through this. And I said I would be doing the Panto this year? My God, they won't know what's hit them!

Get a load of this!!

This was sent to me by my cousin. All Mums, and indeed parents of any gender will identify with the sentiments stated herein!
Enjoy! By the way, hold no liquids in your mouth on first viewing!

One more late night

Can't keep doing these late nights. I really need to get an early one, one of these nights! Car is going well - a bit light on the handling but I'll get used to it. Supposed to be another dose of snow tonight but as usual it'll not materialise. I will eventually get the wee room tidied out and the junk chucked but I suspect it'll not happen on a snow day off! Friends from Bury are coming up to visit a week on Saturday and we need to get the place ship shape so this weekend will be spent doing the floors and getting the spare bedding aired - who knows, I may even burst out and wash down the skirting boards! And it's not even Spring Clean time yet! Joking apart, need to get the front windows washed, our window cleaner has not touched them since about September last year, I've done them twice with my long poled squeegee and it nearly breaks my back, but needs must and we will save pounds on the 'leckie' if I can generate some real daylight for a change!
Friend has just had a significant birthday and we are going to go out on Friday for a meal - weather permitting of course - you can almost put money on the snow arriving just in time to stuff the weekend up can't you? Hey! Maybe I could learn how to download stuff onto my ipod instead of going out!! There's a back up plan if ever I had one - chortle!! Oatcakes and cheese are singing their siren song from the kitchen.....
Till next time.

Ho Hum - so much for that!

Well the threatened snow failed to show - again! This is the second time we've all been cranked up to ninety nine with the threat of horrendous weather which has simply not arrived! Okay it's a bit slippy and icy what with the chill factors and all that but there is not the 16 inches of snow we had been promised -and that put paid to my plans for clearing out the wee room today - had to go to school instead! Never mind, the trip to Edinburgh Castle was cancelled due to inclement weather and will hopefully be rescheduled before I have to leave at Easter - I'd hate to miss the last bit of my topic. Off to look at my application form again and see how much more I can thrust into it that makes me the perfect candidate for any of the jobs that come up. (deep down I wish there could be a job in my school, but I know that's not likely.)
Still noticing the lack of blogging and the increase of tweeting going on!!
Till next time!

Winter warmers.

It's been a pretty horrid time; this past few weeks. First the car passing over and then the sad realisation that I would need to join in the bulk interviews in order to even get a sniff at a job and open up the possibility of actually having regular money coming in on a full time basis. This would then permit me to perhaps indulge myself in the purchase of a new (or new to me!) mode of transport and further facilitate my continued progress in the workforce!
In the meantime we have been out and about and looking at cars (because even though I can't afford to buy one, I still need one to get to work in!) finally settled on a Fiat Panda and once I have a job, and Jen turns seventeen and passes her test (and actually needs a car to get to Uni or wherever) then it will become her little gadabout. Credit crunch strikes again and we have had to buy it outright instead of arranging finance - so much for the banks supposedly being back in the business of giving loans! HA! So that puts a bit of a crimp in the holiday plans. Unless I can get a full time permanent job we will probably not be able to afford to go away this year. However - positive reframing tool in hand - this might not be such a bad thing, there are lots of bits and bobs needing done around the house - bits of decorating and clearing out and re-arranging that could be done over the seven weeks break. And as we plan to go over to S.A. next year it would be a good idea to get the house ship shape when we have the chance!
So.... that's a wee catch up, I'm off now to watch a movie and have a glass of red - after all it is very likely that there is to be a very heavy fall of snow tonight and I possibly won't be going to school tomorrow so it's out with the wine and chocolate and feet up in front of a DVD!
Till next time!