Monday, 26 February 2007
PMT is such a bummer. God, that plus having flu like symptoms and a headache make me soooo nasty. No. I make me so nasty. Accent on the 'I'. Suffice to say I haven't been a particularly happy wife, mother, person, recently. When I'm angry/volatile/anti-anti-anti Hubs gets most of it, if not all. He doesn't deserve me/it. If only he could see how I'm really feeling inside. When I'm a crappy person it's because I'm deeply troubled and unhappy. There's nothing he's done that has warranted my feelings. The feelings just are. Doesn't make it any better for him though of course! I feel so remorseful and feel that everyone would be so much happier without me sometimes. I've just come on so the worst of my miserable feelings should happily (ha ha) soon pass. For some strange reason, whilst listening to Paul Ross on the radio on my way home from work this afternoon, I started to empathise with suicidal tendencies...how easy it would be to just do away with the pain, misery, etc. Shitty I know, thinking that way. This blog is all about honesty on my part. The thing is I know that this deep, darkly disturbing mood will eventually lift. It's temporary but when it's there and happening it feels so reasonable and not at all irrational, but at this point I thought....just thought, how wonderful it would be not to have to put up with feeling so dreadful but the one thing that pulled me back and almost made me weep in the car was what it would do to the children. Whoa. Enough. Sorry. This whole post is crappy. I feel bad for even typing it. So I'll stop now.
Friday, 23 February 2007
Having fun with this new laptop. The children are all enjoying using it, especially my daughter who likes chatting (it has an 'integral' webcam) with her friends on MSN.
More importantly, Hubs went for a job interview after work today. He has a 1 in two chance of getting it, from what he's been led to believe!!!!! Exciting but also a bit worrying - lots of stuff like childcare and also security, etc., etc., to consider. He has to ring the bloke back next Tuesday to find out if he's got the job or not. At the moment he's bored out of his skull at work. The new job will (apparently) mean more money. Slightly more. But that's all good, I think.
And WHY haven't the last two videos I posted just now from You Tube come up on here? Have they been lost in cyberspace? Or are they just out getting pissed. It IS a Friday night, after all.
More importantly, Hubs went for a job interview after work today. He has a 1 in two chance of getting it, from what he's been led to believe!!!!! Exciting but also a bit worrying - lots of stuff like childcare and also security, etc., etc., to consider. He has to ring the bloke back next Tuesday to find out if he's got the job or not. At the moment he's bored out of his skull at work. The new job will (apparently) mean more money. Slightly more. But that's all good, I think.
And WHY haven't the last two videos I posted just now from You Tube come up on here? Have they been lost in cyberspace? Or are they just out getting pissed. It IS a Friday night, after all.
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
So....I, amongst a million plus others, received (as 'promised') an email from our Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in my In Box this morning. What's it all about? Go here to find out.
"E-petition: Response from the Prime Minister
The e-petition asking the Prime Minister to "Scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy" has now closed. This is a response from the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Thank you for taking the time to register your views about road pricing on the Downing Street website.
This petition was posted shortly before we published the Eddington Study, an independent review of Britain's transport network. This study set out long-term challenges and options for our transport network.
It made clear that congestion is a major problem to which there is no easy answer. One aspect of the study was highlighting how road pricing could provide a solution to these problems and that advances in technology put these plans within our reach. Of course it would be ten years or more before any national scheme was technologically, never mind politically, feasible.
That is the backdrop to this issue. As my response makes clear, this is not about imposing "stealth taxes" or introducing "Big Brother" surveillance. This is a complex subject, which cannot be resolved without a thorough investigation of all the options, combined with a full and frank debate about the choices we face at a local and national level. That's why I hope this detailed response will address your concerns and set out how we intend to take this issue forward. I see this email as the beginning, not the end of the debate, and the links below provide an opportunity for you to take it further.
But let me be clear straight away: we have not made any decision about national road pricing. Indeed we are simply not yet in a position to do so. We are, for now, working with some local authorities that are interested in establishing local schemes to help address local congestion problems. Pricing is not being forced on any area, but any schemes would teach us more about how road pricing would work and inform decisions on a national scheme. And funds raised from these local schemes will be used to improve transport in those areas.
One thing I suspect we can all agree is that congestion is bad. It's bad for business because it disrupts the delivery of goods and services. It affects people's quality of life. And it is bad for the environment. That is why tackling congestion is a key priority for any Government.
Congestion is predicted to increase by 25% by 2015. This is being driven by economic prosperity. There are 6 million more vehicles on the road now than in 1997, and predictions are that this trend will continue.
Part of the solution is to improve public transport, and to make the most of the existing road network. We have more than doubled investment since 1997, spending £2.5 billion this year on buses and over £4 billion on trains - helping to explain why more people are using them than for decades. And we're committed to sustaining this investment, with over £140 billion of investment planned between now and 2015. We're also putting a great deal of effort into improving traffic flows - for example, over 1000 Highways Agency Traffic Officers now help to keep motorway traffic moving.
But all the evidence shows that improving public transport and tackling traffic bottlenecks will not by themselves prevent congestion getting worse. So we have a difficult choice to make about how we tackle the expected increase in congestion. This is a challenge that all political leaders have to face up to, and not just in the UK. For example, road pricing schemes are already in operation in Italy, Norway and Singapore, and others, such as the Netherlands, are developing schemes. Towns and cities across the world are looking at road pricing as a means of addressing congestion.
One option would be to allow congestion to grow unchecked. Given the forecast growth in traffic, doing nothing would mean that journeys within and between cities would take longer, and be less reliable. I think that would be bad for businesses, individuals and the environment. And the costs on us all will be real - congestion could cost an extra £22 billion in wasted time in England by 2025, of which £10-12 billion would be the direct cost on businesses.
A second option would be to try to build our way out of congestion. We could, of course, add new lanes to our motorways, widen roads in our congested city centres, and build new routes across the countryside. Certainly in some places new capacity will be part of the story. That is why we are widening the M25, M1 and M62. But I think people agree that we cannot simply build more and more roads, particularly when the evidence suggests that traffic quickly grows to fill any new capacity.
Tackling congestion in this way would also be extremely costly, requiring substantial sums to be diverted from other services such as education and health, or increases in taxes. If I tell you that one mile of new motorway costs as much as £30m, you'll have an idea of the sums this approach would entail.
That is why I believe that at least we need to explore the contribution road pricing can make to tackling congestion. It would not be in anyone's interests, especially those of motorists, to slam the door shut on road pricing without exploring it further.
It has been calculated that a national scheme - as part of a wider package of measures - could cut congestion significantly through small changes in our overall travel patterns. But any technology used would have to give definite guarantees about privacy being protected - as it should be. Existing technologies, such as mobile phones and pay-as-you-drive insurance schemes, may well be able to play a role here, by ensuring that the Government doesn't hold information about where vehicles have been. But there may also be opportunities presented by developments in new technology. Just as new medical technology is changing the NHS, so there will be changes in the transport sector. Our aim is to relieve traffic jams, not create a "Big Brother" society.
I know many people's biggest worry about road pricing is that it will be a "stealth tax" on motorists. It won't. Road pricing is about tackling congestion.
Clearly if we decided to move towards a system of national road pricing, there could be a case for moving away from the current system of motoring taxation. This could mean that those who use their car less, or can travel at less congested times, in less congested areas, for example in rural areas, would benefit from lower motoring costs overall. Those who travel longer distances at peak times and in more congested areas would pay more. But those are decisions for the future. At this stage, when no firm decision has been taken as to whether we will move towards a national scheme, stories about possible costs are simply not credible, since they depend on so many variables yet to be investigated, never mind decided.
Before we take any decisions about a national pricing scheme, we know that we have to have a system that works. A system that respects our privacy as individuals. A system that is fair. I fully accept that we don't have all the answers yet. That is why we are not rushing headlong into a national road pricing scheme. Before we take any decisions there would be further consultations. The public will, of course, have their say, as will Parliament.
We want to continue this debate, so that we can build a consensus around the best way to reduce congestion, protect the environment and support our businesses. If you want to find out more, please visit the attached links to more detailed information, and which also give opportunities to engage in further debate.
Yours sincerely, Tony Blair"
Looks like it's gonna happen, whether we want it or not. :S
"E-petition: Response from the Prime Minister
The e-petition asking the Prime Minister to "Scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy" has now closed. This is a response from the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Thank you for taking the time to register your views about road pricing on the Downing Street website.
This petition was posted shortly before we published the Eddington Study, an independent review of Britain's transport network. This study set out long-term challenges and options for our transport network.
It made clear that congestion is a major problem to which there is no easy answer. One aspect of the study was highlighting how road pricing could provide a solution to these problems and that advances in technology put these plans within our reach. Of course it would be ten years or more before any national scheme was technologically, never mind politically, feasible.
That is the backdrop to this issue. As my response makes clear, this is not about imposing "stealth taxes" or introducing "Big Brother" surveillance. This is a complex subject, which cannot be resolved without a thorough investigation of all the options, combined with a full and frank debate about the choices we face at a local and national level. That's why I hope this detailed response will address your concerns and set out how we intend to take this issue forward. I see this email as the beginning, not the end of the debate, and the links below provide an opportunity for you to take it further.
But let me be clear straight away: we have not made any decision about national road pricing. Indeed we are simply not yet in a position to do so. We are, for now, working with some local authorities that are interested in establishing local schemes to help address local congestion problems. Pricing is not being forced on any area, but any schemes would teach us more about how road pricing would work and inform decisions on a national scheme. And funds raised from these local schemes will be used to improve transport in those areas.
One thing I suspect we can all agree is that congestion is bad. It's bad for business because it disrupts the delivery of goods and services. It affects people's quality of life. And it is bad for the environment. That is why tackling congestion is a key priority for any Government.
Congestion is predicted to increase by 25% by 2015. This is being driven by economic prosperity. There are 6 million more vehicles on the road now than in 1997, and predictions are that this trend will continue.
Part of the solution is to improve public transport, and to make the most of the existing road network. We have more than doubled investment since 1997, spending £2.5 billion this year on buses and over £4 billion on trains - helping to explain why more people are using them than for decades. And we're committed to sustaining this investment, with over £140 billion of investment planned between now and 2015. We're also putting a great deal of effort into improving traffic flows - for example, over 1000 Highways Agency Traffic Officers now help to keep motorway traffic moving.
But all the evidence shows that improving public transport and tackling traffic bottlenecks will not by themselves prevent congestion getting worse. So we have a difficult choice to make about how we tackle the expected increase in congestion. This is a challenge that all political leaders have to face up to, and not just in the UK. For example, road pricing schemes are already in operation in Italy, Norway and Singapore, and others, such as the Netherlands, are developing schemes. Towns and cities across the world are looking at road pricing as a means of addressing congestion.
One option would be to allow congestion to grow unchecked. Given the forecast growth in traffic, doing nothing would mean that journeys within and between cities would take longer, and be less reliable. I think that would be bad for businesses, individuals and the environment. And the costs on us all will be real - congestion could cost an extra £22 billion in wasted time in England by 2025, of which £10-12 billion would be the direct cost on businesses.
A second option would be to try to build our way out of congestion. We could, of course, add new lanes to our motorways, widen roads in our congested city centres, and build new routes across the countryside. Certainly in some places new capacity will be part of the story. That is why we are widening the M25, M1 and M62. But I think people agree that we cannot simply build more and more roads, particularly when the evidence suggests that traffic quickly grows to fill any new capacity.
Tackling congestion in this way would also be extremely costly, requiring substantial sums to be diverted from other services such as education and health, or increases in taxes. If I tell you that one mile of new motorway costs as much as £30m, you'll have an idea of the sums this approach would entail.
That is why I believe that at least we need to explore the contribution road pricing can make to tackling congestion. It would not be in anyone's interests, especially those of motorists, to slam the door shut on road pricing without exploring it further.
It has been calculated that a national scheme - as part of a wider package of measures - could cut congestion significantly through small changes in our overall travel patterns. But any technology used would have to give definite guarantees about privacy being protected - as it should be. Existing technologies, such as mobile phones and pay-as-you-drive insurance schemes, may well be able to play a role here, by ensuring that the Government doesn't hold information about where vehicles have been. But there may also be opportunities presented by developments in new technology. Just as new medical technology is changing the NHS, so there will be changes in the transport sector. Our aim is to relieve traffic jams, not create a "Big Brother" society.
I know many people's biggest worry about road pricing is that it will be a "stealth tax" on motorists. It won't. Road pricing is about tackling congestion.
Clearly if we decided to move towards a system of national road pricing, there could be a case for moving away from the current system of motoring taxation. This could mean that those who use their car less, or can travel at less congested times, in less congested areas, for example in rural areas, would benefit from lower motoring costs overall. Those who travel longer distances at peak times and in more congested areas would pay more. But those are decisions for the future. At this stage, when no firm decision has been taken as to whether we will move towards a national scheme, stories about possible costs are simply not credible, since they depend on so many variables yet to be investigated, never mind decided.
Before we take any decisions about a national pricing scheme, we know that we have to have a system that works. A system that respects our privacy as individuals. A system that is fair. I fully accept that we don't have all the answers yet. That is why we are not rushing headlong into a national road pricing scheme. Before we take any decisions there would be further consultations. The public will, of course, have their say, as will Parliament.
We want to continue this debate, so that we can build a consensus around the best way to reduce congestion, protect the environment and support our businesses. If you want to find out more, please visit the attached links to more detailed information, and which also give opportunities to engage in further debate.
Yours sincerely, Tony Blair"
Looks like it's gonna happen, whether we want it or not. :S
Monday, 19 February 2007
hello...again
I've been a bit naughty. What ME naughty? Don't look so shocked. Well actually more of the 'stupid' and less less of the 'naughty' would be more accurate I think. What I did was bugger up my computer, by downloading something (it was to do with music before you start surmising anything ... I mean do you really think being the frigid prude that I am I'd download THAT sort of stuff? - good god I'm righteous this morning! lol). So we now have a laptop with Windows Vista on, whilst the other computer gets repaired/sorted.
The half term week, last week, flew by. Actually it was busy but boring, if you know what I mean. I was not too pleased that another house down our street is having building work done - that means a bunch of bloody builders, and they always give me trouble. Yesterday, first day back at school for the children after the half term, I walked them to school okay. When you're with the children the builders keep their traps shut. But on the way back....."hiya darling"...such and such. God, I felt so uncomfortable. Never get used to that shit. In a lucid moment I felt like walking up to them and asking them politely to refrain from catcalling...but I'm so shy it's just not on (okay, okay I can see you shaking your head perhaps). What is wrong? Don't these blokes ever grow up/change? If I could go another way to the school and back I would, but there isn't anyway that would take me there, unless we walked a 40 minute detour, which I don't think would be too popular with the children at all. What was I wearing? Well, loose grey trousers, black clunky ankle boots (a square heel), thick hip length winter coat, hardly any make up (okay mascara - with blonde eyelashes and my very pale skin I look anaemic without any colour on my lashes) and nothing special/extra/clingy. Shit. I hate it. I hate attention. Some women love it. Can't they tell they leave me nervous/unhappy??? I know...it's up to me how I feel. But sometimes other people don't help. At all.
Oh and Joe, I will do your meme which you've tagged me with - but I'm seriously not able to think of any guilty things right now - how sad is that? lol
The half term week, last week, flew by. Actually it was busy but boring, if you know what I mean. I was not too pleased that another house down our street is having building work done - that means a bunch of bloody builders, and they always give me trouble. Yesterday, first day back at school for the children after the half term, I walked them to school okay. When you're with the children the builders keep their traps shut. But on the way back....."hiya darling"...such and such. God, I felt so uncomfortable. Never get used to that shit. In a lucid moment I felt like walking up to them and asking them politely to refrain from catcalling...but I'm so shy it's just not on (okay, okay I can see you shaking your head perhaps). What is wrong? Don't these blokes ever grow up/change? If I could go another way to the school and back I would, but there isn't anyway that would take me there, unless we walked a 40 minute detour, which I don't think would be too popular with the children at all. What was I wearing? Well, loose grey trousers, black clunky ankle boots (a square heel), thick hip length winter coat, hardly any make up (okay mascara - with blonde eyelashes and my very pale skin I look anaemic without any colour on my lashes) and nothing special/extra/clingy. Shit. I hate it. I hate attention. Some women love it. Can't they tell they leave me nervous/unhappy??? I know...it's up to me how I feel. But sometimes other people don't help. At all.
Oh and Joe, I will do your meme which you've tagged me with - but I'm seriously not able to think of any guilty things right now - how sad is that? lol
Monday, 12 February 2007
I saw an interesting programme the other night, "Super Slim Me: A Mischief Special". I found it disgusting how some designers chose such terribly skinny models. Also those awfully stick thing celebrities, who look so ill and who usually deny there is anything wrong at all. I'm a UK size 8-10 myself, so I'm slim myself but not skinny. I don't diet, but I used to be anorexic in my teens and early 20's and I know how it feels to literally starve yourself day after day. I remember collapsing several times. I went down to 5 stone 10lbs, which is over 2 stones (i.e. 28lbs) lighter than my healthy weight which I am now. My periods stopped for a year. The ridiculous thing is that I wasn't even overweight to start with (although of course my little anorexic mind I thought I was). I also gleaned a bit of information regarding anorexia. Apparently it has the highest mortality rate amongst all mental illnesses. 20% die from it. Shit. The thing is, dieting to lose weight is such a vicious circle for most people. It's not like drugs or drink, I mean you actually HAVE to eat to live. It's unavoidable. You won't die from not drinking alcohol or taking drugs, that's for sure - bleedin' obvious of course! Eating is just.....crucial to live (of course!). That's the hardest part I think. Being able to eat the 'right' amounts of the 'right' foods, whatever that is. Basically I felt really quite sick to the pit of my stomach that young women in particular are given such terribly unhealthy looking 'role models' to look up to. What young woman doesn' t want to look fashionable, glamorous or sexy? It felt scary and it made me very worried. Having been there, starved myself, felt it....I would never want anyone to do that to themselves. A 20% chance of dying from anorexia? Thank god I was with the 80%. Mental illness is often so hard to diagnose/understand, perhaps because it is usually so invisible. You see the symptoms, that's all usually, and the cause or problem is 'hidden' away in the brain - sometimes it's never found. I really, sincerely do hope that women have the sense, intelligence and strength to ignore such stupidity - by stupidity I mean the designers who have the nerve to parade their wares using ghastly underweight models. Who am I to talk? I who starved herself? I guess I'm talking from experience, and that often comes with age. Even more scary then that Youth, by its very nature, often carries with it an innate state of inexperience.
Saturday, 10 February 2007
The snow has melted, just about, and it's freeeeezing out. Weather - isn't it BORING to talk about :).
Hubs and I have been discussing the poor state of our bank account recently. I guess what with moving, (stamp duty costs, solicitor's fees, etc.), decorating, buying a tumble dryer, buying a massive wardrobe from IKEA, having to pay for our cars to go through the MOTs, car maintenance work....well, it's all taken it's toll on our measley money. We've done well, but just thank heavens that we have some dosh put by for a rainy day. I actually spent a couple of hours producing an Excel spreadsheet yesterday, which works out all the bills - I mean totals them up monthly, all those teensy things which certainly DO add up to quite a lot (and which we tend to 'forget' about) and obviously the in money versus the out money (how literate I am - not! lol) which just about balanced. Hubs is dying to continue with more DIY but at the moment anything more than just painting is going to be a push for us. Unless he gets a better paid job. If I went back to work full time and he went part time (which is basically impossible in his line of work) we would be a LOT better off each month. If it were possible. So he's job searching at the moment. Not just because he is poorly paid, but because he is bored, fed-up and wants to do something slightly different. Still in the same industry though. I wish I could train to be/do something interesting and worthwhile. I mentioned in a previous post about studying to be something like a Speech Therapist. Thing is I know how long and hard you need to study and with three children...who are still young, it would be unfair to them. Perhaps I'll wait until they are all at secondary school, and then make a leap out of my current employment. I made the decision to have children, and I am willing to forfeit some stuff for a while in life - altruism does not come easy!!
Hubs and I have been discussing the poor state of our bank account recently. I guess what with moving, (stamp duty costs, solicitor's fees, etc.), decorating, buying a tumble dryer, buying a massive wardrobe from IKEA, having to pay for our cars to go through the MOTs, car maintenance work....well, it's all taken it's toll on our measley money. We've done well, but just thank heavens that we have some dosh put by for a rainy day. I actually spent a couple of hours producing an Excel spreadsheet yesterday, which works out all the bills - I mean totals them up monthly, all those teensy things which certainly DO add up to quite a lot (and which we tend to 'forget' about) and obviously the in money versus the out money (how literate I am - not! lol) which just about balanced. Hubs is dying to continue with more DIY but at the moment anything more than just painting is going to be a push for us. Unless he gets a better paid job. If I went back to work full time and he went part time (which is basically impossible in his line of work) we would be a LOT better off each month. If it were possible. So he's job searching at the moment. Not just because he is poorly paid, but because he is bored, fed-up and wants to do something slightly different. Still in the same industry though. I wish I could train to be/do something interesting and worthwhile. I mentioned in a previous post about studying to be something like a Speech Therapist. Thing is I know how long and hard you need to study and with three children...who are still young, it would be unfair to them. Perhaps I'll wait until they are all at secondary school, and then make a leap out of my current employment. I made the decision to have children, and I am willing to forfeit some stuff for a while in life - altruism does not come easy!!
Thursday, 8 February 2007
As the weather forecasters predicted yesterday....we woke up to a snow covered landscape this morning. It is just sooo pretty, but rather uncomfortable and sometimes treacherous to commute in. But the children loved it! Of course. Seems like many schools (especially secondary) were shut today. Honestly. It's the 21st century but a bit of snow and we grind to a bloody halt. Eldest son's school was closed, and luckily as I'm not at work today I was here for him. He ended up playing snowball fights with neighbouring children and then had a go on our next door but one neighbour's Wii. He also played on their XBox and said the XBox graphics were superb. We have a PS2 but no XBox or Wii....yet lol. I did some baking, making a sausage pizza for dinner, a chocolate cake and some brown sugar rice pudding.
I'm rather tired right now, but in a flu/cold type of way - like something's trying to invade if you know what I mean - and my body is fighting it off. Probably means I'll need an early night. Sometimes I find those few extra hours make a massive difference when I feel something coming on.
Really looking forward to watching Desperate Housewives tonight. It's soooo funny sometimes. The characters are brilliant, but it does make me cringe a little too in places.
I'm rather tired right now, but in a flu/cold type of way - like something's trying to invade if you know what I mean - and my body is fighting it off. Probably means I'll need an early night. Sometimes I find those few extra hours make a massive difference when I feel something coming on.
Really looking forward to watching Desperate Housewives tonight. It's soooo funny sometimes. The characters are brilliant, but it does make me cringe a little too in places.
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Found this on another blog, so 'cause I'm a lazy moo this morning (lack of time to post in what I would call a 'proper' way - ????) I'm posting this. My comments in blue.
Sexy Zodiac
LIBRA: The lame lover (Okay, okay. Enough with the compliments already...).
Very pretty (compared to....?).
Very romantic (how wrong could it be?).
Nice to everyone they meet (I'm trying, very trying.)
Their Love is one of a kind (isn't that the same for just about everyone?).
Silly, fun and sweet (make that silly, silly, silly).
Have own unique sexiness (i.e. it's almost invisible to the human 'eye' lol).
Most caring person you will ever meet! (dunno about that one)
Amazing n Bed..!!! (Bullshit) Did I say Amazing in Bed? (yes and I 'heard' you first time)
Not the kind of person you wanna #### with... u might end up crying... (sounds sort of scary!)
The most irresistible (not).
What's yours? (After that, how did I manage to type that question with a straight face.....)
Sexy Zodiac
LIBRA: The lame lover (Okay, okay. Enough with the compliments already...).
Very pretty (compared to....?).
Very romantic (how wrong could it be?).
Nice to everyone they meet (I'm trying, very trying.)
Their Love is one of a kind (isn't that the same for just about everyone?).
Silly, fun and sweet (make that silly, silly, silly).
Have own unique sexiness (i.e. it's almost invisible to the human 'eye' lol).
Most caring person you will ever meet! (dunno about that one)
Amazing n Bed..!!! (Bullshit) Did I say Amazing in Bed? (yes and I 'heard' you first time)
Not the kind of person you wanna #### with... u might end up crying... (sounds sort of scary!)
The most irresistible (not).
What's yours? (After that, how did I manage to type that question with a straight face.....)
Monday, 5 February 2007
Saw a (I thought) quite sad programme on tele last night about young carers. I felt so very sad for the plight of the youngsters, but also for one of the mothers who was obviously unable to change things and had tried to commit suicide by overdosing. One couple were blind and had 6 children, the eldest two (a daughter of 12 and another of about 9) did basically all the work in the house, including cooking, changing nappies of their younger siblings, etc. The parents were trying for two more children. They didn't work and seemed to spend most days 'relaxing', drinking beer and smoking together. They wanted 'a large family'. I just felt....very sad for the daughters and how much responsibility at such a young age was pushed upon them. The 9 year old daughter had tried to commit suicide because of bullying at school, but the 12 year old had found her in time. The 12 year old didn't want children when she grew up she said, because she'd 'done it all' already. Such a feeling of helplessness and frustration. I just thought...do the parents realise what the repercussions of them wanting such a large family are/were? Considering they are blind (not to say that blind people shouldn't have families of course!). When asked why they wanted such a large family the response from the parents was "so we have someone to look after us (in our old age)".
Sunday, 4 February 2007
I've been too busy reading other's writing to be typing here. It's so interesting, well more like enthralling - that's the word. Don't laugh. I really mean it. I find it so much more interesting reading about other's opinions and lives. Mine is just...well, mine. Especially when I don't have much time (like ALWAYS it seems) and then I just coast from one thing on here to another, catching up, getting annoyed, laughing, contemplating.
This weekend has gone by in a whizz. We went over to parents' this afternoon and I had a little go on their computer with them. They are now on broadband and my mum, in particular I think, needs some 'tuition' if you know what I mean. I need to really spend some childfree time with her and just go through some very basic stuff with her. I'm sure she'll be fine, she just needs practice. She's a very clever woman. Once she's used to stuff she'll be more confident.
Foxes and parrots seem to be everywhere nowadays. Okay. Maybe not. I remember when I was a kid a fox would seemingly never appear (or rarely) in broad daylight...unless it was ravenous. Now they lope around, and one was on our shed roof, at the bottom of our garden, the other day. Lazing in the sun (!) whilst a cat walked calmly by it. Neither cat or fox turned a blind eye at seeing the other. Parrots? Oh yeah, I was reading about how they are breeding and becoming more common here, in 'the wild'. I remember looking up into a tree last summer and saying to my children "isn't that a parrot up there?" - not quite believing my eyes. I thought it was so unusual. I mean most parrots here are in cages, I mean as pets - but a WILD one? I thought it must have flown from it's cage, escaped. Seems not. Hmmm. What a strange world.
This weekend has gone by in a whizz. We went over to parents' this afternoon and I had a little go on their computer with them. They are now on broadband and my mum, in particular I think, needs some 'tuition' if you know what I mean. I need to really spend some childfree time with her and just go through some very basic stuff with her. I'm sure she'll be fine, she just needs practice. She's a very clever woman. Once she's used to stuff she'll be more confident.
Foxes and parrots seem to be everywhere nowadays. Okay. Maybe not. I remember when I was a kid a fox would seemingly never appear (or rarely) in broad daylight...unless it was ravenous. Now they lope around, and one was on our shed roof, at the bottom of our garden, the other day. Lazing in the sun (!) whilst a cat walked calmly by it. Neither cat or fox turned a blind eye at seeing the other. Parrots? Oh yeah, I was reading about how they are breeding and becoming more common here, in 'the wild'. I remember looking up into a tree last summer and saying to my children "isn't that a parrot up there?" - not quite believing my eyes. I thought it was so unusual. I mean most parrots here are in cages, I mean as pets - but a WILD one? I thought it must have flown from it's cage, escaped. Seems not. Hmmm. What a strange world.
Friday, 2 February 2007
R.E.M - Near Wild Heaven
One of my most favourite songs. So much so, that I've probably posted this before lol.
Just for fun....and I'm still an idiot.
You're supposed to take 60 minutes to do the test...but me being me, well of course I rushed and did it in 15 :S. I'm soooo exasperated with myself. I mean patience? Do what? I have as much patience as.......(oh, you finish that sentence - pleeeeeease??!!!)
"I have an IQ of 126!
I am in the 95th percentile!
This means that I did better than 95 percent of the people who have taken this test!
The average score for this test is 100.
The maximum score is 167.
The minimum score is 66".
Take it here.
"I have an IQ of 126!
I am in the 95th percentile!
This means that I did better than 95 percent of the people who have taken this test!
The average score for this test is 100.
The maximum score is 167.
The minimum score is 66".
Take it here.
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