Multi-tasking

Well would you look at that, sit down at my desk on Monday and the next time I look up it's Thursday. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, I haven't been sitting at my desk constantly. It just feels like it. I am, however, happy to report that I'm making progress. At this rate I will be able to drive off to the beach house in a week or so with a clear conscience and not have to take any work with me. Huzzah!

There was a slight disturbance in The Force yesterday though. While I sat here frantically busily writing a very important article about business plans (exciting no?) I received an email from my sister. In this email she conversationally commented that she had gone Christmas shopping and tried to buy a particular gift for someone only to find that it was out of stock. Everywhere. EEEEEK!! I suddenly realised that a couple of things the girls have asked Father Christmas to bring are quite popular at the moment. The other day Aislin asked me if I thought Father Christmas would really bring the present she had asked for. I said 'of course he will, you've been such a lovely, kind and generous girl how could he not?'. Oops. I'll tell you how he could not...if Target are out of stock that's how! OH NO!!! I leapt from the desk and headed immediately to the shops. Then a kerfuffle of mammoth proportions ensued including visiting a number of shops and me almost rugby tackling anyone in my path to get the last two sets of something called Beados (don't ask, I don't know) from the shelf. The 'main' presents have also been secured, I won't go into details, but trust me...it was touch and go there for a while.

I also discovered that several days of non-stop (more or less) working at the desk creates something in the laundry called a 'bloody-great-mountain-of-clean-washing-that-needs-to-be-folded-and-put-away'. I only know this because Hannah went to look for clean socks on Monday night and finally emerged from the pile on Wednesday morning after which she gave a full report of the anomaly. I dealt with it last night. Very late last night.

Anyway, now I'm back at my desk. Still working. Blogging a tiny bit. And not reading blogs at all. Sorry my best blogging friends, I'll be there soon to catch up missed posts and leave inane comments...business as usual coming soon to a blog near you.

Thank you for not giving up on me.

Assistant wanted!

I am inundated with work at the moment, unfortunately this huge amount of work is not income producing - it's that kind of preparatory work that one hopes will lead to income. I have a 'to do' list as long as Santa's and I think I need an assistant.

Any takers? The pay is crap (well non-existent actually) but I'm nice to work for and make a lovely cup of tea and there may be the occasional bun to go with it. No?

I will try to do at least a token post every day...they may not be the fascinating and absorbing pieces of literary magic you've become used to reading here, but at least you'll know I'm still alive...sort of.

And you can always pop by and just read the archives.

Hmph!

Someone...someone who is apparently a friend....called me 'The Grinch' yesterday. No, not because I'm green (I'm not) but because I don't care much for the festive season. There I was, enjoying a pleasant email exchange with my friend (let's call him Nic for that is his name) and as we arranged to 'catch up' (don't you hate that expression? I do) I happened to make a comment about Christmas and how much better I'd feel when it was over and in his reply he called me 'Grinch'.

Now as I recall this Grinch character is very angry with the local townspeople (The Whos of Whoville) because they treated him badly particularly around the Christmas season. He is angry and vengeful. This is not me. I bear no grudges to anyone at Christmas time (or any other time really). I am not The Grinch.

Neither am I Scrooge. He was miserly and lonely and hated Christmas for those reasons (more or less). I am very generous at Christmas and I'm certainly not lonely, I have no problem with everyone having time off work, enjoying Christmas cheer, going to Mass, opening lots of presents and eating a big turkey dinner. I ensure my children have all the fun and excitement of Christmas and work hard to create a Christmas as magical and fantasy-laden as mine were as a child (and for most of my adult life for that matter). Santa letters are written, Christmas trees are decorated, advent and Christmas services are attended, snacks are left for Santa and the reindeer, we even have an elf that visits in the days leading up to Christmas leaving letters and chocolate coins. I do this for them and I never tell them that I'm not that keen on Christmas myself, I reserve that information for grown ups with whom I feel I can be honest.

So let me clear about this...I don't enjoy Christmas. I am not angry, vengeful, lonely or miserly. I didn't have terrible Christmas experiences as a child. I never received coal in my stocking or had to deal with family disputes during the Queen's Christmas message or endure slobbery kisses from Great Aunt Gertrude. There is no deep and troubled past causing me to find Christmas painful.

What is painful is that Christmas no longer holds my mother. She adored Christmas, my whole life I watched as she planned and made lists and cut out pictures and recipe ideas from magazines long before the day. She decorated the tree beautifully every year (sometimes with a theme) and gathered the family and cooked the most amazing Christmas dinners, she never failed to make Christmas special and magical and exciting. It wasn't just the hype either, she really loved Christmas and all it stood for. Her enthusiasm was contagious and as she was the centre of the family we all caught the bug. With her I loved Christmas. It's just not the same any more. Yes, I've heard all the platitudes about making Christmas my own now, carrying on her traditions and creating new traditions and experiences for my own family. I do that, but I do what has to be done to make it special for my children and I pray for it to be over. I'm not sad and sobbing into my mince pies (Mum hated soggy pastry) and I'm not tortured...I'm just indifferent.

Sorry to bring the mood down and everything but there you have it.

Oh and it's not lost on me that the true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with anyone else and everything to do with me. 'Nuff said.

P.S. I also don't like all that consumerism but that's a whole different blog post. You're warned.

Concerts and stuff

It's been a busy couple of days, although not nearly as bad as last year. The school concert last night went well. A few hundred parents relatives and friends crowded into the school hall and the children came in one class at a time and gave their performances (there just wasn't room to have all the children in the hall too). It had been raining off and on all day and shortly after the concert began it really started to rain heavily. The noise of rain on the roof was so loud at times it drowned out the singing...which may have been a good thing. By the time we left there was a bit of flooding round the classrooms and people were dashing to their cars in the downpour.

This morning was the last assembly of the year and Aislin's class were leading it. Because the children hadn't been able to see each others performances we were subjected treated to another round of their songs. Then parents were invited to a morning tea, frankly I think we deserved cocktails. I wanted to come home because I'm tired and have had enough of school, but that seemed rude so I stayed for a cup of tea, socialised a bit and managed to resist the scones.

Next week is the last week of school and then we have the long summer holidays stretching before us. Looking forward to that, as long as it doesn't start the way it did last year.

Cast away!!!

Cast away...bit of play on words there...cast....away....castaway....get it? Ahem.

Anyway, today was a big day, Aislin was back at the hospital to have the cast removed (we hoped). As it turned out that did happen although the doctor warned that the growth part of the bone may be affected but we won't know unless it gives her trouble so all is ok for now and she could have the cast off.

She was very nervous, wouldn't smile for the camera....she'd been able to hear the saw going from the waiting room and it was freaking her out.

The saw came out and the nurse assured her it couldn't cut skin and demonstrated by touching it then got me to touch it. I don't remember that being in the contract but I did it anyway. She began to cut and it was very noisy and Aislin was not happy, but stayed very still and quiet and didn't complain.

Then there were some big plier type things to prise the cast apart.

Then the cutting of the inner bandages......

.....and then it was gone.....

Apart from some funny looks from the nurse as I was taking photos (she obviously doesn't have a blog) everything went well. Aislin is limping slightly but that's more from stiffness and lack of use than pain. The doctor said she'll be fine in a couple of days.

She's now soaking in the bath, she's been longing to do that and has already been in there for about 45 minutes. I'm going to have to fight to get her out.

Tonight is the school Carol Concert. Every year we're encouraged to pack a picnic and sit on the school playing fields to hear the carols. Last year is was 35 degrees, 100% humidity and ended in torrential rain and a thunder storm. The year before the parents were all huddled in their picnic rugs it was so cold. Today it is raining and warmish with storms forecast. Should be a good night.

Sweet blog

A blog award with built-in tag from Lee at Solstice Dreamer - thank you Lee!!

7 things to do before I die

• Finish the effing website
• Own a Jag (S-type)
• Spend a year or two back in the UK
• Have my work published
• Draw and paint more
• Visit the Middle East
• Live in a house I actually like

7 things I do now

• Procrastinate
• Read emails
• Blog occasionally
• Work
• Sit at the computer too much
• Stress out a lot
• Complain about Christmas

7 things I can't do

• Speak Italian
• Domain map my website
• Understand Wordpress
• Sail
• Paint in watercolour
• Enjoy Christmas
• Stop procrastinating

7 things I find attractive in the opposite sex

• Sense of humour
• Shared interests
• Sense of adventure
• Faithful
• Spiritual
• Supportive
• Money (just kidding...kind of)

7 things I say most often

• Be quiet!! (I hate noise)
• Have we got any chocolate?
• Have we got any wine?
• F*&king Wordpress
• Hurry up! (everyone is so slow around here)
• I love you
• I hate Christmas (well I do, shut up)

7 Celebrities I most admire (you've got to be kidding me!)

• ...um.....(sound of crickets here....)
• I dunno...Judi Dench? Is she a celebrity or just a good actor? I like her acting and she seems like a good person....but....admire??
  
• Sorry can't do this one...
• I don't admire 'celebrities' really, I appreciate some are good at what they do though.
  
• Now if you'd just asked for people I admire...got tons of those...but none of them are celebrities.
  
• ...but celebrities? Really?
• Nah, sorry.
  

7 favourite foods

• Chocolate
• Wine (it is too a food)
• Watermelon
• Curry (all Indian food really)
  
• Tea (it's a food as well ok?)
• Coffee (don't even think it)
• Cake (most kinds)
  

I'm so healthy.

Ok, so I'd like to pass this on to......

Moy@ Journal of my Life at Home

Cathy@ Love and Madness in Suburbia

Dave@whatever his blog is called this week

Miss R@ Tales of Inglewood

But remember!!!! No pressure, only if you have the time and the inclination.

Things I learned from NaBloPoMo

Well it's over, after a month of having daily blog posts hanging over my head like an unrelenting Sword of Demacles at last I can relax. I was going to treat myself to a day off today but I decided that bloggers all over the world are probably doing that and I hate to be predictable.

So what did I learn? Couple of things actually.

1. I don't like the pressure. It's one thing to write a daily blog post because you want to, it's a totally different thing to feel you have to. Didn't like that. At all.
   
2. There are actually more important things than blogging (didn't know that did you?) yes, it's true!
   
3. (I know I said a 'couple' but I just thought of another) it is quite difficult to explain to people a) why you're doing NaBloPoMo and b) why you are determined to keep doing it even when you don't want to. They just don't get it and you know why they don't get it? Because they understand point two.
   

I actually found it quite difficult, it didn't help that I am very busy at the moment so it was always a case of finding some time to fit it in and there were a few occasions I was writing a post and feeling guilty because I wasn't doing something else I was meant to be doing. Now that is just silly.

So it's back to business as usual, I'll very likely be here most days, but not if I'm too busy or don't have anything to say. We'll be away for Christmas too and the beach house doesn't even have a phone, never mind an internet connection so there won't be any posts that week.

I won't be doing NaBloPoMo again.