Day 100 - 100th Blog...How apt for: Toby Dowling - Olympic Run

Been a while, had problems with signing into my Blog account....

Wow.... crazy times - my head is swimming!!

Work backwards..

Cassidy not well again! She has a raging temperature and sleeping now.  I was supposed to be at Hillingdon Hospital watching my Toby run with the Olympic Torch - spent a good hour crying feeling very sorry for myself as I was unable to get to see his run as Cassidy was so poorly.  This boy has amazed medical science and been an inspiration to everyone around him.  This is his Olympic Nomination Story of his life so far.

Toby Dowling Olympic Run
2012

Toby suffered a previously incurable kidney cancer when he was a baby. GOSH fought hard to treat the tumours with massive chemotherapy and 7 weeks of daily radiotherapy under general anaesthetic which finally defeated the cancer just before his 2nd birthday. Numerous other complications beset Toby and the little guy inspired everyone around him, including the doctors, with the way he kept fighting back and getting over such complex ill health. Over the years Toby's health gradually improved and we moved to live in Athens in 2002 and saw the Olympics there., In October 2008, after a nasty virus, Toby aged 12 went into sudden heart failure, resulting from the chemo. Whilst in the Onassis Heart Hospital he also suffered a stroke, giving him right side hemiplegia. Sadly he has been left with a damaged right hand and arm and some cognitive issues, although he is still very intelligent. I had to move him back to GOSH ostensibly for a heart transplant but the experts there have managed to improve it's condition, allowing Toby to live a normal life. Sadly, at the end of April 2011 he was admitted as an emergency to St Thomas' where he had a burst appendix, peritonitis and septicaemia, which has again left him very ill. However, even though he has been battling with depression, now that he is a teenager of 14, he still inspires those around him with his many victories against adversity. I would love to see Toby with something positive and exciting to look forward to in 2012. 


(I love you Toby - today and every day, you are special in my heart and always will be xxx you are not so bad either Max - love you both xxx remember boys.... you owe it all to your amazing Mum)




Took Pumpkin to the vet as he is poorly too, just had an antibiotic injection £80 later!!!  He is now sitting wondering where Savannah is.  We spoke to Savannah on skype last night, Pumpkin sat with his two paws on the corner of the keyboard listening and watching her intently wondering when she would be home. Craig did the same!

She seemed in good spirits after spending most of the day in Abercrombie & Fitch and buying me some VERY LOVELY UGG boots!!!! and shopping for her BF... The house she is staying in look amazing and I even got a quick glimpse of my friend Ruth with cocktail in hand and relaxing on the veranda!  Oh, what opposing lives we are leading at the moment.  She is now on a lilo in the pool and I am scooping out cat poo.

Craig was so so upset about Savannah leaving that he spent the night with mates in the pub... coming back "home" very late and slightly inebriated he slept on the couch.  In his sleep he decided to wee all over my electrical equipment, yes, that's right, he did a wee on my Wii and remotes and the TV and the DVD player and the Sky box.  At first we couldn't figure it out, but after much sniffing, touching and examining, it came to light that he actually walked around the lounge, bumping into all the candles by the fireplace, knocking over just about everything and then urinated on the TV... it was lucky that Richard was here at the time, we actually laughed so much that I too almost wet the couch!!!  It was even luckier that Craig had managed to switch the TV off before he went to sleep, otherwise, Richard said, the flow of urine would have given him a very nasty electric shock right back to the source!!!!  Richard has now discovered that being an electrical engineer is actually a piece of piss!!! lol.  The innuendo's flowed "plug in the wii, see if it works" and on it went for HOURS!!!!  I don't think I have ever laughed so much about something that really wasn't funny.

Nigel has now sailed away with Luke (Jim & Jim)... I think they are in Aylesbury now, Nigel was a little upset in Rickmansworth, he hadn't seen a sheep in ages and ages, the only sheep he saw was one on a spit with a stick going up it's bum at the local Kebab shop!!! So he headed off towards the country to feel more at home.  Luke has been fishing and having a great time, at this rate I will be collecting him from Northampton. They came across a fishing rod when one got caught on the end of the boat, the fisherman was asleep and they couldn't attract his attention... I suggested that he may have been dead, either that or they didn't really call that loudly!  I asked what they were using for bate and apparently, there were still a couple of maggots on the end of the line!

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine, long may it last... love you all and enjoy the holidays.

B xxx

Day 99 - Rosie & Jim on the Titanic

I seem to be with only one small child tonight!

How strange, the house is kind of eerie... it is so quiet I don't know what to do with myself!  I have even had time to have my nails painted today with a voucher my brother gave me for my Birthday in February!!!


Luke has been with Nigel on the boat for a few days turning feral and manning a few locks along the way and we took Savannah over to Ruth's, loaded up the car and they all left me for their holiday in America....

It was like a scene from the Titanic watching Craig and Savannah saying goodbye to each other along with Abbie and her boyfriend Dan, you would think that the pair of them were going forever, there was mascara everywhere.  Love letters with lipstick kisses were exchanged and mobile phones fully charged and that was just me and Ruth!!!

They are now flying at 563 miles an hour and just above Canada (9.30pm).  Just spoke to Scott and Mom on the phone who are in their fancy hotel waiting to collect Savannah from the airport whilst I am at home cleaning out cat litter and hoovering!  Craig just can't take it anymore and has gone to drown his sorrows at the pub, he is like a lost puppy!

After dropping off Savannah at Ruth's, Craig, Cassidy and I went to meet Luke and Nigel on the boat, they had travelled up towards Kings Langley and had moored up in a beautiful picturesque area.  Nigel set up the BBQ and we ate burgers and drank Cider.  Cassidy threw the end of her burger to a duck which Nigel was not too impressed with... he shouted in his Yorkshire lilt "OYE, there are people starving in Barnsley!"

He told us the story of when he was little and a boy scout his Mum was taking him to camp in the car.  On pulling up to a junction she asked him if there were any cars coming... "No Mum" he replied, so she pulled out...... "Only a bus" and she smashed straight into it!!!!



I bought Nigel a little doll to keep on his boat of Rosie from Rosie & Jim (the little puppets from the canal story I used to watch with Savannah).  Apparently in Hebden Bridge they only have Rosie & Rosie or Jim & Jim being one of the gay capitals of the country (apparently).

Yorkshire man takes his cat to the vet
Yorkshireman: "Ayup, lad, I need to talk to thee about me cat"
Vet: "Is it a tom?"
Yorkshireman: "Nay, I've browt it with us"

A Yorkshireman's dog dies and as it was a favourite pet he decides to have a gold statue made by a jeweller to remember the dog by. 

Yorkshireman: "Can tha mek us a gold statue of yon dog?" 
Jeweller: "Do you want it 18 carat?" 
Yorkshireman: "No I want it chewin' a bone yer daft bugger!" 


Bloke from Barnsley with a sore arsehole asks chemist "Nah then lad, does tha sell arse cream?" 

Chemist replies "Aye, Magnum or Cornetto?"

Day 98 Do you think Enrique has Diamonds on the soles of his shoes?

Been such a busy weekend that I just didn't have time to blog!  Hence, thanks Robin for yesterday, you saved me a job!

Whilst at Ruislip Barn on Sunday I received a call from my lovely Ruth.... "Drop everything, NOW", she screamed..... "I have a spare ticket to Paul Simon tonight at Hyde Park".... all my customers before me wondered why I suddenly screamed - their orders were ignored and I even turned a few people away as my mind attempted to figure out how I was going to pull this off.... two of my children were along the Grand Union Canal somewhere with Nigel and Savannah was off somewhere with BF... Children needed finding, bringing home, showering and scrubbing down so had to find someone to HELP and fast!!!! It was like I had just told me that I had won the Lottery and needed to collect it by 4pm time or it will be burnt!

Panic stations.... I was going to do this, I had a positive mental attitude and I would see Paul Simon "Gracelands" live in Hyde Park along with Ladysmith Black Mambazo... 

Mum and Dad to the rescue!  They were amazing, not only did they help with packing away "So Very Crafty", but also found the kids, got them home, threw them at Savannah and Craig who arrived home just in time.

I made it to Rayners Lane Car Park by 4.30pm 

It was like something I never believed I would ever get to see.  Gracelands is one of my all time favorites  reminds me of my brother which is always a good thing..... I called him from the concert just to make him jealous...

Ruth was bopping so much I missed her face! Oops

We pushed to the front, we were like bulldozers.... head down and power through.. headed by Mark which was useful, he had a stick to poke people!  We did quite well, especially as we stopped right next to an Enrique Iglesias look alike, both Ruth and I figured it was the perfect place to stop pushing through the crowd.  By the end of the Concert Enrique, Ruth & I were bosom buddies, Ruth may be more than me as her bosoms are a little bigger than mine, AND, she refused to swap sides with me.  

So, I had the James Nesbitt look alike rubbing up against my right leg and I didn't seem to complain too much!

At one point in the evening, Enrique's friend jumped on his back, threw his arms around Enrique's neck and shouted, "I love you mate" at which point, both Ruth and I, in unison said "SO DO I !!!" (in a kind of purring smouldering accent which neither of us recognized!)  this wouldn't have been so bad if it was just one of us saying it quietly, only in unison it was actually quite loud and we caused quite a stir... it was another one of those moments when a Tenna Lady would have been useful as we laughed so much we could hardly breathe. (I feel like I am mention 'Tenna Lady' more often then Ana Steele mentions her Inner Goddess, I have discovered that my Inner Goddess is just a little weak....and, may I add, slightly jealous)

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

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Pseudo Blog by Big Brother....

Hi Beeps

No need to see you as I can keep up to date with everything on your blog.

So you have finally found a use for Todd’s old saws, and with the house so full at the moment, you have had to find new sleeping quarters for Craig.  The brown bin is an excellent idea, as it gets cleared once a week.

But I do realise that you know nothing about what’s going on my life, so here’s my Blog for the weekend. 

With Eloise in Israel and Jack at school, over the last week we have had a preview of what an ‘empty nest’ feels like… and it feels good.  If you put something down somewhere, it STAYS there.  If you tidy up something IT STAYS CLEAN.  The food, the bread, the milk and the biscuits LAST FOREVER.  And I can watch WHAT I WANT on the TV.

But nothing lasts forever,(except- I found - permanent marker ink) and on Friday we went to collect Jack from School in Lewis.  It was also his prize day.  As Rachel and I sat on the hard PE bench and clapped all the clever children who had won prizes, we hoped that there would be a prize for the ‘most excluded from class’ – because it would be a travesty if Jack didn’t win that one. One by one, just about the whole school went up for prizes (some got two or three) until our HANDS were numb with clapping.  But who needs prizes anyway – I bet Einstein, Mozart or Churchill never got prizes either. Rubbish school anyway. Which reminds me of the Milton Jones joke – “The school has a big problem with drugs – especially Class A.”  Over the last week Jack has been busy at school.  He went to Brighton on a week’s work experience as an Assistant Technician in the computer department for the University of Brighton. He learnt that change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. He also went on a walk and overnight camping expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, although the amount of money we have had to spend in ‘Cotswold’ on his equipment, he could have gone to Barbados for a fortnight in a 5 star hotel! 

The journey home took four hours, not helped by the car developing a fault, and we went straight back out to see Milton Jones – in the Harrow Arts Centre – in the rain.  We had great seats on the second row, and felt slightly venerable as he picked on the people sitting next to us.  We all held onto our bladders as going out for a wee would have been fatal.  He was on for an hour and a half and told hundreds of jokes I hadn’t heard before.  Brilliant! “He is learning Hebrew in Jew course”  “He found a clowns eye on the pavement – and thought ‘that’s a plus’.” And “If you are working on the checkout of a hand grenade shop, don’t ask your customer for the PIN.”  I took a book to read just in case the show was boring.  It’s called ‘Where do comedians go when they die’ by Milton Jones.  He signed it ‘Hello Robin x’ to which I replied ‘Goodbye Milton x.’ 

It rained on Saturday and on Sunday I played golf.  My KNEES were still hurting from the game of rounder’s we played on Thursday.  It was a work event, with the whole company taking part.  However, old duffers like me should know better.  At least I wasn’t as bad as my colleague Gilbert (who is a year younger than me). He made a dash for fourth base, slipped, fell and broke his collar bone in two places – I told him not to go back to those two places. Groan. He’s still off sick recovering from his operation.  I’m not saying that golf is a game for old crocks, but as soon as one of my playing partners saw me limping, out came the knee braces and knee supports.  I chose the one that looked the most suitable and had a lovely conversation about the knee operations all the way from the 6^th to the 18^th hole. They were very derogatory about Physios, so I kept my wife’s profession quite. In the afternoon we took advantage of the relatively dry weather and went to Black Park so that Jack could use his model boat on the lake, while we watched the terrified ducks dash for cover. He was very popular with the toddlers watching on in awe of his handling skills, until he BUMPED the boat against the bank.  Next week we are going to Eastbourne and he wants to use them on the SEA which should be interesting. On the way home we went to the garden centre and bought some plants for our waterlogged garden.  Roses, some DAISY'S and a climber.  In the evening we went of a curry in our local, and so went to bed feeling bloated. 

And now it’s Monday and I must get back to work. 

But before I go, I realise that to be a proper Blog, I need a title.  How about "Hands, Knees and Bumped Sea Daisy's"?

Bye.

 Robin x

Day 97 - Do not get into Brown Bin if full of Apple Tree!

Didn't quite know what to do with myself so telephone Nigel for a little help deciding...

My choices were

1.Wax Legs

2. Clear front driveway as diseased apple tree now successfully cut down (one woman on a two man saw was quite sad but was rescued by Craig, he really was a great help, he even jumped in the brown bin to make more space for rubbish and couldn't get out, he was jammed in the bin with a large bit of apple tree in a rather uncompromising position... I was close to calling the fire brigade but was laughing too much to dial!  In the end we tipped him over in the mud so we could prize him out - it took a good 20 minutes..... that's brilliant laughter therapy for me and Savannah but I think it put years on Craig - he was really stuck... no kidding!

3. Go and see Nigel on the boat - he has come down 700 or more locks to see me.. bless him.

4. Housework (house looks like bomb has hit it - twice)

5. Exercise - walking etc. (need to get back into the swing of it after being so poorly last week).

I had so much to do on my list that I had to just choose from the top five!

Nigel suggested the following....

Come to the boat, we can go for a walk, he can wax my legs as he has got quite good at it cause he just did his!  Front, back, side and Crack!!!!  I was quite surprised that he could manage this task on his own, never being that brave to so much as tackle my eyebrows.... I was quite intrigued as to how he would manage "Back and Crack" on his own... "Oh", he exclaimed in his broad Yorkshire tone "that, I did by accident when I sat on some fly paper".

It was a good plan (except the waxing bit), so I walked to Nigel and we went around the aquadrome, stopping at a lovely local pub for a pint and had a bite for lunch - then I collected kids from school and took them back to see Nigel to have another little cruise on the boat.  He kept the kids overnight... joy oh joy.... I sped off at 100mph home.

Following morning....

I walked to Rickmansworth Aquadrome and down along the Canal to meet up with Nigel and the Kids (5 odd miles).  They had a fun packed day fishing for Crayfish with old bits of forgotten ham and a tin of Cat Food and swinging about on a make shift swing that hung over a massive expanse of thick mud and trees.

My children turned ferrell overnight as they swung like wild animals through the trees!  A little lad called Byron aged 9 showed us how it was done - he had no fear and Craig spent a good hour trying to knock him down like a skittle with no joy! (Risk assessing along the way of course).

Cassidy with her life jacket that acting like a bullet proof jacket protecting her from the onslaught of branches and trees that we came hurtling towards her - you know the feeling when, as a Mother, your legs go all weak from nerves when your kids do wild things... well, I actually had to walk away so as not to spoil their fun.

We fed an army of Canadian Geese, cooked up a massive stew which was just amazing and played a few hands of cards using Twiglets and Chedders as 'chips'.

Had a lovely visit from Mum and Dad and guess what.... I sit on the computer now at home for the first time in almost two years and I AM ON MY OWN... lovely hot bath, little read of "50" and to bed... it is peaceful and quiet. Nigel just posted on Facebook where you comment on "what's on your mind"... He has put "Birth Control" under the picture of Cassidy!  lol....

Day 96 - I have been a naughty girl, I have been grounded!

Oh, I was such a naughty girl last night....

Finally feeling better and managed to get into work this afternoon, normal shift from 5 - 11pm, started off with headache but after popping a few pills felt much better and as the evening went on, I felt the old Beth returning....

Yesterday I heard from my dear friend Nigel who lives on a Narrow boat in Flappit Springs, Yorkshire... He had made it down 700 locks to visit me and was now nesting on the Grand Union Canal just five minutes from the office.  Nigel I have known for many years, since I was 18.  He came to my office at Millipore UK to work on some electrics that just happened to be above my desk.... my first recollection of him was his hairy ankles as his trousers lifted as he reached up to inspect the air conditioning.  From then on, we became friends, he seems to make me laugh just by opening his mouth and speaking, our whole friendship has since been that of laughter and last night was no exception!

After work, as I left the building, the cool air hit me  and I had a sudden urge to take a right at the roundabout on my way home instead of a left..... I pulled up at Tesco's car park in Rickmansworth and on the other side of the Canal sat Sloe Mo Shun.  Nigel built this boat single handed and has been living on it for years taking a few Winter months to work and travelling the rest.

I called the kids (Savannah and Craig) and neither of them picked up the phone, so I figured they had gone to bed!  Well, I thought to myself, quick cuppa and then I will head on home.

So, Nigel crossed the river and came to meet me (it was all rather romantic really).... he had had a busy day at the launderette and was a little concerned about his experience.

"Well" he said in his broad Yorkshire accent "the woman who was looking after the launderette was really friendly only she was wearing this really really short skirt and a top that looked like it was made out of the same stuff as my mosquito net, you could see her black bra right through it and I just didn't know which way to look!" Hmmm, I said teasing "are you sure you were in a launderette?" he eyes seemed to glaze over a little as realization took hold of him, he lost a little colour in his cheeks...."what was the place called?" I asked him with half a smile. Slowly and methodically he said "Rub.. a... Dub..... Dub" .... I have a feeling he won't be going there again to wash his smalls!!!! He will probably take his duvet tomorrow!


He showed me Google Moon on the computer, it was just amazing... did you know that if you go closer and closer to the Moon's surface the picture changes to cheese?  He had a great idea for me, he said that he would be able to pin point So Very Crafty on Google Earth for me so that people would be able to find me and I could attach it to my website.... great idea, why not.... he said that he could programme it so that as you get closer and closer to my front door, the picture will change into a hairbrush!!!! lol......  crazy and random.... and he makes me laugh so much, note to self: next time I visit I must remember the Tenna Ladies....


Time with Nigel does just seem to disappear and before I knew it it was midnight, he walked me back to my car and my mobile phone started to bleep and bleep incessantly!  Then Craig rang, he was not very happy!

I arrived home a little past 12.30 to Craig and the kids all standing waiting for me...... they thought I had gone missing and had called everyone they could think of to see where I was!  I sat at the wheel like a naughty teenager as Craig, with his hands on his hips said "I don't think it is a laughing matter!", I've been driving back and forth to Watford to your offices trying to find you... we have been worried SICK!" my phone had 50 plus missed called from just about everyone I knew, Luke shouted at me and Savannah was crying, Hannah was there and I had no escape.... I swallowed hard as I was torn off a strip - Savannah had called the Police... they asked her for a description of me and as she started to explain that I had red hair, they asked her if she wanted to report me as a missing person (I was gone for an hour and a half!!!).  She said to the Police Officer "Well, I will leave it a little longer because she is 46".

It reminded me of when I was 12 and I had lost my rabbit.  I called the police and they asked for a description...... "fluffy tail, two pointy ears and a twitchy nose... you know" (They had found him though... honest.... I couldn't believe it!) Was obviously due to my accurate description.

So, the kids sent me to bed without any supper and grounded me until further notice.  I spent the morning making sure everyone knew that I was OK under the instruction of "The Kids".....

Day 95 - There Once Was an Ugly Duckling

I am so sorry, It's been a while, Cassidy and I have been ill, it was really quite sad the two of us trying to look after each other, we have slept a lot and cried a lot too but today, she made it into school today as she was the Queen Caterpillar in her Assembly and they just couldn't do without her.  So Cassidy, dosed up with Calpol and me in a blur drugged with Syndol, off we went to watch the Ugly Bug Ball!

It reminded me of when I was a ballerina as a little girl.  I was quite circular and dressed in a pink leotard, pink leggings and a little Tu Tu was not the prettiest of sights in the world.  I was in the Ugly Duckling!!!

This is not really me!

I remember there being four of us little ducks at the very front of the stage, doing "our thing", two little ducks had to jump one way flapping their little feathers behind them, and two of us were supposed to jump the other way with our hands imitating feathers behind us too!  Only trouble was, that although I went the right way, my partner went the wrong way and I looked like a lost fairy elephant all on my own... I hopped around to face the other way in an attempt to stop the audience from laughing so hard, with a little hop and a jump, they also turned the other way once again revealing that I had no clue which way was left or right and looking and feeling like a rather stupid.

I remember having a terrible cough too which didn't go down well with the ballet teacher (Mrs Pear - and she did have a pair, I can tell you!). It was my last performance on stage as a ballerina (quite clearly) and my Nana gave me £5.00 when I came off stage.  That was a heck of a lot of money really (don't tell Savannah it would be the equivalent of about £50 now I guess!!!) Not that I am that old of course but inflation and all that, you know!


Savannah's show however was in complete contrast to my one and only debut on stage.  Her show was something else... for an amateur production it was outstanding.  Savannah took lead role as Deloris (Whoopy Goldberg) in Sister Act and she smashed it (as they say).  She sang three massive songs that were worthy of the West End - mark my words, that girl will be Centre Stage one day soon.

The rest of the cast was also phenomenal,  Congratulations to all of you and also to Dave for all his hard work.  Looking forward to next years production which indeed will be in the West End!


I had a fantastic day at Wimbledon last Friday with my dear friend Jane from Oxford, Jane and I have knownn each other for many years, we met on the phone when I was arranging her relocation from Brussels to the UK when I worked for Sterling International... I went "above and beyond" and offered to look after her cat who was in a cattery and unwell.  So, 7 months pregnant (we both were - me and Jane, not me and the cat!), I nursed the cat back to health and we have been brilliant friends ever since, over 20 years.

Jane had won a ballot for the tickets and invited me along to Court 1 to watch some fantastic tennis.  The last time I was at Wimbledon was in the days of Bjorn Borg, Mcenroe and Connors in 1984 when my Brother and I camped outside for Centre Court tickets!


We had excellent seats, purchased the mandatory Strawberries drowning in Cream and found ourselves sitting next to a couple who were sipping copious amounts of Champagne and clearly having an affair, the conversation was not dissimilar to Chapter 12 of 50 Shades Darker!!! (most off putting when trying to concentrate on the game).  I did however, marvel at the lady in front of us, every time I looked she was pulling something else out of her bag!  She was like Mary Poppins, bottles of Champagne, flute glasses, crisps, chocolate bars and what seemed like an entire isle of Marks & Spencer, her buttocks were protruding through the sides and back of the chair and I had to resist squishing it with my foot!

We watched Sharapova (or Shut-up-a-Pova) win her game along with Sam Querrey and Milos Raonic (he is fit), Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva and Nicolas Almagro v Richard Gasquet. We then sat on Murray Mount (well, Murray step actually as the Mount was packed out) to watch Federer's game... great day!  One thing I did notice from the days of 1984 was that the ball sped past so quickly that you don't have time to look from side to side but just glance your eyes, the speed was just incredible!

So, since all this excitement I have been laid up in bed with my little girl but feeling a little better today managed a coffee and cake at Massimo which always make's me feel a little more human and now back to bed for sleep......