Larger Than Life

The wee and I enjoy our trips to the shops, Aye even the food shopping for our weekly household supplies is seen as an adventure worth going on by the wee one, even if I sometimes feel it is a mission impossible!
The wee one and I took off today with a number of visits to be made down the rolling metropolis that is our town, we had bills to pay, people to meet and of course our groceries to buy.
The town had a wee buzz about it, and it was busier than usual, a scenario that was being commented on by all we met.

The schools are of course yet again on another Holiday, is it just me being old and grumpy but don't the schools seem to have more days off now than they are open! So with the schools off that would explain the town being busier but not the buzz, which I have to say was not unlike that feeling you get at Christmas time when you are doing your shopping and as if to exaggerate the point it started to snow!!

Could it be that the Easter is becoming the Spring time Christmas, have the retailers duped us yet again into parting with our pennies, as I have to say, not only were Easter eggs the order of the day and they are not cheap, but peoples trollies were full of what I consider to be traditional Christmas food!!!! Its all a far cry from rolling your hard boiled painted egg down a hill before munching it delighting in what a treat it was. Any way I digress as granddads do! So back to the subject in hand.
The wee one is very perceptive, and she had judged for herself that people seemed a lot happier than normal, the reaction to this was a wee one skipping and dancing her way through the town, sometimes a pace ahead of me but when taking a bow she was several paces behind me.
Now as I said the last time it was like this was Christmas, we had been down the town doing our surprise shopping for her granny when the wee one came face to face with a man with a big beard and a red suit, her reaction to this experience was one of terror that took several days of convincing that he was in fact one of life's good guys.

So cue a massive bunny rabbit the size of her granddad making its way towards her carrying a basket of eggs that are being handed out to the other wee people on the street, the wee one in mid dance froze like a statue before swivelling around and taking off for the hills shouting no way as she took off!
For us it is hard to imagine exactly what was going through her head, however on reflection I wonder how we would react if the household cat went out to the garden and returned as a tiger!, because that is the size scale we are talking about in her world, it was only last week she was crouching down gazing at a real bunny after all.

The job in hand now is to convince the wee one, that like the big fat man with the beard and red suit, the over large bunny is also one of life's good guys, which we all know is true but how will the wee one react when I start to warn her to be careful of strangers, talk about a confusing world!
So I hope you all have a safe and happy Easter with no frightening fairy tale characters appearing out of the blue, and that any wee ones in the family have a chocolaty fun time.

AND FINALLY
I will not be writing over the Easter Holiday weekend but will return on the 2nd of April, however a student reporter will be posting an extract of an interview with me that they were doing as part of their course work on this site instead, this will be in the form of life questions and answers, we hope that you enjoy this as a wee change to the norm.

Law And Disorder

AS summertime approaches and we look forward to the day light lasting longer than tea time, the clock getting set to jump forward an hour and the dark cold days of winter set to fade to a memory-unless of course you have had the latest effects of global warming, with its twenty feet of snow dumped upon you!- we gear up for Easter as our launch into better days.

This week I have been living in anticipation of what the wee one and I would get up to and there was also the wee bonus of breaking my diet for a day of chocolate gorging as I helped eat her Easter eggs!

Like all the best laid plans though I forgot to factor in a couple of small but not insignificant factors. This week is turning into the shortest week of the year as far as the wee one and I are concerned, firstly I had totally forgotten she was having a sleep over with her mum aka my daughter and secondly and I know I was told, the wee ones granny aka the house procurator fiscal aka the wife was taking the wee one to see her great granny in Fort William!
So all the planning, and all the buying of wee surprises for our Easter hunt, will have to remain in cold storage and another day will have to be designated as Easter on their return.
Now many people would be glad of the break, given that the wee one and I are pretty much a team 24/7 seven days a week and you would think I would be no different, indeed not only should I perhaps enjoy the break but the other members of the household might like it to.
The problem with the fact that the wee one is away on a mini break and with her that will be an adventure of the new, is simply this, the house not only becomes eerily quiet, but worse still is the natives get restless! Now if you further add into the mix that the chief prosecutor of the house aka the wife is also absent then the natives have a habit of ignoring the laws and without warning anarchy could be the norm very quickly.

Now no one looks forward to the law enforcer disappearing quite as much as the ASBO gardener aka papa as he see's this as an opportunity to take some of his projects from the drawing board on to site with no one to stop him before its well underway and therefore too late. Normally the wee one is the first to spot that he is up to something and she will sound the alarm, giving me the chance to hold him up in negotiation until the law enforcer gets home from her work. This system has worked pretty well up until now with only small scale incidents and minor disruption to the garden and its occupants if we don't count the garage incident!!An incident that kept a whole community in fire wood for a winter!!
So with the wee one away, the law enforcer away and my son missing in action over at his grannies, that leaves me to keep an eye on things or more to the point my eye on the ASBO gardener and the goings on in his shed.
The son being at the grannies will be a short lived bonus because when he hears the law is out of town the notion that is party will filter into his head as it would with many a teenager and not only that the ASBO gardener despite being eighty one will be at the vanguard of such an idea, helping organise any such event!!!

So where does that leave me? I will be about one step behind the ASBO gardener watching his every move, while at the same time answering the phone to explain there is no party, making sure that the house stays neat and tidy and free from all takeaway packaging and generally running around like a headless chicken putting out the fires of their mischief where ever they start them!

So I hope the wee one has a great adventure and that the law enforcer re-charges her Taser, because when they get home I will get the peace and quiet of having the wee one back and an Easter hunt to organise and at last a bite of chocolate egg to break the diet with, all be it for a short lived moment of pleasure!

A letter From America

Now normally I do not directly talk about politics as it is a very personal subject and one that these days seems to divide people rather than unite us. However in the past week we have had a date set for the Independence referendum, an event that will possibly only happen once in a lifetime!

This is a chance for a choice to be made, without having to go to war or defend borders against aggressors, a chance that many a Country past and present would have been very grateful for,Countries where whole generations of family's gave sacrifice for the simple right of choice.
It is choice that is not life threatening for us but one that gives me a dilemma, because I have to think not only about what's left of my life, I also have to consider the wee one with her whole life in front of her and what kind of country and society I am leaving as her inheritance!!
As a granddad bringing up the wee one I am no different to anyone else involved in parenting, and I am therefore involved in making short and long term decisions, you know the sort of things- like what activities to under take and what we will be eating that day, what is the best school and so on- however they are normally a wee bit less life changing than the referendum.
The other key factor in making certain decisions is that where possible and practical I involve the wee one, who has steered me towards some very interesting if not unusual days!! Sadly this particular scenario is outwith the wee ones remit and is left to me to have a go at the question, I say sadly because our little people would probably make as good a job of running the country as our 'grown up politicians'.
So to the question that will face us as Scots-To be free or to stay a part of the United Kingdom!
That question is a fundamental question that is not easily answered, and for those like me who are Royalists and therefore believe that the Queen is our head of state it has a wee bit of an extra bite!
I have always believed in equality and fairness without any favour! Not only that I have Expected people to act in the same manner towards me! Sadly a principle that the UK Government has long since forgotten.

Our cost of living has doubled in six years, while wages have stayed static- the result is less freedom in life to simply enjoy living. We are now faced with a bedroom tax and welfare cuts that attack the most needy with brain injury sufferers and the disabled not exempted and therefore losing money that is vital to maintaining a basic life style!! That is our present and it alone begs the question Is that the future that I want for my wee one!
The key to all the in and outs of this for me is the future, and at the moment when I try to do my impression of the Brahan Seer all I can predict is more of the same, unless some courage is shown by the adults today for our wee ones tomorrows!

So having looked a wee bit at the present and had a wee go at being the Seer, I decided perhaps a look at our history might not be a bad idea, after all my Nana used to say' if you do not know your history how can you know where you are going'.
All over the world the Scots that were forced to settle,and in many cases without choice fight, became the teachers and aye the professors of the new lands!
The world over from-America,Canada, New Zealand, Australia and any where that Scots have been sent and in the days of the clearances forced,we have made friends, set up schools and generally tried to fit in.

The Race that are the Scots have never invaded any other country, nor have they forced their beliefs on any one person or race,. This we know through our history!!
We have provided the world with its leading politicians, ambassadors and organisations.
Take the USA Navy- founded by a Scot, The Bank of England founded by a Scot and I could go on and will, for example antibiotic's discovered by a Scot, sorry I can not stop, and neither did the Scots- Electricity, the telephone, telly vision and if  you were to tell me to get on my bike...... yep you guessed it, it was invented in Dumfries and Galloway- Scotland, there are many more examples and if you have time you should look up a wee ditty called- Wha's like us, Dam few and they're a deed.
So if it is true and we know it is, that we can fit in around the world and be successful, then why would we be frightened to stay at home and be successful?

 

I have relatives in America, New Zealand and Canada, they are astounded that we would have to think about this, especially those who stay in America, as to my American cousins especially, freedom for a Country is a given and a must not a question as one explained to me in their last correspondence.
However the question is yours to answer, and if like me you have a wee person or two to think about, I hope like me you consider their future most of all!

No Energy Supply Problems Here!

The first time a round of having a wee one or in our case two wee ones in the house I was much younger and therefore a wee bit fitter and had a wee bit more energy.
That said I have no health issues apart from having to diet due to the extra pound or two that comes with age and okay as you know from previous posts, eating the odd biscuit and a wee bit of cake here and there has not helped the situation! Thankfully these days I do not have to come home from a days graft, and then find that reserve of energy, that allows you to play with the wee one.
If I was to try and work and deal with the house with all of its other members wants and chase the wee one I would not like to think what state I might be in!!

The wee one is no different to all little people in the fact that she has energy to burn, and even after a full day of activity, she could probably sell some to our national grid and keep a small town going overnight.
This weekend has proved my point with room to spare. The family has had a full on weekend, including a trip to Glasgow to see her pops aka my step dad who is in the spinal injury unit in the Southern General.
The days there are tiring for all concerned and are normally quite stressful for all involved, however cue the wee one on to the scene- to her everything is very simple and even in this environment she led the way, making sure those around her were smiling, not only that our patient, pops, was involved managing to smile and had a wee chuckle with her.
Job here done the wee one moved onto the day room where she teamed up with some other little people in a parade around the relatives, again the place seemed just a wee bit cheerier for their efforts and not only that, it broke the ice between a number of families in the same boat, a boat that they had previously thought they were sailing alone!!
Job done there and time to go home, a long journey was broken by the wee one playing eye spy everything!!!!
The relief of being home when you have been away is known by all-you know the way, just getting into your own comfy seat with a cup of your preference is always comforting.

The wee one however had a different idea after all she had been out all day and her toys must have missed her!

The solution to her was as obvious as it was to me painful, so after each toy had been checked, played with and not returned to the toy box, her attentions and focus turned to her teddies and dollies who by this time must be starving- the wee ones excuse to drag her cooker out- and not only that they could all do with a bath, yep you guessed it, it was the wee ones excuse to strip them all and drag them to the bathroom where she waited patiently on my arrival, as she would have to go into the said bath with them!
So that would be that err no... the bath served as a revitaliser and on we went for another wee while before finally conceding it was bed time!!
That being the story of day one!!!! So as you can imagine after adding another similar day on the Sunday we have had a reasonably busy and well occupied weekend. So I have been put through my paces, and just the distant memory of getting up and going to work on the Monday morning after a full on family weekend, had me wondering how we did it all those years ago when I worked two jobs!!
The obvious answer of course is that I was younger however there are plenty of older parents these days and many grandparents like myself involved in bringing up children, leaving me with one solution!

Right I am ready just plug me in like our volunteer above- sadly no we are not just at the stage with our technology! No I can not do that sadly!
So its off to the shops for some multi vitamin pills and some energy drinks and a renewal of a long since lapsed and dusty gym membership, because as the wee one grows these days are coming thick and fast!

Better Off Than Ever Before?

We are always told by politicians that we are better off today that at any other time in our history! Our ancestors would look at our world with envy and wonder at why we could have any cause to grumble?
Its a good question after all we have just had another budget from our Government where they have said we are well off!

I got to thinking that if my ancestors would look at us with envy, then surely the young me living a number of years ago, must be shaking his head and thinking I wish I was as well off as you, not only that then the young ASBO gardener aka papa must be looking from his time in total disbelief!!
That being the case will the wee one in years time think of us as being poor, will she think my god how did they live like that?
Well I for one am not so sure, now I know fine well we all look backwards and tend to remember only the good times as they tend to stick in our memory banks with far greater clarity than any sad days we may have suffered unless it was one of a truly traumatic experience.

 You know what I mean-we can all remember the sunshine holidays, having fun on the beach and the like, but try recalling the argument you had when it was time to go home or back to the hotel.
So with that in mind I spent a wee moment or two reflecting on the past me and wondering if indeed- 'I have never had it so good'.
When I started out in adult life I never wanted for very much I always had money in my pocket and could afford to go out on the town more than once a week and still have a few pence left over for my wants in life. So that part is not too far removed from the young single adults I know today who if anything probably have a few more luxury toys such as mobiles and ipads but they do not seem to be streets ahead of where I was, in fact unlike them I had a car that I could afford to put petrol in and ok I had no mobile phone but guess what? We spoke to our friends while being out and about in the car or down at our local working club! Now there is a thing, a working club with young folk in it- that's right most young people had jobs or apprenticeships!
So on reflection it is one up to the past.
So I moved my thoughts on to when I had been lucky enough to meet my long suffering wife!
There must have been a struggle or two because as we know everybody has them, but again the memory banks would only remind me of the good times, Like being able to get a house we could call ours without too much fuss- no homeless hostels or temporary accommodation for a year or two. We had no real money worries and often went on holiday or away for romantic weekends or now more commonly known as the dirty weekend lol.

That will be two nil to the past!
So on to having our family that must have been tough if we are all living the good life now! Nope yet again there were times when we needed help and support from family, however we managed fine, we could afford the occasional holiday and we ran a car for pleasure rather than necessity. We even managed to go out when a baby sitter could be found. Shopping was a necessity but was not a burden and the house was always cosy. No nothing there has me looking at the new me with envy!
Three nil to the past!
 With that quick potted history, That takes me right up until now. So I am sure the politicians are right because they could not have it wrong could they? Sadly yes they have got it very wrong, we now live day by day , week by week a story that is repeated in many households and backed by the witness statements of the many!
We may have a gadget for everything let alone a mobile phone, but does that increase our quality of life or does it just add stress as we speed up every activity we do?

Shopping is still a necessity but is also now a burden on household finances, A car if you are lucky enough to own one(thinking of our young adults) costs so much to run that you have to decide between fuel and other essentials
Our young starting out on there adult journeys have virtually no hope of housing and in many areas have no hope of meaningful work!. Resulting in a stay at home generation!
A holiday is a nice thought, sadly that is the start and the finish of our vacation.
That makes the result a resounding four nil thrashing to the past!
A return match is called for as this is not the cup final but an on-going league fixture that will be subject to many more elements.
So what does the future hold for the wee one, will she have people telling her she never had so good? Well that is where there is a bit of hope because surely as we advance as humans, we will become more aware of what we are doing and what we have done, surely we will eventually conquer poverty and allow people to live life's that are not hampered and stopped by Governments that can not see the present is not better than our past- but the future could be!

T-Shirt Painting

The other day I was out and about with the wife and the wee one, doing the usual things that we all do, a wee bit of shopping, a bite to eat you know the routine nothing earth shattering!
The wee one was as usual very patient in all of this until the toy shop was spotted! The pointing and pulling got underway without a second to spare. Having done all we had to do for the day way gave in-as if we were not going to anyway-and made for the superstore that has wee ones pulling at adults up and down the country to go into to spend their never ending supply of pocket money, or as it is better known The bank of mum and dad or in my case granddad plc.
Many wonders awaited the wee one and the choices were difficult, as one thing was put back in favour of the next wanted object with the occasional sad glance back to the one she had just discarded! Yes a lot of thought was going into this and the decision was going to be tough!
As we got to the last part of the store the wee one spotted all the paints and arts stuff just begging to be played with and without a glance backwards she filled her basket with paints, brushes and paper. Job done time to go home, not before a wee check of the paint bottles label and a look at the wallet damage -I mean price!

HOW MUCH????

With that we set for home all in the car satisfied they had either got a bargain or at least got what they wanted!!

The next day the shopping trip for me was but a distant memory and my mind was focussed on the day in hand, a day that would be occupied with our on-going toilet training, a renewed fight over the dummy and setting up the wee one with some entertainment as I battle with the households washing and ironing.

Now just to explain why I use the word battle when talking about the laundry- my household consists of:-

•  The ASBO gardener aka papa aged 80 something going on 21
•  My18 year old son who is going on 12 who thinks playing rugby and changing clothes 5 times a day is what everybody does
•  The wee one nearly 3 year old that can beat my son for clothes changes,
•  My wife and of course me.

Just As I was about to sounded my battle cry to get stuck into the loads of washing, the wee one took me to the cupboard where her paints were being safely stored. The meaning of this was as obvious as the nose on my face.
The wee one who has already shown her memory is as sharp as a tack had made up her mind that the days entertainment would start off with a painting session and the new paints were going to get a run out!!
Now doing the laundry and painting are not natural partners in a normal household, that being the case they would be like the equivalent of the perfect storm in mine! A fact I now know as I return from nipping to the toilet. My whites would do the Ariel advert proud, unfortunately for their colour liquid and not their brilliant whites as my toddler proudly shows off her flair for designing new T-shirt Logos!

 

It is with a short breath that I congratulate myself on buying washable paints when choosing the arts and crafts materials for the wee one, yes that sneaky wee look at the label in the shop was one of my wise granddad moments!
So the lesson of the day is use the wee ones day out with her mum to do the laundry where no toddler has the temptation put in her way to become the next great fashion designer with the families already paid for designer T-shirts.
Now to go and turn our dog back to his original colour of black not red, yellow and green not even Cruff's have seen that breed yet!!

The Truth About Lies!

When we are young our parents are responsible for making sure that we are taught our life skills, skills that will become important in later years. One of these behavioural lessons centres on telling the truth and often this lesson would be backed up by them saying- 'the truth will always out, therefore it will be easier if you confess now!'

When I was young I always found that when eventually I did confess the saying never applied as I was punished for lying and further punished for waiting for the second time of asking to tell the truth.
The funny thing about all of this is as adults we spend the first years of a wee ones life telling lies to our wee ones without fear of punishment. Not so long ago it was a wee lie about a man with a beard and a red suit quickly followed this week with a story of a certain bunny that carries chocolate eggs around!! And lets not forget the fairies, Jack Frost and the bogeyman! All used to get a certain reaction at a certain time by us- the very people teaching our wee ones about the consequences of lying! This will come back home to bit us eventually as below shows.

No wonder as they get older they think there is a sliding scale of lies- you know from a wee row to being grounded for life! No wonder they have the ability to spin a wee story in an attempt to get away with any mischief they may have got up to-they are learning from the best after all!
It got me to thinking about my own kids when they were young, and some of the tricks I used to get to the truth of the matter. My Daughter was a great one for a story, and even more so if she thought she had a chance of wriggling out of the particular situation she was in.
Sadly for my daughter she fell for the old stick your tongue out and if it is black you must be fibbing routine. Now the daughter thinking she had got wise to this ploy started to refuse to stick her tongue out when in trouble not realising she was confirming the wee lie by doing so! To this day my daughter gives away a wee fib when she firmly closes her mouth and puts her tongue firmly in her cheek.
These days being a granddad and of course being old and wise -okay slight fib- I have many new tricks up my sleeve for the poor unsuspecting wee one. Now I thought these tricks were for days far off but it seems that like all things the wee one does she is a head of the game!!
The other day all was quiet in the household and to be honest I was enjoying it. I had not put two and two together though when I should have! It was only as the peace and quiet continued for five minutes too long that I went to investigate, it did not take long to be confronted by the wee one, Who could see that she might just be in trouble, so as quick as I was getting closer to the scene she started telling me her uncle had done it, not only that the uncle had an accomplice in the ASBO gardener aka papa and the family dog had played the job of look out so he was also involved in the wrong doings!
So before I could see the damage and any mayhem that had been caused, she took my hand and led me to their crime scene all the time telling me how naughty they were and how innocent she was!
Sadly for the wee one like her mother when she was young she can spin a story, but cannot hide her guilt. This time granddads trick{lie} was to let her think it was funny, and with that being the case the wee one took full credit for the crime scene- I wonder if that trick will work again? and further as parents do we ever stop telling fibs-I for one would be on the naughty step everyday, because when my wife says do I look fat in this- there is only one correct answer!!

Wieght Watching And The Elephant

As we go through life we come up against many challenges, some are put there by authorities and organisations and others are self made, put in place by our own circumstances and habits. When these challenges that are of our own doing arrive it can take a lot of determination to take them on.
Now being a stay at home granddad I do about 90% of the household cooking and therefore I am responsible for ensuring the wee one has a healthy and balanced diet setting her up for her future years. This is a job I take extremely seriously reading all information that is relevant to all things food wise that may appear on the wee ones plate! So you can imagine my horror at the recent beef replacement stories!!!Thankfully neither the wee one nor I are huge fans of oven ready meals as we prefer to cook from scratch, however I have been known to eat the odd burger when having a BBQ.

So you would think If I am as careful with the wee ones diet that my own would be of a high standard, setting an example, showing her the benefits of all that I preach and generally being more careful as the clock moves forward adding years.

Sadly like the picture above, the answer to this is no, and in fact it has had to become my next self imposed challenge, the clock has not only added years but has somehow managed to add pounds as well--it must be the clock!!!!
Now when I say a few pounds..... The truth is I thought a baby elephant had crept up behind me and put its toe on the scale behind my back, to say I was shocked was an understatement, I even had the cheek to look behind me just in case the said elephant was in the room.
When my senses came to, and my analytical side kicked in, I realised that those sneaky biscuits I occasionally have with a cup of tea and that very occasional bit of cake, the odd bag of crisps and the very infrequent chocolate ,and a very rare beer, were all elephants in the room. Further if I was to tell the whole truth then when I use the words occasionally and the like I really mean daily!!!
Sadly they were all elephants of the mind but the one sitting writing this was real!!

So nothing left for it I have set myself a challenge over the next few months, a challenge that is going to be a tough one, but one I have to accept. I am aiming to see the baby elephant out of the room and to do this I must lose twenty Kilos.
So The fridge will be sorted out, the biscuit cupboard will be renamed and a leaf taken out of the cook book used for the wee ones meals.

There will be plenty of the above so I can reverse the clock  and as I take my lead from the wee one I hope I can set her an example of determination and goal setting.
AND FINALLY
My eighteen year old son, The wife and the ASBO gardener aka papa all still have a puppy high on their agendas and if I thought I had bought time by conceding I would think about it, then I was sadly mistaken- as they have all pointed out that if I got a puppy- that would help me lose the pounds as I chase it, clean up after it and walk it!! The wee one heard the word puppy and gave me that look.Unlike my determination to fight the pounds my resolve to this issue is becoming thread bare. Talk about hitting a guy when he is down lol.

The Secret Weapon

The wee one always gets excited when around cats or dogs, in fact any animal that will stay long enough to be petted by her.
The family dog is now in his twilight years at the grand old age of sixteen or in his birth years the fine age of one hundred and twelve. If a human reached that they would be revered however when a dog gets there they get a pat on the head with the occasional good for his age comment.
Like anyone that gets to that age there is a tendency to want to sleep and do as little as possible saving their energy for the important things in life... like eating and breathing!
Now of course the wee one looks to the dog to play and fetch like all the other dogs she meets at the park or in other houses. Sadly for the wee one our old dog is just not interested in chasing a ball or a stick in fact if his bowl is put further from his bed than usual he looks grumpy!
So sadly for the wee one her saying will have to be- let sleeping dogs lie!
The eighteen year old son has had ambitions for some time to have a second dog in the household as has the wife. This is a position I have fiercely resisted as there is a lot of work and responsibility that goes with the territory of keeping any animal. Further you need to plan everything you do with their welfare in mind, for example a simple day out with the family at the zoo becomes a planning mission to make sure the dogs are looked after and the time of returning home is stuck to rigidly, and as for going away for the weekend or on a family holiday..... well at that I rest my case!
So thinking the position had been put over clearly, precisely and had left know one in the house in any doubt that we would not be getting a buddy for our old fellow and a playmate for the wee one, I returned to watching the blurb that was passing as telly entertainment.
Like all telly nowadays there are AD breaks that last as long as the programme, the ads are my cue to stop watching and make a cup of tea grabbing a sneaky wee biscuit or two if nobody is paying too much attention. During this particular ad break a certain well known toilet papers ad featuring the puppies came on which had the wee one and the rest of the household ooing and aahing at these lovely wee dogs.
The son has lived with me long enough now to know a simple yes/no argument will not win the day and over the years has refined some of his tactics to win the occasional wee battle of wits, however as he refines his tactics I adjust my own to keep his victory days at a nice low level!
Settling down to watch the rest of my programme I became aware that all eyes were on me and in fact I was the only one watching the telly!! The wee one had come to my side clutching her uncles ipad desperate for me to take a look.
The ipad had the images of many different dogs and as she handed it over she said 'me please' giving me that look- you know the one that can melt an iceberg from a mile away!
The family have unleashed their secret weapon and my powers of resistance are growing weaker with each wee look the wee one puts in my direction.
As if by magic the ASBO gardener  aka papa appeared on the scene and turned up the pressure by saying to the wee one is granddad being mean and not giving another doggy a new home- another frown from the wee one placed in my direction with the sad eyes following instantly leaving all sane points of argument dead in the water, leaving me to look forward to the joys of puppy training in the near future- because while giving in to the possibility I have not yet given into the time scale, how long that resistance lasts I will let you know!!

A Wee Update!

Normally at the weekend I don't write a blog as regular readers will know. However I have had a number of emails and the like asking for a few wee updates to one or two of the posts. So in a completely different type of blog from our normal and as a possible one off here goes.
The person that is the story in the wee ones prayer is still critical in hospital awaiting to be air lifted to a specialist unit for treatment, with each day that goes by we remain thankful he is still with us and with each day he heals a little bit.
Hurricane Billy aka the grandson is still simmering at about force 1 but with a visitation threat that his high which would see him hitting storm force-ornaments are for now safe and the kitchen like the rest of the house remains on high alert!!
The wee one who is in almost every story is well, her nappies remain a memory during the daytime and she continues to have a bash at new words not always successfully and some even are starting to sound dodgy but that is for another story, The dummy is the big fight of the day sadly one I am losing at the moment but like all granddads I have a few more tricks left up my sleeve. So happily all is well with the wee one who is winding up her level of excitement as I write because she is looking forward to some well earned fun this weekend with a couple of wee trips planned as treats for..... well being her!
My Daughter this week took a quick baking lesson off her old dad and can proudly say she can make scones if not toast! Thanks to all the concerned chefs out there she is evening reading a cook book lol.
And Finally
The ASBO gardener aka papa has been sentenced to the house by the weather so you would think that would be that...er well no-he is using his down time to watch landscaping programes that are giving him many new ideas all be it with his own unique take on things so for the time being my garden is safe and all that grows and lives there is enjoying a wee rest!!
Hope that up dates all and many thanks to everyone that got in touch and to those that take the time to have a wee read.

A Wee Ones Prayer

People often show their true colours during times of adversity and real trouble. Families come together and forget any ills that may have divided them and caused sides to be taken. Not only does that happen but agendas change as people realise life is short compared to the clock of time.
There is not an adult out there that has not seen some form of tragedy or suffered heart break in some form or has had to deal with sadness where another soul is involved.
Sadly today is my day to take a dose of this awful medicine that we all hope is prescribed to some one else, aye anybody but us!
My step dad and my mothers partner for nearly two decades occupies a hospital bed after a horrific fall that has seen his back broken in four places, his lung punctured and  other minor injuries, thankfully able to speak to those around him, that being the good news at the moment as we await further tests and diagnosis.
The family showed its true colours as they got together instantly and even more pleasing was the fact our friends have rallied round with support that is humbling.
People often turn to religion when things are bad or life sends a curve ball, sometimes this prayer is answered and other times a miracle is called for, in my case the wee one came to the rescue.
Now with all that is going on in my households world the wee one sussed out that the adults of the house were more than a wee a bit down and indeed were in need of at the very least a little bit of humour to break the dark clouds.
So off she goes to her dress up box and reappears dressed as a princess- well she is one anyway- gets us to sit down and proceeds to dance her wee heart out! Getting us up one by one to dance with her and even trying to get a group dance going.
As if by telecommunication the wee one realised she had cheered up the night and proceeded to try and entertain the adults present with her version of a comedy act that while she understood it completely we had to fill in the gaps by guessing, act over and without fuss she knew when it was time to take her bow and make for bed!
Our wee people are so often the source of pride and joy, who too often we take for granted. We often believe they are too young to understand what is happening in the adult world and shepherd them aside.
My nana used to say The young will teach the old a saying I never really understood until now. I wonder if my nana was in a similar situation to come up with a saying like this or if indeed she was just very wise?
No matter the answer to that question I have learned that our wee ones are sensitive to their surroundings and to the moods of those in their company. We should remember that a wee one brings so much joy and happiness to our lives and we should fight to protect, cherish and prolong this for as long as humanely possible as one day they to will be adults and be forced to suffer a medicine of their own.

Rose Tinted Specs And The NHS

When people look at the past it is often through a pair of rose tinted spectacles. People always talk about the old days with a fondness that probably was not there when it was actually being lived out by them the first time round. You know what I mean, you must have heard it or even been the person talking it.
When we look back at what was good in life I am sure we all have something different that stands out and that will change generation by generation. For example when I look back at some of the good things with my rose tinted specs on I see a sweet shop where you got change from a penny if you so wanted to and a treat was collecting your comic from the news agent once a week, we played outside from dawn to dusk without fear. Shops closed for a half day through the week and were all closed from lunch time or before on a Sunday giving you just enough time to get the Sunday rolls -which tasted better than rolls from any other day in the week- bacon and the newspapers.
Now as I said rose tinted specs because nowadays I am a grumpy old sod if the shops are shut when I arrive at whatever time I chose to be good for me and those noisy kids out playing at this time of night, well what are the parents thinking about! As for Sunday I am now the one cooking the breakfast so cornflakes it is and who needs a newspaper just stick on the tv.
What sounds better rose tinted or today, lets look further.
Those rose tinted days were also the days when believe it or not we had a Health service with the word service being the important word. Imagine being at home on a wet Friday night and one of your loved ones takes ill now you have done the usual helpful things we all do when this is the case including a couple of old wives tales that used to pass as remedies a thousand years ago, but our loved one is still unwell and getting worse. The solution was simple you picked up the phone or in our case used the neighbours and called out the Doctor, He or she would arrive in literally no time sometimes clutching the cup of tea or coffee he was drinking when his phone went!
The head of the family would let them in to the house thanking them for getting there so quickly and the doctor would ask about all in the house by first name.
Now hopefully everything went well and the doctor gave the said patient a pill and all was well, however just like today sometimes the hospital was necessary- so you would arrive in a building that was pristine in appearance and smelled of disinfectant with a hint of bleach your ward was immaculate and if you had the want you could genuinely have eaten your dinner off the floor!! Staff were also recognisable by uniforms that had lines where lines should be.
Now take todays 'service' the other night my daughter phoned for a doctor for Hurricane Billy aka my grandson and had to wait in line to be assessed by someone over the phone in a call centre somewhere in the world. This person then made a stab at, a possible, it could be diagnosis and arranged a doctors appointment for the wee fella at 0200 hrs at hospital 20 miles away in the knowledge my daughter had no transport and that no public transport was available, when my daughter explained this she was met with a snappy that's your problem we have done our bit. Luckily and thankfully everything turned out ok thanks to mums vigilance and some of her own mums advise.
So looking back yes something's are definitely better through the Rosie specs, however even when you take them off something's should definitely go back to the future.
So with that I am off to get an everyday roll and some bacon and dream of the Sunday roll from days gone by!

News Flash- Hurricane Billy Hits

The wee one was away with her mum and brother the other day and piece broke out in the house allowing the wife and I some me time as she was on her last day off from work. We had visits from a couple of friends where adult conversation could be heard and the tv that is stuck on the cartoon network was silent. Ah the bliss, but like the month of March it comes in like a lamb and out like a lion or visa versa, things had to be balanced.
My daughter and the wee ones would be using up energy playing and just trying to keep up with each other in whatever activity was occupying their day and that allowed me to look forward to an evening of calm, an evening where thoughts may drift along without too many interruptions, you know those thoughts that are not universe changing but do have some challenges like- how does the snow plough driver get to work when we can't and who decided and why to drop a pieces of potatoes into hot oil? As I said not universe changing.
So the wee one returned home in good form after spending the day with her mum and her mum and brother followed as they were staying for their tea. No problems there as all would be occupied making sure they got their share at the dinner table, my daughter does not like to admit it but she loves her mums cooking and  of course not having to worry about the tidy up is a wee extra bonus. So dinner went well and there were a number of satisfied looking faces around the table, none more than my eighteen year old son who had spotted the fact there was some still in the pot! The midnight snack was on.
No it was after dinner that the storm struck!!!
These days whenever you watch the news they have a traffic light warning system for just about everything they are reporting on, however the weather report likes them so much that they are almost a permanent fixture, aye even in the summer months when we get our hay fever report along with humidity-in Scotland!!
Now I know I definitely watched the news several times the other day just to keep up with world events and the fact that the tv was not on the cartoon channel helped and I know for sure there was only a mild concern about a drop of snow somewhere in England-there was most definitely no warnings for Scotland and no local warnings for East Lothian.
The national news had not picked up on the fact that Hurricane Billy was working its way across East Lothian, no reporter had picked up on the news it had even been on a local bus, no not even the local radio station with phone in reports had seen it coming.
So Here is the news for those that missed it like myself, Hurricane Billy started off slowly in East Linton and built up strength on the bus journey to Haddington possible force 5, however on arriving in Haddington lost some of its force and indeed there was calm, sadly this was only the eye of the storm as it picked up strength after tea time into a full blown off the scale hurricane leaving a devastating trail of destruction in its wake no one and nothing was safe.
The cooker was beeping for its life as the timer went into meltdown, drowned out by the washing machine screaming into spin cycle while half full of water and a tumble dryer that clanged to the sound of forks and knifes, moving on to disappearing ornaments and the ASBO gardener looking for his walking stick to name just a few wee examples!!!!!!
Hurricane Billy aka my grandson went home with his shattered mum leaving a shell shocked household behind him, even the wee one went and got her nightie as she decided bed was a good idea as rest and recuperation was needed! However I can not wait for his next visit and this time I will be storm ready or as ready for  hurricane Billy as you can be!!

When A Look Will Do

My nana was a wise person and like most wise people they had little sayings to cover most events, you know the type I am talking about -never a borrower or lender be and such like.
One of nanas favourite sayings was early to bed early to rise, a practice she had mastered throughout her life.
Personally I have lived my life by the motto of burn the candle at both ends and pray you don't get burned!!!My Nana never approved but would give me that all knowing look that said you will change, not sure when or how but you will.
Now many of her sayings are lodged in my memory and every now and again I recite them to myself when certain situations arise and not only does it give me comfort very often there is a solution in some of these old ditties.
However today was a day when I struggled to make one fit- the wee one awoke before the Haddington bell, for those not familiar with Haddington, the bell tolls at seven am to get the workers up! Now not being a worker as such I have never thought that the bell applied to me or indeed the wee one.
Normally the wee one sleeps for a very decent twelve hours so bed at eight thirty means up at eight thirty all very civilised in my book-sadly though the wife has been off work for a week and her terrible habits of early to bed early to rise are rubbing off on the wee one already thus having an impact on yours truly!
As a stay at home granddad I am very aware that routine is important and I am also very aware how short a time it takes a wee one to learn that routine be it a good one or a bad one. Now I am not saying early to bed and early to rise is not a good routine, it is just one I have never had much practice at or need for...until now.
So it looks like another one of my nanas wee sayings is coming into play today-your never too old to learn and not only that one of my own comes into play, you can teach a granddad new tricks!
So today it is not a saying but a look that I used to get off my nana that has come to pass.
Strangely enough the person responsible for this new routine is still snuggled up in bed as I write this.... and further the wee one has decide to grab a nap -questions need to be asked!!!
AND
A wee update on the wee one versus the nappy, we are doing well and even managing to hold on when out and about until we reach a toilet and further little miss independent goes herself no help necessary!
AND FINALLY
The ASBO gardener aka papa has had his gas put at a peep this week, one of his plans has been put on hold as part of his project was going to cost too much money, however he had decided he could build the item himself saving a fortune while at the same time allowing him to carry on with the re-structuring of the garden area he has had pegged out for several weeks an area he likes to go to and head scratch, moving the pegs every now and again to keep my blood pressure at the stroke setting. Sadly for ASBO gardener the house police aka the wife have served the warrant that says he is not allowed to do the self build and must therefore come up with a new plan-I will keep you informed.

Ready For Master Chef?

I hope all out there that could gave their mums a wee treat over the weekend to wish her a happy mothers day and I hope you all have at least one special memory during your lifetime of what your mother did for you.
It got me to thinking about my mum and more importantly my mums home cooking and the memories that it provoked were all very tasty!
No matter who you are or where you are and whatever you may be eating as your favourite dinner there will be a huge percentage that will compare it to their mums or even their grannies and there can be only one winner.
The wee one will compare my cooking and that has got to be a worry as although I consider that should I ever enter master chef that I would surely win, it still leaves me with a slightly uneasy feeling that what I class as getting down and dirty in the kitchen would have my mum and my nana shaking their heads just as I do when it comes to my daughters kitchen abilities- to say toast is not safe in the daughters kitchen is letting her off lightly!!
That is meant as no disrespect to my daughter, who like a huge number of her generation could not boil an egg or make fish in a pan, for those that think I am exaggerating, I can tell you home care companies having been looking at basic cooking courses for new starts!!! Remembering that many of the meals prepared for our elderly are 30 minute meals not whole day cooking or marinating extravaganzas.
Now when I say that I would win master chef that is assuming that I could use some of my secret weapons... aye you guessed it- The entire range of cook in sauces available in any supermarket of your choice!
Now the wee one has had a pretend kitchen for sometime and produces some delightful play dough dishes that look great and I am sure teddy taster and dolly taster love every last spoonful that she has put her heart and soul into.
However like all things with the wee one the pretend kitchen does not hold onto its sparkle when you can have a go at the real thing. So chefs hat on, apron neatly tied and hands duly washed, operation baking got underway the mission to make scones with cream and jam with a side mission for the wee one to make as much mess as possible!
There was a difference to this kitchen activity and that was that my eighteen year old was taking the lead role.  Now he is the exception to the rule as he loves to cook and is pretty good at it without using secret weapons. This comes from years at his nanas side watching all the old methods with not a measuring jug or scale in sight.
However my son has never cooked with such an enthusiastic assistant who was also using the old fashioned methods of experimentation and adding wee bits and bobs to the recipe without the lead chefs knowledge!
So while he concentrated on the health and safety of the hot oven the wee one concentrated on the curry powder that would make those scones have a decent kick!
The result was my first curry scone and I have got to say Scotland meets India at a new level- they were great! Now before you run off and try this yourselves I have to tell you this is now a secret family recipe-so secret only the wee one knows it! Where it will stay safely locked in her memory banks until she enters master chef and gives the judges more than they bargained for.

Nana-Still Head Of The Family

The head of our extended family used to be Nana. Nana was called this by all including her own daughters and by those who had only known her for a few hours let alone a lifetime. Nana was old school and had very strong opinions on life, however she was a compassionate, caring person that spent her life delivering love and care both at home and in her working life as a nurse looking after the good people of Thornhill before going on to care for children in a care home finishing her working life taking care of the elderly.
When Nana retired she helped bring up my family and every year took all the grandchildren on holiday to Largs- as I said old school.
It always saddens me that my grandchildren did not get the benefit of her kindness and wisdom as she passed away when the wee one was not quite two years old and her brother not yet born.
This year I managed to get a number of photos of Nana from other members of the family and gave them to a man who duly put them on to a dvd and put music to it.
So the other day I got a call to say the dvd was ready to be picked up, now because it was a wee bit away I decided to take the wee one and the wife with me and we could do a bit of shopping and lunch.
Now most people when they go shopping with a wee one are ready for a day of doing battle and having their stress levels put to stroke setting! However my wee one would do her sex proud as she browses, try's on clothes using the mirror for an all-round view and normally goes back to the first thing she seen at the start of the shopping trip to force open the safe that is my wallet. During all of this process she is focused on nothing else and even passes the sweet shop with no fuss.
Feeling satisfied that we had exhausted all the shopping available the wee one let me know it was most definitely time for lunch.
The wee one again knows her stuff when it comes to lunch and takes no time dividing the plate into what she felt was going to be tasty and that which she would have a go at if still hungry and therefore a necessity!
So job done dvd picked up the wee one has shopped and done lunch time to head home and view the dvd as well as be given a second look at the wee ones buys on the sitting room catwalk.
Watching the dvd with an eye on the wee one brought several lumps to my throat but that was nothing to what happened next as the wee one stuck her head round to look at the computer screen and shouted Nana!
It goes to show our little people have got good memories of their early years that must be banked somewhere as the years go by as I would struggle to tell you what we had for lunch.
So although Nana is no longer with us she has touched another generation of our family and we did not even know it.
And Finally
As we head to the weekend all the family are on a mission to be entertained the wife and my eighteen year old are going to the Rugby-his treat happy mothers day! The wee one is going to butterfly world with her mum and some wee pals, The ASBO gardener aka papa is going to the garden centre god help us and I, well I am stuck at home awaiting an offer! However after the past couple of weeks of hospital visits, shopping trips and keeping an eye on the ASBO gardener a wee bit of piece and quiet might be the best offer on the table all be it the only one.

Law(ndry) And Order

The other day my laundry skills were being called into question by my wife who called me through to our kitchen to explain the pros and cons of tumble drying clothes- This is a job I have been doing full time for over a year and indeed had to be asked recently how the new iron worked, a new iron that was nine months old!! So back to the lecture which I have to say was going right over the top of my head straight into lala land where it would have remained had it not been for the wife's use of visual displays using clothes that I had shrunk as her examples.
Now there was a common theme to the shrinking of the washing and that was it all belonged to the wee one, there was one other common thread and that was none of the items being displayed as proof of my incompetence with the laundry had ever been tumble dried.
This now was a mystery and I was indeed back from lala land and was fully focused as to what the solution might be. This called for some real investigation, a job that I as the one defending my prowess as a house granddad would have to be the lead detective on.
I duly set about interviewing the possible suspects however this did not take long because the only other suspects were the ASBO gardener aka papa whose use of the laundry facilities begin and end at the dumping of clothes into the laundry basket, That led us straight onto suspect two the eighteen year old son who has not worked out that the washing machine needs to be turned on and has been known to load it returning to the scene a few hours later and be surprised that not only had the fairies not washed it they had not put it in the dryer either!!!
Leaving the wee one and even if she by chance had decided to put the machine to a boil wash or stick clothes in the tumble dryer there would be at least one or more items for other people in the household that would have suffered the same fate.
No this was indeed a mystery with only one conclusion according to the prosecution aka the wife, however like all the great detectives I was not about to give up the case without at least thinking out the box or in this case the wardrobe.
I decided it was time to look at all the wee ones clothes to see if there were more examples of the shrinking laundry- in the wardrobe there were a couple of items that had only been bought a few weeks ago and in fact had never been worn that looked no bigger than the items that were now marked as evidence!!
That my friends was the turning point in the investigation because when I put these new items against the items in the evidence room there was no difference in size.
That left only one answer the wee one had taken an almighty stretch, as we tried on new clothes that were too short on the legs and arms.
The prosecution dropped her case but fined me two hundred pounds anyway to be paid that day in the next store renewing a wardrobe for a wee one that is growing up fast.
I am happy to report that I have paid the fine, the wee one is delighted with her new clothes, my laundry skills have been cleared of all wrong doing and the prosecution binned its case although I have a feeling this particular prosecutor my have a go in the future on other grounds-I will keep my guard up and keep you posted.

A Good Friend Is For Life

In days that seemed only yesterday but are in fact many many years ago my friend and I would regularly paint the town red and many other colours beside.
Before we were out on the town as young men we had spent our childhood years together going to the same school and sharing many interests outside of school hours- a bond that was built then that has never been broken.
These days we stay in touch using the usual methods of phone and face book because mileage dictates that we can not just meet up for a Friday night pint after work. Despite the distance and the lack of face to face banter that we always shared the bond that was built in those early years remains as strong if indeed not stronger to this day.
So it was a pleasure to be able to pick my pal up from Waverley Station  and play the host for the night.
However before we could get to the entertainment for the day we had the serious job of picking up my son from the Hospital where he had been having surgery on the previously discussed rugby injury- If he was excepting a sympathetic hearing on the way home he was sorely disappointed as an old double act set about trying to cheer him up sadly the more enthusiastic the re-united double act got and the more they had to wipe away the tears of laughter the more sullen our patient got- never mind it was only a forty five minute journey and we gave ourselves the big thumbs up even if our patient could only raise his cast where a thumb should be!
Suitably on form we decided that we would go to the pub for a quick drink before our tea...... Yes you guessed it tea time came and went along with super time and even throwing out time!!
Feeling very confident that we had been very sensible compared to the days of yore we bundled into a taxi and made for home where we felt a night cap would be the perfect end to the evening.
Sadly for us we did not see the fact that the cheeky wee dram had sneaked up behind us and mugged what we had left of our senses!
Ah well it just goes to prove that after all these years we still have plenty to talk about and of course we have refined what we drink sadly we have still not learned how to apply the brakes.
My friend is now off on a mini tour of the south of Scotland looking at possible pastures new, Here's one friend that hopes where ever that maybe it is a few miles closer than we are at the moment to allow us to have a wee night out again without the months in-between. 
And Finally
Part of the banter got on to talking about papa and his gardening exploits out of the chuckles came a new nickname for papa -The ASBO Gardener - with summer fast approaching I am sure I will have a few more tales to tell!

No Stress Here.....

As life goes on and we get older and wiser we learn to deal with all sorts of situations and sometimes we even take advise to get us to the other side of some of life's trials and tribulations without too much loss of sleep and sometimes without a glance back or even a second thought.
Then there are times when it can all get too much and at every turn and corner you are meet by the brick wall of life-this weekend I saw the effects of such a scenario unfolding before my eyes when my wife felt the stresses and strains of her work life and it felt to her like the brick wall was made of breeze block with re-enforced steel behind it!
Now as many out there will appreciate this is a work related problem that is extremely common nowadays in fact it is the most common sign off for a GP topping all other illnesses. It begs the question why are we becoming so stressed? in a time of super fast communication and a wee bit of technology for just about everything you can imagine to make our life easier.
Like most things in life and like most questions in life we tend to look at what we do in our own situation to see if there are any answers.
The wee one and I tend to go through life relatively stress free-relatively for me apart from the usual heart stopping moments we all get when something untoward happens and the everyday anxieties that they are happy and well and for the wee one completely stress free unless you count huffs and the occasional temper tantrum.
Having said that it would be foolish of me to think I never suffered from stress or that as an adult my life was completely stress free, we all suffer an amount of stress in our daily lives whether it is worrying about money or family members that are not well- you know daily life!!
So looking for answers I look to the wee one who spends her day entertaining herself be it playing with her many toys or simply dressing up and playing imaginary picnics. There is definitely lessons to be learned from just watching the wee one and seeing her outlook on life, life for most of our wee ones is to be enjoyed and every minute a prisoner of pleasure with the biggest fight of the day being bedtime because that means another enjoyable day has come to in her eyes a premature end in my eyes just in time to preserve sanity lol.
There we have it then the answer to our modern day illness is to play more, sadly as most adults know work dictates our time off and the cost of living determines our ability to pay for our entertainment because if we were caught dressing up and having an imaginary picnic- well we all know the various answers to that one.
AND FINALLY
The papa our eighty something rebel of the household shared a memory today that was pretty relevant to our topic-sixty years ago today with the weather almost identical he stepped off a train in his home town after being demobbed from the army. To get home he walked a further six miles down the railway track, knocked his door to be greeted by his mum who had tears of joy and relief that her son had returned home safely. How is that relevant well because he concluded his story by saying of course you could not walk down the railway like that now a days-because its illegal? no because the trains go that bloody fast I would not have made it one mile let alone six was the answer!!

A Song And Dance

The wee one has a tendency to dance and sing her way around the house and very occasionally at away venues and on occasions she likes an audience, now that can be of one or just whoever happens to be sitting near you in the café or wherever you maybe- the wee one also likes the audience to show their appreciation after her bow by at the very least clapping and indeed has led this herself if they are too slow in reacting.
Now today I had to take my eighteen something to hospital again to see if they could fix his hand after he injured it at rugby- a consultation later an operation booked for next week and his season is over, gutted is an understatement that was just me!!
Now my daughter stepped in to the breach today to look after the wee one as she knew no hospital appointment with the NHS goes that simply and boy was she right although I gave it only one paragraph it went on four hours however there is only so much you can say about a waiting room full of one handed people noting that the other hand was either damaged or in a stouckie. Now the daughter was given a performance of song and dance and dually had to show her appreciation  however let did my daughter know that this was not a recital session but one of tuition and was being expected to have been watching very carefully.
When the wee one finished dancing she promptly pulled her mum off the couch and climbed on to the couch herself and motioned for my daughter to begin the routine. This went on with a number of corrections being shouted and motioned followed by wild applause when she got it right, now the wee one can sit for hours if the entertainment is right and by the looks of my daughter when I got home she must have been dancing and singing for Scotland- The wee one was well rested and as happy a cow near a burger factory these days.
So a big thanks to the daughter for saving the day, commiserations to my son on his rugby injury and a well earned glass of wine for me after the week that was.
However due to the fact that the wee one has played the role of supervision today the glass of wine is on hold as bath and bed are not even in her well rested thoughts.
AND FINALLY
I told you the other day about papa the eighty something garden tare-away and his pegging out of my garden, well that was only to through me off the sent because when I came back from the shops my tree branches met me at the front of the house, that's right the very ones that used to be on trees at the back of the house.
Here's hoping the trees recover as they were all fine fruit trees that we harvested every year for some home made cider-Maybe he has joined the tempests and is sending the household a clear message lol.