Pandora bracelet

One of my favourite Christmas presents.,,.my Pandora Bracelet.

I am very proud of it. I wear it every day.

Left to Right

Teapot charm from my wonderful friend A. We have tea together and solve the problems of the world.

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Football with blue cubic zirconia-from Other Half, chosen by me

A cross with blue cubic zirconia -from Other Half chosen by me

A rugby ball- from teenager

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Now I can collect other charms as birthdays and Christmas comes along. Or Valentines? Other half are you reading this???

Christmas plans coming along apace

After our advent workshops for children at Church on Saturday ( see our advent candle wreath below) we went to collect our Christmas tree. Above is a picture of teenager on the farm where we chose our tree. It is a lovely place.




As you can see below they have real reindeer- aren't they lovely? There were some tiny children on the farm and they were enchanted by them.

The tree is has now been delivered, and has all its fairy lights on. We just need to decorate it all now and I will come up with a picture later today.

First of all I am waiting to see if rugby is cancelled- it looks very frozen out there to me....

one of those days....?

I got this cheery cat cartoon from Blogsgrab.

It sums up yesterday.

If I tell you that I was in bed last night at ten having consumed red wine and a glass of whiskey and ginger you may get an idea of where I am heading.

Nothing terrible happened...just an accumulation of horrible bits and pieces.

Having had a busy week last week, Saturday was busy but jolly too. We went to the Holker Hall winter fair. It was lovely but very wet. We got there early ( with everyone else it turns out- what recession?) and I did well with the Christmas shopping.



After getting teenager ( more) trainers for school ( when will he stop growing?) we went to a bonfire party. I hate fireworks ( hate them!) and it was pouring, so I stayed in the house ( fabulous with the most wonderful real fire in a huge fireplace) and snuggled into the sofa in the warm. ( everyone else in the wet and wind getting soaked - I am happy to be wimp).



Drove back in the rain and wind, and woke up the next morning in the same rain and wind. Off to rugby via a serious accident, a wide load hold up and a delay caused by a huge of cows off to milking. Teenager played rugby in wind hail and pouring rain ( they won 33-15 hurray) and was a mud monster afterwards.



The clean up operation on our return home took over thirty minutes - and this included the stress of finding out that the gum guard ( cost £30) was left in the shorts in the washing machine. Less said the better.



I struggle to get ready for a week away in the North East (other half in London over weekend at the NLP conference) and find I have lost a major document which I needed to print out. By now- my usually low blood pressure was rising by the second, and the air was blue.



I drop teenager off at his pals ( James Bond film and a roast chicken dinner) for a sleepover and I set off ( in the wind,rain and hail, and pitch black) to Corbridge. Mum and I arrived around half six and were in the pub at seven. Things started to look up by then.



Today, after eight hours sleep ( and the calm tones of other half telling me he knows where the document is!), the sun is shining ( a bit anyway) and I feel a lot better.

weekend at the races, and a rugby tour

It is very windy and wild here today. My garden chairs are tangled and strewn across the garden. We are also getting intermittent heavy showers- the type that catch you out when you are buzzing here and there.

It is very beautiful though- the autumn leaves are a riot of colour and blowing all over the place. It is a lovely time of year here, and I think it is the best time for visitors.

Teenager is back from his two day rugby tour to Edinburgh. Other than a huge bruise on his leg he seems largely unscathed. They lost one match and won one so that's a good mix I suppose. As I said to him- it's all good learning, experience, practise and all that good stuff that mum's say.

They seemed to have a good time: two rugby matches, watching a live match, a visit to Pizza Hut, an evening at lazer quest, one night in the Holiday Inn in Edinburgh, a visit to Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh ( some type of visitor/educational attraction apparently)... and back again. Phew!

Other half and I, and our friend M, went to the Kelso races. We stayed at Ednam House Hotel and had a wonderful room as a treat. Other half bought fab flowers and champers ( he is so in the good books at the moment). Dinner was great, racing was great fun. Other half did well, but our friend M and I did rather badly this time. We did't mind- it was a great day out and much fun was had by all.

Ednam is where other half and I had our honeymoon night, and we found our signatures in the ancient hotel register which is still on the counter. It was lovely and very romantic. We have been married fifteen years next May, and it only seems like yesterday.I can't believe it has taken us all this time to get back there. I won't leave it as long next time: it was very peaceful and comfortable.

Monday morning: teenager is fast asleep in bed ( on half term now), I am up doing rugby laundry ( of course) and blogging. Other half is working in West Brom. I think teenager and I will plan our packing for our holiday to Ireland ( starts Friday -hurray hurray) and I will pop down to university to agree my dissertation topic with my tutor ( more about that tomorrow!).

Rugby- a mother friendly sport?

Teenager is a member of Kirkby Lonsdale Rugby Club. He is a forward. For the non rugby folk out there this means he gets very physical in the game. He tackles, scrums, rucks and mauls. It is not a game I hoped he would fall in love with. As one mum said to me today ' what's wrong with ping pong?'.

I preferred it when he was heavily into swimming. I liked it when he was a goalie. I hoped when he had a flirtation with tennis. I kept my fingers crossed when he started playing hockey at school.

But no. One game of rugby and he was bitten. And since then- that's what it's been about. I have never known him so keen on a sport. He never moans about getting up early on a Sunday morning for training. He only sighs and grumbles when he gets a knock and a bruise. He keenly signs up to every match, and next weekend he is going on a rugby tour to Scotland.

Some parents say they won't let their boys ( or girls these days) play. Some have even told me that they think I am irresponsible for letting him get involved in such a 'violent' sport. And it really hurts me when they do. It hurts even more on days like today when you watch a boy taken away by an ambulance after a full on tackle. He was knocked out. He definitely has a broken arm. They think he has a broken rib, perhaps a dislocated shoulder. It was frightening to see. I wish him well: he is a great player and apparently a lovely lad.

So why do I let him do it? I think it is because I know in my heart that it is wrong to ban someone doing something that he or she really loves. I know that however much I want to, I can't protect him from life's hard knocks. I know that the coaches at Kirkby at conscientious, disciplined and meticulous about safety. I know that the game teaches the boys discipline, leadership, team skills and courage. Teenager can look after himself, his confidence has improved, his self discipline has increased and he is starting to understand how to use his strength and physicality in a focussed way. He is fitter than ever, and it is wonderful to see him out in all weathers doing something he loves rather than sitting round all day like a pudding playing on the computer or the playstation. Keeping him indoors to 'protect' him- I know that doesn't make sense.
Rugby does not 'run' in the family. Both grandpas loved cricket and football. Other half played football. My mum loves the game but never played. Yet teenager seems born to play,and is certainly built to play.
So I pray every time he plays, and hope I am doing the right thing. Like every mum and dad on the touch line.

If you take a close look at this picture you will see that the lake has crept into areas it shouldn't be! This is a shot of Lake Windermere flooding again, and this is exactly how it has been today. It has poured relentlessly all day and a lot of the roads are closed locally. I am up at the crack of dawn to take teenager to rugby match at Kirkby Lonsdale. He is at a sleepover today and has been paintballing this afternoon. Such a social life! I need to collect him from his pals in the morning and whizz him across to face Carlisle under fourteens.

It will be muddy- my washing machine is wincing already!

No-one ever died leaving an empty in-tray

Mmmh! I wonder if that is true? I read this quote recently and can't remember for the life of me who it is attributed to. I really like the saying though. It is rather in the vein of ' the graveyard is full of indispensable people' which I am pretty sure is Oscar Wilde. Now that is one of my favourites for sure.

I am sure many busy people out there, like me, look at the 'in tray of life' and wonder how on earth it is going to get tackled. While I have had quite a few challenges in my life over the years the one thing I can definitely say hand on heart is that I have never been bored. Irritated when sitting in a long traffic jam, or restless on a plane journey, but never bored. I can honestly say I can't remember a time in my adult life when I have been bored. There is always so much to do and so many wonderful things to explore if there is any down time. I suppose I am lucky that my parents ( particularly my mum) instilled a love of reading into me which means I always have an exciting pile of stuff to read around the place waiting for attention. I would rather read or write than watch the tv any day.

I love catching up with my pals ( especially over a coffee or even better a glass of wine!), I love shopping ( or just looking around), surfing the net and doing my blog, answering emails, studying for my course, hanging out with the other half and teenager, spending time with my mum, going to church and seeing all my friends there...and then there is the stuff of life or 'servicing' as my dad used to call it, or keeping the show on the road....

Speaking of all that, I have an early coffee with my girlfriends at good old Costas this morning and then it's off to Sedbergh school to drop Peter at a residential rugby camp til Thursday. He needs about four hundred changes of clothes, especially in this weather, and even more stuff for all the activities. It looks a great programme but busy busy busy.... and I will be busy with the washing machine when he gets back.

Newcastle Falcons

Have uploaded a cartoon on Jonny Wilkinson from a google image page. I saved it into my photos file and uploaded it onto the blog. I am not even sure if I am 'allowed' to do this- it is someone else's picture? Aggh! Visitors to this page: please advise!

Anyway, the reason I have added such is to add flavour to my next posting. Teenager has spent the week at the Newcastle Falcon's summer rugby and activity camp, and had a thoroughly great time. Much of the day seemed to be spent diving into huge muddy puddles ( as a reward for doing well on the activities and competitions apparently- clearly the coaches have no compassion for the parents who have to wash all the kit daily...).

As a dedicated NUFC supporter ( as is teenager) I never thought I would ever be remotely interested in rugby. However, mum is very keen and has slowly converted me across to the sport. Teenager has now abandoned goalkeeping as his passion ( all that investment in goalie coaching and endless football events...) and is totally keen on playing the game. Bruises, bashings, scratches and blood seem to be a badge of honour, and are clearly part of the enjoyment. As Oscar Wilde said:"Rugby is a good occasion for keeping thirty bullies far from the center of the city."

We went to see Steve Bates ( Falcons director of rugby) speak to the supporters' club ( yes I am a member) on Tuesday night. It was interesting to hear his perspectives on the next season. There was a whole heap of technical chat about rules, none of which I understood at all ( but teenager apparently followed quite happily). All I care about is watching the lovely players and their even lovelier legs whizzing about in the mud: vacuous perhaps but very honest.