4 Years Ago Today...

...I looked like this: (Impressed much?!)

And the day ended like this:


...and early the next morning, the world changed! ;)

Birthdays with the NHS

So, when deciding how to spend your birthday, not many people would automatically think of spending it in a hospital bed, but sometimes life doesn't exactly give you what you want.

Today was Rob's birthday and the poor guy had to spend it sat in hospital. So, we tried to make the day as good as possible and we can celebrate once he's home. He got lots of cards and presents so thanks to everyone who sent them in. Then this afternoon we went over there armed with presents and cake, picking up Zoe on the way who'd travelled 200 miles just to see her poorly bro on his birthday!

Fortunately, Rob seemed a lot better today (but that could have been the super dooper strong painkillers!) and was really happy to see the kids, especially Xan who he hadn't seen since his op on Wednesday.

So we all made the most of it and it was a lovely afternoon. We left Rob full of Starbucks doughnuts (yum, thanks Zo!) and with lots of good pressies to keep him occupied.

Happy birthday Rob! However, when we said we'd go away for your 40th, can we maybe come up with a different idea than your 38th?!

Louise Gillard BA (Bunny of Art!)

Taken me a little while to get this knitting project done, but I love it now it's done. Back in May when I graduated, there happened to be an Alan Dart pattern in one of the knitting magazines for graduating bunnies. Alan comes up with great toy patterns (remember the tea set?) and I just loved this.

Finally yesterday I finished my very own graduating bunny:

Dressed in the same colours from when I graduated so we match!

I love her! At this rate if I start on another one I might just have it done by the time Em graduates!

Cool Blue

On our way back from Viva las Cleethorpes on Wednesday we called off at The Deep in Hull. It's a really good place but my favourite part is the jellyfish, they just fascinate me how you can see right through them. I also love how the Deep display them in ultraviolet light and got some excellent pics:

Looks fab doesn't it?

Will Somebody Feed My Children?

Because obviously I don't judging by these pictures.

While we were in Costa Del Cleethorpes, we went out to the club one night for the kids disco. Well, my two soon spotted the hotdog stand set up by the door and, even though they'd had a massive tea, soon started the puppy eyes. Now, Rob did buy them both one but I couldn't tell you what they looked like as they were gone!

Gimme food, grrrrrrrr:
Must...get...jaw...wider:

Go on Daddy, down in one:

I do feed them honest!

Shells By Sunset

We've been away camping for a couple of days in Cleethorpes. I'm not even going to go into me and tents, but we did get some really good pictures so here are the first lot.

After tea on the first evening, we walked down to the beach. It was really windy and chilly but we timed it just right as the sun was just going down so it made for a lovely setting while we did some shell collecting!

Gremlins!

Now, as you will probably know, we don't mind the odd pet around here, always have a cat or 2 on the go and we seem to adopt endangered species like nobody's business. But just of late, we seem to have some unwanted pets, these little critters:

It's the only explanation I can think of for the run of, ahem, blips we've had around this house lately. First of all, all year we've been getting power cuts due to the grill and the dishwasher, the pair of them just throw the whole fuse box out. Rob talked to a nice electrician and he said it was down to 'cack' on the elements. So, the grill is no longer used and I'm down on my hands and knees every couple of weeks scrubbing the dishwasher element to try and keep it clean enough to actually clean the dishes!

Then a couple of weeks ago the cooker hood went. It was a simple fuse that blew but where would the fun have been in just replacing the fuse? Of course it's blown the whole blooming thing so now we can't use the cooker hood and I have to open every door and window when cooking; fine for now but won't be so much fun in January!

And then the biggy, the boiler finally gave up 2 weeks ago. We've been expecting it for a while but when it finally went it managed to flood the whole bloody garage at the same time. So, a week of trailing to my sister's for a shower and boiling the kettle to wash up but finally we got a new state of the art boiler. They'd ruined the bathroom floor but we went to B&Q and bought a new one and Rob got set to laying it. OK, so all is now well...

...until Rob broke my coffee maker! Aaaarrrggghhhh! My one sanctuary in the world! TBH, you can't blame the poor guy for knocking the jug off, he was probably that frustrated with the house that Jack built that I suppose it's easily done. We email where we got it from to ask for a new jug, they no longer do it but we can contact the supplier direct and ask them to post one out...the supplier's in China!

So, we order a new coffee maker, and add some 'accidental damage' cover on it (it'll be our 4th coffee machine this year!). So, last night I feel all calm that our woes are over and go and take a nice warm bath in my lovely new hot water in the bathroom with my lovely new bathroom floor and dream about freshly brewed coffee again...

Drip...drip...drip...

"Rob!" calls I, "could you just pop in here, I'm sure I can hear dripping."

In comes Rob, opens the bathroom cupboard where we are greeted by a new, 1 week old boiler water fall! WTF?!!!!! Out of the bath jumps I and grabs any towel I can find "Save the floor, save the floor" yells Rob as he runs down the stairs to phone the plumber.

So, 10.30 on a Friday night big plumber bossman comes out to take a look:

"Well, I've got some good news, and I've got some bad news" says he.

"Oh f***ety f*** f*** f***!" thinks I.

"You have got water...cold water...but there's a fault on the boiler and we need the manufacturers out...who aren't open on weekends...or Bank Holidays".

Oh deep joy! Could it have happened 24 hours earlier? Oh no, like I said, no fun in that! So for the second time in a fortnight, we're back to boiling kettles blah blah blah!

But, not one to be brought down, I decided to take my mind of the little gremlins and relax with a spot of crafting. I need to do birthday cards for a couple of Xander's friends so I decide to do some name cards. I type out the names, switch on my lovely pink Craft Robo, press the button to load the paper...and nothing...nada...diddly squat! I did what you should do with all high tech gadgets: I turned it off, turned it back on again; I called Rob in, he turned it off, turned it back on again. Nothing!

AAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

So if anyone sees the little gits after midnight, shove a pork pie in their gobs will you and rid me from all this madness!