I went swimming yesterday...

I'm the one with the big brown body, splashing at the edge of the water...

I'm a whale

This week I have felt sooo tired, heavy, sleepy and lazy.
My new nickname (thanks Steve) has become Old Mrs Hubbard...
I feel like an Old Mrs Hubbard actually. All I need is an apron and some dirty grey slippers.

I cut off the horns on my Sweden hat today. Embarrassed to be Swedish yesterday. The team was soooo crap. Useless. So I've said to Ellen, she doesn't have to ever cheer on Sweden in any tournament, ever again. Until the World Cup 2010!!!... ;)

What else is new? Went for a blood test today. Thought I was going to pass out as they took tube after tube of blood. I felt aenemic enough before I even started. Ellen was as good as gold as usual, sitting happily in her stroller chomping on a rice cake.
She was reading the "Southend Airshow Programme" while we waited in the waiting room. Her word for Aeroplane is "bye-bye" for some reason and as she turned the pages she kept going Bye Bye, Bye bye... (ba-bay, ba-bay). An old lady sitting opposite Ellen suddenly said to Ellen:
- No darling, I am not going quite yet. We'll say bye bye in a minute...
Hmm...I explained through my beard that Bye Bye was Aeroplane, and left it at that...

Curls

Tried out my new Babyliss You Curl yesterday to see what I could do. To start with I couldn't get it to work, but after persevering and finally getting the technique right curls started to appear. This is me a few hours afterwards, so the curls have started to disappear, but still, you get the idea. It looked so lovely when it was just done. Very pleased with my purchase.

Ellen's new room

This is the plan. Ellen's new room is "under construction", lights are being fitted, floors are being measured and soon I'll be able to order all these lovely bits. I love that little bed. And the wardrobe looks great. Can't wait to get it done now!!! :)

Coffee saves the day

Its been a stressful day. I know it wouldn't normally have been this bad, but because its boiling hot outside and I feel super heavy and knackered. I ran out of steam about 2pm...not good. Just as Ellen was getting bored. Nothing seemed to keep her happy and I was tearing my hair out. So I made some strong coffee, frothed a load of milk - mixed it together and voila - 1 cafe latte later I was buzzing like a bee, and we ended up going for a walk to the park and had a lovely afternoon in the end.
So coffee, my friend, I owe you one!

Will put some bets on for tonight's football game - Sweden vs Greece. I think its time to run down to the petrol station and buy a throw-away-bbq and put some food on. I would love a cold cider too, maybe I'm allowed one?! Just the one?! Yeeeeeeeeeeah.
Actually, Sainsbury's sells Kopparberg cider. Will ask Steve to get some on his way home.

Sex and the City

Awww...I liked it! Really good film. Made me all warm inside. But it also made me miss my girlies from Sweden, when we were aaaaall together.

Went out last night with Lisa to see the film at Bas Vegas. We went for a chinese first at Aroma and the food was lovely. The only problem was the waiters who couldn't wait to snatch our plates to clear the table. You'd literally just finished the last prawn cracker and schwiiish the plate was gone. Lisa had to cling on to her wine glass for dear life so that they wouldn't steal her precious wine-spritzer drops from her. When you're pregnant you treasure every single drop of alcohol you can get your tastebuds on.

A lovely evening and a nice break from being a pregnant mother. And it gave me hope about looking good at 40 and 50. Sarah Jessica Parker has got a body to die for.
Plus, Ellen slept in til 8.08 this morning which made it all so much better.

The grass is always greener...

The second stage of sorting out the Courtyard. The artificial grass has now arrived and I trimmed the edges today.

A nice little area for Ellen to play in...and me to relaaaax in!

And this is where we will drink our evening tea!

DIY

It's not everyone who can build two bookcases and one filing cabinet in under 2 hours.
But I can! Shame I haven't got energy left to fill them with books now...

Watering cans

Our little oasis

I popped over to the Garden Centre yesterday and grabbed a few little pots and plants. This is how lovely it now looks. This area was full of enormous weeds last week, but between me and our lovely gardener, we've made it look pretty nice eh!?

Ignore the satellite dish in the background...I should have Photoshopped it out...! :)

This is where I will be spending my lazy afternoons, while Ellen splashes round in the little pool

And I love my little "Pegs" tin, that hangs on my washing line. Now I just need some pretty pegs!

Home cooking

I decided to give Ellen a proper lunch today, so I dug out my Annabel Karmel recipe book and wizzed together a Spagetti Bolognaise. It has celery and carrots in it, and its actually super super nice. I wish I'd made more now, so that I could have some.
For desert she's having Peaches and Amaretti biscuits...not sure what she'll think of that, but again....I liked it!


Here is my very homely looking kitchen! I felt like such a good mum doing all this!
Let's just see how it goes when she's eating it. I may just end up on the floor...still...Its made me feel good!

I love my sister

Just had a long conversation with my sister (god I hope Ellen gets a sister in September, so that she can have what I have!).
She keeps me grounded. The sound of her voice makes me feel at home and makes me feel real.

Talking to her somehow takes me back 20 years to when we were ten and life was simple and no problems existed. So by talking to her about my problems/disturbancies in life, I see the answers/solutions so much more clearer. I make decicions with my real head on, not the head I so very often feel I should think with.

So decision made and I feel much happier for it. Phew. Relief.

Live the life you want to live, not the life you feel you should live.
Be true to yourself.

I wish I had...

...the guts to wear my hair like this!

Hen night

Picnic & friends

Its been a lovely weekend with the perfect weather.
Yesterday my friends Emma & Sofie came down from London to spend the day. We had a little picnic at the top of our garden, consisting of fruitsallad with icecream, biscuits and lemonade. Ellen was busy running around the picnic blanket trying to get the dogs to wear her sunhat. When she succeded in putting the hat on one of them, she couldn't stop laughing.
We then headed back to our house and sat in the courtyard in sunloungers and just chilled. For once I could relax as well, as Ellen was busy getting in and out of her little splash-pool having a wonderful time getting soaked.
Lovely to see E & S and good to catch up!

Last night we had dinner in the pub next door and then did the pub-quiz. Came second. Food was great, had a Grilled Chicken Scewer with Piri-Piri sauce and potato wedges. Super duper. I also had a sneaky half-pint of Strongbow as the weather demanded it. I love a cold cider on a sunny evening.

Having a house clearout today. Ellen has been helping in her own "helpful" way...moving things around...putting little bits into keyholes...scattering my tiny decorative pebbles all over the floor...playing with straws (again aaaall over the floor). I am not sure I am making any progress...
But right now I am off out to the courtyard to clear our some junk and then I'm doin the bathroom.

Poor Steve was called out at 2am to go driving a bus, covering for c2c I believe. He was not too pleased. I don't know how he does it.

Anyway, black binbags await and I've got 1,5 hours before my little gnome wakes up from her nap.

A break

Tomorrow afternoon I am travelling to Sweden, to Oxelosund to see my sister (plus her other half) and my mum. I am so excited and really looking forward to it. My sister has just moved in to their new house and I can't wait to see it!
I also look forward to a break. I think the pregnancy hormones and the exhaustion has taken its toll on me lately, and leaving Steve and Ellen behind and travelling on my own is going to be nice. I am sure I will cry my eyes out though, waving goodbye to my two little trolls but I know Steve will look after her like a super-dad.

Things have happended today that has really drained me. I am hoping its all going to be ok. But I could literally shut my eyes now and sleep, as I haven't been sleeping all that well lately.

So hopefully I will return on Sunday, refreshed - recharged ! with some nice photos hopefully to share with you all.

Til then. Bon voyage.

Latest fashion

Be trendy this summer - Try wearing your sandals together with one of your wellies!
Practical AND fashionable!

Drained to the bones

Even typing this is an effort. My body feels like it weighs 200 kilos and I literally drag my feet when I am walking. I've got no energy, no patience, everything's an effort (apart from cuddling Ellen) but I still can't sleep at night. Lying awake with a strange tickling sensation in my legs and arms, I usually manage to get to sleep about 2am. Then when its time to get up around 6-7am I am wacked. Get up??? No chance!!!

Not been a good week. I cannot WAIT to travel over to Sweden to see my sister, Filip & my mum. Its just me going and the thought of sitting on an airplane on my own without a child to entertain for 2 hours, sounds like bliss. I am going to bring a lovely book to read, some little snacks and a drink and Ryanair - you can take as loooong as you want to get to Stockholm - I don't care anymore!!! Its going to be a lovely break!

I am now more than half way into my second pregnancy and I've put on, let's see, 5 kgs so far. Not too bad, but like I said, I still feel like I weigh a ton, so what good is that...?

Got work to do now.

Sunshine in the morning

Aaah, its the most wonderful thing. SUNSHINE! And the first rays of the morning have an extra special effect on me. They lift my mood and bring a huge smile to my face, while I am making my coffee and Ellens milk. This morning there was this mist all over our field and I am sure I saw some fairies dancing amongst it all. Gorgeous.

Its coming up to 8am. Ellen has finally figured out that she CAN get out of bed on her own and play in her room for a while, before crying for us to come and get her. Its lovely hearing her giggle to herself, toys being jiggled and tunes playing on her little Fisher Price railway. Its a HUGE difference not waking up to a CRY in the morning, but to laughter and playing. Keep it going, sweetiepie.

I've bought a kettle that gives you hot water in 3 seconds. Its a godsend in the morning. Instead of hanging around in the kitchen with the bags under my eyes touching the floor, I press one little button.......SLUUUURP SPLATTTER SWISH...and my cup is filled in 10 seconds (it takes a while to fill the cup, but one can't complain!) and voila the coffee is ready. Wonderful machine. Worth every penny.

I can now feel lots of movement in my belly. The little creature in there is kicking about like a nutter and I am sure its swimming lengths or something. One minute its on the left and the next its on the right. Maybe I should squeeze some swimming-goggles in there for the baby, so that it can keep its little eyes open and avoid bumping into the walls every single turn.

So its Sunday. Just waiting for the Sunday papers to arrive. THIS is how a Sunday should be. Sunny, warm, calm, relaxing and I am feeling good. Time for breakfast now, so I am signing out.

Smile.

Torista 2

My dad sorting out the engine of his Yamaha Snowmobile...
There was some damp apparently...
And how old is that hairdryer exactly?