As many of you already probably know, we live near a small lake, where there are lots of ducks and Canada geese. It is good bird-watching territory , especially in Autumn and Winter.
We`ve just had a fairly severe buffeting from the equinoctial storms, so I have been keeping my eyes wide open for any interesting birds around the pond each day when I have been taking the youngest two to school.
I did see something interesting, but it wasn`t bird-related..........
On two successive days, I have seen rats wandering around the railings, bold as brass, and quite obviously unafraid of me. They did move away, but they certainly weren`t running for thier lives !
Lots of people feed the ducks, and there must be rich pickings for the local rat population, but it was always a very rare occurrence to see a rat, period, let alone *several* rats at a time in broad daylight.
Uuuugh. They do give me the creeps.
I can`t help thinking about rat fleas being the vector for Black Death transmission.......not to mention Leptospirosis and other nasty diseases they can carry. Not to mention the unpleasant statistic that wherever you live, you are unlikely to be more than 6 feet away from a rat.
Gulp.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Statistics
Food Poisoning Update
So far, since Sept 18th,there have been 161 confirmed cases of E Coli -0157 food poisoning in our area, affecting 38 schools.
Sadly, the first death has occurred, a five year old boy, from kidney failure due to the highly dangerous toxins produced by this strain of E Coli bacteria.
Words fail me.
All foodstuffs supplied by the suspected source of infection have been ordered to be destroyed by all schools or institutions which received them, but still new cases appear, in part due to the appalling infectivity of this bacterium.
Death by school dinners sounds like a bad detective novel :-(
Lord, have mercy.
Sadly, the first death has occurred, a five year old boy, from kidney failure due to the highly dangerous toxins produced by this strain of E Coli bacteria.
Words fail me.
All foodstuffs supplied by the suspected source of infection have been ordered to be destroyed by all schools or institutions which received them, but still new cases appear, in part due to the appalling infectivity of this bacterium.
Death by school dinners sounds like a bad detective novel :-(
Lord, have mercy.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Prayer Update
Dear All,
Many thanks for your prayers for Rudi.
He has confounded the doctors and has now come out of his coma. He has been able to say a few words. One side of his body is badly affected, and his speech is very slurred, but nevertheless he is awake, aware and trying to communicate.
Any extra time he has with his family is a blessing, as his grandaughter is pregnant.
The power of prayer should never be underestimated :-)
Many thanks for your prayers for Rudi.
He has confounded the doctors and has now come out of his coma. He has been able to say a few words. One side of his body is badly affected, and his speech is very slurred, but nevertheless he is awake, aware and trying to communicate.
Any extra time he has with his family is a blessing, as his grandaughter is pregnant.
The power of prayer should never be underestimated :-)
Monday, October 03, 2005
Full-Time School
Today is Abby`s first full-time day in school.
She went like a lamb this morning, bless her :-)
DD3 managed to leave her bag at home, which conatained her packed lunch and her homework which had to be handed in this morning, so no sooner had I dropped the girls at school than I had to gallop back home , pick up the wretched bag and go straight back down to school to hand it in.
It was *not* how I planned to celebrate my first day of relative freedom, but that`s life with kids for you, LOL.
Today is the first time I have been at home without a little one for nineteen and a half years. (The gap between DD2 and 3 was filled with me working full-time, in case you are wondering !)
Next stop was town, to pick up the new Terry Pratchett books and also to get my reserved book from the library (The Traveller, by John Twelve Hawks).
I treated myself to a capuccino and a fabulous slice of lemon torte at the cafe and then headed back home.
The real treat of the day`s freedom, however, has to have been the ability to watch- without interruptions !- the episode of ER in season 8 where Mark Greene spends his dying weeks with his family. Sounds morbid but it is one of the finest-written pieces of TV I have ever, ever, seen.
It is guaranteed to make me cry, and I did.
I have been trying to watch this episode for 10 days, but I can guarantee that as soon as it starts, something will happen to interrupt.
Today was no exception; the phone rang part way through.
Luckily it was a brief call ;-)
I am saving the new books for tonight......
She went like a lamb this morning, bless her :-)
DD3 managed to leave her bag at home, which conatained her packed lunch and her homework which had to be handed in this morning, so no sooner had I dropped the girls at school than I had to gallop back home , pick up the wretched bag and go straight back down to school to hand it in.
It was *not* how I planned to celebrate my first day of relative freedom, but that`s life with kids for you, LOL.
Today is the first time I have been at home without a little one for nineteen and a half years. (The gap between DD2 and 3 was filled with me working full-time, in case you are wondering !)
Next stop was town, to pick up the new Terry Pratchett books and also to get my reserved book from the library (The Traveller, by John Twelve Hawks).
I treated myself to a capuccino and a fabulous slice of lemon torte at the cafe and then headed back home.
The real treat of the day`s freedom, however, has to have been the ability to watch- without interruptions !- the episode of ER in season 8 where Mark Greene spends his dying weeks with his family. Sounds morbid but it is one of the finest-written pieces of TV I have ever, ever, seen.
It is guaranteed to make me cry, and I did.
I have been trying to watch this episode for 10 days, but I can guarantee that as soon as it starts, something will happen to interrupt.
Today was no exception; the phone rang part way through.
Luckily it was a brief call ;-)
I am saving the new books for tonight......
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Valley of Disappointment
Bedroom Matters
Yesterday was a bedlam.
We were expecting a delivery of furniture for our bedroom - two chests of drawers and two double wardrobes.
It came at lunchtime, and DH and I spent the rest of the afternoon moving furniture around and then filling the wardrobes.
You might think this is unbelievably boring, but for us it was bliss. For the first time since we moved in this house , nineteen months ago, we have wardrobes !! No more clothes in bin bags, and no more bedroom mess :-)
Yippee ! We are *so* pleased.
We also emptied out six bags of clothes from the garage and sorted them ruthlessly
DH has gone to the refuse dump this morning to off-load the stuff we no longer want to the Salvation Army collection point.
It was nearly all his stuff, I hasten to add - he is a terrible hoarder.
I prune my clothes regularly.
This is the first time I have been able to coax him to do it in five years, LOL.
We were expecting a delivery of furniture for our bedroom - two chests of drawers and two double wardrobes.
It came at lunchtime, and DH and I spent the rest of the afternoon moving furniture around and then filling the wardrobes.
You might think this is unbelievably boring, but for us it was bliss. For the first time since we moved in this house , nineteen months ago, we have wardrobes !! No more clothes in bin bags, and no more bedroom mess :-)
Yippee ! We are *so* pleased.
We also emptied out six bags of clothes from the garage and sorted them ruthlessly
DH has gone to the refuse dump this morning to off-load the stuff we no longer want to the Salvation Army collection point.
It was nearly all his stuff, I hasten to add - he is a terrible hoarder.
I prune my clothes regularly.
This is the first time I have been able to coax him to do it in five years, LOL.
Please continue prayers
Please continue prayers.
Rudi is now in a coma, and the stroke has caused severe damage.
The doctors have said that he will not recover from this and that approximately three-quarters of his brain is no longer functioning.
Please remember his immediate family, Joyce, Kerrie and Marsha, in your prayers.
Rudi is now in a coma, and the stroke has caused severe damage.
The doctors have said that he will not recover from this and that approximately three-quarters of his brain is no longer functioning.
Please remember his immediate family, Joyce, Kerrie and Marsha, in your prayers.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Recipe Request
Okay, I know this is odd, but bear with me !
Can anyone supply me with a recipe to make something approximating McDonald`s breakfast pancakes ?
DD4 loves them, and I would like to try making them at home, but I cannot find a recipe which looks like it will meet the need.
All information gratefully received :-)
Can anyone supply me with a recipe to make something approximating McDonald`s breakfast pancakes ?
DD4 loves them, and I would like to try making them at home, but I cannot find a recipe which looks like it will meet the need.
All information gratefully received :-)
Prayer Request
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Squirrels
Squirrels are a rarity here, period.
The last time I saw a red squirrel was eight years ago in Norfolk.
Grey squirrels are, as Dave Holford rightly pointed out, aggressive, vicious, highly territorial and will happily kill our indigenous and much more beautiful red squirrels in order to invade their territory.
Basically, they are vermin....rats with pretty tails, and I would infinitely prefer to have red squirrels in our town.
But we don`t, and I am content to admire a part of God`s creation for its own beauty, whilst lamenting the effect it may have on our environment.
Rather like admiring a tiger whilst simultaneously worrying about the number of smaller mammals it kills , or a great white shark whilst deploring the fact it may be killing surfers :-)
Nevertheless, squirrel photos from your gardens will be received with pleasure !
The last time I saw a red squirrel was eight years ago in Norfolk.
Grey squirrels are, as Dave Holford rightly pointed out, aggressive, vicious, highly territorial and will happily kill our indigenous and much more beautiful red squirrels in order to invade their territory.
Basically, they are vermin....rats with pretty tails, and I would infinitely prefer to have red squirrels in our town.
But we don`t, and I am content to admire a part of God`s creation for its own beauty, whilst lamenting the effect it may have on our environment.
Rather like admiring a tiger whilst simultaneously worrying about the number of smaller mammals it kills , or a great white shark whilst deploring the fact it may be killing surfers :-)
Nevertheless, squirrel photos from your gardens will be received with pleasure !
Squirrel Sighting
I forgot to mention that on Sunday, I was by the front door, getting ready to go out, when I happen to glance through the glass and to my surprise, I saw a grey squirrel sitting on my porch mat !
It looked at me, and I looked at it, then it fled. Of course, it all happened much too fast to even think about getting a photo, which is a shame.
I am amazed.
I have lived in this town for 38 years, and this is only the second time I have seen a squirrel. The last time was eight years ago, and about 3 miles away from our home !
We do have quite a few trees near our house, and there is extensive woodland about half a mile higher up the hill, but this is a densely populated part of our town although we are in close proximity on one side to open farmland.
I know the saying that "little things please little minds" , but it was great to see a squirrel again :-)
It looked at me, and I looked at it, then it fled. Of course, it all happened much too fast to even think about getting a photo, which is a shame.
I am amazed.
I have lived in this town for 38 years, and this is only the second time I have seen a squirrel. The last time was eight years ago, and about 3 miles away from our home !
We do have quite a few trees near our house, and there is extensive woodland about half a mile higher up the hill, but this is a densely populated part of our town although we are in close proximity on one side to open farmland.
I know the saying that "little things please little minds" , but it was great to see a squirrel again :-)
Testing, Testing.
On Monday, DH and I took Abby to the hospital to see the Consultant Developmental Paediatrician.
Because of her speech delay, questions were raised by various health professionals as to whether there were other underlying and more serious problems, and she has had numerous and various developmental assessments over the last year.
Today, we got to see the head honcho.
The testing went really well and Abby was happy and co-operative. The outcome was that her speech delay, which was categorised as moderate (ie about 14 months behind the average for her age) at the beginning of August has improved so much that it is now only "mild".
Now that it is music to my years !
She does have occasional difficulty with concepts, which is directly related to the language delay, but the Consultant said he is happy and sure that with further speech therapy she will continue to progress and catch up quickly, and that the conceptual hiccups will be ironed out in due course as her language skills develop further.
So, she has been officially assessed as entirely developmentally normal but with a mild speech delay.
We are happy :-)
Just waiting to inch back up the speech therapy waiting list for her next block of sessions....
Because of her speech delay, questions were raised by various health professionals as to whether there were other underlying and more serious problems, and she has had numerous and various developmental assessments over the last year.
Today, we got to see the head honcho.
The testing went really well and Abby was happy and co-operative. The outcome was that her speech delay, which was categorised as moderate (ie about 14 months behind the average for her age) at the beginning of August has improved so much that it is now only "mild".
Now that it is music to my years !
She does have occasional difficulty with concepts, which is directly related to the language delay, but the Consultant said he is happy and sure that with further speech therapy she will continue to progress and catch up quickly, and that the conceptual hiccups will be ironed out in due course as her language skills develop further.
So, she has been officially assessed as entirely developmentally normal but with a mild speech delay.
We are happy :-)
Just waiting to inch back up the speech therapy waiting list for her next block of sessions....
Sunday, September 25, 2005
News
Congratulations to Xenia Kathryn and Job on the happy news of their first pregnancy - it is good to hear some happy news !
Many Years to the three of you :-)
Many Years to the three of you :-)
Friday, September 23, 2005
Food for Thought
This is an apt title in our area at present !
There have been several very nasty outbreaks of E. Coli food poisoning in the county area, and it has all been traced back to a local firm which supplies cooked meat to local schools, nursing homes and council run establishments.
The firm has been closed down, pending a major Environmental Health Inspection and enquiry, and it has caused headaches for all the establishments concerned , having to source "clean" food to provide instead.
The menus at our local school have had to be changed, but it is a small price to pay when you consider that one 3year old child at another school has been very badly affected, and is currently at a specialist renal unit with kidney failure, which is a known complication of some types of E Coli food poisoning.
Please God, she will recover fully.
It is frightening how easily things can go wrong in the food supply chain, and cause such devastating consequences. On the other hand, if each school had an account with a local butcher, greengrocer etc, and all food was freshly prepared, maybe these problems would not be so common.
A newspaper report last week said that some new schools are even being built without kitchens , just facilities to re-heat ready-prepared foods bought in from a giant wholesaler .
To me, this is both ludicrous and scandalous.
I `m a firm believer in the "Real food in Our Schools" campaign :-)
There have been several very nasty outbreaks of E. Coli food poisoning in the county area, and it has all been traced back to a local firm which supplies cooked meat to local schools, nursing homes and council run establishments.
The firm has been closed down, pending a major Environmental Health Inspection and enquiry, and it has caused headaches for all the establishments concerned , having to source "clean" food to provide instead.
The menus at our local school have had to be changed, but it is a small price to pay when you consider that one 3year old child at another school has been very badly affected, and is currently at a specialist renal unit with kidney failure, which is a known complication of some types of E Coli food poisoning.
Please God, she will recover fully.
It is frightening how easily things can go wrong in the food supply chain, and cause such devastating consequences. On the other hand, if each school had an account with a local butcher, greengrocer etc, and all food was freshly prepared, maybe these problems would not be so common.
A newspaper report last week said that some new schools are even being built without kitchens , just facilities to re-heat ready-prepared foods bought in from a giant wholesaler .
To me, this is both ludicrous and scandalous.
I `m a firm believer in the "Real food in Our Schools" campaign :-)
Dental News
Abby has had an appointment at the local university Dental hospital today.
Her remaining metal molar caps are fine, and there is no sign of any problems in the rest of her mouth, for which we are profoundly grateful.
Her consultant wants to see her every six months until her secondary molars erupt, to see if they too have problems or need any treatment.
The consultant also kindly said that if I am at all concerned, I am to just bring Abby straight to the dental hospital for the consultant to see personally, and I have her email address and her phone number.
It is nice to have good news about the poor child`s teeth :-)
Her remaining metal molar caps are fine, and there is no sign of any problems in the rest of her mouth, for which we are profoundly grateful.
Her consultant wants to see her every six months until her secondary molars erupt, to see if they too have problems or need any treatment.
The consultant also kindly said that if I am at all concerned, I am to just bring Abby straight to the dental hospital for the consultant to see personally, and I have her email address and her phone number.
It is nice to have good news about the poor child`s teeth :-)
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Misc News
DD2 has today been diagnosed as having migraines, and they are stress-related.
Just about all she needs in a very stressful GCSE exam year.
Her anti-migraine medication is not working particularly well either, and she sounds really run-down and fed-up.
It`s tough being a 16 year old anyway, without all this.
DDs1, 3 and 4 are all well. Abby is enjoying school dinners, but is very slow to eat at the best of times, so she is invariably the last one in her class out of the hall at lunch time :-)
Must dash, it is 7.45 pm here, and time to get small people tucked into bed.
Just about all she needs in a very stressful GCSE exam year.
Her anti-migraine medication is not working particularly well either, and she sounds really run-down and fed-up.
It`s tough being a 16 year old anyway, without all this.
DDs1, 3 and 4 are all well. Abby is enjoying school dinners, but is very slow to eat at the best of times, so she is invariably the last one in her class out of the hall at lunch time :-)
Must dash, it is 7.45 pm here, and time to get small people tucked into bed.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Crazy Ideas
It`s been a whistlestop weekend chez moi.
We have relocated from Bedroom A to bedroom B, so that Bedroom A can be stripped, re-plastered and redecorated. Everything that was previously in the room was relocated to virtually every other room in the house, so things were ............ messy.
On Friday, DH and I went to town and on a whim , he decided that we would get our house valued by the estate agents.
Don`t ask. Just don`t ask.....
The estate agent said he could come out 11 am Sat morning to value the house.
Hello, we have black plastic bags filled with personal possessions in every room of the house bar the toilet !
Undeterred by this, DH said that would do just fine.
So, needless to say, we spent Friday afternoon and late into the night, and all Sat morning frantically sorting stuff and moving all the bags into the already over-stuffed garage. About a third of our kitchen is now occupied by cardboard boxes, but other than that, the house is clear.
My house is clear of junk ! Woo hoo !
I threw out 12 black bin bags of stuff, and three black bin bags of unwanted clothes went to the Salvation Army charity .
The purge has begun :-)))))
Now to persuade DH to get rid of boxes of elderly computer equipment and weight training that hasn`t been touched in the at least five years.
EBay, here we come , LOL.
PS Oh, the house is now valued at 270,000 UKP. He said if we put the house up for sale next Spring, we may well get 290,000 UKP. So for the moment, we are concentrating on finishing the necessary work, and then we will think about looking for another house.
DH would really like a detached house, rather than a semi-detached.
We have relocated from Bedroom A to bedroom B, so that Bedroom A can be stripped, re-plastered and redecorated. Everything that was previously in the room was relocated to virtually every other room in the house, so things were ............ messy.
On Friday, DH and I went to town and on a whim , he decided that we would get our house valued by the estate agents.
Don`t ask. Just don`t ask.....
The estate agent said he could come out 11 am Sat morning to value the house.
Hello, we have black plastic bags filled with personal possessions in every room of the house bar the toilet !
Undeterred by this, DH said that would do just fine.
So, needless to say, we spent Friday afternoon and late into the night, and all Sat morning frantically sorting stuff and moving all the bags into the already over-stuffed garage. About a third of our kitchen is now occupied by cardboard boxes, but other than that, the house is clear.
My house is clear of junk ! Woo hoo !
I threw out 12 black bin bags of stuff, and three black bin bags of unwanted clothes went to the Salvation Army charity .
The purge has begun :-)))))
Now to persuade DH to get rid of boxes of elderly computer equipment and weight training that hasn`t been touched in the at least five years.
EBay, here we come , LOL.
PS Oh, the house is now valued at 270,000 UKP. He said if we put the house up for sale next Spring, we may well get 290,000 UKP. So for the moment, we are concentrating on finishing the necessary work, and then we will think about looking for another house.
DH would really like a detached house, rather than a semi-detached.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Snippets
Today is my DH`s 39th birthday....
Many Years !
Mnogaya Lyeta !
Chronia Polla !
Abby continues to enjoy school :-)
This afternoon, after dropping her off, we went to the pub across the road from our home and had a romantic lunch...what is funny is the fact that this is the first time in the 19 months we have lived in our house that we have gone acrooss the road to the pub.
Mind you, today is the first time DH and I have been out alone for a meal without any offspring in 4 and a half years........
We had a birthday tea and birthday cake when the girls came home from school, of course !
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Old-Calendar Orthodoxy on the Beeb
Wandering around on the BBC web site today, I was intrigued to see featured an old-calendar Greek parish, whose priest has a Chapel-shed in his garden.
If you go hear, you can read about it and hear the interview, at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hometruths/20050912_holy_hut.shtml
Nice to see Orthodoxy on the news :-)
If you go hear, you can read about it and hear the interview, at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hometruths/20050912_holy_hut.shtml
Nice to see Orthodoxy on the news :-)
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