A wonderful shade of bluey-green called duck weed,discovered by chance on a strangers front door whilst out on a long country walk

The very same colour,now on a much loved kitchen china cupboard in my kitchen.

The tv planner over flowing with programmes like kirstys handmade and river cottage veg everyday, or beenys restoration nightmare,a sort of prelude to decorating the house and enjoying the garden, wonderful viewing for when its cold and wet outside-grab a mug of something hot and snuggle up for an hour or two.

Seeing the sight of not one but two small children,pre and post colds-sleeping soundly and tucked up warm….long may it last until morning..

Sitting in newly aqquired Breakfast room watching oldest daughter aka Arty Farty cutting fabric pieces and turning them into wonderful sellable creations for a christmas craft fare in our local town.Its like the elves and the shoemaker here.

Listening to my small dog snoring in his basket,utterly in heaven as the gales whip up outside,love is a comfy basket and a warm radiator.

Sending good luck and love to one of my oldest friends,who just found out she has the dreaded C,i cant even bring myself  to say that awful word here…it strikes fear in the hearts of everyone,whether you have it or are affected by it.How can i tell her to be strong,when the very idea of it makes me crumble-we will fight it together i have told her,but thats the easy part when you are the healthy one.I wish i could take it away,i cant and i feel useless.

One good thing accomplished today,i rehomed our lonely kitten Persia,she is now tucked up,warm and hopefully in kitty heaven with her cat-mad new owner,a sole survivor who battled it out with chickens and ducks,who evaded neighbours blood thirsty dogs,witnessed the loss of her fellow siblings and her own mother and survived all nine lives out in the irish weather-the smallest boy now thinks i am the wicked witch of the north but i dont think Persia does!

Image by paulmorriss via Flickr

“stuff” magnet both mentally as in, i think about it nearly all the time and physically as in stuff finds me or more often these days, as in finds my pockets/bags,but forgets to tell me .

A few weeks ago  i was packing up numerous groceries into numerous bags in a busy supermarket,harassed as usual by lack of time and help and accutely aware that in the car-park sat a well meaning but no doubt bored to tears “driver”,to make it worse the driver was a male,not that theres anything wrong with male drivers(i need that car) its just the male v shopping thing,it doesnt work and no-one understands a womans need to shop(or atleast this womans..)like another woman.Talking stuff shopping here,not the weekly bored to death traisping of the aisles to feed a forever growing and insatiable monster that is my families food needs and wants,the latter is overtaking the former both in price and size.We just need stuff that takes ages to source and/or stuff that should be widely available,everybody needs but only a chosen few actually get it,the kind of things that you didnt realise you need, until you try to do something and realise the stuff you need to do it is still in the “stuff”aisle!

I digress,here i was in the packing point,trying to pack quickly and efficiently as well as sensibly,bearing in mind that sugar shouldnt really go in the “frozen”bag and potatoes are best put in the bottom of the bread bag,not on top,when i pulled an empty bag from my vast collection and prepared to fill it and was met by an upward (and over)flight of  what transpired to be Ellies “stuff”..namely a plastic hammer(thank god)a dolls red saucer,a missing 1 of 6 teaspoon(yes,like a prison warden i count my cutlery….)with traces of stuff on it-hopefully yoghurt,Lego which is technically brothers stuff and various bits of fluff stuff-hopefully being a weekend most of the customers were parents and “understood”anybody else probably thought i was just a mad woman and thankfully got out of my way enroute to the car.

My bag as my children emerge and grow, has also taken on a life and purpose of its own,it has also managed to grow in size and is akin to a magicians hat-minus the rabbit (give it time,,,)once the carrier of many keys,a purse/phone/makeup,cigs  and a photo of my dad etc,it now gives me a dummy when i want a pen,a sweet wrapper when i want a piece of paper,or worse a half sucked/eaten sweet when i helpfully give someone a piece of paper usually a stranger…usually covered in “stuff”.There is nothing like trying to light a well earned shopping cigarette with a bright blue lego brick,wait there is;the moment when a good looking stranger asks for a light…..

Tonight my own sock took on the magnet properties described above,i got up from the relative safety of my sofa  to answer a childs request of food/drink or general help and within a few minutes was walking with a limp,it wouldnt go away and eventually i decided to look at the sole of my sock and lo and behold the lump showed itself to be a rather small but brightly coloured and very painful lego head ironically like the human counterpart it was a male and yes it was under my feet! Even outside i am not free of the stuff,often i am working in the garden or doing stuff with the hens,at some point without realising it i will put my hand in my pocket and pull out something-who knows what,a reminder of where i was or what i was doing earlier and didnt do as i had spent too much time trying to  remember where i had put the very item i was now looking at-as dusk fell tonight i had trouble putting the hens and new cockerel “away”in their house,the hens were milling about and the cockerel was following me everywhere with “intent”,malicious intent probably judging by his persistance,eventually and not without a few choice words,the deed was done and i came back into my house,sitting down to have a coffee later and a well earned “stress”cigarette i put my hand into my pocket to get my lighter and pulled out a handful of  chicken corn! i just hope the hens enjoyed their “new”plaything….

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Today,I have been so unsettled i have not really managed to get anything done or atleast on time,case in point is i am writing this instead of doing mundane but essential jobs such as 8yr old school sandwiches-okay they will be ready  intime but done at a ridiculous early hour.so to give you an idea,heres my alphabet for the day;

A-gonising   over the ridiculously short time before christmas and what to get?

B-argain hunting on the net to find reasonably priced egg incubators-so expensive and on certain auction sites,it seems everybody wants one!

C-ats driving me mad,always hungry,always under my feet and always here…

D-ecorating childrens rooms,infact decorating any room,the whole house needs refreshing but despite being a city n guilds taught interior designer,this house has me stumped,a complete decorators block.

E-GGS ducks to be precise,lack of to be truthful,my aylesbury female was due to start laying around the end of august,despite having a very attentive but somewhat clueless companion and she obviously liking him(i have seen her flirt..)not one egg has been laid and i am getting…well broody!

F-book is taking,nay eating a vast chunk of my life and its boringly addictive,yes i am really too busy but somehow i go “on”to catch up with overseas childhood friends for a few minutes and get caught up in the banter/gossip and inbetween i play games-why???

G-IRLS  not just my two human kind but my four feathered kind,petunia,bluebell,ruby and grace,now all 6 are in great health and as far as i can tell are happy,the youngest Ellie-Mae soon lets you know if she is not and she does this loudly as does my oldest Arty-Farty…however the feathered four are more difficult to gauge, their happy factor seems to be unlimited and there lies my problem.Do i upset the apple cart by introducing a cockerel,he is a young rhode island red so same breed,and i would like to rear chicks beit naturally or artificially but i dont want to spoil a happy set up,my girls go about their buisness,scratching and dirt-bathing whenever they like in peaceful harmony-a bit like ladies who lunch,without a male to spoil the day.

H-ome is in dissaray,housework to be done(and gardening)but my mind is wandering and at the moment i want “me”time but if i get it,i feel guilty.

I-nternet  a good thing and a bad thing,everybody wants to get on it when i do and as i am the only one who hasnt broken their laptop in some fashion, everybody jumps on mine!

J-ack o lanterns or pumpkins or rather lack of them in my garden and i know it is my fault as two years ago i managed to plant and harvest a couple and although a bit on the small size,they were homegrown.This year laziness and bad weather had set in and i purchased a large but shop bought nevertheless specimen,seems i still scored brownie-points with the 8yr old so job done.

K-itten(s)to my dissapointment i found 6 of them in my melon cloches,i would have prefered melons as these would have been more of an achievement,however my cat got there first,actually its not my cat it is arty-fartys,however they were abandoned by the mother and said daughter was away and sadly despite trying to keep them warm and safe they never made it,

L-awn mower,or lack of,this beast was lent out briefly to mow a pocket sized patch,this was a holiday for it as it usually has to contend with tough terrain and lots of it.It was returned within an hour or so and duly put to bed,a few days later it was back on tough terrain duties,however once the beast was in position and ready to go-it didnt.It seems the lender has rendered it useless but didnt see fit to tell us…agggh!

So now i will go away and get motivated(i hope)to do more,time waits for no man (or woman)hopefully the ducks and hens will do what nature intended,the mower will be repaired and thanks to the wintry weather we are currently having,it will have a long siesta until spring or a dry day-whatever comes first!

The washing machine here is very overworked,what with four adults,one child and a baby whose sole purposes in life seem to be to get as much dirt/food/crayon/paint and ufos(unidentified foreign objects)as possible down them  or the nearest person/or furnishings  in a day,i too would decide to either just keep spinning unnoticed for hours until something broke or refuse to unlock, trapping my contents,my water and anything else that “sneaked”in-just for fun,more so if it was needed “urgently”aka monday morning..

The fridge has also decided to join its comrade and go on strike,i will call him no1 as he is one of two,no2 is also acting up but as he is smaller i will attack the big guy first.This bad boy was my pride and joy until recently when he forgot his place and despite fairly long active service and going above and beyond the call of duty, like having to look at us all first thing and in the case of the 19yr x box boy , constantly through out the day and night when he is on a food mission,not to mention remaining upright at all times during either a flooded house or a house move-mr fridge has now decided he will NOT dispense water or ice and HE will dictate the temperature he wants to be-not ME! i must admit to finding him a bit intimidating,we have moved him a good foot extra, away from the wall as per manual requires and to be honest we havent alot of kitchen floorspace  left to facilitate his “breathing”space,i would love to choke every last breath outta him right now but mrs wallet and mr visa says no….

Fridge no2(i have 4 kids…)also has a breathing problem,i would say he was like my kids as in blows hot and cold,however he is more like my husband and is now just full of hot air and its not good,it is the only time i ever want COLD air,well unless the temp outside is in the 90s and seeing that it barely reaches above 9-like my fridge, its just not going to happen!The no2 also has a problem,ahem,”downstairs”the freezer dept is not functioning as well as it could,it has three drawers and the contents,like the three bears bed are hard,medium and soft,so if i need ice then drawer one is your man-bring an ice pick,drawer two is “bear”-able,stuff is hard but atleast you can get to it,and the problem child is no3,nothing freezes which is okay as long as you remember this when putting food away,today i remembered,when i went to retrieve frozen peas and found they werent,should have put them in the fridge-maybe the hot air would have cooked them for me!

The list goes on,still with me?well you deserve a patience medal-you could borrow mine but its a bit thin at the moment,i would make you a cup of tea however that is the only machine still on my side,i could put the kettle on the stove but the dual fuel option is now not one,its a solo fuel stove as in when i chose it i thought being in a rural area(back of beyond)we were prone to powercuts,these could go on for days,so i got the one that has an electric oven but a gas hob so we could atleast have a cuppa when all the lights went out and also still cook a meal(and light a cigarette,i mean candle!)we have gas,we have pipe,we have oven,it seems never the twain shall meet,not wishing to meet our makers just yet(only the suppliers)we have left it alone-for now.

Oil-fired central heating-ditto the above and move on….upstairs to the shower,this “modern”convienence doesnt live upto its name and frankly never did,correct me if i am wrong but water is supposed to come out of the shower head right?wrong..ours has decided its much more convienient to shower the walls from the inside so we can now hear the water gushing behind it but thankfully (or not…)havent seen it appear anywhere that it shouldnt(i did spot “water”on a shelf unit in babys room but it more than likely came from baby-see second paragraph).

The final things,well almost final things,the tumble drier has developed a squeak,not just a mouse-like squeak but an irritating whine(should be used to that one…)that goes on and on throughout the time allotted,yes we have wind here but its the kind that rips the washing off the line and then comes back for the line,this coupled with almost constant rainy days makes drying clothes alfresco impossible,so a drier is a nessesity,i could use an airer but seeing as the oil fired central heating , just isnt,this is not a speedy option.The dishwasher has also defaulted on its contract,okay it does wash dishes but it selects the ones it wants,whilst the others are left coated with something i didnt cook,pans are left spotless whilst glasses are almost sandblasted and as for the cutlery….we now eat finger food.

Finally,this evening whilst i was cooking dinner,despite numerous checks on all things that live outside throughout the day,my best hen “petunia”was savagely pulled through the fence and MURDERED by our neighbours dog,this little hen was rescued from a battery farm and despite being very poorly was nursed back to health by me,she had bad eyes and after bathing them everyday and guarding her from being pecked by the other stronger hens until she herself was healthy and strong she rewarded me with undivided devotion,she followed me everywhere,even looking for me when i was gardening by squeezing through the fence and walking around until she found me-today she went the wrong way and as she popped her head through the fence,a neighbours dog grabbed her….i am so upset,i guess today was not my nor petunias day.

thats my home,atleast in a perfect world it would be.Stumbled upon this beautiful house and without even going inside,i fell in love with it-or atleast with the “idea”of it.This little piece of heaven is at the end of our village,tucked away from the main street(the only street)a few neighbours either side but mostly fields and a river,i could imagine spending idyllic days their with the kids,arty-farty sewing or knitting her latest creations,ellie-mae trundling around the enclosed garden,happily picking at everything and inspecting it with awe-as only a 17mth old can do,tiggy chasing the dog,laughing as chickens and ducks scatter in panic at their antics.The sunshine is bathing the house in a vivid blue haze,butterflies are dancing overhead as they delightedly sampling the flowers as they jostle for space with the bees…even x-box boy might join us downstairs as the table is set for tea-homemade jam of course and freshly baked bread,the kettle whistling merrily on the stove……

This is my present dream,mentally i have moved in,physically i am still in my present cottage,the chooks and hens are foraging outside and indeed for once the sun IS shining,the dog is asleep inside chasing rabbits in his dreams,blissfully unaware of his mistresses latest object of obsession,the cottage is at a standstill,building has halted so we can restock the pot and do the next stage,its a slow process,i wish it would grow as fast as our grass.

I  dont know why i have fallen for this house,maybe its the colour,location or maybe its just how my present cottage should look  or more probably how i want it to look when its finished-whenever that maybe.For now i will just take sneaky peeks at it on my weekly walks,it was up for sale but like many houses remains unsaleable due to the economic situation,like my personal one its pretty dire at the moment and does not look like getting any better for years,also most people want new as the upkeep is less as is the cost of running them,i imagine this one could be cold and draughty and it does need refreshing,however i would just throw open the windows and let the place breathe with new life,new people and let the old girl be loved again!

I,i must admit am also prone to collecting things,most are just a product of being a mum and a sentimental one at that,being of a certain age my older members of my family are sadly no longer with us or are flung far over the world so i tend to cherish the stuff they have left me or given me-and they have been generous! I have also inherited a love of pretty china,small  chairs,pictures and a vast collection of kitchen gadgets to name just a few treasured things and guess what… yes and in the garden theres more as i have a workshop filled to the sagging rafters with stuff,stuff to mend,pass on and stuff that lives there like every yearly celebration you could shake a stick at,and yes even sticks!not to mention a whole host of garden tools,outdoor toys and pots and pots of paint.

They,whoever “they”are,say the state of your clutter reflects the state of your mind-well funny that because my clutter is neat and organised,everything has a place and luckily there is a place for everything-so far, but as life goes on i find myself facing dilemas as one child grows out of a toy it gets passed down,the buck stops with ellie-mae and that then poses a new problem…do i give them away or do i store them for my grandchildren?I am afraid that arty-farty will not be giving me any in the forseeable future as she has a)survived three babies in her life and b)has so much life she wants to see!

Sods law dictates that as soon as i get rid of the vast majority of kiddy paraphanalia, that also happens to have been the most expensive,i WILL need it,the last example being ellie-mae or rather her brother teige-seven long years  i stored his outgrown stuff “just in case”,two house moves later i pass it on and BAM!…hello baby.Some things get recycled into other useful items that oneday will become “stuff” but for now i will use them or at worst they become just in case stuff.Teiges old cot is one of these,used as a cot or should i say “abused”as a cot then when outgrown, it morphed into a stairgate for him or dog gate for the dog depending on which was being kept in or out or up or down.It became a useful holder for wrapping paper later on in my “art workshop”it had a short life there as today it once again it adorns the stairs for ellie- maes safety and she sleeps in a new cot and so the cycle begins….

Arty-Farty also has this problem but de-clutters regulary usually by putting it into bags and leaving them on my dining room table,she knows i will rifle through it,re-homing useful stuff-usually around our home and ending up with a much smaller bag,if its paper it will get shredded as bedding for the outdoor animals and then composted,eventually returning to whence it came  in the form of veggies grown in it.Daughter doesnt actually physically have to worry about getting rid of stuff like the rest of us,some of it is mine anyway as in borrowed,some can be reused as in books and teige gets pencils,pens and objects that only a kid would love-today it was coloured feathers,some days it was sticks and stones!Today was a de-clutter day,at the end of it came the realisation that despite all the stuff discarded,my table is finally clear and each room has a “new”old object, the house still needs a de-clutter-and so the cycle begins…

ellie-mae

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I love my hoodie,my kids love their hoodies,it seems young and old all love their hoodies,warm,snug,versatile,casually worn or draped over numerous chairs in our house to the point of being more aptly named as huggies.Here in ireland they are a neccicity against the howling wind and bucketing rain,less bulky than a coat and the perfect slouching partner on chilly evenings.

However in many countries they are becoming the trademark or de-riguer of the minority that are out on the streets to cause trouble,beit rioting or stealing or far worse,many stores have or are banning them as they now signify possible trouble,you may be able to buy one in that very store but you cant walk into it wearing one-or more precisely wearing that piece of fabric that gave it, its name aka the hood!The history of the hoodie goes back to the 1930s,even earlier if you count the cowl worn by catholic priests,i think that would give them a sinister appearance but i cant imagine then there was much trouble then,a few witch hunts maybe,the odd bit of pillaging but nothing on todays standards.The more modern garment was intended for labourers working in new yorks freezing warehouses for the very purpose  for  what us more  law abiding people would wear it-to keep them warm!

Many hoodies are harmless,many american schools/universities emblaze the fronts with their logos,worn with pants they are comfortable,practical and fashionable,you can buy similar anywhere and never have climbed those academic heights,yet they are deemed the clothing of  thugs and troublemakers,chavs and neds(uk),popular music in the form of hip-hop etc has also made the hood hip,the cowl cool if you like,many fashion houses have jumped on this band waggon and it has achieved the same universal status as jeans have,even our babies are wearing them,which to some people would signify potential thuggery”yes,madam i can see your baby is going to cause trouble,shes wearing a hoody and dribbling like mad,causing gbh to her rusk….”

Countries such as canada and the usa have probably not experienced the hoody horror unlike the uk where well meaning people have been asked to remove it or themselves from shops,banks and petrol stations,i have seen in a coffee shop a little old lady being refused a table because she was wearing one-hysteria gone mad,the prices and quality of sandwiches on sale were more crimminal then she was,she wasnt hunched,hands in pocket,loitering,she had intent but not to cause trouble,she didnt have the swagger that seems to take over people,particulary young boys who wear them-in this case the clothes do not maketh the man(or woman)a thug.

A shopping centre in kent in 2005 caused outrage by having a code of conduct for shoppers-no hoodies to be worn,in the same year a school allowed it to become part of the school uniform in a bid to balance hysteria over the very item,there was a campaign started to “save the hoodie”,a teacher was asked to leave a supermarket,she said she was only wearing the hood as her hair was a mess,the store apologised and steps were taken to make sure this wouldnt happen again,following a speech in 2006,the then prime minister gave a speech saying he thought this clothing was worn as a defensive mechanism rather than an offensive one-the opposition labelled this speech as “hug a hoody campaign”the hoody has even reached the lofty status of being debated in government.

greece 2008,a politian requested to his parliament that anybody wearing a hoody be taken to court-whatever the reason!New Zealands youth launched a national hoody day in protest,many malls have banned the item and non compliance can result in eviction or trespass charges,june 2011 Brisbane launched a hoody free zone iniative to educate buisnesses on how they can avoid armed robberies-because the perputrators usually wore this item…so you have been warned rather than warmed,think twice when you pull one on to nip out and collect your mail/feed the birds or walk your dog,the innocent freckled face 12yr old on his skateboard that waves to you every morning-hes really signalling to his fellow crims that theres another hood in the “hood”.

Two of my four children are tucked up in bed,after a long day in the garden,sweet dreams and little snores.

Four chooks and two ducks are safely tucked up for the night,after a long day in the garden,freshly cut paddocks,freshly filled pond and a sunny day for all.

Two sad little green tomatoes on two otherwise healthy tall plants,one lonesome blueberry on a recently child plundered bush.

A thousand blue blooms on a treasured hydrangea

Two aching feet after a good days work,one pair of wellies waiting for more.