How are you today?

[sound world]

Oh Beth...I really empathise.I'm dreading the moment when my boy steps out the door to start his own life,although-it's great too!
OK so what are you planning to fill the void?

[blue]

Develop an Ecstasy habit? Become a serial killer? Join the Women's Institute? Wander aimlessly around town complaining about pigeons? Hmm, the options are endless.

I'll just plod along as usual. I'll miss her terribly, but we'll no doubt be in touch most days. It just feels like a milestone. I'm so proud of her and what she's made of her life, she's doing a hell of a lot better at 26 than her Ma has ever done, or is ever likely to do. Of course, she's had much better material to work with!

[sound world]

I wouldn't do any of those if I were you. Maybe the WI.On second thoughts,that might drive you to serial murder.

[RobB]

She's so thrilled. And I'm so happy for her. But .... my little girl is leaving home.

I've just had a good idea (I do get them once every few years )........why don't you move out too and go and live with them?
Just tell your daughter that you've looked after her for the last 26 years and now its her turn to look after you.

[blue]

Haha, I can just picture her boyfriend's face! I'm nowhere near cool and trendy enough to stay in his house, the flashy git. I'll be lucky if I get invited for dinner once in a blue moon.

Gosh, it's so hot outside today, here - I got let off work early today and was intending to sit out in the garden for a bit, but I'm wilting already. Very unusual for a Bank Holiday weekend to be so warm.

[RobB]

Haha, I can just picture her boyfriend's face! I'm nowhere near cool and trendy enough to stay in his house, the flashy git.

Listen,anyone who listens to Stina Nordenstam is cool and trendy, okay?

Very unusual for a Bank Holiday weekend to be so warm.

and dry !!

Its kinda muggy too......don't know if any are forecast but i wouldn't be surprised if there is a storm brewing.

[RobB]

Last evening I spent an entertaining ten minutes watching a couple of fox cubs playing in the garden,running excitely around the pond and jumping up and down the rockery.

However,the little gits have already had one of our resident wood pigeons (hopefully not Hopalong, the pigeon with the gammy leg), as I found a load of feathers under the apple tree this morning.

It may have been the mother of course although so far i've only seen her cubs.

One thing is for sure,the bunnies will have to keep a sharp eye out now.

Just had a lazy morning on the internet. Oh well,it is Sunday and a Bank Holiday weekend after all.

[RobB]

This evening there has been four cubs playing 'chase me charlie' around the garden....and having a drink from the pond for refreshments.

I took a few photos but the combination of using zoom, indifferent evening light and the speed the foxes moved meant they havn't come out too well. Anyway,here are the three 'best' shots.

[sound world]

Those are lovely,RobB.I get lots of badgers,voles and birds of all kinds (and currently a large rabbit) wandering in my garden,but I've only once seen a fox,and never foxcubs! I would be glued to the window (and so would my dog ).

[RobB]

I'm hoping to get better pics this evening,especially if they come up nearer to the house.

[RobB]

Unfortunately it was overcast and in the dwindling light the pics came out poorly. I'll try again this evening.

This morning I finally got around to filling in my tax-return forms which I began the other day.
Sigh,no refund this year I doubt......in fact it looks like i'm going to have to get my cheque book out.

[kuhn]

Love the fox photos.

[RobB]

Unfortunately mumsy has reeled them in as they're not coming out in the evening light so much now and are waiting for night fall.
But they are still about as the night before last they'd found a sheet of tin foil (blown into the hedge from somewhere) and had ripped it up and strew in all about the back garden.

[picsou]

Unfortunately mumsy has reeled them in as they're not coming out in the evening light so much now and are waiting for night fall.
But they are still about as the night before last they'd found a sheet of tin foil (blown into the hedge from somewhere) and had ripped it up and strew in all about the back garden.

So exciting!


Here, the move to Australia is a bit heavy on our teen-age daughter, not surprisingly! She will get over it, but it is difficult! She now has some very good friends here, 6 years after moving down from Sweden. [b)]
Me, myself, glad I found out that there is an indoor velodrome in Melbourne. So, I can get/buy the piste bike from our club's mec who wants to sell it! [tup] No one here knows yet!

[witchy]

Great thread, finally chatting like the old-time friends we are again!

I've been away for so long I don't know where to start from...today was my second day back at work after two very short weeks in Italy. It's going all smoother than I feared, I am slow but not too much and got right back into the rhythm. Lots of gossip to catch up, that's the funniest part! I had been drowning in work before the holidays, working too long or just enough, with the inevitable tension home. I really really really needed holidays...
We went to Rome, I was really longing to see my family again, last time I went was for the funeral of my mom's partner and as a family we hadn't been there in 2 years. Ryuu had never seen my city, I couldn't believe it myself when I realized it. The weather hasn't been the best, but I prefer some fresh wind to stickiness. It was very strange to see everybody, children especially, dressed as if it was still winter, while our kids were in short sleeves, ah ah, I felt like a foreigner! I managed to sleep at my best girlfriend's place one night, it was as if we had never parted, as usual. This time no drama, no quarrels, a miracle, but something came hovering over us and changed the atmosphere: I hope you have followed the news lately, then you should know that during queen's day here in the netherlands some deranged man drove his car into the people attending the parade. Well, my partner was called a few days later by his school (he's a teacher), two of those injured people were his section team-leader and her daughter.
The mother has died, tomorrow will be the funeral, the daughter made it, with 2 broken legs and one broken arms. They were there because the husband is the drum teacher of the band of handicapped musicians playing at the parade, some of them got also hit very hard...I mean, is this a way to die? She wasn't even 50!!!!
Needless to say, my partner hasn't been the same since the news and not being the most talkative person in these situations, it was very hard for me to know how to be close to him in the best way [b)] We made our best and the children really enjoyed, didn't have a dull moment and ate like hoovers, but we came home with this heartpain never leaving. Very very strange feeling for a holiday. I am a bit blue because I miss my family and my city (we managed to go downtown and eat icecream next to the pantheon), but mostly I don't know how to digest what happened. I have this big WHY screaming into my head and I really saw the woman a couple of times. For my partner is a totally different story, I wish I could do more for him, but I am not at my best right now I need to travel more, see my friends more often, I'm drying up. I need a shitload of money for that! [censor]
If I have to narrow it down to today, I am ok, working my way back to normal life here, enjoying my children every day more and trying to make the most of every little thing. I had the chance to start reviewing records again after long years of silence. It is a great feeling, like reconnecting to a lost part of myself. I don't get paid of course but it feels great to see my name there on internet! It's a little thing, but it gives me so much, so much. It's a start, towards writing bliss!
And I am a bit overwhelmed at the moment, I read that My Bloody Valentine will be playing in Eindhoven at the end of May, only european gig, I couldn't control myself, I bought a ticket. I think I would regret it forever if I missed the chance to see them live. I mean, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, COME ON!!!! Anybody wants to come with me? [angel]
Beth, I am sure your story will be great, full of insight and witty too

I think I talked too much already, should be in bed, tomorrow biking to work!