9 To 5

More like 7 to 8.30! I've just done a 13 and a half hour day and I'm absolutely zzzzzzzzz!!! Bloody parents' evening.... Here's a totally gratuitous piccie of Radar doing his fantastic 'dead bunny' impression.

Crazy For You

Well, we did it! We found a 'husbun' for Princess Beanster. At least, I hope we have... She was fine on her dirty weekend and they seemed to be getting on well enough, although he was evidently a lot keener on her than she on him - typical! So, I brought them home yesterday afternoon... Meet Radar!!



He is absolutely beautiful - a real 'Heinz 57' I think, as he has one ear lopped and the other upright - hence the name. They make a beautiful couple, but don't let that picture fool you - oh no. Beany is so flipping hoity-toity (love that phrase!) and won't give in the upper hand. You can see he absolutely adores her as he follows her everywhere, gives her little licks, tries to - ahem - do that thing that rabbits do! And that's his problem. She just aint interested mate! I wish he would give up soon and let her wear the trousers she so very obviously covets. It would make my life much easier. I'm sure I just need to be more patient; after all, she's used to being a spoiled little wotsit around here and it will take some getting used to, but I really hope that she starts to love him as much as I already do!


I have discovered that the trouble with two buns is that at least one of them is always moving, so I think there will be tons of blurry photos from now on! Dave pointed out that Radar and Beany (or R&B as my Mom has named them) are a bit like him and me - and he has a point. Rade is a big chunky monkey, Bean wears the trousers and doesn't give in to his advances too easily... hmmm! Here is a pic I took a few minutes ago - there may be hope yet!

ETA: If anyone is ever thinking of getting a rabbit, guinea pig or suchlike, please take a look at the beautiful animals in rescues crying out for a forever home. I got Radar from Louise at Hopper Haven which I found through the wonderful Rabbit Rehome site. Take a look and tell me you can resist those lovely bunny faces... Go on, I dare ya!!

One More Night

... of not being able to sleep!! AAAAaaaaarrrgggghhhh!!! I love the summer, but loathe the light mornings as I rarely sleep beyond about 5.30 am. Plus the fact my body clock is set to wake up before six due to the regular weekday routine I've gotten into and there's no chance of a lie-in at the weekends. I flipping hate tossing and turning in the wee small hours - grrrr! This morning I woke up singing a song in my head (this happens most mornings. Today it was Orson's 'Bright Idea', but one day last week it was a song about a puppy dog we had learnt at work 8-0) and also wondering how the buns have been getting on. I am longing for it to be a reasonable hour so that I can ring the rescue to find out....

Under Pressure

Firstly, I want to shower HUGE apologies on Lythan; I've just read your blog and I didn't realise that I may be contributing to your happiness and wellbeing by updating my blog ;-) So I am sorry, sorry, sorry that it has been almost a whole week since I last posted - you must have been worried, eh? Hehehe.... I now feel totally pressured to keep it regular! To be quite honest, nothing much has been going on, so a load of white space would not a good blog make. I do know what you mean though - I get so drawn in to others' lives that I neeeeeeed to know what's happening, even if it's just to say you got up, watched tv and went to bed again! It's nice to know you're still out there.


So, after an uneventful week in the life of Kel, we have finally reached another weekend and I am so excited I'm practically bouncing! Not only is it, ta-daaaaaaaa!!! a Bank Holiday (again!), but today we are off to a rabbit rescue in Redditch to take Beany on her first bunny-dating session!! There are a couple of boy buns there that I have my eye on - I keep showing her the piccies on the pc, but how do you tell if she's even looking?! However, the choice is really hers, so we're taking her there to meet the lads and hopefully she'll take a fancy to one in particular that we can bond her with. Rabbit bonding is a tricky process as if they don't get on, they can literally rip each other to pieces (eeeeek!!), but the lovely Louise at the rescue has offered to keep Beany there to do the bonding for us - phew!

I've been doing a bit of thinking too. ( I know, I need to be careful and shouldn't do it unsupervised, but hey-ho!) I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to go to the interview on Tuesday. I'm really not sure that I am ready to take on such a huge responsibility. I've found out that the successful applicant will be expected to act as manager when the other girl goes on maternity and it's just made me feel a bit "woah!!!" I'm so not up for that just yet! I think I'd need a lot longer in the deputy job to build up my confidence and knowledge - a lot's changed in the almost 7 years I've been out of child care. There's a lot of changes going on our place and it looks like there will be scope for progression in the not too distant future anyway. I've also recently learnt a lot about the way the owners like the nursery to be managed. Basically, they seem to want to have a manager in place, but then like to make all the decisions themselves and tend to micromanage somewhat. I'm not sure I would like this and don't actually see why they bother with a manager at all :-?

So, there you have it. Hope you're all breathing a sigh of relief that I have managed a blog entry this week! We're off to the rescue in a minute, so wish us luck.....

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Phew!! Am I knackered! We had such a fab day yesterday, I've spent so far today in something of a daze. The Big Meet was great and it was brilliant to meet up with friends - familiar and not-so. I was really chuffed to have met for the first time two of my all-time forum faves - Nicola (she lives in Canada, you know!) and Rhi who had come all the way from Scotland. Both always seem lovely in their posts on the forum, but you know when you're just wondering if they will be the same in real life, and if not, how will you feel? A bit let-down? Well, they are both as gorgeous and scrummy in real life - hurrah!! And then there was our very own 'Swiss Miss', Nicki all the way from Zug in Switzerland. She is just so fabulously exuberant and is totally the life and soul. She never stops talking (I am so envious - I can't make conversation with anyone, let alone people I have just met!) and gave me the biggest hug when I left - I thought she'd squeeze me in two. What a totally fab bunch of women.

I was sooooo lucky to have been given some thank you gifts for my small part in the organisation of the day. I really didn't do a lot and was very embarrassed to collect my prezzie in front of everyone. I had the most gorgeously sparkly Swarowski crystal bracelet, made by my forum pal Kathy B and also a card. Both the box and card were decorated with copious amounts of Prima 'Got Flowers?' flowers and were so pretty. No idea how she managed to part with them! I also received a bunch of yummy flowers and a £15 voucher for Artbase which is fabby, as I am skint at the moment and this will let me buy scrummy bits to add to my collection of stash. To add to this, I won a raffle prize - a fabbo Sizzix die I have been hankering after and I pulled out a lovely prezzie from the bran tub, thanks to my summer Secret Santa.

I was, once again, amazed at the talent in the room. I am soooo glad I didn't enter the Romance Card competition, as the standard was just so high and I would have had to sneak back to the table to swiftly remove my card before the others spotted it in all it's crapness! I had a little shufty at the 'Show and Tell' table - there were some amazing layouts in scrapbooks (I've given Saffa a lecture about trying to submit her work to mags!), beautiful picture frames, canvasses, board books and more. There were also the quilts, stitched together by Nicki and made up of squares of cross stitching and fabric donated by several forum members. The quilts are for charity and will soon be keeping an o.a.p. warm during the cooler evenings. I was so touched by the generosity and spirit of these ladies, and particularly Sharon, who had wanted to do a project like this for a long time and felt very proud to have finally achieved it.

We went for a meal after the event - I don't think the carvery knew quite what had hit them when all these women (and one man!) walked in! The service was somewhat slow, but at least that gave us more time for chatting. I, for one, had a lovely day and just wish that I had had the confidence to chat to everyone, but I find it really difficult and tend to stick to the people I 'know' as a comfort zone. I hate my shyness and even bought a book on overcoming it once, but still haven't conquered it.

Oh, I did see 'her', by the way. I think she clocked me too, but as soon as she did, I looked away and pretended I hadn't seen her! I'm such a wimp...

I Can't Wait

Tomorrow is the day of the annual Crafts By Carolyn Big Meet. For those not in the know, a bunch of crazy crafty women from the forum get together for demonstrations, show-and-tells, raffles, Secret Santas and of course, a good old natter. It was great fun last year when we all bobbed down to Hitchin in Hertfordshire. A totally weird experience though - I mean, would you go and meet up with a load of strangers you'd met on the internet? Well, at least not without telling someone where you were going, what time you'd be back and making sure your mobile was fully charged in case of emergencies!! For all I knew, they could have been craft-knife-wielding stapling maniacs.... Fortunately, they were just a bunch of fabulous ladies, all sharing a common passion for all things paper-related. We even have international guests this year, with a couple from Scotland, one from Switzerland and one all the way from Canada! Now that's passion....

Now, this year we are hanging at a function place in Shirley, West Midlands. Fortunately, this is not far from me, so I get to arrive early to help set up and avoid the awkwardness of walking in after everyone else has arrived. It's just so strange to be 'chatting' to these people every day in cyber-space, but to be so totally nervous about meeting them in the flesh.

Strange coincidence though - the mysterious disappearing member of staff from Wednesday's post is a bridesmaid at a wedding that is taking place in the same venue as our meet. Hmm, that won't be at all awkward if our paths should cross in the loos....

Reward

Right, want the good news or the bad news first? Bad news is I might be leaving the nursery... Good news is it's because they've asked me to interview for the Deputy position at the new nursery (!!!) WTF?! I have to keep looking round to see if there's someone behind me that the conversation is directed at. I'm assuming that the owner's and my boss's opinion of my handling of the disappearing staff debacle of yesterday was positive (she's resigned, by the way). I just can't believe how quickly all this is happening. It was only October that I was taking the plunge and returning to childcare after a break of over 6 years. And that was just as an agency girl.

Now I'm in a real tizz. The interview is Monday, so not long to decide or prepare and I HATE interviews. I get all of a-fluster and forget all common sense answers and come out with rambling, nonsensical rubbish! My boss is off tomorrow, so I can't discuss it further with her. They've asked another girl too, but she's not currently a senior (like me) and to be frank, is a complete waste of space; I'm not sure why they've asked her.

I know I have to go for it - if only because

• I don't want her to get it over me.
• It should be more money (although I don't know how much).
• It's a brand new nursery - only 18 places, new equipment.
• No shoes to fill.

However,

• It's a teeny bit further away and I already do a 30 mile round trip each day.
• I'm happy where I am now and sometimes better the devil you know...
• If the new nursery folds, although I should get a job back at the first one, it won't be deputy.
• I'm just not sure I have the knowledge or experience! My boss seems to think I have and I know I lack self-confidence, but what worries me is that the manager of the new place is going on maternity leave shortly after it opens in August and I'm not sure what plans they have in place.

Aaargh!! So, as you see, something of a dilemma and not long to decide. Helpful as ever, D just said "whatever makes you happy". Yeah, thanks for your valuable input, darling. Any avid readers out there (all, ooh, 3 of you!) have any pearls of wisdom to offer?

Walk Away

Flippin' heck, I've just read back my last post and the lovely comments and I sounded so dramatic and self-pitying 8-O. I didn't mean it to sound like that, but it was a crap day! However, to give some advance warning, I checked my rota for next week and I'm off on Monday again... You'll be relieved to know that normal service has resumed for this week and I am feeling a happy chappy again (just don't tell hubby!).

I've had the afternoon from Hell though. Our nursery is having a move around in the summer as the deputy is moving to manage our new site. This means that it's highly likely that the current 3rd-in-charge will become deputy (she's the only applicant!) and I am hoping to become 3rd-in-charge. My boss has been giving me some training and as part of the senior team, I have been left to run the place when there's no-one else available for whatever reason. Today was one of those days. Now, I can't go into detail, cos you never know who's reading, but suffice to say that we have ended the day with one less member of staff on the books than we started.... I didn't have to fire her, a la Sir Alan Sugar ("You're a lightweight"), but she just walked out! Eeeek!! Why do things like this have to happen when I'm in charge? I know that there was nothing I could do to stop her and I did everything right, according to the boss and the owner, who was non too chuffed, to say the least. At least it was good experience, eh?!

So, now I'm home, with a lovely glass of vino pinko and checking out the musings of my fellow bloggers. It's great to see more people joining in and it makes for fascinating reading. I'm trying to divert my attention from tomorrow's inevitable post mortem.... Wish me luck!!

Blue Monday

The title says it all really.... I've had such a boring, non-productive day and I could cry right now :-( Today was my day off, but I really don't like having Mondays off. It's great that I get a long weekend, but it makes the rest of the working week longer for me. I'd much rather have it on a Wednesday or Thursday, when I feel ready for it. Except this week, when I really needed it on Friday as I'm out on Thursday night!!

The highlight of the day was taking Beany to the vet's this morning (she's fine - the wound seems to have held this time and I haven't seen her licking it). I had all these plans to do plenty of crafty stuff in preparation for The Big Meet on Saturday, but I got as far as making a name badge and ran out of creative juices. I've spent much of the rest of the day lolling around on the sofa watching trashy TV (E! Entertainment anyone?) or sitting at the PC refreshing the 'new posts' pages on the forums I frequent or JigZoning puzzles that I subsequently wish I hadn't picked.

I haven't been bothered to actually cook myself a meal, so this evening's dinner consisted of some crisps and a Cadbury's 99 ice cream. I might have some stawberries later. Ooh, I did dye my hair, but you can't really see it, so I can't even get excited about that.

Now I feel totally down and I hate feeling like this. I rarely have 'down' days any more and it scares me when I do, as I do not, no way, not never want to go back to feeling the way I did a couple of years ago. What a waste of a day.

I Want Candy

Today, we have been mostly eating... Haribo Tangtastics. As you will see from the photos, these sour little b*ggers make you pull the funniest faces and it was too good a photo opportunity to miss!
Why is it that sour sweets are so painful to eat, yet you just can't stop? Just another of life's little mysteries....

Bad Medicine

Okay, so today's title doesn't reflect the content of the post, but it means something to me and I'll explain in a mo. Infact, I'm amazed I've stuck with the 80s song titles as long as I have, but I'll feel like a failure if I stop now!!


D's son J is here this weekend. We don't have him every weekend and it's so lovely when we do. He's such a great kid and a real credit to his parents. He's 8, going on 38 and has inherited his unfortunate hobbies of anything train, plane or football from his father. I took him to the garden centre today so we could look at the bunnies and loudly comment to anyone listening that it's a shame they're there when there are so many poor buns in rescues ;-). On the way, he had his MP3 player on in the car and it's full of Bon Jovi - hence the title - one of his favourites. Imagine me driving, him on his booster seat on the passenger side, head-banging and singing at the top of our voices to the Gods of Rock.... Goodness knows why I bother with the booster seat - he's all legs! I didn't realise how much he'd grown until we went to see him in a Boys Brigade Display last night and he was the tallest in his group.

Speaking of bunnies, Beany is home and she is sooo much better. She seems to be back to her normal, hyper self. D said that when he got her home, she shot out of the carrier, thumped her back feet a few times and then proceeded to eat everything in sight - vegetables, walls, the bath mat in front of her cage... Something tells me she wasn't too chuffed to have spent the night away. Hopefully she'll stop licking this time and give it chance to heal. Here's yet another gratuitous photo from this afternoon's shoot...

Just to See Her

Beany isn't here. I can't believe how quiet the house seems without her. I mean, it's not as if she's a hyperactive toddler, or a nu-metal-loving teenager, but I keep turning around from the PC expecting to see her sprawled out on the floor, or chewing the wall (don't tell the landlady), but she's not. Don't worry, she's not 'gone' gone. She's been back to the vet's (again) as she has managed to open up her operation wound and it needed sorting. I rang D to see how they got on and he told me she was staying the night there... I burst into tears. I feel so daft - I mean, she's just a rabbit. But she's not just a rabbit - she's my baby. To me, she's as special as a dog or cat is to other people. She follows me around the house, comes to me when I call her, runs in circles round my legs when it's dinner time... Yesterday she sat by the patio door, looking out over the garden as D and I erected our new tent, watching as if to say 'well, any fool can see that bit doesn't go there!' Shame I left the camera inside the house - would have loved a photo of that one! Instead, here is an older one (showing her mischievous nature), just because I love her and I miss her.

Footloose

I've gone and ordered another pair of Crocs . Eh? I hear ya! Check out the link and you will discover the amazing world of the most fabulous shoe on the earth. I was first informed about Crocs by the most fabby lady - she is a minister and on the craft forum I'm on, but so totally cool! I'd even consider believing in God again (okay, so maybe that's going a bit far, but you get my drift!) She is known for wearing pink Kickers, so when she said she'd bought some green Crocs, I wasn't surprised, but decided I had to check them out. Oh. My. God.... I am soooooo glad I did!! They are truly the most comfortable shoes I have ever had the pleasure to wear (and I have worn a lot of shoes!). All the blurb on the website is true and they are totally worth the money, although if anyone has seen them cheaper, please let me know! So far I haven't ventured past black, as these are perfect for work and, when you work an 11-hour day like I do, your feet know about it!! I've had loads of funny looks and the kids at work think it's great fun to poke their fingers through the holes ("got new slippers Kelly?" - a two year-old!), but once you get past that, you'll love 'em almost as much as I do.... Go on, give your feet a treat - you know you want to!

Blame It On The Rain

I told you!! I knew that the sunshine was too good to be true and wouldn't last.... What a manky day! Of course, it's brightened up now it's too late to do anything, but still... We had hoped to get out in the garden and tidy it up a bit, but there was no chance of that. Obviously, I would have been 'supervising' while D did all of the manual work ;-) So, instead, we've had one of those sort of nothing-y days, where not a lot gets done and we seem to spend all day sitting around eating, reading the papers and watching footie on TV. I did, however, make a few cards - yay!! I am having real trouble getting motivated lately and only seem to make stuff when it's requested of me. However, I thought it would be a terrible waste of a day if I didn't at least try, so I took myself off to my craft room. I've decided to build up a small stock that I can take to work and display in a box for parents and staff. My boss is all for it (she suggested it), but I just haven't been able to get my arse into gear and get the bloomin' things made. I think that part of the trouble is the fear of rejection. Although I like (most of) the cards I make and I always seem to get positive vibes from others, I am petrified that if I put a box out, that none will sell and I'll look like a right plum. It's very personal, as I've created them, I've invested the time and effort into making them and I don't want to be unwanted... Piccy is one of my cards, similar to one I did today, but without the name on the tag. I did a couple of new designs, inspired by a fab fab book I got a while back and now can't seem to work without - see it here . One day I'll get round to photographing some more of them!

Animal (Part II)

Beany got through the operation okay... phew!! She seems to be eating and drinking really well, and it's coming out of the other end too, which is always good! She's doing a lot of sitting and not a lot of anything else, but then, she's just had a major operation. Animals seem to cope a lot better with things like this than we humans. Or perhaps it's just that we treat them differently and they have to? I'm a bit worried about the wound - I'm not supposed to let her lick or chew her stitches, but you try telling her that!! She has to go back to the vet on Monday to see if everything's okay, so fingers crossed.....

I think I'm getting addicted to Jigzone again. If you like jigsaws, you really need to try it. I've always loved doing jigs, but don't have the time or the space to do a big one these days, so Jigzone is perfect. I get quite upset if I realise I've gone to bed without doing the puzzle of the day! You can also make jigsaws using your own pictures, which is cool. I am doing some now, listening to the new Snow Patrol album, which is totally brilliant (thank you Napster!!).

Opportunities

Okay Jane, continuing the game of tag....

What would you like to do but know that you never would ??

This is something I've been saving for another blog entry, but I can play this now. I would love to star in a West End stage production - something like Grease (or the Dirty Dancing musical that's coming here in October!!). I know I never will, but I can dream.....

If you want to join in the game, answer the question on your own blog and leave a comment to let me know!!

Animal

I've just taken Beany to the vet's. She's being neutered today and I am sitting here crying incase it all goes wrong. Part of me feels selfish as I want her spayed in the hope that she calms down a tad as she's a raving nutter most of the time and so that we can go and find her some bunny loving in the form of a boy bun to keep her company. On the other hand, spaying doe rabbits has health benefits, as a high percentage develop uterine cancer if left 'intact'. She's also been having phantom pregnancies, which is distressing for her as she pulls out her fur to make a nest, only for no babies to arrive. It's not nice for us either, as she acts all hormonal - won't let me pick her up, 'digs' at the floor for hours on end, etc.... I feel a bit sorry for the poor soul who has to deal with her today! I am just so scared that she'll have a bad reaction to the anasthetic. Rabbits are at greater risk than cats or dogs, but the nurse assured me that they do lots of spays and rarely have a problem, so I have to trust them, don't I? I have to call them at 1 pm to see how she's doing, so hopefully I'll have calmed down by then! I think I'll go shopping to take my mind off things.....

Cruel Summer

Do you reckon that was it? Summer, I mean? It always amazes me how we get so worked up about a day of sunshine - the way we all break out the shorts and flip-flops, the suncream and barbecues, only for it to go back to being boring old English weather again the next day - grey and miserable. Today has been beautiful - so sunny and hot. It makes me feel so happy (I am fairly certain I suffer from S.A.D) and yet I'm not all that keen on being out in it. I burn really easily and get so hot so quickly that it ends up making me feel miserable... I think that's why I like spring and autumn as seasons. Nice, crisp sunny days, but without the heat and ickiness that goes with what passes for summer here. It was totally different when we went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. It was probably just because it was Waikiki and not Birmingham, but I could cope so much better with the heat (and it was HOT!). It always helps if you've got a pool or the clear blue Pacific Ocean to dip into to cool off!!

The pics are a couple of Hawaii - that's D on Waikiki Beach. They make me feel so happy and uplifted when I look at them - it was such a fabulous holiday. I really need to sort them out and scrap some, but seem to have lost my creative mojo lately. If anyone finds it, please leave a comment and I'll tell you my address so you can return it.... Ta xxx

If You Don't Know Me By Now....

Okay, so I was challenged by someone on a forum I'm on (one of ahem, a few) to answer the following questions and post it on my blog. Trouble is, I haven't actually told anyone yet that I have a blog. I'm just not sure how ready I am for people I 'know', whether in real life or in my cyber-life, to be able to read the stuff I write... I thought I'd answer them anyway, as they're not too challenging. I get loads of these emailed to me and some of the questions are like, 'what??!!?!'

1. What time did you get up this morning? Woke up at 7.15, got up an hour later when Dave rang to tell me there was no bus to get home...

2. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? American Dreamz (with a zee). How embarassing.

3. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal.

4. Favourite Cuisine? Yes please.

5. What food do you dislike? Anything chewy like squid or stuff like pork pie jelly - bleeeee!

6. What characteristic do you despise in people? Rudeness - manners are free.

7. Favourite items of clothing? Do shoes count, cos it would have to be my Crocs!! (Must tell you about them sometime.)

8. What colour is your bathroom? It has black tiles and beige walls, but the paint is peeling where the water from the shower hits the wall. Guess they didn't use 'bathroom' paint, so there's a job we need to do.

9. Where would you retire to? Anywhere by the sea, but most likely Devon or Cornwall.

10. Your best characteristic? I hate this one.It depends if I'm having an up or down day. I am never, ever late. That's the best I can do - I don't particularly think I'm a nice person most of the time.

11. Favorite words? Ooh, there's a few, none of which I can think of now. Oh, except flump.

12. Favorite colour? This changes too, as I like purple, pink and red. Black is good, but boring. Oh and I like turquoisey, sea greeney blues too.

13. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher. I used to make my little brother do homework and mark him on it.

14. What is your favourite flower? I like orchids and tulips.

15. What is your favourite television show? Too many at the moment, such as The Apprentice, Prison Break, CSI (Vegas), Lost and 24. Don't bother with much else.

So, there you are. A little more insight into me. Now, do I tell anyone about it...?