The Flatt's Mad House

Decision Day & A Week Of Firsts

2010-07-14T22:00:00.002+01:00

Amazingly I had quite a good nights sleep - my blood pressure came down to within the high end of normal so the nurse said she wouldn't disturb me through the night.

Breakfast came round so had a coffee & some toast, and then just as I was finishing off the last mouthful of coffee the consultant burst in and said I was on the operating list and was nil by mouth !!!!!

More paperwork, a visit from the anaesthetist, another doctor (who wasn't sure what procedure would be done as it would depend on what they found when they manipulated my arm under x-ray, maybe no op, maybe wired or screwed !) blood taken (after 5 attempts - finally got it out of my left wrist - PAINFUL !) - I was finally whisked away by a lovely chatty theatre porter at 1.40pm.

All the theatre staff were really nice and I can remember being given an injection in the cannula - but can't remember going to sleep. I can only remember waking up in recovery at 3pm with my arm all bandaged up and in a sling.

They did an open reduction and internal fixation with a screw and the consultant was very pleased with the result - but boy does my arm hurt now - it is more painful than when I broke it on Friday.

This week for the first time in my life I have :-

Broken a Bone
Had a CT scan
Had a general anaesthetic
Had an operation other than C-Section
Had my arm in a sling

Note to oneself - I really must be more careful.

Fracture Clinic

2010-07-13T22:00:00.000+01:00

Today was my fracture clinic appointment at 9.45am. My arm was feeling alot better, still didn't have the ability to straighten or bend it, but I did manage to get Sam ready for school. I thought about cancelling, but decided to go just so they could give me the all clear. I drove up to the hospital and then put my sling on for the first time since Friday, just so I didn't get told off, and also so I would actually look as though I was there for an appointment.

I didn't have too wait long to be called through. The doctor looked at my x-ray and said he needed a 2nd opinion and went off for a chat. I had decided he was going to send me home, but no, he told me I needed a CT scan to see if there was anymore damage and that I might need an operation :( He then decided to admit me to the orthopaedic ward as I would get a CT scan much quicker.

So a quick call to Julian to explain what was happening and to request an overnight bag and I went back in to start the admission paperwork.

They took my blood pressure and after about 5 attempts, it was really high 208/something - this caused quite an alarm i the department, and a message put in my notes that it needed checking 4 hourly and that if it didn't drop below 170 then the Dr was to be paged and I was to be given some medication.

I walked with the nurse up to Gately ward where they found me a bed in a side room with a lovely lady from Londonderry, I was so glad I wasn't on one of the main bays as it was quite an elderly ward and I was probably the youngest one there by about 40 years !

I got to the ward at about 11.15 and my CT scan was booked for 3pm. A porter came to get me with a wheelchair which he insisted I had to sit in and be pushed all the way to Radiology.
The results of the CT scan were not looked at by my doctor so I had to stay in overnight - still convinced I was wasting everybodies time & money.

A Broken Arm !

2010-07-09T23:00:00.010+01:00

I took the car to the garage today to have the exhaust looked at as it was starting to become noisy.

They put it up on the ramps and had a look & fiddle then called me through to discuss the problem - after being told the catalytic converter probably needed replacing and that we had one bald front tyre - I turned round to return to the waiting room and ended up on the floor - SPLAT ! I landed on my hand - so dusted it off and rubbed my arm.

The manager was as surprised as I was to find my lying on the floor. He led me to the washroom so I could wash my hand, we then went through to the waiting room - my arm felt sore but guess that was to be expected. We then sat down and filled out an accident report form.

While waiting for the tyre to be replaced, my arm ached more but not unbearable. When the car was ready I got in to drive and realised my arm was quite sore - I couldn't straighten it properly or bend it too far - I drove home, had a coffee and decided to make a doctors appointment at 3pm - amazingly got one for 3.40pm.

Drove down to the Dr's carefully - mainly left handed. the Dr thought I had just sprained it, but thought it best to get an xray to rule out a fracture.

So a quick call to Julian to see if he could leave off early and meet me in Norwich to drive me to the hospital, a call to Ben to say where I was going - and then again I carefully drove to Norwich.

After registering at the A&E, seeing the triage nurse, then senior nurse, then x-ray, then back to senior nurse I found out I have a severely depressed fracture of the radial head (which is in the elbow joint), she gave me a sling and I made an appointment for Tuesday morning at the fracture clinic.

This isn't my x-ray - but looks similar, except mine is a slightly bigger bit of bone that has slipped down a bit further.

I tried to sleep in bed but couldn't find anywhere comfortable to put my arm so ended up sleeping in the reclining chair in the lounge.

Car Booting

2010-05-02T10:01:00.001+01:00

Up bright and early Saturday morning with Sam's transit loaded up with a fraction of the Bits & Bobs that has been donated to Ben for his World Jamboree fundraising.

The weather wasn't supposed to be too good - but the sun shone and the crowds arrived to maraud our stall - Julian was very controlled and didn't swear at or hit any body who offered tuppence for 10 DVDs "just to help us out and get shot of them".

We came home with a lighter load and £156 in cash - good mornings work.

We reloaded the transit Saturday evening with the hope of a repeat performance - but sadly the weather was against us and peeping out of the curtains at 6.15am all we saw was grey skies and drizzle.

So now we have to unload the van today, fill up our spare room again - because we need the van to collect Sam from respite tomorrow morning.

Must find another spare Saturday/Sunday when the weather is good to do it all again.

Battle Of The Bands

2010-04-30T22:00:00.004+01:00

Tonight was "Battle of the Bands" at Taverham High School. Sam was at respite so we bought 2 tickets to watch Ben play in his band "I.O.I." Insanity of Influence

They did well playing Nirvana "Smells Like Team Spirit" and Lady Gaga "Poker Face".

Ben played bass for "Smells like Team Spirit" and backing vocals for "Poker Face"

Here's a snippet of their version of Poker Face - and you will then realise why backing vocals are in italics.

The boys did well but didn't win - roll on next year !

22nd World Scout Jamboree - Sweden

2010-04-18T09:11:00.001+01:00

Ben has been very lucky to have been selected to go to the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden July 2011.

He will be going with the Norfolk contingent which will be 36 Explorer Scouts & 4 Leaders - all he has to do now is raise £2,000 !

This is Ben's schedule :-

February 13th 2010:- First deposit of £250 to payed by this date

23rd – 25th April 2010:- Next training camp, Herringfleet, Suffolk.

16th July 2010:- 2nd payment of £400 due by this date

17th – 19th September 2010 :- Next Training camp Venue to be booked

22nd September County AGM, Group photo, display and raffle.

15th October 2010:- 3rd Payment £500 due by this date

Early December 2010 :- 4th payment of £500 due by this date

March 6th 2011:- Social event Venue unknown at present.

17th March 2011 :- Balance of the Jamboree fee due (leaders will advise how much you owe)

13th-15th May 2011:- Last training camp Venue to be booked

19th June 2011:- Final Meeting of unit members and parents/guardians for final details, location unknown.

We found out in January - so since then he has been saving half his wages (which isn't very much, but better than nothing !), he has also put in a couple of late Christmas presents of the cash variety and a few other bits & pieces that I can't remember. So yesterday there was about £120 in the pot.

Last night we held a quiz & chips at our local scout hut and we had an unbelievable turnout of 95 people - friends, scouting friends, guiding friends and friends of friends. We had ten rounds of questions, a table round, raffle and a heads/tails game and we manage to raise £540 - So a big THANKYOU to everybody who came along, especially to Harry& Janet who helped with the marking and selling of raffle tickets.

We are going to start having some car boot sales and maybe even a garage sale at home as we have been inundated with books & items to sell - so roll out the fine weather.

If anyone reading this has any ideas on how Ben can raise his money please let me know :)

Spring Is Here :)

2010-04-11T17:33:00.000+01:00

The New Chicken Pen

2010-04-09T19:55:00.001+01:00

Following my post on 14th Dec "Our Garden is Ruined" - the chickens have a new enclosure - since putting them in there we have had to clip their wings (twice), and then add the extra trellis to make it even higher - the final job now is to put some netting on the trellis because Marmite is still escaping !!!

They have completely destroyed all the grass/vegetaion in there - but the are now eating the cabbage leaves etc that I put out for them (before they wouldn't touch them - obviously our plants were much more tasty !)

Gazebo

2010-04-01T18:40:00.000+01:00

Our wooden gazebo has has a revamp and now has a proper roof - thanks to our friend Ian. We will now be able to sit outside and J will be sheltered from the sun - and if it rains we wont get wet :)

Cake Baking at Youth Club ...

2010-03-23T18:57:00.001Z

... and guess who was the messiest

He had to be hoovered before he went to bed :)

Abbotts Delivery

2010-03-16T18:49:00.000Z

Someone's got a job to do before Sam can go to bed tonight. And this is only 2 days since we had a 12 week supply of nappies delivered !

Our Garden is Ruined

2009-12-14T19:13:00.001Z

We have had the chickens for just under a year and they have destroyed our garden. After Christmas our friend Ian will be building an enclosure for them at the bottom of the garden so we can try and reclaimed our lawn.

R.I.P. Brian

2009-11-01T20:00:00.001Z

Today Ben discovered that Brian, one of his Giant African landsnails had passed away .................

So Sophie is now all alone in her tank.

Happy 100th Birthday

2009-09-05T11:10:00.002+01:00

Girlguiding is 100 years old this weekend - the parties have started for our year long celebrations.

For more information please visit this website :-

http://www.girlguiding100years.org.uk/default.aspx

I Must Find Some Time To Update My Blog ..

2009-08-19T17:33:00.001+01:00

I have taken loads of photos - I just never seem to have the time to get it done.

Watch this space......

I.CAN.DO London

2009-05-23T22:00:00.003+01:00

Today we set off at 6am to London with 37 Guides & 7 Leaders. We were on our way to Girlguiding UK headquarters on Buckingham Palace Road. We arrived just before 9.45am. We had a quick drink and then left our lunch in a safe place and set off on a walk round London following clues and counting objects, discussing what we saw and getting vital photos of the Guides at certain points - ie. in front of Buckingham palace with a unicorn in the photo, with Nelson's Column & the London Eye in the same photo and at the Ritz.

The weather was hot, the girls were tired after an early start so the enthusiasm started to wane half way round - it would have instantly revived if we said they could just go shopping !! A quick stop at a tourist shop on the Haymarket and we set off again via Whitehall back to the ICANDO centre.

There we had lunch and then the girls continued with some more activities at the centre before we let them loose in the Girlguiding shop and the souvenir shop next door.

We all had a great day.

Grandad Came To Visit....

2009-05-12T16:53:00.000+01:00

.... and we went to Bramerton to feed the ducks and geese.

We're Off To Wembley

2009-05-10T19:28:00.000+01:00

Ben & I went down to Wembley Stadium today with 12,210 other people to watch Glossop North End play Whitley Bay in the FA Vase.

I know most people reading this will never have heard of Glossop North End - but they are the football team from my home town who play in the NWCFL Premier Division, and they have had a fantastic season in FA Vase competition. They had a nail biting semi final 2nd leg where they finally won 6-5 on penalties !!

A fantastic day even though Glossop lost 2-0 - never mind - there is always next year - VIVA GNE !!!

St George's Day Parade

2009-04-26T18:44:00.000+01:00

This is always a juggle because Ben & Sam attend different Scout groups that are also in different Divisions. So they meet up in different places before the parade, and then afterwards they go to different churches for the service. The rain that was forecast held off and as usual it was a good turnout.

The Big Bike Challenge - NANSA

2009-04-25T18:29:00.000+01:00

WE DID IT AND RAISED OVER £250

Thanks to everybody who sponsored our team.

How do you make your bed ?

2009-04-24T18:08:00.000+01:00

To make a nice cosy bed - eat all the tulips in the flower pot, then dig out the bulbs and empty half the soil over the garden path - then settle down for a restful kip.

Double Yolkers !

2009-04-22T22:30:00.000+01:00

Our first two double yolkers which Ben had on toast for tea.

How Many Eggs ????????

2009-04-22T12:37:00.006+01:00

Our chickens have been laying for 2 weeks now and as of today we have been presented with

44 EGGS !!!

On Friday last week as we were going away for the weekend we decided to eat up some of the eggs, so we all had 4 poached eggs on toast each - I know this sounds greedy, but the eggs were quite small, and we only had 2 slices of toast each !

Ben & I also used 2 eggs to make 2 chocolate puddings in mugs - absolutely delicious. We used Chris Evans radioshow recipe

Add 4 tbs / 45 gms self raising flour, 4 tbs / 55gms caster sugar, 2 tbs / 17gms cocoa powder and 1 egg in to a large mug :-

then mix thoroughly to a creamy consistency as below :-

Now add 3 tbs / 43 mls milk and 3 tbs / 25 mls sunflower oil (you could use a syringe for absolute accuracy !)

Mix well and add a small dash of vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) but we thought essential !
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes (in a 1000 watt microwave).
The cake will rise above the top of the mug, but don't worry it’s supposed to!

Allow to cool a little, tip out onto a plate.
EAT and enjoy - this can serve two - it’s a huge portion for one! - I can vouch for that !
Serve with fresh double cream, crème fraiche or custard.

So if you have got any good recipes for using huge quantities of eggs please let me know - Thanks

A Sunny Day At Kew Gardens.

2009-04-19T22:00:00.000+01:00

We decided to visit Kew Gardens today before we drove back to Norwich. It was a lovely warm day and we arrived just as the gates opened - it got warmer during the day and it was very busy in the afternoon.

Ben planned our route :-

I spied the first squirrel of the day :-

I enjoyed the water lily house :-

And I loved these greens :-

And finally - Father & Son enjoying a day out :-

EDF Energy Cup Final - Twickenham

2009-04-18T22:00:00.000+01:00

I bought 3 tickets for the EDF Energy Cup final months ago on the spur of the moment. I had never been to a rugby match but enjoy watching in on telly. Ben has been playing rugby at school so I thought he would enjoy the day out too.

The match was really good with Cardiff Blues beating Gloucester 50-12.

This is Ben enjoying himself !

The Big Bike Challenge - NANSA

2009-04-14T10:19:00.005+01:00

My guide unit (2nd Taverham Guides) have entered a team to take part in the Big Bike Challenge on April 25th in Chapel Field Gardens, Norwich. We will be raising funds for NANSA - the Norfolk & Norwich Scope Association.

The bikes have 16 seats each, so I was hoping we would get enough volunteers to fill the seats, but there is a minimum height of 5'2" and quite a few of my guides are shorter than this. So we have myself, Margaret & Claire (leaders) and Daisy, Samantha, Molly & Alice. We will probably be teamed up with another smaller group - but I am sure we will have loads of fun. There will be live music, stalls, street entertainment and special guests.

If you would like to sponsor us please click on the link below - Thanks.

Two More Eggs

2009-04-09T21:25:00.004+01:00

Today I collected 2 more eggs from the chickens. One was the same pale colour as yesterdays and the other was darker with brown speckles. Marmite definitely laid one of these eggs because she was in the coop for ages this afternoon and seemed very pleased with herself when she came out.

So for a starter for tonight's tea we had fried egg on buttered toast. The eggs were quite small but they were delicious.

The First Egg Has Been Laid !

2009-04-08T17:40:00.002+01:00

The chickens have been with us for 45 days,

they have eaten nearly 20kg of pellet and 2kg of corn,

they have scrapped up most of the garden,

they have produced two bin bags full of poo,

but today we have finally been treated to an egg !

This is the most expensive egg I have ever bought.

We don't know who laid it, but we are very proud of it.

I Forgot To Take A Photo

2009-04-07T18:14:00.005+01:00

Take 3 balls of this wool,

follow the pattern carefully,

sew together,

add 3 of these pretty buttons

(I bought 4 because I couldn't remember how many buttons I needed !)

And you end up with a colourful shawl cardigan for your neice's 1st birthday,

albeit almost 2 months late - Sorry Molly.

I was so keen to post it off to her I forgot to take a photo of it.

It's the pale pink one in the middle.

Our Chickens Have Arrived !

2009-02-23T19:00:00.003Z

I went over to Cambridge Poultry to collect our chickens today. They were very quiet on the way back in their cardboard boxes. When I got home I put the boxes in the run but the hens didn't want to come out of the boxes, I had to almost tip them upside down, you would have thought they were holding on to something in the box.

Anyway they were very quiet and nervous all afternoon and didn't really move around the run very much. Let's hope they settle in quickly and start laying eggs.

Mavis is a Babcock (Julian's)

Misty is a Blubelle (Mine)

Maiden is a Black Sussex (Ben's)

Marmite is a Gold Nera (Sam's)

Sore Feet

2009-02-17T20:48:00.000Z

Sam keeps getting sores on his heels and ankles. He has stopped wearing his AFO's because the orthotic bod said they were not doing any good any more - his feet are too far gone now :(

We are now awaiting an appointment with the surgeon to see if there is anything he can do.

He had an awful infection in his left ankle just after Christmas - this cleared up eventually after a couse of AB's, but he spent weeks not wearing any shoes, which probably caused more damage to his feet.

He then got a pressure sore on the bottom of his heel on the left foot - this cleared up after a few weeks, but it reappeared on his right heel, and he needed another course of AB's to clear this one and some dressings from the nurse.

I wish I knew how to prevent these - we take his shoes off at home, place cushions & sheepskins on his bed so his feet are protected ....

But he is still a happy chappy :-

A Sleepover Without Any Sleep !

2009-02-14T22:00:00.002Z

Ben had a friend round for a sleepover this weekend. They had it all planned out what they wanted to do, and it didn't involve any sleeping - just playing on the xbox.

They made a list of all the games they wanted to play and they ticked them off as they achieved their goals !

We had KFC for tea, as A had never had it before - not my favourite, but they were happy :)

We went off to bed at about 11pm and they moved the xbox into the front room because the telly is abit bigger in there.

In the morning when I got up they were still playing games, albeit a little quieter than the evening before and they still had school uniform on !

But by 11am - sleep hit Ben, A got bored so I ran him home.

Ben slept in the armchair till about 2pm - then got up, asked where A was, and disappeared off to bed, till I woke him for his tea at 8.30.

It's a great idea - they stay up all night while you sleep, and then they sleep during the day - I think I might survive his teenage days if this could continue !

Updating my blog

2009-02-07T16:10:00.003Z

I will be attempting to fill in the gaps in my blog since I haven't updated it since 31st Oct - I have taken quite a few photos so hopefully they will jog my memory as to what has happened in our life.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

2009-01-26T20:02:00.001Z

We have finally found a way to get Ben to eat beetroot.

Not entirely sure it is that healthy though !

But it is yummy !!!

Here is the recipe we use.

KERRANG !

2009-01-21T23:30:00.001Z

Ben has just been to a concert at the UEA (University of East Anglia) - he went on his own as either his friends weren't yet 14 or they weren't into that type of music (don't ask me what type of music it is !!)

He really enjoyed himself - so I guess it wont be the last concert he goes to.

A Wintery Walk At Blickling Hall

2009-01-11T19:38:00.000Z

Today was a beautiful crisp wintery day - so we drove to Blickling Hall (claimed birthplace of Anne Boleyn) and had a walk around the lake and finished off in the coffee shop for drinks and cake !

There are some amazingly large trees in the grounds.

This is Ben standing next to a tree !

It had been so cold that a large part of the lake surface was frozen - so Julian & Ben spent ages throwing stones over the top to see how far they would skim and how big a hole they could make - BOYS !

When we got back to the car, a robin came and sat on the wing mirror waiting to have it's photo taken.

Our Christmas Present

2009-01-10T19:03:00.000Z

We have decided that we are going to keep some chickens in our garden for egg laying. So just after Christmas we went onto eBay and bought a chicken house & run.

Julian has spent a few hours today putting it all together in our dining room - all the time I kept asking if it would fit through the back door - THANK GOODNESS IT DID !!

We have also chosen which chickens we would like but they are out of stock at the moment - so figures crossed it wont be too long before they arrive.

Here is their new house :-

Happy New Year !

2009-01-01T15:48:00.003Z

We had Julian's sister Nicola & her husband Peter round last night for a meal - it was lovely to see them. We don't see enough of them and they don't live very far away - but we all live very busy lives and time just flies by so quickly.

Ben's ipod nano recently broke - he took it on a Scout group hike (Don't ask me why !!), and someone dropped it in a puddle. I took it to a local shop to see if it could be repaired, but sadly no.

So on Monday this week we went onto Amazon and ordered a new ipod classic, with a staggering 120GB memory !!!!! Ben paid for it with his christmas money and his wages from his after school job.

Anyway it arrived yesterday while Ben was out, so I put it away because I knew if I gave it to him before Nicola & Peter arrived we wouldn't see him all evening.

So this morning I went through to his bedroom to tell him it had arrived -

but I had to fight my way through this :-

Then I had to wake him !! Isn't he cute ?

I think he was very pleased with it !

Fish & Chips at the seaside - Yum Yum

2008-12-30T22:00:00.001Z

My Dad and Sylvia came down on Sunday for a few days - it was lovely to see them again.

We introduced them to the Wii and had them playing ten pin bowling, golf & baseball - they said they might buy one when they return home ! I was chatting to my friend Denys the other day and she said her parents have got one and when they get together with her children they can't get any of them off the Wii - and the grandparents are the worst !

Today the weather was dry and bright so we decided to wrap up warm and go to Cromer on the north Norfolk coast for a walk and a blow. Quite alot of other people had the same idea - so by the time we wanted some fish and chips for lunch the queue at the shop was very long !!

Christmas Day

2008-12-25T19:32:00.000Z

Our Tree

Ben helping Sam open his presents

And the tradtional wearing of cracker hats !

Sam's never stays in one piece for more than 30 seconds !

Even Phoebe enjoys Christmas !

Ice Sculptures

2008-12-21T18:44:00.006Z

Today was not the best day to be trailing through Norwich city centre on the 4th annual Ice Sculpture as it was very mild and the sculptures were rapidly melting in front of our eyes.

As usual Ben didn't feel this would be an exciting use of his time, so he stayed in bed (after all he is a teenager !) Had he come with us he could have visited his favourite stall on Norwich Market, where he spends most of his hard earned money !

This is the first time I have been on the trail and it was very interesting - here are some of the sculptures that we saw :-

The Friar

The City Dweller

The Dragon

The Church & State

And my favourite - Norwich Cathedral Spire

Sam's 12th Birthday

2008-12-10T20:03:00.000Z

Molly & Layla's Christening

2008-12-07T22:00:00.006Z

Molly is my neice ,Jason (my youngest brother) & Amy's daughter and Layla is Molly's cousin.

I went up to Glossop in Derbyshire on Friday on my own, as luckily Sam had a respite weekend, and as Norwich were playing Ipswich (our local derby) on the Sunday neither Ben or Julian wanted to miss the match. (The christening had been postponed by one week already because it clashed with the Manchester United/City derby !)

I stayed at my Dad's and we went out for an indian meal on the Saturday evening with my Dad and Sylvia, my middle brother Alex and his partner Helen, my Dad's best friend Michael and my mum.

Sunday morning we all met at the Methodist Church in Glossop and joined the Brownies and Guides for their toy service and Molly & Layla were christened. They both wore matching outfits and were really well behaved. Molly was waving at everybody.

Molly with her favourite rabbit blanket

Proud parents Jason & Amy

After the service we all went over to Hadfield for a buffet. It was lovely to see most of my family all together. My oldest brother Greg only made it to the church as he was feeling quite poorly (something had disagreed with him !)

In the evening I went over to Jason & Amy's new house where Molly & Layla opened all their lovely presents.

A GREAT DAY - topped off with a beautiful sunset over Hadfield.

Blu Tac Art

2008-11-29T21:00:00.004Z

Ben's school friends Rosa, Lauren & Fiona popped round today after school and produced a piece of art work on Ben's bedroom wall just by his pillow !!

It Snowed Today

2008-11-23T16:25:00.001Z

Some photos out of our front window :-

Ben Is Poorly

2008-11-17T16:16:00.001Z

Ben very rarely has a day off school through illness. But this morning he woke up with a stinking cold. So he stay in bed for a while then got up and had a duvet day.

Being a sweet, kind mummy I made him a lovely hot bowl of porridge with strawberry jam.

Ben's 14th Birthday

2008-11-13T21:00:00.001Z

It's Ben's birthday today - 14 years ago he was a 7lb baby, today he is a 5ft 6 long haired teenager - but we still love him !

Birthday tea was Ben's choice - Gammon, Chips & Fried Egg - Yum Yum

Sorry no photos of the day

Feeding Time In Our Back Garden !

2008-11-12T15:44:00.004Z

Meet My Niece ......

2008-10-31T20:00:00.000Z

A Deer Rut

2008-10-26T22:00:00.001Z

Today we decided to go along to RSPB Minsmere which is near Dunwich in Suffolk - as the RSPB had set up a viewing area with telescopes so the public could watch the red deer rutting.

I was hoping to take some lovely photos of the red deer - but when we got there, if you squinted really hard you could just about see some brown objects in the hedges which apparently were the red deer !

Looking through the telescopes was much better, but unfortunately Sam didn't get to see anything, but he did enjoy watching all the people around and lots of them spoke to him.

We saw a few foxes running around, loads of rabbits and of course the deer.

This is what I was hoping to see close up - but I pinched this from a website about the Minsmere herd , which is one of the largest herds in England.

Girlguiding's Big Gig

2008-10-18T22:00:00.000+01:00

Today 2 coaches and 74 guides, senior section & guiders from Taverham, Costessey & Horsford set off in party gear for the annual girlguiding concert "The Big Gig". This year it was at the NEC Birmingham.

Can you imagine 10,000 girls screaming in a hot, dark arena with the majority wearing blue flashing bunny ears ??? It is very LOUD !! But great FUN !! This is the 5th time I have been with the Guides to the Big Gig and I have never been disappointed.

We were entertained with The Sugarbabes, Leon Jackson, Sam Beeton, DJ Ironik, Alphabeat, Avenue, The Saturdays, The Script, The Hoosiers and finally Scouting for Girls.

Eggy Bread Wednesday

2008-10-15T22:00:00.000+01:00

I feel ashamed to admit that this was my idea - the silver balls are cake decorations - there were left over from Guides last week and Ben has been eating them like sweets this week.

But combine them with eggy bread and tomato sauce and the result is 0/10 !!!

He said it was absolutely disgusting so scraped them all off. I wont be doing that again me thinks.

Goodbye Pear Tree

2008-10-11T14:00:00.000+01:00

Take one 40 year old pear tree,

one 13 year old boy

and one hand saw (later followed by a chainsaw)

and the pear tree is no more.

Shame because we now have no where to hang the bird feeders.

Genetics Clinic

2008-10-07T17:50:00.000+01:00

Today Sam had an appointment in the Genetics clinic at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital (N&N). The geneticists from Addenbrookes hospital regularly hold clinics at the N&N.

We have waited 3 years for this appointment, we were told at the last meeting in 2005 that new tests would be available in the next few years and we should wait.

So we have waited and waited.

I went along today hoping that we would finally be able to get a diagnosis for Sam. I don't know why I bothered going though.

As Sam hasn't lost any skills (can't say he's gained many either though !), and he doesn't have any dysmorphic features (both consultants had a good look at his fingers !) they really don't think they can do any more testing at the moment. But they did take a few photos of him and said they would discuss him at a team meeting.

Guess we are going to have to wait some more !!

Our Pear Tree Has Died !

2008-10-05T11:18:00.000+01:00

I noticed the other week that our pear tree seemed to be leaning over - I originally thought it was straining under the weight of fruit on its branches - but no.

Yesterday I suggested to Julian that he could try and prop it up - but this morning we woke up to this :-

Which our cat Phoebe found much more accessible !

Pelizeaus Merzbacher Disease - PMD

2008-09-27T22:00:00.000+01:00

Today Sam & I have been to Bedford to attend a PMD support group. (Ben & Julian have travelled to Barnsley to watch Norwich City try and play football !)

The PMD group meeting was organised by Peter - this is the second meeting, unfortunately we couldn't make the first one. It took us almost 2 hours to get there but we had a good time chatting to families whose children are affected by PMD.

Sam hasn't got PMD, but it was thought he may have it a few years ago - he does have a severe lack of myelin in his brain, but all the genetic testing for PMD has come back negative. So he has some sort of leucodystrophy, but we don't know which one yet !

Leucodystrophy is a genetic defect (a problem in the genes) affecting the myelin, the protective covering around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The myelin acts like the covering around electrical wires. It helps the nerves work and send messages from the brain to the body at great speeds. When the covering around the nerves is damaged, the brain and nerves are not able to send the signals to the body very well. There are 10 different chemicals that make up the myelin. And there are many different types of leucodystrophies. Each kind is related to how only one of the chemicals in the myelin works.

Eggy Bread Wednesday

2008-09-24T22:00:00.001+01:00

Inspired by Ben's interest in music.

He is constantly plugged into his ipod or has music blasting out of his room

A simple design but it only earned me 5½/10

Snow Tubing

2008-09-19T22:00:00.000+01:00

Tonight Sam has gone off to Squirrels for respite this weekend - hope he enjoys himself.

Julian and Ben were invited to the local ski-slope in Norwich to do Snow-Tubing. I went along armed with my camera, but due to the speed they came down the slope and the lighting my photos where dreadful ! So I only have a few.

It was a cold evening but I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I was hoping Julian would chicken out so I could have a go, but it didn't happen !

Farewell To Jenny

2008-09-17T22:00:00.001+01:00

Sam and I went to Thorpe Marriott Guides tonight to say goodbye to one of their leaders, Jenny, who was leaving to do a course in Cambridge which will mean she can become a minister. We all wish her the best of luck.

The girls all played lots of old fashioned games like musical statues and pass the parcel. They had a great time.

Home from hospital

2008-09-14T22:00:00.001+01:00

Julian stayed at the hospital Friday & Saturday night and I relieved him during the day.

Saturday morning Sam had the drain removed from his back. The plan was to put a bag over the wound so any more blood/urine could drain into it, but the nurse thought a plaster would suffice. A couple of minutes later she replaced the plaster with a pad - this soaked through rather quickly. I mentioned the bag again, she said she would contact the SHO - she came back and said it would dry up in a couple of hours (in his last 2 ops it has taken about 24 hours and he comes home with the bag attached !) I humoured her and left it - soon the bed was soaked with urine/blood, this happened twice before she agreed to stick the bag on.

We could have come home Saturday evening but Sam decided to start weeing large clots of blood which didn't please the Doctors or nurses !

We finally escaped by late morning today.

A Mad Dash to Brownies & Guides

2008-09-11T22:00:00.000+01:00

It was the first night back to Brownies and Guides today after the summer holidays. As Sam was still in hospital I had arranged for his respite carer Lynn to sit with him from 4.30 - 8pm, and Julian from 8pm till I got back - I couldn't really cancel both meetings on the first week.

Brownies was as usual very loud - how can 15 - 18 young girls make so much noise ???

Guides was much better - we had a discussion about what they wanted to do this term - and it would appear they quite like dressing up and having parties - this seemed to be their most popular request ! So we have arranged one party at the end of October and another on the last week before Christmas. Other activities included scrap-booking, glass painting, ice skating, Wide games and Christmas crafts.

We finish Guides at 8.45pm, and as I hadn't had much sleep last night I was so ready to go to bed (albeit at the hospital !) How come when you have to leave promptly you always get one parent who is late and hasn't got their mobile phone switched on ? He finally arrived at 9.15pm !!!!

Eggy Bread Wednesday

2008-09-10T22:00:00.002+01:00

This was awarded 4/10 - I think it is a cat, can't be sure as Julian designed it and drawing was never his forte ! I was in hospital with Sam so I take no responsibility for this ~~mess~~ original design.

Sam's Operation

2008-09-10T22:00:00.000+01:00

Sam had to have another operation today to remove yet more kidney stones from his right kidney. I so hope this is the last time they have to do this.

We arrived at 7.15am as requested, but didn't actually get called down to theatre till about 1.30pm. We finally arrived back on the ward at 5ish - so a long day.

The consultant show me what they removed this time - he said it looked like a large mass of something that had started to calcify, so he was sending it off to be analysed.

Sam had quite an unsettled night, whinging but not crying loudly which is something to be thankful of when you are trying to sleep in a hospital bay !

Wheelchair Services

2008-09-09T16:46:00.000+01:00

Shock Horror - we only had to wait 2 months for an appointment to have Sam's wheelchair reviewed - Amazing !!

It took 2 of them almost 2 hours to take the seat apart and move all the bits to make it bigger for him, and put it back together again.

He only got the chair in January, but has had a big growth spurt since. I was hoping this chair would see him through for a few years but it is now almost at the it's limit for growing. So glad we didn't contribute to the cost this time !

Sam has an Ottobock Discovery base with large rear wheels and a Gill III seating system.

They have now added a harness because if he was tired or unwell he would sit in his chair like this !!

I was told by the OT that issued the chair that he would learn to sit up straight in it - Yeah Right !

Blood Donors Today

2008-09-04T16:27:00.001+01:00

I completed my 28th blood donation today. It started off smoothly - then decided to slow down, several of the blood team commented that I needed to squeeze my hand harder, so I SQUEEZED harder & faster. After what seemed like an eternity they had collected enough of the red stuff.

So they deflated the blood pressure cuff, removed the needle and gave me a cotton ball to put over the hole and apply pressure to for a few minutes. And then every time they came to remove the cotton ball and apply a plaster I continued to bleed - this went on for about 15 minutes !!

It stopped in the end - but that must have been the longest time I have ever spent donating blood.

Eggy Bread Wednesday Returns ...

2008-09-03T21:31:00.003+01:00

After the summer break Scouts has started again so it's time again for Eggy Bread Wednesdays

So todays master piece was inspired by our recent holiday and Ben's favourite past-time - texting. He has been trying to educate me in the art of text speak, but I think I prefer just to spell out the words properly.

I scored 8/10 not bad !

Tomatoes & Razor Clams

2008-09-01T22:00:00.003+01:00

As we have been away for a week - you can guess what the greenhouse was full of again .....

TOMATOES - ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH

Out came the roasting tins again, halve all the tomatoes, crush some garlic, mix it with olive oil, drizzle over the toms, and then roast for about 45 mins. This is delicious on toast for lunch, but any left over is pushed through a sieve and frozen in smallish quantities for use in pasta sauces etc etc.

After eating some toms on toast we loaded up the van and set off to Hunstanton as it was low tide and we were after some clams.

When we arrived the lifeboat was just going out, but we missed as it took a while to get Sam out of the van and Julian and his mate Jeremy donned their wellies.

All ready, we set off with our buckets and pots of salt and headed for the low water line.

Clams are burrowing mollusks which are found just above the low tide mark, and can be harvested by hand by pouring salt into their burrows. This causes them to pop up from the sand, as they confuse the salt with the rising tide.

They were quite alot of people on the beach digging for white ragworm - some come from miles away because apparently it is a much sought after bait for anglers. They use garden forks to dig the sand up and collect the worms.

After about an hour the wind suddenly whipped up, the skies darkened and the tide started to come in with great speed - it started to rain - Sam was not too impressed.

But we battled on and weathered out the storm and the blue sky reappeared. After collecting enough clams for 4 people we headed back to the car park. Sam was much happier on the way back.

18 Years ...

2008-09-01T22:00:00.000+01:00

It is our 18th Wedding anniversary today and Julian has forgotten to buy a card and I have forgotten to write the card I bought .......

Our Holiday is over ....

2008-08-31T22:00:00.018+01:00

Our faithful Sat Nav directed us perfectly to our campsite again this year, only having 2 detours one of Newmarket & the other of Windsor. Julian decided we weren't paying the high prices at motorway services for out lunch so tried to find a supermarket in the aforementioned towns - but failed. So we did indeed stop at a service station and bought sandwiches & drinks for us & a burger & drink for Ben.

The tent went up quite easily this year (gale force winds last year made it a bit trickier !)

The campsite & the owners were very nice, and you could get up close to the cows, chickens, cats etc - you could even help out with the milking & mucking out if you so desired (Ben didn't, he was too busy texting his friends)

We visited Exeter, Teignmouth, Lyme Regis, Illfracombe, Dartmouth & Dartmoor. We climbed to the highest waterfall in England - Canonteign Falls - it was beautiful there.

And the view from the top was well worth the climb !

The best bit for me was meeting up with my Aunty Kay, Uncle Nigel & family. They were holidaying in some cottages about 10 miles from our campsite, and I hadn't seen some of my cousins for quite a few years and I hadn't even met some of their spouses or children !! It was lovely to see everybody.

You may be wondering what dreadful ailment Ben came down with on holiday - fear not, he was experimenting with the digital camera's colour swap facility - he wanted to see if he could make his hair go black in the photo - as you can see - IT FAILED !

The weather could have been kinder to us - every morning it was grey, misty & damp - except our last day when it poured with rain - so yet again we had to put the tent away soaked & muddy.

Thankfully the sun did appear for one day at the campsite !

We're all going on a Summer holiday .....

2008-08-24T22:00:00.000+01:00

Sam woke up this morning bright and cheerful - so I gave him some fortini for breakfast - it stayed down - a trip to the bathroom showed that he had passed several large gooey, gritty lumps in his pad, so that was the cause of yesterday's discomfort (I wish he could tell us how he felt !)

I quickly dressed him in his Scout uniform and Julian set off to Eaton Vale with him and all his baggage in the rain !!

Ben & I quickly collected together everything else we needed for our holiday (I say quickly, but when Ben is involved nothing goes quickly !!!!) Anyway to make sure Ben didn't wander off or go on MSN or his x-box again I got him to sit in the car and wait for Julian.

40 minutes later Julian arrived home after dropping some of Sam's stuff off at friends (they are picking Sam up from camp tomorrow and then taking him over to his respite place, so we can go away) We set off for Devon at 10.10am - not too bad, except that it is pouring down.

We are camping at West Middlewick Farm.

Sam's Scout Camp

2008-08-23T22:00:00.000+01:00

Today should have been the start of Sam's 2 night camp with the 46th Norwich Scout patrol.

But the day didn't go to plan.

Sam woke up early and unusually for him he was whining while in bed - he usually cries if he wants to get up. So we left him a little while. When I went through to his room I noticed he had been sick and was covered in it. I quickly went a ran the bath and Julian carried him through to the bathroom. After being thoroughly cleaned, dried and dressed I took him through to the front room. He then proceeded to be sick again !! Another quick tidy up, a towel wrapped round him, he went to sleep for alittle while.

I phoned up to tell camp he wouldn't be joining them today.

He continued to alternate between being sick & sleeping during the afternoon.

As we were supposed to be going on holiday today - we decided to be optimistic and pack the car up with all our camping gear, just in case Sam recovered in the morning. We were 99% sure it was a kidney stone causing his problems.

In the evening the colour started to return to Sam's face so I gave him some of his fortinin diluted down and pumped through slowly - he kept it all down - so he went to bed and we kept our fingers crossed !

Fishy News !

2008-08-21T22:00:00.000+01:00

Today Julian got up early to go to Cley on the North Norfolk Coast to try his luck at mackerel fishing. He has been a few times this year but has come back empty handed. But this time the tide was right, the weather good and the fish were in the sea ! So now we have 23 mackerel - yum yum.

Sam has been to the Hamlet Centre playscheme again today and had a great time. He had a foot spa treatment, massage and his toe nails painted. He was very keen to show his toes to everyone at home, and also to all the Guiders tonight when I went over to Patteson Lodge to deliver the food for this weekends Division Guide camp.

Special Kids Camp - a brilliant weekend

2008-08-18T22:00:00.003+01:00

We have just returned from a fantastic time in Derbyshire camping with loads of friends from Special Kids in the UK. This is the 4th year that we have camped with them and it gets bigger & better everytime - thanks to everyone who organises it all - you know who you are !

As usual we can't wait for next year's meet.

The weather wasn't as kind to us as it could have been -but at least it was mainly dry during the day - except Monday morning when we were packing up, so our tent was wet & muddy.

My Dad & Sylvia came in their camper van for 2 nights - this was their maiden voyage - and they survived - but they realised they are going to need some bigger wine glasses !

On the Sunday my Dad's friends Sandra & Bob came over for a visit in their camper van - they only live round the corner from the camp site "Golden Valley" but didn't know it existed. We sat outside their van and chatted, then a few spots of rain enticed us into the van - just room for 6 adults, 1 tall teenager & 1 small Sam - very cosy ! Sam thought it was all hilarious when he decided Grandad should be sat next to him - so without anyone leaving the cosy van Grandad managed to squeeze past Sylvia, Sandra & Julian - it was like playing twister in a very confined space.

SEE WE ALL FITTED IN !!

On the Saturday afternoon, we had a balloon release in memory of the children from our group that have died in recent years - it was a very moving time.

East Coast Truckers

2008-08-10T19:24:00.000+01:00

We have a wonderful charity it East Anglia called "The East Coast Truckers".

The charity's aim is to give disabled, underprivileged or fostered children memorable days out
and their parents a well-deserved day off. The main event of the year is the Children’s Convoy,
on August Bank Holiday Sunday, where a convoy of about 90 trucks leaves Norwich with the children and drives them to Pleasurewood Hills amusement park in Lowestoft. They spend the day there and have a picnic tea then they return to Norwich via Great Yarmouth seafront where 1000's of people cheer them along.

It is a fantastic day out and Sam has been with them on this day 3 times. This is the truck Sam & I went in last year :-

They also arrange several other events during the year, and today Sam was invited to go with them to Swaffham Raceway to watch the banger races. I went with him too and he really enjoyed the mini bus trip and all the racing.

Chutney Glutney

2008-08-08T19:24:00.006+01:00

As we have a glut of tomatoes and courgettes I decided to make some Tomato & Apple chutney yesterday and a Courgette & Tomato today.

So I have had the preserving pan bubbling away with tomatoes, courgettes, apples sultanas, onion, sugar, vinegar, ginger and spices for hours over the last 2 days and we now have 9 jars of chutney to store away and eat with cooked meats & cheeses :)

And tonight for tea to use up more veg we are having marrow stuffed with savoury rice topped with grated cheese.

And because I have used up almost 4 lbs of tomatoes in my chutney - Julian picked some more !! I think I'll have to make some pasta sauce to freeze.

Elephants in Norwich !

2008-08-05T18:20:00.000+01:00

Today Sam went to a playscheme at his school. They all went on a couple of mini-buses into Norwich city centre to do the "Go Elephant ! trail" . There are 53 lifesize baby elephants around Norwich that have been painted & decorated by artists and local groups. They are really attracting lots of people to Norwich this summer.

Martin Clunes was in Norwich today to support the Go Elephants ! He is a supporter of the Born Free foundation which will be helped by the auction of the sculptures in September. Sam and his friend Nicole managed to interrupt Martin's interview to say "Hello !" This is Sam's claim to fame to-date.

We rushed home form the playscheme because we had a home visit at 3.30pm with the Occupational Therapist (OT)and Physiotherapist (PT) from school. They had come to review Sam's comfy chair, sleep system and to check his wheelchairs as he has grown quite alot this year. His comfy chair is a JCM Jupiter chair which we have had for about 6 years now, but he has almost outgrown it and the headrest has broken.

As you can see it is still comfy !!

The OT will organise a rep to come into school so Sam can try out a new chair.

Our Allotment So Far

2008-08-04T15:00:00.001+01:00

The allotments in our village are only just over 1 month old - the council have rented part of a field off Farmer Mack down Mack's Lane. There are about 35 plots of varying shapes & sizes, our is about 23m x 3.6m.

The meeting for the official handing over the the allotments was on 25th June, so we didn't start work until the 28th June and this is what we started with :-

So after quite a lot of digging, stone, weed & grass removing we had 2 raised beds ready to fill with horse manure. The next day Julian & I went out to get the manure - armed with sacks, wellies & garden forks, over the course of the day we collected 38 sacks of manure and took them up to the allotment.

As we had been waiting for our allotment since Christmas, Julian had already got lots of vegetable plants at home that he had started off from seed. So over the next couple of weeks he worked very hard making 2 more raised beds, digging in the manure and planting the vegs.

By the 12th July it looked like this :-

And by the 2nd Aug it looked like this :-

Over the last 2 weeks we have been inundated with these horrible critters :-

This week we collected another 20 bags of manure and Julian has put together another raised bed and planted some of our strawberry plants.

But we have started harvested vegetables - this week we had a lovely bag of mixed salad leaves - much to Ben's delight or should I say DISGUST, a huge marrow and we swapped a beetroot for 5 radishes !

Scout Camp - we have returned !

2008-08-02T22:00:00.001+01:00

Ben & Julian have just returned from Scout Camp - they have had a great time, are extremely tired - but the best thing of all is they didn't fall out with each other during the week !!!!

I now have loads of smelly & wet clothes to wash, dry & iron - oh well.

Glitter everywhere !!

2008-07-31T22:00:00.000+01:00

Sam was at the Hamlet Centre playscheme today - he likes it there - he can wind the centre manager Terri around his little finger.

He was assigned Caitlin as his 1-1 helper which he seemed very pleased about. When I went back to collect him I noticed he had some glittery bits on his arm - he had been decorating a little fish picture in the art room.

On later examination when I got him home he had glitter everywhere and I mean everywhere ! I think he must have enjoyed himself.

While Sam was at expressing his artistic talent I went and had my eyes tested. My right eye has deteriorated slightly so they advised getting some new glasses. I tried on lots of pairs but couldn't find anything that I liked that wasn't much different to the ones I had. So in the end I choose some new frames for my sunglasses and have ordered some new lenses for my existing frames. Hopefully they will be ready later next week.

Vegetable curry for tea again !

Guess what I had for tea tonight ?

2008-07-30T22:00:00.000+01:00

Umm lets think !!!

Yes that's correct - VEGETABLE CURRY - yum yum :)

Not a good day

2008-07-29T23:30:00.001+01:00

Sam and I had very little sleep last night - I was up and down like a yo-yo to him, he was sick a few times and I finally resorted to Chloral Hydrate at 2am a final cuddle and back into bed. This gave us both 4 hours sleep :)

I woke up with an awful headache - probably a combination of tiredness, stress & lack of food and drink yesterday. I took some paracetamol late morning and it went away, so I had a shower and felt refreshed.

I had booked Sam onto a playscheme today at his school - but I decided not to send him as he wasn't happy & looked quite tired ( I wonder why ??) I spent the rest of the day finding suitable TV programs for him, mopping up sick and creeping round him while he slept.

Early evening saw me on garden duties again - I did a little harvesting and produced this lot :-
As there is only me at home this week I decided to make a vegetable curry with most of these goodies plus an onion, pepper & mushrooms I found lurking in the fridge. That will keep me fed for a few nights !

I kept Sam up till about 10.30pm in the hope that he would go straight down to sleep - but he didn't. I only had to get him up once so not too bad.

Almost 12 hours in hospital

2008-07-28T23:00:00.002+01:00

Another early start in the Flatt household. Sam was due at the hospital at 7.15am for the insertion of a JJ Stent (see my previous post Thurs 17th July ). We arrived at just after 7am and bumped into my god-daughter Helen who is a paediatric nurse. Helen has just started working at the Norfolk & Norwich after almost a year at Addenbrookes. Unfortunately she wasn't working on the Buxton Ward, but in CAU, so that meant we wouldn't be seeing her during the day.

We were greeted on the ward and as we have had quite a few visits in the last eighteen months we didn't have to tell them who we were, they recognised us !!

Sam was supposed to be first on the list, but they had mislaid all his notes, so we had to go through all the pre-assessment bumph again. Had a chat with the consultant, then the anaesthetist who recognised us too. They waited a little while for the notes, because the anaesthetist didn't want to go ahead until he had read through the previous GA notes (was pleased about this). But how can anyone mislay Sam's notes they are about 8 inches high, it's not as though they could slip behind anything.

We were put back to second on the list, the notes turned up, and the theatre staff came to collect Sam at about 9.40am.

With the last 2 GA's Sam has had he has started retching as soon as we reach the anaesthetic room, I guess it must be nerves. So I decided to prepare myself with bowl & paper towels. But I was too late, he decided to start retching when the chap from theatre came to collect him.

After 3 attempts at getting a cannula in Sam's hand they resorted to using gas, which terrified Sam and made him retch even more, but he finally went to sleep after abit of suctioning.

I waited in the parents room and after 50 minutes the consultant came through to say everything had gone to plan. I was then called through to recovery, Sam was awake but a bit dopey. The nurse wanted to give him oxygen to keep his O2 levels up but every time she moved the mask near his face he retched, so we decided to leave him alone, unless it became seriously low. He was sick once and required suctioning, but was soon ready to return to the ward.

We got back to the ward at about 12, and Sam was fine, no more retching, he had a few sips of squash and and nibbled on some cheese & onion crisps. At about 4pm consultant came round and said we could go home. He wants Sam back again either on 1st or 8th September to remove the kidney stones.

We finally left the hospital at 6.45pm because we had to wait for the antibiotics to come up from pharmacy.

As I knew Ben & Julian would be away this week I had bought tickets for Sam & I to watch the pre-season friendly football match between Norwich City & Tottenham. Kick off was at 7.45pm, so this required a quick drive in to Norwich city centre, hunt down a parlking space (not easy on a football day) and then a mad dash to Carrow Road. We arrived with time to spare, but I was shattered. Sam wasn't too interested in watching the football, he was too busy watching the crowds. Anyway early in the second half he began to get upset so we made for the exit and came home, Norwich were already losing 1-3 (final score 1-5 oh dear !)

Heckington Show

2008-07-27T22:00:00.003+01:00

Another early start. Sam & I had arranged to help my friend Denys on the Girlguiding stall at her local village show - Heckington Show. We arrived at 10.30am after a 2 hour journey and spent a very enjoyable day helping out making friendship knots with any children that stopped at the stall and handing out leaflets promoting Girlguiding in the hope that we might recruit a new leader or two. The Guides were waitressing at the table serving teas, coffees & cakes.

After a very hot and muggy day we stacked all the chairs away, took down the gazebo and display boards and collected together our bits and bobs. I left at about 6.30pm and on my way home dropped in on my friend Tina and her family for a quick chat, hug and cup of tea - thanks Tina.

We finally arrived home at 9.30pm and soon collapsed into bed, to get ready for another early start the next day.

Scout Camp - off we go.

2008-07-26T22:00:00.001+01:00

After an early start and quite abit of chivying Ben along we managed to get down to the Scout Hut for 8.15am. All the Scouts going on camp arrived in uniform (most looking quite tired) and they loaded up the coach and van with all their belongings. After the flag ceremony and a few group photos - of which I didn't have any because Julian had the camera packed on the coach - they were ready for their week long camp at Blackwell Court.

During the day I decided to plug the Tomtom into the computer to see if I could download a GPS update. It found an updated version of the application so I downloaded that, and then the Tomtom would not work - ARGHHHH. Two hours later after reloading the backup, googling other people's problems, I decided to moved everything off the memory card to a different location, then reloaded it with a previous backup - hey presto it worked. So glutton for punishment I decided to try and upload the new application again and it worked - hooray. It then found another newer version so I uploaded that and took another backup. So pleased it is all working again as we need it for our camping trips in August.

In the evening it was time to start my gardening duties.

As Julian is away for the week he has left me a long list of things that need doing in the garden. So I set about watering all the tomato plants, beans, peas, peppers, carrots, beetroot, kohl rabi, lettuce, strawberries, red cabbages, courgettes & squashes. The allotment is on my list for later in the week ( I am praying for rain so my watering duties will be reduced).

I picked a few ripe tomatoes and a lettuce and had chicken salad for tea again.

PS I gave our giant african land snails (GALS) Brian & Sophie some lettuce leaves and THEY ATE THEM. We have had these snails since January and all they have eaten is cucumber, what ever else we put in they didn't eat. So I will be trying lettuce again.

Lowestoft Air Show

2008-07-25T22:00:00.003+01:00

As the weather was forecast to be good, myself, Ben & Sam decided to go to Lowestoft Air Show

On arriving in Lowestoft after an uneventful 1 hour drive we made our way to the designated disabled car park - to be told there was only one space left, as I was driving a Transit van I wasn't too hopeful that it would fit in - but luck was on our side and the carpark attendant had mis-counted because there were 2 spaces.

We gathered all our belongings and headed for the sea-front which was HEAVING with thousands of people !!! We walked as far as the Claremont Pier and set our picnic blanket out on the very pleasant grass (surrounded by beautiful flower beds).

Sun cream was applied to myself & Sam - Ben refused. And we sat and waited for the Red Arrows to start the display. Ben got a little bored and hot - but refused to take his jacket off.

When the display started Ben decided to take some photos - I had taken the camera, charged the batteries up the night before, and then left the batteries at home. So he had to use my phone camera - which didn't last long as the battery on that died. Sam started to get grizzly soon after we arrived, so I got him out of his chair and laid him on the blanket - he wasn't much happier there.

This was my favourite display by the Red Arrows :-

After the Red Arrows had finished I went off to get some lunch as Ben was STARVING. Sam grizzled all through lunch and was starting to get quite hot - we sheltered him from the sun with my umbrella and Ben lent him his ipod to listen too.

After lunch Sam sat with me for a little while but was still not happy - so I put him back in his chair and put my umbrella over him - he cooled down and was happy for the rest of the day :) He didn't seem at all interested in the planes, he was so busy watching everybody else wandering around. The only time he reacted was during the Typhoon display which was amazing - but the noise was incredible, it goes right through you, I thought he was going to scream, but he held it together and just looked worried.

All in all not a bad day out.

When we got home I dropped Ben down at the local Scout hut to help pack the lorry for camp the next day. When Julian got home he went down to help too. When they had finished they came home and put the finishing touches to their own packing.

Chicken salad with garlic bread for tea, off to bed for an 8.15 meet down at the scout hut.

My Weekend at Camp

2008-07-20T22:00:00.003+01:00

Having been woken up at 5am by giggling chatty Guides and a downpour of rain - we finally emerged from our tents at 7am and the weather was fine.

Washed & dressed the Guides started their patrol fires to cook breakfast - sausage, bacon, beans & eggy bread - washed down with apple juice.

After breakfast came the washing up :-

A local Rainbow pack came to visit us at 10am - they learnt how the Guides had built their fires, visited their tents and helped tidy them, had a drink and biscuit, then played fruit salad with the Guides. Their mascot Olivia came along to and she stayed the night and went home with Chris.

Then came the water fight fun - water bombs, buckets and plastic cups with holes. The girls had a great time.

After a picnic lunch we had a "Wide Game" and then it was backwards cooking - they made chocolate chip cookies and pizzas.

After eating the pizzas it was time to start cooking tea - Chicken wraps with onion, mushroom, peppers & tomatoes !!

After more washing up we had a camp fire and camp songs. All the Guides were asleep by 11pm.

Sunday morning arrived and it was dry again - we had a quick breakfast of rice krispies, yoghurt, warm croissants and more apple juice.

Then down to the serious tack of cleaning all those frying pans, pots & kettle - from black to shiny in about 60 minutes.

Another quick drink and snack then the tents had to come down after being moved into the sun to dry off and Mags & Vanessa wiping them with cloths.

Twelve o'clock noon was going home time for the Guides - they all looked very tierd but happy - so a job well done.

My First Guide Camp

2008-07-19T22:00:00.002+01:00

I have been involved with 2nd Taverham Guides now for just over a year. Having done Brownies & their pack holidays for 11 years - I am about to experience my first Guide camp.

We are only camping at our local Scout hut where we hold our weekly meetings - but it should be fun, we have got 14 guides coming and there will be 4 adult leaders.

This morning myself, Chris, Mags & Vanessa met at the Scout hut and put up both the adult's tents and the first aid tent. Then we set off for Asda to buy all the food. Ninety minutes later we had spent £115 and had 2 shopping trolleys quite full of goodies for the weekend.

We had a quick sandwich at the local pub and then all went home to pack our clothes, wellies & waterproofs.

The Guides arrived at the campsite at 6.30pm and the weather was fine. After booking in all the healthforms we set about getting the girls to put up their tents and the store tent. Once the tents were up the heavens opened - the girls went in the scout hut for hotdogs and hot chocolate and a safety and hygiene talk as well as playing games.

The last Guides finally went to sleep at about 1.30am and the first Guides were awake at 5am (probably because it was pouring down again !!)

Hospital Visit

2008-07-17T14:22:00.000+01:00

Sam had an 8.30am appointment this morning for an x-ray and then 9.10am to see the consultant - Mr K. These were both for his ongoing problem with kidney stones.

Since seeing the Mr K. in April this year Sam has had 2 x-rays of his kidneys, a CT scan and a DMSA (Di Mercapto Succinic Acid test) thank goodness they abbreviate that one ! (a radioactive dye is injected and then the function of the kidney can be recorded).

These tests showed that Sam's right kidney has yet again filled up with stones, but thankfully it is still functioning normally although it is quite large compared to the left. Mr K. wants to operate again on the 28th July to remove the stones - he has booked the theatre and the other surgeon Mr B. is free. This would be the 5th operation Sam has had for kidney stones in 2 years.

This is what they removed on the 1st operation :-

But Ben & Julian are off on Scout camp on 26th for a week so I didn't really want to be spending that week in hospital with Sam on my own. Mr K. said he would re-arrange it for after the summer holidays - but he still wants Sam in on 28th to put in a stent just incase any of the stone dislodges.

We then had to go for a pre-op, so all the paper work is done for 28th. Sam should be first on the list so I hope we get get home by mid afternoon as I have bought tickets for us to watch a pre-season football friendly between Norwich City & Tottenham Hot Spurs.

Eggy Bread Wednesdays

2008-07-16T22:00:00.000+01:00

Ben goes to Scouts on Wednesdays during the school term. And for a while now he has wanted eggy bread (bread soaked in eggs and fried until brown & yummy !!) before he goes out. Not only does he request this but he also insists that I add tomato sauce on the top. Easy you may say - OH NO - I have to come up with a different pattern every week, and then he gives me a mark out of ten.

I am not the most artistic person, but I try my best. Sometimes trying to theme the design on what is happening at home, school etc etc. Previous attempts have been the odd french word, football scores, noughts & crosses. I never get a very good score, but last week I achieved 9/10, mainly because that is what I wrote in sauce and Ben read it out, so I took that as his score :)

This week I was a bit rushed so I only wrote his name - this gave me a poor 4/10.

My First Post in Blog World !

2008-07-15T22:00:00.000+01:00

Well I thought I would drag myself into the "World of Blogs". Not sure how well I will keep it updated, but I can live in hope. Tia & Tina inpsired me to start by reading their blogs (I will work out how to post their links soon !! )

Sam had sports day at school today, followed by Youth Club, so I went to school to pick him up for 6pm, I was a few minutes left and he was last to be collected :(
When I got there he was wearing a bright yellow & blue football kit and proudly displaying his football trophy which he won in the lower school v. staff match. They won 2-1. The trophy is now standing on top of the TV for everyone to see.

While I was collecting Sam, Julian was trying to remove a virus from Ben's computer ! How many times do you have to tell a teenager not to download everything to the computer ? Thankfully he managed it, but it was still throwing up loads of pop-ups, so after more googling he found that "Blubster" was the problem so that has now been deleted.