Hello There!

Oh my lovelies- how I have missed you! This has most definitely been the longest break I've had from writing for two years, and I don't think I realized quite how much it meant to me until now. Over the last weeks there's been so many times that I've seen or heard or laughed about something, and then automatically thought  'I must put that on the blog!' I suspect it might be part of who I am now..this writing lark, I mean.  I've really no clue where I'm going with it or what direction it'll take me, but now I'm here, wherever that is, I can't go back. Am I even making sense or just rambling incoherently? (Don't answer that!)

I'd also love to be able to tell you that I've had the most delicious rest and discovered a hidden talent for flower arranging or yoga or salsa dancing over the last month...alas no. Every moment I would have been writing, I've instead been totally immersed in home improvements. Remember the plan to stay put and 'live in the house, the very big house in the country?' (Sorry - couldn't resist!)

Well, it's all been part of my 'falling in love with my own house' process and now that we're staying put, it means tackling stuff we've hitherto neglected. So we've had double glazing replaced and wallpaper removed, dull floors polished and pictures hung, cupboards cleared, and new carpet on the stairs, new curtains on the landing and bright cushions in the sunroom that make you smile when you see them.

I've scoured Gumtree for a fireplace which we then painted 'french linen' with Annie Sloane chalk paint....and by 'we' I obviously mean Loverboy, and by 'french linen' I obviously mean beige.But it turned out so well that our tired pine coffee table we got as a wedding present will be getting the same treatment - I've even pushed the boat out and ordered sparkly glass knobs to set it off. Go me!


BUT oh my, home improvements are exhausting, especially when you're a bargain queen on a budget and with ideas and notions well beyond her station.  It also doesn't help that I'm a bit of a ditherer and I doubt and second guess myself ALL THE TIME, and then turn around and blow the sitting room budget on curtains anyway....which means that now it's paint instead of wallpaper. (Someone once confidently  informed me that there's simply no luxury in paint... I say what-ev-er!) But very very slowly the late nights are paying off as rooms are taking shape and at last it feels like home- a place to hang your hat and linger awhile and isn't that the point at the end of the day?

I'll not dwell on it here but sadly there's been a family death in the last few weeks as well - a life cut tragically short and the disbelief and grief that inevitably follows. Blessedly, the ordinary busyness of  this time of year is a distraction-the exams and school trips, the (so called) Fun nights, the car boot sales, the sports days and the end of term get togethers . Not to mention the ritual buying of teacher's presents- we've covered THAT little conundrum before!

Not my actual child...

The icing on the cake was the chicken pox that descended several weeks ago and is now doing the rounds. Cormac had it first and now it's the turn of the two youngest. Luke isn't too bad-he's just covered in spots and now actually clucks when spoken to, but Rory is  floored with it. In fact, today he's so miserable that I cancelled my desperately needed and long awaited hair appointment.. which was like hens' teeth to get! Now I can't decide if  it makes me a good mother for canceling it or a bad mother for doing it through gritted teeth.



I'm also on the third week (of eight) of the app 'Couch to 5k' and this week I graduated to the 3 minute running bursts.... Oh. My. God. I honestly thought I was going to expire in a hedge halfway up the hill and as if that wasn't embarassing enough, the app then thoughtfully updated my Facebook page with the wholly unnecessary detail that my overall speed was 14.75 minutes per mile....Yes I know, I'd actually be quicker walking. Maybe some of us just aren't meant to run? Maybe we're born with have other talents...like shopping or big boobs?

Now I must go- Ive kept you chatting long enough and anyway, I've calamine cream to rub in and a coffee table to paint. Hmmmm, Maybe I should take before and after shots of both?
Laters, Emmax
PS Barack and Michele and the kids in Belfast? What can I say except- tote amaze!