A Tico Tico Ti, A Tico Tico TA

Thought it was about time I added another post. But am currently lost for words! There is so much to tell, so I am going to canabilize an email I sent to a pal......

Everything good this end! We love it down here. Molly is good - blood tests yesterday perfect and we don't have to go back till mid Jan. Brill! Daisy good - enjoying it down here with heaps to do. The school is fantastic and I am so very pleased with her progress - she is coming back with awards and praise and visits to the Head for good work etc. Her reading is in the top set and her maths the second (which is fab cos its not one of her favourite subjects). She has loads to do too - Gym after school on Monday (free school club), Samba band after school Tuesday (free school club), Beavers Wednesday (absolute bedlam, she loves it), Swiming with the school on Friday, Pop dancing on Sat am (actually I am going to do the adult class immediately after this Sat - won't be able to move on Sun!!! But MY GOD Britney better watch out cos she is going to have some serious competition.......). Molly goes dancing too.

I managed to voluteer myself as secretary to the committee that run the preschool (how the hell did THAT happen?!?!). Minutes were fun to do, but how "Secretary" encompasses baking 60-odd mince pies AND flogging them at the Christmas Bazaar I will never know. Apparently they were very nice - I wouldn't know, because after dropping one tray straight out of the oven and then the bloody B*stard cooling rack leg collapsing and watching, in slow motion, another batch hit the floor I didn't think I could stomach actually eating one myself. But they all sold, which was good and the christmas Bazaar was actually really nice - we had it in the local posh hotel (had dinner there- more of that later!!) and it was warm, welcoming and very christmassy, as Christmas Bazaars should be....

Joined the WI - first meeting last week, took Sylv. That was fun!! Lots of things lined up there. Best thing about it? Watching the characters having a polite pop at each other - love it!!!

I go riding once a week which is fab - feel a bit bandy when I get off but brilliant fun. Lovely horses which makes a change. Mine was feeling nice and frisky on Tuesday cos the weather was crappy so he had been shut in. Carted me off all over the place and I had a huge grin plastered on my face! Can't wait to go again. Not going this week though... (more of that later.....)

Bit chilly but really not bad at all for this time of year. Wet today the last couple of days but inbetween really bright.

We have made friends too! They live around the corner and run the local shoot (great fun for Shaun, he is beating today). They are both really nice and we have a lot in common. Their son is in Daisy's class and they get on really well. And they are here to do the self sufficiency thing too! So we will probably be pooling our resources (something like, you guys do carrots, we'll do potatoes).

We have finally turned our bathroom into a bigger bedroom for the girls, which looks lovely and their old room into the toy room. That leaves the box room to be converted into a "bath" room (we have a shower room next to that). Don't have a spare room, unfortunately, but never mind - we do have a caravan (another Freecycle acquisition - FAB!!). A little bit of work to be done on it (brake cable and a deep clean!!) and then next spring we can take off when we want.

Actually I have some seriously fun ideas for the caravan, not least painting the outside with flowers etc etc a la hippy - its really orange and brown 80's special at the mo and needs livening up and a bit of t.l.c. Maggie if you are reading this - thanks again for giving us your caravan!!!

The extension on our lounge will be built some time next year - the lounge is tiny (a third of the size we used to have) which would be ok, sweet and cosy, but we have got to work somewhere and at the moment the computer is in the corner and I sit sideways in the armchair with the keyboard on my knee and the mouse on the arm of the settee!! Thats OK tho - it will all sort itself out soon. I love the house and am very very happy.

So, for the points to follow:

1) It was our 5th Anniversary on Friday! Aw!!! And my parents kindly sent us some dough to eat out... so we did! We went to the local poshy-poos hotel and had the BEST meal I have had in my life. Seriously good food, fantastically wonderful service and I loved every minute. It was brilliant.

2) unfortunately have now caught Molly's Marvellous Tummy Bug so won't be going riding. Ah well, might lose the weight I put on on Friday when I ate so much I thought I would explode and my fancy-pants restaurant. That'll teach me.