Moving at the speed of life

We were waiting for the ski slope to open at 9am today, for the first skiing of the season. She did REALLY well, and is managing reasonable parallel turns. I was spared going onto the slope as she is already after one year a much better skier than me, AND she was wearing my boots. Which caused the 20 year old at the ski hire enormous hilarity, as they are, well, antique. But rather robust and completely safe. Skis, helmets  and boots are included in the price, but she hates wearing sweaty boots right off someone else’s feet, so she took her own boots and helmet, and we used their skis, to save me putting the roof rack on. She had a three hour session, and did brilliantly, I thought. Great that she can go on the slope now by herself.

Then we went and met a new friend, (waves to Elaine and JR) who has moved from Yorkshire to rather near us.  The girls cruised the shops for an hour, and then we went to the Maritime Museum, before heading off to ice-skate for 90 minutes. We called into Sainsbury’s on the way back to the car, and bought bread and cheese for DD to eat on the way home, because as soon as we got home, she was heading out to athletics for another two hour sessions. I’m exhausted thinking about it.

Have been really worried about my mum as she had a breast biopsy last month, and the results were inconclusive (I think actually as they didn’t get a good sample). Anyway, she was back today for another, and they gave her the all clear. She would be SO pissed off at me for sharing that with the WWW . DD has now gone to stay with her for a few days, as I am training all weekend. Well, from 8am tomorrow, actually. eek. Also so, so happy that a girl from athletics has just called to ask if she’d like to go with her to the cinema tomorrow. Obviously she’s not here, but that is such a huge step forward, and I did my best not to do anything embarrassing on the phone, as DD has interrogated my every word

Off and on for the last 11 years I’ve had bouts of insomnia. It’s a special kind of torture, I’ve decided. Initially, I put it down to night-time horrors about dd’s health, and then I decided it had just become a bad habit, and I’ve tried just about everything, from the traditional milky drink, to herbal remedies, to a referral to a sleep clinic (where they did at least agree with me that I *was* awake, as the GP had said that I was probably getting more sleep than I was estimating.) They suggested a range of  sleep hygiene techniques, which I instituted with some rigour, and yet I’ve never really found anything to help. I do tell myself that someone who has adequate opportunity to sleep *will* get enough sleep to manage on – though that is small consolation when I am getting only a couple of hours sleep at night, and then going about exhausted all day. About a year ago it just disappeared out of the blue, and I realised the joys of not being chronically tired. Then about three weeks ago, I started waking up about 2am, and not going back to sleep.  And an all-too-familiar pattern is re-emerging. 

Our lovely and well-trained paed phoned me today to check something up – Jeez, I *love* that man. We’ve seen more of him than we have ever needed to see of our GP, and he is just so supportive and lovely, and I really feel he cares about us all.  I hope we get out of the clutches of the NHS before we need to think about a transfer to adult services.

Have been co-erced into an emergency visit to Waterstones for the last three books in the Roman Mysteries series. I bought the first 10 in a pack for 9.99 from the Book People months ago, and they were never touched. However, dd started to read one last week, and got completely hooked, so has rushed through them at the rate of more than one a day. We checked the library on Friday, and (surprise), they don’t have them, so she set up a deal which involved her making three types of soup for the freezer, in return for the books.  She did suggest when they turned out to be buy two, get one free, that I now owed HER. I must tackle the book mountain here though. Can’t be gassed ebaying at the moment, as can’t face all the complaints about late postage, but it is getting seriously out of hand again.

DH is making me my favourite meal ever for dinner – courgette risotto. MMMMMMM

Decided life had been all too serious recently, so on Monday dd and I booked into a travel inn in Edinburgh with some vouchers I had, and we went off to do the tourist things. Monday we went to the Museum of Childhood, the People’s Story, John Knox’s House, the Edinburgh Dungeons and a Ghost Walk.  I embarrassed her in both the Museum of Childhood and the People’s story by recognising toys and other artefacts from my own 1960s childhood, so thoroughly enjoyed both of these. The Ghost walk was bizarre, with a guy in a halloween mask jumping out of doorways, though dd seemed to find it hilarious. We then went to an Italian Restaurant that I used to go to when I was a student, and 30 years later, it’s still going strong. We don’t go that often now, maybe twice or three times a year, but the original staff and owners are still there, and we’ve been around for so long they do recognise us – so dd had a huge fuss made of her, and we got teased about bella mamas and bella bambinos (or something!). They always give me a massive kiss, and dd had a bit of an old fashioned look on since her dad wasn’t there!

Tuesday we did two different open top bus tours. Did I mention it was freezing? Had a trip round Brittania, and then back to the Storytelling Centre for an afternoon workshop. Rushed home for athletics in the evening. It was a really good couple of days, and nice to be just the two of us. We walked for miles, talked for hours, and drank copious amounts of hot chocolate. Have also emptied my purse of all the special offer vouchers that had been accumulating in there!

Wednesday I went to work, and Bob took her on various cycling tours. Wednesday they went to Arran,  Thursday to the Isle of Bute (where they cycled round the entire island) and Friday to Culzean Castle. So they’ve been averaging about 30 miles a day.  She came home from Bute telling me they’d seen the perfect house for a B+B plus training centre. LOL. I wish. Today they’ve gone to Cumbrae, another of the islands in the Clyde, to get maximum use out of their 5 day rover pass. The two of them are planning to do the Coast to Coast cycle run at some point, so they are getting loads of practice in! I don’t think I ever need to worry about dd getting her aerobic exercise, anyway.

FRACXG10 or FREXPN10. Offer ends 31 October.

http://www.family-railcard.co.uk/

You can’t forward date them, so only really useful if yours is about to run out anyway. We were lucky though, as mine ran out end September, and I always renew it on the first rail trip after it expires, so we were ready to buy

Had a lovely day – booked us onto a high rope course this morning, which DD loved.  I was nervous She also did the fan drop, which is a sort of dead-mans drop to the ground, and the climbing wall, where the kids had to climb up and rescue various teddies suspended from the top of the wall. All that before 11am! Had brunch out, and came home by the scenic route.

DD cleaned the GPs, Bob went for a 10 mile “stroll” and I updated my business blog, and wrote some tailored press releases and articles. I’m keen to build up a selection that I can release when I need them, rather than having to write them on the hoof. Loaded some stuff onto the Zen, and am just about to have a bath and a nice glass of wine

Partly because DD is now at the stage where her development and education is more personal, and she doesn’t want it blogged. Partly because I’m so busy. Partly because I’m a lazy bint.

Anyway, projects on WW1, Ancient Rome, and Roman Britain have happened. She’s been doing a bit of formal maths every week at the childminder, and we went through it today, and we were both pleased to discover she was doing good with it. Her keyboard lessons are a huge hit – her teacher is lovely, and comes to the house. Monday night is Guides; Tuesday athletics; Wednesday is football training;  Thursday is netball and then more athletics; Saturday morning is football again. Her netball is excellent, and she is enthusiastic for the rest, and has muscles to be proud of! Swimming has fallen by the wayside a bit recently, which is fine. She’s been to the climbing wall a few times, and the other week did one of those high ropes courses.  On top of all that, she often cycles with Bob when he is doing his training runs, as he is aiming for the midsummer day West Highland Way race. 96 miles in 24 hours. Mad.The upside is that though he has a 6 pack a 20 year old would be proud of.

Guinea pigs are HUGE, work is OK, and the business is slow but sure, which is all I can cope with anyway.