No no no no no I can't be doing with a broken washing machine :(  The weather has just turned sunny so catch up with the washing. I was on my second load of the morning .. just turned 9am ... the spin cycle just started to show the end of the wash and ... clunk clunk clunk. At first I thought maybe something was loose in the machine and banging on the metal drum inside but when the noisy wash had finished and removed from the machine .. the noise is still there if you spin the drum  : /
I'm not sure what to do now ... get someone in to look at the already old machine which has been fixed once with the likelihood that it is beyond repair and still have to pay for call out or just go for a new one which I really can not afford at the moment :(

And about time too LOL My first day off and I should be making a start on all the things I had planned but .... instead I am just sat here in a daze of pure joy at not having to do a thing ... such a wonderful feeling. Kieren is at a mates house until 6pm, Liam is on a school trip (they don't finish until Wednesday) to Thorpe Park until 6.30pm and Jess is home trying to install a game on the desktop.
The one thing I am doing today though is to work my way through the 350 photos I took at my nieces wedding on Sunday. Each one has to be converted from RAW to Jpeg and cropped and some altered for white balance and levels. I have done about 50 so far so a lot more to go.

2 that I have done .. one of me and the kids which my brother took with my camera thats why we have no feet LOL and one of the most beautiful bride in the world  :-) 
 
All's not too well on the rattie front though :(  
Milly seems to have given up the will to live, she just doesn't seem to want to get better. I can't get her in with other rats as she just attacks them but she is not happy. She won't eat and has lost a lot of weight and is now hunched and fluffed. Her chest seems clearer but her body is telling me otherwise :(  I really don't know what to do for Milly or if there is anything I can do :(
Othello is giving me worries today as well. He seems lethargic and a bit out of it .. not sure whats going on there but I can't get him to the vet until the car gets back from the garage later today.
Its funny how the younger rats are the ones giving me the worry at the moment and the older ones just keep on going without a health issue at all.

First time in over 2 weeks, I am feeling chilled and relaxed :-) Maybe something to do to with the bottle of wine just drunk but why not after all its only once a month that I am aloud LOL 
Should have done 101 things today but instead sat around most of the day chatting online ... but again my choice, my life 
I think I will suffer tomorrow but I don't care as long as I win that cage .. the rest of you stay away its mine LOL

Dauphin has gone ... released from her suffering, her pain, her hunger and confusion :*(
It hurts ... it hurts a lot but what hurts more is the knowledge that others may suffer in the same way all because she wanted to breed them .. for what because they were a nice colour ... because she wanted to be the first to breed hairless ... I don't know but it was wrong, very wrong and it makes me angry .. too angry to write a proper obit for my lovely girl ... I will though because she deserves it but when I am calmer.
Rest in peace Dauphin .. you are free to eat and breath as much as you like

 

I 'think' I may have sorted out how to get Dreamweaver working on Vista .. no hang on, still having problems ... I really wanted to update the website ... I think I will have to admit defeat and get the book out again.

Dauphin is very poorly :(  Last night she started having tremors and was finding it hard to stand and walk :( She is still able to eat as long as I give her a shallow dish and can get around the cage. Milly is spending lots of time cuddled with her ... she seems to know how poorly she is :(  

The week started off with the vet visit for Meg and Dauphin. Meg had a lump and after being looked at by Bruni, was agreed to have the lump removed by John on Thursday. I was a little worried that Bruni couldn't do the op herself but being pregnant she couldn't but she promised to keep an eye on John to make sure the op went well. 
Bruni also had a good look at Dauphin and sadly there isn't much we can do apart from keeping her comfortable :(  Her mouth will only open half way so her mouth was full of muck, her teeth are out of alignment slightly, she has no sight, blink reflex or sense of touch on the left side of her face and slightly reduced grip on her left hand. Although Bruni thought she could feel a lump she didn't want to give any steroid because she was worried that it would thing the skin and with Dauphin being hairless thought it would cause more kin problems than she already had. She came home on antibiotics and some metacam. During the week she has already started to deteriorate with her chest becoming congested and her left eye bulging. She has become a little more confused and lost a bit of weight but she is still drink and eating the soft food so we will continue to fight for her.

On Tuesday Jess was called into the office at college. That woman at the pet shop had phoned because she had heard that Jess was going to voice her concerns about her animal care, to the RSPCA, the Council and the local MP. Because the college use her shop for work placement (not for Jess), she has said that if Jess makes any complaints at all then she would make trouble for the college. We are going to the CAB to see where we stand on this and will be talking more to the college of course before the letters and statements of conditions are sent but believe me I will not let this go.

Thursday Meg went for her lump removal which went very well :-) Bruni phoned in the afternoon and asked when I could collect her. She had Meg in the office with her because she kept trying to get at the stitches. She said she had tried a little collar which didn't work and thought we would be better to watch her because Meg was wearing her out LOL She had internal sutures and 4 external and has managed to leave them alone so far. I have had her close by in the critter 1 as the big cage is far too boisterous for her for now. She has had visits from the other girls and joined them for some out time last night.

Also on Thursday Kieren went for his  very last day at school ... the leavers assembly and Friday, went off to his prom. 
He looked very, very smart and grown up in his suit ... bought a tear to my eye it did.

Some good news for the week, it looks like Sally has escaped pregnancy :-) Although we haven't seen a season even though she has been out playing with Riley, she also has stopped gaining weight and her belly has remained a lovely healthy, soft round .. I'm 90% sure there are no babies in there :-)

Felt a bit lonely this week ...when I have been on msn in the evening, no one seems to be around and if they are they don't feel like talking ... oh well only 3 more weeks left and then I have the summer hols to look forward to ...

I know I have posted these on FR but I wanted them here as well, just for you Laura :D
I hope you like...

Well I have had a little time to test the camera but not managed to read through all of the instruction book as yet LOL
Just a few photos that I took over the weekend and the best bit is that I can now take little video's which I am unable to do with the DSLR :D
I am totally spoilt with my other camera so this compact isn't going to get the same quality but I was pleasantly surprised :)

Well its Thursday and the camera I ordered on Monday for next day delivery, still isn't here :( I have made several phone calls to Freemans and no one seems to know where the camera has gone since it left the depot on Monday. In the end it was decided that I should order again for next day delivery tomorrow (they won't charge for this). They have booked it for the morning and say that there will be special note on it to make sure it gets here ... you wait, tomorrow morning will come and I will either have no camera or I will have 2 turn up LOL

To cheer me up, Kieren made some yummy cinnamon bread which were fantastic ... thank you so much for the recipe Laura, we even sorted the temperature for the fan oven if ever you need it  ;)
Tomorrow we are shopping for the vegetables to make the curry following Karls show curry recipe ... and I know Kieren will do a good job with that as well as his cooking is always so much better than mine.  I will let you know how it goes :D

I ordered a compact camera online yesterday from my Freemans catalog and because I am the most impatient human on earth, I paid an extra £2.99 for next day delivery. Well it got to 4.30pm today and still no camera so I phoned Freemans. I was assured that it will be here by 8pm at the latest. It got to 7.30pm and still no camera so I phone them back and talk to someone else who says that maybe the courier is running late and they may deliver tomorrow as they can't really guarantee that it will come tonight. I was told to phone back tomorrow if it didn't arrive tonight and they would reimburse the £2.99 ... well that's not the point ... they said next day and I want my camera today .... sulks and stamps foot :(

 

My brother and his family are at Center Parcs Longleat this weekend and as its my brothers 40th birthday, he thought it would be lovely to invite the whole family over for the day as guests :D So we are off shortly to meet up ... that's my 2 brothers, 2 sisters and my parents, with all their kids as well. I think its going to be a wonderful day ... just got to get my lot out of bed and into the shower ... good job Longleat is only an hour away LOL

Stupid thing to do to choose a spearmint chew ... haven't had one for years so got a few ... first one lovely ... second one has just taken my filling and half my tooth :(  I haven't been to the dentist for ages as they terrify me .... now what do I do ....stupid spearmint chews :(

 Lets try again ... I typed it and went to check and it had gone ...

I apologize first for not writing anything for about 6 weeks ... life has been rather strange and hectic and I really haven't had the time or inclination to put anything down in writing but things are looking up so I thought it about time I sat down and wrote :)

Home, family and me ...
Home is a mess but I don't care ... well I do really but if I say I don't, it means I can put off the cleaning for a bit longer LOL 
The grass is very overgrown as well as the hedge that needs trimming and I was going to tackle it this weekend but the weather has turned from glorious sunshine to horrid damp drizzle, so yet again it will have to wait. I will get the house cleaned instead I think as we have visitors on Sunday ;)
The kids are all busy with exams .. SATS, GCSE's or end of year coursework. Jess has finally got herself a job in a cattery/kennels for 3 mornings and 1 full day a week starting when college finishes, which I know she will enjoy loads as well as meaning she can pay her own vet bills for her jirds. Kieren is just trying to get through the exams so he can at last leave school. He is so looking forward to trying out the new herbs and spices Laura and Karl gave him and cooking up a curry using the famous Karl recipe ... he will have to wait for the half term holiday for that LOL
And me ... I think I am finally settled emotionally for now :) I have decided to stay on the tablets I am on until during the summer holidays. I am feeling so calm and happy with only the occasional off day, that I don't want to jeopardize it by coming off the tablets too soon.
I have been trying to get rid of the extra weight I gained while giving up the fags for 2 reasons .. 1 I have a wedding to go to and want to get back down to a size 12 and I have also been invited to center parks as a guest for the day and the horrid thought of getting into a swim suit is driving me mad. I am managing to be sensible about the weight loss but the  weekends are so hard as I want to eat all the time because I am at home and then feel guilty for eating ... only another few pounds to go though I think ... I should be able to get there in a couple of weeks :)

Friends ...
I wanted to say a big public thank you to those friends who have stuck by me over the last few months and helped me over the difficult times ... there are only a few of you but you have helped me more than my family ever could ... big (((hugs))) to you all ... Laura, Laura, Karl, Cate, Sabby, Kim, Lois, Mandy ... you are wonderful :)
I'm just sorry if I haven't returned the support to you at times when you felt you needed it ... I will from now on I promise :)

Work ... 
well I'm still at the same school, in the same job, even though I keep saying I will leave and do something different. I think its the fact that I work only term time so am home for my children and its only 5 minutes walk away and yes I admit, I do enjoy the job a lot of the time and after 9 nearly 10 years in the same place, it is hard to move on.
I may be changing my mind about the whole job thing by next week though as we were informed yesterday that we have an Ofsted inspection as from next Wednesday ... eeek the whole school is now running around like headless chickens trying to get last minute things in place ... I feel its too late in some areas though :( ... we shall see ... at least we have the SATS out of the way and we will have a week off after to recover LOL

Ratties ...
The boys Oco and Brauti really enjoyed their trip to the Clevedon show. I don't normally take shoulder rats but I so wanted Laura and Karl to see Brauti again and for Sarah to see Oco ... I believe they were happy to see them :)
All rats at home are healthy and well. The older ones don't seem to be slowing down and the younger ones are still bouncing off the walls :)
I had some really good news this week ... it looks like my 3 foster girls who have been here since March, may have a new home to go to. I have a lovely couple coming over on Sunday and if the girls like them and they are confident that they can handle the girls strange ways, then they will take them home with them to live with their lonely boy.
I have though decided that when these girls have gone, that it is time for a break from fostering. I really need to get my numbers down before I take on any more. As although I love taking in and caring for these wafes and strays, the family time suffers and my youngest is complaining I don't spend enough time on family things as I am always with the rats and that makes me feel sad and guilty :(

I think that may be enough ramblings for now and I will try my best to post more often so the posts won't be so long LOL


 

I've been signed off work since Tuesday until the end of the week and having slept on and off for the last 2 days, I am now terribly restless.
I know I should get myself together and do something ... I had planned taking the camera out for a photo shoot but the weathers grim and I really don't feel like leaving the house. I could try cooking something but I don't want to poison the kids LOL
I think it may be a photo shoot in the house ... can't be the ratties as they are all asleep ... I will have to look around for things. I'm sure I have some lamps around somewhere for lighting and even some big sheets of coloured cardboard for background ... ahhh just need to get motivated ... so restless but at the same time just want to go back to bed and sleep ......

I love all my ratties but today is Oco and Brauti's day to have extra love :)
I was worried about Brauti having his burr today as my normal vet is on holiday so I had to use the other vet who I don't like that much. But I shouldn't have worried, the burr went well and the vet gave me the drugs I needed which was another worry. 
By the time I got home from the vets, Brauti was wide awake and wanting feeding LOL
Oco just needs all the love he can get :) He is a fighter and I know he will try his very best to live as long a life as possible.

Have managed to keep the house in some sort of order so at least I won't have to re-clean again this morning but I dread to think the state it will be in tonight !!!
Jess has her 18th birthday tomorrow and she has invited 100's (well it seams like) of friends round today to celebrate. They all arrive around 11am and some will stay until 10pm and some are sleeping over I think. I have been told that me and the boys are not allowed to be around for at least most  of the day  which is fine by  me  as  I will  only  worry . I have to be back for a doctors appointment at 4pm anyway and then I will disappear upstairs into the rat room for the rest of the evening.
Not sure what I'm going to do between 11am - 4pm though ... I have agreed to meet mother in town for a short time at 12.30 so she can give me Jess's present and then I'm not sure ... I will take the camera and see where the car takes us :-)
Maybe I should drive to coast and see if the sea air can clear my head and sinus's and if not I could always just have a nap LOL

My little girl is now a young woman ... and I feel old :-(

Why do colds and feeling ill have to ruin everything :( There was so much I wanted to do with my week off and what happens ... the cold comes back and I feel like crap. I've been fighting it off and going out for fresh air with the kids and camera but after an hour I just want to come back home and go to bed :(
Ok I'll shut up now

I have peoples coming round to visit and the house is a tip :-( I just don't seem to have time to keep up with the house work and I hate people seeing it like this :-(  Laura always says shes coming to see us and the rats and not the house but it still bothers me.
Once the mad clean is over though, it will be lovely to see Laura, Jen and Nicky :-)
Must dash got to get going ....

The car is off to the garage yet again today :-( This time its the starter motor ... takes me 20 minutes to get the thing started every time I want to go anywhere. I really could do without this extra expense :-(

ETA- 5pm ...  what a waste of a day without the car ... the stupid garage ordered the wrong starter motor so couldn't fit it so now it has got to go back tomorrow ... I'm so fed up as I wanted it sorted today :-(