ScottFest 2010

Move over Glasto! The kids and I headed to ScottFest last Saturday.

The weather order was filled perfectly. Blue skies, huge fluffy white clouds and no breeze.

We got there early and set-up the prettiest tent in the universe and while the terences went off to explore I sat and read the paper CK had packed for me.

One of the dads took great delight in teaching d/Boy to ride a motorbike. My boy was a bit wobbly to start but after the first circuit of the showgrounds he got it and was off. Ride like the wind Bullseye!

Princess Curly-Wurly took full advantage of the mahoosive blow-up assault course and the stilts (Although fortunately NOT at the same time. No broken legs here thanks.) before comandeering the quad bike and pegging it around the perimeter of the venue as fast as she could. My heart was in my mouth the entire time until she took me on a ride and I realised 'as fast as she could' was not the same as 'as fast as the quad will go'.

Despite packing two bedrolls, three pillows, one mahoosive airbed, three sleeping bags, two duvets, two double thickness fleece blankets, a basket of warm clothes to wear as the evening approached, jammies, loo roll, knitting, drawing paper and pencil, food to keep the troops going through until breakfast including my assistant, water for us all, a deckchair for me and picnic blanket for the rest (breath) two trips were required back up the hill. The first was for more food and water. The second for CK's spare set of car keys because I was sure I had locked his in the boot. The alternative was too dreadful to consider.

The whole event was chilled out and relaxed with people taking it in turns to cook, tend to children, mix and pour drinks. There was a marquee put up so that the evening's entertainment (Nick Tatham) had somewhere to sit while he played and a fire pit for us all to stand around and toast marshmallows once he had finished.

One of my arch-nemesis was there and put his mono-pod (or eco-pod or some such stupid name for a solid-sided domed tent) right in front of my prettiest-tent-in-the-universe. Within about five minutes he came across all smiley, hippy-happy and said

'Can't we be friends? I hate having to avert my eyes when I see people.'

'I'm not the one who said I don't like Australians' says I sunglasses down, attitude high.

'Oh you shouldn't take any notice of that. I'm a South African. (WTF?!?) Friends?' as he stretched out his hand.

Again he said 'Friends?'

Sunglasses still on I agreed and shook his hand, all the while grimacing on the inside.

d/Boy was getting quite tired by 10pm so after making the mahoosive trek to the far end of the Showgrounds and using the real loos (glamping all the way here baby) he, my assistant and I retired for the night. After a 20 minute struggle with the bedding mountain we fell asleep. Princess C-W crawled in at 11.30!

We slept well until half 3 when the requisite night-time wee was required. Of course I could not find the lead so had to hold my assistant while excavating a very sleepy d/Boy from the bedding mountain then around the back of the tent for a wee rather than head to the other end of the field. All relatively straight forward until my bladder decided it too needed to experience the full joy of camping so still holding my assistant I had to undertake all aspects of outdoor weeing with one free hand.

The whole experience was exacerbated by the proximity of the tent to a boarding kennels. My assistant was wriggling like a lunatic and growling through my hand clamped around her jaw all while d/Boy was standing admiring the bazillion stars visible in the cloud-free sky. As we settled back inside the blanket mountain that d/Boy turned to me and said 'I don't like camping.'

We shall see next Summer my boy, we shall see.

'Tis the season to be jolly...

... someone may have just bought a fabulous Christmas present for Christmas 2010. And it may be for a visiting vistor at Christmas 2010 and chosen by a resident superhero. Just sayin' is all.

Easter holidays 2010

chocolate.

Chocolate pancakes.

Tilling and seeding the Lower 40. Potatos, onions and flowers all planted.

New tent! Bought with their own money. Has been a source of great delight and fun since it was first put up.

Uhoh!

After a fabulous half hour hacking through the undergrowth d/Boy found 25 tennis balls. Funny how he got everyone's attention.

d/Boy went on a patisserie kick. We had eclairs. It is safe to say these were greatly enjoyed.

Trash Towers Christmas letter 2009 EDITED

**EDIT**

This letter was written after reading a round robin letter from a friend overseas. What follows is my reaction to the apparent whirlwind excitement of their lives. This post has been edited with this scene setting because a trusted reader/intermittent commenter informed that it reads in a happy perky kind of way when in reality I was a light shade of puce while typing. It would seem that 2009 saw the writers of this page live lives that were fulfilling socially, emotionally, financially, sexually, educationally, metaphysically and photographically. My response was to outline just how 'normal' life here is on the Hill and to that end I have included (with the exception of the first picture) images that are snaps anyone might have taken rather than posed images of loveliness.

I felt so much better at the end of writing this that by the time I got to the fourth and third last sentences I was in earnest again. People of the blog world you guys ROCK!

dear blog friends,

Ho, ho, ho - Santa is coming! Welcome to a round-up of 2009 at Trash Towers. We have had such a busy year doing so many things it is almost tricksy to know where to begin.

Let me start with birthdays - December 28 sees my assistant turning one and what an interesting first year it has been. We faced Spring with several many half-eaten shoes dotted around the house, this has been superseded by a passion for plastic and so now we tread carefully as shredded drink bottles are sharp on barefeet.

As for the rest of us, we have also had birthdays in 2009, each one finding us a year older.

CK has had a daily workload involving meetings and typing short and sharp responses to the apparent idiocy of others. On the up side he had his first solo blog date and refuses to go on any more stating 'Having started at the top it could only go down from here.'

His daily commute continues to involve the car and a bendy road. Traffic sometimes even consists of tractors chugging along causing up to 15 cars to snake along behind.

2009 has seen both children attend school nearly every
day except for holidays and weekends.

Princess Curly-Wurly's hair is even longer now than it was in January whereas (strangely) destructoBoy's is shorter!

I have continued my daily work at Trash Towers on a somewhat hit and miss basis, however I have been highly successful at avoiding cleaning and dusting although the ironing pile is actually threatening to take over downstairs.

Both children have forsworn regular bathing instead choosing the puppywash on irregular occasions. This has resulted in much giggling and also several pounds of potatoes behind the ears of each child.

What with the crappy weather and decaying old dog and all we did not actually manage to get away this year
so the Summer was spent hiding from the rain clouds and mahoosive amounts of precipitation. Eventually the weather cleared enough that we were able to walk the dogs sans wellies, brollies and raincoats and what a memorable afternoon that was.

2009 was the year Maria Juanita Conchita Gonzalez came into my life. I do love her. A lot. Even when there was an incident with late night train journeys, no mobile access and a flat battery I still LOVED her. So I guess this year has had some sunshine in it.

My overwhelming 'sunshiney, happy-heart spot' in 2009 (obviously after the crackers mob I call family, including hounds) has been this little blog space. Rather than blog-averse (seriously, not much is better than a good pun) I have had many an hour wandering through the blogosphere, reading, commenting, being both awed and inspired. Y'all work magic with words and pictures. Perhaps 2010 will see me attain these skills.

Wishing all y'all a Merry Christmas. May it be merry and bright.

Right before schadenfreude* turns around and bites me in the arse.

On reflection I am beginning to think perhaps I have this Christmas thing sussed.

Don't get me wrong. Presents still need to be found (and identified for CK - aaak!) and cards written and actually sent. But this weekend we have hung lights, advent calender, shiny dangly accordion stylee decorations and tinsel.

I am not a particularly fussy type person, I think this is an accepted given, but I always decorate the Christmas tree.

For years the reason has been the kids were too young and some of the ornaments made when they were really little, these are just too fragile for all but the most tender touch. Truth? I claimed it as my own and defended my position valiantly. However this year the reins were passed across and now our Christmas tree and hallway look like an elf has bomited Christmas at high velocity.

For some reason they focussed on a single quadrant of the tree but it was done with discussion and suggestion rather than argument so I let them get on with it. The most heat came when trying to figure out whose angel was due to go on top this year. Next time I looked destructoBoy's 'staff of power' from last week's school play was firmly ensconced. Somewhat disconcerting as I type I must say.

It has been a real adventure opening the boxes of decorations, two years since we last had the opportunity. Obviously there was no point making the house all festive last year for my bastard b-i-l.

In all it was a (mostly) pleasant way of spending a weekend; once the house had been restored to some semblance of order it ended with all of us sitting together laughing our way through 'Elf'.







*schadenfreude ISN'T the word I want but the one I am after is rolling around on the edges of my consciousness. Anyone???

Post-Halloween Roundup

We had a Halloween Party here last night that devolved into a sleepover for both pink and blue models. The boys went to bed at 2100 and the girls 2130. destructoBoy went out quite quickly but Dervish was still awake at 22:30 when I relieved him of his mp3. This morning the girls confessed that, even though I had read them the riot act at 2300, they stayed awake until they could legitimately say 'Good Morning' to one another and then went to sleep!!!!!

The day was spent prepping for the party. CK went out to the shops at least 5 million times for 'just one more thing' while Princess C-W and I cooked the spooky meal. I poured blood and guts with extra eyeballs over rotten bones (homemade pasta sauce with mini-mozzerella balls stuffed with rolled-up basil leaves over macaroni) and my girl made spooky tortilla sesame shapes.

Once Dervish and Dynamo had arrived there was a house to decorate and spooky pumpkins to design. CK's US-based workmate come through on a trip here recently and stocked us up with some fabulously scarey and suitably gory Halloween decorations. So I left CK in charge while I made 'just one last trip to the shops.

Everything in place before the meal meant I had time in hand to 'carve' the patterns the childer had drawn.

I say 'carve' but we discovered last year that a small bit in a trusty Black and Decker gets the job done just as well. We finished off with sparklers, the scarey stories the children had written earlier and s'mores. And then sleep. Eventually!

Walking, wet wellies and The White Lady.

Had a day out with CK, the terences and my assistant today. CK had packed a picnic the previous night prior to us going out to the circus (she drops head into hands and shakes a little. Story to follow when tremors cease) and so we set off at first light.

Well, aiming for 8am.

Actually got away at just after 9am.

First had to walk all three dogs (even though possessed hound was coming with us) , wash dishes from previous night (freely confess -AM a house slut), hang out bed linens so children would have clean sheets this evening AND have a shower. CK and terences just managed to have breakfast and get dressed in that hour and a half.

Two hours later we landed in Lydford and set out on our adventure.

We started off in the old goal, walked up and down the stairs imagining being imprisoned in such a dank, cold and gloomy place. They imagined that. I imagined them being locked up and left behind to rot ;-)

destructoBoy and I raced down the hill (think tech name is bailey) then some minutes later raced back up the hill to see who could be the ultimate winner. Without a second of cheating I touched the castle wall first. Honest. I did not hold back small boy to ensure my victory nor did he end up on the ground squealing with laughter and being clambered on by a highly excited, licky puppy. Once equilibrums had been restored Lydford Gorge beckoned.

We headed off following the up and down path all the way down. We even got all energetic and at final node chose the steep, speedy route to the bottom. Yay us!

(photo from www.geograph.org.uk/photos/16122)

It was lovely and pretty and beautiful and after about five minutes the childer were a bit bored. Fortunately there was more than just a stunning cascade of water, there was a pool-type area.
(Somebody's tourist brochure picture from the innernets)

Much hilarity and enjoyment ensued as we paddled, splashed and gave my assistant swimming lessons. While no-one actually fell in both d/Boy and myself got a little cocky and ended up with soggy wellies and socks. But only a little wet.

Once on the far side of the river from the falls we walked the mile and half back to the car park. The path was slippery and damp and steep and steppy and beautiful and stunning and fabulous. It took us near enough three hours and we had a fabulous time. We chatted and did science, we talked about history and folklore, we gripped the rail for dear life and made jokes and had a fabulous family day. Eventually we got back up to the top, had some lunch, piled back in to the car and made our way home. The old men were pleased to see us and more especially pleased to see the great outdoors as they reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaalllly needed a wee.

Despite being an inch or so shorter in the leg than she was at the start of the day, after just half an hour's rest, my assistant came out when I walked the big dogs tonight. I haven't heard a sound since she finished her dinner, I think we should do this more often ;-)

Ooops! more pictures.

This weekend we are off to the birthday party of one of my ex-children.

I got all inspired and made this cushion cover. I am quite pleased as

a) I made the pattern up as I went along
and
b) I made it from store cupboard staples (except for the cushion pad - there is no room in my lil' cupboard for that. Ask Maria ;-).

You may have heard Maria suggests I laughed because she invented a whole new way of knitting socks. It was more a guffaw of admiration really. But I feel her pain as over a period of several weeks I sent many texts to her, Locket and Lesley bemoaning my inability to count, the general confusion of sock patterns and the weird way I seemed unable to keep track of simple numbers. On more than one occasion the blurry sock and all its octopus needles went flying across the room, through the red fog I heard CK ask if I was really doing this for fun.

It was only last weekend it all began to make sense. You see, I was using the Regia sock pattern-in-a-pamphlet. What you may not know about this is the leaflet contains not just one but TWO sock patterns. Locket's comment when I told her? "Oh? Did I not tell you that?"

This sock is now finished and waiting patiently for its mate AND for me to find it again because I have put it somewhere reeeeeaaaallly safe.


I love that this is how Pr.C-W and destructoBoy spent their holidays :)

However..... are mine the only ones who, despite having been up by 7:00am every single day of the holidays, had to be dragged out of bed at 8:00am first day back at school????

Helllllooooo!!!!!!!!!

Is there anyone still out there?

Through no fault of my own (this time, ahem) the posh whizzy Vaio has been sick for a few weeks and is even currently in hospital at the computer shop. This is the first time in 17 years of knowing CK that he has been unable to fix a breakage on the computer so it must have some serious issues.

This has meant any computering has been done via Jane or Nancy (CK's little handheld Dell Axims) for nearly two weeks now. I have been able to read most blogs (But Pioneer Woman? Your site is soooooooooo huge.) and even comment on a few. Sadly I have been unable to actually blog as neither Jane nor Nancy is happy to share tales of Hilltop life with the wider world. However today CK rigged up the 'dead (I had a bath)' Dell laptop to speak with the Innernets again so HURRAH!! Here I am :-)

It has been a busy few weeks so if you can bear with me I have a picture or two to share over the next few posts.

Most recently - Easter.

For no discernable reason destructoBoy thought this rather yummy chocolate 'babbit' was apt for me ;-)

Easter Monday was rather lovely around here. We did some gardening.

Then before that was the bloggy picnic. Unfortunately I entrusted the camera to Pr. C-W and d/Boy so we only have two pictures of the event, both contain fuzzy images of elbows and knees.


However as I am so late in posting about it there will be pictures on other sites I feel sure. Except Moogsmum. Don't go there, she has doctored a picture to make me look quite odd!


What I can offer you is a photo of the picnic quilt I started to construct to take to sit on. I didn't finish it but on of my ex-children had a lovely time playing tea parties on it while it was laid out to figure out the finished design.

It is made up of the charm square assortment I was sent by Kylie. Theoretically it is a dark/light construction but...... towards the end of the initial sewing stage things got a bit lax. Ahem, moving swiftly on ........................



I was given a bunch of flowers by CK one night several many days ago now. He had been away in Madchester for a week having a love-in with all the other boffins in the company so the kids got magazines and bob and I got fleurs.

The reflection is in the door of the fireplace.

Way, way back many, many moons ago it was Mother's Day here in the UK. CK asked what I would like to eat. I replied anything I didn't have to make.

Princess Curly-Wurly was responsible for lunch.

Obviously it is a crown. Perhaps the ham is a cape and the pickles/gherkins sceptres? I am unclear as to the role of the Pringles but undoubtedly they are out to further their position at court. Notice how they are cuddling up to the injured pickle?


Then destructoBoy constructed dinner. And I do mean constructed.

The baked beans were a beard. I feel he may need to trim the hair in his ears though!!

The (decidely odd) hand of CK can be detected in both these meals

This is a birthday present from back in Feb to the ex-child of mine in the tea party picture.

This was were the first tranche of Kylie squares went. I had fun with this and while it will never win awards for any part of its construction she is thrilled with it. And when you are three it really is all about you, don't you know?

Pre-Easter (pre-Lent in fact) I bought this rather gorgeous tin thinking to make rather gorgeous Easter cakes, plus I don't happen to think having five different rabbit-shaped cake tins is excessive. Whatever anyone else may say!

d/Boy and I had a lovely morning at the very beginning of the holidays baking and one of the tins we used was this.

Oh disappointment :-(

They were jammed tight into all little crevices and while they did come out it was more like eaten jointed rabbit pieces rather than sweet bunny shapes.

We forced ourselves to consume the lot though ;-)

On the same day I bought my lubbard flamingo fabric I also found these.

Oh Elumps! I see this becoming the inside to a shopping bag. Just think, there would be no need to ever make a list because as we know - elumps never forget.

My mother bought some of this at Spotlight during TGTH and I kicked myself (metaphorically obviously) I didn't get any. Hurray when I found a bolt in fabric shop in the big town!

And dragonflys!!!!!

Loving the brightness. I may get brave and make this into a slipover type for Princess C-W.

We shall see.....

Is Mr. Blogger psychic?

Have just left a commment on a blog (Missus Moog, I think) and the word verification was 'ANTSY' and that just about sums us up now.


After a month exactly since we left frozen, grey old Blighty the terences and myself begin the epic journey home. It took CK 40 hours from take-off to arriving back ontop the hill but I have a horrible feeling ours will be some many years longer. My best guess at the moment is 6.38 years.


The bags are mostly packed, I have found my sunglasses and my new shoes (was wearing both on Sat. if those in attendance would like to fondly remember my footwear - you didn't see them? Oh! I suppose most of the time I was barefoot but it is the only way to enjoy a Ceasar Salad Pedicure, don't you know ;-) and after a very sleepless night last night this morning the nice man confirmed the existence of my passport on their system and booked me and the terences in!


Princess Curly-Wurly has been in tears because she wants to go home now please and also because she doesn't want to have to say goodbye to her cousins and beloved Grandmother.


destructo-Boy is ready to go home because he misses his daddy.


I just wish someone would invent a teleporter because I have a horrible feeling the time it takes to get home will just keep on rising!


Thanks for being with me on The Great Trip Home.

15/12-31/12 holiday photies part Five

This one is all down on 'the farm' and heavily features Giovanna and Paolo as well as CK and the terences.

L-R

1. 28 or 29/12 Trees on the farm

2. 29/12 destructoBoy (having picked up an AFL ball for the first time a few days previously) manages a pretty good Peter Busustow banana kick.

3.29/12 tasting the lucerne in the back paddock.

4. 29/12 leaping around on freshly cut and placed hayrolls.

5. 29/12 destructoBoy being taken for a ride on the 'Quaddie'.

6. 29/12 Princess Curly-Wurly coming into her own as a full-on rev head.

holiday pictures 15/12 to 31/12 Part One

Reading top left corner across
1. 24/12 Princess Curly Wurly at the National Gallery of Victoria Water Wall.

2. 24/12 Princess Curly Wurly playing @ approx.7pm on ST. Kilda Beach.

3. 24/12 Pr. C-W & DestructoBoy at Luna Park, ST. Kilda. Beach.

4. 21/12 Two of the five BBQs in action during Sylv's party.

5. 24/12 Pr. C-W and D/boy 'under the clocks' on Christmas Eve (please note his apparel!).

6. 21/12 Sylv opening party presents with Pr.C-W observing.

7. 24/12 D/boy and young cousin with a desperate greeting!

8. 22/12 Photograph of family en masse.

9. 22/12 Pr.C-W all dressed up for professional pictures.

10. 22/12 All the grandchildren bundling in on Granma.

11. 16/12 D/boy all snuggled up about four hours into his sleep of sixteen.

ANOTHER reason to love the guy who invented the innernest!

Here I stand in Changi Airport, Singapore typing to all y'all out there in Innernetsland. How cool is that ?!?!?

Of course I say stand but in reality I am a withered and beaten wreck of the woman who lived through the massive fire alert evacuation fiasco of Heathrow T3 December 2008. I am a diminshed version of the mother who freed the increasingly frantic 10 y.o. from the confines of the soft play areoplane in the boarding lounge. And yes, I am a lesser person than the one who nearly got thrown out at 30,000 feet for mentioning to a steward my concerns about the people in front of me using nail polish!!


You see when we arrived here for our NINE hour playtime at Changi I found the OSIM (I think) shop filled with gadgets and equipment to promote rest, relaxation and rejuvenation of the body and the soul. And with weirdly swollen calves and feet I was all for anything that would allow me to put my shoes back on. Si I slipped said feet and calves into his weirdy boot machine and a gentle pulsing began on my soles. Mmmmmmmmm.

Not so mmmmmm when it was swiftly joined by a squishing action from my calves downto my toes. The bloody thing contracted and was, I feel sure, trying to surreptiously bind my toes and turn me all Ancient Chinese-y. this torture went on for 15 minutes and was exacerbated by the headgear he forced on me.

So while my head was being pleasantly, if a little robotically, massaged and words of relaxation and calmness being drip-fed into my brain I was having the lower half of my legs squeezed and manipulated with such ferocity that even now three hours later I still bear teh marks!


And this is only 24 hours after leaving home - who knows what the next month will bring!

As my master commands.....

Last Sunday morning (when in-house tech support was looking the other way) Destructo Boy was fooling around with the webcam on the new posh unpronounceable computer.


He thought himself highly amusing with this effort.





He wanted you all to see too.

Halloween

BWHAHA



BWAAAHAAAAA




BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAA




AAAACK! COUGH, SPLUTTER!!




BEING AN EVIL CACKLING GENIUS CAN BE TRICKY SOMETIMES ;-)