London in the Snow (by sarah)

It was still snowing this morning and things are set to continue - I was panicked as Jean is in the office with us and I had work plus college planned for today but as it turns out college is now closed becuase of the snow.

Dad was going to come over and help out with Jean so that I could get some work done but all the trains he needs are closed :/

The local shop here had its deliveries this morning but are pretty much sold out of things like milk as no one can get to a super market.

Still me and Jean have had a pleasant day.

She slept in and then played in the bedroom for most of the morning, we read Aladine (which apparently every one else could hear including all of the funny voices I was doing for each character!), she then had a bath and a story that I have written her called Baa Baa Blue Sheep - she actually joins in with this one which is something I haven't seen with any other story yet. Then we had some food - pesto with pasta which is one of her favourites.

It was then time to go outside and play. Of course not having planned this we have no snow boots, gloves, hats etc... so we had to do Daddy sock glubs - both me and Jean sported these lovely fashion accessories.

Unfortunatly this did leave daddy with no thick socks to wear whilst helping build a baby snow man or snow jean and in the consequent snowball fight he and Jean had.

He went back in to work and me and Jean made a giant snowball. I only stopped as my back was starting to hurt.

We then turned it into a Daddy snowman.

We considered making snow angles but decided it was too cold and wet - Jean annouced it would make her bumbum cold wet.

Instead we wrote JEAN in the snow with foot prints and Jean played snow football lots.

It started snowing again so we went in for hot chocolate and watched a film together. We then went for a walk to take pictures and get Jean a treat piece of cake for having to be quiet in the office and becuase she has a bloody noise from falling over at the weekend and becuase she is missing home and wanted to play in the snow with Barbara - I was thinking about this too, thinking about the sledge and stuff - but never mind.

On route we found icicles on the traffic lights

Here are some other photos we took on our walk - I tried to get Jean to pose for a lovely Narnia shot but she got scared of the slippery slop and worried about a dog eating the snow!

Jean vetoed all the cafes on the way up the road saying she wanted different cake shops and then vetoed them all on the way back down the hill until we got back to the origonal one I had suggested which she decided was acceptable.

They didn't didn't have any chocolate cake left only apple pie - Jean was dispondant until she tasted the apple pie which she shared with me. The cafe hadn't recieved its dialy order and so was out of quiet a few things.

It was then I heared that all the buses were stopped too.

Here are some of the arty shots we took:

By the time mummy and Tigger had 'ice-skated' home, the trains home to Gloucestershire were turning around at Reading and me and Al discuessed weather to attempt the roads - the roads around here are under a blanket of snow until you reach the A1 and checking out possible routes home we decided it was safest to stay here again. Barbara informed us that if we did come home not to drive into our valley but to park in the village and walk down.

My main concern is that there is no heating on in the house and the cats are outside - I left a message asking Barbara to turn a heater on downstairs and rescue my seedlings from the window sills and let the cats in.

Jean got very excited about the snow - there are more pictures but I feel that this post is getting a bit picture heavey so will do another post!

It’s Snowing, they’re Cooking, Others are Moving and We’re Stuck (by sarah)

We appear to be stranded in London, the van which is being used by a friend to move the contents of his flat to a smaller flat is still not back with us plus it is snowing.

Snowing and Al is tired.

My Scouts also had their Ready Steady Cook today which they won! Wish I could have been there to see it:/

Well done Scouts!

Stress (by sarah)

Well last week I had to go and tell college I didn't have enough money for the tuition fees and what actually was going on here - this wasn't pleasant but they said to carry on anyway for now and to sort out doing my minni project.

For this project I have to choose one of the listed subjects talk to the supervisor, keep a log book of meetings etc.... collect the data, learn about the analytical technic and then do a 7000 word write up (oh and background reading) and an oral presintation including a powerpoint presintation.

They handed out the topics before Christmas and said choose over christmas and talk to the supervisor after christmas or if you are really keen you can do it before Christmas. We handed in our second 3000 word essay (On carbonado diamonds in my case) pretty much on the last day of term.

I then wasn't sure if I was going to be allowed to stay and we only went back on Monday last week. I tried to go and see the supervisor last week but he wasn't in his office except when I was actually heading to the lecture - he wasn't in it before hand and he wasn't there afterwards.

So I came in early to see him today and the other girl from my course was in there with him - this was fine we had discuessed it and I knew she was going for the project too. I had even checked with the course coordinator that two people could do the same project.

The other girl only does planetary stuff and as it was the only planetary project I felt she should have first dibs at it.

So I had stealed myself for being told no, but thought there was a good chance of a yes as I had checked the previous week. What I wasn't expecting was to be told that its too late to be starting the projects and that they should have been started a month ago! Which would have actually been Christmas >:(

I was already feeling out of sorts and this was a blow. I went back to the classroom and one of the others asked me how I was - I couldn't speak I just shook my head.

Then Nesha asked me how it had gone and I told her what had just been said. She was upset that she'd pipped me to the post by 10 minutes but I told it was ok - turns out he told her off too :/ She gave me half her chocolate bar which was nice and made me feel alot better.

It was the being told off that I had issue with - I was prepared not to get the project and as a geologist I have more options open to me than her. (She did both moon essays).

Anyway I had just finished explaining what other project I would go for when one of the guys came in and said he'd had to change direction as the project he was going to do the data wouldn't be avaliable until just before the deadline. He'd chosen my second choice - I think an expletative left my lips but he said that he'd just checked with the course coordinator and she'd said that two on a project was fine - sigh.

I had had a stressful morning anyway with the fact that Barbara came in when we were trying to get out of the house (late as usual) and gave me information about a guy to use for scouts but she said II had to phone him before 12 as she said I would and it was 11 already adn I was trying to get to Stroud for my train.

Anyway I tried to phone and it was a wrong number :/

And I knew that it would all end up some how being my fualt that I hadn't contacted him before noon :/ I phoned Al and left an answer phone message and later on he tried to find Barbara but she was out.

This and money worries and the genrally feeling that the world is coming to an end and winter just isn't going away ment that during my actual lecture which was really interesting (Geochronology) I was asking my normal barral load of questions but with a difference.

My stutters back.

It was so bad the lecture was having to finish my sentances for me :(

I think it must be stress.

Tony Hart :( (by sarah)

It turns out Tony Hart has died aged 83, as without him the Wiggly Pets would never have existed I felt it only right to do a post about him over on Salaric Craft. :(

It would have been nice to actually meet him.

Bizarlly this and watching the old Wind in the Willows with Jean has made me want to annamate the Wiggly Pets once more. I remember speaking to a BBC bod about it a couple of years ago but then never heared anything about it and then that thing on CBBC appeared which looks similiar so I think they must have already had that in the pipe line :/

Oh well went I get some spare time (next millenia at this rate) I will animate them myself - I have a few other things I would love to turn into animations too! And as always being me they cover a broad range of tecnics that are probably now redundent with modern pooter power which makes me all the more excited as maybe I can just muck about on the pooter and get something that looks right.

Not right now though - far to much stuff to do:/

RIP Tony and thankyou.

Jean’s Introduction to Economics (by sarah)

Jean keeps telling me not to work :( She wants me to play with her instead but I have to do some work when she's about, though I really don't like doing it and it really depends on weather she's in the sort of mood were she's happy to say just sit and paint.

Our conversation went like this:

'Mummy don't work - play with me!'

'I will play with you in 20 minutes Jean I have to finish this first.'

'No'

'Yes'

'Why?'

'So that we can get money'

'For my house?' (her money box)

'No so that we can buy food.'

Jean hits the heater in annoyance, 'DONT DO THAT IF YOU BREAK IT WE CAN"T REPLACE IT AND THEN WE WILL BE COLD!!!'

'We can just go out all day.'

'No we can't Jean you need money for that.'

'Silly mummy we go shopping!'

'No Jean you need money for that.'

Puzzeled look, 'I'll get my house and horse.' (again her two money boxes.) I had explain it wasn't enough money and thats why I was working besides it's hers and would she like to pay it into the bank? Things then got a bit abstract and I was engander of doing a Mr Brown in Padington Bear.

'Oh ok, I'll make dinner mummy, to help.'

'Good girl Jean.'

A blue toy pot appears with a plastic chicken leg and some construction blocks from something that isn't lego. 'Soup mummy to keep you warm.'

'Thankyou Jean.'