From South Africa to Gloucestershire (by sarah)

Alaric's Dad Lionel and his step-mother Lynne are currently over from South Africa where they live. They arrived in depested darkest Gloucestershire last night and for Lionel it is a return to the place he was brought up. Tonight we made them a three course meal along with Barbara - this is the first formal entertianing we have done since moving back into the house after the flood.

So I brought out the table cloths and napkins and the nice butterfly napkin rings David and Michelle got us at Christmas. We made yummy lentil cakes with sage in - yesturday Alaric made some of the same lentil cakes with what he thought was the coriander but it turned out he doesn't actually know the difference between my lovage plants and coriander - he thought the lovage were lemon corriander and thats why it tasted odd :/ - still both types of lentil cakes were good 🙂

They sat upon a bed of salad from the garden and we had various dips. We then had ground nut stew cook using the cabbages from the garden (well what were left off them due to this years cattipillar uinfestation). Desert was home-made yogurt and local honey with hazel nuts (I'm afraid these were bought as Jean had eaten the ones from the hedge row I'd gathered.).

The interesting thing to note was Jean's interactions with Lionel - her langage was completely different from how she speaks to dad - eg:

To Dad, 'Ferfer nut?'

To Lionel, 'Grandfather would you like a nut?'

I thought this comparison was very interesting as was the fact she called him grandfather when Al had introduced him as Granddad but Lynne had said Grandfather. I think little bobble has worked out that you can interact differently depending on whats expected of you!

Anyway I did take a photo of the Snells but haven't got round to uploading it yet - I will also shortly be sorting out my cooking blog which I will link to so that you can see the recipies etc... of the fabled lentil cakes!

The Big C – Take 2 (by sarah)

Mum's biopsy results came back yesturday and the lump was cancerous so now she has to go under the knife for a third time and this time they are removing the lymph nodes (as I thought they should have done last time). There will a third partial mastectimy followed by another lot of radiotherapy.

This is almost a year after her treatment started last time and she has only just started to get her life back in order. Now we are worse than back to square one and the thing that makes me the angriest is that it was there when they where treating the first lot. So they have left her with a cancerous lump for year which could have become malignant and decided to send little baby cancers through her body - I presume we wont know if thats the case until they look at the lymph nodes. Then there is the trumer of operations and the knock on effects of anestitics.

What exactly do they think they are doing?

And so we are back to minuse square one.

She goes in for her operation on her's and dads thirtieth wedding anniversary - we had been hoping to do something joint for that and her sixtieth birthday but I think we might have to see how things go 🙁

Blue is the Colour (by sarah)

As some of you might have noticed a new catagory of links has appeared in our blog roll. The Fictional Friends - this contains the Wiggly Pets Blog which needs alot of updating and the Blue Monster Blog.

Blue Monster is a Gurgitation Monster and is a very useful person to know if your embarking on a writing career. I have also been playing with CSS to get him looking like he does though I did us an existing template. He would like lots of visitors please and also linkage if he is suitable for your blog roll please add him so he feels wanted.

Poor Ticket Inspectors (by sarah)

Last nights train was the last one I could get and the ticket inspector realising we were going to be late into Swindon where I needed to change to get to Stroud said he'd be phoning though to hold the train for us. We were as always stuck behind a fret train and going at ssssssssnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllllssssssssssssss pace.

He even told me which plateform I would need to go to which was very helpful as I didn't have a clue and was actually very worried about missing the connecting train.

However, though we left the fret train behind us we got stuck at Didcot Parkway for quiet along time. The reason? The guy behind me had his ticket stolen by another passanger, fortunatly the ticket inspector saw him plus the theif had been trying to steal other things off of other passangers for the entire journey. The victum who had gourgously pink hair stayed remarkably carm but the theif did not. He insisted it was his ticket, refused to get off the train, locked himself in the toliet and shouted lots!

He then attacked the poor trian staff. So obviously police where involved. No one appeared seriously injuried fortunatly but I was a bit worried and shaken and also fretful about the train I thought I was missing. A phone call to Al whilst the guy opposite went to see if things actually where ok, had me relax in the knowledge that the company had to get me to Stroud. I was however worried about the poor train staff. From the reactions of other passengers I take it this happens quiet alot? I mean I've seen stuff like it whilst waiting on Barking Stations plateforms but that like East London and I sort of expect it there and there are always high levels of staff.

I also wondered what would have happened if the ticket inspector had not seen the theift take place would the pink hair victum been believed. This is only something I am wondering due to the response of some of my Scouts perants on hearing I was dying my hair pink for Charity (more on this later) they were worried that I was going to do it perminant as people would think I'm one of those weird people. This made me sad becuase they were trying to protect me but it shows that the world is still judging books by covers and not even with the correct assossiations to the covers.

Other people seem to be more concerned about this insident and me travelling late than I was leading me to wonder if I should be more concerned. Hopefully we will soon have our lives sorted so that I only have to make one such late journey a week. Also I wonder what the actual crime stats are - am I more at risk traveling at night?

Pink is the Colour of October (by sarah)

Ok as some of you know I am going to be dyeing my hair pink - yes pink. And I expect you all to pay for this miracoulnesses of hair transmogrification!

I was going to hold a Pink part for Breast Cancer Campaing but with everything thats happened I didn't get organised and don't have the energy so instead I am hoping you are all going to sponser me to dye my - waist length hair pink!

Yes pink and yes I know I need to lighten it first before you all start panicking. So contact me if you want to sponser me. 🙂

My Scouts will also be doing a Keep It Pink party which the boys all seemed rather excited about - I am sad I'm going to be missing it now what with my MRes and all 🙂