About Me

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Wife of an IT guru and mother of 1 daughter and 4 boys. I am employed as a GP associate in Spalding. I have few hobbies as I am working all the time or as a mother. I enjoy making products form things I have grown or scrumpped.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Gallery - world photography day




Not sure this actually fits the brief, but here are my justifications for choosing this photo:
* It has my family in it and they are my world
* It shows our "US Pentagon" in the sand-castle media
* We won a prize for the sand-castle!!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Mum


We have been visited by my mother this week. This is an outstanding achievement as she has not been well for some time. Despite this she booked herself through to our Island and made it to our door step under her own steam.
My boys crowded round shouting to all the world their pleasure in seeing her. I know it lifted every-ones spirits in our household! This crying out of joy is what her effort was about.
We had a lovely visit with her and even the youngest, who at 1 years old can be suspicious of new folk was pleased to see and and be played with.
I envy my siblings of whom 2 live within 5 miles of mum for all the time with her they get. However I counter this with the moments of pure gold we have had, and because mum has come here is just for us. That and I have the oldest children who have therefor had the privilege of really knowing their gran.
Now she is safely away and at her home greeting grand kids all over again- and doubtless getting the same joyful response mine gave.
I am now happy that she has been, and sad that her visit is over.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Guilty pleasures

Hmm. Pleasures I should feel guilt about...

1. Eating until I am really, really full- well beyond what I need to eat. Definitely a pleasure. Definitely feel guilty after..

2. Black humour. Not in and of its self a bad thing, especially in my profession - but I do sometimes enjoy spreading black humour when I know my audience don't get it. I feel guilt about this later. Much later, sometimes months later.

3. Sitting on this computer pseudo- analysing myself instead of doing the active work of parenting.

4. When one of my kid decks another - especially when I know the other kids has been harassing mine for a while. Guilt comes from the 'good' job my angry kids can do and from teachers response.

There are of course many subsections to this list.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Gallery. Water

Water is very much on the minds of Islanders. I have put up a photo of outside our house. Same stuff, same location. Amazing.











Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Listography - 5 things I would change about myself

My first official listography! I don't come out of this well. Here goes:

1. Envy. I'd get rid of that. I find I envy anything that someone else is really happy with for example : appearance, house, gadgets. I suddenly want it or dislike myself for not having it. I can talk myself out of this and can list the gazilion things I am lucky to have, but the envy is always quick to come.

2. Quick tongue. I am quick to judge and like many a Yorkshire lass, quick to dole out that judgment. I need to slow down and think: was this judgment invited? Can I phrase this better, or even not at all? Success on this is mediocre at best.

3. Evil days. Every now and then I get a day when I actually want to hurt things. Why? I don't know. But these days are best spent alone. I generally am quieter than normal on these days, lest temptation turn into act.

4. Sense of proportion. This is some times out of order. It is NOT a big deal if the loo seat is up. again. I need to react consistently to the little irritations and not treat them as big deals.

5. Sense of smell. I have a smelly house. 5 male humans. 2 male cats. I would go to sleep easier if I wasn't thinking - what is that smell?

Sunday, August 07, 2011

Acts of kindnesses

I thought I would make a list of 5 kindnesses that I have benefited from and enjoyed that I remember and ponder on still...
I wonder if I have played a part in other people lives in this way?

1. When I was student studying medicine my little sister, Bex bought me a tea caddy. She had no particular reason to be so unselfishly generous with her meager means, especially as I was relatively comfortable as a student in my own flat, living with my boyfriend (now hubby) John. She bought other little useful and lovely gifts over the years of studenthood. They have meant a lot to me. She helped me feel loved and cherished at a time when we were far apart.
2. Towards the end of my 1st pregnancy I was bored at home, too huge to take up a new hobby and generally pretty isolated. Nicky (the English one!) came over to my house, kept me company and took me out to the cinema. She didn't take my prevaricating about the bush for an answer, or wait for me to call. She also kept this up during my maternity leave with new baby! I deeply appreciate this work of true friendship and am humbled by what a lovely person she is.
3. When John moved to Kent to take up a job in the civil service I still had 2 years of med school in Edinburgh to finish. To keep the relationship going meant using a big chunk of wage traveling North, and a bigger chunk saving for us to be together for my elective abroad. 1 year in and I went South for interviews, so that I could do my house jobs in Kent. While he was at work I found a LOT of expensive role playing games and further evidence he was not saving for our future. I went home to Edinburgh knowing he did not value our relationship, it was de facto over. Nicky (Scottish one!) was my true friend I turned too. She was there for me at my lowest ebb. She sympathised, we got drunk, we talked. Pivotal bit of caring for me.
4.When my 3rd child was born he had persistent hypoglycaemia and needed admission to special baby unit in Aberdeen - a problem when you are on Shetland! My hubby had to stay on the Island to look after the oldest 2, leaving me to travel alone with our son. I phoned my sister, Ruth, in tears as you can imagine and she dropped everything and came North to Aberdeen to be with me. She took me out from the hospital and helped me buy clothes (Hubby had packed for me, and while I had loads of baby clothes I had been given no knickers and no change of clothes!) and to even laugh while my son recovered in hospital.
5. When I was a fairly new medical student I became unwell with flu like symptoms that went on for a few weeks. I presented myself to my GP who suggested bed rest, paracetamol, fluids and it would pass. It didn't and so I presented again. This time, after a brief examination he asked me if I was OK in my studies, could my symptoms be unhappiness? I was appalled and quite angry at this suggestion - I thought I was doing OK keeping to the routines of anatomy, physiology and biochem quite well. He asked to think about it and promised blood tests if I felt I needed to return. I thought about it. I talked to Mum about it. I realised when I started crying that the GP had been spot on. This gave me the courage to ignore the lies my mind was feeding my body was feeding my mind and get on with the business of being a first year student. His straight talking helped me immeasurably. I rank his act of kindness as highly as the ones above.