I've got a new phone

... but it isn't as good as this one...

Why don't ELC make toy hearses? any other such questions

Little Miss was playing happily with her Happy Land stuff today when Mr V came home from work. She was enthusiastically rounding up some run away animals who had escaped their plastic pen.

Why isn't there a funeral parlour? he asks me, and where is the abatoir? They really should make these play sets more realistic.

Our daughter was hiding sheep down the back of the sofa telling me they had gone to the cinema and sending little boy off to the tooth fairy's shop. I'm not sure she is ready for reality!

So, who am I really?

For the longest time I have been aware that there a number of 'me's inside; a princess that wants everything right now and it had better sparkle, a very cynical me, a vamp me that wants to hurt people and a mother figure who wants to cuddle everyone to name but a few. All of these mes kinda smoosh together in a fluid and ever changing manner to create my personality and moods.

I am becoming aware now that there are outside mes too and they all want a piece of the action.

In my late twenties everything was fantastic. I knew who I was and where I was going and my priorities were clear. Now I'm in my mid thirties; a mum, wife, teacher and I want to do so much but I just can't seem to find the time. Where are my priorities?

My friend Roses has been having a dilema of priorities, work for her son's future or immerse herself in her creativity. I am so proud of her for making those hard choices and figuring out what is important to her.

So what is important to me? My husband's career has to quite near the top, as he needs to finish his studies before we expand the family anymore (I guess that's another thing I want) and at the moment getting enough cash in to pay the bills is pretty damned important too.

OMG there is so much going on. This needs some more thought.

How do you decide what to prioritise?

More important things than education?

The Daily Telegraph reported this week about a a pagan parent taking her daughter out of school to attend Summer Solstice celebrations. Read the full story here. They weren't very positive. I know that I get a couple of days off at Easter (that was pinched from the pagan festival of Ostara) but it would be nice to be able to celebrate the occasional festival at the right time.

I do understand the schools' needs to get as many children in class as possible but attending a festival could certainly be justified, couldn't it?

can I justify....

paying £20 for a hoodie for pickle which she will wear for aboth 3 months? It is very cute though.


We saw this in a shop in the city, but the pic comes from the Darkside Clothing web site

I could have spent a lot of money today, on her and me.

Camden Market, up in smoke

One of the best places for alternative culture to hang out and look scary went up in flames on Saturday night. The BBC has a lot of coverage and pics but suffice it to say that a lot of goths, punks and generally alternative types lost a lot of money and their way of life over the weekend.

I remember when Kensington indoor market was condemmed, many traders moved to Camden. Where will they go now?

Too tired to post

I was all set to post a deep and meaningful paragraph or two on not smacking and the violence on TV but I am sat here listening to the sounds of hair washing coming down the stairs (not v happy) and I just can't find teh words.

Today I have cleaned the house, sorted laundry, played football, snap, catch, pretend and drawing, been to the park, drawn chalk flowers in the yard, scooped kitty poop, brushed hair, listened to and advised a very pissed off friend and I still have a mountain of mending and ironing to do, not to mention the pile of washing up waiting for me in the kitchen. I never got to clean the car or dye my hair *sigh*

So excuse me if I feel a little drained. I wouldn't mind but this was a normal Sunday.

Maybe a large G&T will sort me out.....

My new Favourite web site

Oh My Goodness. No more tantrums about 'the numberjacks' or 'tweenies' not being on TV. Now I can just go onto BBC i player and watch shows from the last week. The full screen image is pretty good quality and we have a naff download speed and it runs really smoothly.

It also means that when I spend the whole evening running up and down stairs to a groaning sneezing child, I can rewatch what I have been missing.

Imbolc celebrations

Oh what a night I had last night. Imbolc is the celebration of the first stirings of spring and of Bridget's inspiration.

I gathered together with a very grand group of women friends; artists, nurses, writer, teachers, mothers, scientists, seasmistresses and pharmacists. We had not been together for quite a long time and we bagan by walking the labyrinth in a local park. On the way in we meditated on the things that hamper our creativity and on the way out we sought our inspiration for the coming months.

Once we had sufficiently frozen our extremities we retired to a nearby home and gathered a feast. We had all bought far more that we could wat but we sat, ate and gossiped for a good two hours. Wine was drunk, men were reduced to sex objects and the world was made a better place.

We ended the meal by all telling what our creative projects for the coming months would be. Some of us are writing things down, some are learning new skills, one is making a baby! It was fantastic to hear all the fabulous plans we have.

Eventually we left the table and lit the candles on the altar; a beautifully decorated table with daffodils, greenery, stones and candles. We have all been chanting together for more years than I can care to remember, although now much less frequently that at other times, so we bickered a bit until we decided on our favourites and had a good chant for an hour or so. At points the beauty of the sound made my heart ache and at others the energy flowed through the room and made every cell in my body tingle.

I love to sit in circle with a group of friends, making music and magic.

Mental health and parenting

I am watching this story from the BBC and on most mainstream media about a newborn being taken from his mother. He was originally returned to his mother but has now been taken into social services care again.

The mother has not abused or neglected the child (hardly possible in 2 hours in hospital) but has mental health problems and had a troubled childhood herself. She was cared for by state and has been deemed by that state as not fit to make the day to day choices and decisions we all take for granted. She is, allegedly, not fit to be a mother. The state didn't do a very good job of bringing her up, so why do they think they will do a better job with her son.

I completely understand the role of social services in protecting vulnerable children, if fact I this 18 year old girl is still classed as a vulnerable child. However, I think that she is being severly let down by those that have cared for her at a time when she needs all the help and support she can get to adjust to a new way of life.

I shall continue to watch this story with interest and I hope she regains custody very very soon.