Aunty Poo Poo Corner

It is a sad fact that I have to rely on my friends for cute baby piccies... these are two of the cutest that I have received, this week at least! Little Lola (Janine's bubba) looking radient in red, and below Helena (Jen's) enjoying herself at a friend's birthday party - very cute!

The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner...

To perturb you further Jen, I have just been told that we have run 8.73km at lunch... if it is any consolation, I am half dead from exhaustion, although the chocolate biscuits and batterberg cake at the office are helping a little. ;-)

Pull The Plug

Tracy informed me that whilst on the phone to her yesterday evening, she lost her "mucous plug" (bleurk). I think that this means that sprogging is imminent, although the web throws up predictions of anything from half an hour later (hasn't happened) to 3 weeks, so I guess we continue to play the waiting game. Apparently last night she had a few pains, but ended up sleeping the rest of the night. I have my car key taped to my finger at the ready though, as am supposed to do a high speed dash to the hospital at the first word; I am the camerawoman apparently!!!!!! Mind you, since the very word "mucous" makes me feel like vomiting, I'm not sure how much use I will be to her!!! ;-D

Had quite a nice evening yesterday. Instead of going to the cinema, we took advantage of a fairly dry/warm summer evening and took the canoe out for a bit of a paddle.... actually spotted my first Kingfisher, and enjoyed watching the swans drifting by. We may have discovered a good site for blackberry picking too, lots overhanging the water.

Not much else to report. I made soup for Mark's lunches this week (he is back to work for 4 days), and cooked veggie burgers and mash for dinner. All very exciting ;-)

Am off for a run again at lunch time - this time to Girton and back, I think. The running group is getting quite a hardcore name for itself, as some of the girls that have done it so far have suffered after effects (one was off sick with exhaustion after really pushing herself last week).

Anyway... work to do!
Hayls
xxxx

Toe Path

Well my toes/feet in general are killing me... last night managed to run part of the tow path in Cambridge, and went back to Emma's for soup, fresh bread and plenty of chat. Was good to catch up with her, and it seems that Robert is coping alright with his granny's death at the weekend. It was my second run of the day, and boy am I paying for it today. Three of us went running yesterday lunch at work (a 3.5 mile run); the other girl running (Minghong) dropped out after about a mile (pretty good as was first run), and I was left to try and keep up with my very tall colleague (Mark). Result was that I felt physically sick on return home for a shower! :-) Now I know how Emma must feel trying to keep up with my longer legs... I was literally doing three strides to his one!

Still no news from Tracy re: the baby... am waiting with baited breath still. Caroline has been feeling tired too, so is increasingly likely that their due dates are close to coinciding! Would be very bizarre...

Got my new phone yesterday - a Nokia N80. Very cute phone... Emma and I almost laughed until we cried last night, as the phone speaks the name of the person ringing after a couple of rings. We tested it out, and were freaked to find that the voice that said "Emma" was spookily like Robert's voice! (you had to be there, heh). Trying to work out if the phone modifies itself according to the caller... hmmm...

Anyway, busy at work again today! Hoping to go to the cinema tonight if I can encourage Mark in out of the rain (he is working in water-logged trenches in the garden today). I picked my first sweetcorn cob from the plants in the garden, so may well be serving that for dinner tonight - God, I live such an exciting existence! ;-)

Much love
Hayls
xxxxx

Bank Holiday

Had a lovely bank holiday...

Friday night went running alone - and managed a 6 mile run before Mark made it home from work! Was feeling very pleased with myself! Saturday Mark was working, so I got up fairly early and went to visit Annie and Jack... they made me a gorgeous kedgeree and fruit salad, and was really good to catch up with them. Saturday afternoon I met up with Jane and Jamie in Norwich town centre, and went for a coffee and a mooch around the shops with them... then we went for a half in The Belgian Monk - very nice indeedie! Have never been in the beer garden there, but was surprised at how nice it was! Saturday night we (Mark and I) just lazed around in the garden, and caught up with each other...

Sunday we went to the garden centre and bought woodchip for the back border, and spent a couple of hours spreading that around. I treated the wooden sleepers with decking oil, while Mark dug out more of the kitchen footings and stacked bricks for the garage work. Sunday night we went over to Doug and Angie's for dinner - gorgeous seafood chowder and bread, and pancakes (with cream, ice cream, and berries!) for dessert. Was good to see Doug looking so well after his accident - last time I saw him in hospital he was looking decidedly glum and extremely swollen after all the infections he had caught in the hospital. Not good!

Yesterday (bank holiday Monday) I cooked lunch for Mark's parents and one of our neighbour's (Adele). I have to say that the lunch was pretty outstanding, but this is mainly down to Jamie Oliver's "Italy" cookbook. I cooked the Tuna Meatballs, and boy were they good... if I remember, I will try and include the recipe here somewhere. Adele told us that she and Jamie may be moving soon, so that is pretty sad - but am pleased for them, as they are moving to start a family. In the afternoon, Adele headed home, and Mark and his Dad went to watch the local football team. Suzy and I stayed home and put the world to rights over several cups of tea! Mark and I spent the evening again sitting in the garden and drinking beers... very pleasant.

Today am planning ALOT of running. Running with the lunch time club, and then this evening am running with Emma and staying over there for dinner. Ah yes, forgot to mention that Robert's Nan died yesterday... he is obviously very sad about it, but at the same time pleased she didn't suffer for too long. Apparently things were pretty dire towards the end for her, as they withdrew food and water in the hospital (as her colon was totally blocked with tumours). Poor lady... she was a real character as well, and it seems like such a shame.

Anyway.... work to do!
Hayls
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Domestic Animals

Have a very sedate evening last night... Mark was in the hole (foundations for the garage) for much of the evening, and I went to Tesco to buy food. Came home, made soup (a weekly ritual because of the organic veggie box we get delivered these days - how old am i??!), and then made a stir fry and sampled some of the 'chinese plum sauce' stuff I made t'other week - I wasn't kidding about making chutnies! We drank a few beers, caught up with each other a bit, and went to bed too late... I think the running and late nights has whacked me out!

Not got too much planned for the weekend... I am going to see Annie and Jack (ex-neighbours) in Norwich for lunch on Saturday, which will be weird.... I always find it a little disconcerting going back to Norwich especially next-door to my house, for some reason! Have an arrangement to meet Jane and Jamie in the city centre in the afternoon, which will be nice.

We have vague plans to go out on the motorbike at some point, possibly meet up with Doug and Angie, and of course do some more work on the building work in the garden. I think we are planning to have Mark's parents over for food at some point too. Everything is pretty much subject to change depending on Tracy and Caroline (Mark's sister is also due to "drop" in the next couple of weeks!). Am hoping to get to Lowestoft in the next couple of weeks, obviously to meet my new neice/nephew, but also to visit Janine and Lola and hopefully see Marie's new place.

Uploaded my piccies from last weekend (Norfolk Broads) to Flickr... am afraid they are a bit dull (lots of pictures of rain clouds and reeds), but they are quite nice....



Hayls
xxx

ps. During lunch yesterday managed to run around 4 miles! Am planning a 6 mile run tonight, so along with the rest of the running I had done this week I think I will have run almost 17-18 miles this week.... can that be right?!?!?!!?!? No wonder I'm so hungry! ;-)

Lollie...

I meant to put this picture of Lola on the blog last week, when Janine sent it to me, but with one thing and another I forgot... look how gorgeous she is though?!!! She is getting bigger everytime I see a photo of her, and is a very pretty little thing... I swear to god though that Janine is putting mascara on her!

Hayls
xx

Epic Journey

You know I said that the bus/train configuration can be a bit tricky for getting home? Well, I wasn't wrong! Ended up doing an epic journey home... supposed to be a train from Liverpool Street to Cambridge, then a bus home.... turned into sitting on a train going nowhere in Liverpool Street for some time, a tub to Kings Cross, a train to Stevenage, a bus to Royston, a train to Cambridge, and then a taxi home... got in past midnight in the end!

Had had a very pleasant evening with Ricki. Reminiscing as usual about old times, and enjoying the food at Haz; I had bbq'd haloumi cheese for starters, and then a gorgeous lamb shank casserole and rice, all washed down with a bottle of red wine. Very nice!

I was in London for work, and that was also fine... went for a nice walk and chat with John, which always makes the trip to London worthwhile.

Going for another run at lunch today; I must be a glutton for punishment!!!! Hoping for a slightly bigger turnout than Tuesday, but we will see. Seems that I have started off a fitness craze at work - someone else has suggested a cycling club at lunch... not sure I am a good enough cyclist to join that one!!!

All in Lowestoft is as tumultuous as ever! Tracy has found her love rival's initials scratched into the gravel at home??!!!! Dad tackled Sam over his recent behaviour, in particular his attitude to Henry. Sam apparently went crazy, and amazingly my Dad didn't! In fact Dad said that the more Sam lost his temper, the calmer my Dad became. I am so glad it didn't turn into a physical fight, and think that Dad has been very restrained. Seems that Sam is getting a deservedly hard time. His daughter is pretty disgusted with him too, and has told him as much. On a nicer note, work has started on Tracy's new house; apparently there are seven men working on it at the moment, in preference to working on outdoor jobs in the rain no doubt! Tracy has had no more baby pains, and Mum has predicted that it is going to happen next Thursday... I am not sure about her basis for this prediction; something to do with the fact that Tracy had some pains last Thursday, and that Henry was born on a Thursday... we will have to see if "Mystic Maureen" is right! ;-)

There is a load of other stuff going on with my cousin Robert on my father's side (not the cousin who has a sick grandmother). His wife has left him, and all manner of allegations are flying around at the moment about her having had an affair... there is a lot of it about it seems!!!! Its the children that suffer most though, isn't it!!?? Any of course, my poor parents... my Mum thinks that she will be grey before the year is out! Thank god Mark and I are ok...

Hayls
xxx

Thai Chow

Had an up and down day yesterday...

Had a call from the lovely Jen (in Brisbane), and it seems that plans are afoot for her and John and Helena to come and visit next year. This is unbelievably exciting news, and have been tryin to work out maniacally the last time I saw Jen.... am pretty sure it was summer-time in 2004 (in fact am sure it is), as was the same year I met Mark. Anyway, can't wait for them to come and visit, and love the sound of her plans to stay in a cottage somewhere in The Highlands en masse... We had lengthy discussions re: the poor deal for Tracy at the moment, and praised Nerida's new novel, "Death of a Whaler". A fantastic book that I was unable to put down, and even got up at 6am two morning's in a row to get through it quicker!

Started my 'running club' at work yesterday - we have decided to do 5k runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week. Quite how this is going to fit around the big feast we have in the office on a Thursday I don't know... I suspect it will end up with me eating far more pork pies than normal ;-) The run went quite well, despite a poor show amongst those that promised to join me on this folly. In the end was myself, a guy called Mark (who runs a lot anyhow) and Jenette (who did absolutely brilliantly, despite having done no exercise since the conception of her 18 month old son). Am really hoping we can keep this little group going...

Mark managed to lay the floor for the new garage/workshop yesterday. He really has worked so hard, am very proud of him... came home to find him and his friend Kurt with their shirts off and working hard around the garden in their workboots. I am easily pleased! ;-)

Spoke to Tracy yesterday, she seems so upset re: Sam's recent demands on access to Henry, and his apparent failure to face up to the fact that she is due to have his child in the next few days. I am very concerned about her, and don't know how she is coping... from bitter experience, I can only half imagine what she is going through - god knows how I would have held it together through some of my harder times if I had been pregnant.

Saw my cousin Robert and his girlfriend Emma last night. This was tinged with much sadness also, as Robert's maternal grandmother was diagnosed with liver/bowel cancer last week and has deteriorated very rapidly in the last few days. Last Thursday she was well enough to go to bingo, and this week she is so ill that they have withdrawn food and water. Life seems so unfair; here is a woman in her 80s that doesn't smoke or drink to excess and keeps herself active, and she has to die like a frightened child. Words cannot describe how sad I feel for Robert at the moment, I just hope he is going to be ok. Anyway, we (myself, Mark, Robert and Emma) had a fairly nice evening under the circumstances at the local pub that serves Thai food.

Am meeting up with Ricki Dyer tonight, and going to my fave turkish restaurant near work called Haz. They have these little vents on the side of the restaurant, which blow the gorgeous smell of bbq'd meats into the street... the tricksters. Won't be late home as the bus/train configuration is quite tricky, and if I get it wrong it can take an age to get home (or cost a fortune in taxis). Will be nice to catch up with her. Have lots of friends I want to catch up with at the moment though - if only some days had 36 hours in them instead of 24!

Sigh... I just hope everyone can look forward to some happier times!

Hayls
xx

New Friend?

Today I received a lovely offer of friendship via email....

"hi! how are you? you are interested to acquaintance on the internet?
i wish to find the friend for pen pal
my name Nataliya, i'm 33 years old how old are you?
you would like to get acquainted with me?
i'd like to find a friend in other country for corresponding
would you like to communicate with me? i have been single for a long time
i would be glad very much to correspond with you
if it is interesting to you to get acquainted with me
then I'll send you my photo and tell you more about me
my personal address is ****** (deleted by moi)
big hope, it works and you receive it letter
best regards
Nataliya
i shall wait your answer,
kiss"

Well... not sure what sort of friendship she has in mind. Perhaps we could exchange cross stitch patterns, or I could send her my latest chutney recipe (that bit isn't a joke - I have been struck by some strange urge to make preserves). I have a long history of penpal-ship, as was one of *those* children that felt the need to write to join pen pal clubs and write to complete strangers; the old-fashioned email forum and chatroom I suppose. Maybe I am still famous for my terribly witty letters, or my old Hungarian penpal (Ester Erdodi) has waxed lyrical about the day I wrote her a poem for her birthday and sent her a chain made of something that made *my* neck green (as she was a peasant, I thought she might not notice... :-)

I notice that she has been single for some time - maybe she just wants some relationship hints?!...

Helena's Blog

Helena's Blog

Clippesby Capers

Had a gorgeous weekend in Norfolk/Suffolk. Friday night, Mark and I got a reasonably early night and pulled some stuff together for camping on Saturday. We booked our big trip on Saturday morning, as Mark's Mum got the all clear on her tests from the hospital. We have slightly mixed feelings about this; while it is fantastic to hear that she doesn't have Bells Palsy, a tumour, trapped facial nerves, or has had another stroke, no diagnosis means no treatment, which means that she has to endure having a permanently numb face.

Saturday morning we drove over to Martham boat yard and tried to get a half deck sailing boat hired. However, the boat they offered us was pretty grotty looking and they wanted a whopping £65 for half a day's use of it. So we ended up in Potter Heigham, and hired a motor cruiser for the afternoon. Although this felt like second best (chugging up the broads in a noisy tub, instead of elegantly sailing), as it turns out we made a good choice. There were enormous thunder storms throughout the afternoon, and we gazed smugly from the comfort of our cabin at couples shouting at each other in the downpour whilst they struggled with their sails.

Late afternoon, we set up camp at Clippesby Hall camp site. Gorgeous site - large area, but nicely chopped up into little glades. Wasn't too muddy, and the shower blocks were comfortingly close to the tent (my pet hate: a long trek to the loo in the night after having imbibed too many beers). We spent the evening chatting and drinking in the pub on site; The Muskett Arms, which served a mean whitebait starter and Ham, Eggs and Chips. Yummm.... drank a few too many Lady Evelyn beers (good ghost story attached to it), and spent a night being rained on... bliss ;-) The stars, as ever in that part of the world, were amazing - or so I thought as I bobbed down for a wee behind the car for the 'nth' time during the night... it may well have been spots before my eyes though, as trying to balance in a muddy puddle and keep your pyjamas dry is no mean feat.

Sunday we got up fairly early, supped coffee in the cafe on site, and then went over to Great Yarmouth with the specific intention of visitingg the rather splendid Time and Tide museum, which had had rave reviews in The Sunday Times. For reference, Great Yarmouth is not a place to get lost in the rain in... the locals are not exactly welcoming, and we ended up wandering down Regent Street (words cannot describe the full horreur of this tackville) looking like a pair of drowned rats.

Sunday lunch time we went to see Tracy's new house in Kirkley. Amazing place; full of "potential", and will be gorgeous when complete. Tracy seemed in surprisingly good spirits; she has had a pretty rough week... turns out that Sam has been seeing a local woman with kids all along, who has left her husband for him (quelle surprise!). She and Tracy ended up talking on the phone on Friday, and it seems that Sam has been lying to her (other woman) in fairly equal portions too. I hope Tracy really gets to stick the knife into the lying bastard...

The rest of Sunday was spent at my Mum's place, being fed gorgeous fish pie (a la Jamie Oliver), and looking at kitchen/bathroom catalogues with Tracy. What colour Aga to have? ;-) Henry had us in stitches with his latest dance routines... I swear he is becoming more like his Aunty Poo Poo every day!!!! He inists that he is Angelina Ballerina (??!!!) and was trying to teach me a few moves... he then proceeded to his old fave, the 'river dance' (hilarious), and then we sampled his 'new dance', which believe me has to be seen to be believed... I can only describe it as Bez doing Apsara dancing... :-)

Anyway... that's enough for today, have work to do!!!

Hayls
xxx

This week, I have mostly been listening to...

My Most Recently Played Tracks:




My Top Weekly Artists:

Flickrama...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hayleysbrown/sets/

Young Hearts Run Free

...well, old ones run with a good deal of fuss...

Last night Emma and I did really well with our running... we ran right along the tow path to Magdalene Street, through the city, and back to hers in Hooper Street. We were very proud of ourselves, and then I even cycled home! A monumental achievement for me, although I am guilty of forgetting that the trouble with exercise is that you have to *keep* doing it for it to do any good... hmmm....

This weekend Mark and I are going to spend a bit of quality time together (I have lured him away from the holes in the garden!), and go camping in Clippesby Hall, Norfolk. This is right next to Potter Heigham, so no doubt we will spend much of our weekend in the discount store there (Lathams!). We are hoping to take the canadian canoe, and do a few rounds on the broads.... despite previously declaring that "I would never go camping..." I now love the outdoor life, and am even relishing the idea of a thunderstorm on Saturday night (this is what has been predicted).

Sunday we are heading to Lowestoft to visit my parents for the afternoon - Mum has even offered to cook one of her fab fish pies... yum. We are also hoping to see my sister's (Tracy's) new house, as she picked up the keys a week and a half ago. The house needs lots of work doing to it, so it seems unlikely that she will be in there until Christmas really. Henry is very excited about the move - the lure of a large new bedroom to himself is proving a big one!

Tracy had some sort of mild contractions last night, so it looks like the baby might be putting in an appearance sooner than the end of the month (which is the date forecast). She seems to be keeping pretty well, despite her current situation, which is all good. Personally, I don't know how she copes... we are also hoping to hear some news on Mark's Mum's facial "numbness". Keeping our fingers crossed that it is something a) not too serious, and b) treatable. We wont be booking our China/Cambodia/Thailand trip until she gets the all clear.

Anyway, that's all for now... will publish any baby news when I get it!

Hayls
xxx