Today I've mostly bin...

[clvrlad]

....mostly bin watching Thomas climb the stairs all by himself! We've been walking him up them for a while, but today he climbed up them himself. Good job Daddy was right behind him the whole way though...

not even going to suggest putting him on an escalator going down

[giraffe]

Coming down was always the scary part with Ed. He'd kneel on the top step, as if he was going to crawl down backwards, and then straighten himself out so he was flat and slide down really fast, feet first on his tummy. He was in total control though, but it was terrifying to watch. I remember him scaring the wits out of one of my friends becuase she wasn't expecting it.

[Bunnylump]

Oh, I remember that. It's TERRIFYING watching them negotiate the stairs for the first time, isn't it?? As I recall, my daughter was a big wuss and wouldn't do it until she was quite old, and even then she had to have someone one step behind her at all times. Whereas my son managed to negotiate the stairs at about 10 months. He also learned how to climb on the top of the Welsh Dresser before he could walk... Should've known what he'd end up like!!! He's NEVER had any sense of fear - hence the number of times we've been in A and E...

[Bunnylump]

...taking photos of my daughter in a gown and mortar board again!!

Hendon, this time. Although, I have to say that it wasn't a patch on the graduation ceremony at Surrey. At Surrey it was in the cathedral, followed by a really lovely buffet champagne reception in a light airy, beautifully decorated marquee set out in the grounds, with live music (string quartet and then various other styles).

At Middlesex it was graduation ceremony in a boiling hot BLACK marquee, a really tacky sales pitch style video, speeches, half an hour of clapping, then into a boiling hot covered quad for some cheap fizz in a plastic glass and one (revolting) tart. I thought that was a bit poor for £25 a head and £40 to hire the hot gown and hat... Oh, and to cap it all, another girl with the same name as my daughter, who did the same course, received my daughter's results.

Still, we made the most of the dressing up to go out for a meal in a nice pub garden in the country near us to finish off. So that was nice. And I suppose the bottom line is that although she's HATED the course, and HATED the university, she has made some new friends and she has, ultimately, ended up getting a teaching qualification and now has a job. so it's not all bad, is it?

[LAT]

Well done to your daughter anyway! And best of luck for September to her.

I've just realised that there was no clapping at all at my kids' graduations.

[Bunnylump]

They got all the kids to turn round and clap their parents for supporting them too!! Oh yeah, and we had to have a "practice" clap.

[eirian]

congrats to your daughter Bunny, it's good all her hard work has paid off, and hating the course didn't change her mind about her future. Good luck for September.

[Bunnylump]

Thanks! I think it was the total disorganisation of the course and the lack of support she didn't like, rather than the subject! She went for a celebration meeting at the new school last night, and found out that one of the boys loves anything to do with trains. She's working at the park today (driving the trains) so I told her to get someone to take her photo then she can show the kids... How cool is it to have a teacher who's ALSO a train driver? Poor thing will be BOILED, won't she? Mind you, at least she isn't driving the steam train at the moment - shovelling coal onto the fire would probably have finished her off!

[tricia]

Took some some off from the puzzle and went to a 2 year olds birthday party.

The party went well despite the weather, bouncy castle went up for a bit before the torrential rain came on. The Birthday boy loved the castle but was totally underwhelmed by the other kids -he looked totally bemused when playing pass the parcel and preferred to dance and bounce up and down when the music was playing........ meanwhile the other kids were getting very excited and a 3 week baby slept through the mahem. However I did manage to get some nice pictures of the birthday boy.

As i was driving home through the Clyde tunnel there was a lot of suface water and what looked like a burst water main - I thik the tunnel may get closed later

I've come home for a rest and a quiet night in

Can you please sen some nice weather up here, these last few days have been WET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy the sun

Tricia

[Bunnylump]

Sorry to tell you but it's still boiling here...

I'm off to a music festival.

[LAT]

We'll send some nice weather up to you Tricia if you'll send some rain down here. Our lawn looks like it is a hay field that has been harvested and the stubble burnt!!

[MBH]

It's been humid and stuffy here, but as of the past 15 minutes it's been CHUCKING it down - sounds fantastic, but not condusive to settling down to sleeping (I'm back from my evening behind the bar)

It should be thunder and lightning the way the atmosphere feels, but so far just very heave rain.

[Bunnylump]

Funnily enough, we had been BAKING hot here all day - so hot I couldn't go in the garden all day. But we went out to an outdoor music thing (hog roast, classic cars and local real ales etc) at about 7pm in Wigginton (which is only about 12 miles away to the west) and there was a definite breeze and everyone (except my husband who was drumming!) was shivering! How odd.

It did make me laugh though. It's so posh round there. It was all ladies in floral dresses sitting on tartan rugs, and little children called things like "Hugo" and "Tilly".

[giraffe]

Back from nice weekend in York, and I actually sat down and finished a puzzle on Friday.

[gill216]

Not taking mum anywhere

Car was fine at 8.30, wouldnt start at 10.30. AA came and I have main beam headlights that are connecting without my lights being turned on.

[Bunnylump]

Oh good lord. That's annoying! My daughter's boyfriend's car has a fault in the computer which controls the immobiliser. So the stupid car won't start. And only RENAULT have the diagnostic equipment to find the fault so it's cost him £180 so far and it's just stopped working again. Cars are too clever for their own good these days! When I was about 20, and used to drive my brother's Volvo 123, it didn't have any door locks that worked. So every time I parked I had to open the bonnet and take out the rotor arm. Which then got popped in my handbag, and replaced every time I came back!!

[giraffe]

I inherited my grandad's Vauxhall viva, which was 20 yrs old. I had it for six months before I found the switch that turned on the dashboard lights. I thought they were broken, so had been guessing how fast I was going in the dark!

[Laura]

I'm just back from a weekend in London. I've been visiting Hampton Court Palace flower show, because my little sis worked on the Girlguiding UK Centenary garden, helping to construct it, then doing two days last week as a 'shower-arounder' (I can't think what the real word is!)

It was about 32 degrees all day, blazing hot sun, with just the occasional breeze. I drank about 4 litres of water! I also now have very interesting sun-tan patterns. Not quite sure how they got there, because they don't match the clothes I was wearing!

[MBH]

... in a few fights with some troublesome visitors.

*** at the Dr Who exhibition in the Life Centre in Newcastle ***

[Bunnylump]

Wow, MBH doing a foxtrot with a cyberman!! D'you know what? It was just this evening that my brother was telling me about being passed in the Dr Who car which had Dr Who and two cybermen in it when he was on holiday in Wales. (I went round unexpectedly to see him and ended up getting invited to a barbecue. )

Good photos MBH!

Laura - that's weird - about the suntan! Was the show good?