Today I've mostly bin...

[Bunnylump]

De seeding a huge pile of lavender so I can dry them for making lavender bags. So I now have a house which smells of old ladies.

[Scurra]

Comment removed owing to sudden attack of good sense by the Jester.

[Bunnylump]

I sort of realised I was setting myself up a bit there...

[giraffe]

Hopefully this is a picture of the cake.

[Laura]

Now THAT is what I call a cake!!!

[eirian]

I want one of those!!

[MBH]

That's brilliant I'm off to raid the store house for spare portholes and rails (especially if the rails are mint flavoured)

[Scurra]

Wow. That's amazing.

[giraffe]

Yes, minty rails, and the canons and mast are mint too. Canon balls are toffee filled!

[Looby]

Bunny - you are lucky to get to go wedding dress shopping. Janine asked me if I'd go with her to be followed by a call the next week saying she'd been in Cardiff with a friend and already bought her dress. I was really disappointed!
I tried to put some pictures of the wedding on here but I can't remember how to make them smaller and they were huge so I took them off.
Instructions for reducing size of pictures (again) would be useful please

Giraffe - the cake is brilliant!

[LAT]

Amazing cake giraffe!

So how was the wedding Looby? Did you cry?

[Bunnylump]

Scurra - you tell Looby how to do it - you didn't approve of the way I did it! And I want to see those photos - definitely!!

Giraffe - that cake is wonderful!!

I've bin back to work. Total chaos, plus child protection training (grim) no computers or printers working. Good news is that one of "my" lads got a B for his A level biology. Really pleased about that because it means he was able to take up his place at uni to study zoology, which he loves. Also, a lot of the reprobates who have just left after GCSE actually did very (well for them), and my sweet little autistic spectrum pupil managed a D, two Es and two Fs, which sounds rubbish, but she was predicted all Gs or Us - so that's good too. She's got into her catering course at college so all is well. School overall fairly pleased - 83% A*-C which isn't bad for a comprehensive school with a very average intake.

[Bunnylump]

Meeting some of the new intake, they all looked very small and all had very big uniform on. But they seemed like really nice kids. The new form tutor I was working with was great fun - HE is a textiles teacher, and very flamboyant. That was the good bit of the day. The rest of the day was still very frustrating, still don't have a working computer (I have a lovely new shiny one sitting on my desk, but it still has all the plastic on it and isn't actually CONNECTED.)

[LAT]

Well I'm sure it will be nice to play with your new computer once it is connected.

Today I have mostly been stressed. My daughter has already had to rebook her flight out to China once because the paperwork she needed for her visa was slow in coming through. Then yesterday it arrived and she hot-footed it up to London to get it to the China visa specialist who promised to fast track it through so she would be able to fly out on Sunday. Today we heard that the Chinese embassy have moved the goal posts and she now needs another document before they will issue the visa. Several phone calls later we are now hoping it will arrive by email in the morning - but whether that will be in time to get her passport back by the weekend we don't know. And apparently this is a very new change as two guys who flew out last week didn't need it!!

[Bunnylump]

That's really poo, LAT, sorry to hear that. It must be very stressful for you all, not knowing when she will be going for sure. Fingers crossed for it all to work out for you.

[LAT]

... to Basildon Park. Remember that, those of you who were at the Reading meet? They were exhibiting several Art's Council owned paintings and sculptures from the 1950's, intermingled with the art that belonged in the house. It was a lovely day to wander round the grounds too.

And it took our minds off the continuing stress. The letters came through but the pdf of my daughter's was so blurry as to be virtually illegible and the one for the other girl had my daughter's name in one place!! And no-on noticed until K read it though. So now, in theory the other girl could probably travel out on Sunday but it is extremely unlikely K's visa will come through in time so she will have to change her flight again. aaaaaaaagh.

[Bunnylump]

Oh dear! I'm sorry to hear that. Poor K, she must be tearing her hair out!

[kathlyn]

When we went out to china we got our visa in Hong Kong before we traveled across on the ferry.

[LAT]

I think this is more complex because she will be working out there for a year - unless you also went there to work? And as I mentioned, the rules have just been changed.

Anyway, I understand she has changed her flight again and is now hoping the visa will be processed by Monday. Please everybody keep your fingers crossed for her!

And my OH has now decided he would rather not go out there for a holiday and to visit K, but I might have found a rather good replacement for travelling companion. Just need to see if we can find a holiday we can book.

[kathlyn]

No, we went out for a couple of holidays when our daughter and her husband were working out there and the last time we went was 9 yrs ago.

I hope all eventually works out well for your daughter and you get a hol over there.