Today I've mostly bin...

[Bunnylump]

It was a fabulous day. Just found this photo on FB. And yes, we do look like we are care in the community...

[giraffe]

.....being brave. Fernando took me out in the car for the first time. He's more confident than Kingsley was at the same stage of learning (which isn't necessarily a good thing! ) but he seems to be picking it up alright.

[chazzie]

What a lovely picture Bunny - the outfit looks great - and definitely looking like you had a great day!

Giraffe - don't envy you at all - I'm a terrible passenger at the best of times.

[Bunnylump]

Yes, the thought of being in a car with Dibble (who fortunately, doesn't drive yet - he's dangerous enough on two feet!) is horrifying. Even now, I find myself having to stop commenting when K takes me out in the car - and she's been driving for 8 years now...

[giraffe]

I think F has the makings of a very good driver and he was remarkably tolerant of me giving advice. (Not normal for him). He said at one point "Is this road national speed limit?" And I told him that I thought he was going quite fast enough.

[Bunnylump]

...Doing a sponsored walk, 10 miles long, with 20 year 7s in tow in 32 degrees C. The first one got heat exhaustion after 3/4 of an hour and had to be picked up. I finished the day with prickly heat and a pollen rash from head to foot. Nightmare. And such a shame, because it's a beautiful route - two loops starting directly from the school and through the countryside.

[gill216]

Sounds a bit like my day Bunny but without the 7 year olds. We went on a 15 mile bike ride but the pollen got to me and I couldn't breathe after 10.5. I had to send OH back to bring the car so I could drive home. Sat down on the side of the road and put my hand in a bunch of nettles.

Got back to the caravan, sorted myself out and got out the sun lounger which promptly collapsed on me and I hit the concrete with a bang. To make that worse as well I cracked my head on the shed on the way down.

I think 'll get out the blanket today and just lie on the grass!!

[LAT]

Oh dear Gill, that doesn't sound a good day. Hope today is better. And do make sure you don't fall asleep and get sunburn!

Hope the rashes have subsided Bunny.

I woke up yesterday to find 4 large bites clustered round one armpit. I managed to be good all day yesterday but woke up this morning to find I had scratched at a couple of them in the night so now they will take ages to heal!

[Laura]

Today I've been to visit my friend in Leicester before she moves to America for two years. We walked barefoot through Bradgate Park, right up to the very highest point and back down. It was very hot and I've never had filthier feet, but it was really good fun.

[Bunnylump]

Sounds great. If I had my way I'd be barefoot all the time. I think I'm part hobbit. (Although my feet aren't hairy!!)

[Laura]

My feet looked like a monkey's after I'd done. They were a delightful mottled brown and skin colour.

[SparkOut]

Sounds great. If I had my way I'd be barefoot all the time. I think I'm part hobbit. (Although my feet aren't hairy!!)

And twice as tall

[Bunnylump]

Yeah, that's true. In fact I'm not that much like a hobbit at all really, now I come to think of it!!

...Finishing work. I've been flat out for weeks, so am massively relieved to be having a break. Well, if you can call having a shed delivered at 8am tomorrow having a break, I suppose... We've been to the last Sergeant Pepper show in the present format. It was a really good show with a range of music to suit all tastes, lots of dancing and so on. Apparently they have raised a total of £4 million for the Pepper nurses over the past 25 years.

[MBH]

I had a very interesting couple of hours last night at a Virgin Money Jobs event in Gosforth.

Obviously I'm getting myself about and seeing what I might need to aim for, but this was a revealation as a lot of my OLD skills with regard to ICL Mainframe computers are still in demand. Obviously there were job titles there I've never even heard of along with many other titles that I have done as part of my old "we did everything" work in the software house.

They want CVs sent in by email with a job title in the subject. I want to send my OLD style CV (containing all my languages, operating systems, etc) with a subject of "Where could I do the most good?". Had a long chat with the I.T Security guy who was very passionate about keeping the bad guys out

No idea where this is going, and I DO remember the pressure and the 'rat race' of the old job, but the atmosphere and ethos of the Virgin group seems to be very people-friendly and their offices were like a small village including 2 Costa coffee shops, a restaurant, gym, chill out area and games areas

[SparkOut]

Good luck with whatever turns up from whatever source MBH.

Today I've mostly bin...
Lending weight to squashing up tent, sleeping bag, stowing in rucksacks, writing luggage labels and generally getting sorted ready to miss Pumpkin terribly for a month, while being extremely envious. Departure 05:30 tomorrow.

[Bunnylump]

Hope she has a fabulous experience, Sparkout. And try not to worry about her too much!! I'm envious too!!

[LAT]

....wondering why I bother in the garden. Deer get in repeatedly and eat most of the flower buds in the pots and keep nibbling at a new rose I bought last autumn. And then yesterday I noticed the raspberry bushes had been munched as had half our spinach beet which HAD been just about enough for a meal but, of course isn't now.
And to cap it all I got scratched by brambles and stung by nettles while trying to rig up some netting as protection - to add to the nasty cut I already have on my finger from catching my wedding ring on a door handle.

But hey, my finger is still attached, and there were about 4 ripe raspberries left, things could be worse!

All the best with the job application MBH, hope you get something good soon.

[giraffe]

My raspberries looked like they would be a bumper crop, but despite me watering them they don't seem to have developed properly and are really small. And now the plants are turning brown and looking dead. I had a man round on Friday (to quote for rebuilding the garden steps that look like they have suffered from an earthquake) and he said he knew of someone else whose raspberries had all died, so maybe there is something going round, or just the really cold spring followed by the dry summer.

[Bunnylump]

That's what usually happens to my tomatoes.

[SparkOut]

Seeing Pumpkin off from school on the way to Heathrow this morning, and checking flightradar24.com for flight tracking to Amsterdam. Now her flight to Beijing has just taken off from Amsterdam. She's well and truly on the way now.