Little bear has man flu. He had a little nap then around 10pm woke up because his nose was blocked and his throat was sore and IT ISN'T FAIR!
Fortunately a dose of baby nurofen and a big cuddle seemed to sort him out. I would hate for him not to go to nursery tomorrow - he would be unbearable if he was stopped from going!
Actually I am feeling fairly sorry for myself with what is just a cold, and nothing more at all. I have even had a lemsip which I normally regard with complete loathing. I hate the tissue season.
Monday, 30 November 2009
One thousand a day
I have started yet another novel. Not exactly sure how it ends, but I am confident I shall enjoy the journey. So far I have written 5147 words, mostly in the right order, and I am hoping to do one thousand words a day.
The writing is really helping my 'nerves'. A few weeks ago I was in a really bad state, but being able to write is making a huge difference. I shall post here on word count, and occasional dilemmas but I won't put too much in. You see, I know on the net there are places where I can publish on the internet only for free. So when I have finished this I will publish it there for anyone who is interested and I will try not to give too much away.
Of course, the target of one thousand words a day does rather depend on little bear's co-operation, but I am optimistic. One thousand words may sound a lot, but I have been timed touch typing at 63 words per minute when I was being slow to be accurate, and that means that if I don't use the back space much, don't try and work out exactly how to describe something, don't get stuck on an idea and don't have to spend ages looking back to see if I had described a character's eyes as blue or brown then one thousand words should take just over 15 minutes.
The writing is really helping my 'nerves'. A few weeks ago I was in a really bad state, but being able to write is making a huge difference. I shall post here on word count, and occasional dilemmas but I won't put too much in. You see, I know on the net there are places where I can publish on the internet only for free. So when I have finished this I will publish it there for anyone who is interested and I will try not to give too much away.
Of course, the target of one thousand words a day does rather depend on little bear's co-operation, but I am optimistic. One thousand words may sound a lot, but I have been timed touch typing at 63 words per minute when I was being slow to be accurate, and that means that if I don't use the back space much, don't try and work out exactly how to describe something, don't get stuck on an idea and don't have to spend ages looking back to see if I had described a character's eyes as blue or brown then one thousand words should take just over 15 minutes.
Little bear is chained up
Little bear has a safety gate across the door to his room. The odd layout of the landing and the house means that it is the only place it can go. He can now open this gate.
Dear heart was very sympathetic coming home to me in a state of complete nervous exhaustion, but on Saturday he witnessed first hand. Little bear would play with the cars upstairs (nice safe room full of toys) for a while but then he would utter 'downstairs' and I would next have him knocking on the door to the living room.
The hard part was the lack of nap. Little bear really still needs an afternoon nap or at least quiet time. From around Thursday he had not had this and he was exhausted! By 6pm he would be ricocheting off the walls because when he is tired he speeds up. The old plan of putting him in his safe, warm bedroom with his toys and letting him wind down for a nap didn't work, because before he reached 'nap' he was downstairs demanding dvds. All attempts to cajole him to nap on the sofa failed with an epic margin. All dvds were banned and classic fm was on. All sugar was banned. However little bear was refusing to sleep and refusing to slow down. If you had seen his pitiful, exhausted face you would have felt for him.
No matter what, no matter how desperate, little bear refused to go to his room for a nap. If placed there little bear would escape.
This is normal. What concerns me is that we have particularly steep stairs with no hand rail. And if there has been a slight lapse in concentration he could find the window on the top story of a four story house open. It is normally kept completely locked. I have moved all the chemicals I can find. I need to move the tools - I have just remembered them. And stash his presents elsewhere.
In short, it isn't safe for him to wander round upstairs. Even with all the precautions, the stairs are steep. We have never re-carpeted the perfectly sound carpet on the stairs but it is navy blue in an area without natural light (whoever chose that must have been insane!). I have dislocated three shoulders on those stairs (well, yes, one of the shoulders has been dislocated twice, but it hurts every time!)
So we bought a lock. It is a long cable which goes around the stair gate and locks into the piece fixed against the wall. But if you don't wrap it enough times round the gate little bear can open the gate, push it out a little way and squeeze through the gap. As he did 6am Sunday morning.
So poor little bear is kept chained in a safe warm room with his toys for over an hour in the afternoon and hopefully some calm will return.
Dear heart was very sympathetic coming home to me in a state of complete nervous exhaustion, but on Saturday he witnessed first hand. Little bear would play with the cars upstairs (nice safe room full of toys) for a while but then he would utter 'downstairs' and I would next have him knocking on the door to the living room.
The hard part was the lack of nap. Little bear really still needs an afternoon nap or at least quiet time. From around Thursday he had not had this and he was exhausted! By 6pm he would be ricocheting off the walls because when he is tired he speeds up. The old plan of putting him in his safe, warm bedroom with his toys and letting him wind down for a nap didn't work, because before he reached 'nap' he was downstairs demanding dvds. All attempts to cajole him to nap on the sofa failed with an epic margin. All dvds were banned and classic fm was on. All sugar was banned. However little bear was refusing to sleep and refusing to slow down. If you had seen his pitiful, exhausted face you would have felt for him.
No matter what, no matter how desperate, little bear refused to go to his room for a nap. If placed there little bear would escape.
This is normal. What concerns me is that we have particularly steep stairs with no hand rail. And if there has been a slight lapse in concentration he could find the window on the top story of a four story house open. It is normally kept completely locked. I have moved all the chemicals I can find. I need to move the tools - I have just remembered them. And stash his presents elsewhere.
In short, it isn't safe for him to wander round upstairs. Even with all the precautions, the stairs are steep. We have never re-carpeted the perfectly sound carpet on the stairs but it is navy blue in an area without natural light (whoever chose that must have been insane!). I have dislocated three shoulders on those stairs (well, yes, one of the shoulders has been dislocated twice, but it hurts every time!)
So we bought a lock. It is a long cable which goes around the stair gate and locks into the piece fixed against the wall. But if you don't wrap it enough times round the gate little bear can open the gate, push it out a little way and squeeze through the gap. As he did 6am Sunday morning.
So poor little bear is kept chained in a safe warm room with his toys for over an hour in the afternoon and hopefully some calm will return.
Friday, 27 November 2009
Feel low
I just had a phone call - they are not discharging little bear from speech therapy after all. They want to monitor his sentence development.
I did say that his favourite phrase was 'Jon do it' and he repeatedly used three words and the therapist was saying how positive he was in using two word constructions.
Of course I said yes, but I do question why. He will be going back in a few months time.
They should have witnessed the heated and in depth discussion very early this morning when I was trying to convince him to stay in bed.
I did say that his favourite phrase was 'Jon do it' and he repeatedly used three words and the therapist was saying how positive he was in using two word constructions.
Of course I said yes, but I do question why. He will be going back in a few months time.
They should have witnessed the heated and in depth discussion very early this morning when I was trying to convince him to stay in bed.
Speechless
Little bear and I went to speech therapy today.
The day started far too early. I had unwisely told little bear that we were going on a bus the next day. So that is why at 4am I was explaining to him that we couldn't go into town yet because all the shops were asleep.
Then I had the wonderful circus of getting ready. Now that little bear can get out of his room, getting dressed is something of a challenge. I had a wonderful moment of terror when he found a forgotten spray of furniture polish and had it pointed at his face, about to pull the trigger. My acceleration is improving.
I was so glad to get out of the house, even though I had failed to bring spare nappy/gloves/pandy. It meant I had survived breakfast.
It took two buses to the speech therapist. She was impressed and couldn't stop laughing - little bear didn't want to be bothered with her silly questions and told her firmly, 'play cars' which were enticingly set out in the corner. He was discharged.
Then into town. Little bear was insistent. He wanted to buy egg custards and he wanted to buy pizza and he wanted to buy them from the shop where you went down the steps. This is not possible when you get to the shop an hour before they make the pizza.
So we had a snack in BHS and then we rode up and down escalators (to little bear's delight) and finally we had wasted enough time to get the pizza, and we arrived just as they came out of the oven.
Finally home.
I am exhausted. Little bear is exhausted. But he won't sleep and he won't stay in his room to wind down for a nap. I think it is going to be a long afternoon.
The day started far too early. I had unwisely told little bear that we were going on a bus the next day. So that is why at 4am I was explaining to him that we couldn't go into town yet because all the shops were asleep.
Then I had the wonderful circus of getting ready. Now that little bear can get out of his room, getting dressed is something of a challenge. I had a wonderful moment of terror when he found a forgotten spray of furniture polish and had it pointed at his face, about to pull the trigger. My acceleration is improving.
I was so glad to get out of the house, even though I had failed to bring spare nappy/gloves/pandy. It meant I had survived breakfast.
It took two buses to the speech therapist. She was impressed and couldn't stop laughing - little bear didn't want to be bothered with her silly questions and told her firmly, 'play cars' which were enticingly set out in the corner. He was discharged.
Then into town. Little bear was insistent. He wanted to buy egg custards and he wanted to buy pizza and he wanted to buy them from the shop where you went down the steps. This is not possible when you get to the shop an hour before they make the pizza.
So we had a snack in BHS and then we rode up and down escalators (to little bear's delight) and finally we had wasted enough time to get the pizza, and we arrived just as they came out of the oven.
Finally home.
I am exhausted. Little bear is exhausted. But he won't sleep and he won't stay in his room to wind down for a nap. I think it is going to be a long afternoon.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Knitting and know how
I have a knitting pattern that promises a sweater knitted in one piece. As I loathe making up, I thought I would dig it out and look at it again. Hmm.
Well, you start knitting at the left cuff and finish at the right cuff, and you leave a hole for the head in the appropriate place and pick up the stitches and knit the neckband as you would any other sweater. And it is in chunky, so quite a quick and easy knit.
Of course, I can always find fault. One fault is that it is only 23 inches long. I prefer at least 27 and if you are knitting side to side then I am not sure about increasing the length. But that is possible. The real sticking point for me is that I would need to knit the rib at the bottom separately and sew it on. My knitting skills are okay, but I cannot see any way that I would not make a complete mess of the sewing. I suppose I could pick up the stitches, but picking up is not my favourite form of sport.
I think, however, I will look into getting a pattern in for a sweater to knit over Christmas as a sanity saver. Darling father is visiting over Christmas and New Year which will be wonderful but a little more hectic than normal.
Well, you start knitting at the left cuff and finish at the right cuff, and you leave a hole for the head in the appropriate place and pick up the stitches and knit the neckband as you would any other sweater. And it is in chunky, so quite a quick and easy knit.
Of course, I can always find fault. One fault is that it is only 23 inches long. I prefer at least 27 and if you are knitting side to side then I am not sure about increasing the length. But that is possible. The real sticking point for me is that I would need to knit the rib at the bottom separately and sew it on. My knitting skills are okay, but I cannot see any way that I would not make a complete mess of the sewing. I suppose I could pick up the stitches, but picking up is not my favourite form of sport.
I think, however, I will look into getting a pattern in for a sweater to knit over Christmas as a sanity saver. Darling father is visiting over Christmas and New Year which will be wonderful but a little more hectic than normal.
Evil cat is evil
I had a busy day yesterday. Little bear was an imp of mischief, but still gorgeous and I got some great cuddles. However I was really looking forward to a long bubble bath.
Evil cat can not only try the limits of human endurance but can get to those limits remarkably quickly.
I sank into the bubbles, sighed and heard evil cat's version of meow. It sounds like a swear word. It sounds like a really bad swear word. Well, I ignored it. Evil cat persisted. I heard the feline version of Foul Old Ron swearing and muttering outside the bathroom door. Evil cat was the wrong side of the door - not between the bathroom and the landing but between the stairs and the living room (with fire). However she decided not to call at the door on the stairs where dear heart could hear her and let her down. She decided to give it a full 'Buggrit Millennium hand and shrimp' outside the bathroom door, where dear heart couldn't hear her but I could. And she was not next to a fire that was on! This was important to her. She let me know how important it was.
I am extremely well trained. I was in the water ten minutes. Sigh.
Evil cat can not only try the limits of human endurance but can get to those limits remarkably quickly.
I sank into the bubbles, sighed and heard evil cat's version of meow. It sounds like a swear word. It sounds like a really bad swear word. Well, I ignored it. Evil cat persisted. I heard the feline version of Foul Old Ron swearing and muttering outside the bathroom door. Evil cat was the wrong side of the door - not between the bathroom and the landing but between the stairs and the living room (with fire). However she decided not to call at the door on the stairs where dear heart could hear her and let her down. She decided to give it a full 'Buggrit Millennium hand and shrimp' outside the bathroom door, where dear heart couldn't hear her but I could. And she was not next to a fire that was on! This was important to her. She let me know how important it was.
I am extremely well trained. I was in the water ten minutes. Sigh.
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