Wholemeal Mothers' Day Out

Had a fantastic day out last Saturday. The Streatham Wholemeal Mothers annual outing took place as usual in September. I did the driving, so it took us forever to get us there. Where did we go? well, Charleston, where the Bloomsbury Group hung out on the South Downs near Lewes.

More info here:

http://www.charleston.org.uk/


I don't seem to be able to post any photos, so you'll have to look it all up yourselves.

We didn't think there would be very much to see, but we were just overwhelmed with it all, it was so interesting.
I went home and told my husband that we were covering the house in paintings and filling it with bohemians. He took me seriously for all of a minute......
Seriously, I came away inspired. It was rented by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant in 1916, used as a holiday home between the wars, and permanently occupied until 1980 when it was decided to turn the house into a museum. The idea of all these people wafting in and out, painting the walls, and talking all the time sounds wonderful.
We had a tour of the house, which took over an hour as our guide was so enthusiastic about the house and its occupants.
The grounds are lovely, well worth a wander, and of course we had a good lunch in the cafe!

If you have the chance, go.

vinegar

I have found a new hobby - finding out how to use up the five litre container of vinegar that I bought recently from the Wing Yip Chinese supermarket along the Purley Way.
I'm being egged on by a little book, which tells me how to use vinegar for everything from delousing children to making cheese.

I'm actually about to head off to Waitrose to buy some goat's milk. To make cheese. Wouldn't it just be easier to buy the goat's cheese?

So this is how I'm celebrating my freedom now all the buggers are back at their maximum security facilities. Actually, not secure enough, if you ask me - they seem to reappear every afternoon demanding food and an internet connection.

Better go and stock up on food - Am off out tomorrow. All day. And none of them are coming with me. I'm so excited!!!!

All The Rage - August 2007

I'm back, I'm back!
After nearly three weeks on the Planet Naboo I'm back in Shangri - La, South London.
It was mostly good fun, the weather was mostly great, and I behaved myself - most of the time....

Here's the latest edition of All The Rage - a great read as ever.

http://www.alltherage.org.uk/alltherage-2007-08.pdf

And she's off!

It's finally come round at last - the day before the holidays.

Despite my efforts, I have a to do list the length of my arm and then some more. Little things mysteriously appear at the last moment.

I have just checked in online and printed our boarding passes. Choosing the seats is interesting - I made a slight adjustment, only to be advised that someone else had just snaffled that seat! Many of the seats had aleady been taken - and the checking facility had only just been opened.

I have a day ahead of me of frantic tail chasing, most of which could have been avoided. I will swear that I'm going to bed early - we're leaving the house at 4.30 am - but I know I'll be still up at 1am doing stuff, or looking for things that are suddenly are essential items.

I'll try to blog while I'm away, but it won't be easy having to rely on local internet cafes.

The image on the left shows where we're going.

The image on the right shows one of the views we get.

Must go and do stuff now!

I've been ill all week

Another week wasted. Another week when I didn't makes inroads into The Novel.

I've been ill since last Saturday.

Some coldie fluy thing that has laid me low.

But I still had to provide the meals - no let up there.

Still, it mean that I've already done the reading for the September meeting of our bookclub - quite a feat, really, and am now reading a Susan Jeffers book Dare to Connect. It's all about hugging strangers, or something like that.

One more week, and we're off on The Hols to the Planet Naboo (aka Lake Como) so that should be a change of scenery.

The Worried Parents

The Girl from Ipanema has gone camping in Wales this week with a gang of friends I've never heard of before.

Well, what else was she going to do, apart from stay in bed all week. At least she'll get some use out of the all the gear I bought for her in Millets when she did her DOE last year.

I wish I'd had the opportunity to get trenchfoot in a tent when I was her age!

Even before she left, I started to feel unwell - a sort of viral coldie thing. I have been in bed ever since she left. I'm very sick - I only get out of bed to cook meals and collect Feral Child from schools. She texts once a day to tell me that she's still alive. Today the text actually contained some information - they had all got sunburnt. I had to laugh, that was the one thing I didn't warn her to take precautions about!

This has happened before. When she went on the school cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean I developed crippling backache which only got better after her return. I don't think I slept for a week. Well, wouldn't you if your child went to Beirut on a day trip?

So I'm going to bed now. She's back on Saturday. I'll see if I get any better then. I'll have to be better to deal with the mountain of washing she'll bring back with her.

My husband has an easy way out. He just blames me for everything.

Free Nekkid Ladies!!!

I have just received an email from Beyond Chocolate , a non dieting weight loss outfit run by two sisters with a passion for chocolate.

Dawn Porter (of Super Slim Me) is holding a nekkid lady flashmob somewhere in London on Monday 9 July.

If you fancy joining in, here's the link for more info:

http://www.myspace.com/ultimateflashmob



*** CALLING ALL WOMEN *** I am a journalist with one thing in mind. I am growing a little tired of being fed images of women who most of us could never look like, at least without some serious cosmetic surgery. I want to see REAL women, in abundance. So, I am trying to get as many women as possible, to meet me on Monday the 9th of July in a secret location and whip oiff their clothes. The ULTIMATE Flashmob! Keep your eye on this page for details of when and where, and subscribe to the blog so that you are kept fully aware of what's going on. This is REALLY going to happen. It is for my new BBC Documentry, get involved. It will be AMAZING!!! Come and show off your beautiful bodies in celebration of the TRUE female form, and remind the world what it is to be a real, live, 100% organic woman - freed from hang-ups as well as clothes. Full nudity is not compulsory, wear as little as you like… Fig leaves may be provided… To find out where and when CALL 07921 609 588 or EMAIL NAKED@bbc.co.uk Let's do it!!! x x x Full nudity is NOT compulsory, wear as little as you like.
Who I'd like to meet:Women who wanna get naked....and just wanna show the world what they got. Let's just get it out, and get on with it! Sorry lads, girls only x



I would like to assure all my readers that I will NOT be participating in this - Milena would be there like a shot, but I, alas, would only attract the attention of those thinking yet another whale had taken a wrong turning.......