One fish, two fish, red fish, noooo fish!

So, I've been thinking about buying a fish tank for absolutely ages. I love fish. We had fish when I was a child. Tropical fish. I can still remember the beautiful angelfish, the little bright neons, the Siamese fighting fish, the boring guppies, and of course our albino catfish. Loved that catfish, could have spent all day just watching him clean up and down the tank and of course he was pink!

Anyway, just over a week or so ago some friends had posted about how they were buying a BiOrb, a new type of low maintenance fish tank. Sounds good I think and knowing them the way I do I know they would have researched this thoroughly, looked at all the options and so I thought why not capitalise on their hard work? I'm not stupid!

I'd also just sold a whole load of scrapbooking stash on UKS and decided that I really didn't need to replace it with yet more stash as the whole idea is to reduce my stock not replace it with yet more. The idea floated in to my mind to use the money and buy something we can all enjoy. So I did.

I ordered a BiÜbe. Very stylish, I think, and it duly arrived last Friday. Now all of you who know me know that patience is not one of my virtues (I'm working on it...) so I immediately set to the task of setting it up, which involved cleaning all of the little ceramic stones that sit on the bottom, hand sorting through them and picking out anything under the size of a pea (what size is a pea? Are we talking garden or marrowfat processed?) and then filling it, all 35 litres. I'd also at the time ordered some greenery for it and so put that in, Katarina then wants to add her beautiful shell. I'm thinking will there be room for the fish?

The instructions say you need to leave it for 24 hours before adding your fish and as I'm not going to be available to go and buy one on the Saturday and hey, I bought the fish tank I want to go with the children to buy the fish! So I rang our local, and reportedly good, aquatics shop only to be told I should leave it a whole week before adding fish. A whole week, no fish, my patience???

However, I bow to their superior knowledge in these matters and, as requested, with children in tow took along a sample from my tank today for them to test it and confirm whether my tank is 'ready'. Apparently it's not. And yes I could go and buy a fish but not from their shop as they wouldn't sell me one on the basis of my water test results (what is it with me and water test results - old blogging history will shed light on this old wound).

So, I've come away armed with some de-chlorinating treatment, instructions to remove and replace 15% of the water, de-chlorinate today and once again on Tuesday next week and then take another sample back next Thursday. Oh, the agony of waiting. I want fish. I want them now. But I also want them to live and be healthy so I'm playing the waiting game. Apparently when the assistant in the shop was setting up her tank (not a BiOrb but a 'proper' big tank) it took 2 months for the water to be correct.

Tank is looking good though, if fish-less:

(Second picture taken just because I was playing with my camera and was the point at which I discovered that nifty colour isolating button! Can you imagine trying to isolate all those little fronds in PSE?)

Playing with my new camera

Wow, I am impressed with my new baby, the Canon IXUS 800 IS, and am only just starting to get to grips with all the things it can do.

Like take today when I suddenly discovered at just the push of a button it will take photos in black and white BUT you can choose to highlight and include one colour. You know, those shots where everything is black and white but, you say leave the hat the person is wearing in blue. Now, I can do this in PSE but it's a little more complicated than just clicking a button! Now I can do it anytime and anywhere...

So, here is a photo of the beautiful lillies I have in my living room, first with only the green tones picked out, second with the pink tones - and you choose the exact tones with just a point and click. It's easier to see the effect on the pink one as there is less colour chosen. Love it!

Music I'm currently loving...

Just checked out my iTunes and my top ten most played tunes:

• Weather With You - Crowded House



• Bad Day - Daniel Powter



• Take You Back - Jeremy Camp



• Morning Song - Jewel



• Dry Your Eyes - The Street



• The Scientist - Coldplay



• Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae



• I Can Only Imagine - Mercy Me



• Naive - The Kooks



• Fill My Little World - The Feeling

So, what's your current top 10 playlist?

Music Video Codes By Musicjesus.com                                                                                        

Another fab weekend

Scrapbooking and two baptisms.

First the scrapbooking.

Date: Saturday
Venue: PaperArts
Class Taught by: Me(!)
Topic: Creative Journalling

I had a great time, the class seemed to be well received, spent time with some good friends, had a gossip (like you do) and even managed one LO! (I'll try and scan and upload it later). I always have a good time at PaperArts, the girls are all so friendly, the banter flows and of course I can always find something new to buy.

Next the two baptisms. And they just happen to be mine and Richards! It was amazing, so personal and yet not, what with a congregation of over 150 people.

I've been wanting to be baptised ever since I became a Christian, nearly 5 years ago, but the church we were going to at the time wouldn't do it as I had already been baptised as a baby. My personal point of view is that this wasn't MY choice but my parents, neither of which were Christians at the time either.

Since moving back to Swindon we have started going to the Swindon Family Church who are part of the Newfrontiers family of churches. We recently did a foundation course, a sort of introduction in to the church, their beliefs and views and during this our pastor, Mark, talked about baptism. More specifically believers baptism. His view, that any baptism you have before you become a christian is basically nothing more than taking a bath, pretty much tied in with my view point. He then said that they were going to be doing a couple of baptisms in a few weeks and any of us were welcome to take part too. I jumped at the chance and then to my surprise so did Richard.

They have a huge baptistry(it's not called a font, apparently), in the corner of the converted warehouse, which functions as our church, and Richard even went along to re-fibreglass it in preparation of Sunday.

It was ever so slightly daunting, not least because they set up a video camera and broad casted the proceedings on a huge screen so that everyone could see but also because we all had to stand up and give a small testimony. Me and public speaking are not a match made in heaven. I was shaking like a leaf once I'd finished and didn't think I'd have the strength in my legs to walk over to the baptistry.

There are, apparently, photos. Taken by my mum, sort of 'before' and 'after' shots but I was so focused I didn't even see her. Once she has sent them to me I will post them. The event was made even more special as Richard baptised me and I baptised him in return. This was all followed off with a hog roast for the whole church. Fantastic.

Special days

Thank you to everyone for your birthday wishes, cards and general good comments.

I had a lovely birthday. My darling husband gave me the cutest little Radley handbag. This one here in fact. And though it may be small it is big enough.

It came to my attention whilst getting ready to go out for that lovely lunch a few weeks ago that I didn't have any 'grown up' handbags. Not one. I'd gotten so used to going out armed with a rucksack/backpack that even though I haven't needed the capacity I'd still been lugging about a basically empty backpack style handbag. Luckily for me Richard reads my blog and bought me one.

I received lots of cards and, strangely, they were mostly handmade. I obviously know crafty sorts of people. LOL. Cherry even popped by to drop off her card and we sat in the garden until it became too hot and we had to move indoors. Hopefully the children haven't put her off visiting again.

Saturday was another beautiful day and in between taking Katarina off to dance lessons and Harriet off to drama school we, by which I mean the royal 'we', created a new top for our patio table. Why a new table top? Whilst we were still living in Canada and the house was on the market we were advised by our Realtor to keep the patio furniture looking 'good' which translates to: put up the umbrella, put out some fresh flowers on the table etc. etc.

We duly took note and complied and then went to Bermuda for a break (boy did we need it). Whilst we were there the tail end of a hurricane, can't remember which one, hit off the coast of Nova Scotia and promptly lifted up our umbrella, together with the heavy base, and smashed it up against the glass table top. You can imagine the look on our Realtors face when she arrived one morning to open up the house for a viewing!!! Thankfully it was safety glass but added up to a lot of mess and no table top. Things proceed notoriously slowly in NS so we just couldn't get a new top ordered before we left and so currently have a gaping hole.

Ah, but no longer. We now have a lovely slatted wooden top that now just needs to be stained.

As Sunday was Fathers Day I gave Richard a break and said he didn't have to stain the table top - he can do that next weekend - mwuhahahahaha.

Sunday started off a little downcast but we decided to go out and at least get some fresh air and let the children burn off some energy. We went to Avebury (another interesting link here) where we had lunch at the Red Lion pub. Good old pub grub and a couple of Old Speckled Hens for Richard and then a walk around the stones. By this time the weather had returned to the hot and humid state it has been in for the last couple of weeks but thankfully the sun was dimmed by some hazy clouds.

The children were most disgusted as the sheep had been in one of the circles and you couldn't put one foot in front of the other without stepping on something unpleasant. Ah, country life! They had a blast though and Noah experienced his first brush with stinging nettles, not once but twice - you'd think he'd learn his lesson the first time, wouldn't you? So, followed a brief botany lesson and a hunt for some dock leaves (they really do work). We ended the day, as all great summer days should end, with an ice cream from the ice cream van.

Yes, my children are now aware of the ice cream van. Long gone are the days that I could tell them that the chirpy little tune they could hear was the fish van letting us know that they have fresh fish for sale. Bad mother, bad...

So, that's pretty much caught me up to date, apart from the fact that I also managed to complete an entry in the latest circle journal I am currently signed up for. Just need to get myself in gear and take it to the post office.

Oh, and to add that the weather was not so good today. It keeps looking like rain is threatening but it just hasn't. It's in the air though, I can feel it in me bones.

And finally a LO which I completed at PaperArts a couple of weekends ago but just hadn't got around to scanning and posting.

Happy Birthday to...

... Me!

Too hot to type

The last couple of weeks have just been so hot. And, not to sound like a damp squid, but the last couple of days have been far too muggy and sticky for my liking.

I've been checking the temperature and, according to my car, it's been in the high 20s for the last week! So not good news for me but fantastic news for the children as they've been spending every available minute in our newly set up pool (I'll try and post a photo later).

Richard and I have always said that when we have weather like we are currently having there is no better place in the world to be than England. Lush green grass, normally a cool gentle breeze blowing, the sound of the birds singing and children splashing, ahhhhh, bliss.... preferably with me lounging in a garden chair, in semi shade with a very large glass of Pimms in one hand and a good book in the other.

Thanks everyone for all the comments left on my 'Canada or new bedroom furniture?' post. I think we have both pretty much made our decision we just need to verbalise it!

That's all for the moment. Posting will probably be sporadic at best whilst I take advantage of our glorious weather.

{Edited to add, for those of you who are concerned that I've filled up my pool whilst there is a hosepipe ban in Wiltshire, no need to worry the use of a hosepipe for the filling or topping up of swimming pools is allowed, I checked! 


}

 

Canada or new bedroom furniture?

Decisions, decisions.

And it's really getting to crunch time now. We need to make a decision soon and get the flights organised. But we are just so torn (sorry couldn't resist that link, it makes me laugh every time I see it).

On the one hand it would be so great to catch up with all our friends across the water in Nova Scotia. Only this morning Noah was demanding to see his friend Kristin, eldest daughter of my very good friend Winzee (don't worry she's not really called Winzee, long story) and the following conversation ensued:

Me: No, it's too far
N: We could take a plane
Me: Umm, no darling we can't get a plane it's just too far.
N: We could just drive to the airport and then get a plane.

Suffice it say I couldn't seem to win the argument.

Anyway, I digress. It would also be nice to get back and visit some of those places that were on our 'to do' list, you know how it is when you live somewhere, you very rarely go out sightseeing, and if you do in the beginning it wains the longer you live there until the only time you go and visit places is when you have visitors! In addition the flights out to NS haven't cost us anything. When we were booking our flights to return to England it turned out to be cheaper, much cheaper, around CDN $1500 cheaper, to book a return flight. So we did.

On the other hand we would have to pay for the flights back and pay for accommodation, food, car hire etc. etc. Although I'm pretty sure some of our friends would offer to put us up, 2 weeks and 5 extra people is a lot, and I'm not sure I would feel happy descending on people for that long.

Then there is the fact that we have travelled so much lately. C'mon, neither Richard and I felt like we could be bothered with the hassle of just going over to Paris for our wedding anniversary! So the thought of another long haul trip with the children is not appealing.

And then, finally, we desperately need, and I mean need (we are currently piling up our clothes on the floor for lack of drawer space), new bedroom furniture.

The problem is, on paper, it seems as if the negatives for going far outweigh the positives but in our minds the positives are really strong positives so in a way equal the negatives. Strange, weird logic, I know, but it's ours!

So that's the dilemma. Any thoughts?

 

How gorgeous is this?

I'd just given Noah a long, squeezy hug after which he turned to me and said:

That hurt my heart but you didn’t break my
heart
If you broke my heart I wouldn’t be able to love
you
If you broke my heart my heart light would stop
shining
But my heart light is still shining, it’s still glowing
and I love you
Now my heart glows away

It's moments like this that make having children worth the while having.

Playing supermarket checkout

I had so much fun today. Childish fun I know, but fun all the same.

I went to the local Asda Walmart to just pick up a few groceries, in particular a bottle of Pernod to drown my £350 mistake, and went to the checkouts to pay. And what do I find? They have some self checking checkouts.

How could I resist? It was like playing shop when you were a child, except you got to play with the real thing. You just stand there and scan in all your items, you get a nice resounding 'beep' and then a voice announces exactly what it is you've just scanned in and the price. This voice announcement grates after a while and I'm not sure if I like what I've bought being announced to all and sundry - could be a little embarrassing sometimes!

Once you've finished you can choose whether you need any cash back, which it dispenses for you, you choose how to pay (all the major ways of paying) and then you go. You can only use the facility if you have less than 10 items but it was really quick, probably because most people are still unsure about using them?

Fun, fun, fun (I know little things...) but I felt about 5 years old again. And that can't be a bad thing, can it?

A £350 blonde moment

OK, OK, no offence against blondes here, Katarina is one.

So, this week I decide I'll go for the Mother of the Week award (a friend asked who was nominating me - I replied "I am!"). And so instead of just sitting around all the half term, pretty much doing nothing except watching TV, playing on the computer, reading and eating, I thought it would be great to some sort of project with the children. Good idea. Well received by said children and we chose the subject of British wildlife and nature.

Things get off to a good start. On Tuesday afternoon we studied butterflies. Did some word searches, coloured in some butterfly pictures, learnt about the different body parts and identified some different types of butterflies. The plan is the following day, Wednesday, we will go to the local garden centre where there is Butterfly World.

So now, the blonde moment. We set off for Butterfly World but I need to stop to fill up the car with petrol. It's been on red for a couple of days. I'm standing in a world of my own, dreaming away (probably about hoping we find all the butterflies on the tick lists I've downloaded from the Internet or else the children are going to be disappointed), when I look down and read the label on the inside of the fuel flap. Hmmmm, I'm filling up the car with unleaded petrol - and my car is a diesel!!!!

Oooops. And not a small amount of unleaded but £40 of worth of unleaded. What to do, what to do? Thoughts go through my head at a random rate, "I'll just stop here, pay for the petrol and just go home and then call Richard. No, no, don't do that you may not make it home. But I don't want to be stranded on the garage forecourt. It's embarrassing. OK, OK, I'll pay for the petrol and then drive just around the corner and then call Richard". Then somehow, don't ask me how, I have this little "feeling" about how you shouldn't ever start the car when you've done this as it makes the problem worse and causes huge problems.

Long story short we spend the afternoon, not at Butterfly World, but being towed by a humongous, and I do mean big, tow truck to the Chrysler garage, where we then spend another long tedious time before being told that they are sorry but they won't be able to do it today and we'll get a taxi here to take you home and oh, by the way it's going to cost £350 to fix! £350? My first thoughts were give me a piece of hosepipe and I'll suck out the stupid petrol. But apparently no, this won't work as most new cars are fitted with anti-syphoning stuff and that's why it's going to cost so much to fix. They have to take the fuel tank out of the car!

Richard, bless him, has been so understanding. His comment? "Well, look on the bright side, if you hadn't had the sense to not turn on the engine the garage told me we'd be looking at a bill of £2500, so you've saved us over £2000!".

Got to love that man.