will i need a winter coat?

Well ladies and gents, im pretty much outta here. London that is. Headed to sunnier pastures and the sound of wedding bells. On my lap for the 24 hour journey is the 18 month old lump known as Rocco. An interesting prospect in a tight seat to begin with, made all the more so by the fact that it is apparent he has come down with a cold in the last 24 hours. Made even more interesting by the fact that Rocco appears to have a cough-vomit reflex which sees him vomit... oh.... 10-15 times a day/night in order to clear phlegm from his throat. Awesomely awesome stuff to consider when eyeing down a cramped economy cabin. For 24 hours. Oh. And he also refuses to sleep anywhere except for his bed next to a cuddly penguin that is larger than he is so no chance of making weight restrictions on this trip. And then when I land I'm going to have hair ripped out of most of the pores on my body to reveal a blindingly white skin to the masses of tanned Adelaide and my large collection of bruises. Dear god – how did i get so clumsy? That thing on my shin is HUGE and blue and I have no idea where it came from, so insignificant (And regular) are my skirmishes with chairs and sharp corners. But when did the awful bruising begin? Could my descent into nanahood already have begun?




Sorry. I am about to enter the familiar panic zone which is travelling to the opposite of the globe with a young child in a sardine can under the constant weight of everyone else’s irritation . I have only a tacit grip on my sanity.



I have promised dave that I will update the boy’s blog with Rocco pics every day, but I think we all know that aint gonna happen, but I will try my damndest to do it. Once at the very least. But 99% of my readers, do not fear, you shall be seeing himself and myself on Friday night as we devour vegetarian calzones at the European.

xxh

hilarity ensued.

Wow. This blog is going to be one of those blogs that i’m sure retrospect and comment silence will tell me was best left in my head. But bugger it, I got nothing else.

Today i came across a youtube clip that burnt into my psyche over 10 years ago (seriously – youtube and wikipedia?! Are you single? Cos you got it going ON). A music clip to a song that I caught a few times on early morning Rage, and like Tenacious D’s classic Tribute, would have me grinning stupidly for its entirety. I’d never been able to remember the song’s name or indeed the artist. For the past ten years I would intermittently ask people if they had heard of the song Theopolis Disco, you know, the one with the guys in the character suits, competing on the swings (weyhey! C’MON! Beat that!) and dune jumping...but to no avail. Had I been cool enough to listen to more triple J in those days, it would have been a no brainer : Sonic Animation’s classic ‘Theophilus Thistler’

Now, i realise most of you ignore the clips i post and this one IS a slow burner and very budget - BUT if you don’t get to the 2:30 mark and not think something to the effect of ‘holy crap those guys are having the time of their LIVES they are GENIUSES’ then perhaps this blog and my mind is not worth your time.



And to be a bit philosophical about why I share this with you, it’s in no small part because it took me back to those fun times- to being young, free, totally inspired and running amok. I’m not too sure where that all went, or why such times seem so far away. I miss them so much. How did I go from that to this in 5 years? I feel closer to 40 than 30. Sitting here in my uniform of trackies and snot-covered top, thumbing through cooking books after finishing all my chores with a cup of tea, waiting patiently for my nemesis hubby to return from golf. It’s been over 2 months since I have had even an hour away from the children and each day i tread water, completing the same menial tasks on auto-pilot, too exhausted to have a conversation when one is on offer when the kids are finally in bed. Instead choosing bad reality TV or pathetic celebrity blogs to pass the time. Woe is me. : )  Grass is always greener, hey? ......and i obviously wouldn’t change things for the world of course. I suppose it’s my penance for having 2 ridiculously cute kids.



I can’t tell you all how much i am looking forward to coming to Oz in a few weeks. I need the break, i need the human contact. So watch out Adelaide!!! My mind has severely deteriorated from the weight of the mundane and I cannot be held responsible for my actions.

i have already hired the suit.

Consider yourself informed.

Apologies for the silence on here (and that beautiful blog o boys) but i’ve been a bit sick. For almost a month. The flu hit me before Christmas, and one month on, I’m still yet to get ownership of my nasal passages, throat and ability to sleep without being interrupted by a phelm-spluttering cough just as I drift off. It’s almost disappeared a few times, but then flared up again, finding me stuck endlessly in a state of being sick, run-down and demotivated. It’s a miracle that I even posted all that stuff from Devon (of which there is more to come – can you believe it!? Damn you amazing camera and the photos you make me take). Add to this concoction 2 little boys who have inherited and suffered from the same cold. Fevers for Fred and poor Rocco is unable to hhhuuuurgh the phlem out of his throat and ends up vomiting. Sometimes four or five times a night. I don’t even own that many sheets and giving hairwashes as midnight ain’t really helping my sleep/run-down-ed-ness.


So what’s new? Let me dot-point it for you..

• Flights are booked for a short trip to Oz (23 Feb to 9 March) during which I will be guest-starring at Eleanor’s wedding. A great, great source of joy for me, I simply cannot wait. She is just the most sensational person who I love with all my heart and I cannot wait to share this amazing day with her. However I rather foolishly gave my dress measurements pre-goose fat season and have irrationally convinced myself that my beloved muffin has risen and therefore constrained myself this past week to all that is low GI (WHO approved diet-lifestyle of choice, so no hunger involved just abstinence from processed foods and toblerone). Ordinarily I’d be chipper with my current bod, but turning up to a dress fitting one week before D-Day with more than you promised is something of a cardinal sin.

• I’ve also been gifted a speaking role on the above day which is an absolute honour and - as those of you who know me well would know –not something I ordinarily be too concerned about. But three years of intensive mummy-brain and the realisation that 90% of those watching me have no idea who I am, has made me a bit nervous. All i can think of is silly poems all of which are too un-PC to post even here (but make me giggle hilariously).

• I know i’ve put this up on my teeny-blog-twitter thing, but if you haven’t already, you really should check out http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays its the bomb.

• Tonight i cooked mez’s turkey leg soup. Minus the turkey leg. Unable to source any in central London (more to do with the ambivalence of the man I sent to source it than London itself I am sure) we substituted chicken. I then proceeded to defrost the goose stock instead of the chicken stock. The bastardise results however do not disappoint – not only will we be eating this amazing goodness all week but I suspect regularly in the future (much like her asian coleslaw thing – which I make almost every week). Oh Mez, when are we gonna make that cookbook: you with all the flair and inspiration, me with the anal suggestions to perhaps be a bit more specific in your measurements of veggies and include all the ingredients in a list at the top, lest someone realise at the very last moment they don’t have coriander. I kid, I kid. Of course I didn’t forget the coriander. The first rule of recipe making is to read the whole thing through carefully first. Lest coriander or the need for a 7 inch soufflé dish trip you up at the final hurdle.

• The past week has seen both boys have their first official haircut – something many have suggested is long overdue. And after my previous efforts were labelled ‘butchering’ Dave was given sole responsibility as to haircut stylings. Needless to say... well... there does not appear to be much cutting of hair that took place. Length remains virtually the same, with fringes mildly shortened and Rocco’s bulk removed. Cute as always, but i’m dismayed by the fact that my nagging will resume in the blink of an eye as their thunderous locks will be replenished almost overnight.

• Toilet training. Full steam ahead. These past few days has seen us putting Fred on his Thomas potty every 15 minutes with the promise of fire trucks and gingerbread men. A few accidents here and there and a few successes. It is an exhausting addition to our daily life, but seems to be going well and Fred will no doubt master this skill with his typical aplomb.



And on a final note, may I say how nicely things are going for our little family. After an up and down 2009, 2010 seems to be promising some great things. We have had a great week, and I find myself prouder and more excited about the future than I have in a long time. Full steam ahead!!