Stuff and nonsense...

As requested by Moxie here is my lovely handwritten card inside from Oz...considering he's only been at school since January, and he was a very reluctant writer, I'm really proud of him. He's doing his "s" on the side but I know what it says and I love it.

I think I've mentioned before that I'm doing an in-schoolfamily learning programme called SHARE and we do an activity every week. He's exceeding my expectations almost every time. He loves to spell now - is obssessed with SuperWhy - an American TV show that Poppy turned me on to - he was on the website and spelt 6 words correctly to make his Princess P crown which he INSISTED I print off so here he is proudly wearing it..! Toby is being a cutie at the moment - and SLEEPING! Thank God the night time waking has stopped. He often wakes up at 6 but if I go in and tell him it's too early, he'll either doze off again or play with toys in his cot until I get up at 7 or his big bro goes in to see him. His favourite phrase at the moment is "don worry mummy" which he says as he pats me on the head. NO idea where he's got it from but it's very cute! He's also very huggy at the moment and loves kissing everyone.

I'm very excited because I've booked my flight to go and see my sister and my stonecutter chums in June. The wonderful aforementioned Poppy is also going to fly me to St Louis for an overnighter - it's cheaper for her to do that than pay to come to Detroit herself - how damn lucky am I to have such amazing friends? I've never been to St Louis and it also means I get to hang out with her wonderful daughter too. And see her house. And her dogs. I'm so excited!!

I worry about Toby this time though - last week was really hectic - I had that job on Wednesday and was doing loads of stuff for the PTA which meant I didn't really see Toby on Wednesday at all. Supposedly at bed time he was quite upset and asking for Mummy. When I went away last year I don't think he noticed but me being gone for a whole week might be a bit tough on him.

Rob is taking the week off, my Mum is around to help - it'll be fine. Last year I didn't miss them at all but this year I might - I'm not quite as exhausted and fed up as I was last year! But I'm still going to have a bloody good time! I'm going to be doing as many boot sales as I can to raise some spending money. Oh I can't wait!

On the nonsense front - Oz and Toby's new favourite show is called Poetry Pie - have you seen it on CBeebies? All the episodes are also on the website here - I highly recommend watching it! All the cartoon characters are voiced by children with fab accents! My favourite is episode one which is at the bottom - "Freda the Flat Footed Fairy" read by a welsh cow....and Toby's favourite, the "Never Put Your Potty" poem. The boys also love episode 20 - one poem about a spider read by a jamaican pug dog.....

In other news...I'm standing for Parent Governor at Oscar's school. I know I'm jumping in with both feet, what with the PTA and the SHARE scheme, but I really want to be involved with the school - I think it's important. And I am really good at speaking to parents outside the school and think I can represent their wishes and opinions in the Board of Governors situation. I'm up against someone though which is a bit wierd - it's the husband of one of the PTA as well and he's really nice - so whoever gets elected will be an asset to Governors. It's like a strange sort of popularity contest though - his daughter is in Year 2 so he's been involved with the school for longer - but I'm at the school every day as I take Oscar and pick him up whereas he isn't there in the week at all......who knows. I don't want to walk around the playground shouting VOTE FOR ME but I'm quietly encouraging my friends to! I'll keep you posted.....

Happy Mother's Day!

I can't help but feel sad though, hearing about Jade's passing. I've been reading a lot of what people are writing today - from Stephen Fry's beautiful comment that she was a Princess D from the wrong side of the tracks to bitter responses to said comment calling her a nobody and a waste of space....

No matter how you felt about her, her chosen career and her publicity filled life, you can't really deny that she was always unashamedly herself - a quality I admired. She was doing her best to ensure her 2 boys would have a life unlike her own. She came from a difficult, deprived background and ended up as a huge star, and also became a role model for young women in a strange way. She's saving lives even as her own ended by encouraging young women to get smears and raising awareness of cancer.

She was exactly 10 years younger than me. Her boys are around the same age as mine. My heart goes out to them.

I had a lovely quiet Mothers Day - didn't really do anything much - had a wonderful lie in, a lovely plant chosen by Oscar when I woke, and a card that he had written all by himself - To Mum, Love Oscar - means so much that he is really writing now and that this is the first card I've received that was written just by him.

I baked cookies - that was about the most productive part of the day. And now I'm going to snuggle up with my husband and count my blessings.

Hope all my Mummy friends had a good day. Sending love to those without their mothers who will be missing them all the more today. And looking up at the sky to see the brightest star shining which Jade promised her boys would be her looking down at them. Sleep well Jade, out of pain and at peace. You'll be missed.

Updating (sorry Ursi!)

Yes - all that information in the last post and no follow up! I don't think I got either of the auditions I went for - certainly not the first one and it's a week since the 2 1/2 hour treck to Acton for the last one and I haven't heard. Not a problem though!

Did my job on Wednesday - a campaign to get parents to take their kids to the park - so I got paid very nicely to sit in the background of lots of photos of children in a sunny park near Hastings. I even got sunburnt! My nose is red but a week too late for Red Nose Day.

Been an okish week - Toby is trouble but then he always is! He keeps pushing other children which I find frustrating and embarassing. He does now say "sowwy" very nicely but it doesn't seem to stop him doing it. Twice today I had to leave because of it - this morning at Katharine's house he just couldn't play nicely with the other children and we left, then this lunch time in a park the same problem. We won't get invited anywhere at this rate! I hate the feeling that as soon as I leave all the other mums breathe a sigh of relief as the nasty child is gone.....I'm starting to get paranoid now....

Weather has been splendid so we spent most of last weekend in the park - here's some film of it....
It was windy on Saturday but here's Oz and Rob

And my current favourite....Pirate Oscarrrrr


Oz's writing is coming on leaps and bounds which is fab. He isn't that keen on reading - prefers to be read to at night which is fair enough. He's finished the BFG with Rob and they've started on Charlotte's Web - a chapter a night.

Can't think of anything else - Toby is actually asleep in his cot so I'm going to go and have a cup of tea and finish "Ghostwritten" by David Mitchell. I read "Cloud Atlas" and am hooked on his style of writing - leaping all over the place but totally absorbing....then I've got The Suspicions of Mr Whicher to read - loads of good stuff!

Tomorrow I'm being spoilt rotten by my mother even though it should be vice versa - going to lunch then to see Judi Dench in Madame De Sade - I've never seen her live on stage and it is going to be amazing (even though the reviews aren't being kind - I don't care!)

Four Seasons In One Day

Well not quite four seasons – but so much has happened in just one day today I can’t quite believe it…..

First off I had a massive sleep last night so I feel so much more sane today than I have felt in about 3 weeks. Had a nice morning to myself – popped to Bromley to exchange some trousers for my husband (it gets more exciting, honest) and was having a leisurely coffee at home before picking up the Tobester when my phone rang.

My agent. Not my personal management agent who I do hear from occasionally – my commercials agent who I haven’t spoken to for a year. I’ve got a job – someone has booked me just from seeing my picture on their website. £500 for a day’s work, photographic, in Slough and no, I don’t have to get my tits out Moxie before you ask!

Excellent news. I’m ringing round trying to sort out childcare when agent rings again! Same agency, different person – audition for tomorrow for another photographic job which would pay £600 for half a day’s work if I get it. And since Rob is off tomorrow I can swan up to London and be an actor for the day! Lovely

Then I check my email and see that I’ve got a code to buy tickets for Michael Jackson even though they don’t go on sale to the general public till Friday. I know someone at Toby’s nursery has been up since 6am trying to get tickets. I go to ticketmaster and just see – and get 2 tickets for his show. I plan to flog them for a profit. I know I’ve tried this before but Spice Girl tickets weren’t such a great bet. I think I’ll be fine with Jacko.

Then Rob rings. He’s got a promotion – to senior management – with up to a 10% pay rise. We don’t know how much he’ll get or his new title yet – he’s going to get a letter from HR but his boss just wanted to let him know!

Then in Oscar’s school bag I see a letter about Parent – Governors – there’s a vacancy….and I’m considering applying. Something to get my brain whizzing anyway!

So all that happened from 11am onwards – my head is in a bit of a whirl. We’re about to order a takeaway from Royal Gurkha to celebrate (can’t believe I want curry but it’s just so good and not spicy and I’m craving peshwari naan!)

Let’s hope tomorrow is fun too – cross your fingers for me!

Oops!

Hello again

Things have definitely improved since the last entry! That was a crap couple of weeks without doubt.....

What to tell....Oz is back at school and happy. He went on his first school trip to Godstone Farm and had a blast - keeps telling us about a pig that ate it's own poo. And a lamb. It obviously made an impression!

I have a new phone which is fab - and which means I can take pictures again...Toby and James playing together

And bouncing together!

Toby wedging himself in a cot at playgroup (I've no idea why)


Daddy's shoes.....
My boys at Rascals...


My boys after Rascals (Oz was still awake though)And I can take movies again so here is my first one at Youtube

I also need to say again HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sis - she turned 40 yesterday.

And I wanted to share one more thing (though my Mother will lecture me when she reads this). I've always had a passion for Orangutans - I've always loved all primates but Orangs are my favourites. For my degree show I devised a piece with Jenny Livsey called "From Borneo To Bangkok" about the illegal trade in orangutans and we did a lot of research. I learnt more about Birute Galdikas and her amazing work at Camp Leakey. It's still an ambition of mine to go to Borneo one day and volunteer and work with rehabilitated Orangutans - one that might never happen but I really hope it does.

I stumbled on BBC 2's Orangutan Diary tonight - they're based at a different Orang Rehab unit called the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project in Central Kalimantan run by Lone Droscher Nielsen. It was a very moving wonderful documentary (on again next week, 8pm BBC2) They looked at a lot of orangs at different stages of rehabilitation but it was one that really touched me - her name is Kesi and she lost her hand to the same machete that killed her mother. She was coping amazingly well with her disability and was very cheeky - spitting water and chasing her babysitter around. Both Rob and I felt reminded of Toby! I do joke about my two ginger monkeys - they do remind me of baby orangutans....

I went to the website linked above and decided to help in any way I can. I wish I could fly out and be there in person but that is not exactly practical. They're running an adoption scheme where for £5 a month you can sponsor an orangutan. And there was Kesi - so I adopted her. I have my little indulgences at the moment and one I do every week is buy OK Magazine. I don't need it. It's not vital. And I'd rather give that money to Kesi so I hereby pledge to pay her £5 a month and get my trashy gossip online instead.

Some people would rather give to human charities. But these amazing, beautiful creatures are in such danger - some think extinction within the next five years as their natural habitat is ravaged and more and more orangutans are slaughtered as pests or for bush meat...

So my money is going to them. And to this little girl in particular. I think she'll fit in with my little ginger family quite well.

Here's Kesi...