Melrose – our story.

I’m sitting up and waiting to be able to take my next lot of painkillers for an increasingly gungy throat so i might as well blog. Have been utterly unnerved by something and don’t feel brave enough to take my normal painkillers, so am making do on nurofen. For a few months, i’ve had occasional heartbeat jumps, including a couple strong enough to feel like someone has just poked me in the chest. I’ve been ignoring it, as you do 🙄 but today Maddy was going round with our stethoscope and when she listened to mine she said “Your heart sounds different to ours, it has an extra little ‘puh’ in it.” 😯 Might go to the doctors on Monday.

So anyway, today has been a washout, with me shivering in my jamas for much of it, trying to decide if i needed antibiotics or not. Rather belatedly i have realised that i do. Ho hum. Thanks goodness i came back last night, or we’ve have spent today in a Travel Lodge; i’ve been dizzy and lightheaded for most of it (which might account for at least my bit of the D&V actually) and couldn’t have driven.

Melrose was good, i think. I enjoyed it anyway, though i am looking forward to being more use next year. And i might hand over the kitty bit to someone else, given my addition and memory skills seem mildly lacking!!!

Sunday
Left at 10.15am and got to Kris’s for a delicious lunch and instant child and adult delight. Kris also obligingly bumped me out on the dot of 1.30, as promised, meaning that i got to Melrose on time, in the light and without getting lost. Hurrah. Loved the journey up actually, we listened to Little Shop of Horrors and sung along with glee. Also loved the fog, during the times we weren’t actually in it; it looked like unrolled cotton wool at times and i was mildly amused by the fact that rather a lot of people remarked on how Chris P would have taken a good photo of it had he been there!

Monday


A State of the Union Photo (to coin HelenJ’s phrase)

Robyn, Amelie and Buttercup had something of a tempestuous relationship over the week. In fact, one of the highlghts for me was definitely Amelie pointing to Leandra and saying “HER CHILD!!!!” in an aggrieved and accusatory manner. I think they’d called truce by the end of the week though – and let’s face it, many a friendship has started that way.

One of many gorgeous ones.

Highlight of the day was probably the play; Violet orchestrated (i so see that girls talents!) a performance of Rumplestiltskin with Fran as the Millers daughter and Ernest as Rumple himself and the king, meaning he and Fran got losts of onestage time together; i particularly liked her acting for this bit. Must teach her about not putting her back to the audience though!

Blurry but proof! 😉

Tuesday
Dunno – but the party and the dancing was great. Really enjoyed watching that. fran, by this time, seemed to have burgeoning friendships going with Hannah and Kennedy (who later categorised her as ‘normal’ i’m told!) That was really good to see; Fran struggled last year but this time i barely saw her until everyone started to leave. She was much happier and seemed to team up, on lots of levels, with lots of different people.

Helen took some remarkably good ones of me (and had the decency to make sure i never saw the bad ones too!) Thank you my dear 🙂

Did love this too.

Also continued to feel inordinately proud of Amelie for being so good about not having milk based food, and grateful to all the people who remembered not to give her any as well.

Josie setting about the remains of Ernest’s tea. She is such a scavenger!

Socialisation.

Such a beautiful girl.

Friends.

And more friends.

Too many Belles spoile the broth? Never 🙂

Wednesday
Wednesday is normally the day when they all get overtired and start hurting themselves; i normally go out and probably should have to give them all a break. By the end of the day, Fran had thwacked her head and Amelie had squashed a finger. However, there were also some lovely moments, such as this one.

Which was part of this one, a photo that is lovely on a whole load of levels.

My big two went to the park, which meant i was in charge of Buttercup when the vomit struck 🙁 Poor girl. However, this was the week where Buttercup became my true and honest friend, which really did delight me 🙂

I can see myself in this picture!

Maddy modelling my newly learned crochet skills. Thanks to Jax and Kris for teaching me 🙂

And i loved the sheer Mummy-daughter shared joy of this moment 🙂

The increasingly rare site of Maddy needing a break.

And then it was time to be truly grateful for my laptop. We plonked them all in front of a couple of DVDs – and later on, Amelie played Rainbow Rock with a CONSIDERABLE audience!

Pan’s People 😆

Thursday

A rather cold, but definitely delightful, trip to the Deer park. Loved the falconry display, especially as my big two went off and had a go at catching and feeding the bird.

Comedy moment as the bird very nearly catches one of the farm chickens, which all the children seemed to find hilarious but possibly the chicken did not! I think it had a lucky escape!

We took a walk through the deer enclosure but rather unluckily got intercepted by some ponies. I was busy being brisk and brave (given i’m normally pathetic) but actually they got rather effusive; started butting Amelie and nibbling Josie, which meant i was suddenly in mud, with 4 screaming children, a pushchair, a long walk back and a rather exposed feeling bottom!!!! Ended up sending 3 slightly hysterical big girls running for the gate while i fended off the 10 or so ponies with the wrong end of the pushchair, while trying to beam claming thoughts at a rather terrified Josie. Realised later they had smelt our apples. Felt a bit silly. 🙄

After an afternoon lumbered with increasing vomit and a sense of impending doom, i decided to leg it home while i still had 4 healthy children. Not a moment too soon; Josie was sick at 6am, me at 8am and i’m now distinctly poorly. So far Amelie just has a bit of *d* and everyone else is fine. I’d never have left had Kris and Jax not given me reassuring and permission granting encouragement to do so, but i really am eternally grateful they did – thanks you two and thanks to the others who did the clear up. i really appreciated being given the go ahead to go, i know i copped out, but it was a good job i did.

And now, it is Nurofen time, so i’ll go. Lots of love to all who made it a great week for us 🙂