School Holidays Week 2

Well, week 2 is here and the kids are away again for the weekdays. This week they are with Noel's parents for the full five days. I must say that day 1 was disasterous with two little horrors upsetting their grandparents! I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this is the last time that they are allowed to stay with them and I really wouldn't blame Nana and Grandad if that was the case!

Needless to say after a night of worrying and discussing them with Noel both of us are quite angry. We have both rang them (at seperate times as we are at work) and have yelled the riot act at them. This is their last chance especially for Oliver - who at 10 is starting to really display attitude! And not a very nice attitude I must say! I am not really sure what to do with this - it is all new to us.

On a lighter note - we had a good day Sunday. Off four-wheel driving up the Rubicon (near Eildon) all was good except for a slight hiccup. I lost my purse thankfully not full of money but all the hassles of getting new cards and cancelling the others etc. It put me in a very fowl mood for a little while but once I got over it I tried to make the most of the rest of the day.

You never know someone may hand it in... but I doubt it.

School Holidays and Grand Final Day!

It’s Grand Final Day here in Melbourne… and finally, even I must say, it’s nice to have two Victorian teams battling it out. Shame that the Saints bowed out last week but still nice to see to home teams playing today.

As for us, we have celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary on Thursday. We got married on Grand Final Day in 1993! We went out for tea by ourselves Thursday night and then again last night with our kids and Noel’s parents.

On a sadder note my nephew was rushed into hospital on Thursday the 18th with an enlarged heart. Mam rang me to inform me as I haven't spoken to Claire since Mam left in March (don't know why?). So naturally the first thing I did was ring Claire and then went up to the hospital. It was good to see Claire especially to hug her even though the circumstances weren't the best. We have spoken most days and I even popped into the hospital by myself on the Monday after leaving work.

Not much more has been happening. The first week of the school holidays are overs – one more week to go. Luckily the kids spent the week just gone between Noel’s parents house and his brother’s house. They were taking to the Royal Melbourne Show, to a stage play at the local shopping centre, have seen Snake Busters and overall I think they had a ball.

It was so good to see them last night – I cried just seeing them and getting a hug. I missed them so much but due to work commitments at the moment we have to do it all again next week. Oh well – roll on next school holidays as I will definitely be having time off.

Jo xxx

Yippee the last day of footy for 2008

Woohoo today is the last day as far as the 2008 Football season is concerned. I am excited knowing that as of next week I will have my Sunday's back but saddened as it is such a big part of our winter!

The club had presentations for the U13's, U14's and U16's last night and today we have the presentation for the remainder of the club as well as the Annual General Meeting. It will be good to see Oliver up there getting his participation trophy.

Clare flew in from Sydney last night - she has come down to surprise Dad for Father's Day except the cat will be out of the bag as they will see each other today at the presentations. Oh well!

Better fly as I have lots to do with getting organised for the AGM - I am going to put my hand up for Treasurer (cross fingers I get voted back in!), then I have to go shopping as well as get ready as we are having an impromptu dinner party tonight so Sharon can catch up with Clare and Clare can also meet the Coopers!!

Should be a good night but a damn busy day!!

We are still around

Yes we are still around - have been busy unpacking boxes, working, finishing up the football season, etc. I must say the boxes seem to be never ending but I am sure we will eventually get to the end of them. I have decided that everything is getting unpacked in this house, sorted, kept or turfed, and hopefully I will learn not to hoard things.

All of us are well - sort off. I am struggling with my blood pressure being too high at the moment. Back to the doctors on Wednesday to see if the new stronger tablets are working. I am trying to take better care of myself but it is still very hard putting myself first.

The Christening of Christian went really well last weekend. Everyone enjoyed the day and we all looked excellent dressed in our finery.

Chat more soon and more often - I promise

We officially have a new address!

Well the last few weeks we have all been consumed with finding a new place to live. As of last night we officially have moved into our new rental abode (cross fingers the owners don't sell this one!!) and no longer have an attachment to the last house!! I must say I think we were all relieved last night when we sat down with only one house to our name! Now all we have to do is unpack, organise and settle!! Oh the joys of moving.

The kids think it has been such an adventure - a new bedroom, a new house, a new garden to explore and are already asking if they can change schools as we have actually moved quite close to another primary school. Not sure on that idea but will make the effort to investigate the closer school! Who knows - maybe the kids could do with a change also!

I am actually looking forward to finishing the move. Although this next stage of unpacking, sorting and organising will take awhile I cannot wait to have a "welcome to our new house" get together with our friends. The new house has a fantastic outdoor area and I know we will get many hours of enjoyment out of it.

A bit shout out to our friends, Julien, Deb, Lenny and Dave who help us move... great effort guys! Noel and I know we have hoarded to much $hit over the years and really appreciated your help over the last few days.... we really owe it to you all!!!

Must fly - still lots to do.......aaaarrrrggghhhh!!!

Time flies when you are having fun????

They say “time flies when you are having fun” but I am of the belief that time just flies by regardless. Well at least that is what I am finding!

Since Christmas, yes you read correctly, since Christmas so much has happened. In fact I am in awe that it is May know and I am actually attempting to update this blog. It seems like only yesterday it was Christmas but the fact that I am feeling older and exhausted only confirms that there have been many days since my last entry.

In a nutshell lots of things have happened.

Firstly we survived Christmas and New Year, which is always a good thing. My Mam stayed in Queensland this year as my sister and her brood went to visit her. I am glad they made the effort but saddened that I was so far away from my mam. Saying that our house was full with all of Noel’s family and also had the pleasure of Sharon and Tom’s company. The whole festive season went off without a hitch last year. It is a wonderful time, a time of sharing and giving, a time that I thoroughly enjoy and even though it can be stressful I honestly look forward to it every year.

School holidays were also conquered as was the beginning of a new school year with one child in grade 5 and the other settling in grade 2. Both seem to be enjoying there new year levels and for Oliver he is attempting the challenges set by being in a higher level some with hesitation and some with no willing to attempt but I must say we are “getting there”. Alex, who has the same teacher again this year, just felt as if nothing had changed and got on with the task at hand!

Birthdays have been had by all of us. Mine was celebrated at the Balnarring Races and were both the kids this year. Alex had a party at home and Oliver had a couple of friends over. My heart went out for Oliver as his birthday fell right in the middle of school holiday’s and brought memories back to me about how I felt that my birthday party was never full of my friends only relatives and some family friends who were mostly my parent’s friends as I was born in early January. Our house was full for Noel’s birthday followed by a lunch at our favourite Chinese Restaurant with the family.

Alex broke a bone in her foot, tripping over at a shopping centre in the carpark. She spent 6 weeks in plaster. This has since been removed and the poor little chickadee is returning to normality as far as walking, running, etc., is concerned. That was definitely an interesting 6 weeks and the recovery process has been a concern at times especially when you have a 7 year old milking the situation. She was hobbling and saying that she couldn’t walk, really playing on it one day. She went into her bedroom, put on her music and started dancing!! Yes, dancing. When realising that she was caught out she immediately returned to hobbling as if Noel hadn’t seen a thing. The good news is that we had a second x-ray done and the doctor was quite happy with her progress.

Mam came down for a visit over Easter – we were meant to go camping but with Alex breaking her foot it somewhat changed the plans of the whole family. Whilst here she stayed with us a lot this time and was a blessing helping look after the kids whilst Noel and I both worked. Sadly one day while she was babysitting, she has a very mini heart attack, which scared the life out of me, lead to Mam spending a night in hospital for observation and for one moment the situation actually brought me and my sister a little closer. The feeling unfortunately hasn’t lasted with my sister’s car being written off by a falling tree in the hospital car park, Mam returning back to Queensland and my life returning to some form of normality. (If you read this Mam – I just want to let you know that I love you and I am thinking about you every day. MWAH!!!)

Sunday football has also commenced although my role as treasurer for the Junior Football Club started way before the season kick off. I am enjoying it but must say it is rather time consuming. I am sure that next year will be a lot easier as I will know what I have learnt so far and what I wasn’t told about or prepared for! Noel is also the Under 10’s team manager, which is giving him some focus and I am sure Oliver is really proud of him – I know that I am. Oliver is playing okay and I know in my heart that when he is ready he will shine.

Auskick is up and running under the firm hand of the new co-ordintor, Sharon. I have been helping her as we are trying to affliate the Auskick with the Junior Club but more importantly because she is my closest friend. She is doing an absolutely fantastic job and has increased the numbers significantly from last year. I am sure the whole club with join me in saying “well done” for her efforts to date. Plus I think that she is totally enjoying the challenge. Needless to say Alex is easing herself back into playing football!

So needless to say the last few months haven’t been boring! Who knows what tomorrow will bring???

Merry Christmas to one and all....

Wow - where has the time gone?? It only seems like yesterday that the thought of Christmas entered into my head. With a blink of an eye all the planning, preparation and layby's are a thing of the past and now we are left to clean the house, eat leftovers and hope for five minutes to relax!!

All went well at the Murray household with my in laws coming over Christmas Eve and only leaving today (Boxing Day). My parents-in-laws, Ann and Ged, and sister-in-law, Clare came over and slept. I feelprivileged to have such a wonderful relationship with Noel's family and that they are such an important part of not only my children's life but of my life also.

Christmas Eve was a hub of excitement - busy preparing for Christmas Day lunch, cooking the turkey and of course the never ending job of wrapping presents while two children slept dreaming of what wonderful surprises will be under the tree the next morning. During the evening we had a wonderful Seafood supper (crayfish, prawns, oysters and calamari) as we do every year.

All the festivities started with the mammoth effort of opening Christmas presents after two children excitedly but frustratingly waited for the rest of the household to wake up! We definately have the making of the next children's band with Oliver receiving a guitar and Alex receiving an electronic keyboard plus harmonica's for them both. Not to mention brand new bikes and lots of other items to hopefully keep them occupied for the next 12 months.

Christmas dinner (at lunchtime of course) went off without a hitch!! We had a zucchini and basil soup for entree followed by the traditional dinner and as usual it was with all the trimmings.... turkey, cranberry sauce, roast pork with crackle and apple sauce, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and brussel sprouts, sage and onion stuffing and rich gravy. Everyone was so full that pudding etc wasn't served until around 9pm at night!

Overall I think the Murray family enjoyed their Christmas and I hope everyone else did also.

Somebody please press the pause button!

Wow cannot believe it has been two weeks between posts - it is like the days are passing on fast forward.

We have survived the long weekend and another spring racing carnival with the Melbourne Cup being run yesterday. Wow the weather was perfect and Alex managed to back the winning horse. We spent the afternoon at a friend's house indulging in spit roasted lamb, salads and good company making it very hard to return to the normality of working and school this morning.

Chat soon I promise!

Always busy.....

You’ve got to love a busy weekend? Sounds strange I know – but I love having a busy weekend especially when the family is involved (although it does go too fast!)

Noel and I both worked on Saturday so the kids went and stayed at Nana and Grandad’s house on Friday night with me meeting them at Tom’s birthday party on Saturday. Oliver went to the party but it was definately an all boys affair so Alex and I went shopping to keep her occupied.. mind you after the party was over I still had to do the grocery shopping must to the dismay of the children!!

Saturday night was just us – having a bbq which the kids help prepare. It was good to spend some quiet time with them plus I know that they both love cooking and helping out in the kitchen.

Sunday – a little sleep-in was had – but it was up and getting ready for a busy day. We were off to the Langwarrin Communtiy Festival with Nana and Grandad. Just as we were parking our car Noel recieved a phone call from Sean to say he was on his way – geez it made for a wonderful afternoon. Cruden Farm is a beautiful place and it was fantastic to spend the afternoon with our family. Christian is just a gorgeous baby, Oliver and Alex absolutely adore him and I enjoyed my cuddle and having the chance to feed him. The Festival was very busy and the weather was perfect. Will definately be going again next year.

I love travelling but I also love home!!

I survived my work trip to Hobart but although I love travelling I really love being home too.

It was great to see Noel and the kids again although Oliver found the Nintendo DS more interesting than the fact that I was home, Alex found my presents for them within 2 minutes of my arrival, I did however manage a kiss off my husband and a conversation about my trip.

Finally good to relax at home, we had our first bbq for “summer” (I know that it hasn’t officially started) the evening was nice and we sat on the back verandah to eat our meal. The four of us ending the evening with a spa topped off my day.

We are back online!!!

The computer became slower and slower, getting on-line was a major issue so the computer ended up in the hands of the computer fix-it man!! Apparently something had corrupted our Windows system causing some programs to run normally and others to be painful! But all is good now…. We are once again happy in the House of Murray – well at least with the computer anyway!

So in our absence – quite a lot has happened… too much to type as this post would be huge.

But in a nutshell….

· Grandma had her 60th birthday – big shout out to her!! Well done. It was a shame that I couldn’t get up there but with faced with the chance of Noel’s losing his job and the cost etc it was a really hard decision to make but Mam was alright with it. Well at least she keeps saying so. I still feeling like a really bad daughter though.
· We survived school holidays with the kids spending most of the two weeks with their Nana and Grandad – who, as always, spoil them rotten.
· I have been out and about training in the country quarries even to Mildura last week and I am off to Hobart this week (only for two days/one night).
· Noel’s overtime has started again due to the fact that the company retrenched 31 people the week before. Now Noel is doing 11 hr days – go figure ?!?!?
· Baby Christian is doing really well – as are Sean and Vicky. They seem to be getting the hang of the “baby” thing now.
· I became “Treasurer” of the Karingal Bulls Junior Football Club
· Sharon became “Co-ordinator” of the Karingal Auskick
· The kids had their school chocolate fundraiser last term and sold $ 480 worth of chocolates (much to the help of the truck drivers at my work!!) but an amazing effort for my two angels!!
· Currently I am in the middle of completing an upgrade to my Certificate IV in Trainer and Assessor… intense classroom work in the Melbourne (bang smack in the middle of the city), which I will finish in January 2008 and I even have to complete and assessment task.

So just let’s say that life has been good, still full of surprises and we are enjoying ourselves as best we can…

A busy yet productive weekend.

This weekend was the first weekend without an 8.20am start Sunday morning due to U9's football - we did however have Auskick at 9am but that extra few minutes in bed were great.

As usual Saturday morning I worked, leaving Noel to battle our two monsters at home whilst cleaning etc. Then it was the usual trip shopping Saturday afternoon. Noel and I cleaned out the bbq area and had our first bbq in our new place. Yummo T Bones and I cannot beleive the kids ate a full one each!! We then all had a spa which was great as a family.

Sunday as mentioned was Auskick followed by another visit to the hospital to see our newest family member for more photos. Vicky was up and around which was great to see and we chatted and had a big hug. I told her it had been too long and she agreed. Once again though not holding my breath but praying that things will change. We spoke to Mam M and to Clare and they were thrilled with the photo's I took on my phone as was my Mam.

Back to normal today.......

Baby Christian.

Welcome into the world baby Christian.

Our first nephew on Noel’s side and I must admit he is absolutely adorable. He was born 11.09am yesterday the 17th August.

We all went to visit the happy family last night. I always find it wonderful to hold someone so new to this world. I find myself wishing that that find peace, happiness and safety as they grown through life’s journey – a journey that none of us know where it will lead or when it will end.

Alex and Oliver were totally mesmorized by Christian and both were very upset to leave the hospital. Noel and I will think about taking them back on Sunday for another visit if that’s alright with the new parents.

Seeing Vicky, hours after childbirth, and holding baby Christian made me stand back and appreciate life. Life is too short to spend all of our time focussed on arguing. I am hoping that Christian’s arrival will bring the family back together and I know that is something that Sean wants also. Vicky told us that she really appreciated us visiting her. I honestly hope she did. I am crossing fingers that this is a new era for the Murray family!!

Tell me why Monday comes around so fast????

Wow another week has flown by – I cannot believe how fast things are travelling. Is it a sign that I am getting old?

Anyway the fact that we had a busy Sunday once again didn’t help with football being the focus. The Karingal Bulls U9 Whites played at Edithvale-Aspendale grounds and we WON!! Oliver tried quite hard and is really starting to show interest and confidence on the field. He put his hand up to help play for the Under 10’s – for the second week in a row now. Playing well and quite excited he surprised us all by kicking a goal in the 4th quarter! Woohoo and the best part of it was that his coach from the U9’s was there to watch!!!

As for me well I had a busy week. I spent Wednesday through to Friday at Carisbrook (which is 10kms east of Maryborough). It was nice driving through the lush green countryside, seeing all the animals and the open wide landscape. But it was bloody cold when I got out of the car. Great to catch up with all on site especially Andrew and Tracy who were based here in Melbourne but Andrew took a job transfer. Hopefully I didn’t spread too many bad habits when it came to training and that they will invite me back again.

Better go lots to do and see…. No only joking as I am at work and have lots of paperwork to catch up on.

Jo xx

What a weekend......

I am actually glad that it is Monday and we are back into the weekly routine of school and work. The weekend was huge and I am sitting here at work totally shattered!

Saturday was a massive day with me working in the morning, followed by a little bit of shopping and cooking THEN it was the school’s trivia night. WOW that was fun. Only 7 of us on the table this year – Noel and myself, Sharon, Mat and Anne Marie along with first timers Naomi and Gab (friends from our crèche days). We came 2nd which we have never even been close to before! Noel and I won the silent auction for the “Robert Harvey” signed football and team poster. We also managed to score a night out at a hotel in South Yarra (la-de-da) – now we have sorted out what to do for our wedding anniversary! Sharon on the other hand went bazzerk with her bets and took home a trailer load of stuff – thankfully Mat and Anne Marie brought their ute! A very, very late night but it was quite enjoyable.

Sunday almost killed me! Yes ME! The alarm went off at 7am as Oliver had an away match for football meaning he had to be at the ground at 8.20am. Noel was in no state to drive so instead of doing Auskick with Alex (which is local) I took Oliver to his football match in Mt Eliza only to find that when we got there the fixture was wrong and he was actually playing at Overport Road Grounds… aaarrrgghhh! But I am so pleased I went as Oliver (or Ollie as he wants to be known now thanks to the footy club) kicked the 1st goal of the match – what a STAR! He then went on to play in the Under 10’s game as they were short 4 players and set up 2 goals for them. I will tell you I was such a proud mam yesterday. Once football was over with – it was off to a birthday party for Oliver which was good fun. Alex had gone off to Sharon’s for the day so we picked her up and finally walked in the door to relax at 4.30pm. Needless to say the rest was short lived as we were back up the football club for 6pm!

Bed was sooooooo good when I got in it…..and you can probably guess it didn’t take long to go to sleep!!

Normality?

Well the demons have finally been let loose to go and play with somebody else’s mind for now - hopefully it will be a long time before they return! Sanity will prevail most times. It just takes varying lengths of time depending on the person and the situation. Now that my world seems to be back to normal (well as normal as it can be) I can now return my focus onto me and of course, my family.

Mam has gone back to Brisbane and is probably enjoying the peace and quiet. I felt really sorry for her while she was here as still had to deal with me and my emotions. Some things needed to be spoken about and others were just hard to deal with BUT we all got through it in the end. So a big shot out to my mam especially for looking after the kids for the school holidays and for putting up with me!!

So what else has happened since my last blog….

*My sister celebrated her 30th birthday.
*Oliver’s football is getting better – Grandma even got to watch a game.
*Alex and Oliver both played in a grid match at half time of our seniors game at Frankston YCW. Grandma was there to cheer them all on and was amazed at the atmosphere that surrounds a VFL match especially when the seniors were on the field.

Coming up this weekend is….. (as usual another busy one)

*Trivia night on Saturday night (last year was huge and lots of fun)
*Oliver is playing an away game on Sunday morning down at Mt Eliza
*Alex has auskick Sunday morning also.
*Oliver has a birthday party on Sunday afternoon
*Football club Sunday evening

So that should keep the House of Murray busy this weekend......

Grandma is the best!!

All is going well at the House of Murray. The kids are still enjoying having Grandma around (so do I). It is great that for once they are having Grandma all to themselves while Noel and I are at work. My house is clean, which is a miracle in itself, we are having a yummy dinner everynight (thanks Mam) and it has been wonderful to sit down chatting the night away with her. The school holidays have been great, doing some fun things out and about but have also stayed home with Grandma catching up on all the recent released movies. Mam has caught up with Claires a few times since she has been down. Alex and Oliver think it is wonderful that they have been able to see their cousins several times in the last week.

It has rain quite a bit this last week. I love waking up in the early hours of the morning and seeing raindrops on trees especially in the light of the moon or by the street lamp. I have been starting work early to help the boys out plus the overtime pay is a bonus! Haha The quarry is so muddy but the rains are producing lush green grass surrounding the pit. Everything is starting to look nice and healthy.

I came to the realisation yesterday that things are never going to be how I dreamed they would be, how I hoped they would be and how I want them to be. Now I just need to get on with the life I have and this is going to mean making some harsh decisions. I have to think long and hard about these choices as they are going to shape the rest of my life, my relationships and more importantly my family.

My mam is staying with us until Monday morning then she is off to Claire’s. She will go home from Claire’s and as she is at Claire’s next week we probably won’t see her –SO THAT MEANS THIS WEEKEND HAS TO BE SPECIAL!!

Two weeks have gone..... where?

We are here – just been wrapped up in ourselves for awhile and completely ran out of time to blog… which is a good thing as it means we have been doing lots of things out and about and at home. Cannot believe it has been two weeks since I last wrote… oh well!!!!

As many are aware it is school holidays down here in Victoria and the kids are having a ball. This school holidays my Mam has come down from Brisbane to help us out with babysitting. Beside the fact that she is freezing I am sure that she is enjoying spending the quality time with Oliver and Alexandria. Normally during Mam’s visits she spends all weekdays with Claire and the weekends at the House of Murray. This time the make up of her time distribution is totally different and I must admit, selfishly, we are all enjoying having her at our house.

Speaking of the house – it was miraculously cleaned over the weekend prior to Mam’s arrival and I have a dining room!! Yes we can see the floor and the table and the bookshelf and the computer desk. It was definitely tiring and painful especially as we threw away a lot of memories I had been “hoarding” as Noel calls it. Whereas I call it “collecting”! Mind you – although it was heart wrenching to throw away letters and cards etc., I felt quite good afterwards and there is quite a substantial amount of clutter gone. With Mam being down I caught up with my sister on Wednesday. Mam, the kids and I went to Claire’s on Wednesday so she could catch up with Mam. It was good to see her and the boys. It makes me realise how much I miss seeing her on a regular basis and now I need to work out how I can make it happen. I don’t know what she thinks or how she feels as I haven’t ever come out and asked her. Maybe I need to do that but I am scared she will tell me something I don’t want to hear. It would break my heart if she told me that she didn’t want me to be a part of her life even though that is the way it is when my Mam is out of town. The only time we really tend to see each other is when Mam is down – other than that it is like I (or my family) don’t exist.

No football this weekend so that made a different kind of Sunday. We spent the day driving around the peninsula – we started at the Dromana Drive In Market, which was such a flop with only 8 stalls due to the bad weather. Then we had a look around Rosebud and the beaches (although we all stayed in the car much to the disgust of Oliver and Alex who wanted to get out and go down to the sand). Last night we had dinner at the Frankston RSL which was kind of disappointing food wise but great to catch up with Sharon again.

Back to work today.......

It's Tuesday already....

So much has happened, is happening and will happen I don’t really know where to start….

Sharon had her housewarming party on Saturday night. It was great fun and also wonderful to put faces to her friend’s names as we had heard so much about them. I believe the party finished up at 2am but we were long gone due to Oliver’s football the Sunday morning.

Mam has had her birthday (Happy Birthday for the 24th June) and loved her I-Pod that Dad gave her. She was very surprised and impressed with the songs that we programmed on for her. They both seemed to be enjoying there holiday so far and loving the electric blanket that we all bought mam for her birthday. The nights have been cold so it was a brilliant present.

Oliver played well with his football even managing to get a free kick and did some wonderful bumping. Daniel the coach was quite happy with the team’s performance. Alex didn’t go to Auskick so we all went to watch Oliver play. I think he liked the fact that we were all there with him.

I have finally done something with my hair. I got it cut short at the back and the left but have left the fringe and right had side a little longer. I quite like it but it is a little modern and taking awhile to get used to. At least it looks heaps and I mean heaps better than the bob with the “flying nun” side curls.

Parent/teacher interviews went really well last night. Alex is doing okay but needs to refrain from stirring up a couple of the boys in her class (apparently she knows which are the best to target!) and has to learn to take responsibility for her actions. Besides the fact that she is a very dominant child she is working really well and teacher is very happy. Oliver’s teacher too is happy and is glad that he has made some clear improvements since last year (big sigh of relief from Noel and myself). Overall he is doing good and needs to focus on organising himself better and overall achieving a larger amount of work completed.

We received an invitation for my sister, Claire’s, 30th birthday present in the mail yesterday. It is the only contact made since the phone conversation and my card. So don’t know what to really think. Mam is due to arrive next Tuesday and I don’t even know what is happening with that.

Enough rambling (definitely caught up with everything – I hope!)

Families - what the??????

FINALLY a breakthrough!

Sean has spoken with Mam and Dad before they left on their trip up north. He has told them that he would really appreciate his parents being there at the birth of his first child. Vicky has realised that the situation we have all been living this last 12 months isn’t going to go away.

I am not sure how things will change but at least something is happening.

A lot of bridge to cross yet but I am sure "the Murray's" as a family unit we will get there!

My side on the otherhand looks absolutely hopeless!!!

aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!