Sunday 20 May 2007

Phil down

Phil just fell asleep prostrate on the living room floor with the cats licking his head. Oh dear. That can't be a good thing, can it?

General update

Basic facts as of this moment:

Currently reading: Night Watch by Terry Pratchett (Sam Vimes is just fabulous)
Last movie watched: The Queen (although I did fall asleep midway through)
Last thing I ate: Roast chicken dinner
Current mood: Tired and grumpy
Current location: In the living room at home

On Tuesday our water supplier found a trace of the E.coli bacteria at a water pumping station in Hoofddorp. Since then all 170,000 affected households have been instructed to boil all water for consumption for at least 2 minutes. There was a run on bottled water in the supermarkets. To say that this has been a pain in the ass is an understatement. If I had been feeding Michael formula instead of breast milk then I would have been terrified. We had to boil and cool his bath water yesterday because he splashes so much that some of the water gets swallowed. I wasn't going to take any chances. The source of the contamination has been identified and dealt with but the boil water advice stays in force until Monday 21st.

The last couple of days have not been a lot of fun. Michael has been whining and very clingy. Two more teeth are getting ready to push through and he likes the suffering to be a communal affair. The poor little chap managed to cut his lip on a wicker toy box this evening. He pulled it towards himself and then decided to fall over onto it. He was very distressed and held his breath briefly. I called Phil downstairs and he took one look at Michael and thought that he was choking. I had to explain quickly what had happened because he was about to grab him and perform the Heimlich manoeuvre. I'll not soon forget the look on Phil's face.

I think... that we could do with a holiday. The pressure of routine is grinding us down a bit. Before Michael was born we never really had a routine. We woke up whenever we felt like it and ate meals whenever we were hungry. It wouldn't be so bad but the cats are constantly underfoot. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough love to give them. I know the heart is supposed to be able to stretch to love an infinite number of people (and pets) but I'm not sure this is true anymore. When Michael is tucked up in bed the last thing I want is to be climbed over by four demanding cats. I just want a tiny bit of personal space before I go to bed. Not much, just a little. We do talk about re-homing them sometimes but I seriously doubt that we will do that. We made a lifetime commitment to them and we'll simply have to find a way to make it work.

If all goes to plan (ha... ha... hmmm) then we'll be going over to England next month for a holiday. Woo hoo!

Friday 18 May 2007

Woe is me

No more Grey's Anatomy until 'late 2007'. What am I going to do with myself now? Hmm? I'm all McDreamy-less! Woe!

Thursday 10 May 2007

What flower are you?

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist.
People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you.
You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words.
Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

Wednesday 2 May 2007

Texel

Before it goes completely out of my head, I should mention our trip to Texel at the weekend. We had a lovely time and the weather, although quite windy, was warm and sunny. We stayed in a hotel suite at the airport (light aircraft). We had a balcony with a view of the airfield and watched the planes taking off and landing whilst having our breakfast. The hotel manager was, quite rightly, very proud of the suite and excitedly showed Phil all the facilities from the under-floor heating to the self-cleaning bath tub (I would like one of those!) It had a kitchenette and I was very glad that it did because I could easily prepare food for Michael.

We lazed around the hotel suite on the Sunday and Monday was Queen's Day. The hotel manager told us that there was no check-out time and we could stay as late as we wanted. This was really great news as it saved us from rushing around. We had a leisurely breakfast and then wandered out to take a look at Texel. Phil had wanted to take a tour of the island by plane but sadly the pilot would only take a minimum of two people. Michael was pretty grumpy with the teething and I didn't think it would be a good idea to take him up in a plane. We were not willing to leave him with a stranger (for not willing read 'over my dead body') so sadly we had to give the tour a miss. We drove up to the north coast and had a walk by the lighthouse. Michael was completely covered to avoid sunburn but, stupidly, Phil and I are never so kind to ourselves. We both have sunburn.

On the subject of not being kind to ourselves - we really have to sort that out. We packed two of everything that Michael could conceivably need for the trip and we totally neglected ourselves. I managed to forget the alarm clock and my toothbrush and we both forgot to bring any warm clothing. It was very windy and we had no coats. I had to buy one. How totally stupid! In future I will have to write a checklist to save us from ourselves.

Texel is a great island. There are lovely walks in the woods and in the dunes. The little villages are very chocolate boxy. This time of year, as with the rest of The Netherlands, the fields are a riot of colour. Tulips are growing everywhere in every imaginable shade.

Now that we know a trip away with Michael is perfectly manageable, it is time to start thinking seriously about a summer vacation. Now... where to go...?