when she starts the school one in a couple of weeks, although I am booked to have them both Monday and Wednesday next week and possibly the week after just Lainey if Sara can't get her into nursery that week. They are doing delayed entries. And next Wednesday they have a dentist check up too and I am to stay until 7pm when the sitter arrives, so we'll probably go out for supper.

I've been having odd digestions things since March when I had the tummy upset and have been to the Dr a couple of times but she didn't find anything when she examined me. We got worried because Molly had cancer of the intestines and then in June Fang, the cat, got ill and turned out to have the same thing. As both came from Spain and there was crop spraying in the fields next to our home we wondered whether that affected them and maybe me too. I've made an appointment to go back to the GP a couple of times and cancelled and re-booked later, once because I have to take the kids to the dentist now that day, but will keep the one I made for the end of next week, probably.

The thing is Molly was ill for a couple of months before she died and the vet examined her and couldn't find anything, until they finally did a scan, fround a growth, operated and found it was too extensive to remove, as was Fang's.

My resolve to post here and also visit more is not going too well. But at least I look now and then. That tummy upset I last posted about lasted about 3 weeks. Not real bad but the effects of not being able to eat chocolate, porridge, drink coffee etc. Some slight effects linger still. I am pickier than I used to be. That is a good thing as it makes it easier to resist things.

I had a lovely day last Saturday. First meeting Emma and Marlon for lunch and then we all went on to Lainey Paloma's 3rd birthday party. Marlon was very sweet and pretty good really over lunch. He grabbed kibbeh and falafel like a pro. The restaurant was more or less empty, perhaps as it was a Saturday lunch time and the first very sunny, warm day this year. The staff came round to play with Marlon when he went for a wander and then brought him a packet of oreos and then complementary baclava.

I got Lainey a keyboard, an impulse buy that morning from Asda when I went for a card, £9.99, and it plays 15 songs and you can play tunes too. She loved it.Sara not so much :).

I had some kind of tummy upset on Sunday in the night and Monday staggered to the gym but just had to sit down and not do anything, tried to swim and only managed a few lengths and went home. I wasn't able to eat all day! I threw porridge away, managed toast and have not been ok today either. Still mostly toast, had a couple of boiled eggs with it tonight but wish I hadn't had two. I haven't been able to drink coffee or eat chocolate!

But the good news is that today was Weightwatchers weigh in and I lost 2 lbs. Not eating much for 24 hours does it. I was probably going to have lost half a pound as had been good this week, even during lunch with Emma and family. Sadly Tuesdays post-weigh in are a chance to have a few treats but I don't want any.

I had to cancel collecting Lainey and having her here for the day too. The double drive to collect and take her back and then looking after her all day is too much as I feel unwell. She will go to the carer she went to today and Sara will leave work a bit early and collect her.She's got an online presentation for her degree to do at 6.15 and wanted me to have Lainey all ready fed and bathed when she got home but I can't do it. She often does have something like that on Wednesdays as she's doing an M.A. She doesn't like Capt Ex to look after Lainey Wednesdays because he doesn't time it so all is done as she likes it and he's ready to go when she gets back.

Because I postponed going to see Emma and Marlon last week, not feeling well enough, I went yesterday instead and as Sara was going with Luca and Lainey I collected them on the way. Sara had said she was looking at a flat to possibly buy at 12 so i collected her at 11.45, but that viewing was cancelled or postponed so we just went to collect Luca from his music class, which ends at 12.

Normally if I go to Emma I go earlier to arrive around 11 and play with Marlon before he has his lunch, which is funny to watch as he throws food around a lot. Then he sleeps for an hour or two and we have lunch and chat, but not only did we have to wait for Luca to come out of the class, but then Sara wanted to go shopping on the way to buy stuff to take for lunch. I thought she could have done that before I got there. She took about 15 minutes so we didn't arrive until about 1.30. The traffic is worse later on too and as I had to leave home at 11.10 I was dying for the loo by the time we arrived.

We did have a lovely time there. Marlon was asleep when we got there but I heard him making noises and went up and got him out of the cot. Unfortunately I don't see him often enough and he didn't know me enough to be happy I was there just as he woke. He was ok when his dad came to take him though and we went down and he began to play. He was sleeping with 2 wooden spoons and they're his favourite toys just now. He and Lainey and Luca were pleased to see each other and Lainey was happy to play with the toys Sara had handed down to Marlon. Marlon was fine with that too as long as he had his spoons and pans.

Luca is so good with them, the best big brother. He was much more polite then he is on weekdays after school. I was worried he was getting a bit anti but maybe he is just tired then or maybe with mum there he is politer. Lainey was having a not polite day and refused to say please or thank you and I think Sara didn't want a scene to spoil the day.

It was nice to see Emma's cousin, Mosbah's nephew, his older sister's son, who is a GP in Liverpool. It was interesting to chat to him, with Emma and Sara, about the situation in the Middle East as He meets lots of people who have been there recently and can monitor news in Arabic. Even better, he brought a huge tray of Kibbeh all the way from Liverpool. A lady who ran a restaurant in Allepo and had to get out and opened one in Liverpool made them freshly yesterday morning for him before he came to London and he brought them on the train.

I met him 3 years ago at Christmas and he and Emma and Sara have stayed in touch. It was a shame Mosbah didn't come but I wonder if he went to a football match. He had apparently visited Marlon and Gareth the day before. Gareth is a full-time dad now for 3 days a week and Marlon goes to nursery the other days. He has become very socialised and plays nicely with other children.

I managed not to be a pig over lunch in spite of it being bread and Middle-Eastern things, humous, falafel, kofta and cous-cous. I Had a slice of the nice sour dough bread Emma gets and a taste of other things but stopped when i'd had sufficient! And I resisted a chocolate egg from the egg hunt that Luca laid out with the eggs Sara brought. That is the first time, I think, I managed to just eat a few nice things and not blow the diet when with family, and it was fine. I enjoyed the day very much. Also I forgot my midday painkillers and was fine, just very very tired when I got back.

Now I am reading another Stargate Atlantis spin-off for my kindle gym book, a novella this time. Wild Blue, set on Sateda, mostly featuring Ronon Dex. I like him but he needs Teyla and John to make me feel the party will come home safely.

The upstairs book is a Daziel and Pascoe, Arms and the Women. I enjoy hearing about the cast of characters now assembled around the main two detectives, not just Ellie and Rosie but Wield and the rest. The downstairs is the second The Cat Who, The Cat Who ate Danish. A newspaper reporter detective, assisted by a very large cat. And then the audio book at present is Guards Guards, a Pratchett, which I probably read years ago but am enjoying very much, especially the love story between Sam and Sybil, which is almost as good as Lord Peter and Harriet.

Before Xmas when we had bad snow one day I had a nightmare journey back from the health club. I went early and the road was fine, very little snow, and when I came out it had snowed a lot and the little slope up to the exit was not driveable. Other cars were sliding and failing and I skidded on it and went sideways. I had to have help, men pushing the car after they put gravel down, and then on the main A41 a 5 minute journey home took over an hour. Cars were slewed across the road, skidding slowly, traffic jammed with stuck cars, especially on the roundabout near here, and I needed help again, kind men pushing. to get round. The car is automatic and I know NOW how to put it into gears.

But with all the warnings I am now a bit scared to go to the club when it is snowing heavily. 3 weeks ago I was ill anyway and then a week or so afterwards rang to be sure the exit was clear and it was ok. This morning I chickened out and did tai chi at home and took Bobby for the longer walk I haven't been able to do after gym and swim for several weeks, but he is slowing too. Last Tuesday when we drove to the bigger park he didn't run at all, but today he was very excited and ran around lots and then found a Bijon Frizzee and a terrier, his favourite size dogs, and played chase with them. He's now had breakfast and retired back up to bed though :).

It's funny, he is most energetic first thing but gets his arthritis painkiller medicine after the walk on his breakfast. You'd think he'd be more creaky before, like me. But he gets less keen to exercise later.

I hope not having a swim won't mean I don't lose any weight at weigh in Tuesday. I have had 2 or 3 weeks of gain. Not masses but a pound each time or half and although I am well into normal weight and nowhere near over medically I was hoping to go down some more for safety. We had a challenge on, the facebook group who support each other. I had about 4 lbs to go before Xmas and now it's 8 :(.

I was supposed to go to Emma yesterday but started a sneezing, dripping cold on Friday morning at the gym. I've done that quite a few times now, every week or two. It lasts a day and goes. I think it must be an allergy to something there. It begins in the pool usually, so a cleaning product maybe, or something in the changing rooms that another person uses. It would be very hard to find what. As I'd had a bad cold though and was still coughing after 3 weeks I thought it was another one and postponed visiting Emma, but then woke up yesterday and was fine. I will go next week though and Sara and a cousin of Capt Ex will go too then.I'd quite like to see Sara's children and her when not needed to babysit.

I felt quite wobbly first thing but did manage the usual gym and swim and to take the dog round the block. The drive in to collect Lainey was fine and she is always so happy to see me and runs over to hug.

The hard physical bit is persuading her to take the long dress off and getting her to put her boots and coat on. That takes about 15 minutes. Then I have to carry her buggy, her two bags and any pictures she's done as well as teddies she had with her to the car, and get them and her out at the other end, plus my own bag. I had a floaty Goth dress I'd got for her to dress up in and a mini drone I'd bought for big brother Luca. Unfortunately the tag to open the downstairs door to the flats wasn't in her bag and we had to ring bells until someone replied and let us in.

She changed into the dress, it was the second time I took it there as Sara won't allow anything she has not agreed to to be left there as the flat is tiny and there is no room, so I take any unsanctioned things home and take them back next time! She threatened to throw anything I leave away.

Luca loved the drone when he came and didn't play minecraft for a whole 40 minutes while he set it up and tried to fly it. It reuires more skill than you would think. It needed the battery re-charing then though so after they'd had supper he got the laptop and was lost to us. He cam tale the drone to his dad's when he goes on Wednesday so that won't be taking up room in the flat, and is tiny anyway.

We had a few screams when Lainey wanted to use the drone and it was not suitable for her but we got over it and she ate quite a bit of supper and resisted less than some days having a bath :). We were just nicely pyjamad when mum came home and I usually leave quite quickly before I hear what I did wrong!

Today I expected an email complaining about the drone but none came, maybe because I got one Sara sent to the family about the Easter holidays. She is not taking time off work so she set out days the children are up for visits, which will be nice.

I usually have them 2 afternoons and if they are to be with me all day collect them early and take them home, so bluerose can enjoy them too. He and Luca can play on the PS4 or Vr and he is good with Lainey too. It's easier to cook etc here and I can have my siesta while Bluerose and Luca look after Lainey. The children like to see Bobby and he likes to see them at first. When lainey stopped being scared of him though and began wanting to play he started to look a bit long-suffering as he's an old man now. He sleeps a lot and she disturbs him. Eventually he goes off upstairs to bluerose's bed.

I am sure we used to be able to see more than 6 days ion the past, didn't we? I can't see how to go back further. I tried settings but there doesn't seem to be a relevant one. I can see my history and past, but not friends'.

I should change that profile photo!

There's an old fashioned letter meme going around, and Ghoti gave me an O. That's difficult.Ask if you'd like a letter

Something I hate: The kitchen gate being left open when the cat food is on the floor, so Molly steals it.

Something I love: Watching newish granddaughter eating. The interaction with me or her mum about what she wants, even with no words. I must suggest baby signing.

Somewhere I've been: Curacao. I've been a couple of times, once to a dry dock and took the daughters, aged 3 and 5. I had to fly out there alone with them to join Capt Ex on the ship he was on, which was in dry dock. We had the use of a car, lived on board, went to the Shell sailing club or the main Shell club on the island, which had a swimming pool. We were there for 3 weeks I think. I enjoyed the island very much.

Somewhere I'd like to go: Hawaii. Or some other South Seas island.

Someone I know: Rosalind. She was my mum's neighbour upstairs and we became friends. I was pregnant when she got engaged. Gerald was her second husband, the first was Israeli and died.We had 2 daughters each, hers 6 months or so younger than my two. She lived on our way to primary school. Close to it. She lost her second husband, I got divorced. She met someone and is in Israel with him half the time and half here to see her family. We skype every week or so and meet when she is here.

A film I like: Space Cowboys, or Geriatrics in Space :). It has the attraction of OAPs like the Marigold Hotel and The Intern but not sentimental, they are naughty OAPs.