"I have a dream, a fantasy..."

"I have a dream, a fantasy 

To help me through reality

And my destination makes it worth the while

Pushing through the darkness still another mile"

(ABBA "I have a dream")

It's been a while and I have missed blogging.  I had a dream a couple of nights ago about one of the blogs I follow.  It was one of my usual psychadelic, LSD-esque dreams.  The Big Man is often heard asking "What drugs are you on?!", when I recall dreams to him.  

In my dream last night I was walking along a street when a huge, gorgeous, pastel coloured shop front caught my eye.  The shop was called "Momnivore".  I stopped and stared and realised the shop belonged to one of the bloggers I follow.  Standing in my amazed daze I then noticed a scantily clad couple walking towards the store.  There was a sort of huge grid next to the store front, like scaffolding.  Then music started and the scantily clad couple climbed onto the scaffolding and started dancing on it.  Like this...

You still with me?

I then went into the "Momnivore" shop and inside they sold holidays which you could pay for by having massages.  The more free massages you had the more your holiday would be paid for.  Free massages and a holiday.  Sounds like the ideal shop to me.

Anyway, so that's my dream.  But what is my subconscious telling me?  How do I interpret this?

I've given it some thought and I think the scaffold dancing couple represents my struggle with the Wee Man's allergies.  The intricate and delcate dance that needs to be weaved on a daily basis, but with a strong arm and iron resolve the dance is successful.  The holiday and free massages speak for themselves.  I see blogging as a means of relaxation and my subconscious is telling me that is what is needed to be more relaxed.  A form of escape maybe.

So here I am blogging whilst the Wee Man munches on his breakfast.  Not much loving on a Wee Man when he has his rice krispies in front of him.  Thank you to all those who shared in my concerns about him.  He's fine, we've had a fun and very tiring couple of weeks.  Just where he gets his energy from I do not know.  I hope to blog more regularly again.

It's good to be back.  

Put Up and Shut Up - A Disappearing Act

I thought I should post a little something before I disappear for a while.  I've been going through a bit of a time of it recently.  I won't say hard as I am not the type that complains or whinges.  I am one who "puts up and shuts up".

The Wee Man is starting school in September which has meant a lot of heartache and planning.  Because of his life threatening allergies we have had to make plans to reduce the risks and also plans should anything happen.  For some reason this has thrown up a lot of emotions for me.  None of them good.  Where starting school should be a happy time for us it has become a time fraught with anguish and terror, both our own and the school's.  Thankfully the Wee Man is oblivious to all of this and is happily scoring off the days on his homemade countdown calender until he starts school.  Forty two sleeps and counting.

The past month has been spent in countless meetings with various people from the school and beyond, assessing the risks and writing his care plan.  I am a person who very, very rarely cries and I have been shocked to find myself crying at a couple of these meetings.  Once with the school nurse who herself has unexplained anaphylaxic episodes.  She was the first person I have ever met who has ever experienced anaphylaxis and I asked her how it felt.  Her description was enough to send me well over that edge and I ended up teary and shaking with fear.

The Wee Man has never experienced anaphylaxis, something I and his medical team are truly thankful for.  And whilst I harbour a small hope that, somehow the Wee Man's allergic reactions are only "mild" and would never go to that extreme, my recent talk with his allergy nurse and subsequent research on Dr. Google has well and truly quashed that hope.  It is, as the school nurse said, only because of my vigilance and hard work that the Wee Man has never experienced anaphylaxis.  So basically sheer luck.

Fear has arrived and is firmly camped in my already fragile heart.  I find myself constantly thinking of the Wee Man's mortality and have become "Helicopter Mum", continually hovering over him, stealing cuddles and kisses when I can.  His life is fragile and I fear, however unreasonably, that it will be short.

So this summer will be spent spending every moment with the Wee Man and making it as fun filled and memorable as I can.  I will endeavour to stay upbeat and not show my true feelings to the Wee Man who remains forever positive and matter of fact about his allergies.

I will no doubt do the occasional post as I do have a couple that needs to be written.  Specifically, a thank you post to Aija for her fantastic swap parcel which did make me smile.  Thank you Aija.

Have a great summer everyone and I will hopefully still be able to read your lovely blogs and post comments.

Madison xxx

How do you eat yours?

The Big Man and I don't have your average run of the mill arguments.  Indeed we don't have arguments at all more like heated debates.  In the many, many years that we've known each other we've never gotten into a slanging match of the door slamming kind.  I suppose I am very lucky in that the Big Man knows that his wife is always, always right...to a degree.

What we do have are heated debates about the rights and wrongs of the world in general.  Regular readers will know about our recent debate about the Universe.  Last night we moved on from the high brow, intellectual debate to a more, some may say "mundane" topic of scone eating.  That's right, scone eating.

The past week we've been "gorging" ourselves on scones, complete with strawberry jam and clotted cream.  The same week as two of the Wee Man's nursery teachers remarked that I had lost weight.  I am now a true believer of the cream scone diet(!)

How can the simple act of eating a scone cause such disharmony in a seemingly stable relationship?

Simple.  I prepare my scones with jam first then clotted cream on top, whereas the Big Man has cream first then jam on top.

Now that the debate dust has settled I can see that there is no right or wrong way as such but it is purely an individual's choice.  But the part of me that always wants to win wants to know...how do you eat yours?

Silent Sunday

Where does space end?

"Where does space end?"

That was one of the Wee Man's brain draining questions yesterday.  Unusually this question was prefixed with "Dad, I have a question for you..."  So Dad had the honour of answering it for him.  Unfortunately the Big Man's answer lead into a "heated discussion" between the two of us with the Wee Man losing interest and wandering off to play with his toys.  Bad parents!

The Big Man told the Wee Man that space doesn't end, it's "infinite".  I on the other hand said that recent studies show that there is an "end".  Recent studies being a TV programme I'd stumbled upon a few months ago.

And so it went on, until the Big Man decided it was best that he smiled and nodded his head at me.  When in doubt, agree with what your wife says.  It makes for a happier home life!

So here I am wondering if I should google the answer to prove my point or whether I should just get on with some housework.  Decisions, decisions.

Mum, I have a question for you...

"Mum I have a question for you..."

That's how it usually starts.  Fast forward thirty minutes and I'm still desperately trying to answer the question and all subsequent questions that follow.

The Wee Man has turned into Magnus Magnusson.  He, off the black leather chair and impossible questions.  

The Wee Man has always been a curious boy, as in curious about life and not curious as in strange.  Though he does have his "strange" moments.  He was three years old when he hit me with "How did I get here?  Because before it was just you and Dad and now I'm here?  How did I get here?". 

Recently the questions have been coming thick and fast and the explanations are turning into full on science lessons.  I always answer his questions correctly (as correctly as my knowledge will allow) and not fob him off with flippant answers but have you tried explaining the Big Bang Theory and Evolution to a four year old?   It gets interesting to say the least.  After I'd explained Evolution to him he "performed" it for me.  He went from a little fish slithering across the dining room floor to a four year old human boy running around the house.  No mean feat I can tell you.  

He asks such difficult questions and they always lead onto even more difficult questions. For example...

From the question "Mum, how do satellites get into space?" I explained about rocketships taking them into space and showed him a space shuttle take off on youtube (youtube is my new bff).  That lead onto an explanation of the ozone layer and another youtube video showing the Earth from the moon.  Which then lead onto a video of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon which then lead onto explaining moon craters and how they are made by meteors and then back to the ozone layer protecting the Earth from them...etc.  And so it goes on and on.  

The surprising thing is, he seems to understand the answers and he often then asks his Dad if he knew...and explains what he has learned to him.  It's all rather exhausting, I can tell you.   He's come up with some real brain twisters e.g. 

"Mum, how does my arm know to move?" 

"Mum, who made the planet?"

"Mum, did we use to be dinosaurs?"

"Mum, how many satellites are there in space?"

So I've decided this summer will be spent at museums to further his knowledge but more importantly mine.  Because apparently, "Mum you know everything!"  

This post is shared on R2BC

Car Boot Loot #7

It's been a wee bit since my last car boot loot post, so lots to catch up on.  I haven't been to a car boot for a couple of weeks so this Sunday I was itching to get out there and rummage, rummage, rummage.  I wasn't disappointed.  There was a huge turn out of sellers and buyers.  I've never seen the car boot so busy.

And of course when I see a busy car boot the anxiety kicks in.  Lots of sellers means lots of beauties waiting for me.  Which end will I start at?  Will I just scan and run or take my time at each stall? If I scan too quickly I might miss something.  If I take too much time at a stall I might miss something at another stall.  Oh I spy something on that stall, move out the way people!  Is that person going to pick it up and buy it?  Will you people just get out of my way!  ...etc,etc,etc.

It's a stressful business this car booting lark.  No wonder the "highlights" in my hair are ever increasing.

Just before I show off my goodies I'd like some opinions please.  I've been playing about on picnik to try and improve my pics.  Put on some effects and such.  I've only done it to a couple of the pics, the sugar bowl, tea cup/mug and chamber pot.  I really am only playing about.  Will you give me some honest opinions please?  What do you think of the done up pics?  With effect or without?

Anyway, enough of the photography chat  and let's get on with showing off my finds.  My trusty Tesco bag for life was laden down with goodies.

First up a Royal Vale sugar bowl for only 50 of our shiny British pence.  The seller had loads of vintage china and I think he's a professional.  So I will definitely be keeping an eye out for him every week.  

After a little rummage on a table, stuck at the bottom of a pile of dusty ikea plates was this gorgeous gem.  It's a Royal Standard Minuet cake plate.  I already own a tea cup trio of this design so I was quick to pull my tongue back in my mouth and surreptiously wiped the drool off my chin before I asked the seller the price of it.  After a wee bit of haggling I got it for a mere £1.50.  Cheaper than I got the tea cup trio for.

Next up even more vintage china.  I really do think my vintage china obsession is getting a wee bit out of hand.  Anyway, five gorgeous Gainsborough saucers for £1.  The seller had apparently sold all the tea cups without their saucers.  Why would anyone buy just the teacups and leave the saucers?  Especially at these silly prices.   They were desperate to sell them to say the least.  There was no need for me to haggle as they kept shouting prices at me until I finally smiled at "£1".  The teenage son even chipped in "Any tea cup can fit on those saucers".  Thanks for the insight.

And to go on the "saucers that will take any tea cup", I bought a tea cup/ mug for 50p.  It's sort of between the size of a mug and a tea cup and definitely not vintage.  But it is pretty.  I've been meaning to make tea cup candles for ages now, but every time I buy vintage tea cups to make them with, I invariably fall in love with them and they end up on display in my dresser.  So this time, for sure, definitely deffo, this tea cup mug will be turned into a tea cup candle.....I think.

Next up a "tea cup" that will most definitely not fit on the saucers.  It's a gorgeous chamber pot, though the seller did try to convince me it was a giant tea cup.  Really, she did.  I'm not sure whether she was really that ill informed or whether she thought I was.  Anyway, I'm happy to play "stoopid" if I get such beauties for silly prices.  £2.50 and it's currently proudly displayed in my living room waiting for a new plant to go in it.

And finally-ish a lovely new tea towel for all of 20p.  The well to do middle aged seller informed me it came all the way from the former Soviet Union.  He said it with pride and conviction, until I pointed out the towel actually had a "Portugal" logo on it.  I think that's why he gave it to me for only 20p.  Embarrassing or what?!

That's pretty much it, though I did get a new game for the Wee Man and I also got a mystery china item.  More about that to follow.

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