1st Day at School

Well first morning really as they finish at 12.30pm for the first week. But today was my baby girl's first day at school. She was very excited this morning and came home very enthusiast to go back tomorrow. She tells me she has played in and outside, played with lego, painted a picture, played musical instruments and sang.

She's also made one new friend but she doesn't know her name. She didn't know any of the other children as she's previously been at the private nursery while I've been studying.

Doesn't she look so grown up in her uniform?

Brave

Been to the Butterfly House today, Caitlin loves wandering around looking at the butterflies and finding the lizards that run about too. The body of this lizard is about 18" long, plus it's tail is almost twice as long again.

As well as the butterflies there's a small farm where she fed a goat and a lamb and a bird of prey centre. Today she held an owl for the first time, she told me that I had to take a picture of her with the owl for Daddy who was at work.

In other news I've almost strimmed all the weeds and grass at the lottie, one more trip with the strimmer should do it. Just cutting everything back makes it look so much better, just the edging for paths, masses of bark to shift, beds to dig for the autumn planting onions and garlic, oh and a shed to build, not much then :O Well it wouldn't be so bad if it would just stop raining for a while!

I passed the year!

Finally got my results, and I passed the year, my average was 66% which is pretty good, seeing as 60 - 69% is a 2.1 degree. Unfortunately I've not had all the feedback as due to administration incompetence by my university someone else has got some of my feedback sheets, including my worst and best results of the year, both of which I'd really like to see. I'm not the only one, apparently there several of us. It's just typical of the lack of concern that we've had this year, major delays in feed back, lectures and teaching sessions missed due to staff illness and not rescheduled and if we complain just verbally slapped down by head of the course. Oh well only one year to go.

In other news, we've remained dry throughout the floods in South Yorkshire, although the village has been cut off at various points. The dip at the bottom of our road is still flooding every time it rains for more than a hour or two. We managed to miss the worst of the floods by being on holiday in the Lakes where it was much drier even with half the campsite flooding on our last night. We did come back early, worried about forecasts of more rain and flooding.

Caitlin has been for two visits to her new school and can't wait to start in September. Our baby is growing up! It's nice spending more time with her over my summer break, just wish the weather was better.

The allotment is doing ok considering the dreadful wet weather this year. One forum I've been on old-timers have given up on the summer crops and just trying to clear down for autumn and winter crops, well those whose allotments aren't under water. So if they can't get anywhere what hope do I have, at least if we can keep the weeds down and the grass strimmed I can hopefully dig more over the autumn. Who knows we could have a heatwave in October, this year there's no telling!

Thank you...

...for all the messages of support, it really does make a difference.

Caitlin is out of plaster and seems to be healing nicely, although you can see where the bone bows in her wrist, but the consultant tells us because she is so young it will reshape and straighten as she grows, so we shouldn't worry about it. The main thing is the fracture is healing.

She's still getting used to using her right arm and hand again, but she's getting better by the day using it more and more. Her elbow doesn't seem too stiff either.

I did get some photos before the cast came off. These were at the entrance to the allotment.

Beauty in the garden

Couldn't resist getting out in the sunshine and taking some pictures. The white clematis is smothered in flower again this year. It may not be the prettiest plant for the rest of the year, but late spring gives so much joy it is definately a favourite. The peony will be in full bloom shortly at the moment it just gives a hint of what's to come. Then the first rose of the year is out, had to stop Caitlin from picking this yesterday, I gave her one of the hundreds of clematis flowers instead, but she's still after a rose, I had to promise her one when more come out later in the year.

I'm still here!

Things are getting better, feeling much more in control again. Spring always
helps as the SAD receeds even if the more general depression doesn't, but
I am off the antidepressants and doing ok.

I've got another year to go at uni, but this year is going ok so far, I've
got great marks in the work I've got back (1st class degree level!), but
still waiting on the assignment that was most badly affected by the
depression/Tim being in recovery from his op.

Caitlin broke her arm over the Easter break with an unstable buckle fracture of her radius in her right arm. So she's in a bright pink cast from the bottom of her fingers to just below her shoulder. It hasn't slowed her down at all! As she bounces round in her usual way Tim and I aren't sure if we should hover behind to catch her if she falls or shut our eyes! lol. All being well the plaster comes off on 9th May a week on Wednesday. Fortunately the unstable break didn't shift so she doesn't need surgery which was a huge relief.

Oh and I/we have just taken on an allotment we get the keys this week/early next week. So the vegetables don't take over the back garden. It's all very overgrown, but the council are going to strim it for us shortly then we get to get the weed killer out and get digging! I may be odd, but I find pottering outside with plants is strangely relaxing and calming, very good for lowering stress levels.

Life sucks

Hmm, not been a good month, I've been fighting the joys of depression/SAD, so bad that I'm back on the antidepressants which kinda seems a backward step after 18 months off them, but I'd got to the not wanting to leave the house stage, which is not good. Plus I'm seeing a mental health worker for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to get some coping strategies for the panic attacks and the like.

It's been hard going with Tim being off his feet, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that his plaster cast will be off this thursday and he's started to drive this week too, which is fab.

Unfortunately I've also got the worst viral infection since glandular fever seven years ago. I haven't properly for days, I can't breathe, my throat feels like cut glass and my glands have been huge. Now poor Tim is going down with it poor man, so Caitlin has gone to the grandparents.

Oh and to add insult to injury I've an assignment to write by friday, when my head hasn't been straight for a week and I missed half the teaching because I couldn't cope.

Sorry to anyone who's emailed me, I've not read any, nor have I posted on any forums. Hopefully I'll get myself straight once my assignment is done. I just hope I can scrape a pass. Off to look at more stuff on OT assessment

Life sucks

Hmm, not been a good month, I've been fighting the joys of depression/SAD, so bad that I'm back on the antidepressants which kinda seems a backward step after 18 months off them, but I'd got to the not wanting to leave the house stage, which is not good. Plus I'm seeing a mental health worker for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to get some coping strategies for the panic attacks and the like.

It's been hard going with Tim being off his feet, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that his plaster cast will be off this thursday and he's started to drive this week too, which is fab.

Unfortunately I've also got the worst viral infection since glandular fever seven years ago. I haven't properly for days, I can't breathe, my throat feels like cut glass and my glands have been huge. Now poor Tim is going down with it poor man, so Caitlin has gone to the grandparents.

Oh and to add insult to injury I've an assignment to write by friday, when my head hasn't been straight for a week and I missed half the teaching because I couldn't cope.

Sorry to anyone who's emailed me, I've not read any, nor have I posted on any forums. Hopefully I'll get myself straight once my assignment is done. I just hope I can scrape a pass. Off to look at more stuff on OT assessment