Busy Weekend at Fink Mansion

Phew, what a weekend. Mr Fink and I headed off to Wickes, B&Q, Homebase etc to check out the showers. Didn't buy one. While I was in Wickes, The Oracle phoned me and invited me out for a drink (coffee) and a gossip. So we went to the local pub and had a lovely gossip, put the world to rights and solved all kinds of problems! then I dropped her off to meet with her sister and I went home. When I got in I had the most awful headache and felt really sick - must have been all the caffeine from 5 cups of pub coffee. Never again!

Saturday I went to work, when I finished I found several patients wandering round the deserted department, they were lost - my worst nightmare, I just know I'm going to get them lost even more by trying to help them! We found where they were supposed to be and I went home. In the evening we met Nanny and Shouty Grandad at the swimming pool for the Cubs District Swimming Gala. Little Fink came first in her heat of the 25m breaststroke and third in the final. Her team came 2nd out of 16 Cub packs. We were all so proud of her.

Sunday we did the housework and then GWTBO and Nanny S came round for dinner which Mr Fink cooked brilliantly. Afterwards we were treated to a game of Triv and some magic tricks from Little Fink. A thoroughly entertaining afternoon of entertaining!

Next week I have Bob The Plumber (Plumb-bob geddit?) coming round to start the bathroom refurb and the Ovenu cooker guy coming on Thur to clean my cooker. (Note to self - Do not ask the Oven guy to marry you again!)

Bad Mother Award - Bronze Medal

Today I took Little Fink and Marsha to the local swimming pool with flumes. They left me with my book in the seating area at 11.30am. Little Fink had a horse riding lesson at 4pm which meant they needed to be out of the water at about 2pm - 2.30pm.

The time marched round to 1.30pm and it occurred to me that I had seen neither hide nor hair of them in 2 hours. Eek. What a bad mother I was. I looked around, up the stairs where the children were waiting to take their turn, in the lazy river, in the paddling pool and in the throng of children walking past.

I thought that by the law of averages, I should have caught a glimpse of them by now, but i had not.

I started to worry, what if i have to admit to the lifeguards that I can't find my children? He will ask what are they wearing? To tell the truth, when I see the girls, of course, I will know them, but to describe the costumes was beyond me. I know the one she had when she was 6 but not this one.

Then I saw a slither of black and Speedo orange....Little Fink floating past on the lazy river. I put two fingers in my mouth and let out the ear splitting Mrs Fink "come here" whistle (which all Little Fink's friends know and respond to - it even worked at a Premier League Football match!). Duly 2 figures came trotting over and sanity was restored, children were dried and changed.

We got to the riding lesson to find it had been cancelled. Doh!

Little Fink, Sand Snorkling at Weymouth

(This takes about 30 seconds to load - depending on your connection.)

She started off over to my left, crawled/swam round behind me, I only noticed her as she came round past Big Mac, which is when I grabbed my camera.

Oh my word, this is the funniest thing I have seen in ages! Even the guy from the next family over from us was laughing his head off at her!

100 Entries - Wow Who'd have thought?

BadgerFink having a drink from the Fink Sink

This is a vid taken on my phone, of Mr fink's cat having his morning drink - very off putting for guests sitting on the loo, when the cat opens the bathroom door, jumps in the sink then miaows until you turn the tap on for him!

Anywho, I took Little Fink and her new friend Eddie Kidd (he is fearless and a daredevil - a lovely boy) swimming yesterday. Eddie told me he hadn't been for ages so had forgotten what to do with his arms when swimming. Before I could turn round, he had dived into the pool headfirst and came up spluttering, he can't swim!

After a few instructions he could swim (after a fashion) on his back. Anyway, both children really enjoyed themselves. When we got home, there was just time for Little fink to grab a sandwich and a drink then off to Ju-Jitsu with her dad (he is/was a green belt). She enjoyed it immensely and cant wait to go again next week. She learned how to escape a stranglehold!!!!, hip throws and body drops. Sounds like I will have to watch myself!

Sports Day today, unless it is raining, or too hot, or like a secondary school not too far from here that this week had to cancel it's sports day because the 4th years had emptied some of the drink out of their water bottles and substituted it for vodka. The teacher had to send them all home as they were drunk trying to do the discus and javelin. A bit different to our rebellions eh? My worst sports day crime was arranging with my friend that we would come last together because we were so rubbish at running. And remember having to do games in your knickers and vest if you forgot your kit - or worse, you had to get kit out of the lost property box ARGH YUCK.

How Can Pride be a Sin?

A couple of weeks ago at Cubs, Little Fink volunteered to swim backstroke at the Scouts County Swimming Gala. At the time I was horrified. The other Cubs that were chosen for the team seemed to all be club or county swimmers and probably in a different league to Little Fink. They also seemed very competitive. I was worried that they would be upset that Little Fink wasn't up to their standard.

I needed have wasted my time. She worked hard with her swimming teacher to get some technique, the Cubs supported each other and they were all fine.

Little Fink came third in her heat and third in the final. "Shouty Grandad", Nanny, Mr Fink, and I were all shouting ourselves hoarse. Shouty Grandad swore blind that she should have been given second! And Little Fink was completely unfazed about the whole thing.

If pride is a sin then I am a sinner. Well done Little Fink.

(by the way, the picture today is from a series that have made me smile. Pictures of cute cats with badly spelled/babyish/computer nerd type captions. The one above says, "I made you a cookie, but I eated it."

A lot to catch up on

Where do I start? I went for a Christmas meal with my old department on Friday. The food was terrible. We joked about the chef being on holiday and the hardness of the pheasant, the tepid nature of the veg and the general disjointedness of the presentation of the courses. I won't name the pub but it's between Hilliers and the narrow bridge. Things started to brighten up as soon as I got home, mum was there with Little Fink, Ched and Doris were on their way.

The evening went well, lots of drink, talk and catching up - too much of all three for me by all accounts! Saturday was taken up with shopping and preparing for the Buncefield Bash - a celebration that we are all still here after such a large explosion. The guests arrived (apart from the ill ones and the stay at home ones). The kids played and drew a beautiful montage for my wall. We talked, shared stories, laughed, played games. Allan lit fireworks and we all admired Mrs Glum's Buncefield cake, a triumph of victoria sponge, chocolate icing, jelly baby firemen, chocolate matchstick girders and coloured coconut 'flames'. Wonderful. Best of all, my favourite thing... my friends all around me, enjoying each others company. We even managed to make some decisions about our joint holiday.

Ched and I stayed up after everyone sensible had gone home or to bed and talked the night through about all and nothing until 6am. Usually we only realise it's time for bed when the sun comes up - there's nothing like watching a sunrise with your best cuz.

Sunday morning came and went, Little Fink, Ched, Doris, and I went swimming in the afternoon and lost our hangovers while playing with the foam floats, along with Mr Glum and the Glumettes. Meanwhile Mr Fink made Finkpie (Shepherds pie to you!) and after feeding our faces with it and Doris's pickled onions, Mrs Glums pickled cabbage and beetroot (Ched and Doris have polished off a whole jar of Mrs Glum's pickled cabbage at one sitting before now!) I sat down for a siesta, Doris and Ched went to the Spice Girls concert and all was quiet.

A wonderful weekend, over too quickly.

You won't like me when I'm angry

Yesterday was an angry day! For no reason in particular I was in a bad mood and whoa betide ANYONE who got in my way.

I managed to keep my mood under wraps until we (Little Fink, me and Mr Fink) went to the pictures to see The Golden Compass (top film, I loved it), during the trailers 5, 12 year old girls shouted, chattered, commented and giggled. Then they started a 'hilarious' game of see who can fold up the seat, sit on the top and slam down onto it the hardest. At this time I moved into the row in front, tutting in true British fashion. (My friend used to say, "There'll be an outcry, the country will go - "Tut") The lights came up in preparation for the film, the interval was longer than usual and one of the girls turned to her friends and said, "You don't think it's because of us do you?" I turned pointedly to them and for the first time in my life found the right words at the right time...said in a loud voice, "YOU DON'T THINK?". They slunk?/slinked?/slank? down into their seats and were quiet for the rest of the evening.

PART II

After the pictures I went swimming (my Wednesday ritual). As I entered the sports centre there was a note pinned to the front desk, "No hot water in the building" (no change there then) I joked with the staff, "I hope the pool is warm and those flipping SCUBA divers don't leave the door open while they put their gear away, like usual". Anyway, I had a bit of a swim, the SCUBA divers started to pack up their gear, took it to the door that leads straight out to the car park and LEFT THE DOOR OPEN while they loaded 20 boxes of gear into the freezing cold night. The cold air caused steam to rise off the pool water like a swamp. I said to my swim buddy, "I'm really angry" I got out of the pool. I found my receipt. I wrapped my towel round me, stormed out of the pool area, through the changing room, through the foyer and up to the front desk. "I want a refund" I said and slapped (for I was wringing wet) my receipt on the desk. I described the selfishness and obtuseness?/obtusecity? of the SCUBA divers and the nice lady gave me my money back saying, "Don't catch cold!".

One bright light in this day of red mist - I tried the showers and they were piping hot. JACKPOT!!!

I probably shouldn't tell you this but...

I have a funny feeling that I shouldn't tell you this but I'm going to any way - these things only seem to happen to me.

One day when Little Fink was even littler - about 2 or 3 and had only just got her fangs, my friend KT Wong and I took her swimming to the local pool. Now Little Fink had started the nasty habit (as little sprats do at that age) of biting me if she couldn't get her own way.

We had been playing in the water for sometime when Little Fink sunk her fangs into my shoulder. I started my rant, "That is very naughty, we're getting out right now, you must never, never bite people, how would you like it if....." blah blah blah. I went on and on, trying to explain how naughty it was of her. We were getting changed by this time and I can imagine all Little Fink could hear from me was akin to the sound the teacher makes in the Snoopy cartoons, a kind of WahWah Wah, Wah WahWah Wah. I could imagine KT Wong in the next cubilce thinking, for goodness sake, give it a rest. The next minute, Little Fink looked up at me with big eyes and said in a loud and clear voice,

"Mummy, you've got a hairy bum"

The whole place went silent - the only noise I could hear was KT Wong slump against the side of the cubicle and slide down the wall - no doubt with her hand over her mouth clutching her stomach. Noone else in the changing room made a sound. I got us changed so quickly I think most of our clothes must have been on inside out or back to front. Kids. Who'd have 'em?