Giving up the booze

Afternoon all

Have resorted to clothes airer also! 

We had a Lebanese restaurant nearby but it was called *The Seagull*.  Always joked that that was what was on the menu!

Ice skating was fab thanks SL, I wish there was one nearer though.  Thinking of taking more lessons later in the year.

Glad KC enjoyed pony day

What's the Vanguard HTF?

As for running, mmmm, not a lot of it.  Off on holiday on Friday so think it will be on hold till I get back!

The Lebanese meal was lovely but a tad pricey.  Doubt whether we would have been happy paying full price (£94 including wine) but had one of those Groupon vouchers which meant that it cost £25 plus the wine.  As Sweetest Thing said - we had falafel, tabouleh, kafta and a lebanese salad for starters then I had chicken skewers and hubby had seafood platter.  This was followed by desert - pancakes for him and mint tea for me.  Lovely, lovely!

My conservatory resembles a chinese laundry at the moment too.  Awful weather - still it made going back to work today a little easier.  That and the thought that there's only 5 weeks and 3 days to go until summer hols!  Just hiding up here from the football and have ordered 2 paperbacks to take on hols with me.  I'm obsessed with books and am pretty much banned from buying anymore so these will be delivered to school - sneaky eh!

Glad KC enjoyed the pony day and hope that you're feeling well SL.

I still think you're extremely brave Cinders with iceskating - I have a fear of losing my fingers!

The curtains arrived a week ago - just waiting for the new headboard and we're all done in our room.  Starting on son's room next - HELP!

Morning everyone   Taking me a while to get used to this new layout, it doesn't seem to come up with the bit sometimes that says 'go to last unread post' or whatever it was, so I've been trying to go back and work out where I last read to!!  

hopetofinish wrote (see)

Watched Breakfast telly in the week and they were interviewing people in a tent in Somerset during the high wind and rain.  Imagine that being your annual holiday!

  This made me laugh, every holiday but one when I was a kid was spent camping in the rain or the wind or gales (Cornwall, 1979!), sometimes with the additional excitement of being right next to a railway line or a sewage farm and once I had the excitement of staying in York hospital for three days with a badly grumbling appendix.  And people wonder why I'm not too keen on spending more than a couple of nights in a tent!!

Am I the only one that's not really had much rain over the weekend then?  Did all our washing and got it dry on the line, and although it's been grey, cold and windy, it's not been that wet.  We even had some sunshine when we did some digging up the lottie on Sunday

Sounds like everyone's been out eating lots of nice food lately!   Good deal on the Groupon vouchers Tigger

Seeing the physio in a bit, so will see how well I've been progressing.  Not too confident to be honest, but have decided that any thoughts of a tri is out until next year and running and gymnastics will need to sit on the back burner for a couple of months.  I really need to get myself properly fit and well (physically and mentally) before I can start thinking about events and having targets and things I have to aim for.  So I shall be swimming, gyming and doing my circuit training for the next couple of months along with my exercises and hoping things improve.  Am entering for London next year and will worry about how I'm going to get round closer to the time   Keep your fingers crossed for good news from the physio!

Whizzing in to say Hi , not ignoring anyone but been chaotic here.  Will post properly soon as I can x

Morning

Are you ok SL, saw your post late last night on FB.  Bad day?

Lol TST, that story of your hosp stay reminded me of when I broke my leg.  Got stuck in for a week cos the plasterers don't work bank holidays!

Morning eveyone   Is it just me, or is the site more temperamental since they changed it?!  It doesn't always send emails to tell me someone's posted, and sometimes I get the new post button and sometimes I don't!  Maybe it's trying to tell me it doesn't like me any more!

Ooo, that's not good Cinders!  At least with a busted arm they stick a temp cast on it and send you home until the plasterers are back in again!   How did you manage to break your leg?

So, saw the physio yesterday and I'm not able to run for a bit   It would seem that trying to run the other week has caused me to take one step forward and two steps back, so it's best not to run until we know it's better.  Popped into gymnastics last night to let the girls know what's going on and to take the chalk in that we use for the bars (we bought some between us and I've been chalk monitor!).  They were disappointed I won't be coming for a bit but understood and a couple of them want to come swimming with me so we can still do something sociable together, which is lovely   They're not good swimmers so they want me to help them out with their swimming, which is very flattering and lovely - finally I won't be the one who's behind!   I've said I'll take my various floats with me and make them do drills!!   Oh, and I have found a swimming coach   Not sure how good he'll be, but we're not committed to a set amount of lessons or anything so hopefully going to try him out next Monday.  I can share the lesson with a friend, which will make it cheaper and benefit both of us.  Am really looking forward to it, swimming was my first love and it'll be good to see some improvements in my technique and speed

I trod on a football TST.  When I did get out of the hospital it finally felt like a break out!!!

Sorry to hear no running for a while but that's nice that your gym friends want to come swimming.  Good too that you've found a coach, that should be good for improving your swimming.

Lol at chalk monitor

Back to packing.....little C wants to take his floats and seal sinkers on holiday so he can practise while we're away

Evening all,has everyone enjoyed the little bit of sun that braved it's way through the clouds today 

Sorry to hear about the knee TST - I haven't been coached at swimming since I was 10, I used to be a member of the local swimming club and never managed tumble turns without bashing my head! I thought you meant you'd taken the chalk from the gym - it took me a few minutes to realise you'd put that you'd taken it IN 

I saw the piccy of Thomas and his certificate Cinders - wish kc was doing so well but she keeps missing lessons as consequences for  her behaviour 

Which leads me to yesterdays activities.................................  She was 'being a wolf or dog all morning until we left for school and annoying or being inappropriate with the dogs (yes it is as bad as you think ), she punched and kicked her teacher, thumped her friend, has a full on fight with the lad who'd called her names the day before, kept running out of class and had the dinner ladies screaming for help across the playground.  In the night she'd soiled her pull up and wouldn't wash her bum or let me do it and was running around deliberately exposing her bottom half to hubby and being 'provocative' .  All because of the change of routine at school but mostly seeing her mum last week .  She's been a sweet little angel today, the day carer was ill so she's been home since midday but not been any trouble 

I really don't want to have another day like yesterday for a very long while - we're all exhausted!  Funny thing was yesterday's training course was on therapeutic re-parenting and we had to do a role play of our kid's behaviour in different situations, I'd done one of her normal violent outbursts and found it exhausting and the others were drained just watching and trying to deal with 'my' situation.  Although someone else got the violence yesterday what we had to deal with was so mentally exhausting we're all knackered today - including kc!

Not sure what to say SL but that sounded a very bad day.  Will there be consequences for her behaviour at school?  Have no idea how you continue to cope with it all.  If she reacts this way each time to seeing her mum is there a way forward with that or will she react this way always?

Blimey SL, that just sounds horrific, and for both of you really, there's gotta be a lot of mess going on in poor KCs head to make her behave like that    It must be so difficult as logic says keep her away from her mum and introduce changes to her routine as slowly as possible, but I know that's not the way it works.  You have my utmost admiration for what you do, there is no way in the world that I could do it. 

Am well excited about the swimming coach   I also used to go to a club when I was younger, but Mum pulled me out after about 9 months as she thought it was getting too competitive () although she told me at the time that it was for financial reasons.  It's a shame really as I was good at it and having something to be competitive at might have been a better release that the ones I eventually chose, being drink and drugs.  Still, you can't dwell on what might have been and now maybe I have the opportunity to put some drive back into my swimming   We can only afford a session every couple of weeks, but I'm hoping he can set me some 'homework' to do in between the sessions and then we can see if there are improvements during the next session.  

Was very impressed too to see Thomas and his certificate, does he get a badge too? 

Morning TST and all

When do you start with your coach?  Well exciting

I used to swim for a club, did 2 years in the main squad at about 14 ish then returned at 19 and joined masters and swam with them for 10 years till I moved down here.  Gave it up as there was nothing around at the time.

Yup, he got a 5m badge and one for passing his stage 1 level, he's off into stage 2 when we get back.

Right, best attempt some packing......

Thanks folks - twas a bad day indeed but yesterday was a good day and today''s not been too bad so far   There are consequences at school but it can be hard to enforece them - the whole class went on a trip to London yesterday but kc wasn't allowed to go - that was decided ages ago, they can't risk her running off or starting on a train or coach etc.  She still had to go to school yesterday though.  She's going to start some new type of modular therapy soon, I think it's much more direct that simple art therapy and she'll have to confront some of her fears and behaviours - it's likely that it'll get much worse before it gets better when she starts that .

Wish I was going on holiday somewhere hot Cinders...........  I shall buy some bed rolls and sleeping bags today and pack up the tent when I fancy it.  I know I just said kc's been ok today but she's just torn up her homework and told me to shut my gob- charming child  Wish me luck for the rest of the evening!

Hola amiga, si, estaba mejor hoy  much better today thanks, I managed to divert her anger yesterday, I said I didn't  have time for her to get angry cos I was was going to cook her dinner - she stopped 

I wish I was in Spain right now, been a bit rainy and there's more forecast for the weekend!

Agree with SL.  Wish I was anywhere where the sun was out.

Loved the photo of Thomas in the pool.

Hi HTF - you've been quiet again lately, is all well in your world?  I've planned to meet a friend to go for a run Monday morning, she's only just started running and has done 2 5ks but doesn't like running on her own so I said I'd meet up with her and go for a run round her way when I've dropped little 'en off to school.  She likes near Mote Park in Maidstone but kc's got to go to Tonbridge School for an 'olympic' sports day so I'm half way there already and I've never been to Mote Park either 

Morning folks - hope you're all well. 

It's been a while since I posted and I can't pretend that I'm doing well, either with booze or running. I'll keep trying on both fronts though.

Things are going well generally and becoming self-employed was a very good thing to do. I have lots of very interesting and fulfilling work to keep me busy!

I do keep up with what you're all up to, even when I'm being rubbish at staying in touch... 

Afternoon everyone

First session is tonight Cinders - Mr TST says he feels sorry for the coach!!  Is there a masters session near you now then?  Must admit I am jealous of you out in the sunshine too!  Glad you are all enjoying yourselves

How was your run and KC's sports day SL?  *whispers* although I'm not quite sure what the difference is between a normal sports day and an Olympic one!

Hello Aps   Sorry to hear things are going so well, but keep your chin up and keep trying and I'm sure you'll get through your not quite so good patch.  Really pleased to hear your decision to become self-employed is working out

I've had a very productive weekend, we got rid of a table and chairs and some other bits that have been cluttering up the house, did some of the gardening that needed doing and I did a couple of hours each day up the lottie trying to make some inroads into that bloomin' horses tail stuff  

I also finally made the decision to speak to my Mum about some things she did when I was a teenager and which are partly responsible for my drinking.  It was very difficult for me to even make the phone call to say I wanted to talk to her about some things, so I think doing the actual talking is going to be really hard but it has to be done as it's been messing up my head for 30 years now.  I told her that things had come up in counselling, which isn't strictly true as I've known that I needed to discuss these things with her for a long, long time, but I couldn't think of any other way to bring it up.  I don't want to lay blame at her door for things, but I do need to know why she did the things she did just so it stops f*cking my head up any more.  I feel this may be the hardest thing I ever do, but also will probably be the thing that is most helpful to me.  I have arranged to have lunch with her (and both our other halves) on Saturday, so if I'm a bit grumpy and maybe a bit bitchy this week please bear with me.  I'm trying not to take the worry out on others, but I know I've been an ar*e to Mr TST already.