There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

Hello! I haven't posted in ages! You all still there?

Let's see, what's happened. Well, first of all, I had the urge to post because I had to share a recent Go Fug Yourself post with you. Being a fan of both LotR and The Amazing race, this one tickled me pink.

So, anyway, back to me. I visited for a weekend, um, about 3 weeks ago. Cute baby! Cannot read or write yet. Older one can, though, the one with the multiple personalities. Fascinating stuff. Met some old and new SCA people. Scored book (on long loan) on maths in needlework. Delivered Africa puzzle. We are currently working on a USA one. So far I am better than K, but it's just a matter of time. Neither of us is very good. "Is that where Ohio is? Which way up does Illinois go?" etc.

When I left, K was ill with headaches and throwing up. P was ill by Saturday night (of course, A gobbing on his phone so badly it finally required a hairdryer to resume functioning means I operated in radio silence, as it were, for most of my stay away and was unaware of medical developments). By Sunday night, when I was home, A was ill and I was ill by Monday morning. This was a Bad Bug. I seriously hope I didn't bring it to you, schedule5. I was really ill with a temperature and the like by Tuesday. I still had to lecture and drive K to the therapist and other unavoidable stuff, though, which was pretty grotty. Anyway, illness in all directions, A needed antibiotics by the end of the week, I needed antibiotics and cortisone the next week when I had a nasty relapse. P seems better now but it took him 3 weeks. Bad Bug. Quite nasty.

Voted. I had a defective ballot paper: no Soccer Party. Had to pencil them in. Still have smudged fingernail.

Best news: I have new shoes!! Wheeee! I understand that there are people who wear shoes to match their outfits. Odd. I wear one pair of summer sandals, one pair of winter closed shoes, one pair of takkies for gym. I have a pair of smart sandals bought for my masters graduation (8 years ago) and a pair of smart ankle boots which hurt my feet. Oh, I suppose there are some speciality footwear, like my gillies and the still marvelous boots AHS bought me one distant misty day, but basically there're the summer shoes and the winter shoes. I used to wear takkies in winter, but in 2005 I bought slip on shoes because I had this really huge belly for some reason. They are servicable but ugly. I have wanted to replace them for a while, although there was that recurrence of the enormous belly. This year, feeling 4 years is not too short a time to wait between winter shoe purchases, I bought a new pair! They are ankle boots! With a wedge heel! And a zip! And they're Green Cross! And they are totally delightful! They were also totally expensive and will have to do for several years. Fortunately my ingrained sense of Buying Unnecessary Shoes is Sinful (where did that come from?) will not allow me to buy a new pair till this pair falls apart.

So, let's see, what else is there. The girls are sharing a room now. They are together in the small room next to the lounge. A bed, a cot and 2 chests of drawers pretty much fills the room. The other room is the play room, also spare room if someone stays over. K is so much happier. I don't know whether it is coincidence, but twice (twice!) in the last week she has managed to play all by herself! She had a tea party at the top of the jungle gym with a damp tea set and a bunch of teddies for, like, half an hour! Alone! Am I getting my amazement across here? I'd dearly love to approximate confluence's self-described "feral upbringing" as it would give me more time to read books (which is really my life's mission) but K won't let me. She is happy going to bed now, even takes herself to bed. Some nights, if A is still awake when K goes to bed, we have to deal with an hour of giggling and chortling and tossing teddies to and fro, but it still involves happiness rather than misery, which is an improvement. So: (potential) parents contemplating two children and thinking you don't have enough rooms in your house: sometimes their own rooms make them deeply unhappy. Go figure.

Visited my sister for a long weekend. A got to see the bunnies and the chickens and the roosters and the 8 (eight) dogs. She got to touch new laid eggs which thrilled her. She loved the kiewiets. We are now the proud (?) owners of a small soccer ball with flags of the world on (no Africa, of course. Where's Africa?) which play their national anthems when pressed. Kinda cool. Kinda tiring. Really quite loud. Anyway, want to hear the national anthems of Japan? Saudi Arabia? Argentina? Portugal? come and visit our musical soccer ball.

Right! It's Tuesday, so a research day. Today I reread Chapter 7 of my student's thesis and say wise things about it. I also have a committee meeting at lunchtime which is a drag. It's K's second last visit to Katie today as well, so that chops the end off my day. Better get started. Term ends next Wednesday. Thereafter I have about a week to finish a skeletal paper before final submission. This while marking a heap of test scripts. I shall bend time.