It's show time!

This time last year, Holly was in the final rehearsals for Oliver the musical.  This was the 4th show she had been involved in but this time she had quite a big part as she was playing Nancy.

She had mastered the cockney accent, had been rehearsing her songs at every opportunity and was using me to help her remember her lines. On top of that she was studying like crazy for her exams.  It was a totally mental time and stress levels were running high.

I hadn't really seen much of her acting of the part as we just talked through the lines so I really didn't know what to expect.  She was sharing the part with another girl, Jasmine.  Holly played Nancy on the Wed (opening night) and the Fri and Jasmine did the other nights.

I was so nervous for her on opening night but by the time I nipped through to the dressing rooms to wish her luck, she was so so calm.

It was close to the end of the first act when she finally came on and she totally blew me away.  She commanded the stage and she totally was Nancy.  I was mesmerised.  The moment she came on and Jack heard her voice, he sat up straighter and started waving his arms in the air as if trying to attract his sister's attention.

He didn't have any seizures throughout the performance and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nancy and Dodger

Holly and her mate Amanda

Oooh Errr!

The whole cast of 10-18 yr olds were outstanding.  The songs were  beautifully sung.  Fagan was brilliant and Bill Sykes I would definitely not have messed with! When Bill Sykes killed Nancy I was crying. I'd to resist the urge to clamber up onto the stage and batter him myself!

At the end, my hands were sore with clapping and when Nancy walked centre stage to take her bow I was on my feet whooping and hollering like the embarrassing but very proud mum I am. She was sensational.


I could hardly believe that it was the same girl who 4 years ago, I had to take kicking and screaming to this theatre group, encouraging and persuading all the way there.  Every week there was an excuse: she was tired, didn't have any friends, didn't like it, blah blah blah but I persisted cos I knew she wanted to do this.She was just shy and nervous.

Holly and Kristy as soldier in Jesus Christ Superstar

Holly and Adam in costume for JC Superstar

dressed as a man for Anything Goes

My mum had died just a few months before she started going to the theatre group, of Motor Neurone Disease and it seemed that everywhere we turned we were faced with disability.  I wanted her to have something that was totally out with disability, that was just for her and I knew this was it. Finally she started getting excited about going, was singing all the songs from the show, Les Misérables and I got a blow by blow account of it, so much so, that I knew the story like the back of my hand, by the time I watched it!

Since then she has starred in numerous others, with small parts but she wouldn't sing at the auditions so they didn't know she could sing. When they were auditioning for Oliver, I told her that the only way she would get a bigger part, is to let them hear her sing. She wasn't keen so I told her that she couldn't complain about not getting a bigger part if she didn't try!  She took me at my word.

As a Bohemian in We Will Rock You

the artist at work

Holz and her pals

Holly's hair courtesy of Moi!

Tomorrow, it is opening night for Fiddler on the Roof.  Holly plays the ghost of Grandma Tzeitel.  The show runs for 4 nights.  I am expecting it to be, once again, superb.  There are about 120 kids in total and the standard and quality of the performances they put on could give the West End in London a run for their money.

Roll on tomorrow.

Birthday Girl

Today my lovely girl is 17!!!!

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I am gutted because this is the first birthday ever that I don't get to see her because she is away camping for the weekend, raising funds for an outdoor centre. I consoled myself with the fact that at least we would have the morning together as she wasn't away til 1pm but now she has to go into school and practise all morning for her drama exam. Grrrrrrrr!

Every year, since she was little, she would start planning her birthday party the day after New Year and one year she started talking about it in December! Before we'd even had Christmas. Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

16th Birthday

Every birthday I tell her that this is the last party.  I think I have been saying that since she was 10. The reason I don't mean what I say is because it is so much fun planning her parties.

One year we had a murder mystery party. I downloaded a party plan from the internet for just a few pounds. It was a vampire murder mystery and even the dog had a part.  He was Count de Bodies side kick,  Count de Bones. The invites described your character and what they should wear. I was Taffy the welsh vampire slayer.  I looked like a reject from a Blue's Brothers movie and you should have seen the look on one mother's face when I answered the door in costume, complete with stubble, waving my holy water and garlic about!  I think she was frightened for her son.  The kids thought it was great and were particularly impressed with my "crime scene" which consisted of a chalk outline of a body (Holly's) and crime scene tape all around.

Holly and I made party bags and certificates which we were mega proud of until the dog got a hold of them and managed to eat his way through one before we caught him! By the look on his face he obviously didn't see why he couldn't get one!

Holly's 16h birthday, balloons courtesy of Emma

in the Limo with the girlies

Kathy and I in the Limo

We have been tubing, had a horse riding party, spent time in wigwams and for her 16th we hired a Limo then had a wee party and sleepover in the house. I even had to leave in the middle of one of her parties as my mum was in Intensive Care and the family were called to her bedside. Thank god for the mums (you know who you are) who stayed behind and kept the party going especially since it was a sleepover!

The best party of all was the food fight. OMG the preparation took hours. My friend Kathy and I had so much fun organising that. We had all sorts of gooey food and we used food dye to make it that wee bit more interesting. Then we prepared the garden. It took us from 9am -4pm to get ready and it was all over within 20 minutes! It was boys against the girls, was such a scream and we were all totally filthy and stinking. Kathy slipped on some food and took a nasty tumble and had to spend part of the evening sitting in a borrowed wheelchair!

Kathy in the Limo, last year

I had to let them all have a shower after, as they were staying over for pizza and a movie night.  That's when I learned the hard way that teenagers take sooooooooooo long in the shower, especially the boys! By the time they were done, the food I was covered in, had dried and hardened on my skin and hair and I'd to practically chip it off!  Kathy was last to have her shower so it must have been much worse for her.  Suffice to say that all of our clothes had to be thrown out!

the food fight preparation begins

here we go!

it's getting really slippy now

oh what fun

One of the boys, Lewie, didn't even wait for the shower to get out of his yucky clothes and stripped to his socks and boxers much to the amusement of us all. He then paraded around, once he was clean, in his boxer shorts which had red lips on them and rainbow socks, thinking he was the coolest of cool! Eh, no!!!

Once the kids had had their pizza they hung about in the garden, chatting and bouncing on the trampoline.  Kathy and I, in the meantime, melted some L.P's to make bowls for their nibbles which took ages but looked very cool.

All these parties have been brilliant but I could never have managed it without Kathy who has always been my partner in crime and thinks nothing of throwing herself into my madcap ideas and just going with it.

This year though, there is to be no party. Instead she wants me to take her to Dublin, Ireland for the weekend.  Hopefully that will be in May, depending on her exams and we can't wait.

I am a sucker for an Irish accent.

Happy Birthday Holly Dolz XXX

What a pain

Father of the Year is home.......again! 

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Oh joy.  He dropped a prezzie off for Holly, 3 days before her birthday, in the hope, me thinks that she would contact him but she hasn't.

I was actually in when he delivered it but Marion, Jack's carer answered the door.  Oh there is a god! Not that he wanted to speak to me anyway cos she did offer but he politely declined. Mmmmmmmm I wonder why?

I don't often write about him on my blog cos really I don't want to be giving him such importance but I liken him to a boil on yer bum.  You know it's there, it's a pain that comes and goes, sometimes you need to itch it or lance it and other times it explodes into a pussy mess! And it's always behind you, lurking and waiting to annoy you at the most inappropriate moment.

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I've learnt to laugh at him more these days but he does upset me when he upsets my kids.

The problem with Father of the Year is that he has never had to do anything for himself.  His mum used to do everything for him.  For instance, clothes were left lying on the bedroom floor and would magically reappear washed and beautifully ironed in the drawer or wardrobe. Obviously the ironing Faery had been. He never had to put them in a laundry basket, never learned to cook and most certainly did not know how to use a washing machine or ironing board.

I met him when I was 14.  We had a rocky relationship but it did settle down.  We moved in together when I was 19, he straight from home and it was like having a child!  I rallied against doing everything for him but in the end, his stubbornness outweighed my determination and I became someone who did it all.

Basically he had been brought up to be a totally selfish git and has never changed.  This selfishness has spilled into all of his relationships to the point that if you want a relationship with him, you have to do all the work and he just has to be.

I realise now that I was an enabler just like his mum and I think the new wife is very much like this too from what Holly says.  God, I wish her luck, poor girl but maybe it will be ok for her as she isn't like me who was never the' little fragile woman' who needed to be protected whereas I think she is.

I certainly don't want Holly to have to do all the work in her relationship with Father of the Year and so I am trying to equip her with the strength of character to stand up to him so that she can have the best relationship she can possibly have with him.  It's all I can do and already she is so much stronger than I was at her age. I am so so proud.

In the end, it is their relationship and I stay well out of it because I have had my fingers burned trying to tell him that he needs to keep in touch more, needs to make his children his priority but all I get for opening my mouth are anger and resentment from him.

At least he wrote Holly's birthday card himself.  Jack's was written by his mum and it said "Happy Birthday Jack from his Dad" as were the Christmas cards to them both and most other birthdays cards.  Does he even know how it feels to know that your own Dad can't even be bothered to make the effort to write a f**king birthday card. I guess not.

My gorgeous, funny, talented girl and my handsome, courageous and determined boy deserve so much more.

Man flu

When we were in Kinross at Rachel House, we went for a run to the local supermarket to get some cough medicine for Holly.  I was standing there, looking at the array of different medicines when I suddenly spotted this.

I couldn't stop laughing and was getting some funny looks as I was holding it up and taking a variety of photos of it on my crappy mobile. They didn't come out that well so off I went in search of Holly, dragged her back to it and made her take photos on her iphone for my blog. You see the things I do for you guys?? I even had to put up with Holly muttering under her breath cos she had been dragged away from the dvd section don't you know.

So here it is, official proof that you can buy medicine for Man Flu. You heard it here first! It had to have been invented by a woman since it is a total piss take or a man with a very good sense of humour.  Whoever it was, thanks for the laugh.  Click here to read all about it.

About 2 weeks ago, I was given an award by Mynx @ Dribble but with all the excitement and packing for Rachel House, I forgot....gasp, shock, horror!

ooh err!

She reckons I have a nice rack.  Now her award was accompanied by a picture of said rack and well, how is one to compete?  I could show you pics of this rack..............

yum yum slurp slurp

Quite impressive if I may say so myself, if only I could get the time to drink the damn stuff! It is a sad fact that sometimes I am just too tired to be bothered to open the bottle!  People who know me will think I have lost the plot but it's true.

Or how about this rack.....

laundry anyone?

not quite as impressive but you should see my pile of ironing, now that is very impressive especially when it hasn't all been ironed yet! Eeek.

How about this rack?

Yeah, I know, I am such a tease! Hey it had to be done! OMG! I can't believe I have just posted my boobs on here but hopefully they will get lost in cyberspace.

Now I don't know if there are rules to this cos I can't retain the information right now and as for passing it on, hell no!  It's mine and I am gonna keep it.

Last but by no means least, I am doing a guest post today @ Jumble Mash to help Tress out as she has been so busy, she hasn't been able to do posts for her blog.  Pop over and take a look, her site is very cute.

Have a nice day my little gigglers.

Rachel House

Hi honey, I'm home!

I have had a lovely week. After a pretty hectic Monday morning, the drive to Rachel House was pretty uneventful although we did get lost when we hit Kinross as I drove past the sign about 3 times before I noticed it.

Jack sitting in the back of the car

Finally we pulled into the car park and headed to the front door.  We were met at the door by a member of staff and were quickly taken to the room where Jack was going to be sleeping.  Once there, Caroline, who was to be looking after Jack that evening asked was there anything Jack needed straight away to make him comfortable and when I explained, she helped me change him and we let him stretch out on the bed.

It soon became apparent that the bed wasn't going to be suitable for Jack as the sides were even lower than a hospital bed and he would soon roll out of it.  Getting him back into his chair for a feed, we wandered through to the dining area for some food as it was dinner time.  Holly and I were a bit shy to start as there was already quite a lot of people sitting down tucking in but we soon relaxed.  All the staff, volunteers, families and their children all sit around the table at meal times making it a real social event.

Afterwards, Holly stayed with Jack while I got the tour.  All the children coming in to be looked after are all on the ground floor and their families are on the first floor.  I can't explain the atmosphere in Rachel House  except to say, I felt as if I was being hugged all the time, without anyone actually touching me. The care and attention they show the child and their families is like nothing I have ever experienced before. Everyone who works or volunteers there comes up and introduces themselves.  I was told so many names but very few that I could remember as it was just too much to take in.

Jack getting a foot massage in the Snoezelen

Holly lying in amongst the fibre optic lights

me, messing around

Jack checking out the lights

Also on the ground floor they have a music room, snoezelen, jacuzzi and a quiet room, which families could sit in and just be. The gardens are absolutely beautiful, all the work of a gentleman who has won awards for his own garden.  He was hard at work the whole time we were there.  Holly went for a stroll outside and got locked out and she was frantically trying to text and phone me but I had my phone on silent.  Finally someone saw her chapping at the window and let her in! Oops, tee hee hee.

The first night Jack had two quite big seizures.  The first one was with Holly while I was getting the tour, poor girl was getting herself in a bit of a state but she found us eventually! I was barely up in my room 5 minutes and they had to call me back but he was ok, turned out to be two seizures one after the other rather than one big one.

The next morning I was up bright and early.  Had breakfast, came down to say hello to Jack and he was sleeping.  He slept most of the morning as did Holly! I didn't know what to do with myself. Later that afternoon, Holly and I made a name plate for Jack's bedroom door.  We spent 3 hours doing it, much to the amusement of the staff and if I say so myself, it was a masterpiece! LOL.  This will go on his bedroom door each time he comes to visit so that we know which room is his.

Holly and I slogged for 3 hours doing this!!!

All around Rachel House I noticed Dragonflies and it wasn't until I got a peek in the quiet room that I was told the significance of them.

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There is a beautifully illustrated book in the quiet room that explains the story, this is the short version:
Dragonflies live a relatively short time, and when they magically emerge from their infant state, there can be no turning back - they have to fly away.  But as they do, making their incredible journey, those of us who cannot fly - those left behind - are always touched by their brilliance and are left with remarkable and lasting memories.

Funnily enough, I've always been drawn to dragonflies. It's not just that they are so pretty but after being surrounded by them at the lake in Jasper National Park, Canada I loved how delicate yet resilient they were.  Jack and I followed one with my video camera while Holly and Father of the Year were on the lake in a boat. I was quite mesmerised and I could have stayed there for hours!

in the garden at Rachel House

another part 

and another

I found I was close to tears a lot, as was Holly.  Not because we were sad but because I felt safe there, protected and cherished.  It was as close to having my mum around as you could get.

I got chatting to a parent who had 4 children. The eldest 2 died because of life limiting conditions and now her youngest child has a life limiting condition.  How she kept going, I do not know but you just do, don't you?  No matter how crap my day is, I try to think that actually, there is someone out there, worse off than me.  It doesn't always work but hey sometimes I am allowed to think "Fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!" and feel woe is me. It doesn't last for long though.

The days passed in a blur of chilling and chatting and soon it was time to go home.  I didn't want to leave and do this on my own again.  I always feel like this when Jack comes out of hospital, the weight of responsibility weighs heavy on me but it soon passes when you have to throw yourself back in there.

I can't wait to go back in July.

We're off

I have had quite a chilled weekend.  Saturday, I spent delivering birthday prezzies that were late.  I can blame being ill but no it still happens....oops!

In the evening Holly and I went to Inverness to see Sucker Punch.  I wasn't sure I was going to like it but it was brilliant.  That and a core sundae and we were in heaven.  I know, it doesn't take much does it?

Sunday was spent, chilling and packing for our stay at the hospice, Rachel House.  We leave today and will be away til Thursday.  So don't expect any posts between now and then!

I am nervous and excited at the same time. I suppose it's just because it's the unknown. Once I have been, it will be better.  They told me to expect to feel quite drained after the first trip because they will have so many questions for me as they learn all about Jack and how to care for him. More than anything I am looking forward to just getting to spend time with him without constantly thinking that he needs fed, changed etc.

It is about a 3 hour drive to get there and we need to arrive no earlier than 3pm. So no doubt tomorrow night I will literally fall into my bed with exhaustion as I have so much to do before I go.

My dad is looking after the pooches, Shiloh and Loki, so I need to get them over to him first thing, collect Jack's meds from the chemist, pick him up from respite, take him home, unpack his respite bag and repack it with all the stuff I have laid out in his bedroom.  I have a list as long as my arm as packing for Jack is like a major expedition!

Wish me luck :)

An eco village, ice cream and a damn good book.

Jack is in respite this weekend.  I dropped him off Friday afternoon, came home, made tea then headed out to Findhorn for Holly's guitar lessons.

The guitar lesson was for an hour and a half so I had a while to twiddle my thumbs.  Since it was early enough, I decided to go to the Findhorn Foundation and browse around the shop. The Findhorn Foundation is a spiritual community consisting of an education centre and an eco village.  This place is set on the outskirts of the tiny little village of Findhorn which is a beautiful place in the summer but a bit bleaker in the winter.

some of the houses in the eco village (source)

The tiny village of Findhorn (source)

I love just wandering around the shop.  They sell a lot of pottery which is made at the foundation and lots of hand crafted items as well. The have a lot of really pretty greetings cards, to suit all tastes, many crystals, tarot/angel cards, pretty glass mobiles, jewellery, hand made clothes, books that you could sit and read all day, not all about religion and spirituality.  On the other half of the store is a supermarket which sells everything from home baked bread to eco friendly skin care products.  It is quite pricey but well worth a browse. Holly and I visit this place a lot and we can spend quite a few hours browsing the store although we haven't done it in a while.

Last time we were there, Holly showed me this tiny faery hut there that is made out of trees, set in a hedge.  It is so cute and quite magical especially to me who just loves faeries. I have tried to find a pic for you on the web but sadly, there isn't one. It is small but big enough for me and Holz to climb inside and I was transported back to my childhood, to the days when I climbed trees, hid in the bushes and swam in the river.  Those were the days.

After I browsed the shop, bought myself a little carton of ice cream and drove myself back into the village, I settled down in the car with my book.

well worth reading

It's called Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen.  I have been following this author for a while on facebook and I also subscribe to her newsletter.  I have been privy to her excitement and nerves when her 1st book The Opposite of Me was published and her reaction to the reviews, book signings and many adventures she has been on since.  I loved her 1st book but I didn't love the late nights cos I couldn't put the damn thing down! LOL Now I am half way through the 2nd one and I have been gripped from the very first page.  She commented on facebook this week that she has just finished her 3rd book so I definitely will be buying it when it comes out.

Throughout all of this, she still takes the time to reply to the many comments on her Facebook page from fans of her books.  I can honestly say that this lady remains unchanged by all her new found fame.  I highly recommend her books.  Let me know what you think.

A good book and a tub of chocolate ice cream, my day was complete. God I'm easy pleased

The world is smaller than you think!

Wednesday, I got an email on Facebook from a girl called Janie.  She is a member of the Unique support group and one of the many friends on my page, who support each other daily.

The message just blew me away.  Basically she was emailing me to say that her son had the same diagnosis as Jack!  I had been told that there were about 9 people in the world who had what Jack had but no other details.  After joining Unique I thought I might find someone else out there but up til now I have been the only one. She wanted to know if she could call me so I emailed her my number.

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After doing that, I went onto her page straight away to see if I could see a pic of her son and there he was.  He looked so like my Jack, they could have been related!  I turned the lap top around to show Holly and she just let out a gasp.  Yeah, enough said.

Within a short time, she had called and we chatted on the phone for ages. Her son is only 7 but a lot of what she told me sounds oh so familiar.  Not only did we have soooooooooo much to talk about, but she also told me that she had found another mum in America with a child who has Triplication of Chromosome 15. OMG!!

Two mums in one week!

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Next thing I know, I have a friend request from Amy, the grandparent of the little boy in America telling me how delighted they are to have found me, telling me her daughter Sherrie is also on Facebook and to friend request her which I did.

This morning I woke to some lovely comments from Amy, Janie and Sherrie on my Facebook page and I am grinning from ear to ear.  It is like finding an oasis in the middle of a desert and I keep thinking it's just a mirage!

You have no idea how bloody amazing this is for me.

Jack is the oldest of the three children. How strange that they are all boys. They have so many questions and I have so much to say!

Aye, ok I hear ya, so what's new???? Watch this space.

This and that

The dreaded lurgy is still hanging about and Holly and I are still suffering.  I am fed up of my throat feeling like sandpaper, feeling like I am swallowing glass, sneezing and the endless indignation that is a runny nose. Then there is the coughing.  I have coughed so much I am expecting to see parts of my lungs in the hankie.

The coughing and sneezing is a health hazard in itself as anyone who has had children will tell you. Sometimes you have a bit of warning and you manage to squeeze the pelvic floor muscles together before coughing and spluttering.  Other times there is no warning and you literally have to sprint like an Olympic runner for the toilet.  It brings multi tasking to a whole new level!

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Poor Jack isn't getting much attention at the moment as I am trying desperately not to contaminate him so there is not the usual round of hugs and kisses which he usually has to fight off.  I am having withdrawal symptoms whereas he, I'm sure, is glad of the break! I think I am going to have to invest in one of those masks, you know, like they all wear in Japan and China!  Very attractive, NOT!

My car is in the garage getting fixed as there is a problem with the suspension.  Yesterday when I dropped it off, I was just driving into the car park when there it was............the poopy car!  It was parked just opposite me and when I got out of my car, I cursed myself for not having my camera or even my mobile with me, to capture the very essence of poop that I have been talking about!  Obviously someone else had reacted to the sight of the poopy car because one of it's wing mirrors was hanging off..........the other driver probably crashed into them while staring in disbelief at seeing shit on wheels!  Me thinks this is a potential hazard and therefore needs to be addressed people.

saw this @ weheartit.com.....ewww!

About an hour later, Kathy's husband, Brian, texts to say " you have really started something cos we are on the lookout for poopy cars while driving into town".  Two minutes later and their son James sent me a text saying "we've just spotted one and we think it has an Elgin number plate".  This really made me chortle and snigger cos I think I may have started a new travel game here!  I hasten to add that Brian and James live about 65 miles away so the poopy cars are definitely on the move, either that or there are more!!!

This looks like it is going to be a UK phenomenon.  The people buying these cars must think they're so cool.  I wonder if they looked at that colour and thought, how unusual, where have I seen that before? Look behind you people!  Before you know it, I am going to be on the news talking about the hazards of driving a shit coloured car.........ah fame at last.

Speaking of fame......I wish..... Sam @ A Redhead Named Sam gave me an award.

isn't it beautiful? she says, stroking it lovingly!

Thank you so much Sam, I like, I like it a LOT.

Once again, there are rules but hey you know what I am like with rules!  So I have to tell you some random stuff bout me, myself and I and then pass it onto some of my fav bloggers.

It's supposed to be 7 random things but my brain can't come up with them so this will have to do.

1)  I absolutely love love love the colour purple.  I am like a magpie, drawn to anything that colour and a very good friend, Suzi, once said to me "just cos it's purple doesn't mean it's classy" and she was soooooo right!

you know you want it!

2)  I was once chatting to this guy on a dating site for weeks and finally I plucked up the courage to speak to him on webcam.  When his pic appeared, he was sitting there stark naked with his legs crossed, hands wrapped around the hugest appendage I have ever seen!  Suffice to say, I disconnected tout sweet and I still couldn't tell you now what his face looked like!

3)  My favourite perfume is called Kenzo Classic perfume by Kenzo.  I first bought it on my honeymoon in 1989 and have loved it ever since. The bottle is just gorgeous.  I like a lot of others but this is my all time favourite.

Kenzo classic perfume

Now I pass this award onto: - EmptyNest whom I have recently discovered and who makes me smile on a regular basis.  Hed above Water because I love the way she writes so honestly and I also have a sister with mental health issues and she has helped me to understand it a little bit more. The Simple Life because Odie is one of the beautiful people in the world, always fills his blog with really interesting stuff and has a devilish sense of humour.

So go and check them out and don't forget to tell them I sent you. Have a lovely day my little gigglers.

It's not all it's cracked up to be

When I was about 12 my mum had a mini breakdown.  My dad was away working offshore and we didn't know who to call.

She had been under a tremendous amount of stress because one of my sisters was getting into so much trouble with the school, police etc. Many a night we were out traipsing the streets looking for her as she'd run away.......again.

Get your very own at Cafepress.com

Eventually one night, my mum just lost it.................over a packet of biscuits no less.  She locked herself in her bedroom and wouldn't come out.  Eventually after lots of knocking on the door by us all and getting no answer, we just left her alone and got on with our school work etc.

At around 10pm she saunters in the back door of the house, much to the shock of her children who were under the impression that she was still in her bedroom.  At first we thought she was drunk but it soon became apparent that she had regressed to a little girl right before our eyes.  We all tried to get her to tell us the telephone number of one of her friends but she just giggled and skipped off into her bedroom.


Out she came 10 minutes later in her nightie and dressing gown, still skipping and singing to herself.  We tried all sorts of ways to get her to tell us her friends numbers but all she would say was "I'll only tell Stephen."  After chasing her and the dog, Rusty, around the garden Stephen finally managed to persuade her to tell him.

I think the fairies had gotten to her!  (source)

So she leaned in and whispered in his ear before laughing hysterically and skipping off again. You should have seen the look on Stephen's face when he told us that she'd only made "pssst pssst pssst" noises in his ear!  This went on for about 2 hours and was very distressing for us all but finally we found my mum's address book, phoned her friend who arrived quite quickly and then phoned the doctor.  One injection later and my mum was sound asleep.


Years later, when the stress levels in my life were reaching an all time high, my lovely daughter Holly (who was about 12 at the time) was worried that I was going to crack.  I promised her I wouldn't and began telling her the story of my mum.  After listening intently to the story she informs me that "if you are going to crack up, could you at least be something interesting, like a fruit bat, so that I could take you to school for show and tell!!!" Wtf?  Yes apparently she'd seen a tv programme where someone had cracked up, thought they were a fruit bat and spent their time on this climbing frame, hanging upside down, nibbling pieces of fruit!

a fruit bat (source)

Oh to be loved. So basically she is ok with me cracking up, as long as I am interesting!


Fast forward another few years and we are retelling the story to a friend who was laughing at Holly's comment.  Holly adds another gem to the story by saying that " well if you crack up and say you will only tell Jack or the dogs, then I am screwed! Cos none of them can blinking well speak!".


I laughed so hard, I cried.  For someone who is so intelligent she can be such a numpty sometimes as half my friends numbers are logged into her mobile phone and also the home phone.  Is she banking on there being a total technology crash, just to cap it all and add to the drama on the night I choose to crack up? She is such a drama queen.

source

Well she'd better stock up on the fruit, that's all I'll say.