SA stinks!!!

SA has well and truly done me in today. South Africa is not the offending smelly article I hasten to add, but the dreaded Schools Admissions. I had all good intentions of getting several boxes packed to go into self storage this morning, but I made the fatal error of picking up the phone to see if there was any good news with the in-year transfer of my eldest son, as his future education is balanced precariously on a knife edge. It remained glued to my ear for the next 1 hour and 37 minutes and which during that time, I tried to come to terms with the fact that we are turning into a tick-box nation where individuality counts for nothing.

When I finally managed to peel the phone away and did what we English do best in a crisis, sat down and had a cup of tea, I put the news on the television only to witness the absolute carnage that mother nature has caused overseas today and it made me think. As much as there is nothing more important to me than my children's education, compared with the devastation and the lives that have been cruelly torn apart, my little wobble remains just that. I still have my children to tuck up in bed tonight and my husband to share a box of choccies with when he finally gets home from work. I still have my mum who is a very special lady-my confidante and my best friend and my dad who I love and who has proudly reared 2 pigs from weaners (many a joke to be had here, but I'll refrain) and I'm guessing scouring several recipe books as I type to find out the tastiest way to prepare 2 large freezer fulls of pork. I still have my brother Craig to irritate whilst at the same time admiring his seemingly effortless talent in his career in musical theatre and my baby brother Bill who is the best uncle and superhero my boys could wish for as well as an inspirational pianist. How lucky am I. My thoughts go out tonight to anyone whose lives have been touched by the earthquake and tsunami.

Speaking of tucking my children up, I thought I'd end on a lighter note and share with you a photo of Stanley who tonight wanted to go to bed as a cross between a pirate and Buzz lightyear (note the laser on his arm). To infinity and beyond..........