What are friends?

This question gets more and more complicated as I get older.

When you are young, friends are the nippers that call at your house wanting to go for a kick around. Or they are the guys that you build an obsticle course with and race each other to do the fastest lap on your bikes. (many a time i was polaxed on a chopper) Or the ones that would go conkering (searching for conkers) with you in the woods, so you could collect 500 different sized and shaped (cheese cutters included) conkers that would never stand a chance of all being used to play the game. Friends in those days were just about the kids you would do stuff with, nothing more nothing less, no expectations.

Then why is it different when we become adults? I wish I knew the answer. I believe that generally people view friends as ones who they can relate to, that understand them.

But now I don't even expect that from friends anymore. For me a real friends isn't someone who's like me, understands me, wants to do the same stuff as me all the time.

Now all I want from a friend is someone who accepts me as me and doesn't run off if things get a little tough.

Loyalty is definately in there somewhere. I don't want a clone, I like people being different and I am happy to accept those differences, but i've noticed though that many struggle to warm up to whats different.

Look Out!.....no thats the name you donut!

Last week I mentioned that we were off to the Science Museum in London. Well that changed on the day as 'the grown ups' felt to knackered to bother with the traines and underground in getting there. What we did instead I think was possibly even better!

We sent for a trip to the 'Look Out - Discovery Centre' in Bracknell, which concentrates mainly on Science experiments and play for kids. All I want to add to that comment is that it wasn't only kids that loved it!! Here's some photos from the time out.




These things are worse than the Tribbles from star trek! You find them in your crevasses for weeks after you've played with them.



















up..... up....... and away!!
Fun with heating up the air to get this balloon to float to the ceiling.









Having some fun at the top of the tower at the Look Out.







Photo using the telescope viewer.

















Some strange stuff going on with light and reflection in the light and sound exhibition.






Nothing stranger than that last bloke though.






There's loads more you can do here and in the surrounding forrest. People bring their mountain bikes and some walk their dogs. There is also a really cool obsticle course that is done through the tops of the trees, i'm definately going to do it sometime, its called 'Go Ape'

like a healing salve.........

It was sitting in a car with a friend today that I verbally acknowledged something that I have been feeling. We were just having a break from work going for a drive and listening to a variety of musical sounds. We had listened to 'God Save the Queen' by the Sex Pistols and for some reason I was surprised at just how genuinely musical the Sex Pistols were and that the vocals were of a decent standard too. This isn't the thought that I wanted to discuss, but it does set the scene for the mind set I was in. I was pondering and thinking.

The real point is this.
I realised what a positive effect my children have on me. Now I know they can drive me to despair at times too. But they do just have this way of making things feel so much better. My work gets me down sometimes, I find it unfulfilling and dull. Also paying the bills and doing the hum-drum can be negative. But I can have a day like this where I feel tainted by the world, tainted by everything else. Then I go home and I see my beautiful children and hear my daughter tell me about her day or what the latest pink thing out there is. Or I just look in to the living room where my son is watching tv, but somehow he breaks the hypnotic trance for long enough to just turn and say hello and even sometimes just to say 'love you dad'. These simple things are just enough to heal the days wounds. They are enough for me to leave the negativity that was lingering on my person. Its just as the title of this blog states, my kids are like a healing salve, a much need tonic, a cure for the poison of the world to me. In fact as we had recently been on vacation it made me think that the time we had together as family felt like 'the real life', not this other stuff that inconveniently gets in the way. I hope and pray that I always tell and show them how much I appreciate them and view them as more precious than anything.

Spaced...a comedy gem worth seeking out

As i've been desperately trying to fight the work depression that I seem to be suffering since i've got back from hols, i thought i'd do a blog about something i think is funny.

Have you heard or seen the TV series "Spaced"? It's a festival of greatness. The series is very character driven so you'd have to see it from the start to enjoy it. Essentially its about a single guy and girl who rent a flat together and the others who live in the same building with them. To get the flat they have to pretend they are a couple which makes it awkward as they become closer friends with Marsha the landlady. Now i'm a little ashamed to say but I think there is something attractive about her. (you'll definately not think so from the photo though)
By far my favourite favourite favourite character is Tyres the cycling courier. If i could find a link to pictures of him i'd include them. Thing with this character is that he is an ectasy taking raver by night, which gives him crazy mood swings. Also he loves raving so much that all it takes is the noise of a doorbell or a kettle boiling and he starts his rave dance up again.
Only 2 series of Spaced have been done and i'd like to think more will come eventually but that is unlikely as these guys are doing 'other projects'. Check out the unofficial site called Spaced-out. I do think this is a series where everyone will have their favourite characters.

This is the case from the box set that I have been watching. I don't own this myself rather I was 'loaned' this by a fellow blogger delmonti. Now I just want to make this clear to my dear friend that you have only 2 hopes of getting this set back. One being no-hope and the other being bob-hope! So as long as you undertsand this we shall have no further trouble. So mate, pal, friend of mine enjoy the picture as its all your gonna see of this dvd set.

Whilst on the subject its the same guys that did this show that also made the movie Shaun of the Dead. If you dare, have a look at the link and there is even a game to play.

If you've seen either of these tell me what you think. If not check out Spaced if you can.

I feel better already.....................................

p.s i'm off work again tomorrow as i'm taking the family to the Science Museum in London. I'll do a blog and get some pictures uploaded in the next few days!!!!

now i'm back I just want to sleep.......

Been a while since i'd posted anything, thought i had better bring a note for teacher and let you know whats been going on.

The cocktail party
Well last weekend we had a cocktail party for some good friends who are leaving the UK to live in New Zealand. It took a few days of preparation to set it all up as we kitted the downstairs of our little house to look at least a little like a cocktail bar. It went really well, the people invited were just their close friends and mates a total of 30 of us.
I decided on the cocktails to be made, a total of 7 of which 2 were non-alcoholic. Then with help from other friends we gave them names relevent to the leaving couple and had menus made up and laminated.
A mate and myself made the cocktails on the night and it went really well, in fact it was great!!! People loved a drink made from Baileys and ice cream(called Baileys milkshake you can see the recipe listed with others here..try it!). I tried one later on myself and yes it was lovely but it gave me a headache as it was sooooo cold. Well worth the try though!!!! yum

A much needed holiday
From Monday we (the family) went on a short vacation to Center Parcs , its a self catering holiday venue, but we stayed in what they call an Executive Villa. This means that we get a few extras included like maid service, TV's with satellite in every room, DVD player, dishwasher and our own sauna and spa bath. Lovely.
We had a great time cycling and going swimming, we all loved it. A place to step out of the norm and to refresh the head.
But the only problem with this as with all breaks you hate coming back to everything!! Also i've been feeling desperately tired since i've got back. On Saturday I was passing out whilst sitting watching tv with the kids. What made it stranger was that between 12 noon and 4 pm, it felt like I was drugged. I dont know if this was something to do with the change in atmosphere or whether it was a fatigue brought on by thoughts of coming back to work.

I know what I recon!

all creatures great and small.................

Well it’s that time again. What a load of hassle I’ve had from my previous blog. (Mainly by 'friends' who saw the picture but didn’t actually read the blog!!! it was my arm for goodness sakes!!!!!) That said, I’ve got something nice to share now. Not controversial in any way.


It's all about a hedgehog and some frogs.
I often forget how lovely nature can be. This year we've had some really nice visitors to our garden.

Frogs
In the summer I decided to have a go at making a small rockery display in our garden, and i'm quite happy with the results of my work. It seems though to have encouraged frogs! Which amazed me as we don't have a pond. They seem happy enough living under the shrubs. We must have had tens of baby frogs jumping around. The kids have loved it. But along with these small babies we've also got the larger mum and dad. One time I was taking garden rubbish to a local tip and wilst driving a felt something hit my leg. I looked down and there was one of the adult frogs who must have fancied the drive!!
Another incident that happened this summer was after I had left the back door open that leads to the garden. I went into the kitchen to make a snack and I caught something in the corner of my eye. I looked down at my shoe on the floor, and what I saw surprised me. It was another adult frog. His head was popping out of my shoe having a nose at what i was up too.

It's the frog in my shoe!! I bet he was glad we're not a french family! Otherwise he'd have been limping around on small crutches :-)

Hedgehogs
This happened only last weekend. I was looking out over the garden from the kitchen window when I saw a hedgehog scurrying about. I was surprised as they are meant to hibernate in the autumn, especially as it has turned so cold lately. Anyhow I called the children to have a look. Later on as it was getting darker in the afternoon I saw him again this time scurrying around the bin area and he seemed to be trying to get out of the gate. I called the family to have a look, but this time my wife was concerned about it, so she looked it up on the web. Apparently if hedgehogs are still out at this time of year it usually means they are orphaned and in distress. Also it said that the best way to find out if its ok is to gather up the 'hog' and weigh it. It should weigh 600 g (about 1 1/4 lb). So my brave wife found something to wrap it up in and brought the little darling in to weigh it. It was half the weight it should have been!!! With guidance found on the web we put it in a box with a wrapped up hot water bottle to keep it warm and put a piece of chicken on a dish with a little water. Our friend must have been starving. He was chewing at the chicken immediately. With the immediate care of the chappy dealt with we needed further advice, and found some phone numbers to call for animal rescue! Eventually we spoke to a rescue centre about 15 miles away and arranged to take 'Hamish' the hedgehog around to them to look after. (my son came up with the name, he loves nature so much) Hamish successfully survived the night but we were told he would have likely died if we hadn't rescued him from the elements. He is nowly safely and warmly homed at the rescue centre ready for release into the wild in the spring.

Did you know?.......


A baby hedgehog is known as a 'hoglet'

a happy ending.....