Well here we are heading toward the end of the week and the start of the easter weekend and of course in true British tradition its raining!

My great grans funeral will be on Tuesday and family from all over the world are flying back for it. Just goes to show what an incredible woman she was and how much she meant to us all. I was talking to a cousin who lives over in Cyprus and she asked why is it we only all get together when someone gets married or dies? I pointed out that all we can do in this life is bring up ourt children as best we can and they soon make their own way...its just the way of things. She promptly told me to shut up as I was depressing her and she didnt want her babies to leave!! LOL. Of course she was messing but isnt it strange that a family as large as mine that all lived within a 10 minute walk of each other when we were kids have now ended up scattered across the globe!? The world from our generation really has become a much smaller place. What was a once a year occurance of getting on a plane is now almost as easy as jumping on a bus. We think nothing of booking a cheap flight for a weekend away in the sun when our grandparents and parents could never dream of such things. Going to the next town was a big deal and hitting the coast was a long term break!

I digress....I have been asked to be a bearer at the funeral which to me is an honour and to also say a few words about Lil. I have so far written three speeches and thrown them away. Theres so much to say and so little time to say it I really want to do her proud. I will jot down the final draft here after I have said my bit on the day.

On the great news side our best friends have passed all tests and are now about to begin their IVF treatment. If anyone desrves kids its them but in a cruel twist of fate they need a kickstart to do so so heres hoping and praying like mad that this treatment is succesful. I love these guys to bits and they are so giving and caring that its about time they got just a little back. It doesnt have to be loads but lady luck just needs to give them a bit of a grin so they can hear the patter of tiny feet. We shall see over the next couple of months what happens.

Some friends are back over from America on a visit and its his 40th birthday tomorrow. There are about 25 of us going to a hotel for a meal and spoilt evening out with lavish rooms booked and he has no idea! His face should be a picture LOL. Now why we had to have lavish rooms is beyound me because I am sure none of us will appreciate them when we pass out at the end of the evening but the wives booked them and ive been told women know best....who am I to argue?!

The problem is that I dont really drink these days and I had 2 pints on Tuesday evening which gave me a hangover for 36 hours so why I would want to drink tomorrow is beyound me. I have been convincing myself that not a drop will pass my lips but who am I trying to kid. Once you get caught up in the atmosphere of a good friends birthday party the beer will be drunk and I will suffer. I wouldnt mind but a hangover on 2 pints!!!!!!!

AND I have just realised I havnt told the other big story...we are moving at the end of the month a couple of miles up the road to a nicer area. The house we are in is fantastic bt the area has gone steadily downhill over the last 6 months. Yound kids drunl out of their little minds and drug users crapping up the alley and leaving used needles around. My kids cannot go out to play and wifey tells me I cant deal with these youths as I will be in more trouble than them. The police are neither use or ornamant as they never "catch them in the act". So enough was enough. We looked at a few houses and found one we like in a really nice area at the end of a Cul de sac which is fantastic. The eldest daughters freinds are around the corner and the youngest can ride her bike outside...perfect. Now all we have to do is pack everything we own and load the truck, drive to the new place unload the truck and unpack. Easy eh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I must be mad!!!!

New life is growing at the allotment and I have got loads of wood for it from freecycle which is great. Lots of new raised beds which are nice and easy to look after. I have 45 slabs to collect in the morning for it as well as a load of topsoil so back ache here we come :)

Thats enough for now....I will be back soon.