The main characters

I thought and thought what to call various people in this blog, the idea being that this time, at least, they don't realise I am back to this malarky.

Beloved other = BO

No, don't think so.

Other half = OH.

Oh.

So I've settled on Darling Other Half. DOH. That's poetic justice, that is.

So DOH has gone back to the big smoke for work.

Youngest Daughter YD takes singing lessons at school and her tutor has just decided she is a coloratura soprano and needs to start learning the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, concentrating, apparently, on all the ditties that spend most of their time wavering above top C. Rehearsals continue as I write. Screeeee.

Youngest Son (YS - Dear God I can be so original) *cough* YS (14, Emo-geek) is fairly content. He stormed through the front door about ten minutes ago to tell me in animated tones that his new supply teacher is one of those women who "thinks the stick up her arse has a stick up its arse" (sic). He must have spent some time thinking that one up, and now that he has managed to express it without the sky caving in, yet, he has gone off like a little lamb to repeat himself on half a dozen geeky role-play forums. Yes he is skinny and pale and yes geek forums are his imperfect and slightly irradiated version of 'playing out', but without them he would still be skinny and pale but possibly also a bit bruised. Some kids were born with the attitude of a disgruntled, middle aged Traffic Warden.

I see so much of his father in him.

Squeaky Sue however, I mean YD, is pretty much all mine and therefore the source of many blessings delivered in the form of mental pennies dropping.

I have a stinking rotten cold and my most earnest desire at this point in time (well for the past four or five days) is and has been, to be comfortably propped up in a soft bed with crisp, clean sheets, with plenty of tissues and good DVDs and a constant supply of hot chocolate. Ha-flipping-ha.

So on that note I am off to make Macaroni & Cheese for tea. With bacon, and sliced tomatoes under a grilled cheese topping, and a bit of garlic, and mustard powder, and a sauce made from scratch, roux et al. I wonder if I could bribe them into accepting tinned rice pudding instead....