Virus

This is just a quick post to say I am still alive. We got a really nasty computer virus which has taken ages to sort out & I thought we were going to lose all our photos which I hadn't backed up. PC World managed to fix it (don't worry we're not infectious!) but P is having to load our programs back on one by one & having to hunt for some of the discs he needs. They recommended we changed to Windows 7 rather than Vista & it has been a lot quicker since we did but everything's sort of different & every so often we find something that still doesn't work properly.

We had AVG free anti-virus but obviously it wasn't up to this particular Trojan. We've now bought Norton 60, hopefully that will be better.

All this has cost us quite a lot of money, not to mention time & stress.

We were also away the week before last - at Faith Camp again, had just awesome time. I think I say that every year but this time was even more awesome.

There has just been loads going on, will try & write more tomorrow.

A hot Monday

Today has been sooo hot. Too hot to sit outside. It has been one of those days when I got to school picking up time & thought 'What have I actually done today? I've not been doing nothing but there's nothing to show for what I've been doing.'

J's friend Tim is staying with us tonight, I think he & J have just about stopped talking & annoying P who likes to get to sleep early. Earlier the four of us went out for a meal to an Italian restaurant where P & I both had vegetable risotto which sounds boring but is delicious. Having the same as P avoided my usual problem of liking what he gets more than what I get. When it came to dessert though he ordered amaretto ice-cream which I tasted & decided was much nicer than my coconut. He did give me some, well in return for a spoonful of my mango sorbet (you get 2 scoops of ice cream so I chose 2 different flavours). J had chicken & bacon tagliatelle in white wine sauce followed by lemon sorbet & ice cream. Tim had burger & chips then chocolate fudge cake - obviously on a healthy eating programme.

Shortly after we got home the phone rang - J's piano teacher to say J had passed exam. Yippee! The really strange thing though is that his best piece is the one for which he got the lowest marks & he got a good mark for the singing test which we'd all written off as a no-hoper. Strange things exams.

Wales

Another view of Wales.

Update

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, life has been hectic beyond belief. Here's bit of an update:

• J & I worked incredibly hard for his piano exam, he felt it went well but we'll have to wait & see.
• Zoomed up to see my brother last weekend as he was having a 'surprise' birthday party although I don't think it was much of a surprise in the end. I made a little book with photos & stories from his younger days which took me far longer than I expected & ended up as a mad rush but everyone seemed to like it. P made cake which also ended up as a mad rush - he was icing it just before party started. Had good journeys both ways, after briefly visiting friends on the way (sorry it was so brief) stayed in Wolverhampton Travelodge which was ok except it's really tricky to find the car park. Got there just half an hour before restaurant closed so managed to get dinner which we'd prebooked. They did a buffet for breakfast which was nice, J ate an awful lot - tried a bit of nearly everything.
• My Dad is doing ok, still having to take it really easy though. My uncle says he's beginning to feel he's turned the corner too. We still miss P's Dad, still trying to adjust to him not being there really.
• J has had what seemed like endless series of tests & assessments, preparation for all of which has been a mad last minute rush. He & his partner had to make a breakfast for food tech assessment so that morning I taught him how to make scrambled egg:

'Do you know how to break an egg?' I asked.
'Yes, I did it at Louise's house when Adam & I were helping make cakes.'
Splat! Egg over worktop, running down fridge door onto floor.
'That happened at Louise's house too.'

Thankfully J's partner was an egg breaking expert while J turned out to be the scrambled egg stirring star so they got full marks. J has also developed a taste for smoked salmon - expensive!

• Weather here is wild! Electricity was off all day yesterday & wind blown over runner beans.
• J's prize-giving evening went well, local dignitary handed out prizes. He says he's aiming for an attendance prize next year!
  
• There are some big changes happening at church, bit of a shock can't get my head round it yet, will blog more about it later.
  

Got to go

I really need to stop now & get on with something, I've got letters to write, two houses to sort out, a prayer bulletin to write, washing to hang out & then Andy Murray to watch. Can he do it? Hmmm not sure...

Video

This one is us going swimming, not a very good video & J interrupting to say 'here's your chair Mum,' but I've managed to post it.