Bessie....

It seems our boys have a new playmate, a new friend for life.  She has helped them settle in more than we could have done.  She is full of energy, patience and very gentle with them, in fact I think placid would be a good word to use for her.  She is Bessie, my sister’s 2 year old dog.  Now don’t go thinking of a wee little 2 year old puppy dog.  Oh no, this little 2 year old is a big, bouncing puppy dog.  There have been many incidents of “Bessie has pushed me over” or “Naughty Bessie” as Son no 2 has been hit in the face by her very excitable tail.  But all in all they just pick themselves up and carry on laughing and playing with her.

Since the day we arrived they have not left her side, every waking moment is spent running round with her, playing ball or making up imagery games where she is inevitably sat on.  Okay, so that may be where the placid may be bordering on dumb as she keeps going back for more!  But while it may be just games for my boys, she in her doggie way is teaching them some valuable lessons in life, friendship, respect, loyalty and of course love.  That true steadfast kinda of love, the kind that doesn’t matter what or who you are or do, they will always be there for you. 

So while I go and do “Poo Patrol” to avoid any nasty accidents with bare feet I leave you with this poem by Edgar Guest.  I think it sums it all up....

A Boy and His Dog

A boy and his dog make a glorious pair:

No better friendship is found anywhere,

For they talk and they walk and they run and they play,

And they have their deep secrets for many a day;

And that boy has a comrade who thinks and who feels,

Who walks down the road with a dog at his heels.

He may go where he will and his dog will be there,

May revel in mud and his dog will not care;

Faithful he'll stay for the slightest command

And bark with delight at the touch of his hand;

Oh, he owns a treasure which nobody steals,

Who walks down the road with a dog at his heels.

No other can lure him away from his side;

He's proof against riches and station and pride;

Fine dress does not charm him, and flattery's breath

Is lost on the dog, for he's faithful to death;

He sees the great soul which the body conceals--

Oh, it's great to be young with a dog at your heels!

10 years and Tough Love

Well this week we celebrated 10 years of marriage, a perfectly happy and blissful marriage?  Yes sometimes, however, it does seem like a lifetime. Perhaps that is because we have almost spent half my lifetime together!  If you are trying to work it out, we have been together for 17 years..

 But the thing that gets me the most is that when you tell people the first thing they say is not “Congratulations” or “Well done” as you would think 10 years is quite an accomplishment these days.  But it is “What did you get”?  When they hear that you were given nothing as “we don’t bother buying presents” there is a general look of shock on their faces.  Really does every celebration of any kind now have to have a commercial aspect to it?  Neither of us needs anything so why spend money on more crap that we don’t need!  Easter is another prime example, Easter Eggs and presents, what is that all about?  What happened about just feeding children copious amounts of chocolate until they were sick?

I had to practice a bit of tough love this week with Son no 1 as he thought it was hilarious to run around the school playground when the bell rings and hide.  So I stand there yelling at him to get to class while struggling with a kicking and screaming Son no 2 who, unlike his brother wants to follow the other kids into class.  So on Monday I had had enough of being a screaming banshee and told him quite straight that if he didn’t get into class that he was not allowed the iPad or laptop after school.  His response was just too laugh at me and hide..  Well the last laugh was on him that night when he realised that I meant it.  After his crying and howling session of him telling me “it’s not fair” he soon realised that I wasn’t going to cave in.  So now every morning this week he has lined up and gone straight into class.  A perfect result I say..

I read with no surprise in the Times 2 last night about a middle class single mum of one and how she feels ostracised by other middle class mums once they realise that she is a single parent.  As if being a single mum requires you to be from an estate and have a Croydon facelift.  Why as a gender do we feel the need to judge other women by their appearance, husbands or their children?  We have all done it, you see someone at the school gate, play group or nursery and instantly you form an opinion about them.  Be it right or wrong and if by chance you actually get to know them you realise how wrong you were from the start.   As a gender we are our worse enemies. People bang on about inequality between men and women but what about the inequality and treatment of each other between women?  Surely this needs to be rectified before we can work on the other inequalities and sexual discrimination that we face.

Hmmm, I think that may of been my first rant!

So all in all a better week this week.  Went up to London a couple of times, to catch up with people.  Managed to get to the gym a couple of times as well which was good as I was able to catch up with my Mummy friends.  Who are both stories in themselves..  Best of all, no online shopping this week so I must have been having a better week.

Oh yeah and I got my P45 today and the birthday season has started for me, what do you buy 5 year old girls?