What's the best thing that's happened to you this year?

[Tigermoth]

It's Friday, nearly the school holidays, it's sunny (for today at least), and I've just finished a large chunk of work.

So to lighten things up, what's the best thing that's happened to you so far in 2001?

Right off, I can think of two things for me - both beach related.

Taking my sons to Minnas Bay in early May, the first sunny Saturday of the year, and seeing the delight on my toddlers face as he paddled in the water. Also deciding to book a hoiday in Corsica, on the advice I was given on mumsnet. It will be the the first time we've been abroad as a family. Boy am I looking forward to it!

What about you?

[Lisav]

I saw an article in the Daily Mirror on Feb 14th, it showed a series of pictures of a newborn baby girl in China, lying dead in a gutter whilst people walked past her, hardly giving her a second glance. It sickened me and I felt so helpless. Then I met a woman who, by a huge coincidence, lives but a half hour walk from me, who has set up a charity called The Good Rock Foundation. She works in the Chinese orphanages, trying to change Chinese policy from the inside, finding new homes for abandoned children, working for the rights of women. I got involved and was delighted to know that I could make a difference.

Now I am set to go to China myself next year and see all the good work that is being carried out. That is the best thing that has happened to me, knowing that by our efforts, these children are being spared a similiar fate. It really puts your own life into perspective.

If anyone is interested in the charity they have a website at www.goodrock.org.uk

[Tigger]

Following up from Lisav, I was given a copy of Hello magazine and read the article about Jemima Khan, who visited an Aghan refugee camp at Jalozai it was very moving and also very distressing, what she saw was terrible. Mothers so weak they could not make milk and they had then to endure the crying of their children until the child dies of hunger. She also said that children had lost their childlike expressions, she found a girl of 8 or 9 in a tent and aksed where the head of the family was and the girl replied that she and her brother were the only 2 living, and she was the head of the family.

The one thing that made me feel better after reading it was that we have donated regularly to UNICEF for a number of years now, and I know that my money will be spent well.

The UNICEF website can be got at www.unicef.org.uk/growingupalone, this is the organisation that Jemima Khan is raising awareness for.

Best thing this year, not losing my stock to Foot and Mouth.

[Marina]

Tigger, so you didn't have to have stock slaughtered because of lack of access to new grazing, then? I thought that seemed likely at one point. Now, that (and safeguarding children's lives around the world) really is good news.

[Emmam]

Getting rid of my horrible avocado bathroom and having a lovely, shiny, new, white suite put in! We retiled, painted, laid a new floor and it looks fab!

On the proud mum stakes, my 2 year old 'passed' his first trampoline badge at his toddler gym this week too! Aaaah!

Finally, about to take 2 weeks off which I'm looking forward to as I haven't had two weeks off in a row since my honeymoon several years ago!

[Tigermoth]

Emmam, hope you have a lovely break. If you're going away, hope you don't encounter an avacado bathroom suite in your holiday residence!

LisaV what a brilliant cause to get involved in. It takes some effort to look outside your immediate life and concerns, and I admire you for doing so.

And Tigger, very glad foot and mouth spared you the worst.

[Lizzer]

I'm feeling good that I followed up a voluntary job on the NSPCC website, applied, had an interview and got it!

I was (and still will be in Sept) working as a group facilitator the 'partners and parenting program' in secondary schools. It is not so much a teenage pregnancy prevention program, but aims to get children to think about the decisions they have along the way and promotes the idea of individual choices having a dramatic impact on your life. Being the NSPCC it also aims to try and stop child abuse from a very early level - ie before the next generation have even had their children. We also work with "baby-think-it-over" the electronic (big brother) dolls that give children a taste of what it's like to have a baby, and for those of you wondering if it actually works then you should see the comments the children have to write in the diaries they have to keep! My personal favourite was "My Mum and friends think it's really sweet but when it cries it drives me mad, I didn't know what the matter was!" - enough said!

It is a worthwhile and rewarding project and I think it should be made available in all schools and, who knows, one day it might... I ran a full 6 week course with a group of 15yr olds and I'm proud of myself for doing it and can't wait to start again in the new term!

[Tigger]

Marina, we did lose 76 ewe hoggs and some cattle, because we are not allowed to keep fattening bulls and bullocks in the same shed. So we have lost out on this years young ewes coming forward. We are not as bead as some people have been, the worst things about the Foot and Mouth is what has not been seen on the telly, and what has been done in the background by the Samaritans and the Royal Agricultural Benevolant Fund and the Scottish branch as well. In one week of the Foot and Mouth crisis there was £260,000 came into our area alone, and that area covers from Stranraer to Carlisle. Terrible time for a lot of families and ours was one of them, our nephew lost all his stock as they had Foot and Mouth, and many close friends lost their stock as well. On top of everything else the price for lambs deadweight has dropped to under 1.40 per kilo, and it costs 8 times that mcuh to buy in the supermarket. I have stopped shopping in Safeways and started going to Tescos, a lot cheaper and I feel that Tescos is supporting Britain as a whole in all aspects of Farming including Organic better than Safeways, another one I have tried recently has been Asda and was very impressed. Actually the clothes for kids in Asda are really good and last for ages and wash really well.

[Joe]

Tigger - It must have been awful for all the farmers, effected or not, Im glad you came out the otherside better than some. I was saddened by the pictures seen on the TV. I was already a vegetarian but the pictures has made my husband stop eating meat too, although our son is fed meat until he can decide for himself.
There is so many things that have happened this year. I suppose the few at the top of the list would be - Being so proud that my husband has landed the job he has wanted for so long and worked so hard for and is already climbing the career ladder at speed. Our first family holiday together. And so many things my son has done that have made my year over and over again. Each day is cool.

[Marina]

Tigger, I'm so sorry about your nephew and your young ewes. Round where my parents live (Cockermouth) is just a sheep-free zone now and businesses are going bust in Keswick (more dependent on tourism than Cockermouth) practically on a daily basis. A lot doesn't get into the media, I know, from hearing from mum and dad. Thanks for the tip-off about Safeway - we have always found them pretty poor for selling British meat. We are still trying to find British produce rather than foreign - although we try and buy organic, I'd sooner get Kentish or Scottish potatoes any day than stuff that has been flown in from Egypt, at god knows what cost to the environment and the British farmers.