The Locksley School of Visual Arts at the University of Milton North

[PhoenixRisingFromTheAshes]

Please come in and make yourself at home. All are welcome to join in our exhaustive and detailed daily research programmes. Areas of study include: The Cotton Industry in the Industrial Revolution; Robin Hood Studies (specialist subject Guy of Gisborne) as well as exhaustive study of the Creative Arts, Film and Media (with particular emphasis on Tolkein, the Armed Forces and National Security).

Would you like a glass of Chateau Gizzy?

It certainly is uncomfortable, Maud. But necessary.

Well, I am girding my loins for the ascent up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire. As you sit there getting pins and needles in your fingers, I shall leave you with this which has been somewhat neglected of late, I feel.

I shall bid you a very good night e'er I peruse your offering. I am typing this with my nose of course.

Sleep peacefully and sweet dreams.

Peacefully? After tonight's debauch?

Excellent nasal typing by the way. You too must be gifted in the nose department (although perhaps in a rather different way).

Wonder what it is that Massive is refraining from typing/saying but forswears to ask

Good night and sweet (or possibly spicy) dreams, as the gentle waves lap at the shore of your secluded tropical island.

5am and I have been up for 2 hours with not one but now two vomiting children. What joy. Talk about contrast - one minute I am lusting over admiring 'I Am Not A Horse' and the next I'm wiping sick off the walls. It's going to be a looooooong day.

Oh Twigs what a nightmare. How are they now? Fingers crossed they'll conk out and have a long sleep later and you can have a rest too.

I don't know about you, but whenever my DD or DH are sick I always think the worst thing is the sense of impending doom that I'll be next (which hopefully won't be the case for you!)

I feel that too, Spiro (about worrying I'm next). I can cope with colds and things but sickness bugs make me panic. Sadly, neither of them are 'conk out' children (they have to be practically anaesthetised to sleep) but they will have a mega early night at least! I think losing out on evenings is my worst thing with the kids being ill. They are quiet difficult children and those magical few hours after they're in bed is bliss - so to lose that is hideous! Hey ho, enough moaning. I feel a long day in front of CBeebies, their 3rd parent.

I am sooo feeling your pain, Twigs! My DD is a lovely little girl but my God, is she hard work - I thought that by 6.5 she'd have grasped the concept of occupying herself - wrong! She doesn't do sleep either.

Have promised her a whole girly day & evening on Friday (inset day) but am trying to think of ways to west her out so I get a free evening as DH is going out...

Could you play it that the 'evening' part is up to 8pm and then you have the rest of the evening to yourself? She's still technically had an evening then...

It's the chatter that gets me - DD talks literally non-stop and it's exhausting. It sounds horrible to say it but she talks at you, rather than with you and it almost makes me a bit panicy sometimes. She will use 20 words where one will suffice. As an example, yesterday she asked me "Mummy, do you know what my favourite thing in the whole world is? Well I'll tell you what my favourite thing in the whole world is. My favourite thing in the whole world is going to the beach..." It's like this All. The. Time. DrTwiglets and I have to actually leave the room if we want to have a conversation!

I think your DD and mine would get on, Twigs!

Shame we don't live near each other - we could get them together and let them talk at each other for a few hours!!

whilst we crack open the Fizzy Gizzy and stick on the Strike Back DVD

Oh dear, Twiggy. Stereophonic puking. That does sound grim. I'm sending round a friend who's eager to help.

Predictable? Moi?

Oh I like predictable, Maud :) Thank you, you are too kind. Ah, dear, dear Alec...

Who was it here who ordered The Golden Hour recently - Phoenix?

Be assured Twigs, you are not alone with the incessant chatter. Boys do it too. A lot. And if it's not words it's just noises.

Hoping you don't catch the puking bug, if your house is anything like ours then you'll be on your own to deal with it.

I have found the In Private thing, ta Massive.

Anyone want some ?

Hello, ladies. Oh Twiggy, I am so sorry your little'uns are sick , and in the British sense of puking too, not just the across the Pond way of being poorly. I do hope you yourself are okay. That sense of impending doom is oh so familiar, as you know you are going to have to go through all they have without benefit of a mummy to look after you.

Incessant chatter, tell me about it. May I second Small's comment that boys do it too. And the noises they make while they play (mainly all-out super mega aggressive weaponry noises. And LOUD!!! )

Shall i tell you something else. The person formerly known as Mr Massive does incessant chatter too. Thankfully we no longer have a pet, as the cat used to do it too.
meee-OOOWWW

Meanwhile I got to spend an hour with Gizzy this morning. not that he can't be LOUD too.

GET OFF ME!!!

This was the series one episode with the necklace and the FAF. I still can't believe it, but he looks even more delicious in this than he does in the screencaps and vids.

He was pretty ruthless and horrible all through but when he pressured Marion into agreeing to marry him I got quite upset. For him, knowing he was going to get given the run-around. which he richly deserved, but...

Silly me!

Hi all! I like your thinking Twigs - how are the littlies getting on now?

Well, my morning turned out more interesting than I was expecting. Had totally forgotten I had a chap coming in to quote for the Nursery Garden project that we're applying for lottery funding for.

Instead of getting Percy Thrower/Alan Titchmarsh at 9am, I had a hazel-eyed Gerard Butler-alike asking for me at Reception, wearing a remarkably similar coat to Mr A's 24-hour plays effort .

Needless to say I had been running late this morning so done bare minimum of make up, bog standard trews & jumper 'uniform' and hair had hardly seen a brush - bloody typical!

Bearing in mind how much this pleasant surprise made me and I think I can now safely assume that I most definitely will not be able to keep my cool should The Man ever cross my path.

Maybe you need personable men delivered to your place of work on a daily basis as a de-sensitising measure, Spiro.

Then you might be okay.

We do have quite a nice DHL guy - but he's not really in the category.

Perhaps I need to write to Santa?

Gerard Butler? Nah, I wouldn't bother brushing my hair for him .

Not feeling well myself so am on train home. Cornish pasty helping though.

Gerard Butler - bland is my verdict ( sorry GB fans)

I take it you're not feeling pukey then Phoenix otherwise I'd think you were making a 'brave' choice in lunch .

GB is a bit ugly but my friend is properly in lust with him.

Sorry to hear that, Phoenix. Hopefully the Doctor will pay you a house visit.

Gerard Butler is sorta okay. I have seen far worse. But I have also seen much better