RRrrright, so here goes. Apologies to anyone I miss, I can barely read my handwriting...
But before I do, me me me. Getting more and more sucked into doing fundraising things for the pre-school, they seem to come thick and fast. I am the world?s most diffident fundraiser but I am ok with doing practical tasks. For instance, we ran a Pimms stall at the village celeb cricket thing, as I said, and that was well within my skill set 
Otherwise, same old: DP stressed by work, house still a bananas mess (which I am rectifying but tiny weeny bits at a time), still feel like I have no time for anything (what do I do, though? I suppose the answer is: take on too much!) Well, DP has booked off some time from 16th July, he badly needs a break, and we are actually packing off the girls to MIL?s for a few days to crack on with it here a bit. Then we are all off to Brussels for a few days with the cricket team.
So, Invis ? niece or nephew yet? And what?s this about Israel? And has the NY trip come off? I dream of NY. There are a handful of (separate) friends I have living there, like half a dozen, whom I love and never see. If I?d got the cash I would love to go there for a few days and see them and eat out and hang out and just generally luxuriate in a city I love. Aaaaah. Am reading the most recent M. Amis, did I say? He?s great but it?s slowed off a bit (but I am reading it in what I call that book-killing fashion of a couple of pages a night before I crash out).
Trace ? date for house move yet? How are you these days??
Vag ? are you on the cabbage soup again? My weightloss has plateaued. I still need to shed another 2.5kg to be at a weight which is acceptable to me though if I look in the mirror naked these days I only wince, rather than actively weep. But if I lost a whole other stone/6kg, I think I would feel FABULOUS. And who doesn?t want to feel fabulous? So I think that?s the ultimate aim. I will let you know my Belgium dates but I think it?s when you are over here.
ZJ ? you are being very noble re: the SPD, you know. I would be constantly whingeing. When is it likely to get better? AND you are being noble re: your sister?s wedding (I?m sure she is lovely but she is being rather unreasonable regarding arrangements) AND moving DD2 into her own room. Can you believe I still have DD2 in a cot next to my side of the bed? She is 2 on 29th Sept!! It?s me who is the baby, not her. But DP is as bad. He will say he wants our bedroom to ourselves and if I call his bluff and say ?Ok, let?s move her this weekend? he?ll say, ?Well, maybe we can keep her with us a tiny bit longer...?
Rubes, sorry DH is under the cosh at work. Is he doing the bike ride at Blenheim this year? You are all welcome to stay again...(If I can tidy up a bit ? gulp!) Good to see you back on here! You are so good taking the kids to swimming. I must get into that. I need to help DD1 gain more physical confidence and I do wonder if swimming would help. How is your work going?
JB ? how lovely, to go to the ballet. I am going to take the girls to see The Nutcracker at the Coliseum this December, I meant to do it last year. They do a special performance for tinies. As to MILs overestimating size, when we saw mine the other week she said ?What size do you take in trousers?? Me: ?A 12? (which is absolutely true, I was a 14 last year and now I am easily in 12s, yay) ?Because I have some size 16 white hipsters that I thought you might like, that I bought in Australia?. Mmm, fanks.
Urbs, so good to see you back on here. When are you back at work? (Sorry to ask). As for my trips, I am writing about them. My literary agent has encouraged me but given that he hasn?t sold my novel yet, I am not holding my breath....It will be nice to have a record of the trips, anyway. The girls might like to read it one day, if no one else.....
Obes, your holiday plans sound divine, I have to say. If you are close to having a BMI of 19 or 20 you must be SO THIN So what's this potential opportunity at work - are you going for it? I have given myself a deadline of the end of this year to decide about a No. 3, incidentally.
Nolda ? don?t think we didn?t see you waft in and out again And how are YOU?
We haven?t heard from PD since I saw her on my birthday visit to Essex. Was it that bad? Effie is AWOL. The Cambridge girls we hardly ever see, either. Come on, East of England! I know Jam is on hols.
DB ? was thinking about your DS ? I think you need to brainstorm a proper plan with pre-school. They seem to be making you feel crap about it, which is not going to help anybody. Do you think DS is actually a bit overwhelmed by the kids there ? would he feel better if you invited a kid over to play, one on one? Well done on the weightloss, you absolute champ!
Indith ? have you sorted anything out with your DH? You sound in dire need of some time for yourself...Oh heavens, I do sympathise with that feeling of having an ?out of control? house, as well. Awful.
Sybs ? sorry you were at another funeral...how very sad. Are you back on the wine? DP isn?t drinking again. I?m not drinking all that much either (eg...drank when I was away with the girls, had nothing for days until some Pimms on Sunday, had nothing since and won?t until the Chambers cricket match on Saturday...to me that?s not drinking much, anyway!)
KP ? going back a bit, when is your Czech cousin coming? I thought Jam?s suggestion was a jolly good one (what teen doesn?t like Top Shop! Or H&M?) Keeping the sex secret ? no, I don?t think I would. Mainly because I couldn?t keep it zipped. But we did keep the name just between the two of us both times.
Beans, did you actually resign in the end? Will you try to get some other work? I do get the odd bit of work but I am still Ebaying for pocket money (heaven knows I have enough stuff to get rid of). If DP and I didn?t have such heinous credit card debts (mine were racked up when I was owed that money by the Revenue, which took them a year to pay. When it finally came, I paid off my debts but was pretty much left with 0 and then a further 7 or 8 months before I rented out my flat seemed to put me back in the soup, sigh). It?s going to be an austere couple of years ahead whilst I get straight.
I?ve said it before, but isn?t everything dear? I nipped into Boots for some essential toiletries this morning (tampax, shampoo, things of that ilk and I bought bugger all really and it was still £30).
I know I keep banging on about a meet up. Are we doing it when Vag is over?