A Cowboy Kinda Day

Up at 7 for breakfast, so we could get going on a day of driving that would take us all the way across South Dakota.  Stopped off at an 1880’s Cowboy Town nearby Sioux Falls which was somewhat limited, with some scary automatons including Abraham Lincoln, and although the town captured the desolation is was also a tetanus trap.  Though nice to look at the buffalo too, as well as a nice guy who introduced the place.

I then did my longest drive, most if the way across the state of South Dakota.  Nice and easy!

The next 1880’s town we visited was much better, and we loved dressing up to get into the mood of the place, Penny included.  You could really try to imagine what it would be like to live in one of these frontier outpost towns, with all the basic facilities but no-one else for hundreds of miles around.  Life must have been hard.

Stopped off at uneventful Walldrug to pick up food, as we eventually got to our self-catering cabins in the dark and cold of the Black Hills, a change from the heat of the previous few days.

After sorting out who was sleeping where, there was a quick game of werewolf before bed.

A Gill and Sioux Falls

Had a fantastic hash browns and bacon breakfast, just perfect. 

We picked Matthew Gill up in Winona Minnesota, great to find a familiar face in somewhere so seemingly random.

Stopped off for lunch at the Canadian Honker restaurant in Rochester, because people liked the name.  Met up with the other car at the Spam museum, and we got to have a quick sneak around the shop before it closed.

A long drive later, we arrived in Sioux Falls surrounded by magnificent thunderstorms on all sides.  Scary and spectacularly beautiful all at once, and impossible to catch on camera.  Popped out for a good dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s before bed.

House on the Rock – A Parallel Universe

Never have I been anywhere that is like House on the Rock.  The tour begins with a walk around a house build on a rock with pretty gardens, an indulgent, comfy, dark house that screams out retro charm.  And once you have seen it, you think … ok, that was cool.

But then you are taken round several hours of the most random collection ever, with mechanical musical orchestras, vast collections of toys, games, dollhouses and many other genres, and with set pieces like a giant whale being attacked by a giant squid within a giant warehouse.  Joined with the world’s largest merry-go-round, you have a sensation that you might never leave.

I loved it, though it wasn’t up everybody’s street.

We drove back past Dr Evermore’s Forevertron, but the gates were shut and we could see from peeking over that there wasn’t much to see compared to what we had just been through.

We then headed for Wisconsin Dells, the waterpark capital of Wisconsin, where we all scoffed at the upside-down White House as it rained around us.

After arriving at the motel accommodation, some of us popped off to Walmart so I could get some bits and pieces for Penny, and so Alex could get a Green Bay Packers Cheesehead.

After dinner at the High Rock Rest, most people stayed up for a drink, a chat and a game of ‘I have never’, though I took the chance to go to bed early with Penny.

On the Road Again

A proper American French toast breakfast in a diner-style café near the hotel really cemented where we were, before the 3 of us took a short walking tour around the distinctive architecture of Chicago.  The buildings there are so distinctive, and hark back to a very different time.

The queue was too long for us to get into the Institute of Contemporary Art before we had to meet up with the others, so Charlie missed out on recreating the famous Ferris Bueller scene.

Back to Chicago airport so soon to pick up our 3 hire cars, and we were soon off.  The car formation stayed the same for almost the entirety of the first week, with Family Sundt, James C and Kirsten in our car.

We stopped off at the Historic Auto Museum, where we saw lots of car based recreations of American and world history, from the Back to the Future Delorian to a gruesome JFK exhibit.

We arrived at the House on the Rock Inn quite late, rushed out for breakfast, and some of us splashed around the fantastic hotel pool and hot tub (including submarine and waterslide) before bed.

My Kind of Town, Chicago

A pretty uneventful flight with Virgin got us to Chicago, on the flight was Family Sundt, Mink, Dave, Katie, Dave and Anca.  Penny did have a baby seat, but didn’t particularly like it.  So we didn’t really sleep, and had to power through when we arrived.

The hotel was grand and enormous, and best of all contained our travelling companions who had arrived in Chicago earlier – Andrew, Alex, Kirsten, James and some Petchells.

We had to dash straight off to our posh anniversary dinner on the 95^th floor of the John Hancock building, The Signature Room.  Andrew kindly  was treating us to the meal, and also looked after Penny (who apparently could not resist falling asleep at about 7pm, which was 1am her time).

The restaurant was amazing, with delicious food and incredible views when the thick clouds gave way.

Tiredness kicked in with avengence when darkness fell, so we headed back to the hotel.  Penny and I had a few fun hours in the lobby in the middle of the night as we battled jetlag, but as she slept 7-2 and 4-7 it could have been a lot worse.

News

Ok, so my bloggy slackness has not only been about being busy over the summer ... the buzz of the Olympics and the craziness of Fish's volunteering and shift work.

We are expecting another baby.  Yay!

I am sure I have felt sicker and more tired than last time, though with Penny running around that is no surprise.  And, although I am still having trouble choosing what to eat and finding the time and energy to exercise, I am feeling a bit better now I am 14 weeks.

And we have a busy couple of weeks ahead!

The Busyness of Summer

Wow, a whole month since my last update!

Well, it has rained ... a lot!  Festivals are being cancelled, and concern is now awash (excuse the pun) around whether the Olympics will be rained off.

We had a fantastic week in Greece, and last weekend went to the brilliant wedding of Norris and Liam, in Wiltshire.  Such a magical weekend.

I thought that once I went back to work, the blog would be less baby-related and that I would be back to my usual balanced individuality again (especially with blog posts).  However, what has happened is that in real life I am indeed feeling more like my old self (and not just Penny's entourage), but being a full-time worker bee and a parent just doesn't leave much time for blogging (shock).

So, I guess my entries will just be more occasional from now on, especially over this busy summer we are having.  

Summer Ahoy!

Managed to sleep through the football on Friday at Andrew's, well, at least the bit where England were losing.

Then lots of fun at Matilda's 4th birthday party on Sat, seems like a group of 4 year old little girls dressed as princesses are a force to be reckoned with!

Then popped round to Norris', as we had a car and could drop off a few wedding bits and pieces, and also hung out with tea and pizza ... joy!

And I had a blissfully productive AND restful day on Sunday while Charlie cycled to Brighton with Daniel.  Had fun with Penny at the Hive with Andrew, as she is learning to give PROPER cuddles ... yay!  Oh, and apparently the Hive is closing.  Bit sad, though I guess they were not the speediest at bringing brunch.

The Middle of Summer

Wow, where does the time go?

Ok, so I had a chill out after Norris' hen, and we looked forward to our week off for the jubilee.  But on the Friday before that historical week, Penny started wheezing so we had an unfortunate 24 hours in hospital.  But after a chest X-ray, many nebulisers, and having been sent home with an inhaler and steroids, all was well after a few days.

So we had a lovely day in Battersea for the Jubilee, with Sundts and Keats.  And then we had a restful week off work, seeing various family members and catching up on life.  Both of us got some writing done, and we were happy to get back to work on the Monday.

All topped off by a quiz win for Onward Quizteam Soldiers at the Vauxhall Griffin pub quiz on Tues 11th ... yay!

Lovely Noz!

Ok, so once I got better, I resumed my fabulous and joyous project of preparing for Megan's (Norris') Hen.

We had a fantastic picnic in Windsor, well to be more specific in the Brocas park in Eton.  And this was where we presented her with our creative triumph ... Megan's Hen Quilt!  Lots of the ladies sent in a carefully crafted square, and I sewed them all together.  It took a long time, but I learned a lot about quilt making ... and it looks fantastic!  Most importantly, Norris seemed to really like it.

We then went for a walk around Windsor Great Park before heading back into London for drinks and dinner at Smollensky's on the Strand.

Then I rustled up a smashing vegetarian brunch at Norris' place the next morning.

So pleased it all went so well ... phew!  And now ... relax!

Better

So, my throat turned out to be an abscess, which managed to pop by itself (yuck!).  Gross, but at least I avoided a hospital stay, intravenous antibiotics and having it popped by a doctor with a scalpel.

And I felt better almost instantly.  So back at work on Tuesday and, despite a bit of a tummy upset on Fri/Sat, still feeling full of beans.

Have had a relaxing weekend, mostly getting ready for Norris' hen next weekend.  And also having a lovely time at Massimo and Sonia's with them and all the rest of the NCT posse, as we were celebrating the babies all being 1 year old.

Started the quiz last week too ... a hard one, though we did come second.  Bring it on, season 2!

Sick and Cross

Another blog post so soon?  That can only mean that I am stuck in bed with a throat that feels like a razor blade is hacking away at it.

The sun has been shining all day, and I have been resting in bed all day far away from its beaming loveliness, seeking out morsels of unchallenging content from the Interweb and our DVD collections.

From TED videos, to Horrible Histories (Jane's suggestion), all have been trying to numb my crossness at being so disabled by this thing.  I cannot swallow without it hurting, so my only food today has been a small bowl of sweet potato mash.  Water is drunk begrudgingly, as I know it will help in the long term, but every gulp is painful.  Talking has been kept to a minimum, with Penny's baby signing book a useful bridge, as making the shapes of words with my mouth is also excruciating.

And so here is the crux of the problem ... at what point do you go back to the docs?  It is clear that one of the following is true:
1 - The antibiotics will work, but have not kicked in yet (has been 2 days so far).
2 - The thing can be kicked by antibiotics, but not the ones I am taking.
3 - It is what I thought it was, a pertonsilliar abcess, and will need draining as well as antibiotics to get entirely better.

And the weekend provides me with a handy check step ... as the docs is shut till Monday, if I am not better by Mon AM, I won't be able to go back to work and so will go back to the docs then.  After all, 4 days of antibiotics should be enough to feel at least some improvement, so if there is none, I have every right to

And the throat looks the same.  Red, collapsing in from the right, really quite scary to feel one's windpipe closing in.  My ear hurts, and even my nose/sinuses are now throbbing.  Hard to believe there is not something pressing against my whole ENT area.

Ok, whinge over now, but I am hoping that getting all this off my chest (especially as I can't really tell it to anybody) will make me feel better.

In the meantime C has been very good, and has been spending the day out and about with a jolly Penny.  At when it comes to it, I would rather me be ill than her or him ... 

Meah ... sick!

Swallowing, talking, eating, drinking, moving ... all these things hurt.  Ok, so I am pleased I don't have the pertonsilliar abcess that I thought I had (damn you, scary internet research), but I feel dreadful.

Even having been up from the pain overnight, as it hurt whenever I swallowed, I still didn't feel too bad this morning.  But slowly as the day went by, I felt worse and worse, so I was pretty pathetic by the time I finally got in to see the docs at 3:45pm.  She was v nice though, sympathetic, and had looked after me while I was heavily pregnant with Penny ... so she asked after the little bundle too.

P is fantastic ... chatting away, trying so hard to walk by herself (but still needing a hand).

Going to rest for the evening and all through tomorrow, so hopefully the antibiotics will start doing their job.

The Promise of Time

A tiring week, but with the promise of a 3 day weekend at the end of it.  And, for the first time this week, I really felt the need to spend more time with Penny.  So 3 days of freedom has come at just the right time.

After the usual week, with Mum coming over to stay and look after Penny, and the usual sneaking out in the sunshine on Tuesday to play in the park, spent a lovely night with Norris on Friday having dinner, drinking wine and talking about the upcoming wedding.  Not long now!

Saturday we had lots of visitors, Fish's Risk Legacy crowd who first went out to play badminton, and Kirsten and Natalie popped round to say hello too.

Then Sunday we went over to Cobham to wish James F a surprise happy birthday.  It was a great lazy day, sitting around, eating delicious food Amanda had prepared, and chatting about all sorts.

Out and About

Spent a very fun night at Fujiyama on Monday with the NCT girls.  Good to see them all on such good form, I miss them now I am back at work, so good to catch up and have a chatty night powered by white wine and raw fish.

Then the last night of the pub quiz season on Tuesday.  Not our finest week, but no matter ... we are raring to go for the next season.  Yoshi's Island had a spectacular win, with Team Science in second place.

Mum and Dad kindly looked after Penny for Fish and I to go out to the cinema on Thursday.  We saw the Avengers Assemble, which was quite fun really.  Action packed, and also entertaining, we were also joined by Ryan.

And today we joined Alex, Norris and Liam at the Tate Modern for the Boetti exhibition.  Some great patterns, and intricate embroidery, including the fantastic maps embroidered with the colours of the respective country's flags.  After a painfully long lunch at Pizza Express we made our way to Beckenham for Greg & Kate's housewarming.  A lovely place, with fireplaces and stone steps, we had a relaxing time while the rain beat down outside.  And good to spend some more time with Penny after such a busy week.

And tomorrow is a day of rest ... ahhhhh!

A spare second ...

Ahhhh ... a reasonably free weekend, and a chance to catch up on the bloglett.

We had a fantastic Easter, last weekend we had a fun time at Patrick's housewarming, then went to Alex's to play board games, and making things at Norris' on the Sunday.

Penny and I braved the rain on Thursday to go to the London Aquarium, lots of fun, especially the glass floor over the shark tank!

Oh, and our Vauxhall Griffin pub quiz team finally won last Tuesday ... yay!

And this weekend is fairly unbooked, so I spent today charity shopping in Balham before having a treat ... an Indian Head Massage at the Aveda salon.  Fab!

A Whole 5 Days off! And a Birthday Girl :)

So, a month back into full time work, and I now merit a day off.  Oh, wait a minute, and I also get a long weekend off as it is Easter ... hooray!

After our fun Saturday in Guildford, we spent Sunday with Keith, Danni and the family at their new house to celebrate Bettie's birthday.  Was a lovely sunny day, and lots of fun to scamper and play in their garden.

A fair performance (joint 3rd) in the Vauxhall Griffin quiz on Tuesday, which was preceded by spending some time with Penny-Wenny to celebrate a special day.

So my little girl is a whole one year old!  Was surreal to think of being in labour a year ago, and lovely to think of the long, happy year we have all had together.  And she is so big now, standing and sitting with ease, chattering happily (especially favouring the 'row row row' bit of the song) and still making friends, at nursery and wherever she goes.  What a special little girl I am honoured to be such a blessed Mummy.

And so tomorrow we will spend the day together, having fun and pootling about.  Can't wait!