Week in a (large) nutshell

Bradley attended 3 detentions at school this week. Detention no. 1 was for forgetting his PE clothes. Detention no. 2 was for not getting detention slip no. 1 signed and detention no. 3 was for talking in class. (How was I supposed to ask to borrow a pencil, mom?" I was livid because the detentions really put Brad's afternoon routine out and they were all so avoidable. So on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday he had to stay for an hour after school. He didn't even try asking if he could miss school though. I think he is starting to grow up a little bit and take responsibility for his actions because of my few weekends of grounding him. I may have mentioned before that I don't like grounding the kids because it puts me under pressure. But I stuck to my guns and he missed a few outings so he knows I mean business. He did have a bit of a miserable face on the mornings that he had detention but after I told him to put on a happy face and not irritate me he did manage to pull it together.

I phoned him while he was walking to my mom's house after detention finished yesterday. He wanted to impress me with how much the two little Jack Russell puppies like him in the one yard he passes. He approached the gate of the Jack Russell's house and all I could hear was frenzied dogs going crazy. They didn't sound friendly! "Oh okay, I don't think they like me anymore! I'll try the sausage dogs." They live in a house further down. When I got to my mom's to collect him in the afternoon, Bradley was playing a game of basketball with my brother. They were thoroughly enjoying it. My mom's dog was helping my brother to get the ball by tackling Bradley and holding him while he was trying to play. Unfair advantage! Duke is a medium-size but robust "pavement special" He has rottweiler, German shepherd and staffie in him and he plays rough. His sister Tessie is not so vigorous but just runs around growling with her ball in her mouth.

Bradley chooses where he wants to go in the afternoon and as long as I know where he must be picked up I don't have a problem with that. On Wednesday, my sister's maid is at her house so if he rushes he can still get in to her house before the maid locks up and leaves. He sometimes walks home or to granny.

My dad (who is 73) has been battling with a mysterious foot injury. My mom suspected a broken bone but the doc said because it wasn't a sudden onset pain it was probably not broken. Anyway he has been taking various medication but the pain isn't getting better probably because he won't (and can't really afford to) stay off his feet. He has been a self-employed landscaper his whole working career and he simply loves his job! He has his own little nursery at home where he grows plants to use on his landscaping jobs and also sells to the public on weekends. I am very proud of my dad and definitely want to be as active as him when I am his age. I think this foot thing is worrying me because he has always been an active person and very rarely ill. He even brushes off gashes and injuries as if they are nothing. My parents are the reason I have never moved far from home, partly because I haven't wanted to be so far away from my family and partly because I wanted to bring my kids up close to their grandparents. I am glad now that I am only a short drive away from the folks and definitely don't think I would ever plan to move away at this stage. Unless they move away!...

Dael changed back to the early morning shift at work which means on top of getting up while its dark, he has to rush to get ready to start work at 6am and the first shift has to clean the machines! And he prefers to go to bed late but then he cannot wake up (have to call him at least 4 times before he wakes up) and he is tired at work. On the upside he was able to play touch rugby in the afternoon on Tuesday with his friends which he cannot do when he works night shift. Last night he told me that he was told that he would have to work his shift on Saturday! He is not impressed. I reminded him that a lot of artisans have to work weekends - mechanics, etc. He was a bit thoughtful after that but I think having to work this weekend is just the final straw for him after this tiring and irritating week.

My kittens are getting so big and so cute. They move around in a group. Where one goes the others follow. Bradley left his skateboard in the kitchen and when I turned round from the sink they were sitting in a row on the skateboard looking up at me. By the time I got the camera they had moved but they looked so cute, like chocolate box kittens. I have set up my fold-up camping chair in the lounge and the kits think this is their jungle gym. Will definitely try hard to get some photos this weekend. My little ginger female (Flopsy) is very lovable and purrs loudly while being stroked. She was the first born and is the biggest. Her twin who was fourth was named by Dael (Ginger Ninja) and lives up to his name, climbing on the curtains. Little Spidey (Spider) is the totally cute black and white boy and is the kitten that all my visitors want to take home with them. Last but not least is the little lady, Graybie, who is shy and a bit retiring. She is not pushy but don't get her riled up. She was pushing her brother off the camping chair last night. Every time he leapt on her, she made her move and he would go flying off the chair until eventually he gave up and ran away. Their mom, Kittykie, avoids them like the plague. She can handle them one at a time and even lets one suckle off her but as soon as one more shows up, she is off like a shot!

Forgot to say I had an unwelcome passenger the other day after doing some bush cutting. I had completed as much as I could and while still wearing my garden gloves, had cleared the post from the box and walked up the drive. As I neared the top of the drive, my eye caught a movement on my glove. A huge light coloured spider had hitched a lift up the drive on my glove. I hadn't noticed it because it was almost the same camel colour as my glove. Needless to say the post and clippers flew in different direction and those gloves were flung off my hands like greased lightening! The spider wasn't harmed in this procedure as I spotted it doing the spider crawl under my car before it disappeared. Adrenalin rush!

Greetings from Momcat xx