Well as many of you know, I’ve dipped my foot into the homeschooling waters. Liam suffers classic middle-child syndrome and isn’t quite as easygoing as his two brothers. Combine that with being very bright and a very fast learner and we ended up with a child in school refusal.

So – after much discussion (and two days of internal suspension) Liam came up with a plan to attend school part-time to study his core academic subjects, and to stay home part-time. So I’m now a part-time homeschooling parent teaching non-core subjects.

We’re studying Catering & Hospitality and  Business Studies. It’s working out quite well so far. Two weeks down – many more to go!

We’ve started the catering side of things by watching series one of Heston’s Feasts.

Have you seen it?! Fantastic viewing! I love the drink me potion from episode one, the edible candles and cutlery from episode two and the supersized pie from series three! I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the series over the next week or so!

And I am definitely looking forward to the dinner for four Liam will be preparing before 21 August. Which will perhaps be slightly more conventional than Heston Blumenthal’s dinners!

You know what I’m talking about right???!!!!

Where does the book tell you what to expect and how to deal with it?!

I mean I’m very happy for everyone involved but to be honest I don’t really know how to respond. What’s the protocol? A high-five for having a great night out (in)? Ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen? Sit down and have a serious discussion about the birds and the bees? Again…

I’ve come to realise I want to know as much about my children’s sex lives, as they want to know about mine. That would be nothing whatsoever! I mean who wants to think about their parents having… you know… sex! And conversely, I don’t want to think about my kids doing it either!

So – while everyone involved is in a nice, happy, respectful relationship – all is good. And I think awkward discussions can just be forgotten about. And every now and then I’ll top up the box of condoms in the bathroom cupboard…

I was doing so well and writing every day! I lasted almost two weeks!

Then a family crisis hit and I missed several days and everything backed up on me and now I can’t seem to get my head above water!

The good news is, I now have shelves in my walk-in wardrobe! I cannot begin to tell you the immense pleasure this gives me. SO MUCH PLEASURE!

And the flow on effect is amazing. Now I can sort all the clothes and all the linen. And all those things that were sitting elsewhere, and can now go in the wardrobe, creates empty spaces in the elsewhere spots for all the other things that were piling on top of each other to go to!!

It is exciting!

But anyway – back to my original point. I failed to write in my blog every day in November but I will make a valiant effort to write every day in December instead.

Does that sound fair and reasonable?!

Nothing to do.

I did nothing all day.

Ye ha! Woo hoo!

It has been a tumultuous and difficult year for me and I have discovered many things about myself. And other people… Not all good things.

Mum still has no headstone. I have rung the company three times and sent two emails and am still awaiting the follow-up quote and paperwork. I think it has reached the point where I’ll try and find out if there’s another company that will do the headstone.

At the moment in lieu of a headstone, mum has two pots of daisies, numerous glass jars acting as substitute vases, and a small (tiny) garden statue of a greek woman pouring a jug of water.

I still find it hard to believe I have no mother… And I cannot fathom how my grandmother copes without her daughter.

Actually I know how she copes. My grandmother is not one for funerals or graves. She creates places and little memorials at home where she can remember her loved ones. She has a special magnolia tree (smallish one) in a pot that is a memorial for mum and has things of mum around her it. She also recently purchased a cd of Katherine Jenkins singing some classical music. One of the songs she listens to frequently in memory of mum. Grandma finds it really uplifting. It made me cry …

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there, I do not sleep

I am a thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glint on snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain

I am the gentle, gentle autumn rain

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there, I do not sleep

When you awake in the morning hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight

I am the soft, soft starlight, starlight at night

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there, I do not sleep

I love Fridays So many good things about Fridays!

Anyway – I have no theme or point today. All I will say is that my friend Kirsten and I held a Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer fundraising breakfast on Sunday 31 October. Lots of people came (well – not as many as in past years) and they all wore pink and brought pink food and drank pink punch and pink champagne and we all raised money.

Today I banked the second lot of funds that came in. We raised $803. Given there were less than 20 of us there I am THRILLED! Each year we raise a little more. It’s for a great cause and we have a great day! Want to donate a little to our cause?! Online donations can be made here until 30 November.

No photos this year… I forgot.

But I will share with you the champagne cocktail that someone made and I enjoyed a tiny amount of!

One whole bottle of champagne

One whole tub of berry sorbet

Mix together.

Drink. Divine! Add fresh berries if you desire.

How easy is that?! Given I am now leading a sugar-free life, it was naughty of me to indulge at all! The champagne is fine – the sorbet is not. But I was very good and only had a tiny little bit mixed with regular champagne.

I plan on giving up my sugar-free diet for one day on 25 December. And I plan on making that champagne cocktail. Hopefully there will be someone else here to help me drink it!

My brother and sister… Not much of a family resemblance! They’re tall and skinny with jet black dead straight hair. Both of them!

I’m none of those things!

And just to be clear – the first two photos are from about 1981. And the second two photos are about ten years old as well.

He gave me eye drops to dilate my eyes and now I appreciate how good my eyesight actually is… Can’t wait for the next hour to pass!