The Green Eyed Monster

Would you look at this poor wee chap, he is so jealous of his monster friends he has turned a rather strange shade of green and his eyes are all over the place. He's probably trying to look at everything that's going on, all at once in an attempt to make sure he's not missing out, or else he's coveting something that someone else has. Anyway, whatever it is that's made his eyes so wonky, it's not a good look. Envy is not a good look!

A Letter to the PM

Dear Terri,

I do hope you don't mind me calling you Terri, but it just seems so much more friendly, don't you think?

Anyway, you are probably wondering why I am writing to you; actually, you probably are not, because let's face it, you're hardly likely to be reading my blog, you have far more important things to do. One of which would be having play dates with your new bff.

Now, Terri, I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but your new bff? NOT good! You see, not all that is orange is good. Here is a list of good orange things (and super lovely redheads), it should help you.

• Little Orange Dogs 
• Orange citrus fruit 
• Carrots
• Pumpkins and Butternut Squash
• Marmalade
• Red Squirrels
• Robinson's Orange Squash
• Nicole Kidman
• Prince Harry
• Ed Sheeran 
• The orange Smartie (it really is the best one in the tube)

These are good orange things and good auburns (I confess to feeling rather put out that I did not inherit the auburn gene as my aunt and cousin did, but there you go, we can't have all we want).

Your BFF may be orange, but he is not good. Terri, just look at his one week track record, would you. He's not doing well on the human rights front is he? Perhaps you are a little confused, waterboarding is not like surfing. I won't explain it to you other than to say it's a form of torture, which is not kind. Not letting in refugees fleeing war torn countries, also not kind. 

The wall thing is interesting too. If you get the Lego out on one of your play dates, beware, I hear he has a habit of wanting to build walls and then expecting other people to pay for them. Keep your pocket money well hidden and beat a very swift retreat at the first sign of a wall. Do try not to step on the Lego as you make your escape though, it is flipping painful!

He's done and said lots of other horrid things too and I am very concerned that he is not a good friend. Terri, sweetie, please find a new friend, one who is kind and cares about all people, one who is not the school bully. Alternatively, take a leaf out of one of your predecessor's books, do a Maggie and put him firmly in his place. 

Lots of love and hugs,

Little Orange Dog 

xxx

Celebrating Wednesday's #12

Hello and welcome to week 12 of Celebrating Wednesday's. I hope you've had a fabulous weekend and are getting ready for the next one to roll round.

This week could be the most fun day of the year, or the worst day of the year, depending which side of the fence you're sitting on. So, I apologise to those of you, whom like me, are probably not going to enjoy celebrating today, but to those of you whom are real jokers, have a blast. Today we are celebrating...

Warming Up

This is how I would like to be relaxing tonight, but I don't have an open fire, so I will have to look at this picture and dream. Although, I do have something much better to keep me warm because I have a Little Orange Dog and he is currently sitting on my chilly little feet, kindly warming them for me. He is very adept at foot warming, it is one of his many talents, another being writing blog posts.

Cold Paws

I'm not so sure about all this winter stuff. That strange fluffy white stuff has gone away, but when Mummy takes me for my 'out' my little paws are getting very cold indeed and Little Orange Me does not like it. I not dislike it enough to not have my 'out' though. Me likes my 'outs', but me just prefer the ones where it is warm and the big yellow thing is in the sky.

Going Nowhere!

There's nothing quite like a nice sunny Sunday morning is there? It really is beautiful out there today and even though it is freezing cold, that winter sun is still a real mood lifter.

On a normal Sunday morning, I would be heading off out of the house around 10.30am to go to church, however, today is a bit of an exception. Following a very late night on Friday and a busy day yesterday, we are all in need of a very well deserved rest. The timing of which couldn't be better, you see today, I am going nowhere; even if I wanted to, I couldn't because my car is well and truly blocked into it's cosy, little garage abode.

Celebrating Wednesday's #11

Here we are again, another middle of the week, another day to celebrate a special Wednesday and I must confess to be just a little bit excited about this one as I am a bit of a fan.

Today, the special day we are celebrating is...

Fluffy White Stuff

I not really sure what is going on this week. It has been a cold week and one day the sky dropped lots of white stuff all over the place! Me think there must be a big doggy in the sky somewhere because it looked like someone had made a big hole in there favourite plush toy. Me know, because that is what Little Orange Me does with my favourite Burgers.

Blue Monday

How are you feeling today? I'm feeling rather happy and may even have a bit of a spring in my step. However, it would seem that today, many people are not happy because today is the most depressing day of the year, apparently. Today is Blue Monday.

So if you are feeling a little blue because you're under the weather, or the weather is just too cold and grey; if you're trying to shift those extra, post Christmas pounds, or your pounds sterling have taken a battering now the credit card bills have landed with a thud on the door mat, here are a few good blue things to hopefully cheer you up a little.

Hello Weekend

I know the post title is a little bit late, but I have had a super, wonderful, busy and fun weekend; so much so, that I haven't had time to sit down and write about it, which should probably be considered a good thing.

It all began with a text from Dr. BD on Thursday night, asking if he could come over the following evening. He was obviously pining for me, who wouldn't? Not really, I don't think he would ever actually pine for me, but of course we miss seeing one another during the week so the weekends are very special. As it turned out I was child free for a wee while this weekend so, Dr. BD and I decided to have a 'proper' date.

Driving Snow

When we finally sat down at 9pm last night and tucked in to our McDonald's whilst watching 'Death In Paradise', I for one was exhausted, as was Miss. L, who took herself off to bed as soon as she'd demolished her Happy Meal. You see, we had been in the car for four hours, give or take a bit and driving was not the easiest task last night.

Let me explain, one of the girls needed to be at a club last night, no problem. We knew that we would be hitting rush hour so gave ourselves just under an hour to get there. Ordinarily, I would have left a wee bit later, but given that it had been raining all day, I figured the traffic would be horrendous. The rain lashed down and it was super chilly out, but we were dry and warm in our little car. Then I noticed the rain looking a bit, fluffier...hmmm sleet. That's okay, I thought to myself, we'll get there and home before the snow sets in. The return journey to collect said child, may be a little dicey, but it's so wet there's no way it will settle.

No sooner had we pulled into the car park than we were treated to a deluge of snow. Not light fluffy, flakes, floating down and gently landing on the wet surfaces before quickly melting away; no these were huge fluffy flakes and were falling so heavily, I can only imagine Queen Elsa had well and truly lost her temper and 'Let it Go', like she'd never done before. Within ten minutes, the surface of the car park was beginning to turn white and the kids were having a ball running around in it.

The plan, prior to snow, was to drop off, return home, eat then go back out after a nice little sit down, to do the collection (note to parents, it is not socially acceptable to leave children at clubs, even in severe weather, you must collect them). As we were driving home, very, very, slowly, I realised that my plan may well be in jeopardy. When, eventually, I pulled on to the motorway, and it was impossible to work out where the lanes were, I conceded defeat. So, it was a slow trip home, a quick change of clothes (Miss. L was still in school uniform) and then back out.

Ever optimistic, I figured we would at least have time to go to a McDonald's near the club and eat before collection. Pulled back on to the motorway, conceded defeat yet again. Clearly, the weather thought I didn't need feeding as it wasn't helping at all, and I wasn't sure if we were on the hardshoulder or in an actual lane. It took us an hour to get back to the club venue and the girls decided that they would rather go straight back to our hometown and go to our local McDonald's, They really were worried we would get stuck and not be able to get home. So that is what we did, and that is why we were eating so late.

When I opened up my laptop and logged into Facebook, my newsfeed was awash with 'snow' photos. On any other occasion I would have enjoyed looking at them, but having spent four hours, and a few rather scary moments in a car, trying to drive in it, I wasn't really up for it and just logged off. Yes everyone, it did snow, quite heavily actually, but please spare a thought for those of us (of which there were many) whom were driving in it. It really wasn't fun and I really do not 'Want to Build a Snowman', I just want to drink hot tea.

Celebrating Wednesday's #10

This week is one which we in the UK, should hopefully be able to fully get on board with, our little Island is after all, known for it's rather generous helping of rainfall.

Living Life to the Max!

Hello, it's been a funny old week. My doggy walks have been very unsatisfactory, because Mummy has been coughing so much and as for my naps, well she kept waking my up from those too. It is very annoying, I am only a Little Orange Dog and I really do need my beauty sleep. Especially after I have spent so much time chewing my burger toy. Me made a hole in it, but Mummy gave me my new one, so me started chewing that too.

This week I have been a bit of a pickle. One of my girls had a friend round for tea. I like when my peoples have friends for tea, sometimes them drop their food on the floor and me gets to clean the floor by eating it up. Friend didn't eat all her chips from the yummy chip shop and when Friend went home them leave the chips all wrapped up in a bag by the door. It was very kind of them, when they came back (to fetch the chips, mummy said) me said a great big thank you. I had such a lovely full tummy.

Mummy laughed, so me think it was okay, but her did say that Little Orange Doggies are not meant to eat people food, it is not good for them. It tasted good though.

Today, Mummy took me to school in the morning. I like it when she takes me, I get to have a different walk and sniff the different smells. I really like the smells by the duck pond and sometimes the children say hello to me. I like that too, I get so excited when the children talk to me and I wag my tail super hard. Today was very exciting though. My favourite people was waiting in her car. Miss. L took me to say hello and I nearly wagged my orange tail off! I got picked up and cuddled and me kissed my best people friend with my little wet nose. And do you know what? No you will never guess, me got to do something that me has always wanted to do...

...yes, this Little Orange Doggy got to drive the car! Mummy never let me drive, I not know why. I was very good. See I am even looking at the road and me made the horn say hello to everyone too. I not sure that I was doing it right though, because the car didn't move. When Mummy drive, the car moves. I am confused, but I had a lot of fun and me got to cover my BFF in orange hair. I is such a lucky doggy, not many doggies get to do driving. Woof!

I Feel Free

It seems like forever since I felt well enough to actually go out. Ironically, I believe that my first 'day out' seems to have coincided with that of our Majesty the Queen. May I say now that despite the common denominator we share (having nasty colds and missing key church services) we are not the same person, as has been suggested by a couple of people. Needless to say, Her Majesty has my most heartfelt sympathy, being unwell is not fun at all, but at least us peasants don't have people making assumptions about our health in the media.

Anyway, as usual I have digressed; what I was wanting to say, was I feel as though I have been stuck inside the house coughing and spluttering forever and the longer I've been here, the smaller it seems to have become, until I feel a little like that bird in a cage.

Today, however, I was determined, for myself and the girls that we were going out!

Now, I have to say from the start that I am one of those parents who is not averse to bribery. Ooh, I can almost hear the sharp intake of breath, but bear with me here and I'll explain. I have a tween and a teen, as you may know, and when they get a little bit older they start to develop very clear ideas of what they do or not want to do. Today, I knew I was going to have to offer a carrot because I was asking them to do something I knew they really wouldn't want to do...go to church! Miss. L was less keen, but Miss. D was fabulous, before I'd even mentioned the incentive she was agreeing to go purely because she knew how much it meant to me having missed so many weeks due to being a germ hotel. When I mentioned the 'thank you' treat, she was up and out of bed quicker than I could have imagined. Yes folks, a visit to Creams, post church is all it takes to get a teen out of bed!

It was so good to get back, I'd really missed seeing everyone at church and taking time out to just sit, listen and contemplate. Not to mention having a good old (somewhat croaky) sing and the girls enjoyed the cake after the service. They weren't supposed to have cake, since we were going to Creams, but cake they had before we set off to our much prized treat.

Now, every time I have visited Creams there has been a massive queue outside, so when we didn't see a line spilling out of the entrance, I did wonder if I'd got the opening times right. I needn't have worried, it appears that if you are intending to visit, the best time to go is a Sunday lunchtime, it is practically empty!

I was spitting feathers (as the saying goes) by this point, so a much needed cup of tea was top of my picks and, may I say, it was a rather super cuppa. Miss. D opted for a Maltesers milkshake, her friend had the Snickers milkshake and Miss. L opted for the ever exciting bottle of still water. I thought she'd gone a little crazy, but given her choice of dessert, it was probably the sensible option.

 Yes, Miss. L had the most enormous Oreo Sundae I have ever seen in my life. I knew she wasn't going to finish it, but she gave it a good go. I was pleased I'd opted for the crepe though, although Nutella and Banana was also rather filling...

...but no where near as filling as the waffles which the other two girls went for.

Strawberry and Nutella

Hungry Jack - Apple and Custard

The Hungry Jack, which Miss. D chose smelt absolutely delicious with the cinnamon topping, but with the lashings of hot custard, it also looked a bit, well sickly, for want of a better word and I was convinced that my eldest was not going to even make a dent in this waffle. Well, guess what? She demolished it leaving only one of two mouthfuls. Which given the rest of us were well and truly beaten by our desserts was a jolly good show!

We really did have a fabulous day, full of fun and laughter (and just teensy bit of sugar). Yes the singing and the laughing made me cough, but it felt so good to get out of the house and spread my wings a bit. More importantly, we were all together and it really doesn't get any better than that.

Doctor, Doctor!

Who would have thought that something as simple as a common cold could cause so much hassle! I have now been dosing up on the Sudafed for over a month now and still the darn thing persists. I was hoping that it would have got bored with me by now and be gone, leaving me free to return to work germ free and with a spring in my step. How wrong was I? My nose is stuffy and you really do not want to know what I've been coughing up and blowing out, suffice to say, there is no way I can go to work in a school environment infecting the kids, I would feel so guilty if I did that, as I do love them all (no really, I do!).

So after five weeks of being poorly, I decided a GP appointment might be a good idea. I hate going to the Doctor's, so if I do go you know I really do not feel well at all. Unfortunately, no appointments were available, so they suggested I visit the Walk-in Centre (which is an NHS trailer in the supermarket car park). Fair enough, everyone is suffering at the moment, I'm not in the least bit surprised there are no appointments, plus I've never been to a Walk-in Centre, so it's a bit of an adventure...which was very short lived as it didn't open until 1pm and it was only 9am.

Being forever optimistic, I rock up again at 1pm to find about five people ahead of me. Okay, so I'll have to wait a bit, and it's cold, but at least I'll get seen. Then it all went a little pear shaped, because there weren't five people in front of me at all, there were eight because not only are they a Walk-in Centre, but they also book appointments, throwing the whole system into disarray. Add into this fiasco, the printer going on strike and the poor GP being forced back into the dark ages, having to hand write notes and prescriptions. Hence an hour and a half later and I am still standing in a cold, crowded portakabin thingamy (that's a technical term, you know).

Thankfully, there was some light entertainment from a spirited pair of twin girls. They were super adorable and given the cramped environment, their tender age and the hour and a half wait, they were surprisingly well behaved. Okay they jumped about a bit, took their shoes off, had the odd melt down, but they were only doing what the adults wished they could.

So in go the twins, then the very, very poorly old lady, who should have been behind me, but really did need urgent attention, then it was my turn. Yay! Except it wasn't, it was an appointment, then another appointment, then me and by this time it was 3pm. Needless to say, I was forced to leave as Miss. L needed collecting from school.

On the plus side there was another brief episode of entertainment provided by a chap who was told he could sit in the back of the trailer as there was a seat available there. Actually, there were two and he chose the office chair, which he enjoyed spinning around in (again wouldn't we all). Then he decided that he needed to turn the kettle on, no offer of tea, may I hasten to add. Then he decided it was a bit dark, so he turned on the light before washing his hands with copious amounts of multi-purpose cleaner. He then returned to the spinning chair and popped his feet up on the work surface, at which point the receptionist sent him back outside into the cold to wait, poor chap.

So nope I didn't get seen, but it was certainly an interesting experience and not one I really want to repeat during the winter months, that trailer was so cold. Even though it didn't work for me, I still think it's a great idea and I was so impressed with the GP bumping the poorly old lady up queue. She actually took the time to come out, have a quick chat about how she was feeling and then put her to the top of the list and maybe that's the beauty of these units, the GP is so close she can see if she has an urgent situation and deal with it sooner rather than later.

Never Too Old for The Magic

I have been struggling with posts of late, you may have noticed. You may well have appreciated a break from myself and Little Orange Dog. I'm still a poorly girl, just when I think the dreaded germs are leaving me they mutate and attack me again; it's beginning to get a tad tedious now, if I'm honest and I am absolutely shattered, hence I've been trying to cheer myself up online. So far, I've bought land and built a flat pack home on it, purchased a nice new car and booked a couple of holidays. Okay, I haven't actually done any of those, but I visited the sites and pretended, or perhaps that should be coveted (which is very naughty, but fun).

Anyway, one of the things I am coveting is a much needed trip to Disneyland Paris. Yes, I know the US parks are bigger and better, but I love the Paris park, partly for its close proximity and partly for its smaller, more manageable size. Poor Dr. BD cannot get his head around my (well actually, 'our' because my girls are equally Disney mad) obsession with Disneyland! Maybe it's a man thing, but for me it's a place full of magic and wonder. It's a place where, although I am 46 years old, I can feel like a 6 year old again, or for those of you who know me well, I can behave like my normal self, childish! And yes, I do get super excited when I see Mickey and his friends (especially Stitch, I love him so much).

You know that daft adult queuing up to have a photo with the various characters? Yes, that would be me! There are so many confines put upon us as adults that this is one of the few places it's okay to let go and embrace your inner child again. Yes we know those aren't really Mickey and Minnie, but just for a day or two, they can be. Just for a day or two we can feel the magic and wonder of being a child again. Just for a day or two, you too can queue up and have your photo taken with your favourite Disney character and no one is going to bat an eyelid!

That's what I love so much about all things Disney, whether it's watching a film, visiting one of the stores or holidaying in one of the parks (or on one of the cruises - which I hasten to add I am up for, if anyone fancies waving me off to sea). The magical quality you experience in that 'Disney moment' which allows you to let go of all the stresses and strains of adult life and a return to a simpler world, where your imagination can run wild and the innocence of childhood returns.

Sigh...it's not just about me though, having the opportunity to run, explore, laugh, clap my hands and jump about like a two year old on a sugar rush. I love seeing the excitement on my girls faces and the giggles and shouts of joy as they go around on the various rides. Helping them seek out cast members with pins to swap for their lanyards (if you've not done this you must, it is such fun) and collecting the characters autographs. Pluto is always good for this as he has to put the book on his nose to sign which never ceases to make me smile. Best of all, they get to practise their French, so it must be an educational holiday? Right?

I don't know if we will make it across the Channel to get our 'Disney Fix' this year or not. I hope we can, it is long overdue, but we can certainly enjoy some of the magic at home with films and online visits to the parks. Miss D and I can still enjoy a singalong to the Disney Princess soundtracks, so if you live nearby you may want to invest in some earplugs! Just saying.

Don't get me wrong, there are so many places in the World I would still love to visit, beaches, mountains, rainforests, but I really hope I never grow too old for the magic that is Disney.

Celebrating Wednesday's #9

Well a Very Happy New Year to you all and thank you so much for joining us in 2017 to celebrate some more Wednesdays. Hopefully you're all now fully recovered from Christmas and New Year over indulgence, but if you're not, you might just like this weeks special day, as it's nice and easy and may provide some much welcomed comfort.

This first Wednesday of 2017, we are celebrating...

...Spaghetti Day! How good is that, what could be more comforting or ridiculously easy to cook than spaghetti? It's just what's needed after all the rich food and alcohol that has been consumed over the past week or so.

My girls love spaghetti, so we will most definitely be joining in with this celebration come dinner time and it will most likely be spaghetti and meatballs.

Let's not forget though, that with the New Year and new month comes a new monthly celebration and let me tell you, there were quite a few to choose from (thirteen if you really wanted to know), but I have gone for the one which is closest to my heart...Hot Tea Month!

I love tea, so I don't really need an excuse to drink more, but well it would be rude not to, so I'm off out to purchase extra teabags, can't go running out during Hot Tea Month can I? Oh and whilst I'm there, I may have to get some cake, it goes so well with tea.

Tangled

May I say right now, that this is not the post that I had intended to write today. I had intended to write a rather boring and probably rather generic post (given the time of year) about New Year's resolutions and why on earth do we set ourselves goals at this time of year instead of any other time, blah, blah, blah.

I had actually started said post, which I hasten to add I have now deleted, (never to be resurrected again) because a phone call from the girls Dad this morning changed everything.

Miss. L has very long, straight, fine hair. It is beautiful (when she bothers to brush it) and reaches almost to her bottom. She really dislikes getting it cut and can usually only be persuaded to lose an inch at most, which given the length is nothing.

Today she decided she would brush it, hence the phone call from her Dad. Apparently she had got her hair tangled and he was going to have to take her to a hairdresser (on Bank Holiday Monday, good luck with that). Being Mum, I insisted he bring her home with her Tangle Teaser brush and let me have a go. Thankfully, one of my fellow dog walkers is also a hairdresser, so I made a quick call to her to get some advice and then waited, armed with the conditioner. I was working on the theory that Conditioner + Tangle Teaser = Job Done in No Time, but then I wasn't prepared for what walked through my door...

...as you can see, my equation for detangling the hair, was a little too simple as there were far too many unknown quantities. This needed a serious rethink and a photo text to the professional. I have never been more glad to have a hairdresser friend than I was today.

There was indeed a lot of hair around that brush, none of which seemed keen on budging and to be honest, I didn't have the first idea of where to start, so whilst waiting for the hairdresser to arrive, I just set about brushing it through with the Tangle Teaser to try and loosen it up a little. Once my friend arrived we set about a joint effort of brushing, picking and pulling hair free, all with the aid of rather a lot of Argon Oil. Well over an hour later and we finally got the brush out of the hair (we also got rather a lot of hair out too, but we kind of glossed over that one). All the time, Miss. L was an absolute angel and sat nice and still for us, which must have been pretty hard to do, given how much it must have hurt!

Next it was just a case of dematting the hair and seeing what we had left. Much to our relief, once it was brushed through and all the matts were gone, you would never had known that a brush had been stuck in there at all (well so long as you didn't look in the bin, if you looked in the bin, you'd find a mountain of hair). The brush has been thrown away and branded evil. Miss. L is happy, but has a very sore scalp which is going to need a fair bit of TLC over the next few days and best of all, no scissors were required.

So that is how I have spent my Bank Holiday Monday morning and why I haven't written that boring New Year's post. Huge thanks go to that very special friend who went above and beyond the call of duty today, I honestly have no idea what I would have done without you.