Family influence

Today is my son's birthday. He influenced his family, and one really good influence happened on a car journey. Son sat next to me as I worried about my doctoral viva, and he told me about Toastmasters, the club where you practise speaking in front of people. He asked me to speak for two minutes about my doctoral topic, and I did!  Shortly afterwards, I found our local Toastmasters club and joined. It was such a useful experience that I told his sister, and she joined. Then a year or two later, when his step-sister had to make a speech at a wedding, she joined, and she got her partner to join too. The two of them got so involved that they were on the local committee helping out a lot.
All through the influence of one member of the family.

Birthday frog!

Dear Step Daughters - two of them left me presents for my birthday last week, then #3 turned up with a slightly bigger parcel, requiring that I opened it there and then.  Look at this cross-stitch!

It's so fine; she must have worked for hours.  And she chose the frog because she knows I like frogs.

Today I'm in Luxembourg presenting our company's   (Catcher Media)  work package as part of the EU JuxtaLearn project. so she brought it round at the weekend.

Mothering Sunday titles

Step-daughter #2 earns a smile and brownie points for addressing a mother's day card to me like this. She appreciates how much work it is to stop people calling you Ms, or Mrs when your husband's surname isn't the same as the one you use and you've never told them to use Ms or Mrs so why do they think they should change your title to something they've not been told.

Maybe SD#2 'll get a doctorate too one day.

I'm a jam sandwich

Step daughter #3 gave me a hug, and her partner joined in. I felt like I was the jam in the sandwich and just as sweet.

Successes!

Today has been a good day

1. Step daughter #2 had a mortgage offer
2. Son earned his Masters degree with distinction

Shopping

Our parents are coming up to their diamond wedding anniversary but our father thinks he won't get our mother a diamond because she can't see any more, so he emailed round us siblings for alternative ideas. My brother promptly volunteered his sisters, wife and sister-in-law to take our mother on a shopping trip.

Now that's a nice idea to have a girls' day out. I can't remember going on a shopping trip with my sister ever, nor with my sisters-in-law. I remember going shopping with my mother, particularly when I was a teenager, though not with my little sister. I like going shopping with my daughter (bookshops) and with my step-daughters too. SD#2 was my style specialist when I went out to buy my first new pair of spectacles in over ten years. And granddaughter #1 is fun to go shopping with - we went to the jewellers together to choose something for her mother.

I suspect my sisters-in-law would be fun to shop with, though my brothers might be a bit nervous. Years ago, sister-in-law #1 arrived at some evening do in a most splendid bright orange trouser suit (it was the eighties). She explained that it had been half price so a bargain, but even the half price was horrendously high. I love her choice of colours, design and outfits. I'd enjoy the experience of going clothes shopping with her.

I'll wait and see what my sisters (and SiL) say.

Work!

Stepdaughter #3 has been offered a job locally, a proper job in engineering, a job that uses both her degrees, she tells me:

"I have received employment"
"if anyone needs me, I'll be in the having a job dome"
"lalala i win"

She's delighted to inform her landlord and all the utilities that she's "moving shacks".

She starts next month, and they'll put her up in a hotel during the week for a couple of months while the lease on their Loughborough house finishes. In the meantime, she and her partner are getting a place done up to live in, partner having a teaching job in a local school, starting September.

"productive, innit"

Volcanic sticking

The Icelandic volcano ash has affected British based people who travel by plane:

• Step son is stuck in Finland. Fortunately his wife and children are happily holidaying in the lakes with her parents
  
• Colleague's husband is stuck in Serbia, which means she can't go out this weekend because she has to mind their two boys.
• Our French lodger booked a return plane flight.
  

Fortunately, step daughter #1 is home, having travelled to Italy by car and ferry - how wise!

A web site "Watch Air Traffic" that shows you air traffic in Europe shows very little movement today. It also says "Users on line: too many"

LOL

Ultimate frisbee

Step daughter #3 plays Ultimate Frisbee, a game that has gradually got to mean more to me - though I'm still not sure what the 'ultimate' bit is about. This week's Telegraph explains the game in detail, including the lack of referee. Whoever heard of any game without a referee? But ultimate frisbee has no referee. I like that approach because it means that people have to be honest instead of abrogating moral responsibility.

So next time I watch her playing in the garden with the grandchildren I may have a better idea what to expect.

Good news

We're all well pleased that step-daughter #2 who went for a job interview at a building surveyors yesterday has been told she's got the job with remuneration , and she's to start on Monday! Go, girl, go!

I like her sense of humour; she noted on Facebook that she'd omitted to mention on her CV that she was unemployable!

Vacuum cleaning

I bought a couple of the step daughters a vacuum cleaner - a brand that my mother-in-law insisted on buying for me 17 years ago so I know it's good. Nevertheless, I was well pleased with SDs' delight and use of cleaner. And SD#3's thanked me so enthusiastically that I'm well chuffed.

SD#3 rang all excited to say how she was using it and which of the tools she used to get round the furniture and which tools do the backs of the radiators - the land lady is doing an inspection tomorrow. SD#3 was eulogising about how great this vacuum cleaner is and how land lady is going to find the place sparkling clean.

My SD#3 needs to get out more.

Post Christmas quiet

All is quiet again now. They've all gone back and I shall miss them. I shall miss the philosophical chats with son. We have debated the relative merits of particular approaches to research, and we had a great chat in the pub his last night home.

Daughter went back today. Her step-dad took her. Last night she was the chattiest she'd been for ages, and I really enjoyed her company.

Step-daughter #2 sent a lovely thank you card.

Step-daughter #3 got back to her rented house to find a huge electricity bill, and that her course work was many words too short, so wasn't so cheerful. But between us, I think her parents have helped sort those out a bit.

A ring at the door bell and step-daughter #1 is passing - 5 minute chat and away again. At least we have one child still with us and we have her children to look forward to as well.

Daughter home

Both son and daughter home again.

Daughter gave me a full debriefing on all the things she did, ate, saw and heard in Austria and is now excited about packing for uni.

Step daughter #3 has already left for the start of her master's course and Loughborough, which I think is in engineering design.

Son leaves in ten days or so.

Husband retires down to three days a week work the day after daughter goes to uni.

All change!