Doctor Who, tonight, 7.05pm

I am a screaming anticipating fan girl! And anyone who phones at 7.05pm tonight will get short shrift!
This article was in today's Times by Caitlin Moran, and may go some way to explaining why I am a fan girl!

From The Times June 30, 2007
Doctor Who is simply masterful
So farewell then Doctor Who, conqueror of space, time and our correspondent's heart. The sofa will be cold without you Caitlin Moran.
So, this is it. The horror and wonder of June, as we strike the half-year, is that there will be the high of a Doctor Who finale – gigantic, 480mph, full of plot back-flips and epic set-pieces and sad farewells – followed by the poleaxing devastation of no more Who until Christmas.I know that, in many respects, I am lucky that the ending of Doctor Who is the most traumatic occurrence in my life, in any given year. I am scarcely a blind orphan slave-child of Darfur. I do have my health. And yet, I cannot help believe that, were God truly merciful, he would have ensured that both Russell T. Davies and David Tennant were born with twins, so that, by rotating them and their doppelgängers in shifts, Who might remain in year-round production. Then, we would never hear that terrible sentence – up there with “It’s not you, it’s me” and “I just used your insurance documents to set fire to your house” – “And Doctor Who will be back on Christmas Day, in 178 days’ time!”
How’s this series been for you? It’s been amazing for me. Am. Azing. Although I remember crying more during the last season – the return of Sarah Jane, Madame de Pompadour dying, the Doctor heading off to confront Satan with “Tell Rose – oh, she knows”, Rose crying against the wall in her parallel universe, having lost the Doctor for ever – this series has had a bit more impetus. A bit more narrative thrust. The slow-burn arrival of the sinister Mr Saxon, and the possibility to speculate on just how/why/who the Master is, has allowed me to fritter away record new levels of time on Doctor Who forums. Freema Agyeman has been just brilliant as Martha – a total triumph, even taking into account that horrible burgundy jacket, and the inexplicable slacks. Being the assistant to follow Billie Piper must have been like taking over the Vic after Den and Angie. Yet Agyeman has pulled the whole thing off by being beautiful, spunky, and guttingly knocked back by the Doctor at every opportunity.Although me and my gigantic nerd-gang of Who-freaks didn’t like the Jazz pig-slaves episodes, the writing has, by and large, been dynamite. The episodes Blink (stone angels) and Family of Blood (the Doctor turns human) are up there with the very best, and by the end of last week’s episode – the penultimate – I was chewing my fist and SCREAMING. Then drinking more supermarket whisky and SCREAMING. The Master has returned! He’s the Prime Minister of Britain! And now, inevitably, he wants to destroy the Earth!
Life on Mars’s fabulous John Simm plays the Master, rocking a winning combo of pantomime camp and total psychotic fury. It’s often genuinely unnerving – like watching Keyser Söze play Widow Twanky. The moment when Simm ripped open the sky, and dropped six billion Toclafane on the Earth – like when they release the Lottery balls, but with genocide – was absolutely thrilling.So it’s the concluding episode tonight. In just 40 minutes, the Doctor, Captain Jack and Martha are going to have to find a way to transform the Doctor back from an old man to a young man, defeat the Master, remove six billion Toclafane from the Earth, and resolve a shedload of sexual tension. As with all last episodes of Who, there are no preview tapes, and the levels of secrecy around it border on war-time. I bumped into Mark Thompson, the Director-General of the BBC, at the Chelsea Flower Show, and even he doesn’t get to see it before broadcast.Given that something huge happens tonight – something that, as we go to press, the tabloids haven’t even been able to catch a whiff of – this means the whole audience will be in for a genuine shock. That there are still major surprises like this, in an era when there is a price on the head of any gossip or exclusive, is yet another reminder of how special Doctor Who is. The people working on it have a passion for it, unlike any other show on Earth. It is as thrilling and as loved as Jolene, or bread and cheese, or honeysuckle, or Friday.
It’s quintessential to being British.It’s at times like this that one thought can still floor you: this is a TV show, made by public subscription, in Wales.
Doctor Who, tonight, BBC One, 7.05pm

Sonicked

What do we play in our house?
Yes, you have just been sonicked!!

Altering

Tree sent me the link to this blog:

http://smallworld.web-log.nl/

It's full of lovely creative things. I especially like the "captured fairies."

I really want to get on and be more creative now. I can sit at a desk for longer, so maybe I could pull some stuff together. I have a few things on a"to do" list. But my biggest "to do" is organise my craft space. When it was decided that I couldn't work in the dining room and had to come upstairs to the spare room, it was more a matter of just getting it done, rather than organising. The shelving is inadequate, so I have big paper files on my desk rather than on a shelf. So the space is oppressive rather than inspirational. I want to empty the room ,decorate it and start again!

All I need is a fully working foot, somebody strong and some time!

This was made by Dagniro, one of the Squeee Squad....it just makes me smile!

Some creating

I have been doing some creating. It has been taking me a lot longer than usual to scrap. It is so frustrating not being able to just go and fetch something!

Started at the last crop using a Cocoa Daisy kit.

Another Ickleviking scraplift? I was convinced I had some brown scalloped card, had to make my own! It took me a few layers of ink to find the right colour for the chipboard!

The last of a Scraptivity kit with Rob and Bob papers. It was a fab kit, really inspiring!

As featured on a cocoa daisy email; tuen a maya road accordian ring book into a mini wall hanging! This is mine, with a create theme, and showing off the birdies!

Booboo Chile - again!

Music Video:VOODOO CHILD (by Rogue Traders)

Music Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

Just two things, Hub reliably informs me that the main riff is Elvis Costello! And just make sure there are no toclafane behind you!

Oh and look what someone has made on YouTube!

I wish I could do this!

Booboo Chile!

I haven't watched "The Sound of Drums" too many times!! But Darling Girl has taken to drumming out a rhythm and singing: "Here comes the drums" and "My booboo chile!" So we have both been boogieing to "Voodoo Child" by Rogue Traders.
Well I say boogie, she boogies and I wave my arms about.

On the plus side, I am down to one crutch, and trying to get about the house at least with no support. It hurts, but I am doing the exercises and taking the painkillers and elevating it when it swells up. However, I still have trouble with steps and stairs and still have to crawl up them on my knees!

A visit to the GP this evening to check out the sick note. He read the report from Occupational Health and wanted to sign me off until mid-August. But I asked about trying for the last week of term. So we have compromised. He has signed me off until the last week, when I will go and see him and see if I am fit enough for the last few days. Fit enough means: climbing stairs (not on my knees); kneeling up (ouch!); walking to collect Darling Girl from school without any crutches and no swollen foot; and, driving!
So I have three weeks to conquer all these things.

In passing, I mentioned to the GP about my redding face. Sometimes it can look as if I am drunk or have had an allergic reaction. And ...it can itch!!! Apparently I have someting called rosacea. It is treatable rather than curable (now where have I heard that before!). There is a cream for it, and its best to avoid: MSG (ugh!), alcohol (am not a heavy drinker), stress (ha!) , coffee (easy) , and tea (oh no!).
I think I'd like to look down the alternative medicine route to help with this one.

Return of ..

...the screaming fan girl!

Need I say more?

Right, off to watch it again!

Squeetopia!

So, I have been asked, what is squee?

In its most basic form Squee is overexcitement at anything to do with Doctor Who! There are threads on OG devoted to squee-ing and sharing our delight at the fact we can watch new episodes of Doctor Who, and staying away from the more critical areas of the forum. In fact some of them are so critical you wonder why they watch it and why they bother typing afterwards!

So the squee squad threads are my natural home on OG, and we have been *asploding with squee* after these last few episodes. And the squee is everywhere at the thought of the next two! Also the squeee threads are full of nice, kind, friendly, creative people who are good at screencaps, avatars and banners.

Bayou Becky deserves extra credit for the amount and quality of her capping. And I am using this new banner created by bakednudel.

Its nearly Saturday, not "The Sound of Drums", but the "Sound of Squeeeeeee!"

Alan Johnston - 100 Days

We may not always like journalists, especially tabloid ones. But it takes something special to be able to go to a dangerous part of the world, such as the Gaza Strip, talk to all sides involved and report fairly what all have to say.

Alan Johnston was kidnapped for doing his job, for telling us what was happening in another part of the world, for trying to explain the conflicts and to help us make sense of them.

It affects all of us when the press, doing such an important task, is silenced.

This is the link to the current news story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6768423.stm

This is a link to an online petition:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6518185.stm

This is a link to a blog button:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2007/04/how_you_can_help.html

Vote Saxon

No?

Only kidding! Even some of my scrapping friends objected to this avatar:

So I stuck with David for this week:

I am still squeeing on OG about the fantastic Utopia episode. Not only is Jack back (and with a backstory and snappy dialogue) but the Master is as well. I did know from spoilers he would return as John Simm, so I had a sneaky feeling that Derek Jacobi would be involved. After all, you don't employ an actor of that calibre and kill him after 10 minutes. The scenes where he realises he is The Master are wonderful, and I can almost forgive him for "The Night Garden" and its silly songs and voices!

The Big Five

Darling Girl has had a lovely birthday, despite the fact we had to scale down our initial plans, because of my foot! But then we had three days to celebrate instead of just one.

On Saturday we started by inviting the "god-cousins" and their parents round for a barbecue. The uncertain weather meant that this was a "pretend" barbecue; ie cook it inside and eat it outside. Hub was brilliant, cooking his gorgeous warm potato salad and creating a boozy creamy trifle affair. As well as rustling up burger, kebabs and sausages!. I was able to sit back with C whilst we tried some alco-pops! At 7.15 the children all ran into watch Doctor Who, and to tape it for me, so the four grown-ups could enjoy the adult company in peace!

Sunday was our "Princesses' Tea Party." Four of Darling Girl's friends came to play. We set up all the pink things in the morning, and all she could say was: "I can't believe its not a dream!" Hub and I had organised the day so I could spend my time sitting and crafting with the girls, so he could prepare fresh sandwiches etc. And it more or less went according to plan, although I used my foot more than I ought and am still paying for it now! The girls all seemed to enjoy it. Darling Girl just smiled all the time. The best compliment was overheard: "This was the best party ever, we did things!"

And today, at last, she is really five. We had an early morning to share opening presents with Hub. Her gifts are a real mix of Doctor Who and Barbie and princesses and books and crafts. That's what I love about my girl, she cannot be pigeon-holed.

She had a fun day at school and more presents when she came home, as well as more visitors.

I know she had a lovely day, she told me tonight when we had a cuddle. And she really likes being 5!

Five Years Ago

This is the emotional post.
The sensible one with pictures and a full report about the Grand Birthday Weekend will follow. But I need to get this one out of the way, then it doesn't interfere.

My little girl is five. And it brings tears to my eyes.
The rest of the year, the events of her birth are usually obscured by day to day living with this lovely child. But her birthday brings them all flooding back.
The rest of the year, I can be almost flippant about her birth and make light about giving birth to a room full of strangers; going over speedbumps in an a ambulance; not realising I was in labour; not being able to contact Hub; and, inadequate pain relief.

But not today. As well as celebrating the absolute joy my daughter has brought into my life, I still feel the fear of giving birth to a premature baby. And that fear is powerful and still scary and brings so many tears. And none of that fear was for me. It was all for her.

I remember having to wait to see if she was a girl, because she was in the midst of recucitation.
I remember only being allowed to kiss her forehead, because she needed to be whisked away.
I remember waiting to be allowed to see her, sitting in a wheelchair, but having to wait because a doctor had to come and tell us that she was seriously ill, and to tell us not to build our hopes.
I remember the first time I saw her properly, it was over 4 hours since I gave birth and she was in a plastic incubator, being shaken by an oscillating ventilator - and I was not allowed to touch her.
I remember making Hub go to be with her, I had to be sedated, so that she wouldn't be alone and frightened, because I was terrified.

Part of me is ashamed that this still affects me, and that I am weeping now. Part of me thinks I am weeping because I was robbed of that "happy" event, that "perfect" day when you become a mum. But so many of the tears are just relief that we got through it, with only a few little problems.
And some of these tears are just pride and joy, happy tears for my Darling Girl.

Cocoa Daisy

I got my hands on my new Cocoa Daisy kit yesterday. Wow! Lots of sassafrass lass papers and I finally got some french twist papers too. I just wasn't expecting all those owls! The embellishments really make this kit there are lovely stamps, and embossed chopboard and a maya road book. Plus there is a always a cute box in the kit, Darling Girl has her eye on this one, since it is a butterfly

I am soooo inspired. But I might have to give credit for this inspiration to Darling Girl's current Cbeebies Springwatch obsession. I have that song going round my head, and she loves to go outside and hunt for bugs or spot birds with her pink binoculars. I just need to be able to stand up properly on this damaged foot to get the best photos!

Plus there is a little matter of the Grand Fifth Birthday Weekend!

http://www.cocoadaisy.com/

Utopia preview

The time of year...

Yes, it's that time of year when the house echoes to the sound of Alanis Morrisette's "Jagged Little Pill" and the fridge contains a couple of chilled bottles of dandelion and burdock vodka.

What is happening?

I am writing reports. Hub has organised a space for me so I can keep my poorly foot elevated and sit at a table, without having to pack up all my papers and laptop after every session. The idea being I can go and do an intensive hour (as timed by Alanis) and then come away and chill. I am only allowed the vodka - in the evenings - if I can complete enough.

I am hoping they will be finished tomorrow. They have been much harder than last year. Partly because of new software, but mainly because I haven't see my great class for a few weeks, and I am missing them. But don't tell them that!


Other big news in the household: Darling Girl is about to make her stage debut, she takes the title role in the Reception Assembly in a few weeks, "Goldilocks." We are already hard at work learning lines.
However, Darling Girl's teachers might have a few more things on their minds; O****D will be paying them a visit next week. I will have to send in chocolate!

More detention

I decided I want to keep away from controversy. I have changed (a bit) the avatar that was problematic and added my sig. I changed it all last night.
I wasn't accusing anyone of stealing, I will share.

I am new to this creating avatars thing, and wish to thank all those members of OG who let me use their caps (especially fellow members of the Squee Squad and the really talented ones in the Braxiatel Collection) and their advice and quips!

I just really wanted to know if anyone was using them so I knew if they were any good...and here I am instead accused of slander.

So this is me...walking away...

Avatars

It seems I am in demand!
My everchanging DT avatars have been popular. A couple of people have emailed/PMed on different forums for the pics, which I am willing to share. But one of the Chorley girls today told me she had see my "Detention?" avatar on someone else's blog and was it someone I knew.
No it wasn't.
The pictures and screencaps are out there on the web, that's where I get them from, but the comments, fonts and general mucking about is all my own. I am relatively new to this creating avatars lark and have had a lot of support and advice from members of OG. So it would help me to know where some of my "Who Art" LOL is going.

So I have left this comment on that blog:
Hi! I was directed to your blog by a friend who saw one of my pics here without credit. I willingly share my Who work with those who ask and credit me. But I don't think I have heard from you.

And I'll say it again, I will willingly share, but I'd like to know where it is going and maybe a bit of credit. Thanks.
Or maybe I am naive and ought to start hiding my sig on them.

ETA: After a bit of an email session with a friend I have added my sig to my Who pics and edited the avatars to make sure they all now have my sig on.

Chapter Closed

It has been a big day for us today, Darling Girl's last appointment at the Professor's neonatal clinic. After she was initially released from hospital we went every couple of months, but since she has made such good progress it became a yearly visit and an opportunity to thank - again - the wonderful people who saved her life.

So our Darling Girl was weighed and measured. Then she was listened to at looked at. Next the fun part: how is she developing? So she counted and read and coloured and wrote. This was followed by balancing and walking "pins" (not as easy as reading). This was all accompanied by her chattering and asking questions. Finally, logic questions: "If a fire is hot, what is ice cream?" and other such problems for a four-year old.

And now the Prof turns to us. I remember meeting him for the first time the day after Darling Girl was born and I blanked out everything he told us because I was so scared and none of it was positive. Not any more. He is absolutely beaming. She is a "complete joy!" To have been born so early and so small and "to bear hardly any ill effects is wonderful." In his opinion, she "is intelligent and articulate." Our concerns about her co-ordination are brushed aside. It should come in time and well, if not, she "certainly has a brain and other talents if she cannot be a gymnast or athelete!"

And that's it. He does not need to see her ever again. . I cannot thank him enough for my girl. But he smiles and assures me that seeing her so well and so bright is enough. So at the end of our meeting the Professor shakes Darling Girl's hand seriously, "it has been a pleasure to have met you."

So we walk out of the clinc, and straight into one of Darling Girl's nurses leaving his shift. We had hoped to visit NICU but there have been internal reforms and staff changes and many of Darling Girl's team have moved on and he is sure there is no one there who would remember our Darling Girl. But Patrick does. He even remembered which nursery she was in. "I cannot believe she is almost five - she was tiny."

And another chapter in her life is closed. I am so proud of her, it is hard to remember that tiny baby now I have my beautiful school girl!

Neglected

I'm afraid I have neglected my blog, but after typing: "sat around and used crutches" for the thirty-ninth day, it gets a bit repetative.

Parents arrived home today. They have had a brilliant time touring the canyon lands of the US. They have definitely achieved some of their ambitions: seeing wild buffalo; driving through Monument Valley; a steam train to the Grand Canyon; visiting a reservation; and, going to Four Corners. It is something when your parents have better holidays than you!

Being in Utah, they visited the home of modern scrapbooking, the true land of stash. So before they went I told them a few things they might find for the discerning UK scrapper. And yes they saw the huge, air-conditioned scrapbook emporia of the West, filled with paper and tools and embellies of all descriptions. Then they turned and walked out empty handed! I have to laugh. They, of course spoiled DD, who had missed them both as much as they missed her.

Here are two avatars I am using this week, in case you see me about the interweb:

Finally, a big day tomorrow, Darling Girl's annual visit at the neonatal clinic to check on her progress. Since she is only a few days away from her fifth birthday, this will be her last visit to LWH. So the whole thing is both scary and incredibly positive. I am so looking forward to them seeing what an amazing and delightful little girl she is, but losing that connection really means she is growing up.

Creative

Unfortunately for Darling Girl the fact that I am stuck in with a broken foot means she is as well. She has been really good and we have been out in the garden, although I can only swing a skipping rope. But she has been having a try at something more creative. She wanted to learn to sew so I sent for some little kits from Yellow Moon and she has made a giraffe puppet.

She is absolutely thrilled with the result, so its a good job there are another 3 puppets to make.

Concentration and achievement

And I have to look for some yellow cardstock to scrap these pictures!