I went to change the water in the ponies' field the other day, as it had turned a rather fetching shade of green. On tipping the bath up to clean it, I found a gloriously fat frog hiding underneath. After both of us had done a little rain dance, it hopped off into the undergrowth and I replaced the bath and added some rocks so that any frogs wandering by could get in and out easily.

Yesterday I took the kids to Shirebrook Nature Reserve (see photos) as we had half an hour to spare. We only explored a very small area but we found tadpoles, water boatmen and millions of tiny frogs . The children were enchanted. It's not going to be difficult to entertain them during the summer holidays.

And I am pleased to report that our friends from Catcliffe are back in their home, the floodwater having stopped about 5 houses away from them. Its so sad to see all the skips with family belongings that have been damaged, and cars that have been underwater. We passed a large Transit type van, and the tide marks on it reached all the way to the roof. It's frightening to think that severe flood warning have been issued again and the next few days could see another deluge.

The Salvation Army seemed to be doing a wonderful job in Catcliffe, making sure that everyone was at least fed and watered. Our thoughts are still with the victims; it will take a long time before things are back to normal.

 

The flooding in Sheffield and the surrounding areas has had awful consequences. At least 4 people have already lost their lives and many more have lost their homes and possessions.

Could this have been foreseen? Could any of it have been prevented? I know that every time it rains, manhole covers are lifted and drains filled because they are not correctly maintained. Whenever this happens, the council comes along and patches it up until next time. Roads are laid using cheap materials, which disintegrates with heavy rainfall. Is the government putting lives at risk by trying to cut costs?

Last night was spent 'phoning round friends to make sure they are OK. Kimberworth is dry, as it is fairly high up, so our friends there are fine, even if unable to get to work. However, our friends from Catcliffe have another story altogther. They were evacuated at 3am yesterday (Tuesday) morning and just had time to grab the cat, jump in the car and leave to stay with family before the floods rose too high. Keeping in good spirits, they joke that at least their other car will be getting a wash!

On the news though, is a pub not far from their house. The water level is more than halfway up the bay windows, and they know it must be a similar depth in their house. All their clothes and possessions are in that house, and all they have ever worked for.

Our thoughts are with everyone in this time of need, I really hope their lives and dreams can be rebuilt soon.

 

I'm missing Lucy, and I'm not the only one. Chloe came up to bed with me last night, even though she's never done it in 11 and a half months of living with us.

She was always bickering with the cat, bu tnow she's gone Chloe is so dejected and sad I just don't know what to do with her. Jasper has seemed a bit down too, bu the's had other things on his mind, namely the tear has been healing on his back leg.

I find myself wandering from room to room, and when I pause to consider what I am doing, I realise that I am checking on the whereabouts of the cat. Its something that has become so much a part of my life over the past few months that I just can't help it.

In my 24 years of life, I have never been without a cat. When I was born, there was Sham and when I was 4 Lucy came along. She has (nearly) always slept in my room, and has caused me plenty of worries along the way. There was the lump on her side that needed removing after a particularly nasty fight, the abcess in her cheek, again as a result of a fight and the flea allergy that had to be treated every month (when it was finally diagnosed). Other than that there was the habit of sitting on people that were allergic to her, and the grievence against magpies because they once caused her to fall out of a tree. This particular feud lasted around 17 years and applied to all magpies, no matter where we were living or how innocent the magpie was.

I would love to have another moggie to keep me company. They are wonderfully independant, until they want something, and so aloof once they are finished with sitting on your lap.

Nobody can give a withering stare quite as crushing as a disdainful cat.

 

 

 

I rode out on my white horse yesterday in the pouring rain. It was a wonderful experience, not least because it has been some time since I have ridden Apollo. I found him to be so different from my usual mount, Winston. They have different personalities, a different gait and an altogether different way of seeing the obstacles we have to ride around.

 Winston has always been called 'pretty' and is extremely kind and loyal to me, Apollo is, at the age of 10, now coming into his own. I am often told how lovely he is and as I rode out on him I realised what a fire he has burning in his soul.

I am so privileged to own 2 such beautiful and individual animals.

 

 

The weekend got off to a good start with an important section of the fence being repaired. However, as everyone arrived home for tea,   tired and aching, my 'phone   rang. The ponies     were loose on the housing estate just above our field. With their 2 friends. And an audience.

Grabbing my sister in law, we set off to the rescue, only to find that the 2 sets of ponies had split up. And I didn't have spare headcollars. The plan was to catch our ponies, walk down to the other 2 and hope they followed us back to the field. It was never going to work really, was it?

Apollo and Winston (mine) were fairly well behaved whilst Roscoe and Charlie (not mine) played to the crowd. After some hesitation we decided to take our boys back to the field and come back for the other 2. Their owner showed up as we reached our field so I was able to get Rachael back in time for her haggis.

On Sunday the main part of the fencing   was completed and we were all tired but happy. In the evening I set up the electric fence so that half the field could regrow while the boys were munching on the top half.

On Monday morning, the boys got out again. They were put back in their field by a kind person who also attempted to repair the electric fence. It's just never-ending. Now the section of fence that they broke is tied up with plastic-wrapped wire, used for curtain sided lorries   . Hope it holds!

Looking forward to riding this weekend.  

The pouring rain   seems to have caused more problems than any of the winter weather that is supposed to be behind us.

Nursery is closed as there is water coming through the roof. The main route from our house to anywhere is closed because the rain caused the road surface   to lift (Sheffield City Council recently resurfaced the road with cheap materials, and plan to use it for the rest of the city). There is now a small lake at the end of our road that you could probably raise koi carp   in. My car is abandoned at the top of my drive, with the brakes sizzling and steam pouring from under the bonnet. I'm thinking this isn't good...  

I now declare 11th June to be Universal MySpace Lucy Day, which you should all take off work in remeberance of my beautiful little cat.

She has been my special pet since I was 4 years old and after going rapidly downhill in the last couple of weeks I had hoped that she would just lie down and die one night but the damn thing just wouldn't! So I had to make the desicion that nobody really wants to make and take her to the vets. I didn't have to justify my desicion at all, it was definately her time to go, and she did it with grace.

I will miss her with all my heart but I am so honored to have been her human.

 

MONDAY: Take Han to nursery, find ponies, arrange to take Lucy to vets, Jasper's tablet, pick Han up, take Lucy to vets, go to Moscar, find ponies, Jasper's tablet

TUESDAY: Take Han to nursery, find ponies, phone tax credits and bank, Jasper's tablet, pick up Han, meet park ranger, find ponies, Jasper's tablet.

WEDNESDAY: Take Han to nursery, find ponies, Jasper's tablet, pick up Han, make father's day cards, get kids new sunglasses, find ponies.

THURSDAY: Take Han to nursery, Louis to baby sign, find ponies, pick up Han, kids to toddler group, find ponies, try new keep fit class.

FRIDAY: Take Han to nursery, Jasper to vets, find ponies, go to parent group

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: Fix fences in field so I don't have to keep finding the ponies, collapse!

 

In between all of these things I need to feed everyone (kids, dogs etc), do the washing, vaccing and general daily chores. And I might even remember to feed myself!

Can't believe how busy my life is until I see it written down.

I'm now on my 3rd attempt at writing this blog and I'm having problems. My muse has deserted me; I know what I want to say but the words just won't come out in the right order. And I just lost the power to my PC so what I had written was wiped. Not much of a loss though. The kids keep interrupting with demands for drinks and an 'applorange'. Don't think I've got any of those...

What I wanted to write about was the way that MySpace has changed my view of the world. Since I have had this page I have met people from all over the world, from all walks of life and all religions. Well, not quite met, but you get my drift. I chat to people that I consider to be friends, but I don't even know what they look like. Floating in Space I can be the person I want to be, the person I really am. Instead of just being Hannah and Louis' Mum, I am Ruth; Friend, Foster Mum (to waifs and strays) and sometime Agony Aunt.

The internet has made it easier to learn about the world, to meet people and sometimes to find love. I look forward each day to checking my inbox, to see if any of my new-found friends has left me a message and surfing across cyberworld to find out what everyone has been up to.

Take care everyone, keep blogging and keep the messages rolling in!

  Thats it, I can't take it anymore! The ponies were missing last night, found them in the next field with a very confused man that had expected to feed his 2 horses and found 4. Dragged them back to their field and fed them on hay but apparently thats not good enough...  

The field was empty again this morning but I had to take Hannah to nursery and Jasper   to the vets before I could even think about fetching the ponies. Since I knew where they were I wasn't too worried, just annoyed.

After much rushing around, I finally made it back to the field with an hour to spare before Parent Group at nursery. I was armed with 2 buckets     of feed and 2 headcollars but hindered by Louis. The boys didn't want to be found, the field next to us is full of pineapple weed and they love it. I got very hot and bothered running around with 4 horses and trying to keep Lou out of the way, but finally caught Apollo   when he made a toilet stop!  

Winston being the stupid animal that he is though, disappeared off with his new friends instead of following us. Which was another half hour of work  . I eventually persuaded him to climb back into his own field but couldn't take his headcollar off as he hid from my wrath.

By this time I was not only late for Parent Group, I was also late for picking Hannah up, had lost Louis and was starting to panic. Lou was in the next field looking for me as I was bringing Win through the fence.

We organised ourselves and rushed off to nursery to find Han happily helping set the room up for the afternoon session. I suppose all's well that ends well...

 

I went to Rocky Horror last night and it was fantastic! I couldn't believe the amount of people that had dressed up for the occasion, and the audience participation made the show extra special. Being a Rocky Virgin it took me a little longer to join in, about 5 minutes!

Our group of 4 girls had made an effort to do it right, starting the night with pizza    and wine and getting ready together. I kept thinking that I had forgotten something but I realised it was just my   clothes! Not a problem with a show like this...

Christopher Biggins as the narrator was not phased by any of the heckling but during the second half he did come back with some witty retorts. It was these little bits of input that really made the show.

I will definately go and see it again sometime, but the next one on the agenda is Chicago. Planning my outfit already!

The only problem last night was the phone call   just before we set off, one of those conversations that starts with "don't worry, but..."

Jasper, my dog,   had an accident and tore his leg open. He had a 2inch gash in his hind leg, with a flap of skin hanging off, which resulted in a mad dash to the vets   this morning.

I took Hannah to nursey first, with the promise that Jasper would be back from the vets when she got home. She's quite used to animals going there and not coming back so I spent some time reassuring her. Unfortunately, the wound needed to be stiched   under general aneasthetic, which meant that J was not home as Han finished nursery.

The solution? Simple, just don't go home until Jasper is ready to be picked up from the vets! No broken promises, and no upset children.

And J is fine now, but my purse isn't...