Hi everyone. Sorry it has been so long since I last blogged - I have barely sat down long enough to finish a cup of tea in the last week or so, and so blogging has been sadly neglected. I have tried to catch up on what you are all up to, and I am sorry I have been neglectful in leaving comments - I have been reading your blogs intermittently when time permits. How did I ever manage without Bloglines?

So, what have I been up to? Well, I had my first fair of the season on Thursday at my friend Karen's house. She had a Ladies Night in order to raise money for Marie Curie nurses, and she made over £700 which is fantastic. She lives in an enormous manor house in a small village near here, and there must have been about 100 people there. It was a beautiful setting, and she was so well organised. I did really well, but forgot my camera, so can't show you any pics - sorry. It was a lovely evening, although my feet were killing me as I was wearing heels. I don't wear them very often as I am 6' tall and Andy is only 5'8", so ballet pumps are de rigeur here!

On Friday the girls went to my friend Hannah's for a sleepover (she has also got 2 girls of similar ages - it really pays to cultivate these friendships!!). Andy and I went out for a fabulous Thai meal and had a lie in the next morning. Hannah brought them back at about 11, so we had a leisurely morning - unlike most Saturdays! I then had a stall at a local fair organised by a friend of mine for the Scouts. It hadn't really occurred to me that Scouts tend to be boys and therefore wouldn't be into my stuff. It was a bit slow, but I knew several other stall holders and had a good chat, a mince pie and a cuppa, and was given a card stand, so it wasn't all in vain. I did take my camera this time, although the backdrop wasn't very special!

I've got another one tomorrow night and then that is it for a week or so. It is always manic before the first one and then calms down as I just pack everything away carefully and take it out again at the next one. I just top up stuff as I need it.

Here's a pic of my latest acquisitions from ebay. The pink spotty pillowcases are now on my bed, and very gorgeous they are too. The cushion goes perfectly on my pink and green stripey chair in the dining room, and the other pillowcases I have yet to use.

This is the laziest dog in the world - especially since we have been lighting the fire. We have decided to swap him for a cat. I was sat up late last night on the laptop and a mouse skipped right past his nose without him noticing. Grace said the other day she had seen a rat, and Andy told her not to be silly. Turns out she was nearly right - although it was the tiniest mouse I have ever seen, and nothing like a rat. I will be getting some top tips from my sis who is the world's expert on mouse removal (although this did involve getting her friend's boyfriend to come out in the middle of the night to remove one caught in a trap). She was over-run for a while and was not ever so brave about it all, truth be told. Apparently they like Bounty chocolate bars best. Seems like a waste to me.

By the way, is it just in Cheltenham, or has anyone else noticed that Christmas has gotten earlier and earlier? We drove around town at the weekend and noticed 3 houses with Christmas decorations up, trees and all. Now, I am all for going to town with the decorations and dressing the house in style, but I tend to go for the middle of DECEMBER, not November.

And finally, the great pumpkin give-away results are in. As you were all a little less vociferous in your comments - unlike my last give-away - I have decided to reward all of those people who left me a message on my last post with a packet of seeds, if you would like them. Please email me your address. Not the best give-away in the world I know, but I've got to do something with the seeds - I can't bear to waste them and we would cover the entire allotment site if we planted them all!

Hope you are all having a fun week. I promise to try to get round you all soon and catch up on your news.

Cathy XX