"I am not my hair"

This made me laugh - tell me I have a poor sense of humour, but over here we get the BBC world news. Most of the time this is the rare flicker of sanity there is within the US television network, but yesterday was priceless! Toward the end of the news they always end with the more "lighthearted" pieces. A British man, holidaying in Spain, had set up the most elaborate burglar detection and security system in his home. Basically he had cameras that triggered an alarm which then sent a phone call to his cell phone telling him of the current burglary (or maybe false alarm) anyway, he can then go online and watch all this happening. What was his response when asked about his recent break in that he was able to watch from Spain from his PC? - I was totally shocked !! Eh? Surely if you set up such an elaborate system and it goes off, it can't be that much of a shock to watch people burgle your house after all, that is what it is there for isn't it?

We are sitting amidst torrential rain yet again! Today I had to purchase a rain jacket, I have lightweight jackets and I have heavy fleeces and snow coats, but since we arrived here, we haven't had weather like this. It is still warm, so not snow jacket weather by all accounts, but it is way to wet for a denim or other jacket. I need something that I can fling over a t-shirt to do the school run. However, being me, this "fling" has to be the right kinda "fling" baby! so good old North Face came up trumps this morning. In the meantime, the darned scout cookout for which I was in such a hurry to be suitably attired, has been cancelled. It might sound obvious, but e-mails were sent earlier in the day to say that, in true scouting spirit, we would meet rain or shine.....so I was practising my "I really want to be here" smile. However, obviously by 5.30pm and no let up in the rain, sense actually got the better of them, much to W's disappointment. TBH, they are both pretty shattered from a week back at school and they have swimming tomorrow. Not wanting to "hot house" them this is gratefully postponed until Sunday.

R is still not right, we are working on a theory right now that his food is causing a back up progressively over the day, hence the fact the attacks are worse in the evening after his evening meal. He is currently trying the theory that by eating his main meal at lunchtime and snacking in the evening, perhaps the backlog won't be so bad so his stomach, intestine, gut, whatever it is that is causing these spasms won't react so badly. So far, not bad, but he is still suffering. His tests are lined up for this week, so maybe, maybe we will get some results and answers.

Excitingly, we are hoping to get tickets to go and see India Arie in NYC in October. I have a really selective amount of people of whose music I really like, I tend to like tracks from different musicians and my choices are quite eclectic, that said, India Arie is one of those who really hits the spot, her lyrics are just so powerful, so I am excited that we might be able to go, as long as we can get a sitter!

Well, it is time to go and tend to the needs of a bottle of "three blind moose" that has been delightfully chillin' since about 4pm, that is when the need hits of a Friday evening - the weekend starts to seep in and weave it's wicked way hoorah - I wonder if I am going to have to share??!!

Murphy and Sod

I hate these guys! They have the most unfair laws in the whole of the world. Yup I know I probably sound right now like a spoiled child having a tantrum and that is exactly what I AM doing, except it is with NO-one cos there is no-one to have it with!

So, what started out as a FANTASTIC weekend at the Vibes, turned into a total washout and an early ride home!
We headed off yesterday morning on what turned out to be a 3 hour ride north of Albany in NY. Even the trip brought some bits to tickle me! Here we were in the middle of the US listening to Dave's CD and particularly "The Lookout Road" (for those of you who are not familiar) D. is a very talented musician whom we spent time with in Ireland (along with M, his wife!). He wrote a song about a road that ran from Killaloe, where we all lived, to Nenagh along the banks of the Shannon. Anyway, it was a poignant moment (but I guess you had to be there) when we were seeing signs to places like Athens and Cairo and then suddenly Selkirk! It was just surreal! I just had a moment trying to envisage the lyrics that D might have for a song with towns as obscure and diverse as these, yet all on the same road!!!!!! Okay, so I am wibbling - but hell, isn't that the name of this blog !! My blog, my perogative!

At one point we made a restroom break and pulled up next to a big beardy guy sitting on the back of his truck, just hanging out chatting with a friend. Then all of a sudden he pulls out his harmonica and just starts playing. it's like, where in the hell else would that happen but naturally at a gas station in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the Appalachians!

So we arrived at the Vibes and pitched our tent in the family area. We hadn't brought our gazebo as we thought there wouldn't be room, but this turned out to be mistake number 1. Mistake # 2 was packing rain stuff for me and the kids and hoping R would put in his own (note to self - men don't pack for themselves IF there is a woman to do it for them!!)........I ended up wearing a piece of the tent as my waterproof as my dh snagged my paccy! Seriously -what happened to chivalry.

It was already drizzling a little as we were setting up, ironically, after R and I had had a disscussion coming over about how in the US where we are, we have never had drizzle, if it rains, it rains, then it's over, none of this feeble but yuky grey wet mist! Ha Ha Ha - someone was listening to me! Still, we thought it might clear, and to be fair, most of the day was pretty dry with the odd break out. So we went to listen to music and make crafts in the kids tents. T and R wanted a go on the Orbitron so W and I and I made a wind mobile and looked around the vendors. We never actually got to sit out and listen to any bands, partly because we were right next to the stage in the kids area so could hear them, and partly because someone or something else had better ideas for our evening;s entertainment, which was meant to be -a nice warm balmy evening, boys having a dance, us having a listen and a beer, I. perhaps dancing too or sleeping in the stroller, on our blankets by the stage.

We went back to the tent to cook at about 5 (after bumping into someone from school !!!!!!) and the heavens openend and didn't relent until around 4 this morning. I. and I ate our pasta under a small umbrella we found and it was decidedly miserable!!

By 7, the tent was letting in water as the children were unable to stop touching the sides and we weren't sure what to do for the best. Eventually we made the decision to drive home. In hindsight it was the best decision, as when we were driving the rain was literally horizontal, it was the worst rain we have had here for a long time and there was no way we could have stuck it out. The bed clothes were feeling damp even at 7 and my motherly instincts had to kick my selfish "I wanna stay" instincts out and think about them.

It is absolutely typical though, for the whole of the summer, there hasn't been a weekend that it has rained. We chose this festival for it's pretty much guaranteed warm weather after all, mid August!! So I am feeling somewhat dampened in spirits myself this morning! We probably won't be going next year as we are most likely going to be going to the UK around this time, but there is a festival the weekend before in Newport RI that we might head up to and then do the Vibes again the year after next.

Oh, well, back to the usual today then! Sulk over!