The Spookiest Thing Ever In My Life

OK, for the Frasier fans out there, I've just had a major Daphne Moon moment.  We've just watched Never Mind the Buzzcocks, it was during the Intros round - Ben Miller on Phill Jupitus' team had just failed to recognise a Jay-Z song, and Olga and I agreed that we wouldn't have got it even if they'd hinted that it was a Jay-Z song, and I said "Why is it never anything like Radio Ga Ga" [by Queen]? As Phill Jupitus and Poloma Faith started humming the next intro, I daydreamed about what it would be like if it did turn out to be Radio Ga Ga, how I'd have to go and buy a lottery ticket for the next draw... Then just as Olga turned to me with a very strange look on her face, saying "you've seen this, haven't you?", Ben Miller said something like "I know it, it's Radio Ga Ga". And it was!
Now, that really is the spookiest thing that has ever happened to me, I really did think of Radio Ga Ga before they'd started humming the intro. Out of the tens of thousands of songs they could have chosen, how did I think of that particular Queen song. I'm not even that familiar with the intro to that song, something like Bohemian Rhapsody has a more obvious intro.
That was half an hour ago, I've calmed down a little now, but I was really spooked at the time. A lottery ticket is now at the top of tomorrow's shopping list...

On the home front, we've got our dining room back now, after 7 weeks. Yesterday I took down Jackson's pen, so now he has the pick of the lounge or dining room to sleep in, and Mishka has the hall and kitchen. Jackson will still make the odd mess, but we'll just tidy them up as we go. He can use the cat flap in the back door when we're at home to pop in and out as he pleases.
Jackson also had his final check up with the vet today and had his bandage removed, so we can take him out for walks with Mishka now, but we still have to be careful with him for the next few weeks, no jumping or climbing stairs. We can control the stairs thing, but telling Mishka to not let Jackson follow him onto and off the sofa while we're out is another thing!

A Proper Young Lady

Olga was successful this morning at putting Lara's hair in bunches - I'd failed miserably yesterday to tie it back in a pony tail. She looked great! I'm not sure how long they stayed in for at nursery though....

Little and Large

The boys enjoyed fighting over the cardboard tube from a roll of cling film last night - no need to buy expensive toys for them! Jackson has started copying Mishka, it'll be fun to watch him grow up shadowing his big brother.

Another Personal Best

I don't know what we're giving Lara, but if we could bottle it and sell it, we'd be millionaires. This morning it was 9.34 before Lara woke and asked for Mama. Yes, 9.34! And this was without waking in the night, or at least without waking and making a fuss that woke us up via the monitor.
She went all day yesterday without a daytime nap, but given that she'd only woken at just after 9, we were OK about that. She did seem tired during the afternoon, but by the time we got home from Marlow, it was 6pm and made more sense to just give her a bath and put her to bed as normal.  All we've changed in the past few weeks is to do away with her sleeping bag and give her a duvet, which I doubt she even sleeps under, as she kicks it off when I put her to bed. Also we've put her a sleepsuit rather than pajamas, so maybe she stays at a more comfortable temperature during the night now. Whatever the reason, we're delighted!
This afternoon was spent tidying up in the garden, Olga cleared the veg patch, and I mowed the lawns, for the last time this year I hope! I felt like the Oscar Schindler of the frog world, I moved half a dozen juveniles to safety before powering up the mower. I should have shown them to Lara so she could give them her best "ribbet", but she was busy in her sand pit on the decking.
I hope this post won't come back and bite me - Lara might wake at 6am tomorrow and scream the place down, but we hope not!

Affectionate Pets

We had a new and very pleasant experience last night while watching TV. Mishka, whilst being very cute and lots of bouncy fun, has never been particularly affectionate towards us in terms of sitting on the sofa and letting us stroke him. Normally he'll clear off the sofa when we come and sit down, which I guess would be considered to be good canine manners. But sometimes we'd like him to act like a big cat and cuddle up with us. Jackson has been the opposite, he loves being stroked while relaxing with us on the sofa, and last night I think Mishka got jealous, as when Olga was stroking Jacko, Mishka came up and sat between Olga and I, then lay down on me, and was happy to let me pull his ears and tickle his tum. He's been the same tonight, so maybe now we'll have two affectionate boys who'll get off the sofa when we tell them to, but will be happy to snuggle up with us when we let them.
Here are a couple of photos, Jackson was looking soooooo cute that I just had to take some!