"The Chipmunk did a whoopsy on the carpet"

Last night we put the air con on and left it on all through the night. Ahhh it was lovely. I turned it off this morning because it was so cold and every time I went out the heat blasted me (very similar to when we were in Antigua many moons ago for our wedding................). Ah anyway! I think I may have been better leaving it on low (or high depending on the way you look at it) as it has now warmed up in here despite the fact I have had all doors and windows closed all day. Upstairs has started to get too warm again and the loft is like a greenhouse. I have spoken to Moo now and she agrees that being in the basement is the best place. We need to make a few changes but that's okay, rather a chilled out Moo than a Grumpy melted One!

We had to try and fix the Satellelite box too. Huffle spent about an hour online to Bell who eventually said they would send an Engineer. "And will this cost me anything?" says Huffle expectantly! "Just $77 sir but this can be added to your next monthly bill". "Oh No, I'm not paying anymore. I already pay you <x amount> for your equipment to work, it is not working, therefore you can send an engineer to fix it free of charge, please pass this matter to your Manager". Within two minutes she had it confirmed that we would get an engineer tomorrow for no cost! Well actually there will be a cost but we are to ring when it appears on the bill and ask them to remove it!

Also last night, we brought in the bird seed - ha let's see you get it now Mr Squirrel! Except we forgot to shut the sun room doors. Oblivious in our lovely cool house. This morning Huffle saw the chipmunk that quite casually came in and ate through the whole lots of bird seed and left us a few puddles of wee too. How lovely. So my first job this morning was to sweep, mop, sanitise and deodorise. All whilst waiting for the Bell Engineer to turn up. So I may be forgiven for forgetting that child No2 should have been on the school bus at 8:50 and NOT still playing on the computer! WHOOPS! Can't really blame Grandma and Grandad for this one!

Look at that mess you naughty chipmunk

Actually the Engineer turned up just as the bus passed the window. So I had to say hello, here is the box, there is the problem, now I have to drive my kids to the school, sorry back in a five! He wasn't supposed to be in the house without someone else (obviously) but he ended up working outside anyway! The problem was that the dish was pointing at a load of trees! "Why has it been put here?" the engineer said! Ummm I wonder I thought! He moved it and said it would be okay for approximately two years and then we would be completely surrounded by trees and have no way of getting a signal. "we will trim the trees then!" I said. "That'll do it" said he. An hour and a half after he arrived, he was gone. I have just noticed that he has left the old mounting up with the wires sticking out ofthe top. damn, that's no good!!!!

Smallest and I took a trip to 'Michaels'. Six months I have been here and never yet entered the store. it's a craft store. How has that happened! I enticed Smallest there with the promise of lovely craftiness, crayons, paints, colouring books. He bought himself a squidgy ball and a puppet! I bought some stuffing, crochet markers and a couple of inks! We popped into Starbucks for a drink and a 'little something', tried to get Huffle to come out for lunch (he wasn't answering his phone, emails or text!) and drove home.

We popped to ClownRoses to say Hello and then popped to the Royals to take back something we had borrowed. Smallest and Mr Royal played ball.

Had some lunch and played a couple of games of Monopoly Deal - he beat me twice - he's only five and only just learnt to play and still says "what does this card say or do?". PAH it's not fair. We did a puzzle, tried to find the noise in the vent (think it may a chipmunk - like it didn't have enought to eat last night/this morning!) and sat on the porch and waited for Small to come home.

As soon as he got home he wanted me to ring his friend to tell him he could come and play. I got small to ring him. The answer phone was on so this is the message he left "hello, my mum says you can play but she can't pick you up!". That's it, no telling them who he was, no number to ring back on, no telling them he can come another day if it's not convenient! Luckily there aren't too many English boys who don't use the telephone much in our Hamlet so they guessed and rang back.

Boys playing with hoops whilst waiting for Mac.

His friend came to play, it caused arguments between Small and Smallest. They ended up on the computer where order was returned! I made them pizza and Chips. Huffle came home. The three boys ate together but Smallest was showing off and being silly so we removed him from the table and then he decided to have a tantrum. We narrowly missed one this morning but he ended up calming down in his room by himself.

Small and Mac played outside until I took him home. Huffle and I have a strange vegetable beany soup for dinner (parp says I), it's really hot, why would we want soup on a day like this? I don't know what to cook when it's like this but I needed to use stuff up!