What a strange weekend. Not in a bad way necessarily. Just different. Marty's parents have been visiting us from England and took the kids out to W5 in Belfast on Friday. Then today Marty took the two littlun's to The Igloo (soft play area - although Rosie didn't do much playing!). This afternoon Granny and Daddy took the three big kids to the cinema.

And then this evening Marty and I went out to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Although it is Valentines Day now so everywhere was pretty packed and we didn't have much choice about where to go. We ended up eating some pub food in the Downshire Hotel, then wandering around Tesco's for a bit of shopping! But after that we found a little place that had some nice soft chairs, so we sat chatting for a couple of hours over a hot chocolate and a latte, about the state of the world, and the 9/11 conspiracy theories. Since coming home though poor Marty has spent a good few hours vomiting. I am hoping he doesn't have food poisoning. It has come on him so quickly.

Marty has started a new blog, so please if you have time visit it, and leave him a little comment to encourage him to keep it up!

With the commencement of our new family blog we all have new blog names, which is bound to confuse everyone. But it was necessary to make sure we don't come up the same in search engines. Marty is named after the 'crackalactic' zebra in Madagascar 2, who is undoubtedly his hero. I am named after a HIM song, Venus Doom. Tarja takes her name from the lead singer of Nightwish. And Badger, well, he just chose that name because he's a wally. Lol. Our names are all a bit daft, but they aren't real so it really doesn't matter eh.


What a strange year it has been. I guess after the excitement of last years travels, 2009 was always going to seem less adventurous. But I never expected it to be the way it has been so far. To start with I never in my wildest dreams imagined a little baby would be added to our family for 2009! I also never expected to lose my best friend the way I did, nor to have such stress and sadness over it all. I never expected to be at the police station writing statements about harassment and stalking. Or receiving emails full of hate and bitterness. I never expected any of that crap. What is going to happen next?

I am finding it so hard as well to see my old friend so sad, but to not be able or allowed to help. On the one hand I should be glad to be away from someone who would just throw away my friendship as if I am a worthless piece of junk as soon as something better comes along. But on the other hand I see that person suffering now and am torn that I can't do anything to make it better. Why do people have to be so complicated? And so foolish. And so damn difficult.

I hope Marty is feeling better by the morning. I can hear him downstairs chucking up. Poor guy. He was white as a sheep when I tucked him into bed on the sofa. I hope it's nothing serious. He is so lovely.