Bloody hell

I need to see the GP (discuss blood test results, get prescriptions). I rang at 8:55 (after I'd finished feeding and changing Aliza). They were already out of appointments today!!

I was offered a routine appointment for the 1st week of September, but declined...

Thing about my surgery is, the GPs actually tell you to use the "emergency" appointments for not-really-emergencies. So in some ways they're creating their own problem, but let's face it, they're screwed no matter what they do.

I'll have to ring at 8:30 tomorrow.

other than that, boring. Done lots of diaper laundry. Put Aliza in her Aristocrat to test it as I washed and lanolinised it the other night and I want to make sure I did the lanolin right :) (I thought they came pre-lanolinised, but discovered after putting her in one that they don't! THe other woolies I got were home-knitted and she'd done the lanolin already. I did discover that lanolinising wool has one pleasant side effect: soft hands. The hot-water-and-lanolin really makes them nice, and it's not like covering your hands in lanolin, which is very thick and sticky. Might have to try it on my feet!)

Back carries

Not practised for a bit, but trying again. I can get her up on my back myself (well, it's a cheat, I use the sitting method--I can't superman toss, which is unfortunate because it gets them nice and high!)

(superman toss - cross your arms, grab baby from underneath, flip over the shoulder).

I can get her up, I can tie, but I still can't do it high or tight enough... she's heavy, and it's surprisingly hard/tiring trying to pull and tighten things on your back. Luckily our bed is by the mirror which makes practising easier. She's at a slightly awkward age--not old enough to hold on to me, not so tiny I can just flip her on. At least she can sit up now which is a big help.

I WILL get this down... it will be really helpful especially as she gets older.

Geography lesson

I was riding home on the 326 yesterday and 2 yoofs (with London accents) were discussing where we were.

Boy #1: We're in north London, right?
Boy #2: Nah, nah, we're out already yeah? This is definitely west London.

now, aside from the fact that the street signs say N20 (Americans: London post codes are geographical, N means north), so it should have been pretty obvious, I give you this map of where we were:

http://tinyurl.com/2zhr6x
(redirects to Google Maps)

It may be slightly west of due north, but there is no question, it's north London. If you went a little further north, you could pedantically argue you were in Hertfordshire (Barnet is postally in Herts, and was governmentally until 1965), but there is no way you could argue that you were in West London.

I fear for the youth of the nation.

Side annoyance: on the way up to Whetstone the bus driver yelled at me for not getting on at the bus stop. Err... it's a HAIL AND RIDE!!! Yes, there's a map post a little way down the road, but it's not technically a bus stop. If TfL didn't want anyone getting on in my stretch of road they would put stops in at Lovers Walk and Court House Gardens and not mark the route Hail & Ride. The reason I didn't walk any further down wasn't laziness: it's that every time I do it I miss the bus!

crazy house prices

OK, I'm baffled.

On another board there's one of those 'houses in your area' threads so I went to Rightmove to find examples. And I find this:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-15199054.rsp?pa_n=12&tr_t=buy

2 bed house, £450,000.

It's a nice location, right near an excellent primary school (but this wouldn't really be a family house anyway, I think). Yes, it's detached. But it's 2 BEDROOMS. And the garden isn't huge (72' is actually on the smaller side for Woodside Park), so it's not like you could put on a whopping extension. The rooms aren't big either. I just don't get it.

And it's sold subject to contract!!!

There's also a 3 bed semi in Cissbury Ring North on for £599K, but that makes a little more sense: it's right next to Frith Manor School, which is one of the best primaries in the borough and has just been completely rebuit.

Still... crazy!

today's gem

Apparently, superfundamentalist Christians refuse to teach set theory:
http://community.livejournal.com/dark_christian/271101.html

(the quote from the books is verifiable, here: http://www.abeka.com/Distinctives.html but the essay above explains why it's supposedly godless.)

(found this out when I was looking for information on one of the Christian homeschooling curricula).

Rejecting evolution isn't enough for 'em....

I told Neil this (for those of you who don't know my husband, he has a degree in math) and he said "But... but... then they're rejecting all of mathematics!"

random wondering

We've got Essex, Sussex, Wessex, and Middlesex. What happened to the north Saxons? :)

(Never really did early English history...)