She'll do.

I am adopted.

These are the answers to all the questions people ask me when I tell them that I am adopted.

1. I was adopted at just over two months old.
2. I don't remember being told I was adopted, I just always knew.
3. No, I don't want to meet my birth parents, although I would like some photos and a medical history (although, sometimes it's nice not knowing)
4. No, my brother is not my biological brother, he was adopted too.
5. Yes, I know my birth parents names.
6. I know where I was born.
7. I know what my name was before I was adopted.
8. I feel lucky to have been adopted, I had a very secure childhood, and have great parents.
9. I believe in nurture over nature (although nature plays it's part).
10. Could I give a child up for adoption? No.
11. I think things must have been pretty bad to give me up, so I am not angry, I am grateful, I have had a lovely family.

Being adopted does not define me, but it is part of me that I am content with.

My Dad told a story about when they went to get me.  For a long time I thought they had gone to a sort of baby shop, I made this assumption because my two year old brother was with them, when they picked me up and he said 'she'll do', like there was a choice. It was only when I got older that I realised I was the only one. But this story made me feel so special, I felt wanted. And still do.

10 things that make me Happy Meme

The lovely Diney has Meme'd me to do the ten top things that make me happy..

Lets have a think....

• Without sounding corny, the sound of my girls laughing...a 7 and 3 year olds giggles are the best
• Lie in's and the only thing that wakes me up is the smell of coffee creeping up the stairs
• The smell and anticipation of starting a new book
• Sitting with both my girls snuggled up on the sofa, quiet and still.
• Browsing in quiet shops, with no interruptions, a rare and special thing these days
• Writing something really good, also a very rare thing
• A walk with friends in the country on a sunny day, then a picnic
• Really lovely food, that I haven't cooked
• Sunday dinner at my Mum's with all the extended family in tow.
• Finding out about some spangley technology that is so nerd-tastic it makes me tingle

I  pass this little ray of sunshine too (apologies if you have already had it):

All Grown up...

Bad Housewife

Holding Patterns

Is there a Plan B

Wordless Wednesday - A Sunday Afternoon Walk

The Hopelessness of an Endless List Maker

Sometimes life gets in the way of stuff.

I really enjoy blogging but it is on my long list of to do's

All the things I enjoy doing are on my to do's:

Take more photo's

Write more poems

Write more of your novel

Do your blog

Do your other blog

(All of the above are part of the 'become a famous artist/photographer/writer' fantasy I still cling to, probably a little desperately..but hey, whatever gets you through the day!)

 Play with my children at the weekend

Help with homework

Do some painting with the kids

Try painting pictures like the ones in Cafe Rouge (not as easy as you think)

Be more lovely to my husband

Cook proper meals

Cook with the kids

Read more

Try to take life less seriously and be silly

See my family

See my friends

Then there is the To Do List of the ..other stuff..the things I have to do, or I am trying not to do:

Try not to be grumpy because you don't get lie in's anymore (you chose to have kids)

Do the endless washing

Do the garden, its not big, but it seems to take up so much time

Sand down and re-varnish the coffee table (that is a whole other blog..I will return to this another day)

Try not to bring work home

Try not to do work when I should be doing all the things on list One

Try not to mess about on Facebook, Twitter etc. when I should be social networking with live, real people

Try to wax my legs more regularly

Exercise, more...at all...

Stop being a hypochondriac

Go to bed earlier

Drink less coffee

Drink less wine

Eat less cheese

Eat less

Dear God it's endless...

And the final one

Stop writing lists.

Your favourite photo. A new meme

That Tara at Sticky Fingers has another of her bloomin' Meme's out there. 'What's your favourite photo' It is as simple as that, what is your favourite photo. I have loads I could choose and I have checked with madam and it absolutely has to be only one...(GrRRRrr). So do I do one of the arty one's I am really proud of or one of the one's that have captured a moment and always makes me smile.. Hmmmmmmmmmm

OK

This picture is at a friends wedding as the day bit was turning into the night bit. I think if feels kinda Rat Pack-esque.

My husband is surround by most of his closest friends for the first time in years and he has our daughters with him. Lola is hiding but Heather has just popped her head through the bodies to see what's going on, so this is a photo I am proud of and catches a moment in time.

OK, which lucky tikes am I going to pass this malarky on to (I am trying to use lots of classic words at the moment - like 'tike' and 'malarky' - I feel another blog coming on...)

Calgary Daddy - as I suspect he will have some pretty memorable moments happening in the coming hours, days, months, years.....!

Not enough Mud - as I wouldn't be at all surprised if they have some photos from there travels.

Older Mums are Fun - Because it looks to me that Older Mum takes a spanking photo!

Rebel Mother - Just because.

and lastly, but certainly not least...

Troutie - because I am sure that she will have something fab to share.

Have fun!

24/7 365 - Love it or Hate it?

I am 42. I am Generation X and proud. What a great time to be alive.

We (us 42 year olds) grew up with 3 channels on the telly.


I remember getting our first colour telly. I remember TV's without remote controls.


I remember the launch of channel 4 and being very excited by this new subversive channel (November 2nd 1982)


I remember getting our first video recorder.


I remember Vinyl, the joy of buying singles and listening (and taping) the top 40 on Radio One. I remember being excited about seeing Top of the Pops.



But then things suddenly moved on; in 1994 Sunday shopping became permissible for normal shops (instead of just garden centres and places that sold alcohol).



Culture and technology started to change. After the Second World War; Britain was, in general, a 9 - 5 society (not including the factories), but with men going to the moon, culture and technology began to change.



Satellite TV was launched in Britain in 1989.
 In 1994 I had my first mobile phone. It was brick shaped and about the same weight. There was no internet on it or texting.



Since I have been working I have rarely worked 9 - 5. I have worked Saturdays, Sundays, through the night, bank holidays and Christmas day. I have worked and partied hard



I love the new technology, I love my gadgets and gismos, I love that in moves so quickly, LCD displays, then plasma. We had DVD's then BluRay. We had mobiles, now SMART phones, texting, emailing, SMS'ing all new and great ways to communicate.

 

Digital photography, we can all take a great photo these days, and if it's not great we can change it to be great. Blogging, social networking, we are becoming one world via the internet. I can communicate using Skype for free with friends in other countries; they can see and hear me. All of this in my life time, what could happen in the next 40 years.



Generation Y & Z don't know about albums, my daughters have never had a TV they can't pause. They don't realise this is amazing! I am amazed daily. Is this what Tomorrow’s World predicted? I think it is better and more.



Unfortunately, others of my generation are more resistant to change. They are resistant to the internet, they think it is all porn and unsecure data; it frightens them because they don't understand it. Some of my friends don't use email, can only just text and don't see the accessibility of it all. Or they do use the technology but they limit themselves, out of fear, one friend asked me to take their photo's of them off Facebook, I explained that only my friends could see it so it would just be like having photos of them up in my house, but they didn't want there picture 'out there'. I struggle to understand this, what's going to happen...the internet will steal their soul?



I love that I can shop any time of the day without having to be bumped and jostled by real people. I can go anywhere and talk to anyone via my laptop.

 The one thing that I still love and I am not sure I could do with a net book or whatever; is books. I love curling up in bed with a good book; I love the physicality of it. It is comforting and old school, like radio 4, it reminds me of growing up and my Mum's. I think we all need a little bit of that even with all the great technology.



On which side do you fall; love it, or hate it? Are you a first generation 24/7 365’er like me?